Then he noticed he could see the colors again. The effect died off within moments, but it was enough for him to glimpse a blue within the flowing water.
Vir pumped his fists. “Yesss!”
Another element whose color matched the color of its orb.
Now, if I could figure out a way of seeing the colors without having to nod off first…
Despite that inconvenience, he was glad his enhanced vision hadn’t faded away forever.
But why would it only manifest after I wake up? Unless… Could that be it?
An idea struck him. He stripped off his clothing… and plunged into the stream.
The ice-cold water sent a shock through his entire body, and sure enough, the colors came blazing back in all of their glory. This time, the effect lasted far longer, lingering until he’d dried himself off and done several jumping jacks to warm up.
That’s when the pieces of the puzzle fit together. The jumping jacks had also boosted the colors in his vision.
“It’s related to exertion! Or wait, no. My heart?”
Back when he’d had the vision in the forest, his heart had been pumping madly, and blood coursed through his body. Ever since then, he’d been taking things easy to recuperate from his burns, so he’d never really gotten his heart rate up.
It’d explain why he’d regained the vision when he startled awake, and also when he’d done those jumping jacks. Everything fit.
Sight being related to blood flow was something that intrigued Vir. He didn’t know why this would be the case, but it was something to make a note of.
Vir returned to the Ash’va and rummaged through a leather satchel strapped to its side. He retrieved a tinder bundle of dried leaves, along with some flint and steel. Rudvik had taught him never to venture into the wild without the means to start a fire, and he’d taken that lesson to heart.
He spent several moments scrounging the area for dry wood. Ordinarily, he’d choose standing deadwood, but there was none of that here, so he made do with twigs. The blistering sun had dried them well enough to use, and he wasn’t going for a big fire. Even a small flame would suffice.
Vir arranged his twigs and built a base for his fire. He struck the flint and steel, causing it to spark. After a dozen tries, the spark finally took to the tinder bundle. He dropped the flint, picked up the bundle, and blew on it. Cautiously at first, then with more force as the flame spread to the dried combustible material.
Once the tinder bundle was ablaze, he laid it down under the twig teepee he’d constructed. It took a few minutes for the fire to fully establish, allowing Vir to do some jumping jacks in the meantime, keeping a close eye on the nascent fire.
Sweating and heaving, he crouched and stared deeply into the flames.
There was no mistaking it—red danced in its tongues. An odd color that contrasted the yellow flames to create something that looked supernatural.
Vir pumped his fists with joy. The only elements left untested were Ice and Wind. He wasn’t sure where he’d find ice out here, but if he just waited long enough…
Whoosh!
As if the gods had heard his thoughts, a gentle breeze blew past, ruffling his hair and threatening to put out his little fire.
Vir didn’t care, because he saw it! Green in the air that rushed past him.
He spent the next several hours alternating between exhaustion and giddiness as he repeated his jumping jacks. During that time, he noticed something. The colors had actually become brighter. Now they were almost as bright as when he’d been back in the Godshollow. Almost, but not quite.
The new colors overwhelmed his vision, but he was much more familiar with them now. He didn’t lose his balance or feel nauseous. Instead, he appreciated the world in a way he never could before.
The way the colors danced, the way they swirled through rivers and coursed through the trunks of trees… It was all so delightfully elegant. Like he’d stepped into a fabled realm of the gods.
Vir cast his gaze on a hare that ran across the plains. In it were traces of blue, green, white, and brown. Several elements were there, but the quantities were so tiny that he’d never noticed them before.
Then he looked down at the earth and instantly regretted it. A wave of nausea overcame him, making him fall onto his butt. A vast ocean of prana lurked beneath his feet, all of it a single color: Brown. It was both bright and vast to his senses. So vast that it dwarfed all the other affinities combined.
Ground—no! Earth Affinity? But that’s impossible!
There was no Earth Affinity. If there were, there would be orbs of that color. It’d be well known and used across the world. Only it wasn’t.
Then he recalled Riyan. Hadn’t he seen the very same affinity in Riyan’s own body?
What does this mean?
Then he looked at his arm and saw the prana that coursed through his body. There wasn’t a trace of any affinity within him. Not even a single mote. It was a barren void, with only a slight trickle of a deep, inky black from the marrow of his bones.
Yet despite its paltry quantity, the depth with which that black prana shone was far beyond any of the other affinities he’d seen. It wasn’t even remotely comparable. But what was it?
Vir felt a sudden prick of pain from his back. His exertion had taken its toll on his mending injuries. He’d have to see if there were better ways of ‘activating’ his color vision, but for now, he could at least do jumping jacks, or jog, assuming he wasn’t injured. The pain from the burn wound had lessened so much that he’d almost forgotten about it. Thanks to Riyan’s orbs, he was almost back to normal again.
Thinking about his recovery made him remember Riyan’s condition for him staying, which soured his mood somewhat. He still needed to prove his combat prowess if he wanted to stay. Vir’s stamina was always a problem for him, and he’d had no training in the combat arts.
If he wanted to prove to Riyan that he was worth keeping around, he’d need something more. Something like this new ability he’d gained. Something like Prana Vision.
Once again, Vir contemplated telling the man about Prana Vision. He might be able to prove to the man he could see prana, but wanted to reserve that as a last resort. If he failed his physical test, he’d tell him. Otherwise, it would be in his best interest to hide it. He still didn’t know how much he could trust the man.
“Vir! Vir, are you there?” From far away, he heard Maiya’s panicked voice.
“Boy! You will pay for this! How dare you take my Ash’va without permission!”
It was Riyan’s thundering voice. And he sounded pissed.
“Oh no. Badrak’s balls! No-no-no!” Vir’s blood ran cold.
I never told them I was going out.
16RITE OF PASSAGE
Vir struggled and strained. For the first time since the Godshollow, he feared he wouldn’t survive. Perhaps… perhaps he had finally met his match.
Scrubbing away for hours on the kitchen countertop, mopping its floors, and polishing the myriad of glasses within—Vir was no stranger to chores, but Maiya? Less so. Her baleful stares had made these ordinary tasks downright torturous.
Vir glanced at his best friend. He could feel the anger oozing off her like ashen flame. He regretted everything.