Torrack sat quietly in the back of the carriage, his thoughts swirling as the wheels clattered rhythmically against the dirt road. The forest around them seemed to hum with life, though it was a world he couldn't fully appreciate. He had been born blind in this life, but somewhere in the deepest parts of his soul, he remembered how the world looked. Before his rebirth, he had known sight—the vibrant colors, the depth of the sky, the endless greens of forests like the one they now traveled through. His memories from that past life were hazy, like dreams he couldn't quite grasp, but the sensations lingered.
Sienna, the girl they had rescued from the wolves, sat across from him. Her presence filled the carriage with a kind of quiet energy that he found hard to ignore. He kept focusing on her aura, a rich and radiant purple, unlike anything he had encountered before. He knew magic well enough to understand that aura colors were tied to specific abilities, but purple was an enigma to him. It was a color he'd seen only in faint memories of his past life, and now it surrounded this mysterious girl, drawing his curiosity.
Kaelith sat next to him, her quiet presence a comforting reminder of his recent battles and triumphs. But even Kaelith's familiar aura couldn't distract Torrack from the questions swirling in his mind about Sienna.
Breaking the silence, Torrack finally spoke. "Your aura... it's unlike anything I've seen before," he said, his voice calm but laced with curiosity. "Do you know what it means? What kind of magic it's connected to?"
Sienna's gaze shifted from the window to Torrack, her expression unreadable for a moment. She seemed to contemplate whether to answer him truthfully before she finally let out a soft sigh. "I suppose you would notice something like that. Yes, my magic is... different. It's called Mental Magic, tied to things like illusions, telepathy, even mind control."
"Mental Magic?" Torrack echoed, intrigued.
Sienna nodded. "It's not common. Most people's magic is tied to the elements—fire, water, earth, air—but mine works with the mind. It's not as straightforward as it sounds, though. The kind of magic you can use depends a lot on who you are as a person. If you're kind-hearted, the magic tends to lean toward things like telepathy, empathy, or creating harmless illusions. But for someone darker, the magic could be used for manipulation or worse."
Torrack's brow furrowed. "Mind control? Can you... do that?"
Sienna shook her head. "No. Mind control is incredibly difficult, and it's dangerous. Even those who've mastered it can't hold control over someone for long. It's not something I'd want to try, even if I could."
Torrack felt a strange sense of relief at her words. The idea of mind control made him uneasy. "So, what can you do with your magic?"
Sienna's gaze fell to the floor of the carriage. "Telepathy, mostly," she admitted. "I've been able to read people's thoughts since I was a child. At first, I thought it was a gift, being able to know what others were thinking. I even helped my father with his business that way—understanding what customers wanted before they said anything. But it wasn't long before I realized it was... isolating."
Torrack frowned. "Isolating?"
Sienna nodded. "Telepathy isn't like having a conversation. It's one-way. I can hear their thoughts, but they can't hear mine. It made me feel distant from people. Even when I was surrounded by them, I was always... alone."
Torrack felt a pang of sympathy for her. He knew all too well what it felt like to be isolated, even when surrounded by others. For him, it was his blindness—though he could sense auras, he could never truly see the world as others did. But hearing Sienna describe her loneliness felt strangely familiar.
"Is that why you stopped using it?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she said with a sigh. "I don't use it much anymore. Only when absolutely necessary. Hearing people's thoughts—it's not as much of a gift as you might think. Sometimes you hear things you wish you hadn't."
Torrack could imagine how difficult that must be, to hear the inner workings of someone's mind without their consent. He understood the weight of having abilities that set him apart from others. Magic, though powerful, often came with a price.
"I never thought about it like that," Torrack said. "I always thought telepathy would be... useful. But I guess it's hard when you can't turn it off."
"It is," Sienna agreed, her voice soft. "It's why I learned to block it out. But sometimes I wonder if it's better not to have magic at all."
Torrack looked down at his hands, at the gloves that allowed him to harness the magical abilities he did have. Ever since the curse had attacked him, his connection to magic had weakened, and it was frustrating. For most of his life, he had relied on his ability to sense auras, and it had helped him navigate a world he couldn't physically see. But now, with his magic faltering, he found himself wanting something he had never dared dream of before: his sight.
"I understand what you mean," Torrack said after a moment. "Magic isn't always a blessing."
Sienna looked at him curiously. "You've lived your whole life without sight, haven't you?"
Torrack nodded slowly, his mind swirling with memories—not just of this life, but of the life before. He had once been able to see, to experience the colors of the world in all their glory. But now, as Torrack, he had been born blind. The contrast between his two lives was stark, and he couldn't help but miss the sight he once took for granted.
"I have," he replied. "In this life, at least. But... I wasn't always like this. In my past life, I could see. I remember the colors, the shapes of things, the way the world looked. I miss it sometimes, more than I used to."
Sienna's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You remember your past life?"
"Not clearly," Torrack admitted. "It's more like fragments of a dream. But I remember enough to know what I've lost. And now... with the chance of finding this dragon, I'm starting to realize how much I want it back. I want to see again. I want to see the world, the people I care about."
Sienna was quiet for a moment, as if weighing his words. "And you think this dragon can give you that?"
"I don't know," Torrack said. "The healer, Eliandor, said no human could restore sight that was never there in this life. But this dragon... if it exists, if it truly has the power that Eliandor spoke of, maybe it can give me back what I've lost."
Sienna's gaze softened, and her purple aura flickered gently. "You're placing a lot of hope on something that might not even exist."
"I know," Torrack said with a wry smile. "But what other choice do I have? I need to try."
Sienna leaned back, her arms crossed as she contemplated his words. "I can understand that. Sight... it's more than just seeing colors. It's seeing the world for what it is. And sometimes, what you see isn't always beautiful."
Torrack thought about that. He had spent so long relying on his sense of auras to guide him, but there was still a disconnect between what he sensed and what he remembered from his past life. He had no idea what Kaelith looked like, only the feeling of her presence and the warmth of her aura. Would she look like he imagined? Would the world?
"I've seen ugliness too," Torrack said quietly. "Even without sight. But I still want to experience it again. The beauty and the pain."
Sienna nodded slowly, her expression understanding. "I hope you find it. And maybe... maybe you'll see something even better than what you remember."