Liam hated hospitals.
The sterile air, the beeping monitors, the scent of sanitized misery, all blended together into one gray blur in his memory. That, and the last image he could recall before the world went dark: crimson lights, screeching tires, his sister's scream, and then nothing.
For the last three years, Liam's world had been a shadowy void.
"Your scan results look stable," the doctor said, voice muffled by Liam's complete lack of interest. "Still no improvement in your optic nerves. I'm sorry, Liam."
"Don't be," Liam muttered. "I'm used to being blind. The world's not that interesting anyway."
"...Have you considered full-dive virtual reality?"
That caught him off guard.
"Isn't that for sighted people?" he asked, lifting his brow in the general direction of the doctor's voice.
"There's a new game that launched last month, Eden Online. It has deep neural integration. One of the most adaptive systems ever built. Some players with paralysis said it felt more real than real life. You might not see the real world, Liam, but maybe… you could see that one."
It sounded like a pipe dream, but a week later, Liam found himself lying on his couch, the sleek helmet of the EdenLink interface snug over his head. The startup process vibrated directly into his mind.
[Ding! Initializing neural sync...]
[Ding! Welcome to Eden Online.]
Liam found himself in a sort of blank space, white everywhere he turned around. It was a bit disorienting. The voice continued beeping in his mind.
[Ding! Scanning latent traits… syncing psychological profile… innate talent detected.]
[Ding! You have awakened: [Devil's Eyes] — Unique Talent.]
[Ding! Talent Description: Your vision transcends mortal limits. You see not just what is there, but what is hidden.]
Liam did not understand. What was that? Devil's eyes? Before he could make sense of the words, another set of words rang in his mind.
[Ding! Scan Complete.]
[Ding! Teleporting to Eden Online.]
[Ding! Welcome to our beautiful world.]
The next second, the white space around him crumbled, and he was no longer in the weird limbo.
Liam gasped.
For the first time in years… he could see.
A soft wind rustled the grass beneath his feet. Clouds rolled across a brilliant blue sky. Trees swayed around him in the sun-drenched clearing. His own hands, slim, youthful, healthy, trembled before him.
But that wasn't the most shocking part. When he looked closer, he could actually see the blood vessels, bones, and muscles of his hands?
For a second, Liam froze from shock. He shook his head, forcing himself not to focus. What the hell was happening? Devil's eyes. Was this his talent?
He absent-mindedly looked at the couple of players who walked past him. The two female players were mage class players wearing red color robes. They had a magical staff and a confident stride.
He saw their external forms, the vibrant red of their robes, the gleam of their staffs, the sway of their hair, details he hadn't been able to perceive in years. It was overwhelming, exhilarating.
But then, the 'Devil's Eyes' talent seemed to activate on its own, focusing his vision. The red robes and staves became translucent, fading like mist. Underneath, he could see milky white flesh bouncing as the two walked.
He could see their pale white back, their plump ass, their long legs and everything else that should be hidden. And then things took a turn for the worse. He could once again see the muscles, bones, and the intricate network of blood vessels beneath the skin, revealing a jarring image.
It wasn't arousing, it was terrifying. Like an artist's anatomy book had been forced onto his retina without warning. The human form, raw and exposed, rendered in high-definition horror.
His stomach churned as he turned his head toward a decorative fountain nearby. Even that was no reprieve.
He could see the erosion on the stone's underside, the network of hairline cracks spreading like spiderwebs through the marble. There were tiny organisms in the water, moving. Microscopic life, magnified.
Lines, pulses, structures, densities, even magical residue—it all surged into his mind like a tsunami crashing into a paper boat. He clutched his head as a searing pain exploded behind his eyes, as if his brain were being dissected from the inside out.
His knees buckled.
"Turn it off! Turn it off! How do I turn it off?" he shouted, his voice cracking with panic. The world twisted and glitched around him, colors fracturing, shapes stretching unnaturally as the Devil's Eyes continued feeding him data his mind couldn't handle.
Just when he thought he was going to pass out, a blue interface window blinked into view.
[Ding! You appear to be experiencing neural distress.]
[Would you like to turn off Auto-Active Mode for your innate talent: Devil's Eyes?]
"FUCK YES!" Liam roared.
His voice echoed across the clearing. A few nearby players, most of them newbies like himself, turned with puzzled or startled expressions. One archer girl giggled, nudging her friend. A tank in starter gear raised a brow but said nothing.
Liam, panting, finally slumped down onto the grass. The pain ebbed away like receding thunder. The trees looked like trees again. The world, while still vibrant and dazzling, no longer screamed at him in a billion layers of ultra-detailed madness.
He was breathing.
Actually breathing.
[Ding! Devil's Eyes has entered Manual Activation mode.]
"Gee, thanks," Liam muttered, glaring up at the cheerful blue screen before dismissing it with a flick.
For a while, he just lay there, staring up at the sky.
So… this was sight. This was what he'd lost. And now, not only had it returned, it had come back with so much more!
A unique talent! He had awakened a unique talent!
Liam sat up slowly, a grin forming despite himself. "Okay. I am interested in this game."