Chapter 10: Eyes

Seven days passed just like that.

Zaria was still lost in his meditation when he suddenly felt a short jerk in his body. He was bewildered as he opened his eyes and found out that he was already outside the room. The small fire altar was still burning mildly just like at the beginning.

He took a deep breath to compose his nerves, stood up and moved onwards.

The flight of stairs felt endless. It gave him a surreal feeling.

As he kept ascending the stairs, he thought about what he had studied in the past week. He also wondered about the variant theory with a slight anticipation.

Were there really other approaches worth considering? He thought to himself. He knew too little. He wanted to know more. He was inquisitive by nature, anyway.

Eventually he arrived at his destination. It was just like the previous room with a tightly shut door and a small fire altar. He tossed the remaining key into the altar and just like before the key sizzled, the fire burst out shrouding the door which then opened slowly. He entered the room unhurriedly.

After entering the room he looked around and was a little surprised. There was no lantern, no moonlight, no carvings on the wall. It was just an empty room with a small table at the end upon which laid a shabby looking book. A thick layer of dust had settled on it like a forgotten memory. A flickering oil lamp shone a dim light upon it and a bowl full of oil beside it, perhaps to refill the lamp.

“I guess it’s really unwanted.” as there were no tricks and puzzles this time it was evident that this particular scripture was not valued in the least. It was just like a historical artefact bereft of any real use. For some inexplicable reason, Zaria felt a bit sad for it.

He reached the table, sat down and lifted the book. He blew away the dust by gently blowing at it. The book itself felt like it had gone through endless passage of time. Its pages were withered and had a pale yellowish tint to them.

Zaria started reading the book. Time ticked away slowly.

When he was halfway through, he frowned. This scripture really was different. The theory it encapsulated was in a direct contrast to the previous one.

According to this scripture, the purpose of martial training is to embrace nothingness by giving up natural energy. To be an individual entity not dependant on this natural energy.

This was a completely different approach as opposed to the symbiotic relationship between a trainer and energy he had studied just before.

When Zaria tried to contemplate it, he seemed to grasp something but couldn't hold onto it. He felt like this scripture contained more of a philosophy than a theory. He understood now why no one tries to bother with variant theories. They are unnatural, to put it mildly, and cannot be depended upon without any precedents completely. And they were difficult to comprehend inherently.

However, Zaria didn't feel the same. He found some merit in it and felt it was worth considering. But, almost instantly, he gave up the idea. Not because he was against it or anything like that, merely, he cannot take a wild risk like this in his situation. He already had a near impossible goal. To rely on a gamble like this was something he couldn't do. So he made his decision to follow what he had already learnt, in the end. He even gave up on reading the scripture to the end and decided to utilise his remaining time in the room to start his meditation and breathing practice he had learnt earlier. Time was a luxury right now for him, after all!

However, as he was standing up, he accidentally hit his knee to the table and the oil lamp spilled some of its oil on the book.

Zaria was startled and hurriedly tried to wipe the oil off of the book. But just as he was about to do that, the book absorbed the oil and new words surfaced on it.

Zaria was astounded for a moment and stared as those new words surfaced slowly with a blank look. However, he soon recollected himself and furrowed his brows.

Was there something else to the book other than the theory? He contemplated for a while and looked at the bowl full of oil.

His eyes twinkled.

Could it...could it be that this was also a trick like earlier?

He hesitated for a moment before a determined look could be seen in his eyes. He carefully started applying the oil to the book.

One page at a time.

Soon he had applied it to the whole book as new words kept on surfacing, blending in with the existing words.

Eventually, It became a completely different scripture!

It was a hidden scripture!

Zaria got extremely enthusiastic for obvious reasons. He muttered under his breath, “Why would someone go this far for a useless scripture?”

He temporarily put aside the idea of practicing and started reading the 'scripture’ again.

This time around he didn't give up midway, though. Even more so, his eyes went wide as he kept reading further.

Now, he was completely absorbed in this new information like he had entered in another realm altogether.

Time kept ticking away.

After a long time had passed, he closed the book and exhaled. He felt exhausted as he let his body fall down on his back with his arms spread wide. His hair disheveled but he had a thin smile on his face.

I understand now!

I cannot believe such a treasure has remained undiscovered all this time.

Zaria had a feeling that he was enlightened in that moment. He simply immersed himself in that sensation.

He didn't do anything for the rest of the day and just lazed around, lying on the floor with his eyes closed.

From the next day onwards, he sat cross-legged and forgot about everything else and meditated with unparalleled focus.

----

Two weeks had passed since Zaria entered the Hall of Scriptures. The Sanctuary was especially quiet. Each person was busy preparing for something. Some of the young shuras were preparing for the annual reshuffling examination, especially those who were in grade two and grade three. They couldn't let this opportunity slip by. Generally, one had to take gradual steps in order to become a true shishya of one of the Twelve Head Priests. From provisional class to grade three, grade three to grade two, then grade two to grade one. After all that came a chance for becoming a true shishya. However, this time even a grade three shura had a chance to become one. Well, in theory, at least. They knew that those in grade one were not just for show. They were all incredibly strong. But even a chance to train under a Head Priest for one month meant a smooth sailing afterwards for many. So they were determined nonetheless.

Some others were focussed wholeheartedly for the Trials of Strength. They were mostly true shishyas and some grade one shuras who had practiced hard for this day. To them, the trials meant long-lasting prestige and fame. The annual reshuffling examination was like a child's errand to them. However, they still had to keep an eye on the proceedings as some shuras will rise after the exam and will probably compete with them in the near future as equals. At their level they had learnt to never underestimate their opponents.

There were also some who had their sights set beyond all this. The only thing that mattered to them was the General Meeting of the Northern Mountains. These were the true prodigies of the Sanctuary. They were rarely in the Sanctuary itself as they roamed the whole continent. They had to experience various things and find their path as they strive to reach the pinnacle. No one expect them to give a thought to such mundane affairs of the Sanctuary, anyways.

----

The massive gate of the Hall of Scriptures opened with a rumbling sound.

The old man who guarded the entrance was still there. He raised his head and looked at the door as a young boy came out of it. He had disheveled hair. There was some dust on his robes. He looked a little exhausted even.

Zaria’s pupils shrank and he found it difficult to keep his eyes open as bright sunlight bombarded them. Gradually, he adjusted to it. He turned towards the old man, smiled and bowed his head slightly with his hands pressed against each other.

“Gurudev, I will always remember your kindness.” He said earnestly and walked away.

The old man was baffled as he saw his fading back, “Those eyes. His eyes have changed.”

As Zaria disappeared in the distance, the old man also closed his eyes as the corners of his mouth curved up in a meaningful smile.