Third Implantation (7)

Mystic Eyes.

Mystic Eyes are among the most enigmatic and coveted abilities in Spheraphase, shrouded in mystery and reverence. Not even the gods can claim to possess them with certainty.

They are exceptionally rare, so much so that throughout the eons of Spheraphase's existence, less than a hundred individuals are rumored to have wielded Mystic Eyes, and fewer still have lived long enough to master their potential.

These eyes are not inherited or created through conventional means; they are awakened, born from experiences so extraordinary and extreme that they imprint themselves onto the soul.

To awaken Mystic Eyes is to be marked by Existence itself, a phenomenon where one's very essence resonates with the fabric of the universe.

For Vastarael, the horrors of the cosmic realm, his combat with Lysameria, and the endless cycle of suffering unlocked this latent power within him, pushing his soul into alignment with the divine, the mortal, and the infinite. Mystic Eyes are as much a gift as they are a curse, a double-edged sword that comes with unfathomable potential and immense burden.

What makes Mystic Eyes so revered is their sheer improbability. Many Nexus-blooded individuals live and die without ever glimpsing this power, even among the most elite bloodlines. The gods themselves, who hold mastery over divinities and cosmic forces, often envy mortals who awaken Mystic Eyes.

Ninety eight percent of all beings who have Mystic Eyes are mortals.

It is said that the gods' jealousy stems from the fact that these eyes represent something that cannot be controlled or replicated. It is a manifestation of a soul's unique bond with existence.

Unlike divinities or bloodline traits, Mystic Eyes are not tied to heredity. Even among the greatest champions of history, their awakening is almost always the result of personal trials and deep suffering.

The trials must be profound enough to scar the soul while elevating it, forging an intrinsic connection between the individual and their perception of the world. This connection births the eyes and grants them abilities that vary as widely as the experiences that awaken them.

The abilities of Mystic Eyes depend on the nature of the awakening, what the individual endured, what they triumphed over, and what essence their soul attuned to during the awakening. These eyes often provide abilities that transcend conventional logic, rewriting the rules of reality within the bearer's field of vision.

Mystic Eyes are not without their price. For all their power, they exact a toll on the bearer, both physically and mentally.

The awakening process itself is traumatizing and many who awaken Mystic Eyes do not survive the experience. For those who do, the eyes act as constant reminders of what they endured, sometimes manifesting as flashes of the moment that birthed them.

And for Vastarael, he had the Mystic Eyes of Awareness.

Unlike abilities that simply enhance the physical, these eyes sharpened his mind, his body and soul to an unparalleled level. They were, in essence, a complete rewrite of how he interacted with the world around him. In just thirteen days, he had not only unlocked their full potential but mastered them, proving once again why he was no ordinary Aeterium prince.

The Mystic Eyes of Awareness were not a passive gift. They were alive, constantly active, constantly enhancing. Mystic Eyes weren't always active but for him, they were.

Vastarael could see everything. No, scratch that—he could perceive everything. His range of vision extended far beyond what even the gods could manage.

At any given moment, he could effortlessly scan a horizon miles away, see through the thickest walls, or focus his gaze on the intricate webbing of a single spider's silk. The layers of detail were infinite, from macroscopic landscapes to microscopic worlds that no naked eye could ever see.

Vastarael once tested the full range of his new eyes by staring at the infinite platform. Within seconds, he could map every vein of ore hidden beneath its surface, could see the fissures in its structure that would one day lead to its collapse, and even identified a colony of bacteria thriving in a crack of moss near its base. The absurdity of such clarity invigorated him.

But the real game-changer wasn't just in how far he could see; it was in how deeply he could observe through things.

His Mystic Eyes penetrated the layers of reality like peeling back an onion. Walls, flesh, stone, none of it mattered. The flow of blood through veins, the movement of energy beneath the earth, the residual footprints of people who had walked a path millennia before, it was all visible to him in vibrant, crystal-clear detail.

When he turned his gaze inward, to himself, it was as if his very being became an open book. That was when Vastarael discovered something most wouldn't have dared to notice; the instability of his pseudo-heart.

Vastarael's pseudo-heart had always been both a blessing and a curse. As a replacement for his original heart, lost in his violent trials, it was an artifact of pure soul energy, acting as a core that sustained his life. But until now, it had been wildly unstable, a flickering flame that risked extinguishing itself if he pushed too hard in battle.

With the Mystic Eyes of Awareness, however, he no longer had to wonder about its balance or its limitations. He saw the instability, the uneven pulsations of energy, the infinitesimal fractures in the soul crystal that housed it. It wasn't just visible; it was painfully obvious, as if his eyes had tuned into the silent cry of his core.

And so, Vastarael acted. He manipulated the energy flows, willed them into alignment with the precision of a surgeon. The tiniest micro-adjustments stabilized the core completely. Now, it no longer pulsed erratically. It thrummed with a steady, rhythmic beat, generating energy so efficiently that Vastarael's stamina felt infinite.

With this stability came a profound shift.

Vastarael was no longer bound by the limitations of physical organs. His body was, for lack of a better term, a walking power generator. His pseudo-heart didn't just pump blood; it infused it with purified soul energy, circulating vitality throughout his body without faltering.

Fatigue became a distant memory and stamina ceased to be a concern. He could fight, run and endure for far longer than ever before, all because his core had transcended its flawed design.

He had turned his greatest weakness into an unstoppable strength. He was a biological cyborg. Well, his body would go through exhaustion if he went out of energy so...

The abilities of his Mystic Eyes didn't end with clarity and stability. They extended into the realm of combat, strategy, and survival. In battle, awareness became his greatest weapon. He could see the microexpressions of his enemies, the tensing of muscles before an attack, the subtle shift of balance that signaled movement. Predicting an opponent's actions became second nature, as if he were reading the outcome of their fight before it even began.

His microscopic vision allowed him to pinpoint weaknesses with terrifying accuracy. The chipped edge of a blade, the loosened rivet in a suit of armor, the slight crack in a magical barrier, nothing escaped his sight. He could exploit these flaws with ease, turning even the strongest adversary into a vulnerable target.

And then there was his perception of energy.

With these eyes, Vastarael could see energy flows as rivers of light, coursing through individuals, objects, and the very ground beneath his feet.

But perhaps the most disorienting and awe-inspiring aspect of his Mystic Eyes was their ability to view souls. His Soul Vision was enhanced.

Every living being carried a soul, and now, Vastarael could see them extremely well. He sued it in himself and he saw just how infinite his Aeterium soul was.

Of course, such immense power did not come without its price. Vastarael quickly learned that the Mystic Eyes of Awareness were not something he could simply "turn off." They were always active, always perceiving, always revealing.

The constant influx of information could be overwhelming, threatening to drown him in details if he didn't consciously focus on filtering his vision.

Yet for all the burdens his eyes brought, Vastarael knew they were a gift. A gift born of suffering, of perseverance, of survival. With these eyes, in a world as dangerous and unpredictable as Spheraphase, awareness was the greatest strength of all.

Vastarael had survived the impossible, mastered the unimaginable and emerged as something more than Immortal.

Why did he spend thirteen days after getting his Mystic Eyes inside the platform?

Because he didn't want to enter a portal that was in front of him. His instincts told him that he needed to ready himself for the next trial.

He unlocked his active Mystic Eyes. He unlocked his First Plenituse Technique, Viridescence. His Water Divinity was stronger than ever. His Mystic Eyes used his Soul Energy, which he would never run out.

Now he has four pseudo-cores. He knew that in each test he passed, he gained a pseudo-core, but only after he died. In the first test, Permafrost's Grasp took his heart permanently. In the second test, a mermaid decapitated him. In the third test, his mother sliced his eyes horizontally.

He was sure that he was bound to die and see the monsters in the abyss again. But... he didn't mind. In every death was a pseudo-core and the more he had them, the more powerful he would become. Essence would never be an issue anymore.

And he had all of this as a First Phase Ascender.

Vastarael sighed as he ate stew on a sapphire bowl. Thanks to his Mystic Eyes, his sapphire shaping was even better. He saw his flaws and made his constructs more durable. Now, he could make almost perfect sapphire constructs.

He looked at the obsidian portal in front of him and smirked.

"I can't believe this is how a tower looks like. Those light novel readers really don't know just how horrific towers are. I think I'm already insane at this point."

He sighed as he rose up, the potato and meat curry stew still on the bowl. He walked close to the portal and sighed again, preparing himself for the next test.

"Time to put my Mystic Eyes to practice."

He walked inside it.