Three days had passed since Konstant had woken up.
Three days of adjustments, frustrations, and small victories. Three days learning to get used to his new limitation.
"Careful," Luna warned him, her small hand firmly holding his arm. "There's a big rock to the right. About three steps ahead."
Konstant nodded, adjusting his trajectory slightly. His bare feet felt the texture of the packed earth changing beneath them, from compacted soil to grass, then back to dirt. Each change told a story, if he paid enough attention.
They were heading to the training field. It was early morning, the air still fresh, and Konstant could hear distant voices, people already gathering for the morning session.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Luna asked for the third time. "You could wait a few more days. No one will complain."
"I'm sure," Konstant replied, keeping his tone firm. "I can't lie down forever. I need to adapt."
And it was true. The first two days had been... difficult. Konstant had spent most of the time in bed, processing his new reality, trying not to panic every time he tried to open his eyes and couldn't.
But on the third day, something changed. Maybe it was stubbornness. Maybe it was necessity. But he refused to be useless. If he couldn't see, he would have to find other ways to act.
So he had convinced Aldric to let him participate in the training. At least the physical part, since he couldn't do combat training.
"We're almost there," Luna announced. "There are quite a few people already. I see Keiko and Rady over there near the training targets."
"Where are the training targets?"
"To the left. About... twenty steps? Maybe thirty. I don't know how to measure properly."
Konstant smiled slightly. "That's fine. Thank you for bringing me."
"Always!" Luna said enthusiastically. "Can I stay and watch?"
"If you want."
They entered the field proper, and Konstant immediately felt the change. The sound of voices became clearer, closer. There was the creak of wood against wood, training dummies being struck, footsteps in various directions.
"Konstant!" Keiko's voice came from somewhere to the left, as Luna had said. "You really came!"
"I said I would," he replied, turning toward the voice.
Footsteps approached. "How are you feeling?" Rady asked in a low, cautious tone.
"Like someone who can't see anything," Konstant replied with dry humor. "But I'm alive."
"Konstant!" The voice of Daven, the instructor, cut through the field. "Luna told me you were coming. Good to have you back."
"Thank you," Konstant said. "I know I can't do everything, but..."
"You can do the physical conditioning," Daven interrupted. "Running, push ups, endurance exercises. We'll adapt what's needed. And honestly," there was a touch of admiration in his voice, "the fact that you're here three days after waking up after weeks is already impressive."
Konstant didn't know how to respond to that, so he just nodded.
"Let's start with warm ups! Five laps around the perimeter!"
Konstant felt Keiko's arm tense under his hand. The sound of dozens of feet starting to run was like a sonic avalanche coming from all sides.
The first lap was a nightmare. His muscles, now incredibly responsive, yearned to move, to push off the ground and feel the speed he knew, instinctively, that his body could achieve. But his brain, deprived of the horizon, dared not let go of the reins. Every command was a conflict: "Run!" shouted his new body. "Wait!" howled his blind survival instinct. He stumbled, staggered, was a heavy anchor for Keiko, who sweated to guide him and keep him upright. The humiliation was a metallic taste.
On the second lap, something strange began to happen. His bare feet, which before only felt the ground, began to interpret it. The texture of the grass changed subtly near the roots of the fence. The packed dirt on the curve was more compact. It wasn't vision, it was a tactile map forming in his brain, slow and confused, but real. He was still clumsy, but his falls went from complete collapses to near miraculous recoveries his heightened reflexes made him spin in the air and fall into an instinctive roll, less painful.
"You move... differently," Keiko panted, perplexed. "It's as if your body knew what to do even before you fell."
Konstant didn't answer. He was focused on that map under construction. On the third lap, he was no longer fighting just against the darkness. He was fighting against two bodies: the disoriented body of the blind man, and the potentially graceful body of the beast he had become. It was exhausting.
When Daven shouted "Stop!", Konstant was drenched, but not from normal physical exertion. It was the cold sweat of extreme concentration, of keeping the beast under control while groping in the dark.
"Push ups! Fifty! Begin!"
Here, the contradiction exploded.
On the ground, the disorientation of space disappeared. His body knew this movement. When he positioned himself for the first push up, his arms, shoulders, and core aligned with a precision he had never had before. The transformation spoke louder.
He began. One, two, three. The movement was fluid. Each descent was controlled, each ascent, explosive. At twenty, he realized he wasn't even out of breath. At thirty five, his muscles burned, but it was a burn of effort, not fatigue. He could feel every fiber working, like a symphony of strength under his skin.
But there was a new problem. Without the visual reference point, his sense of depth on the descent was messed up. On the fortieth push up, he went down too deep, too fast, and a chest muscle protested with a sharp twinge. He groaned, stopping for a second.
"Konstant?" Keiko's worried voice came from nearby.
"It's fine. Just the right point." He took a deep breath and concentrated. Instead of trying to see the distance, he felt it. The tension in his triceps at the top, the stretch in his chest at the lowest safe point. The transformation gave him the body. The blindness forced him to know it intimately, from the inside.
Forty one, forty two...
He completed the fifty not only with a strength that surprised him, but with a body awareness he had never possessed. His hands were steady on the ground, without tremors of extreme exhaustion.
When Daven announced "Sit ups! One hundred!", a strange sensation took over Konstant. He felt frustration at being a failure in the run, but also silently admired the power he discovered in exercises where sight wasn't crucial.
Lying on his back, he began the sit ups. His core was hard as a rock. The movement was almost mechanical in its efficiency. Here, in the dark, with his body working in perfect rhythm, he had a frightening glimpse: what would he be capable of if he ever learned to navigate the world without seeing?
When the training ended, he was exhausted, but in a new way. Half of him was crushed by the disability. The other half pulsed with a newly discovered and frighteningly great potential.
The walk back to the edge was silent. Keiko finally spoke, softly: "You're strong, Konstant. Much stronger than before. It's... frightening."
He nodded, without smiling. She was right. It was frightening. Because he had no idea how to control that strength within the permanent darkness that was now his world.
The rest of the training continued. Some exercises he could do alone. Others, like obstacle runs or weapon work, he had to skip or do adapted versions with Keiko or Rady guiding him.
But overall, Konstant was surprised to discover he could do much more than he expected.
When Daven finally dismissed them, over two hours later, Konstant was genuinely exhausted, soaked in sweat, muscles burning.
But he felt alive.
"You did well," Rady said as they drank water from the barrels. "Very well for someone who can't see."
"My other senses are compensating," Konstant explained. "I can hear people moving. Feel changes in the air when someone passes nearby. It's like... like my brain is reprioritizing."
"The transformation," Keiko said thoughtfully. "Aldric mentioned your senses would be affected."
"Yes," Konstant agreed. "And it's not just that. I can feel living things. Plants, mainly. I can tell where they are even without touching them. It's strange."
"Strange but useful," Rady observed.
"Very useful," Konstant agreed.
Keiko and Rady eventually had to leave for their respective jobs. Mira was waiting for Keiko at the apothecary, and Tomos was probably already in the fields waiting for Rady.
Which left Konstant with Luna again.
"Where to now?" she asked excitedly. "Back to Aldric's house?"
"No," Konstant said, an idea forming. "Let's go to Joren's house. I need to pick something up."
"Pick up what?"
"A cane," Konstant explained. "Aldric mentioned Joren was making one for me. To help me walk alone."
"But you don't need one!" Luna protested immediately. "I can always help you! Or Keiko! Or Rady! Or Gareth! Or"
"Luna," Konstant interrupted her gently, bending down to her level. "You can't always be by my side. You have your own life."
"But I want to be with you," she said stubbornly.
"I know," Konstant said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "And I appreciate it. Very much. But I need to learn to be independent too. I can't depend on other people for everything."
Luna puffed out her cheeks in a clear pout, but didn't argue further. "Okay. But I'll still help you whenever I can!"
"I wouldn't expect less," Konstant said with a small smile.
They walked towards Joren's house, Luna providing directions as they went. And as they approached, Konstant could already hear voices, an animated conversation between two people.
"...and Mira said everything is perfect with the baby," Maren's voice, laden with relief and happiness. "I can feel the movements now. It's the most amazing thing."
"I can't wait to meet him," Joren replied, his voice softer than Konstant had ever heard. "Or her. It doesn't matter which."
"They're talking about the baby," Luna whispered unnecessarily loud.
Konstant just nodded, smiling. It was good to hear that Maren and the child were well after all the stress of the attack.
"Joren!" Luna called as they approached. "We're here!"
"Luna! Konstant!" Joren's voice became more animated. With the sound of approaching footsteps, and Konstant heard the light thunk thunk of a cane hitting the ground. "Good to see you! Well, see you, Luna. Konstant, it's good that you're here."
"Joren," Konstant greeted. "I heard you have something for me."
"Ah, yes!" More footsteps, this time moving away. "Let me fetch it. It's in the workshop."
Joren returned moments later. "Here it is. I hope it fits."
Konstant reached out and felt something being placed in his hand. Smooth, polished wood, the right length to reach from the ground to approximately his waist when held vertically. There were carvings along the surface, details his fingers could trace.
"It's perfect," he said sincerely. "How much do I owe?"
"Nothing," Joren said firmly. "It's a gift. A thank you."
"A thank you for what?"
"For helping me that night," Joren said, and there was weight in his voice. "When the Grusk attacked me. When Davos was in danger. You and Rady did what you could to look for my son. You almost died doing it. A cane is the least I can offer."
Konstant didn't know what to say. Refusing seemed offensive. And honestly, he didn't have money anyway. During his time working with Gareth, everything he received was in food, shelter, and necessary supplies. The village operated more on barter than real currency.
"Thank you," he said finally. "I'll take good care of it."
"I know you will," Joren said with approval. "Now, would you like to come in for some tea? Maren just made some."
"Thank you, but no," Konstant politely declined. "I need to go back and rest. The training was intense."
"I understand completely. Take care."
They said their goodbyes and began the walk back to Aldric's house. Konstant tried out the cane, using it to feel the path ahead, tapping the ground in a steady rhythm.
It was strange at first, clumsy. But after a few minutes, it began to make sense. The way the cane hit differently depending on the surface. How it could detect obstacles before his feet found them.
"You're getting good at that," Luna observed. "Really quick."
"Practice," Konstant said. "And necessity."
When they got back to Aldric's house, Konstant was genuinely exhausted. The training, the walk, learning to use the cane. All together had drained his reserves.
"I'm going to take a nap," he announced to Luna. "You can go play or do whatever you want. You don't need to keep watching over me."
"Are you sure?" she asked, hesitant.
"Yes. Go. Enjoy the day."
Luna still hesitated, but eventually agreed and ran off, probably to find Gareth or other children.
Konstant entered the room Aldric had designated for him, using the cane for orientation, and found the bed easily. He lay down with a sigh of relief, muscles immediately complaining.
He fell asleep almost instantly.