Deep in thought, Damon juggled the hare's head before coming to a decision. With the reinforcement still active, he could hear the faintest sounds that were undetectable in battle.
The sound of the insects crawling below the ground under his feet was particularly disgusting but what drew his attention was the vast array of colours that he could now see permeating every inch of the forest.
This had to be spiritual energy, but somehow it felt different, much older than his, almost ancient and primal.
'This must have been what that old pervert was seeing.' Damon muttered internally.
He couldn't imagine where it all was coming from but understood this energy was seemingly supporting all life in the forest.
It was this spiritual energy that allowed his spiritual perception to advance!
Just then Damon's eyes widened as he felt a sharp pain coursing through his chest. He dropped the head and his cheeks puckered as he spat a blotch of red liquid onto the grass.
"I should probably sort out my injuries.."
He wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve and picked up the head, tying it to the green pack on his back before standing up. Then he sauntered towards the nearest segment of the river.
It was another five minutes of walking but upon seeing the gentle waters the young boy didn't hesitate. Damon threw off his top to reveal a torso with more defined muscles then bent his knees by the riverbed.
He started with wetting his hair and face, letting the water wash down the blood and dirt gathered at his crown from rolling around then splashed a bit of water across the bloodied leather, clearing every groove.
The task took longer than expected and he wished he could have simply dived right in, giving his entire body a good shower. But he was apprehensive about the dangers that could be lurking nearby and the blood that hadn't yet dispersed downstream.
'I should also do some meditation to restore my energy while I'm waiting for my shirt to dry, maybe with some spiritual energy, I could even dry my shirt quicker.'
Grabbing his pack once more, Damon stood up and moved closer to the treeline. He hung his top on a low tree branch to dry, plopped down and closed his eyes, monitoring his spiritual energy slowly recuperating.
However, his brows soon knitted in annoyance.
"I didn't think it would be this slow." Damon sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "I was hoping I was special or something, but is it possible I'm just average?"
Maybe the range of his newly enhanced eye sight was also considered average among Specters as well.
As that through ran through his mind, he stood up and admired the dazzling sun on the river's surface, a subtle mist drifting across his skin like cold breaths. "I wonder if it's possible to absorb spiritual energy..?"
The surroundings were filled with it so it was only fitting to not let it go to waste.
Damon concentrated on the surrounding energy and tried to pull at it with his spiritual energy. He imagined his mind as a black hole and his spiritual energy as the force pulling everything and funneling it to the soul itself.
'It's a little cold..' He thought.
It took him some time to get accustomed to the sensation but after around ten minutes, he had become quite good at pulling spiritual energy into himself.
As soon as the force entered Damon's body, he felt the cold growing into a stable warmth and flowing to his muscles. His body was overcome with warmth as the grass under his feet drained of its lustrous colour, withering away.
It was like he was sinking into a bed of clouds and he opened his arms as if to hug the sun. Yet when his eyelids lowered they suddenly shot back open.
The crimson hue over his pupils began to flicker and a crackling sound reached his eardrums.
Pa!
At that moment, a fragmented vision began flooding his sight as it slowly appeared in his mind!
Damon's consciousness was pulled into the vision. A small room materialized before him, sliding panel walls on all sides. It was similar to the one he had awoken in at Tomoe's house but there was no furniture to be seen. A single yellowish lantern hung from a chain in the ceiling, casting a dim, swaying glow across the wooden floor.
Beneath that light, a man with sharp Huaren features sat in black robes, his long silky black hair falling over his shoulders and legs folded beneath him. His bare chest was peaking through the loose collar of the robe and between his slender legs, a feminine figure dressed in white robes was seated with their back pressed against him.
Because their bodies were so close , one would think they were loves.
However, the man's hands were covered a dark splatter and held two needles moving slowly over the top of her head. The vision flickered, distorting his movements into an incomprehensible blur but the spaltter only seemed to double.
Damon strained to see where it was coming from. Then his focus shifted to the woman's face. Her countenace was oddly familiar.
'That's... Tomoe?' His pupils dilated.
The old woman's face was slack. Her mouth hung open, her eyes blank and unfocused. Drool coated her chin, glistening under the lamplight. She looked like she had suffered a stroke, her body limp and unresponsive.
'W-what is he doing..?!' Dread coiled in Damon's chest, cold and suffocating.
He tried to push deeper into the vision, desperate to see more. Suddenly a slender hand moved into his view, as if it belonged to him.
A young woman's voice cut sharply through the silence with impatience.
"How much longer will this take?"
Before Damon could hear the man's response, the vision collapsed into darkness.
His mind reeled as he grabbed his head. The vision had shattered but throbbing pain lanced through his skull. He struggled to catch his breath, the crimson hue in his eyes flickered and dimmed. He couldn't maintain the flow of spiritual energy after what he saw.
'What the hell... did I just see?'
*****
Elsewhere Kuroushi's form cut through the pale sky, descending towards Tomoe's house. The crow flew through an open window and landed on the wooden floor with a soft thud of talons against polished wood.
The figure of the old woman sat facing the window, her silhouette still and silent against the light. But the bird walked past her, going further to the back of the room, where shadows pooled thick and deep.
At that moment a slender hand extended from that darkness.
Kuroushi hopped onto it without hesitation.
"You were right m'lady," it said. "The boy intends to run off on his own."
The crow then began to recount everything that had happened while travelling with Damon, the hunt, the tiger, the hare, the battle, the boy's unexpected victory. It spoke at length of the boy's crimson eyes and his sharp instincts in particular but the figure showed no reaction.
A moment passed in silence as the crow waited for their response.
"Is something wrong?" Kuroushi asked, tilting its head.
But instead of the figure replying, the answer came from the old woman by the window.
"It's nothing." Her voice was calm, measured. "You should rest now."
Hearing this, Kuroushi lowered its head, its feathers relaxing. Then, slowly, the bird began to dissolve. Its form softened, melting into the shadow at the figure's feet until nothing remained but four humble words.
"As you wish. Master."