The oppressive force that had descended like a meteor upon the facility and its surroundings remained unrelenting, pinning everyone down with an invisible weight. Heads were forced against the cold floor, bodies contorted in involuntary submission. Some crashed into tables, chairs, shattered glass, and scattered objects as they were compelled to bow, powerless to resist. The air was thick with confusion, broken only by gasps and muffled cries.
"What… is happening?"
"What is this?"
"My head…"
Bewilderment gripped the room. Amidst the chaos, Seiya's screams tore through the silence, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light that refused to fade. His chest heaved violently, rising only to slam back against the metal bed with brutal force. Ibyu's frantic calls to him were drowned in the overwhelming haze of pain. It was an agony beyond comprehension—raw, unnatural, and all-consuming.
Minutes dragged by like an eternity before the light in Seiya's eyes finally dimmed, extinguishing into darkness. His body went limp, surrendering to unconsciousness. Only then did the unseen force release its grip on the others, allowing them to breathe freely once more.
Groaning, they struggled to their feet, bruised and disoriented. Dust clung to their clothes and skin from being pressed against the ground, but their minds were heavier with the weight of the unknown phenomenon. What supernatural force had just swept through their lives?
Seiya's father stood in stunned silence, his thoughts scattered. Never in his life had he witnessed such an inexplicable event. He approached his son, staring at the blood trickling from the cut he made at the corner of his eye. But Seiya lay there, serene and undisturbed, as if the chaos had been nothing more than a fleeting dream.
"Take him to his room," Mr. Sanio ordered coldly. The shock had drained him of any desire to continue with the day's plans.
***
Seiya's eyes snapped open, his mind still reeling from the ordeal. Lying on his bed, his chest rose and fell in uneven breaths as the memories surged back in vivid details. Slowly, he brought a trembling hand to his face, peering through splayed fingers, expecting to find some trace of the agony that had gripped him. But no matter how firmly he pressed against his eyes, the searing pain that had once consumed him was gone.
But as his mind replayed the events, a chilling realization crept over him, freezing him in place.
Seiya's eyes flickered anxiously around the room, his pupils darting frantically within their sockets, scanning every shadow, every corner. His gaze swept past the restroom, but a sudden instinct dragged it back, settling his eyes on the restroom door. His breath hitched, his voice breaking the silence, low and tentative. "Ibyu?"
{Hm? I'm here. Are you alright?} Ibyu's voice emerged from the restroom, thick with sleep.
Seiya's eyes widened, surprise etched into his features. His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. Had his father actually gone through with gouging out his eyes and replacing them with the sight artifacts? Was this the cruel aftermath?
Throwing off his blanket, Seiya bolted into the restroom, his feet barely touching the ground. He stopped in front of the mirror, where Ibyu rested below and stared at his reflection with growing dread.
{What's wrong?} Ibyu asked, sensing his alarm.
"M-my eyes…" Seiya stammered, his hands hovering over them, unsure whether to touch or shield them. "Ibyu, look at me. Is there… is there something different about my eyes?"
Ibyu blinked up at him, then gasped sharply. It scrambled up Seiya's body, perching on his shoulder and peering intently into his eyes.
{There's a difference. A biiig difference,} Ibyu murmured, its voice laced with confusion.
"I know," Seiya muttered, causing Ibyu to shoot him an incredulous look, as if to say, 'Then why did you ask?!'
"I know there's a difference, they're my eyes after all" Seiya clarified, his voice steadier now. "What I want to know is how they look."
Ibyu fell silent, its gaze fixed on Seiya's eyes as it analyzed the strange transformation.
{Your eyes…} Ibyu began hesitantly. {Before, your pupils were a pale, milky white, like cataracts, marking your blindness. But now…} It paused, squinting closer. {They're still completely white—no hint of any color—but your pupils… they're gleaming. Not just shining, but glistening like polished glass. And instead of being round… they're rectangular.}
Seiya blinked, absorbing the information in stunned silence.
{Your pupils are horizontal, like an animal's, not round like most human's. But even more strange, they're not solid. They're made of thin, sleek strings of white light. These strings move, rotating in an endless loop, as if they're constantly weaving and unraveling themselves.}
Seiya stared blankly into the mirror, his mind struggling to process the surreal description.
Ibyu sighed, continuing further to make him understand. {Did you hear me? Your eyes! Rectangular, Horizontal, Shape! Made of white sleek strings! They move! Along the shape like it's outlining it!} Ibyu repeated, waving its tiny arms for emphasis.
"…Oh. Okay," Seiya replied flatly.
Ibyu gawked at him. {It's weird, I've never seen anything like this. Everything about you is weird.}
"…."
{Not that I'm saying you're a monster or anything,} Ibyu added hastily.
"…"
{But you're definitely closer to being a monster than a human.}
"…"
{…But you're not,} Ibyu mumbled, trying to soften the blow.
The silence between them stretched uncomfortably until Ibyu finally sighed in resignation.
{Well… can you see?} It asked with casual indifference.
"Mn." Seiya murmured in response.
Ibyu's expression remained blank, the meaning slipping past it—until it clicked, struck with understanding.
{Wait… what?} Ibyu's eyes widened in disbelief
"I can see," Seiya repeated, his voice calm but distant.
{Really?! For real?!}
"But… not like before," Seiya added quietly, dampening Ibyu's excitement.
"I—" He was about to elaborate when the restroom door swung open abruptly. Reflexively, Seiya shut his eyes.
"You've been summoned," a worker announced, stepping inside briefly before guiding Seiya out.
When they reached his father's office, Seiya immediately heard two pulsating hearts. Though he didn't need to rely on that to see the two figures in the office.
His teacher rushed toward him the moment he entered, worry etched deep across his face.
"Sei, are you alright? Does it still hurt?" His teacher's eyes scanned Seiya's face, searching for signs of distress. He'd heard of what Mr. Sanio planned to do to Seiya and had come as quickly as he could.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there. Did you cry a lot? Is that why your eyes are shut?"
Mr. Sanio scoffed from his desk, his disdain evident.
"Enough of that," he interrupted coldly. "Listen carefully."
Turning his gaze back to Seiya, he continued, "I've decided to postpone replacing your eyes—for now. Your teacher has convinced me to give you another chance. He claims he can adapt your training to your… new condition. I'll observe your progress, and if you prove useful, I'll reconsider."
Seiya said nothing. He simply stood there, silent as always, absorbing his father's detached words.
Once dismissed, his teacher gently guided him out of the office. As they walked down the corridor, Seiya's hand resting lightly in his teacher's, he spoke softly.
"Can I have a sleep mask?"
His teacher glanced down at him, surprised. "Why do you need one?"
"To cover my eyes," Seiya replied bluntly.
He didn't ask for a blindfold because he deemed it too stressful having to tie and loose whenever he wants to use or take it off.
A heavy sadness settled over his teacher. He assumed Seiya felt bad and wanted to hide the scar that stretched from his brow to his cheekbone. He made a silent promise to find a broad enough sleep mask to conceal it completely.
"I'll get you one," he assured him and Seiya replied with a single nod.
"From now on, most of your training will happen at my house," his teacher added. "A new environment that you aren't used to."
He got another simple nod from Seiya.
Life became marginally more bearable with his teacher in the picture. They trained together, shared meals, and his teacher often told him stories to distract him from the ever-present experiments and torture. Amidst the chaos, Seiya had finally found someone who genuinely cared for him.
But as three years passed, and just when Seiya thought his already miserable life couldn't get any worse, something monumental happened—on a day he was summoned to his teacher's house.