Aerin's fingers twitched. And then his face turned to a frown. It seemed as if he was experiencing something unpleasant.
And as if it was just the beginning, he started scratching his arms, and then his stomach, and to all parts of his body that his small arms could reach.
Aaron did not do anything. He just stared at his grandson intensely. He was obviously nervous, but he could not do anything. What Aerin is experiencing right now is just a natural phenomenon that would happen when you awaken your ability. It would feel as if something inside a person is changing. Something that comprises one's humanity.
Aerin was now full of sweat, his shirt drenched. He kept groaning and turning his head.
"Hang in there, buddy. It will be gone soon."
Giving some comforting words is the only thing Aaron could do for his grandson right now. He could not even wipe Aerin's sweat, afraid that the awakening would go wrong.
The unpleasant process went on for a while. During this time, Aerin was still sleeping. It just looked like he was having a really bad nightmare.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. The air stilled, as if they were finally in the embrace of their master, giving them calmness.
Aaron watched quietly, his eyes unblinking. He wanted to see if there would be any change in his grandson's physical appearance.
However, even after a few seconds, there are no visible changes in his grandson's appearance.
He did not grow a pair of wings, huh. It's quite unusual for a Valewood not to have wings, but it's okay. However, the kid will probably be disappointed when he wakes up. However, the air feels strange, though.
Aaron was not disappointed that Aerin did not grow a pair of wings. He was even excited, curious as to how different and powerful his grandson would be.
Aerin's eyes slowly opened up, revealing his golden-amber eyes, rimmed with dark brown, glowing slightly. Aerin looked to his side. There, his grandfather sat with a mesmerized expression on his face.
"Grandpa?"
Aerin called out.
"What a beautiful pair of eyes…"
Aaron said. He stood up, about to take a cup of water.
"Grandpa? Why are you so slow… why am I talking slow? "
Aaron stopped in his tracks.
"That can't be…"
He turned around and walked towards his grandson, his eyes and hands trembling slightly.
"Glowing eyes, golden-amber colored… Is that really…? "
He remembered something his grandfather used to tell him a long, long time ago. It was about the first person to ever kill a Swift Hawk and also the first person to have its ability. That person had very sharp golden-amber eyes. Nothing can escape from his sight, not even the slightest movement of an ant's antenna or the flapping of a cicada's wings. They say that what's in front of him or what's on his side doesn't matter to him; he sees them all the same. His eyes also have an amazing ability to view the world in slow motion.
His name is Rak, the very first Valewood. With his amazing ability, he led his tribesmen and managed to wipe out all Swift Hawks in the area. However, after his passing, no one ever manifested a similar ability.
"Eyes of the Swift…"
Aaron muttered.
Aerin feels strange. Before, he could only focus on one thing. Now, he could see things in his peripheral view as if they were in front of him. His sight now is very wide. He felt that if he tried, he could even see his ears.
What's more strange is that the world in front of him is very slow. Not just the world, but also himself. However, the feeling is not unpleasant. It was comforting even, as if he was finally complete.
His body also felt very strong. Much stronger than he was before. And his breathing is calm, his heartbeat steady. It was a very nice feeling.
"Eyes of the Swift? What is that, Grandpa? "
Aerin asked, now a little accustomed to his eyes.
"That's the name of your eyes. The eyes of the ones that stalk in the skies, the Swift Hawks…"