"Please sit down and relax. Despite your incredibly calm demeanor, I can see you're slightly tense… or perhaps just excited," Auren says gently.
"You really are quite impressive," Rakshala responds softly, doing as she's told and sitting down on her bed.
Auren activates Azure Restoration, and his Aura shifts into a beautiful azure hue, gathering carefully around his hands as he slowly injects a small, precise amount into her left eye.
With calculated care, he begins cautiously, closely inspecting every small change.
This is all about intent. I need to focus clearly and carefully manage my Aura drain. I've already figured out—the faster my Aura depletes, the more challenging the injury I'm restoring is.
Alright… I want to restore her eyes exactly as they were when she was born, including the ability to turn scarlet. But first, I'll concentrate solely on the left one to conserve my Aura.
Despite injecting only a minimal amount of Aura, Auren immediately feels a significant drain. Within a minute, more than ten percent of his Aura reserves vanish without producing any visible changes.
"Okay, stop," Auren quickly says, stopping his hatsu. "Are you experiencing any pain?"
"No, it feels quite pleasant, but I don't feel any change," she replies calmly.
"I've confirmed two things: first, my hatsu is indeed working, and theoretically, it's capable of fully restoring your eyes. Second, the Aura required for this feat is currently beyond my capacity. I lost more than ten percent of my Aura in a single minute without even a slight hint of change. I'd have to greatly increase the amount I use, but I strongly feel my current approach might not be realistic," Auren explains carefully.
Rakshala smiles, seemingly unbothered by the results. "So, you just need more time to get stronger?"
"Yes... if my goal is to outright restore your eyes, then you are correct. However, I have another suggestion. My plan is to restore your eyes without the ability to turn scarlet first. Then, once the eyes are formed, I could slowly restore that special property. Directly recreating your scarlet eyes from scratch seems too demanding. But if we begin with 'normal' eyes, perhaps I could use them as a foundation to slowly restore the special ability later," Auren explains.
He considers for a moment longer before adding, "It's your choice if you want to try this approach or wait longer. However, even with ten times my current Aura reserves, I doubt I could manage it all in one go. You might end up with partially formed eyes that might not last until I can continue treatment."
Rakshala quietly considers this, replying thoughtfully, "I think your method of separating the restoration into stages is clever… However, what if it doesn't work? Isn't there a risk of permanently losing the ability to turn my eyes scarlet?"
Auren shrugs casually, "I don't believe so. Worst case scenario, I could just remove the restored eyes and switch back to the original plan of doing it in one go later. So, in my opinion, there's really nothing to lose by trying."
Rakshala giggles softly, amused by his confidence. "Your ability is truly incredible. Of course, you're right—it's so simple I didn't even consider that. Please, go ahead and do your best."
Why does this woman laugh about the thought of me plucking out her fresh set of eyes? There is something wrong with her. Alright then. I'll restore her left eye first, without the scarlet ability.
Auren once again activates Azure Restoration, pouring a larger quantity of Aura into the process. Surprisingly, despite using significantly more Aura, the drain on his reserves is now less than half compared to his earlier attempt.
He watches carefully as flesh begins forming in Rakshala's left eye socket. Although the sight is somewhat grotesque, Auren persists, continuing even as the newly forming flesh shifts and wriggles unnaturally.
Ten intense minutes later, the vague, rounded shape of an eye emerges.
Auren continues steadily, his Aura reserves decreasing rapidly but in a controlled manner as the eye gradually takes clearer form.
With only twenty percent of his Aura remaining, the left eye finally appears fully formed—though obviously not fully functional, since the intricate and beautiful blue iris is still incomplete.
Auren pushes forward, determined, focusing deeply as he depletes nearly every last drop of Aura. Just as his reserves approach complete exhaustion, the drain abruptly ceases, signaling that the restoration is complete.
Dizzy from the exertion, Auren sways slightly.
Damn… my head hurts. I pushed too far just to finish it.
Unable to keep standing, Auren collapses onto the bed from exhaustion, immediately losing consciousness.
"…"
A few hours later, he wakes up, still lying in Rakshala's bed. He stares blankly at the ceiling, tempted to close his eyes again and sleep longer until he suddenly remembers his situation.
Groaning, he begins sitting up, only to see Rakshala quietly standing beside the bed, facing him.
When Auren looks at her, he's immediately shocked as he stares into her fully restored, vivid blue eye.
It's strange…. She looks quite different with it.
"How are you feeling?" Auren asks gently. "Any problems with your eye?"
Rakshala smiles softly. "I think I should be the one asking you that. I can see you just fine. It still feels a bit surreal after all these years. Honestly, I feel confused. I don't think I'll radically change my daily routine, so I'll continue using my visor, but there are certain things that En alone simply can't fully appreciate."
"Then let's keep going… after I've rested a bit more and recovered my Aura," Auren says.
"How about we eat something first? There is also our little 'deal'," Rakshala suggests, staring briefly at Auren again before putting her visor back on.
"Right… I am hungry…" Auren realizes, surprising himself.
Completely depleting my Aura makes me feel like I've starved myself for days. I suppose my body needs sustenance to recover.
Together, Auren and Rakshala leave her room and make their way through the busy office. Her aides stare at them curiously as they pass, eventually leaving the administrative building behind and walking into the city.
"I've been here a while, but I've only visited a couple of restaurants with Neffi. The marshmallow brothers provided me with a few maids, and Catherine's cooking is actually very good. Despite looking and acting a little shallow sometimes, she's genuinely a great cook and takes her job seriously," Auren explains casually.
"That's good to hear. You shouldn't eat out too often. I'll take you to my favorite place, then. Even the Elders like dining there," Rakshala replies, leading the way.
Wherever they go, people politely bow to Rakshala, and some enthusiastically greet her.
Soon they arrive at a large building, and as soon as Auren steps inside, the enticing smell of grilled meat fills his nose. Looking around, he sees a rather rustic-style restaurant. Immediately, one of the waiters spots Rakshala and quickly bows, "Lady Rakshala, please follow me to the private room."
Auren follows Rakshala and the waiter into the private dining area, eagerly eyeing the menu already waiting for them.
A few minutes later, Auren orders a grilled meat platter, the daily pasta special, salad, soup, fresh bread, soda, a milkshake, and two desserts.
"I… assume you don't want to be served in courses?" the waiter asks uncertainly, staring at Auren's large order.
"He's extremely hungry, so please bring his food as quickly as possible. As for me, I'll take my usual," Rakshala says with an amused smile.
Less than ten minutes later, the food arrives, and Auren greedily devours everything.
"That was amazing," Auren comments with satisfaction, rubbing his stomach as he finishes off his milkshake.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Rakshala says warmly. Auren looks up and notices her visor now only covers half her face, her single blue eye staring intently at him.
… Why does that feel so creepy? Her eye is beautiful, nonetheless.
"The deal was, 'restore one eye, and I'll tell you my ambition and Nen ability,' right?" she finally asks.
"I don't think giving you one eye without the scarlet ability was exactly the deal, at least if we're speaking about intent, but please, go ahead," Auren replies honestly.
Rakshala smiles, deciding not to hide anything. "About my Nen ability… It's fairly simple. As long as I'm actively using En, I can select anyone inside its range, and see and hear exactly what they see and hear. Essentially, it lets me monitor them without their knowledge. There are limitations, though. I can only use this ability while performing En, and I can't use any other Aura techniques simultaneously. Also, while using it, I lose vision and hearing in my own eye and ear. I use the singular form intentionally, because I can target two people at once, but if I do, I lose all sensory input—neither seeing, which wasn't an issue before, nor hearing during that time. Of course, I can also connect both my eyes and ears to the same person."
…No way!
"So when we were landing the airship, the 'support' Rosa provided… Was that actually you using her vision? This ability is incredibly frightening. The worst part is, the target has no idea they're affected. So this is why they call you the 'Seer'… You must be the most effective spy alive. What is this—Manipulation? Or perhaps Specialization?"
She nods calmly. "You're correct; it includes aspects of Manipulation but is indeed Specialization. This isn't an ability just anyone could achieve with training; this is a special gift I possess. I believe when my vision was forcibly taken and I awakened Nen, this unique ability naturally manifested."
"Have you used that ability to spy on me?" Auren asks, clearly annoyed.
"Of course. I constantly use it on everyone in this city. I haven't singled you out specifically, but there's no one here whom I haven't targeted," she admits openly.
"…Don't do it again—at least not to me or the people within my circle, understood?" Auren demands firmly.
"Why?" Rakshala asks, genuinely puzzled.
"Why?! Privacy! Everyone has things they'd rather keep private. Honestly, this is incredibly creepy! I'm starting to regret even asking," Auren complains, slightly frustrated that Rakshala doesn't grasp such a basic concept.
She is indeed a Seer… this hatsu is almost divine! Even with just her En, she appeared all-knowing… Within her area of En, you can't hide a thing from her.
"Anyway, I expect you not to use your ability on me unless there's an extremely good reason or an emergency. Now then, what's your ambition?"
Rakshala's expression turns serious for the first time. Her demeanor changes noticeably, and her single eye fixes on Auren with intense seriousness as she begins to speak.
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