Hayel could hear a faint noise.
It was distant. Muted. As if it were reaching him through water.
He felt warm and uncomfortable, like he was lying on something hard and uneven.
An excruciating pain forced its way into his head.
He thought he screamed, but he wasn't sure.
Something sticky clung to his cheek, carrying the unmistakable smell of blood. A metallic taste coated his tongue.
After what felt like hours, or maybe only minutes, the pain slowly faded. He remained lying there, unmoving, too afraid to test whether his body would even respond.
Finally, Hayel opened his eyes.
Or at least he thought he did.
It was completely black.
The memories of the previous night rushed back all at once.
He started shaking.
Fear swallowed him whole.
He couldn't breathe.
A sharp gasp escaped him as he grabbed at his chest with trembling hands, trying to steady himself.
I need to calm down… fuck…
His heartbeat was painfully fast, each thud echoing in his ears.
I'm fine… it's alright… I'm alive…
He opened his eyes again, wider this time, but nothing changed. Darkness remained absolute. Slowly, his hearing began to pick up the faint sounds around him.
He was still in the forest.
But… why can't I see anything?
He stayed still for a while, forcing himself to think. The smell, the stickiness on his face… it was the blood he had thrown up the night before. The warmth on his skin was sunlight. He must have passed out after seeing that thing for the second time.
And now—
He had gone completely blind.
The realization made his stomach twist.
But something felt… wrong.
Very wrong.
He knew that to his right there was a large tree. He also knew that on every other side, within a short distance, there was nothing but grass and open space.
He couldn't feel beyond a meter around him.
But… feel with what exactly?
What was that "feeling"?
The sensation was disorienting and bizarre, like a quiet awareness pressing against his mind. Just focusing on it made him feel even dizzier.
He slowly pushed himself up. His body felt weak, every muscle sore and heavy. He reached out and steadied himself against the tree beside him, guessing that the graveyard lay somewhere ahead.
Very fitting for his situation, but he didn't want to die.
He had been lucky not to already, and he clung to that luck stubbornly. Gritting his teeth, he started walking carefully around the tree. His thoughts raced, replaying the events of last night over and over, desperately searching for an explanation.
He found none.
The memory alone made goosebumps crawl across his skin, so he forced himself to stop thinking about it. As long as he could get back home, he was willing to pretend it had never happened.
Strangely, he could sense every rock, every blade of grass, every shallow dip in the dirt within a meter around him. His hearing also felt slightly sharper than usual.
Did I gain… an ability?
But his parents hadn't had abilities. Children born to non-ability parents rarely developed one. It wasn't impossible, just uncommon.
He was fifteen, though. Most people manifested their abilities around that age.
Still… abilities were usually straightforward, like fire, water, healing, speed, especially for people that were lucky enough to get one, despite their family members not having them. Their strength depended on one's "level".
But an ability that let him sense things around him?
What was that even called?
Second sight maybe? Wait… no way… will I be blind forever? No, no, don't think about that. Just find a way home first. But where in the world am I? And what even is that graveyard? I've never heard of it….
He walked for what felt like hours, nearly falling several times when his legs refused to cooperate properly. Eventually, he noticed something different.
He was no longer in the forest.
But it was too early to feel relieved. He was still blind. He couldn't tell whether the open space ahead was the village… or just another unfamiliar clearing.
As he moved forward, he began to hear voices.
Human voices.
His legs finally gave out, and he sank onto the grass, only now realizing how tense he had been the entire time. Relief washed over him so suddenly that he let out a weak, breathless laugh.
The events before he passed out were something he would likely be forced to think about for months to come. Maybe longer. But at least he had survived.
Still, something didn't make sense.
I've never heard of anything that makes someone blind just by looking at it. It had that much power… and yet it didn't killl me while I was knocked out… Just what is going on?
He pushed himself to his feet again. He would think about everything later, after he rested. Right now, he was exhausted and mentally drained, to the point his head hurt just by thinking too much.
He started walking, intending to go straight into the village as quickly as possible, but then he paused.
His face was still covered in dried blood from when he had vomited before passing out. He wondered if someone might question him if they saw him like this.
Or if he would simply scare them.
He resumed walking anyway.
No one would probably ask anything. Except Layla, maybe—but there was a chance she wouldn't even see him today. His reputation wasn't great, and he didn't have many friends. And scaring people? That wouldn't happen either. People returned from the forest injured all the time. Some came back missing limbs. Others with disfigured faces.
Compared to that, he was fine.
He noticed a few people stop talking as he passed by, but he paid them little attention. He was too focused on figuring out exactly where he was in the village. After walking for a while longer, a stall owner unexpectedly asked what had happened to him. Hayel simply replied that he had a small accident and pretended he hadn't gone blind, feeling quite proud of his acting skills.
Eventually, he recognized where he was and quickly made his way back to his house.
Or more accurately, his hut.
He went inside, washed his face, and changed his clothes.
If he truly had an ability, he would need to register it in the Blue City and have his level tested. He didn't know much about levels, so he would probably need to ask the owner of the library, Marco Kinnel. He was the only person Hayel knew who could properly explain such things.
He doubted Layla knew much about abilities.
Still, he didn't like the idea of asking Marco. The man was greedy, and Hayel was sure he would cut at least one coin from his salary just for the explanation.
Even so… Hayel felt a small flicker of excitement.
He had never expected to gain an ability. It was a pleasant surprise, in a way. Though he still didn't know whether this sensing ability was all there was to it, or if it was somehow connected to… that thing.
The only good thing that happened to me in days is getting an ability. I mean… before everything with that… thing… What even happened before that? Right… I fell into that ditch full of garbage… and broke my favorite plate… I guess all my luck had to be drained first so I could gain an ability. How funny, now I'm traumatized for life.
The thought made him let out a quiet, humorless breath.
After questioning his life choices, he decided to sleep and think about everything tomorrow. He was far too exhausted to stay awake even five more minutes. He was hungry too, but that mattered less. He would eat tomorrow.
He layed down and quickly fell asleep. Silence filled the house, broken only by the occasional chirping of birds outside.
In his dream, he stood inside an old hall, speaking to someone he seemed to know. He couldn't see the person's face.
There is a certain heaviness that lingers, and the conversation is a bit peculiar, not really making any real sense, however he seems to know what the other person is trying to say.
Hayel's gaze drifted to the large window behind them.
That thing, as if summoned by his thoughts, is there.
Tall. Lanky. Watching through the window with those empty eyes.
The person in front of him stiffened. Their demeanor changed completely. They seemed terrified, yet they refused to turn around and face the window.
Hayel's heart began to pound faster and faster, that familiar nightmare dread washing over him. He shut his eyes tightly, realizing he was dreaming, trying to force himself awake.
It didn't work.
He opened them again and looked at the window. Normally, after going blind from looking at it once, he wouldn't even consider doing so again. But this was a dream. He felt nothing when he looked this time.
The thing was gone.
Only the dread remained.
After a moment of silence, something cold brushed against his neck. Stiffly, Hayel tried to turn his head.
But suddenly woke up as a loud bang echoed through his house.
His eyes flew open. His vision had slightly returned. Not fully, but enough to notice faint shapes.
He didn't even have time to feel relieved.
Something cold grabbed his leg and yanked hard.
He fell off the bed, completely disoriented, hearing small, quick, frantic sounds.
Footsteps.
Or… were they footsteps?
They seemed to come from above him.
Fear flooded his chest instantly.
He scrambled up, ran to the small kitchen, and grabbed the first knife he could "see," his hands shaking uncontrollably. He spun around, eyes scanning the kitchen, the table, and the bedroom door.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't see much, and the darkness of night made it worse.
The candles on the table were too far away for him to risk reaching and lighting them. Running outside wasn't an option either. The memory of that night still clung to him, and the walls of the house gave him a fragile sense of safety.
So he stayed there.
Frozen.
Waiting.
Until the sun finally began to rise.
Nothing happened during those long hours. Only when the inside of the house grew brighter did he gather the courage to check his bedroom and the rest of the house.
He found nothing.
No signs of anything ever entering.
Or leaving.