Back in bunker number 5.
William is struggling with his gaze, trying to figure out the remaining moments of his comprehension. It's already his 2nd attempt, and he always feels he is lacking something. His focus on the Mindless Eyes is always slipping away when he needs it, and it ends up frustrating him to the bitter end.
Roman is looking at him from his seated position, while his train of thought is unknown. It leaves William a bit apprehensive as he is being watched by someone else, other than Mi-Yung. However, it goes away the moment he focuses on the task at hand. In fact, the whole comprehension feels extremely dense for his mind, making his whole mind unbothered by anything outside of his vision.
2nd attempt goes the same way, and the 3rd is no different.
Panting a bit, William is readying himself for the 4th one, so he would finish this no matter what. He thinks it shouldn't be that difficult, since he feels he is on the brink of a breakthrough since yesterday. For the lack of terms, he doesn't know what is indicating that. Perhaps the slipping meaning behind the Mindless Eyes is the reason? That could be it.
Roman moves forward, leaving William's gaze upon him. He deactivated his Emblem and the System for the next try, so he feels he is about to tell him something.
“You shouldn't rush this thing called comprehension. Nothing is worth it if something is rushed. Take it more steadily and be calm. You are already past the 37th minute, which is more than enough to break through the limitation of the Mindless Eyes. Though, it leaves your mind in shambles, doesn't it?”
“Of course it does... this Mindless Eyes that Mi-Yung told me about is absolutely a torture device... It constantly digs into my brain, and while it doesn't feel as painful anymore, it's so damn uncomfortable after the 30th minute and above.” William explains his little problem, which was long perceived by Roman.
“That's why you are failing. You should become calmer from this pain. It shouldn't take long, you know?” Roman says. “That in itself means your mind is resilient enough for much more than that. You should focus more on the word before your eyes, looking at the meaning, and flashes of the Mindless Eyes. Listening or not, it doesn't mean it will disappear from your mind, as everything is there, to begin with. Understand?”
“Understand? Remain calmer... that's easier said than done.” William says but couldn't understand such implication even though he remembers Mi-Yung talking about this.
“It's a bigger path of the Walker's System. One shouldn't be prone to anger, pain, or frustration. Mindless Eyes is an all-encompassing helper of the System and it's tremendously important for us.”
“But it's still a human emotion...” William argues, looking quite dejected. “If it feels this way, I do it this way.”
“I am not questioning your morality in this matter. I am here to provide tutelage and tips for what you would need. Mainly for your Emblem, but the System is no different for any Walker. Go on. Try another try with my hints.” Roman dismisses his worries, and it's right. He isn't here for something like this, but it's part of the System as a whole.
William is a little apprehensive about this, but since they are the words of Rank 7 Walker, it shouldn't be false to consider this.
In fact, he knows he should listen, and go by his words, but it doesn't feel that easy when he is withstanding the pressure of the Mindless Eyes. Nothing is easy when he feels his mind is being punched by the utmost pressure.
Roman chuckles, while his truth isn't the whole, he leaves something out of it. Yet, it goes a great way to train an Annihilation Element, so it won't go berserk. Though, he knows it isn't so easy and the true problems are yet to arrive in this training session, which barely started.
Smirking, Roman looks as William opens his fist for another try. “This bloody boy is a Walker for 2 and something days, and he already spent almost 40 minutes in the state of Mindless Eye? How the bloody hell this goes right for Mi-Yung? She didn't even report it to anyone? Does she think this is funny for her to see another talent go to the sky? I swear... I won't be polite to talents. In fact, I ever was.” he ponders in his mind, while the 30 minutes follow the same route as before.
William is keeping his calm through the 30-minute mark, which at this point, isn't a problem for him. The time after 30 is, and it goes far and beyond his mind.
Its starts with constant calls of words. Intangible and not something one could understand. It's of something strange, and after this, a roar appears in his mind. It speaks... or not. He isn't sure, but he must remain calmer amidst this storming noise.
“Firm... Calm... Like a statue.” he mumbles as he watches his status board, gritting his teeth in apprehension.
He feels it more this way, but trying to calm his mind isn't easy. He tries to with some steady breathing and a loosened body. It works somewhat, but the pressure never goes away. The only thing it does is lessen the pain away.
“It's... stranger?” William assumes. “Let's keep going.” With this new turn of an event, he assumes a more relaxed state. It's not about the mindful calm and even Roman is aware of it. He is surprised by his quick work understanding his words. Going with the relaxed posture is the first step and he doesn't even have to remind him of that. This goes for the next couple of minutes.
At last, William sees something new within his vision. The System's screen starts to flicker in light and strange patterns. It also goes against his vision, trembling his mind with some changes.
William looks at his right hand, which is before the screen. The shambles that is the Vector Claw is getting more active with each passing moment. It makes his whole body into shock, as the swirling Vectors encompass his whole body in a matter of half a minute. He could see that, while Roman see it as well with slim hesitation in his eyes.
“Keep calm. I will stop if it's too much for you,” he says, trying to calm William's nervous eyes.
His words are barely hearable by William, who couldn't see the screen any longer. It's shaking.. his mind is shaking... He couldn't keep going with this.
And then it stops. He is fed up with this, so he forces his fist to shut everything off. To his surprise, it pauses something, but the matter of his shock doesn't. It no longer is under his control. Possibly because of the fundamental change that is coming into his mind and his Emblem. That's the right assumption, since his Emblem is still active, while the System disappears somewhere else. This whole comprehension of the Type is a reasonable cause for seeing some change in the Emblems. In fact, every comprehension of the System leaves some change for the Walkers. Be it from the Skills, body, or the Emblem itself.
“Calm down William. Let the matter flow without any interference. It should feel uncomfortable, but that is just temporary. Your Emblem is your own, so don't feel hesitant because you are momentarily stunned by its power or the lack of control.” Roman shouts, nervously pacing before the cocoon that is William's body.
Willliam drops to his knees once again, while his whole body is beyond the crimson Vectors that encompass him as a whole. The only thing it doesn't is his claw, which is protruding forth from this swirling cocoon.
Alas, the voice doesn't reach William any longer since he can't hear anything, nor feel anything outside of his crimson vision. Though, he saw the last flickering of the screen disappear right before his body was engulfed by the Vectors.
“Bloody sky... this is the bloody sky.” He mumbles as he sees nothing but crimson. He feels his body sink. Heaviness, numbness, while a shrieking pain is in his mind. It's unstoppable and twisting his mind towards something beyond his understanding.
He doesn't know what this is, or how he should interpret this. It could be something drastic, or not? It's part of the progress and he understands it.
But he also feels something numb and nervous. Something that was long understood or not? The shriek of his mind is telling him something. The Emblem wants to go independent from the System.
He could tell that from the motion of the Mindless Eye, while he could tell it's true because the System isn't present. Now, the Emblem is here, active without it. It's like Mi-Yung said. The Walkers can have their Emblem and System separate from each other.
“Uh... I need to let this matter flow... back to my hand. You... You are me... mine. I won't stand your berserk state.” William decides on his own, forcing his kneeling position up a bit.
It's all about the call of his own.
A method to act on its own.
It's a gesture, or... it could be a word?
Arise - Begone
Two words echo in his mind. He thought about them himself, so he utters the former, hoping to quench this continuous drain on his body and mind.
“Begone.” He says in a firm tone. It does nothing, but it momentarily shakes the Vectors around him. So, he says it again, and again without stopping.
It's noticed by Roman, who is already standing before him, and sees whether the Annihilation Element is going off the limits or not. That is right... The vectors no longer seem so calm, and the distinct state of the Annihilation Element is long flowing through them without stopping. He also heard William's words, so he waits since he feels the troubles of the Annihilation Element rising.
“Its... Not particularly hated or chaotic Annihilation Element now? It doesn't destroy, as it flows. The ground is fine, but it's swirling upwards so it has no chance to flow? Let's see.” Roman determines, and without any hesitation, places his hand towards the swirl of Vectors.
“You are just tiny vermin...” he utters as he reaches its surface. Suddenly, a tear in space reveals a gulping jaw, trying to enclose his whole palm in its two halves.
It fails, as Roman's hand is without any damage. He smirks because this little vermin is nothing but a weak manifestation of hidden Annihilation. Perhaps his smirk is caused by his surprise or understanding of his previous mistake. Not like it matters to him since this wouldn't do anything to someone like him.
“Hm? This one feels somewhat different. It's quite hostile at this point.” He says, after stepping away for a moment. “Is the Annihilation Element the cause? It doesn't act outside of some danger. Mine wasn't so similar, and others were like that too. Is this boy special?” Roman assumes, flicking his finger at the Vector Jaw that is still trying to reach him. The jaw isn't so strong or powerful in any sense of the chaotic Vectors, so Roman's attack obliterates it into tiny Vectors, which flow back to the cocoon.
“Nevermind. This is enough to answer nothing. Same as usual.” he sights, continuing to look as if everything is right.
After a long stretch of wording the single word, William isn't tired but resolute. He does so because he sees the change. It continues until the movement of the Vectors subsides completely.
“Begone!” He shouts without hesitation, and the flow of Vectors jolts up, flowing back to his forearm, which is its core.
Roman sees the receding Vectors, revealing William, who is once again kneeling and his right Claw is high in the air. The last swirl of the crimson Vectors disappears to his Emblem in a matter of minutes, causing his hand to fall down after this struggle. Sweat is visible on his forehead, since William is quite frankly, beaten, but glad that his tries end up successful.
“Excellent job. This was a rather unexpected harvest if I dare to say so myself.” Roman crouches down to William, who is still awake at last.
In truth, he wasn't sure about it, but he should. After all, any stressful awakening of any kind of system follows a huge amount of pain, stress, tiredness, and the body itself will end up exhausted. He feels deadly tired, but not so much to be done.
The reason goes to the fundamental change of the Emblem, which is acting as the more dominant force over the core of the human body. That is the heart, lungs, and most importantly, the brain.
“S-should I be glad for this? Fuck this...” William curses, clutching his right hand with his left one.
“At least you have the energy to swear. I am surprised. Hehe.” Roman chuckles at William's weak words, while he takes a seat in front of him.
“20 minutes to rest, and you will return to finish this trial. You were almost done.”
Roman's surprising words echo in William's tired ears and mind. He doesn't even bother for a chance to retaliate. He is too tired for it, so he sits cross-legged, and tries to calm himself while regaining his energy.
“You should feel a bit better about it, William. The course of figuring to distinguish the Emblem and the System from each other isn't something easy. Yet, you have done so in a few dozen minutes. That is impressive.”
“F... Thank you, I suppose.” William mutters, his whole body still aching in numbness of some form of change. It isn't something he knows yet, but he could feel it through his body. A connection is forming within his Emblem. The kind which is stronger than before, which should be a bad thing. That is at least his assumption.
It almost feels like he went through rigorous training for 20 hours, but he knows he didn't. This is a stress that comes from the usage of the Emblem and his comprehension did something outside of his scope of understanding. In particular, his right hand feels as if 100 bricks are attached to it. It follows the stinging pain around the Emblem, which has a bit more active Vectors inside of it once again.
Although, it isn't noticed by William, or Roman, who hasn't seen William's Emblem enough times. Time follows the tries of calming down, and in 20 minutes, William returns begrudgingly to his try. While still exhausted, he is a bit better, unlike his previous thoughts after his last attempt.