People didn't experience reality the way they imagined. I was never as instantneous and in the moment as they perceived it. There was a delay, incomprehensible and insignificant for the normal person. Those fractions of a second where information traveled towards us and bloomed as the world we pictured before us was a piece of reality lost to us.
For a special someone that was blessed with the ability to cast his mind like a net out towards the ever shifting world. The experience was beyond description, it was beyond comprehension. There were flaws to ever boon though. Having the world's knowledge funneled to you at near instantneous speeds did things to the mind.
The veil was an extension of his own self. It was both sensory and motile at the same time. Unlike the other sensory organs like the eyes, tongue and ears that requires electric and chemical signals for their transmission, the veil was a metaphysical embodiment of the senses itself.
It did not need any assigned lanes of nerves and cells to pass it's load. It was it's own medium, it's own channel. It was a anhängsel capable of browsing and mapping data no human mind should bare that quickly. Luckily it's host's mind was vast and versatile, it grew with it. After all it the end it was only an appendage, a tool, a mind and a well of thought.
Bearing hold of so much that quickly did things to the mind. True to human nature it adapted and grew accustomed to its situation. It changed the way he saw things, the way perception varied and ebbed in a moment. Some moments lasted longer than others, some had depth that was to great to carry.
After exposing himself to so much stimulus for so long. Lukehiem had reached a conclusion and an undeniable truth.
The world was slow
The world through the normal human orifices was dull and unremarkable. Seeing the world through the occular or auditory restrictions that his biology limited him to was excruciating slow and boring. It lacked depth, it lacked the grid of vectors and liminal space he could experience by letting his mind unfurl.
So dull, so slow but also so beautiful in it's nature. There was a beauty that even his perception could not let him comprehend. His senses were devoid of colour, of shadows, of contrast. The world was bright and warm and a symphony of discords. The construct of his mind was only shifting forces, layers and layers of matter.
It did not suffice in this moment. It was not going to give him the context he needed when gazing at the world in search of emotion.
The shadows her long lashes cast over her eyes as she gazed at the distant tree. The undertones of her skin in the warm light. The contrast her features made as they shifted against the wavering sky and swaying grass. This was the final piece that his ever growing mind could not supplement. There was more detail and yet there was to little. 'Wunderschönen, beautiful!'
Perhaps he had adapted a bit too well to his ability, integrating it into every aspect of daily life. But it made sense, why stick to a underpowered point of perception when he could cast the world around him like an omniscient being. Still, there were certain things that needed to be appreciated with the eyes. Certain scents that rooted his memory and served as points of nostalgia.
So it was no surprise to discover on this clear autumn day that he had developed myopia. He'd never paid it too much mind. In his opinion the world through the human eyes were dull. In truth his eyes faired worse than most. Of course he would not notice, he hardly ever relied on them except when reading.
He was not supposed to view that tree in the distance as a mangled blob. He still perceived it in great detail using the veil though. An interesting discovery, but one that did not have too much consequence.
****
Rebecca stumbled over her thoughts wondering what she could do to flake off the frown plasted on her angel's face. One moment he was laughing at Lukehiem's antics and the next he turned serious and contemplative.
'Brother.'
He hadn't heard that word in a long, long while. It brought back a distant memory. He was playing in the damp grass chasing after someone trying to touch him. Pass on the mantle of 'IT' in their fun game of tag.
He called him that word, awarded the title like a medal. And he... he was happy, he was joyful. His brother, his family.
Out of every other person they boarded up with in their home, only Tobias was called acknowledged as brother. Those were good times. 'Those were the best times Luke.' He wasn't called that anymore and he didn't say it back. It hurt to try, hurt to push a narrative that was not accepted.
"I'm sorry Tobias. Is it something I said I...." She was silenced by a hug and her lips stolen once more. It was reassuring, warm and she felt a feral need bubble up, but right now was not the time for it. She still wanted to apologise and understand what triggered his reaction. It was the fastest she had ever seen him lose his smile.
"It is alright Sunburst. It's not you, it's me. You..you called him my brother. That is true – no it was true, a long while ago," He hugged her tighter and laid them out on the couch. "We used to call each other that. We were sworn brothers, we still are. But it's not like before. Something changed..."
"What happened love?" Rebecca watched his face morph, a mix of doubt and uncertainty. He thought about it, trying very hard to word it to the best of his ability.
"One day he just stopped. He just didn't acknowledge me anymore. Lukehiem became despondent, started isolating himself. Like he had contacted some plague." The memories filtered down and gained some definition. "We were 10 at the time. One spring day Luke didn't join us in the backyard to play. He hid himself in Miss Adelaide's room, spent the whole day there. And from then on he hardly ever joined us again. He stayed indoors, keeping himself entertained with books, lots and lots of books."
It seemed like he was searching for something. What it was Tobias could never know. "I tried to connect with him. I even suggested to the others that we play indoors from then on. The subject wasn't welcome by either them or Luke. I called a lot of others brother or sister, but it never held as much meaning as it did between the two of us." Tobias took a pause, intertwining his fingers with hers and smiling.
Rebecca didn't like that smile. It wasn't forced but it looked like the smile of someone who had accepted defeat a long time ago. A smile of lament.
"I called him brother, he never answered. Never again. I spent months trying to figure it out. He didn't answer, he didn't... *Sigh*. That was the end of it. Our bond didn't weaken, but there was an unspoken tension. We don't talk about it anymore, it's in the past."
What it really though. Rebecca doubted that Tobias was as comfortable as he said he was. Either way this was a new depth to him she hadn't seen before. She didn't know as much as she hoped she did, so there was little she could contribute. Still she didn't like seeing that defeated expression on his face. It was time for a change of topic.
"Do you want to help me out in the kitchen? I'm making churros." Tobias perked up immediately. Churros, now that was a topic he wouldn't mind spending hours discussing. "Sure let's go." He tried to stand up, but was pinned back again the sofa. "Not so fast, you have to do something for me first. You can't kiss me like that and get away with it."
Tobias shivered under her mischievous smirk. There was nothing he could do except surrender and he had a feeling he was about to be absolutely scandalised. She was already running her finger down his face and neck. The contrast between his pale palor and her smooth dark skin was like static.
"U-um sunburst, perhaps we..." He was silenced unable to vocalise his thoughts. What followed was a string of pattering smooches, biting and sucking. Tobias did his best to remain grounded and restrained his voice the best he could. The same was true for Rebecca.
Tobias looked back at the sofa from the kitchen. He wanted to curl up in embarrassment, especially after he remembered that her family would probably sit there later. Rebecca on the other hand was satisfied. The blushing mess that she left Tobias in only added to her amusement. He was utterly red, she almost felt bad – almost.