The Elestar: Zero

Master took a cloth from his side and gave it to me.

"Put this on."

"For what?"

"To test something." I pulled the blindfold over my eyes and I still had no idea what my Master had in store for me.

"Is it on?"

"Yes. Now what?"

Master had blindfolded me, but even with my eyes covered, I could see and feel where I was. He then lifted his right hand and said:

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

When I turned my head toward Master and replied, my eyes still covered, "You're holding up five fingers."

"Turn around and tell me how many fingers I am holding up behind you." I stood with my back to him and waited for the command, though by now, I could tell you how many fingers he was holding up.

"How many fingers now?"

"Two."

"Now walk forward. Keep going till you don't know how many fingers I'm holding."

I did as he said, answering every question correctly. Every right answer he let me take a step. Finally, when I was something like ten meters away, I only saw his hand to the wrist.

"I can't see anything now."

"I'm going to hit you with a stone from behind. You dodge, got it?"

"Got it."

Master took a pebble hardly as big as a fingernail and flung it at me with his might. I felt it the instant he let go and I dodged at the right moment.

"All right, come back here."

"I never had anything like that happen. Will I actually be able to see with this blindfold on?"

"Yes. You can."

"How exactly do I see?"

"When I put my hands over my eyes, I can see everything around me — but only in a restricted space."

"What about with your eyes? Can you see with them too?"

"Yes, I know how I normally see in front of me."

"Do you have an esper in your family?"

"What's an esper?"

"Someone with a special ability. They can't do magic, but they have special powers."

"My mother… she had an amazing sense of hearing. Whenever we played hide-and-seek, she would find me, always — even if I was completely out of view."

"I see. Then you must've got it from mom. That's why you can see the room around you with your eyes shut. It is similar to the way the echolocation of bats works. They can't see but they hear extremely well and can navigate well in the dark. But here's the funny part to me—you said you could see through your eyeballs too?"

"Yes, even with my eyes shut, I could see."

"Just like in daylight?"

"Yes, exactly the same."

"That… I don't understand." He fell quiet for a moment.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything's fine. Don't worry about it."

I mean, I just felt… a little funny after that! As if something had come between us. [What if Master treats me like the villagers did?] That idea really started to get the best of me.

"Can I remain in the blindfold?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. It's just… if it makes you feel better, then wear it."

"Thank you."

And so it went, I kept training every day with Master Valorant. Two months elapsed, and autumn came. After all the training, I had finally reached the first stage of the Flaming Wrath technique—Flame Mana. I hadn't quite mastered it, but I had started using it.

I didn't take the blindfold off once during the whole ordeal. I kept speaking to Master like I always did, but I started to feel… strange.

When I first used Flame Mana, I was ecstatic. It wasn't easy — but it was all the work I'd put in.

Flame Mana is the original step of the move that Fire-affined Elestars will receive. It combines mana with the element of fire to produce a guard which protects the body from high temperatures. At the same time, it also augments the body's power — dramatically increasing speed, strength, stamina, and a variety of other critical combat factors many times over.

It's incredibly useful. Hot surfaces do nothing to me now. I never feel cold, even in winter without clothes. I am not hurt by the height of summer or by fire itself—nothing can hurt me. It's an impressive kind of defense.

"At last I have arrived at the first stage."

"Congratulations. You took longer than most, but at least you made it. Can you feel strength in your body?"

"Yes, I feel powerful."

Flame Mana is only the start. It's still a long way to go. Let's see how much you've got it down."

"Okay."

"With this metal container, heat the mana inside to 100 degrees Celsius. If you are able to do that you've got the first step down decently enough."

I tried to keep the mana held as I held the water. The water started boiling after some minutes.

"Did you see that? It worked!"

"Now put your hand in the boiling water."

"What?! I'll burn myself!"

"I said stick it in." He pushed my hand into the pot.

With horror, I closed my eyes. Everybody knows what happens when you place your hand in boiling water — you get burned. But… I felt nothing.

"You're being too timid."

When I heard nothing happen to my hand, I did it a few more times. Each time, nothing. My hand was completely unaffected.

Four more months passed. Winter came. I never stopped training, although it was incredibly cold. And every day I grew stronger, and, thanks to Master Valorant, wiser and more accomplished.

Now it was deep winter. It was cold out there, and I felt the cold; yet I sped like the wind over the snow in my thin attire. I no longer cared about the cold after training four months in Flame Mana. I had likewise discovered that my Flame Mana could heat not only myself, but others in proximity to me.

I made a run then came back into the cabin. At home, by the fire, I found Master reading a letter. He wasn't gazing at me, and that wasn't like him. I approached and asked:

"What happened?"

"Pack your things. We're going on a journey."