Lillia led Tom further into the trees, where the terrain grew steeper and more rugged. "This is the practical element, Tom. The Hunter's Eye isn't just about seeing static energy; it's about analyzing motion, position, and trajectory. A scientist like you will instinctively look for the physics in it—the path of least resistance, the point of no return."
She strung her bow and nocked a thin, headless practice arrow. "Your objective: dodge the arrow, or tell me where it will land before it leaves the bow. I won't kill you, but these sting! And remember, I am a Milli—we are naturally fast, even without an Essence boost. My movement is fluid, and my arrows are swift."
Lillia took a stance, her movements precise and fluid, like a dancer preparing for a flawless routine. Tom knew calculating the trajectory of an Essence-boosted projectile was impossible without the Essence discipline, so he calibrated his mind for the incoming data stream.
He activated the Hunter's Eye again, focusing on the fine wire of Essence extraction. The world instantly acquired the blue overlay, and more crucially, his mental processing speed kicked into overdrive, slowing the immediate future by a perceivable margin. Lillia's green Essence glowed brightly, and he could see the faint, compressed Essence residue built up in the bowstring, ready to be released, and the subtle, stabilizing Essence flow through her own hands.
Lillia drew the string back, her face a mask of focus. Tom's brain, amplified by the Essence flow, began running calculations, incorporating real-time variables like wind, humidity, and the microscopic tension in the bow wood.
Vector: Hand position, shoulder alignment, slight tilt in the bow's axis.
Trajectory Calculation: Projected path of the shaft based on string tension, release angle, and atmospheric variables.
A thin, almost subliminal yellow overlay appeared in his vision—a momentary line predicting the arrow's path from the bow to a point directly above Tom's left shoulder.
Prediction: Above the shoulder. Slight miss.
"Left shoulder, high!" Tom barked, shifting his weight a fraction of an inch to confirm the miss.
THWIP. The arrow sliced through the air barely an inch above his shoulder, burying itself harmlessly in a trunk behind him.
Lillia lowered the bow, smiling broadly. "Impressive! First try! Most people just freeze, or they calculate too late. You calculated it before I even released the tension. But notice the strain?"
"Yes. The predictive function demands significantly more Essence input than simple Aura Tracing. The calculation time required for a fluid object is intensive, placing extreme stress on the Core," Tom confirmed, fighting to stabilize his vision.
"Exactly! Now, faster. Don't just predict the arrow; predict me,". She dropped the bow and crouched. "I am going to move now. Predict my next turn before my feet leave the ground."
She burst into motion, darting from tree to tree, weaving through the brush at incredible speed, forcing Tom to maintain the Eye while tracking a chaotic, constantly moving Essence signature. His headache flared, but he forced himself to focus. Lillia's movements, though swift, were still tied to mortal physics. The Hunter's Eye highlighted the point of maximum push-off on her back foot, providing a half-second warning of her next direction and the strain on her muscles.
Push-off on the right, kinetic signature indicating maximum strain on the gastrocnemius. Next movement: left turn toward the large boulder.
"Left, towards the grey boulder!" Tom called out, the effort making his voice tight.
Lillia burst into laughter, skidding to a halt exactly where he predicted, her golden hair whipping around her face. "You're wonderful, Dr. Smith! You're not just seeing the present; you're seeing the immediately inevitable. A half-second is an eternity in a close-quarters fight."
Tom deactivated the Eye, panting slightly, leaning against a tree for support. "The ability is highly dependent on the predictability of the target. Against a fully motorized vehicle, or a being capable of teleportation, the calculation would collapse. Against a mortal, however enhanced, it is effective. The Hunter's Eye is an incredible tool for tactical pre-emption against terrestrial foes."
He knew, however, that the coming siege would involve more than just mortal speed. It would involve the higher-ranked Essence abilities of the Ark forces, and for that, he needed the final calibration. He needed the Weakness Highlighting.