"Oh, right, Tenkei, I've organized the materials you asked for earlier. See if they're of any use—"
That day, when Touko casually asked as Shiomi's door swung open, the sight inside caused her words to trail off abruptly.
Tenkei Shiomi and Morgan were sitting face-to-face on the carpet, locked in an intense stare. The potent magical energy circulating in the room was immediately detectable to Touko.
"Are they... arguing?" Touko asked, leaning against the closed door, looking to the others in the room. Artoria and the others were casually standing or sitting around, observing the standoff between Shiomi and Morgan.
"Not at all. They're just training," Artoria replied.
"Training?" Touko didn't immediately understand.
"Mystic Eyes training," Scáthach said without looking up, holding a book in her hand. "Though my beloved disciple has acquired Mystic Eyes, they aren't innate. He's not using them smoothly yet, so he's practicing here."
"Mystic Eyes..." Touko slowly nodded, starting to understand. "He did mention it once."
However, since it had only come up in casual conversation afterward, and since Chaldea was currently in a rest period, Touko had never actually seen Shiomi's Mystic Eyes in action.
"Strictly speaking, though, it can't truly be called Mystic Eyes," Skadi murmured, biting her ice cream spoon. "They were originally Tiamat's eyes—the Earth Mother Goddess—an entity embodying the will of the planet. Or, to put it another way, it's the radiance of a sentient being that is the very essence of planetary power itself."
"So that means..." Touko, still unclear on the details, wore an intrigued expression.
Artoria added, "If we were to compare it to human 'Mystic Eyes,' it would be more like an Earth-class or planetary-level Mystic Eye. According to the Mage's Association's classification, Mystic Eyes are generally divided into three tiers: Gold, Jewel, and Rainbow, from lowest to highest."
"There are even lower-grade artificial copies," Skadi continued. "For example, in Lord El-Melloi II's classroom, there's a student who uses malachite as a substitute for a Mystic Eye."
"Clearly, Shiomi's 'Mystic Eyes' don't belong to any of these categories," Artoria said. "In fact, they might even surpass the legendary Rainbow-tier Mystic Eyes."
Shiomi himself only knew that, after his original eyes were corrupted and destroyed by a curse, Tiamat had bestowed these special eyes upon him through a spiritual connection.
The benefits were immense—on par with the power of the primordial Mother Goddess. But the drawback was the difficulty of mastering them.
Shiomi could use the Mystic Eyes, but he couldn't fully harness their power. Against magi like Kadoc or Ophelia, a single glance could implant a suggestion strong enough to completely incapacitate them. But against skilled Servants, it only caused limited disruption.
That was why he'd asked Morgan to practice with him. Before Touko came to find him, the two had already been locked in silent standoff for two hours.
"Planetary-level Mystic Eyes—what's known as Star Eyes," Touko said, removing her shoes and stepping onto the carpet. She crouched down, moving closer to the pair.
Just closing the distance allowed her to feel the influence of both their Mystic Eyes' power. No wonder the others were keeping such a wide distance—any moment of distraction could result in being caught in their peripheral vision, vulnerable to their effects.
Star Eyes had the extraordinary power to influence everything within their line of sight.
At this thought, Touko suddenly removed her glasses and reached out, grabbing Shiomi's face.
Realizing what she was doing, Scáthach couldn't react fast enough to stop her. Shiomi's face was swiftly turned, forced to face Touko's Mystic Eyes of Enchantment.
The Mystic Eyes of Enchantment—Touko's innate ability.
Through extensive training, she had mastered the technique of creating over twenty lenses inside her Mystic Eyes. By focusing and adjusting them, she had dramatically improved the precision of her Mystic Eyes.
Fully aware of Shiomi's power, Touko wasted no time.
Even so, with her Mystic Eyes fully open, she could only maintain Shiomi's gaze for three seconds before uncontrollably losing consciousness.
"..."
Shiomi and Morgan were both taken aback.
They had become so focused, with Scáthach and the others observing nearby, that they had completely shut off their awareness of the surroundings and were only focused on communicating through the power of their eyes.
"You idiot..." Shiomi placed his hand gently on Touko's head as he began the healing process.
Morgan pinched the bridge of her nose. Two hours of training with the Mystic Eyes activated had left her a little tired.
"My husband, was your ex-girlfriend really one of the top human Magi?" she asked. After all, Touko's behavior seemed completely irrational, like a normal magician completely captivated by a Mystery.
"Well, she did hold a rank certified by the Mage's Association… but compared to a Grand Caster? That's on an entirely different level." Shiomi leaned in closer to Morgan, their foreheads touching, as he used his authority to ease the fatigue from her fairy eyes.
"Looks like she'll be fine." Scáthach grabbed Touko's wrist to check her condition. "But what about you two? After two hours of training, did you gain anything?"
"This is the gain, I suppose." Artoria smiled wryly. "Ms. Touko is a more powerful Magus than the two Crypters we currently have captive, yet she couldn't withstand Shiomi's gaze for more than three seconds..."
Morgan casually shifted her position, hugging her curled-up left leg. "My husband's progress is rapid, forcing me to gradually increase the suggestion level of the fairy eyes."
"Only for now," Shiomi chuckled.
As they joked, Touko slowly regained consciousness and lay down on Shiomi's lap. "Those eyes are truly something else. I thought I could help, but it seems unrealistic."
"When did you become as foolish as your younger sister?" Shiomi remarked, recalling how Touko's actions mirrored those of her sister Aoi. "Who barges in during a Mystic Eyes duel...?"
"Well, it's hard not to be curious. After all, it's a planetary-level Mystery." Touko unconcernedly looked at Shiomi's now-closed Mystic Eyes.
Whether it was because she was fascinated by the Mystery or because the one wielding that Mystery was him, she hadn't considered it herself.
"Listen... If you'd been even a little weaker, your Mystic Eyes would have reflected and focused the excess power through its internal lenses, ultimately frying your entire brain from magical overload." Shiomi was unusually frustrated, cupping her face and squeezing it between his palms. "Even with a spare body that isn't afraid of death, you don't play around like this..."
"Perhaps she was certain from the start that even if she couldn't handle it, your Mystic Eyes wouldn't reach the level that could kill her, which is why she took the risk." Skadi speculated.
"Trusting me is fine, but that kind of recklessness can't happen again…" Shiomi said. "But the training phase for the Mystic Eyes' output is over. There won't be a next time."
He helped Touko sit up, stretched lazily, and then asked,
"It's already this late. How about we rest and watch an old movie together?"
The response, of course, was unanimous.