By now, the images popping up in my head became more vivid and detailed.

While understanding my sense of smell better was difficult, hearing and feeling were a different story. Taste so far hadn’t come into play much. My spatial and temperature sense were getting better as well. However, I’d return all that change for my eyes in a heartbeat.

While progress was swift, challenges began to appear. I could walk at a decent speed now in a familiar environment. But once we reached the top of the stairs, my images from feeling and hearing weakened considerably. Not that they got worse, but the area had changed. The information-gathering process had to restart. The next step would probably be reducing that issue; these aura fanatics would undoubtedly train me for that.

As Hadrian led me to my room, some dorm room, no doubt, a few people passed by us. Their voices were in low whispers; unlike before, I caught no attention. People didn’t even comment on me. They must’ve all gone through something similar.

The only comment was. “A new marked?” That was it. It was refreshing. Either their senses were off the charts, or most had their vision back. I wonder how they got back their eyes? A few I could tell were like me, still blind but walking as if they weren’t at all.

It had only been a few hours; you’d think that wouldn’t be enough to get used to the constant darkness for vision, but physically, at least, I’ve adjusted. Hadrian took a wooden staff he got from god knows where and stuck me when my speed wasn’t to his liking.

We arrived at what was supposed to be my dorm room. It was down a hallway, with a right and a left turn. The wooden floor creaked a lot as we neared it. A few smells came from the dorms, with sounds that would’ve made me blush years ago. However, with all these trials lately, that wasn’t even surprising anymore. I even started walking back to the stairs before Hadrian said anything. Hopefully, the image of slight shock on his face wasn’t just my imagination.

“So, you’ve figured it out, huh? Might have to change your name to half-idiot at this point.” He chuckled, sounding like a mix between a grizzly bear and an orc.

"Yes, keep walking back and forth between here and the stairs until you can manage it in thirty seconds. Don't worry, I'll know when you've reached the stairs, so I'll wait here."

As I suspected, if he was a former red robe, he could probably sense everything in this building; the only question was how much detail. Or maybe people who master aura enough have insane senses anyway. Since the timer didn’t start until I reached the start of this floor, I may as well sweep my senses over the entire place several times. The position of objects became clearer.

Like most of this citadel, the décor of the hallway was sparse, with only the occasional picture. The most I could sense they were there, but I couldn't tell what they depicted. This time, it was mainly smell and sometimes touch that fed me information. The lingering scent of crushed plant or paint, the unique scent of canvas, told me a picture was near. Touch came into play when I bumped into the walls occasionally.

Probably focusing too much on the finer details of the environment around me, I reached the starting point of the floor. I spun around and attempted to walk briskly. Unfortunately, I was moving too fast and crashed into a hallway wall. Trying to process too much information at once and adjusting the course of movement repeatedly from mainly hearing and feeling was, so far, borderline impossible.

Something was missing. Based on the slight hints Hadrian gave me, my aura usage still wasn’t good enough. Infusing more than one sense, or even just one part of that sense at a time, was like learning to use a new limb each time. The only way to make it all work seamlessly was to practice until the action became second nature.

The most effortless sense to infuse was hearing until I found my balance between the ears was off. As I began to infuse my sense of touch, something interesting happened. A domain formed, enabling me to sense the walls without physically touching them. An experience I wasn’t used to in the slightest. Who could feel something without physical touch? How was it even possible? Aura sure was unconventional.

Of course, when I took even longer than the first time, Hadrian was livid. His staff strikes had more force, yet he didn’t use that aura drop pulse as before. The better part of me imagined that was because he didn’t want to ruin the lovely pictures. A patron of the arts?

A few more painful blows later, I was back on my way to the starting point. I used this time to practice splitting my aura better - trying to manage both hearing and feeling was too challenging, especially when I had to further divide the aura between my hands and feet in unequal amounts. Hands required less aura than the feet, by some small amount.

So, I focused on dividing my aura evenly between my sense of hearing on both sides. This gradually improved my balance. One upside to no longer having sight is that you tend to focus internally far better. Another challenge was navigating around the other students who were excellent at masking their presence; I kept bumping into them. My ongoing silence only exacerbated the issue, as I was seen as rude.

But at this point, why care? They put me in this situation, hell, denied me the initiation path I'd chosen, and crushed my eyes. It was going to take some time for that sting to subside. Eventually, one of the female students took pity on me. I hadn’t mentioned it yet, but this was a mixed dorm, which would explain the sheer size of the place.

She gently grasped my hand and turned me slightly towards her. "You must be new. I’m Ashari. What's your name?"

I shook my head subtly and placed a finger over my lips, hoping she would understand my situation.

“Oh, you don’t speak? It will be difficult for me to help you then. You’ll have real challenges in the citadel coming up if you can’t see or refuse to speak. Are you sure you want to do that?”

In response, I nodded and slightly bowed to apologize for bumping into her.

"Well, if that's the case, then you'll need my help even more."

I swear I could imagine this girl smiling brightly; she must be the cheerful type. Too bad I couldn’t see much of how she looked. At least beautiful women wouldn’t be nearly as distracting now. What was I thinking? Such stuff wasn’t important now, anyway.

"I don't know if you're aware, but this dorm isn't only shared by men and women; it also accommodates the third faction: the exiled and remnants."

An expression of interest and questioning showed on my face, and Ashari didn’t miss it. Especially upon mentioning the exiled and being someone who was exiled myself, that is.

“Interested huh? Well, say something, and I’ll tell you!”

But silence lingered between us. I began to turn back towards my starting point. I was certain Hadrian knew I was talking with Ashari, but even taking a long time to start again may piss him off. Part of me was happy at the thought of angering the bastard. Then a wince came when I remembered the strikes of his staff.

She caught hold of my wrist again. "Ah, you're such a bore! Anyway, what's your name? Oh, never mind, you can't answer. Let me give you some advice instead. You seem to be learning how to distribute your aura among your senses. From what I can see, you're just focusing on hearing."

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“While that’s fine, you should restart the process repeatedly until you can perfectly split your aura to activate your sense of hearing. Once you've mastered that, the basic level of hearing is complete.”

There was a brief pause as she seemed hesitant to say something more.

“Listen, drop by dorm seventy sometime this week after classes. I’ll help you out. Of course, you’ll owe me. If your senses aren’t strong enough to ‘see’ without your eyes by then, ask one of your dorm mates to take you there. See you around, mute boy!”

Ashari released a soft giggle and vanished. Despite my best efforts, trying to track her by sound or touch through my sensory domain didn't work. The only indicators of her departure were the fading scent of her perfume and, of course, her farewell.

While her words lingered, I quickly returned to my starting point. I immediately started implementing her advice, redistributing my aura every few steps. I drew it back to the source points in my stomach and head, then split it again, feeding it to both my ears.

After repeating this process dozens of times, splitting the aura became more straightforward. Once I reached the starting point of the floor again, I found that although my pace was slower due to the pauses, my understanding of aura was rapidly improving. At least when it came to amplifying my hearing, as I continued resetting the aura, I started experimenting - would it be better to channel it from the source in my head or the stomach? I found that sourcing more aura from my head seemed more effective for hearing.

Soon, I was back at my dorm, the sound of Hadrian's breathing coming through loud and clear. And angry. It was no surprise then that his beloved staff was soon in action. He was careful to avoid the sides of my head, but every other part of me was fair game, including a harsh strike to my forehead. Ouch.

Yet again, I was back at my door; the breathing of Hadrian was evident now. Very clearly angry that was. It should be no surprise that his new favorite staff came right after. He avoided the sides of my head, but everywhere else was fair game. Including a strike to my forehead. Ouch.

“How were you even slower this time? Thought I might upgrade you to half-idiot, but no, it's a million years too soon! Get back to the starting point and be quicker this time!" Hadrian growled.

I brushed off his rant, focusing instead on Ashari's advice. It was challenging work, and my aura was getting drained faster. Thoughts of the Moth surfaced again. Its connection seemed to be only in the mindscape. So far, I have yet to figure out the perks or traits of being blessed by a world aura beast.

But that was something I'd work out in due time. Right now, it wouldn't change the task at hand. My brand was interesting; nature’s essence was more restorative than aura by a great deal. The problem was that I had even less guidance on navigating this nature path than the aura path. While learning how to utilize it effectively was vital, I was lost on where to begin.

Resuming my aura-splitting reps for my hearing, I began to refine my technique further. By syncing my breaths to the process, I was able to lower any potential auditory interference, strengthening my ability to gather auditory information. Gradually, a soundscape began to form in my mind, an aural portrait of the world around me. The image was crystal clear as long as my aura use remained balanced. But any misstep, any imbalance in the aura, would cause the soundscape to blur.

I did something I knew would later earn me a world of pain. I sat down. The decision was prompted by the slowing of my progress. Hadrian may have been my guide into this world of aura, but his teaching methods were harsh, almost cruel, and not the most effective. And so, I decided my new teacher would be my intuition, urging me to focus on a sensation I was beginning to grasp.

I threw all my concentration into my ears, visualizing the aura droplets as they split and coursed towards each ear. Aura was my solution in this world that constantly threw challenges at me. Its flow brought a strange comfort, helping me push my limits and offering glimpses of its power. This was my chosen path to power, my means of reclaiming my independence and freedom.

The sensation was unfamiliar, requiring intense focus, but as I kept splitting up the aura within me and repeating the process, it started to feel like a walk in the park. My vision was pitch-black, so my mind naturally gravitated inward to the glowing energy within me. I visualized two white spots, one around my navel, the other between my eyebrows, and a green spot on my right chest. That green spot was my brand. It wasn't doing much while I was working on my hearing, but interestingly, it did give off a little power each time. As for how that changed things, I had no idea.

I continued focusing on this energy, watching it stream into my ears like a gentle river, humming quietly in a frequency only I could pick up. A slight sensation was there now that I blocked out all other stimuli.

Next, I took from Verdenia's technique, imagining the towering ancient tree, and instead imagined the aura blending seamlessly with my perception of sound. Using this technique, I was suddenly picking up on the little whispers of the world - the rustle of fabric, the soft creak of wooden planks, the almost silent shuffle of movement.

I continued to put Ashari's advice into practice, repeating the process continually. It started to feel second nature, needing increasingly less conscious focus. After an hour or so, splitting the aura to my ears felt almost like a reflex.

Surprisingly, Hadrian didn't emerge from the door to check on me or give me another taste of his staff for not following his instructions. I was sure he was keeping tabs on me with his senses, though. As you can guess, having someone sitting in the hallway, albeit off to the side, drew a fair bit of attention. Even with the other red robes being accustomed to odd sights, they'd still take a moment to give me a look as they walked by.

Ashari crossed paths with me again, emerging from a few doors down. She halted and gave me a once-over; I could sense it. But then, like everyone else, she continued on her way. Thanks to her distinctive perfume and the unique rhythm of her breathing, I knew it was her. In a way, her interaction with me had left a lasting impression on my senses.

Sound had transformed for me. An additional layer of depth was there, more information to be heard. The details within could tell you a lot. The distance, the depth, the nuance of the soundscape around me. The other red robes, which had naturally hidden themselves well, were becoming easier to detect. It was as if a symphony of noise was always playing, and I was tuning myself to hear it. Then, to understand what these sounds would look like and how they would interact with me.

Perfecting the details allowed me to gauge the speed of objects around me and sense the presence of those who preferred to remain hidden. The filter that we naturally have was gradually being dismantled. With the aid of aura, my ears began to take on more of the responsibilities that were once carried out by my eyes. From the rustling of leaves and faint movements to the echoing footsteps and pulsating hearts, few sounds escaped me.

However, it still wasn't enough. All my senses needed to reach higher levels, and unlocking a consistent sixth sense was essential. There was always a part of me that reminded me of unseen things. The grass you stepped on was still there whether you could see it or not, but you knew it was there. A sixth sense was like that. But even that wouldn't be enough. The world was treacherous, my situation was unstable, and too many factors were still unknown. Simply returning to the norm would be equal to falling behind. I needed to take things a step further.

Hearing was all I would focus on today. Putting my attention on too many paths simultaneously would lead to mediocre results. Losing count of how many times I split the aura to my ears, more hours had passed. As hours flew by and night descended, the noise around me decreased, but oddly enough, my senses became more acute. My aura was regenerating faster than I could use it. In the past, the brand had to step in and aid this process. Now, I didn't need any assistance.

I went beyond just amplifying my hearing; now, my connection with the soundscape around me deepened. Details flowed into me more quickly, painting vivid images in my mind at an unprecedented rate. I was refining the filter of sound, relearning what sound was essential and what could safely be ignored. The rate of change was unnerving.

My breathing was in sync with the aura flow as I reset it repeatedly. Soon, it would become second nature to split aura in a particular way. The two processes of hearing and breathing were converging, giving me a better harmony of perception. Some other energy around me was becoming visible, filling my black vision with splashes of color.

From the looks of it, this felt like being able to ‘see’ the internal energy of various paths to power as the varied colors seemed to conform to the shape of those around me. Although aura typically appeared white, there were other colors, with red being the second most common.

After more practice, directing aura to my ears became second nature, an automatic response rather than something I had to manage consciously. Once this was truly mastered, losing my eyes would be less troublesome. With that, some confidence was coming to me, a sense of control.

When I thought I had the hang of things, I got up, let my body crack, and stretched after hours of inactivity. My pace was walking at first, and with only slight difficulty, I avoided walls, the remaining students walking in the hallway, and other pitfalls.

However, my pace wasn't quite up to the mark yet. But there was no apprehension; I was confident that after another round or two, I could walk briskly, maybe even jog, without bumping into anything. A fleeting smile crossed my face, the first in what felt like forever. But that brief moment of joy was rudely interrupted by a familiar staff whizzing towards my shoulder. Although I heard it coming, my reflexes were woefully inadequate to dodge it.

“AND WHAT WAS THAT? How many hours has it been? I’m at a loss for words; I’ll need new ones to describe you.”

I didn’t have much of an idea why Hadrian acted that way. Maybe he just believed in tough love. He knew where I was the entire time. He probably even knew why I did it. But I remained silent.

“Well, what are you standing there for? Go and try again. You have thirty seconds, not twelve hours, you brain-dead idiot of mine.”

Ah, I was verbally demoted again. His irritation was apparent. For a final time, as I was telling myself internally, I found myself at the start of the corridor. This time, I’d walk at my fastest speed.

Doing exactly that, my sharpened hearing painted a detailed mental image for me. 'Dodge that open door, swerve around the red robe ahead, steer clear of the wall, make a turn here...keep moving...another turn, a bit further...turn again and stop.' I turned my head towards the direction where Hadrian's voice had originated. The soundscape had informed me of his exact location.

"Perhaps there's hope for you yet," he finally conceded.