"Ugh..." Rig sighed heavily, pressing a hand to her forehead. "The reason is simple: your body simply can't withstand this kind of strain. While Jedi are trained to withstand injuries that would kill ordinary sentient beings—and you've experienced your share of them," she nodded at Solo's left hand, which protruded from the covers, marred by an ugly scar running the length of his forearm, "what you attempted placed an entirely new burden on your body, causing a violent backlash against this Force technique. As for the technique itself, I must say you were reckless. You didn't use it in training, but directly in combat—and combined it with sensory enhancement techniques?"
"Yes," Solo nodded.
"By the Force..." Rig shook her head helplessly. "Did you never consider the immense pressure this would put on your occipital cortex? Or did you think this technique only involved your eyes?"
"I don't understand. What does the occipital lobe have to do with this?"
"Warrior Victor, you haven't studied human anatomy or physiology, have you?" Rig's tone carried a hint of severity.
"No, at least not in that regard," Solo replied truthfully. "After arriving at the Jedi Temple, we were taught about the flora and fauna of other planets, as well as wilderness survival skills. But I've always believed that nothing is more effective than the ancient and reliable methods of 'cutting,' 'slaying,' and 'dismemberment'—like severing an opponent at the waist or beheading them. These techniques rarely require follow-up strikes."
"I see where you're coming from now," Rig sighed heavily. "You really should read some medical literature, even just to broaden your perspective. To put it simply, the occipital cortex is part of the brain's sensory processing region."
She projected a holographic image of the brain before Solo and zoomed in on a specific area. "Look here. For Force-sensitive individuals who specialize in combat techniques that rely heavily on sensory skills, this part of the brain is particularly well-developed. The core region responsible for processing visual information is right here. The essence of sensory enhancement is this: regardless of which sense you rely on most, half of the sensory information received by your body and its interpretation is handled by the occipital cortex, while the other half is distributed across other sensory-related brain regions."
"Ah— I get it now," Solo nodded.
Rig gave him a doubtful look.
"What's wrong? I really understand now. I'm not stupid."
"Never claim to understand too easily, Warrior Victor." Rig pressed her index finger to his lips. "Understanding means you can verify everything I've said through practical application, but for now, you just need to remember this: during combat, you actively engage all sensory regions, mobilizing nearly all parts of the brain related to perception. Can you tell me what sensory skills you're most proficient in?"
"Premonition, Weakness Detection, and Combat Meditation, but they're still only in their infancy."
"Tsk tsk, what a headache-inducing set of abilities for your enemies," Rig chuckled. "When you use these skills in battle, the relevant brain regions become highly strained. You should remember how difficult it was to initially master these skills—they required countless hours of training, listening to your Master's explanations, and studying the literature. Although you can use them now, the problem lies in the underdeveloped state of your occipital lobe. It's not sufficient to support this teleportation technique. You might think you're just channeling the Force through your eyes, but that's only half the story. The energy also flows through the occipital cortex. What do you think is causing the blood vessels in your eyes to rupture?"
"Is it because my eyes and occipital lobe haven't fully developed yet, and can't handle this strain?"
"It seems you've grasped the key point after all," Rig said with a smile. "The Force is a practical energy source that any intelligent being with an excess of midi-chlorians can use. You can think of it as another muscle within your body—overexertion can lead to strain. For you, the consequences could be severe: temporary loss of Force perception and usage, excruciating pain when attempting to use the Force, or even death from overexertion. When the 'Force muscle' fails, related functions collapse as well.
This is why training is essential. The essence of training is gradually increasing your physical tolerance.
While pushing beyond your limits can be effective, it only works for those who can clearly assess their own capabilities—and clearly, you're not one of them.
Let's put it this way: you were extremely lucky this time, experiencing only a mild backlash. If you hadn't received treatment promptly, you might have lost vision in this eye, requiring a visual implant. Before attempting this technique again, you must think twice."
"So, what should I do to avoid this kind of outcome? Do eye exercises?" Solo asked.
Rig stared at him in astonishment.
"It seems you're not beyond saving," Rig said, her expression turning serious. "As I said, training is key. This includes eye training, though its effects are limited. The best method is to simultaneously channel the Force to both your eyes and the occipital cortex, gradually developing both areas. For example, when guiding the Force, try to clearly see the letters you couldn't read during your vision test, progressing step by step."
"I've never heard of this training method before," Solo said.
"I've never heard of anyone who could mark objects with their gaze and then teleport them using the Force either," Rig replied, watching as Solo rubbed his right eye. "If you ignore training and insist on frequently using this technique, your eyes and brain will face two consequences. With a 99.99% probability, it will result in either your eyes exploding from the strain, or a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel in the occipital lobe—where a blood vessel in the brain bursts, and blood leaks into the skull, compressing brain tissue. Symptoms include sudden, severe headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, and possible limb paralysis. In severe cases, it can lead to confusion, coma, or even death."
She stated the risks matter-of-factly. "The second scenario is that your brain and eyes adapt to this strain. The probability of that happening is only 0.1%. If it were me, I wouldn't take this risk. Which path will you choose?"
"You've laid out the risks so clearly, I have no choice," Solo said with a bitter smile. "I still want to live a little longer."
"That's why there's still hope for you," Rig said, a glimmer of amusement in her eyes. "I'll send you the specific training methods. Let me emphasize again: continuously channel the Force through your eyes and occipital lobe, and keep practicing related perception skills. This will not only strengthen those areas, but also enhance associated skills like Weakness Detection. You should only use Teleportation when you're certain you can quickly exit combat; otherwise, you're finished. You know your current limit is one use. Remember, our treatment hall can make the legless walk, restore sight to the blind, and teach the mute to speak, but if you merge with the Force because of this, no one can revive you. When that time comes, no one can help you."
"Understood!"
Some time later, Solo left the treatment hall.
The conversation with Rig had made it clear that increasing his strength required caution, balancing goals against risks. Enhancing his abilities was important, but he couldn't afford to lose his eyes—then he'd have to resort to implanted prosthetics.
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