It didn't take long for Rygar to find Aisha.
Unexpectedly, that day she wasn't buried in books or magical experiments, but rather practicing and refining her fencing with the help of her mother, Lilia.
The two had chosen one of the smaller arenas in the Combat Temple, and since both practiced the same Style and were at the same level, they were training together.
For the girl to dedicate an entire day to fencing was unusual. Right now, Aisha devoted much more to the study of magic than to the arts of the sword.
Rygar more or less understood the reasons; she probably wanted to spend a little more time with her mother after being apart for so long.
The minimum requirement to become a Water Saint was to master the Flow technique.
Once achieved, the swordsman could consciously control the strengthening of the Touki.
At that point, Rygar could provide advice to Aisha, but overcoming the barrier was something that depended exclusively on her.
The Advanced level was a wall that prevented countless warriors and swordsmen from rising; no matter the talent or theory, only continuous effort and familiarity with the Touki could allow passage to the Saint level.
Some spent their entire lives trying in vain.
Of course talent wasn't without importance; because of that, there were exceptions.
People with overflowing talent, like Rygar or Jino, managed to overcome that barrier in an abnormally short time.
But even Rygar, with all his talent and determination, had needed more than a year of tireless training to finally master the Longsword of Light.
Comparatively, Aisha did not slack off in her training, but at the moment the sword was not the most important thing for her.
Rygar arrived just at the moment mother and daughter were exchanging intense blows.
The blades sliced the air in a familiar flow, while their ponytailed hair swayed with each movement.
Lilia was visibly breathless, sweat trickling down her face, but she was trying her best to maintain her concentration.
Aisha, on the other hand, kept a steady, more controlled rhythm.
When they noticed Rygar's presence, both stopped the combat.
"Master?" Aisha asked, lowering her sword. "Do you need something?"
Lilia couldn't speak immediately, she just greeted Rygar with a tired wave, breathing heavily.
Rygar laughed at Lilia's deplorable state.
Both mother and daughter were dressed in light, dark-brown leather armors.
"Yes, Aisha." Rygar said, looking directly at his disciple. "I want to talk to you about Larax's Demon Eye. Are you interested?"
Aisha's green eyes lit up immediately at the mention of the Demon Eye.
"Yes! Ah... I... uh..."
She hesitated for a moment, glancing at Lilia, uncertain whether she should interrupt the training so abruptly. She didn't want to seem like she was neglecting the time she spent with her mother.
Lilia, gradually catching her breath, noticed her daughter's conflict and smiled.
"Don't worry, Aisha. You can go. Actually... it was getting hard to keep up with your pace." She chuckled lightly as she went to a nearby bench and sat down.
The words were enough to dissipate Aisha's hesitation. Her face brightened and she replied:
"All right. See you later, mother."
She sheathed the sword quickly and turned to Rygar.
"Then let's go, master...! Eh, actually, where are we going again?"
Rygar smiled, seeing her uncontained enthusiasm.
"To the Magic Tower here in the temple." he answered.
"Oh yes, let's go!" Aisha raised her voice, excited.
Thus, the two set off together toward the Tower.
Aisha's heart beat fast with anticipation. Rygar had mentioned the matter of the Demon Eye several years ago, and since then she had awaited this moment.
---
POV: Aisha Greyrat
I used to think my Master was some kind of deity when I was younger.
Well, after all, who could blame me?
Since I met him, he became increasingly more impressive with each passing day, and each new feat or teaching of his seemed to raise the bar of what I thought possible.
He taught me so many things, from combat to strategy, from magic to personal discipline.
When I was younger, I often thought about surpassing Uncle Eidar in fencing, or surpassing Sister Eris in combat, and even surpassing Uncle Geese in his tricks.
But I never even considered the possibility of surpassing the Master in anything.
Even when he repeated that he wasn't perfect, I always thought it was just modesty.
Over time, however, I realized that even the Master had his "flaws," like anyone else.
It's just that he was so exceptional, so out of the ordinary, that those flaws became almost invisible, hidden beneath layers of his genius.
As I grew and learned more about human emotions and the complexities of society, I began to notice something curious: the Master saw the world in a different way, a little strange, even.
He was naturally averse to slavery.
Not an aversion driven by anger or personal resentment like most people would feel.
No. It was something intrinsic, almost instinctive, as if the very idea of slavery was wrong to him by nature.
The same happened regarding incest, although he didn't care as much when it came to cousins.
And relationships with underage people? Absolutely out of the question. For him, the minimum age for any relationship was fifteen years.
I confess I found that a bit hypocritical, considering that he himself was involved with Ghislaine when he was only twelve.
But overall, his opinions and values were very positive regarding society.
How to say… it was as if he had an innate sense of righteousness? Maybe there was a better word, but in practice, that was it.
And indeed, that was a very good thing. I agreed with practically everything he thought.
He always told me that I should question anything I didn't understand and that I should think for myself.
Any doubt that arose could be presented without restrictions, and he never failed to answer me.
And if, by any chance, he didn't know the answer, he would search until he found it.
That's how, once, I decided to ask him about all this.
And as always, he explained calmly, detailing his point of view on the most diverse subjects.
But beyond everything, he mentioned that there was another secret, something deeply tied to his moral compass.
He promised to tell me one day, but not at that moment. I became very curious about what it could be.
The Master, after all, was more "normal" than I imagined — in the sense that he wasn't divine, despite appearing almost supernatural in the way he interacted with the world around him.
He became angry when someone threatened those he considered close, and he became extremely tense and nervous when his son was about to be born.
There were moments when he was excessively cautious, and others when he seemed overconfident.
Still, even with those "flaws," he remained incredibly impressive.
He was brave, despite being so cautious; could be ruthless despite being very kind; was intelligent, strong, patient, and an exemplary teacher.
Verdia, Ghislaine, and Eris were lucky to have married him.
And although I was still too young to think about marriage, I began to observe and analyze suitors from an early age… and my Master was certainly at the top of my list.
But putting all that aside, at that moment my attention was focused on something else, an acquisition that I judged very important for the development of my future fighting style: the Clairvoyance Demon Eye.
---
On the way to the Magic Tower, Rygar began to clarify every detail to his disciple about the transplant of the Demon Eye.
Aisha listened attentively.
Rygar explained that the process would be a little different from the method used by the Demon Empress.
She seemed to have the ability to transform the target's eye directly into a Demon Eye.
The technique he would use, however, consisted of "transferring" the essence of the Magical Eye to Aisha's eye, while Larax's Eye, which had been carefully preserved for that moment, would return to the state of a normal eye.
He mentioned that, probably, the process would be simpler, since it wouldn't be necessary to create a Demon Eye from scratch.
The adaptation would depend entirely on Aisha's magical control, but according to Kolda's estimates, that adaptation period would certainly be longer than the standard for normal Demon Eyes.
After some walking, they finally arrived at the Magic Tower.
They climbed to the upper floors, where there were several Barriers, and it would be a more suitable place for the operation.
And then, without delay, they began the procedure.
---
Aisha was standing atop a huge tree that rose above all the others in the Combat Temple.
Her eyes were closed, her breathing slow and concentrated. Rygar floated beside her, his golden Demon Eyes watching carefully the flow of mana from his disciple.
Then, Aisha opened her eyes.
One remained light green, as always, but the other was now a mix of green and yellow.
Around the pupil, one could notice traces of a small opaque swirl, a symbol that accompanied the Clairvoyant Eye.
The instant sensation was as if a zoom lens had been placed over her vision: she could see much farther than she ever had, but focusing on a single point was extremely difficult.
Rygar watched calmly while she tried to channel mana through the new Eye.
After three seconds of attempt, Aisha closed her right eye with a grimace, exclaiming:
"Ugh! Master, this is very strange! It's like I'm seeing two things at the same time!"
Of course, the Clairvoyant Eye, also known as the Eye of a Thousand Miles, would not be so simple to master. Rygar let out a light laugh:
"I can't say I know exactly how you feel, since I was born with mine, but I believe you'll get used to it!"
Aisha puffed her cheeks while keeping her right Eye closed, trying to internalize the new sensation and the unprecedented magical flow.
She still couldn't control the Eye enough to deactivate it at will, but a smile began to form on her face.
"Thank you, Master!" she said.
Rygar replied naturally:
"Don't worry about it. I can't think of anyone more suitable to use it than you. Practice well!"
Aisha nodded and, full of energy, leaped from the large tree, using Wind Magic to soften the fall gently to the ground.
Meanwhile, Rygar remained floating, watching toward the Demon Continent.
He was pondering.
'There was no particular rejection in the transfer. That means I could take other Demon Eyes if I had them nearby...'
Of course, he wouldn't go around stealing eyes from random people, but he would be lying if he said he didn't covet the All-Seeing Eyes of the Demon Empress.
Those eyes, according to rumors, were capable of seeing anything in the entire world.
The potential utilities of such an ability were immense, especially in terms of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.
Still, he sighed, satisfied:
'For now, it's good enough that Aisha possesses the Clairvoyant Eye.'
A light breeze passed through the trees, rustling his cloak.
Rygar watched Aisha running in the distance, confident that, with some practice, she would become capable of fully controlling the newly acquired power.
-----
Hello! If you want to support my writing, check out my subscription P@treon
By subscribing, you will get access to up to 20 advanced chapters of the Webnovel and polls to decide various things about the story.
Your support will encourage me to continue writing more chapters! Check it out here: pa treon.com/DaoistJunkYard