Looking Up

The Eye felt a power course through him as white wisps of light gathered around him. 

He could feel his existence becoming more defined. The white wisps were unlocking something inside of him.

When the white wisps disappeared, the Eye looked back at the puddle on the mountain, eager to see the changes that he had undergone. He discovered that all of his red wisps were gone, and in their place was a single orange wisp. It swiftly flew around the Eye at a slightly faster speed than that of a red wisp.

Without that single wisp, he would look like nothing more than a vertical chasm of a black pupil. At least that part of him didn't change.

Looking intently, he noticed changes in his status:

[Being]: Biennium Spirit Eye

[Description]:

Compared to an Annum Spirit Eye that solely depends on its sight and aura, a Biennium Spirit Eye can also influence beings around it.

[Age]: 2 years

[Abilities]:

1. Aura of the Eye: An aura that reaches out in all directions of the surrounding terrain and can be felt by living creatures.

2. Seal of the Eye: Can brand creatures in sight and grant them power. Mana usage cost varies.

[Skills]:

1. Mana Capture: Can turn the surrounding mana into a wisp of the Eye. In the current environment, a wisp will be replenished every 24 hours.

———

"I have already reached two years of age?"

The Eye's maturity had advanced a stage, but he was vaguely puzzled. The Eye somewhat kept track of time, but this lost time was an eye-opener. 

Experiencing the consequence of senselessly drifting through time, the Eye became somewhat displeased. 

Before his thoughts would spill out and comment on the past, he distracted himself with his new ability. His brief unhappiness turned into lukewarm delight.

The Eye inspected the new ability that came to mind: the Seal of the Eye. He strained hard at the limited details presented before a brief extract of truth wormed its way into his mind:

[A Spirit Eye develops this ability to interact with the creatures around it. After all, simply watching is too boring.]

New meaning continued to spill out, replacing the previous line.

[Mana usage cost depends upon the rank of a creature's existence.]

The Eye rapidly skimmed through the knowledge. He agreed that only watching was a slight grievance, but he could appreciate its subtle charm as it was ultimately what he was best at.

The second string of intelligence proved to be more successful in intriguing the Eye. What stood out was that the consumption of mana varied on the target. From this, he could infer that he could activate the ability on different kinds of creatures.

A creature's existence rank was also a new detail to learn about. The Eye knew that various creatures showed off diverse traits, but he hadn't determined what could set them apart on a fundamental level of existence.

He thought back to the variety of creatures that he had seen near the mountain. It was a fruitless reflection as he still couldn't judge how their different appearances corresponded to distinct ranks.

The Eye's contemplation drifted as his vision took in a vast scenery of... foliage. The Eye discovered that he could now see more than just the lone mountain.

The grey haze had moved! A magnificent view panned out, and the Eye quickly immersed himself in the new sights.

What was previously blocked by the mist in his mind was now seen in full: a large and wondrous forest. The Eye had longed to see farther to explore this place where creatures lived.

The moonlight shone upon the green foliage close to the mountain. The light also revealed how the rich green quickly transformed into streaks of a deeper shade that was blended with onyx. They ran through to the heart of the forest in a peculiar palette, while shades of luminescent purples and blues weaved through the canopy.

By the time the Eye began to explore the expansive forest in search of its creatures, the sun had crept past the horizon. The landscape's various colors now revealed a lush and lavish woodland of green. The verdant canopy smothered the scenery with a vibrant facade of life and growth.

To the Eye's faint dismay, he realized that he could not peer into the forest. The dense trees blocked out his prying sight, hiding its creatures below in a protective embrace.

The grey mist that marked the end of his vision now stood a distance into the forest. The small portion of the forest that the Eye could currently see made him realize how monstrously large the forest should be. He faintly anticipated the day when the haze moved out far enough to border its end.

In another fortuitous matter, the Eye discerned that from time to time, small birds would exit the forest's shielding canopy. They would fly up high and around, traveling great distances away. Some would fly so far that they would go past the new wall of grey.

The Eye was able to extract meager joy from their adventurous displays of flight, but after a few weeks, a hint of animosity flared up in his mind when he thought that he would have to sit through the current arrangement for another year.

To the Eye, it became evident that his solution was to try his new ability. He had waited long enough. He now had 21 golden orange wisps that fluttered around him in twisting whirls. He believed that he had enough for a first attempt.

He scoured above the canopy to find a bird, but the Eye quickly found out that he had chosen a bad time for his sudden display of momentary energy. The moonlight shining over the wondrous colors of the canopy revealed that the birds had already settled in their nests. They were nowhere to be seen.

Before more bitterness could brew within the Eye, he detected a color not in the skies far away but close by. It was a color that he hadn't seen for a few weeks and was the same as that of his former wisps: Red! The Eye saw red!

Red trailed toward the foot of the mountain. At the end of the trail, the Eye discovered a new creature. It wasn't moving.

As he was looking down, the creature was looking up. That's when the creature's eyes connected with him.