The blind woman

Anticipating the impact with the solid light, I place my hands in front of my eyes to avoid burning my eyes. When I slowly lower them, I'm surprised to find that the light, though omnipresent, isn't blinding. Two immense braziers burn on either side of the vast circular room, and no one seems worried that the plant-covered ceiling might catch fire. The floor, made of roughly smoothed stones, opens up before me to reveal a basin stretching from one side of the room to the other. It's just wide enough that it can't be stepped over, and a small arched wooden bridge allows passage across. Colorful fish I've never seen before bask in this shallow pool of water, continuing their pilgrimage tirelessly, as if unaware of their captivity. Portraits line the walls, separated by engravings of the seven symbols that adorn the wings of the so-called legendary wolf.

— The barrier seems to still be intact. Sorry to have worried you for nothing.

Surprised to recognize this voice, I turn my gaze toward the center of the room, beyond the wooden bridge. Kneeling equidistant between the two braziers, with a third casting a vermillion veil over her shoulders that I'd recognize anywhere, the girl who haunts my nights has her back to me.

∼ It's not surprising—after all, she lives in this forest too.

— It's nothing. Better to be too cautious than not enough, responds a middle-aged woman facing Kana. But too much zeal can be harmful to your health.

This woman—probably the "Mother" I've heard so much about—is seated at the far end of the room on a throne that holds the title only due to its privileged position. It's certainly not just any wooden chair, but it doesn't compare in any way to that of the Geika Izar. The woman, with her gleaming bald head, seems taller than average. Her slender figure is hinted at through her loose orange clothing which, like her throne, carries no arrogance. Her white pupils, encircled by pale blue irises, give her the appearance of a blind person who sees everything. I've never seen eyes like hers before, but looking at them too long makes me uncomfortable, as if every time my consciousness dives into them, something inside me is pulled into those immaculate orbs. She doesn't seem to have noticed my presence yet—or at least, she's very good at pretending.

∼ Maybe she really is blind?

She stares at her interlocutor with a warm but measured expression, a slight shift at the corners of her lips capable of turning her face as severe as the coldest winter.

— You're excused from training tomorrow morning, so take the chance to rest, she orders more than suggests.

Besides the two protagonists, the only people present in the vast room are me, Mai, and another middle-aged woman whose presence is so discreet I hadn't noticed her until now—and even then, I still consider the possibility that she's a mirage conjured by the acrobatic flames. Completely motionless, she stands just a few meters from the head of the room, facing the scene with a seriousness that feels disproportionate for a simple suggestion to rest. Her straight hair forms a violet curtain that stops just before her shoulders, cutting across her face diagonally and casting a shadow over her one visible, unblinking eye. No detail seems to escape her cyclopean gaze, and it doesn't take long before she notices our presence. As startled as if I'd seen a statue move, I watch apprehensively as the medium-height woman approaches the throne and leans in to whisper in the mistress of the house's ear.

— If I may, I'm perfectly able to attend tomorrow's training, and I'd be upset to be left behind while everyone else is hard at work, answers Kana, making no effort to hide her disapproval.

The "Mother" casts her colorless eyes straight into mine, and my instinct makes me take a step back. Then, as her assistant straightens up, she shifts her attention back to Kana.

— Do as you please. I've given you free time; it's up to you how you use it, she sighs, aware that her authority won't bend such a zealous pupil. In any case, even if I forbade you from training, you'd end up practicing alone in the forest.

— Mother, thank you for your understanding.

— More importantly, it seems our guest has finally arrived, she announces, turning her gaze back to me.

∼ Maybe she's not blind after all.

— Our guest? Kana repeats, confused, before standing and looking behind her back.

— Hey! I greet her simply with a nervous smile.

For a few seconds, her lips remain sealed, while her eyes are wide open.

— YOU AGAIN?!?

— Yep… If I didn't believe in fate before, I definitely do now.

— Kana, do you know this man? The matriarch asks, without taking her eyes off me.

— Uhm… yes, well, no. I met him in town. Yeah, yesterday, while shopping. I'd never seen him before, she lies with a panicked voice.

— You haven't forgotten my ability to read lies, have you, young lady? Interjects the woman with the diagonal fringe.

— Kana?

The head of the house leans forward in her seat, and her bewitching gaze finally leaves me to settle on Kana. The latter fidgets nervously, uncomfortable under those blind eyes that strip you bare, peering into your inside in total ignorance of your outside. I feel sorry for Kana, but I'm relieved not to be the target of those two ocular pearls anymore.

— Alright, it's possible I ran into him by chance the day before yesterday in the forest, she finally admits.

— WHAT DO YOU SAY!? Exclaims the woman, rising from her throne.

Maybe it's my imagination, but it seemed like the braziers flared up for a moment.

— He was being chased by the sacred wolves, and he suddenly burst into the meadow. I—I just helped him get out by blindfolding h—

— Enough!

Before such authority, even the wildest of beasts would crouch and lower the head, and Kana is no exception, she obeys without delay. The woman sits back down with a sigh.

— I understand your concern about the barrier much better now. Well, what's done is done. If this young man managed to enter despite the barrier and the guards… who knows, perhaps it was fate.

— If I may, I really don't think this man is—

— However, she interrupts Kana abruptly, the fact that you deemed it appropriate not to inform me of a stranger's intrusion into Sylvheim warrants a discussion.

— But—

— We will continue this conversation later, Kana. I do not wish to keep my guest waiting any longer.

Kana cranes her neck to shoot me a glare as dark as a night with no moon nor stars.

— Please, young traveler, come closer, invites me the woman with a soft voice and a slight flick of her wrist.

If possible, I would have preferred not to move any closer, but my body moves on its own, responding to a will that is not mine. After crossing the wooden bridge, I continue forward with slow steps until I stop in front of Kana, whose beastly stare chills my back. Strangely, the heat radiating from the two enormous braziers is not suffocating, and overall, the forest does a good job of shielding against the summer temperatures. Mai places her hand on the back of my head, urging me to bow.

— So, Mai, may I ask who this young man accompanying you is?

— It was Natsuki who—

— My name is Ishizora, I interject without much hesitation, since interrupting others seems to be a common practice in these woods. Mai looks more surprised by my boldness than offended by my rudeness. As you have gathered, I am a traveler, and I arrived in this forest by chance two days ago. I met Kana here, who showed me the way to the capital and made me promise not to speak of this place to anyone—not without some threats, I add to tease Kana, whose piercing gaze alone confirms that I hit the spot. I swear that I haven't spoken about this forest to anyone since then.

— Very well, I believe you. In any case, if you were lying, Sasha would notice immediately. So speak freely, my child.

I glance at the woman with the diagonal fringe, whose narrowed eye is locked right between my own. I swallow hard before continuing.

— I have no reason to lie to you or hide anything, but if I must talk about myself, I would at least like to know to whom I am speaking.

A frightening aura suddenly triggers all my senses, giving me the same jolt as an archer wasp's sting. Mai discreetly kicks my ankle, making me wince in pain, but when I turn, I realize the aura came from Kana, who hasn't moved an inch.

— It's alright, says the woman with an amused smile, easing the tension among her disciples. He is absolutely right. My apologies, Ishizora. My name is Clarence, and I am the matriarch of the Shinzu Geika. The woman at my side is Sasha—she's my second-in-command, in a way. She assists me with nearly everything.

Sasha bows so slightly that one might think she simply relaxed her shoulders.

— Well then, now that introductions are out of the way, would you care to explain how you ended up back here a second time?

As I recount the events of my day, she listens attentively, resting her chin on the backs of her clasped hands. When I finish, Clarence remains deep in thought for a long while, the only sound in the room being the soft crackling of the braziers. Eventually, Kana breaks the heavy silence.

— That idiot Natsuki. He knows full well he's not supposed to bring the first friendly stranger he meets into Sylvheim. Mother! Let me deal with him. I'll make sure he never gets the urge again, she says coldly while cracking her knuckles.

— Natsuki is not to blame, replies Clarence sharply. And this was bound to happen sooner or later.

— What do you mean, Mother? Asks Mai, perplexed.

— Kana said it herself—the barrier meant to keep intruders from entering the forest is intact. Do you know how many lost travelers have managed to get in since my predecessor entrusted me with this position? … Well, you're looking at the first one, she declares, to the great surprise of my neighbors. And not only did he manage to enter the oldest of forests, but he also ventured all the way to the Sylvheim, braving the fastest and fiercest wolves in all of Historia. Two days later, he just happens to run into Natsuki in town and gains his trust? Does such a coincidence exist?

The silence that follows is all the more uncomfortable since I am the subject of it, yet the only one who does not understand anything they are saying.

∼ I don't like being the center of attention, especially when I feel like a stranger who has no reason to be here.

— If I may, my meeting with Natsuki today was purely coincidental. And as for my arrival here two days ago… well, I don't know what this barrier you're talking about is, but as for the wolves, I'm quite confident in my ability to outrun wild beasts.

— Those wolves are not mere wild beasts…

Realizing that I will never convince her that I'm just a passing traveler, I decide to keep quiet and wait patiently for the conclusion.

— Well then, whether your presence here is due to chance or the unfathomable web of the Vahna, any traveler who has walked the wild lands is welcome at my table. Would you accept to share a meal with us tonight in exchange for a few adventure tales? Everyone here loves them—especially the children.

— I can't accep—

The same aura as before suddenly chills my blood, and I don't need to turn around to know where this terrifying sensation is coming from.

∼ Holy rock worm, how can such a small woman have a presence so similar to that of a ferocious beast?

— H-hm, if you insist, I would be delighted to share my adventures with you.

— Then it's settled. Mai! Take care of him, if you would.

— Yes, Mother, she replies, bowing solemnly. Come on, let's go.

As Mai pulls me by the arm, I follow without protest, unable to endure the gaze of the chief and her one-eyed assistant any longer.

— Kana, I'm not done with you.

Knowing that she's about to receive a scolding because of me, Kana shoots me a sideways glance that says everything about what she'll do to me if we ever find ourselves alone in the future. I make sure to stay as close to my dear guide as possible, and together we hurry up the staircase with its dancing reflections. Once outside, I fill my lungs as if trying to create a vacuum around me.

∼ The air is much less stale than on my first visit. It's probably related to the presence of that tree. What was it that Natsuki called it again? El-Elviar? Elvi—

— You handled yourself pretty well for a first time.

— Huh? What do you mean?

— Mother's gaze—didn't it make you want to hide behind your own shadow?

— You couldn't phrase it better. I was trembling like a leaf.

— That's the effect it has at first. But don't worry, you get used to it.

— Those eyes… Could she be, you know...

— Blind? She sees far better than you, me, and anyone else. But you're not entirely wrong, since she can't distinguish colors or shapes. She sees souls, she declares as if it were nothing special.

— Souls?!

— When she looks at you, she can see what kind of person you are. If you had bad intentions, she would notice it at first glance. It's as if she can see your past—in other words, every version of yourself that has ever existed up until now, all condensed into a single portrait.

∼ My past? Could she have seen something about my memory loss?

— It's both reassuring and… terrifying.

— I completely agree, but she didn't choose to have this gift. She was born with it. Apparently, at first, she could see normally. Her ability only manifested as vague colors surrounding the people around her, but little by little, it overtook her sight, and she became unable to see anything else.

— That must not be very practical, seeing only souls.

— Oh, if you think that makes her unable to fight, let me warn you—no one in this Geika or any other can match her. Even those arrogant fools in the capital wouldn't stand a chance. After all, seeing an opponent's hostility in its rawest form lets her anticipate even the dirtiest tricks. And for everything else, her other senses compensate.

— I never thought she was weak, not for a second.

— Oh? Then you must have a talent for judging opponents. That's probably the best skill to have if you want to stay alive in this crazy world. Anyway, if you were talking about everyday life, Sasha helps her with anything that requires… normal vision, let's say.

— You mean the woman who was beside her?

— That one. Mother took her under her wing at a young age because she has a vision-related gift as well.

— What kind of gift?

— Well… like Mother said earlier, Sasha can detect lies. As for how she does it, and why she keeps her second eye hidden, no one knows except Mother and her.

— Me, all I know is that sometimes, it's better not to know.

— In that case, you know far enough, she replies with a light laugh.

I suddenly realize that she isn't lacking in charm either—far from it—even though her style is completely different from Kana's. If Kana's beauty is like a rough, cold diamond, Mai's is more like a flower soaking in the summer sun atop a hill.

∼ Why didn't I notice it right away? I was probably too distracted by everything that happened.

— Why are you staring at me like that? Do I have something in between my teeth?

∼ Huh, I heard that same line earlier today. She and Natsuki are closer than they let on. That must be what a sibling relationship looks like.

— And why are you smiling now? Will you stop that? You're making me uncomfortable.

— Sorry, I didn't mean to.

— Come on! I'll introduce you to the others, she suddenly exclaims, full of energy.

— The others?

— You'll see, we're one big family!

She suddenly grabs my wrist and starts running. Her childlike excitement warms my heart, and I decide to let myself get swept up in her game.