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((Double Monday -- Page 1 of 2))
Royo hesitated. He hesitated as he had done only a handful of times in his entire life.

This feeling. Terror and uncertainty mixed together. He’d felt it before. Like teetering on the brink of both life and sanity.

He had no way of truly knowing what would happen if he grabbed the Piercing Eye, right now. No way of knowing what would become of him. Of his own mind.

And yet, he was genuinely considering doing it, anyway.

Because he had to. He needed to take a risk here. If his next opponent was one of the supermen, or Seyos perhaps, then what would he do? He had managed to take the one called Manuel by surprise, but he doubted it would be so easy with the Senmurai and the one called Diego. The Senmurai in particular had seemed determined to stop him earlier and would no doubt be on his guard.

And somehow, Royo did not think that his current three artifacts would be enough. The Sword of Hamenszoon and this unnamed glove of strength were both useful enough, but they certainly didn’t make him invincible; and he still did not know what power dwelled within the Boots of Karugetti, despite having examined them with his ardor sense.

If he wanted the power of a god, he first required the power to win this tournament.

Yes.

That was the dreadful truth of it, Royo felt. He would be both a coward and a fool not to acknowledge his own weakness when the potential to do something about it was sitting right in front of him.

He grit his teeth and took a deep breath.

He grabbed the Piercing Eye with his bare hand.

The effect was immediate. Not quite pain but something like it. Extreme displeasure. Invasive unsettlement. All throughout his mind. Consuming his world, his thoughts, his memories, his everything. He could feel himself panicking, and involuntarily, he let go of the Eye.

He rushed back into himself all at once, wide-eyed and struggling for breath. On his hands and knees now, he needed time. Time to realize that he was still there. Still present. Still sane.

Well, as much as he had been before, at least.

Lenos was saying something, and Royo tried to say something reassuring, but he wasn’t really listening to himself. He was still focused on the Eye. That ordeal had been torture of a manner he had never before experienced.

But he’d seen something in it. The barest glimpse. As if the whole world were a blanket, and for but a moment, he had been granted a look at what was beneath it.

He was going to do it again.

“Step back,” said Royo, removing Lenos’ hand from his shoulder.

Lenos did not give up, however. “What do you think you’re doing?! You can’t--!”

Royo shoved him away and grabbed the Eye again.