Taming the Heightened Senses
How much time had passed? When Ludenberg Lavante opened his eyes, dusk had already fallen. He rose from the bed. His senses were still beyond his control, leaving him disoriented, but the rest had sharpened his mind enough to make it bearable. That said, bearable didn't mean problem-free. His face remained furrowed for that reason.
I need to control these senses. But how? The relentless sensations gnawing at his mind showed no sign of yielding to his will, and Ludenberg began pondering how to rein them in.
Come to think of it, during today's outdoor training, when I focused solely on the sword, I managed to stay somewhat sane... After much deliberation, he realized that during the training, whenever he'd poured everything into his sword, the amplified senses had quieted down considerably. So what if he focused all his nerves on his own body and tried to control it? Ludenberg deemed the hypothesis worth testing and headed straight for the training grounds. To concentrate on his senses, he needed a space rich in stimuli.
Fortunately, it was deep into the early morning hours, and the grounds were deserted, not a soul in sight. Standing in the center of the empty arena, Ludenberg closed his eyes and turned inward. His heightened hearing picked up even the flow of his own blood; his sense of smell caught the faint scent of the sand strewn across the floor. With his eyes shut, he couldn't see ahead, but if he opened them, he'd make out the intricate grain of trees far in the distance. He wasn't eating now, but if he were, he'd taste every individual ingredient in vivid detail. The cool breeze brushing his skin felt like a blade grazing flesh.
To control each one, he focused intently on his body, trying to recall what his original senses had felt like. But reverting the wildly amplified sensations to normal was nearly impossible. He was already perceiving far more than before. His senses remained locked in their heightened state, defying every attempt at control.
How do I do it? I can't control them. How can I master my senses? How did I used to control them? After wrestling with the question, he recalled his father's advice from past sensory training.
Before controlling your senses, first practice fully accepting them. Understand everything your eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and body perceive. Grasp the full extent of your senses. Control comes after.
Back then, under his father's tutelage, his senses had been normal, and he'd already adapted. Controlling them had come easily, so he'd brushed off the advice. But now was different. With every sense amplified, the gap from before was vast. He couldn't control them because he didn't know their full reach. His father Leonard Lavante's words from back then fit the current Ludenberg perfectly, not the past one.
Right. I had the order wrong. First, adapt to my senses. He focused on one sense at a time, growing accustomed to it. Concentrating his mind, he cataloged each stimulus it captured, letting it flow naturally, as if it were the most obvious thing. He accepted his altered senses one by one. At the same time, he shifted his mindset.
Let's think about it. What good could come from these suddenly enhanced senses? They'd brought him torment, but viewed differently, adapting might even bring pleasure. If his vision expanded, he could simply see the world more broadly—discovering new details in the everyday. If tiny sounds registered, he could savor their nuances. What would it be like to hear his own unheard heartbeat? If faint scents registered, he'd react more keenly to changes around him. Stenches might be rough, but he'd grow used to them in time. Tasting food, he'd enjoy each ingredient's pure flavor. Meals might become more enjoyable. Above all, with his entire body alive to physical sensations, adapting could propel him to greater heights.
I've been too hasty. Trying to catch up to divine-power wielders. Eager to prove himself. Desperate to uncover his cursed fate. The reasons were many, but he'd been overly impatient.
Take it easy. One step at a time. Slowly. Start by fully adapting to the senses. He etched the small epiphany into his mind and decided to call it a day.
The next day onward, Ludenberg adapted to his senses. It wasn't easy. Food sometimes tasted so intensely he gagged; he grew hypersensitive to cold and heat; his distance perception occasionally warped. Prioritizing control, his body adapted swiftly. But something was off. The nagging voice that had plagued him whenever it could was absent. Ludenberg shrugged it off. He had no bandwidth for it now, focusing solely on himself. Thus, he grew accustomed to his senses, discovering their benefits. It felt like living in a world one dimension above the ordinary.
Once adapted enough to grip his sword again, Ludenberg realized how much he'd changed. His enhanced senses guided him: how to channel power into the blade, how to transmit force perfectly. Days of self-reflection and adaptation passed. Soon, he fully adapted and gained control over his senses. And throughout, that voice never once returned.
Today was a holiday—the day he'd promised to help Nadan Tes with erosion beast research. Ludenberg headed straight for the Wisdom Pavilion. At the entrance, he spotted Nadan Tes: a massive, fierce-looking figure too burly for a boy. Nadan waved enthusiastically upon seeing him.
"Hey, you made it?"
"Yeah. I'm here."
"Come on in. I've got all the materials ready—just need your take on them."
Ludenberg blinked, puzzled. "Why ask me, though? Wouldn't quizzing the professors be faster? Like Professor Calvin Giod?"
"Tried that, but Prof Calvin's swamped—no time."
"Tch." Ludenberg clicked his tongue softly.
"Don't get mad, ash buddy. You're here 'cause of my sis anyway, right? So, any more hallucinations?"
"Yeah. No clue what the damn thing's yapping about."
"Weird."
"Nothing weird. Just annoying."
"Such a hothead. Hang on."
Nadan headed to where he'd organized his materials. "Lemme see... around here? Ah, found it. Follow me."
The spot was buried under a mountain of documents.
"All this on erosion beasts?"
"Took forever just to gather 'em. And this is the trimmed-down version."
"Doesn't seem like you need my help. Wait—why research erosion beasts anyway? Theology department assign this much?"
Ludenberg was daunted by the sheer volume.
"Nah, it's not homework. Research for the Setra Church."
"Setra Church?"
At Ludenberg's question, Nadan launched into a aggrieved rant. "Star Pilgrims gotta submit research every three months. That's this. Ugh, I hate it. Seriously loathe this crap. Damn Star Pilgrim title—wanna quit."
"Aren't Star Pilgrims obsessed with new knowledge? That's what I heard."
"That's for high priests like my sis. Us apprentices just rehash old stuff and find novelty in it. Listen— that cursed research demands everything: sign-offs from consultants, sources cited... all of it."
Any more, and it'd never end, so Ludenberg nodded. "Got it. Let's finish quick."
"Sweet. Then we hit up sis after. She said come straight over—got ruins talk."
"Fine. Hand over the materials, you damn oaf."
"Name's Nadan, not 'damn oaf,' ash buddy."
Ignoring the grumble, Ludenberg examined the documents Nadan handed him.