Today, the day of the beginning of my apprenticeship, I'm wearing my new blindfold. And as I'm too short, my soul armament is on my back. Standing there waiting, I hear Boch speak next to me, "HEY, KID, WHATCHA DOIN!" I jump. Of course, he's laughing. I facepalm. About three minutes pass and he finally stops laughing and, I assume, starts looking me in the eyes or where they would be if it weren't for the blindfold; I feel his breath on my face. As he's doing this, I pipe up. Is something the matter, sir? Yes, you are weak. Well, fix this, but first, let me teach you how to see with no eyes. As he says this, he taps my forehead. "This is my gift to you. my young apprentice." Wait, what is entering my mind? A skill -ding- "You have learned essence sense error can't display at this time."
So that must mean there is a menu to see my skills. I'm not worried about that for now. Let's give it a try. Before I could try, Boch speaks up. "Not here, hold out your hand." Okay, I reply. I hold my hand as he grabs it; I feel dizzy and disoriented. It lasts less than a second. Did we teleport? I ask, "Yes, I'm surprised you noticed?" It was the difference in smell, I say, and humidity. "Now activate the skill." Yes, sir, I reply. Eager to test it, I cast the skill. Wow, this is amazing. I can make out shapes of everything, not color, though. "Wow, so you can use the skill, huh? No pain?" As he says this, my head begins pounding. It gets so bad I end up puking> I turn off the skill as I do, and he pipes up, "Every day you are to cast that skill, we will do this till you can use it indefinitely." What! is my reply? I mull over what he has said and grudgingly agree. This will be working towards my goal. Wait, what purpose? Well, I'm sure I'll think of something for now. Let's just train strength isn't a bad thing, right?
ONE month, and I'm getting the hang of essence sense. I've also learned that if I control the skill to give broader info, for instance, if I wanted to know if someone had a scar if I apply more mana to the skill, the feedback is more detailed and, in return, gets more strenuous on me. So, if I limit the amount of mana to general shapes like limbs, torso head, and if they were holding anything, the headache is nonexistent, and mana isn't an issue, to begin with, Boch says, and I quote, "You have more mana than most imperial mages." which shocked me. I'm still mastering it, but I feel I'm missing something in the skill itself. Boch said that mana has color. But I can't perceive it as such; why?
As if on cue, Boch asks if I have realized it yet. I ask hesitantly if it has to do with the incomplete skill he gave me. And, of course, I was right. Boch replies, "Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner. While not perfect, the full skill isn't available to you due to your lack of baptism and element." I don't have an element, but I can cast magic. That's why I took you as an apprentice only. I have done such a thing before and sensed the lack of element. I thought it would be wise to test you there, so I let a little aura out, Opps." Wait for aura? Master, what is an aura? "Not for you to learn, yet don't ask again. Or no dinner for three days!" Yikes, he's serious. Roger, that! With that, my days continued.
Man, this month sucked. So, halfway through the month, I mastered what I'm calling mana sight part one. And now I'm being forced to use it while sleeping continually. By the 15th of the next month, I had learned to keep it going all night. That was hard but not overly, so I was given a few days rest in the house, the stream. I guess I never mentioned where we were. I have no idea, but it is a cabin in the woods near a stream. The mana seems thicker here. So, it must be unique. But daily life is mundane, and Boch eats three square meals daily. And I've even been able to help with the chores. Eventually, I asked Boch when I could train again. and he responded. "Work on your physical enhancement and your body, mainly your core and stamina." Okay! That was my reply. I wonder how Caroline is doing. Mom and Dad, I miss you too!
FOUR months later...
I feel like a monster. I'm three and running a mile. Master Boch has called me into his basement. Wait, why the cellar? I ask; he ignores me and stops at a rack, which I can tell has a practice sword after practice sword. Yeah, that's right, I've gotten good enough to tell what material something is made of, but I still don't know the color. Boch tosses me a wooden sword and tells me to take a stance. Which I do, but to my Suprise, he doesn't say anything. I focus on Boches expression. He seems surprised. Ten seconds pass, and then he says something I didn't see coming. "So that old dude is still alive, huh." Wait, old dude? As I realize what stance I'm taking! Shit, is old Coot's sword skill that ingrained in me?
"So where did you learn that stance? How about I rephrase that? Did you come from another world?" As he asks this question, I freeze up. What do I say? Do I lie? or tell the truth? As I'm having this internal dilemma, he copies my stance as though copying the right word here is second nature. No, he knows the stance. as though to answer my following line of thought. "I, too, died and came here, and yes, I, too, met the old man and learned swordsmanship before I passed." Wait WHAT! "It's okay to talk about it with me, but try not to tell others." Okay, well, duh! So, wait, I have so many questions. Who is old Coot? And why did we come here after we died? After learning from him? Or am I jumping to conclusions? "Did he tell you the name of the sword skill he wields? No, I could never get him to tell me! That means you are special. "I was one of the few to be told it was called (Heaven Judgement)."
That is all I can answer for now. I'll tell you more when you turn five and after your baptism. And like that, I was now four. I and Boch's relationship has gotten less strict in a master-apprentice sort of way, more like friends. Though he still refuses to let me talk to my family god, I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing, Caroline. I wonder if she is doing okay; I miss the days when she would read to me or fought off those dogs for me. I miss my sister. It's weird having a family after dying. Like you love your previous family but also your new one. Why am I reminiscing? Huh, weird.
One month later, I've been having nightmares; though I can't remember what's in them, I know I'm having them. I wake up in a cold sweat, and sometimes, I wake up in the house with a scream. I have a terrible foreboding feeling. Boch says I should go home for a month. See my family. Another red flag. Did something happen? I ask. he repeats Go home so I can get some sleep he hands me a Bage made of metal, never seen before, and taps my forehead. Information flows with no headache this time. Blink and teleportation, you gave me two skills. What happened to waiting? I ask. All I get in reply is a hand wave shooing me away. As I teleport away, he says almost inaudibly. "I hope it is enough to save what's dear."
I'm back in the town. My family governs. I can discern our crest at the gates. Though I'm not sure, it's ages since I touched it. As I approach, I am stopped. Guard 1"Identification" female guard: "It's just a blind kid. Let him though." Guard 1: "Open the gates." As I walk in, things are pretty, not desolate, just sad vibes, I'd say, like mourning. I need to get home quickly. I have a bad feeling about this. As I rush to the manor, I realize something. I can teleport. I push my senses to the max and cast teleport. Everything feels the same, the air, the smell, at least I'm home.