It was 2:45 PM. The sky was draped with light clouds, blurring the sunlight into a dull haze. At the back of the apartment, Shiv was panting heavily. A drop of sweat fell from his forehead and hit the ground; the faint 'tap' sounded clearly in the absolute silence.
(Flashback: A short while ago, when Vikram told him he only had 7 hours...)
In the living room, Shiv was pacing back and forth in one spot, his hand on his chin—lost in a deep dilemma.
Vikram, sitting on the sofa, asked, "Shiv, what will you do now? What are you thinking so hard about?"
Shiv stopped and looked at Vikram. "Right... I just remembered. When we came here looking for Room No. 5, how did you find it so quickly? All I could see was Room No. 6."
Vikram narrowed his eyes and gave a slight smirk. "Oh, that? Yeah, it's a technique."
Shiv: "What kind of technique?"
Vikram: "I can teach you a technique that will make you powerful."
Shiv said excitedly, "Really! There's a technique like that?"
Vikram: "Yeah, and it's related to how I found that room. Look, just leveling up your Chakra isn't everything."
"Yeah, you need combat skills too," Shiv added.
"That's true, but not entirely," Vikram walked over, placed a hand on Shiv's shoulder, and looked straight into his eyes. "Strength isn't always the answer; sometimes you have to use your brain. The technique I used on that door isn't rare; it's a standard technique called 'Zen.
Shiv got a bit nervous. "But... why are you looking at me like that?
Vikram pulled his hand back. "I saw Room No. 5 because I used the Zen technique. When a user focuses their chakra into the optic nerves and the pupils of the eyes, their vision leaves the 'Physical Spectrum' and enters the 'Energy Spectrum'
Shiv's face went blank. "What... what did you just say?
Vikram facepalmed. "How did I forget I'm dealing with an idiot?"
Shiv: "What happened?
Vikram: "Nothing. Listen, you just need to focus Chakra in your eyes. But not too much, and not too little. It's difficult to use because you have to flow chakra through the optic nerves into the pupils to actually see chakra."
Shiv: "So you mean... I can actually see chakra?
Vikram: "Yes. And 'No. 5' was written there with chakra, which is why you couldn't see it. Come with me," Vikram headed toward the exit door next to the kitchen. They stepped outside.
Vikram looked toward the stairs on the right. "Follow me," he said as they walked.
Shiv: "Okay... so how do I learn this?
They reached the back of the apartment—a 10-by-10 square area. The air was still. In front of them stood a 5-foot crimson-red wall. Below, the ground was covered in gray triangular tiles. The small triangles were joined together so perfectly that they formed a complex geometric pattern.
Vikram: "Look, I'll tell you what to do. Even though this technique sounds easy, it's harder than you think, understand? I can't teach you the full technique directly; if I did, you might go blind for life.
Shiv's face tensed up. "What? This sounds really dangerous!
Vikram: "It is, but I'll teach you the easy way. I'll teach you in 3 steps. Step One—First, close your eyes. Breathe out slowly and feel a sense of heat at the back of your brain. Hold it until you feel a vibration. Focus is the most important thing.
Shiv said with determination, "Fine, I won't have a problem focusing!
Vikram gave him a look that clearly said 'you're just bragging,' but he didn't say it out loud. "Fine, get to it. I'm going inside to relax.
Shiv clenched his fists and closed his eyes. 10 minutes passed... then 20. Shiv was gasping for air.
"I'm done!" He opened his eyes and sighed, "It didn't work..."
[Back from the flashback...]
In that same spot, drenched in sweat, Shiv muttered, "It's been more than 45 minutes, but I haven't felt a thing yet. This is harder than I thought... but I will definitely do it!
He sat down, rested his hands on his knees, and closed his eyes again. "I remember Vikram said I have to feel the chakra at the back of my brain, but how? I've been trying for so long and I haven't felt even a drop of chakra.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open with new-found energy. "Wait! I remember now. I remember what the Grandmaster said: 'Chakra isn't felt just by thinking; you have to catch it as it flows through the body.'
He realized that if he just kept "thinking," he would never feel it. "I understand what I have to do!
He stood up and slowed his breathing. With a smile, he closed his eyes and blocked out the entire world.
First, he caught the wild chakra flowing through his body and pushed it up through his spine. As that energy reached the back of his head...
He felt a faint 'Humming,' like a vibrating live wire. He gathered that scattered energy into one spot, right behind the area where the path to the Optic Nerves begins.
"Yes... I can feel it!" Slowly, the veins on his temples began to bulge.
"What is this darkness? Am I inside my own mind?" He saw a blue-white glow. "What is this? This glow is so intense!
He felt a strange pressure—a heaviness that stood on the razor-thin line between pain and power.
The moment he opened his eyes, the world appeared clearer and closer than ever before!
He looked at the red wall 10 feet away. "I can see every single grain of dust sitting on the surface of the bricks!
The word 'Wogo' written on the wall no longer had blurry edges; every tiny stroke of the ink was perfectly sharp.
And the gray triangular tiles below—every corner looked so sharp it seemed as if it had been drawn with a professional scale. The world hadn't changed, but it was no longer 'blurred.'
His gaze could now 'lock' onto a single spot, making distant, tiny details appear large and clear. This was just the beginning—the limit of his eyes had been pushed further.
Suddenly, Vikram's voice drifted in, "You finally did it!"
Shiv closed his eyes and collapsed; his strength was gone. Vikram moved with blinding speed to catch him. Shiv then jumped back to his feet and shouted, "I did it! The world looks so sharp!
Vikram: "Yeah, that's because your eye muscles have grown stronger. But you've only cleared Step One. Now, I'll tell you Step Two—flowing the chakra."
Shiv's eyes were filled with a burning fire.