Chapter 27: Sensory Overload

“Life has become a state of sensory overload.”

Joseph Curiale

I was found the next morning still curled up in the foetal position on the floor in the main room. When they woke me, the light was blindingly bright whilst also showing more detail than I had ever seen before burned into my retina. Their soft arms as they lifted me to change me felt as if they would leave bruises behind with their strength yet left not a single mark. Their questions of concern left me confused on whether to cover my eyes from the painful brilliance of the light or the deafening booming of their voices. Finally, as they emptied the bedpan outside, the instant it passed through the main room the stench alone was enough to make me retch and the sudden taste of it in my mouth had me throwing up all over the floor.

As they tidied up the mess and me, they asked, “What’s wrong?” But how could I explain it? How could I explain what I was sensing and feeling without giving the game away?

“Light hurts,” I replied with my meagre vocabulary covering my head with the abrasive cloth of my tunic.

I flinch away as they pull it down to check my temperature but it is no higher than normal or any different from my core.

“Does it hurt here?” They worriedly asked, concerned by my startled movements.

“Skin sore,” I explained as I feel their vice-like grip leave my head and abdomen.

“Bedpan smells bad.” I tried to explain why I threw up.

“Yes, it does. Try not to think too much about it and you will soon feel better. Imagine a nice sweet to suck on instead.” Mother replied. It would be nice to say that she does so calmly but she was clearly concerned. Father stayed home for the first time in my life and they even sent Aleera alone to fetch someone I’ve never heard of to come and look at me.

They think I’m sick with a fever or flu and hope someone can help.

. . .

The only positive to my current circumstances.

Ding! Pain Tolerance (Lv 7)

That was barely 10 minutes of pain but it gave me a level. So either those ten minutes were highly effective or being in my particular predicament is somehow boosting my experience gain for certain skills.

However, in terms of my perception, those ten minutes certainly felt like an hour or two.

. . .

I was drowning in an endless sea of sensation. The only break from my 5 senses was when I left my body completely either by passing out or by hiding myself away in my Mind Fortress. But even here things were no longer the same. It was not simply my five senses that were benefitting from the new trait Super Senses, every single sensory skill was also suddenly enhanced and I had several of them.

With Time Sense it suddenly felt as if I could feel the microseconds. Certainly a decisecond but it also felt as if I might be able to sense a millisecond as well.

Listening levelled almost as soon as I focused on it but at least in my mind fortress, I was able to turn the sound down to an acceptable level. Sight, Scent, Detect and Taste all levelled from my most recent trauma without having to even look at an internal monitor, smell a flower, touch a wall, or taste a dessert within my mind.

Using Eavesdrop I could hear every single conversation within our house without difficulty and when I pushed my senses I discovered that I could hear the conversations from next door as well!

When Echolocation pinged, I could not only hear my neighbours but see them as well and it too levelled up to represent the sudden increase in clarity, depth and distance it now extended.

Inside my mind fortress, I was able to dial down the level of light on my windows to the world. I could dampen the sound of my parents breathe until it was comfortable white noise rather than loud enough to cover the pounding of my racing heart. Divorced from my sense of touch, taste and smell I realised that I should add them to my mind fortress in the future but for now, I simply enjoyed their absence.

It was then that I noticed it.

Every sensory skill had been upgraded.

Including Sense Mana.

Up till now, my mind fortress had mainly been used to practice mental skills before I added to each room aspects of my sensory skills.

Now however Sense Mana was working in here as well when before I had never been able to sense any as if it did not fit my original view of the world. Right now, this second, I could sense the mana outside adding an overlay to my windows to the world. One for echolocation and one for the colourful swirls that I saw Mana as. But not only the Mana that was outside of me but the Mana inside of me was suddenly shining through the joints and corners of my mind fortress.

I may have been safe within my mind but seams were shining with mana that was absorbed by my avatar. Never before had I been able to use the magical skills within my mind but Absorb Mana sucked the mana out of the room while Expel Mana filled it. Ignite left me with one less piece of furniture in my mind that I would have to rebuild and Freeze left the floor an accident waiting to happen.

Each skill levelling, leaving me dazed by the dings and astonished at the rapid improvement in my skills that super senses suddenly allowed.

. . .

The use of my mind fortress left my body limp and unresponsive. After been woken up from sleeping on the floor I think my parents were beginning to freak out from the non-responsive nature of my body.

I needed to go back and be there in body for when this person arrived, to show them that I was okay. Although, how I was to do that, when my Pain Tolerance was continuing to rise, I didn’t know.

Ding! Pain Tolerance (Lv 8)

I always knew it would be useful but I was hoping I wouldn’t need to use it until after I was out of diapers at least. No bodily harm seemed to be being caused, it appeared it was all mental pain.

I returned to my body focussing on Meditation to calm my racing heart, learning to accept the new feelings for a second before losing my control again. Over the next half an hour, I oscillated between calm and controlled and moments, where I was overwhelmed by my senses my heart racing to the syncopated beat of multiple conflicting senses. Before anyone arrived I gradually built up the ability to maintain a minute or two, then four minutes and so on.

The challenge alone provided another level in Meditation and by the time Aleera returned with a wizened old crone I was up to maintaining a calm steady heartbeat for at least a minute provided there was no new stimulus for the duration of the minute.

. . .

“What seems to be the problem with him then?” she motioned mother to hand me over. Maintaining my meditation I was able to mute my senses enough not to flinch as I was handed over.

“He’s not crying so not he’s not in pain. Was this really worth making me walk all the way over here?” She grumbled

“Everyone has said he’s quick-witted. Boy, what’s wrong with you?” She demanded.

“Sore tummy, threw up, tired.” I quickly responded hoping I would be able to maintain my meditation and calm long enough for her to leave. I just needed to be put down to rest so I could have some time to get a grip on my new senses.

“Right then, just tummy troubles, no solids today, stick to breast milk and lots of rest. No running around.” She tapped me on the nose with a smile and handed me back to my mother.

“If they’re neither hot nor cold. As long as they are eating and haven't got the runs babies be fine 'specially if they are not wailing.” She returned to complaining about the walk over to our house as she walked to the door.

“It is good to be careful but remember me rules before making me rush over again. Looking forward to some fresh fish this evening Kaius, don’t forget!” and with that parting comment, she left the house.

. . . 

I truly believe that I could have managed to maintain a calm and quiet baby disposition especially as I could feel my Acting level increasing as I was being discussed if only the recent levels in Magical skills had not resulted in an increase in my Magic stat. It was only 6 points one for each skill I had gained a level in but it was enough to hit another milestone.

Magic reached 100 before age 1 awarded the trait, Source of Mana.

That is when everything became truly interesting!

But at least we kept it within the family.

True Status

Level: 10 Name: Kai
Experience: 50,600/ 204,800
Age: 13 months, 1 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours
Health: 1100/1100 Stamina: 513/513 Mana: 1000/1000 Psi: 1070/1070

Trait: Long Lived, Fast Learner, Super Senses, Source of Mana,

Vitality: 110
Endurance: 22
Strength: 22
Dexterity: 22
Senses: 109
Mind: 107
Clarity: 38
Magic: 100

Free Points: 20

Skills:

Tier 1: Time sense (LV 22) Listening (LV 26) Meditation (LV 31) Swimming (LV 23)
 Humming (Lv 20) Sneak (Lv 21) Whistling (Lv 20) Singing (Lv 20) and Drumming (Lv 20)
 Running (Lv 10), Acting (15), English (Lv 15), Spanish (Lv 15), Japanese (Lv 15),
 German (Lv 10), French (Lv 7) Dodge (Lv 1) Breath Control (Lv 1) Sight (Lv 11)
 Scent (Lv 11) Detect (Lv 11) Taste (Lv 11) Bulosa (Lv 1) Draw (Lv 1)

Tier 2: Sense Mana (LV 29) Eavesdrop (LV 22) Memorisation (LV 20) Composition (Lv 20)
 Recall (Lv20) Pain tolerance (Lv 8) Piano (Lv 20) Violin (Lv 20), Trombone (Lv 20),
 Saxophone (Lv 20) Linguistics (Lv 15) Translation (Lv 15) Stealth (Lv 10)

Tier 3: Echolocation (LV 22) Expel Mana (Lv 29) Absorb Mana (Lv 29)
Mana Manipulation (Lv 11) Ignite (Lv 11) Freeze (Lv 2)

Tier 4: Mana Drain (Lv 20) Multiple Minds (Lv 10)

Tier 5: Mind fortress (Lv 15)

Skill experience: 3300
Origin experience: 0
Combat experience: 0
Crafting experience: 0