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057. Opening

Day after day Sirius underwent procedures, some more unpleasant that others. He had his Spirit shell scraped from Foreign Memories that formed from strong emotions in mana during the attack of Crusade. Curses had rooted deep into his Astral Body, branching inside and marking his mana signature. Eyes of the Forest suspected that they were planted to track Sirius in case he ran away by a powerful mage, and Sirius only had Bishop in mind for this deed. Scars could not be removed with medical intervention, only healed on their own with the passage of time, so the last procedure was dealing with Ghost of the Past. After almost a week of stabilising his condition, Sirius was finally ready.

"This time you will take a more proactive role, Friend of a Snake." Eyes of the Forest instructed Sirius in the procedure room. "For that you need to open your Eyes. Are you able to do so yourself?"

"I will try... But the last time I simply ran out of mana."

"Oh, right. Daughter of Whisper mentioned your wasteful Shaping. The parasite near your Mana Pool threw off your control. Try casting now, I will try to correct major flaws on the go."

"Sure..." Sirius took a deep breath and steadied himself.

After the healing begun, he breathed more freely, thoughts were clearer and worries reduced. Finally he had no foreign thoughts and feelings in his mind, draining him of mental strengths. Sirius sat on the rough bed for procedures and pulled his attention inwards, focusing on the place in his Astral Body that he considered to be his Mind's Eye. Like searching in the dark for an extinguished candle, he began looking for a limb he never used. He could feel his Mana Pool as the dense sensation near his abdomen, as well as the chaotic movement inside his head that likely was his Thought Constellation. Eyes were elusive, with no mana inside them.

"Spirit Eyes are different for each person." Eyes of the Forest said, seeing Sirius struggle to feel his own body with mana. "Common ritual for solidifying someone else's eye will force its position into person's forehead. You, on the other hand, had it develop itself. While I still can help you in opening them, I may damage your path. You should intuitively know about your Eyes, like you did with Spirit condensation. I think if you focus on that inkling, you will succeed."

Sirius nodded. Eyes of the Forest's insight made him rethink his approach. He relaxed and took a deep breath. Instead of forcing the opening, he remembered the feeling he experienced during condensation of Astral Body in Rivervale. Seeing everything at once, as in front so behind, experiencing the world in it's fullness, illuminated by raging mana flowing from inside his body. Sirius smiled, pleasant memories of powerful euphoria he felt that night urging him to grow stronger. With a deep breath he consumed mana contained in the room, the next exhale shining bright in his mind, like an extension of his body. That was his go-to way of feeling the surroundings ever since he left the Rivervale. But now he knew he could do better, see clearer, be more perceptive. Sirius felt the very same inkling he had felt all his life. Something was pushing him from inside.

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Sirius let that inkling carry his body forward, carefully observing his own actions. The mana inside his body was vibrating and shifting towards the edge of his Spirit. Those vibrations were unnerving him, like he was missing something. They were strangely... bright? Suddenly something flipped in his mind and he understood. The mana was everywhere, and he have already experienced it in Astral World, but now he was restrained by his physical body. If only he could thin out that restraint...

"Oh, you did it. Unique way, as it happens with you. But dangerous and crude." Eyes of the Forest stood in front of him, her voice ethereal and echoing in the small room, isolated from the rest of Astral World.

"What is... happening?" Sirius could only mumble, as his head was overwhelmed by the information.

"Because you look in every direction at once. It is only useful in battle, but in everyday life you can limit your perception. You should probably try to do so, since I can clearly see your body shrivel from exhaustion."

Sirius tried overcoming the barrage of shapes he was seeing in any corner of the room and limit what he saw, but in the end he felt his eyes close shut. Immediately his mind felt numb, as the stream suddenly stopped and he began processing what he experienced. He still had his real eyes closed all this time, while his mind observed both Astral World and the shadow of Material one... After a break and restoring his reserves, Sirius tried again. He closely followed instructions given by Eyes of the Forest, preparing his mind as he listened to her teachings.

"The limiting of one's vision is rather important early on, since you can't bear the weight of the whole World. You possess the Spirit Mind though, so you might succeed on your own. Otherwise, I would give you the trick from our tribe. It will affect your path, so it is up to you to decide whether you want to hear it."

"Got it. I will try again."

Sirius steadied his mind and focused on his Astral Body. He felt mana shine from around him, warm and cold, touching his soul like a breeze. He moved his hand in front of him, and his Astral Body followed, pushing some mana away. These are his bodies, and they are one. With this thought, he opened his real eyes a little, a slit of the real world entering his vision, while a steady stream of information from Astral Plane overlayed on top. Sirius opened his eyes fully, looking at Eyes of the Forest. It was strange to see both worlds at the same time, like each of his eyes saw its own picture, but he could get used to it. A dim golden shine from his eyes illuminated Eyes of the Forest, reflecting in jewels hanging from her hair.

Only now could Sirius focus on what he saw in Astral World, as he curiously looked around. The mana appeared as a soft veil that circulated around, trapped in this isolated room. Some items shined a bit in his ethereal vision, but nothing prominent. More standing out was the image of Eyes of the Forest. She appeared a bit blurry, her Astral Body donned in a robe similar to her real clothes, layered and complex-looking. Her face though... Despite looking human, it was uncanny. Large emerald eyes shone on him, like a predator following its prey, nose was thin and long, and her hair have off feathery feeling, with two distinct tufts on top. Sirius could only describe her as owl.