To the Western Desert - 708

He reached up to touch his eyes, but felt only empty holes. He sighed as the memories came back to him, of how he lost his eyes.

This was probably the greatest loss in his life. He could recover from other injuries, but this would remain for his entire life. Even the Temple did not have any sort of way to help.

No matter how mythical their "magic" was, it hardly had any use besides slightly increasing the healing speed of someone. It was such a small ability that some wondered if the god they worshiped was even real. 

Yet somehow, they had always held a stable position in the world, separated from worldly affairs. 

Skymender could feel the carriage move at great speeds under him.

He stood up and spoke. 

"Imperial Scholar?" He said unconfidently. 

After all, he did not know what happened after he passed out.

After he spoke, the carriage slowly came to a halt. Then, he heard the creaking of the door.

"Skymender. You're awake." The Imperial Scholar said.

Skymender turned in his direction, but all the Imperial Scholar saw was the horrifying sight of empty eye sockets.

"Where are we?" Skymender asked.

"On our way to the western part of the continent." The Imperial Scholar said.

"Why?" Skymender asked, confused.

The Imperial Scholar sat down. "I never got to the point of teaching you about the western area of the continent, so allow me to start now."

Skymender nodded and sat down.

"The western area of the continent, as I'm sure you saw on the map, mostly consists of deserts. As a result, only a few Empires exist, and their populations are relatively small. However, unlike other areas, the most famou group there is not any of the Empires, but a group of people known as the Western Monks. These people practice something called buddhism, as well as many ancient arts. It is said that their inheritance can be traced down just as far back as the Ancient Empire."

Skymender was surprised to hear this. It was widely known that the Ancient Empire was the most ancient existence in the world.

The Imperial Scholar continued. "One of these ancient arts, as told in the small amount of information on them, is an art that allows a person to see without eyes. It is hard to be sure if any of my information is accurate, but from what I've gathered, you see through the world, not the eyes."

Skymender was once again surprised. "How far away are these Western Monks?" 

The Imperial Scholar hesitated. "That's the issue. The Western Monks move around a lot, and have no fixed position. However, to the deserts of the western area of the continent, it will take around two years."

Skymender wasn't sure what to say. He was fifteen years old, which meant the Imperial Scholar was 75. He did not have much life left in him, yet he was willing to spend at least four years helping Skymender, even if the chance of success was small.

"During this time, I will continue to pass on knowledge to you. Even if you cannot see, you must learn this knowledge." The Imperial Scholar said.

Skymender nodded, determined. If this was the sole wish of someone going so far to help him, then the least he could do was accept.

After saying this, the Imperial Scholar stood up.

"Come on. If we want to arrive in two years, you must stay up front with me. I can teach you while I drive." The Imperial Scholar said. 

Skymender agreed. He felt his way to the door, and dragging his hand along the side of the carriage, made his way around and onto the front seat.

Luckily, this carriage was not much different from the ones he had spent his entire life riding. 

And so their journey continued, now far longer than before. If you counted their time from leaving the Faceless Empire, they would be traveling across more than half of the continent.

Time passed quickly. Skymender learned from the Imperial Scholar, while also learning how to live with his blindness. He noticed his other senses were slightly enhanced, but not nearly enough to make up for the loss of sight. A year passed, and city walls were nearing. 

"We are running out of supplies, but a royal capital of an Empire is luckily along our path. We'll stop here and stock up."

The supplies they needed the most was food. For the last month, they had been rationing, just to make it here.

Although there were guards at the city wall, the Imperial Scholar simply flicked over a silver coin. The guard pocketed it and let them in without checking them. After all, it was just an old man and someone who appeared to be blind. 

They had to leave their carriage outside of the city in a large carriage storage area, but there was not much left on there worth anything. Only the carriage itself had value. And it was well disguised to look only above ordinary. 

The Imperial Scholar helped Skymender through the roads. Skymende had tied a black piece of cloth around his eyes in order to not draw too much attention. He naturally got a few glances, but they seemed to understand his condition.

This place was a bit different from the Faceless Empire and the Natural Empire, as it was within the western area of the continent. 

People were more tan, the weather was hotter, and a lot more relied on strength. 

The Imperial Scholar eventually led him to a travel supply shop. What they needed was not ordinary food, but well packaged and preserved food. Even if it did not taste as good as meat or plants, they simply needed food to survive, not to have an enjoyable meal.

There were only a few people in the shop, but Skymender and the Imperial Scholar drew attention. After all, they both looked haggard after so long on the road, and both wore commoner clothes. In addition, one was blind, and one was old enough to need a cane to walk.