Eyes Like Mine (Herobrine x Blind!Reader)

Chapter Ten

"I'm still amazed that no one stopped us."

"Why would they stop us?" Y/N tugged at her new bandages, wrapped tightly around her battered feet. "As far as they know, we're just a couple of poor blind people."

"Precisely that." Hero protested. "Why would a pair of individuals without sight be wandering the city? And surely they would notice that I had far too much coordination to truly be blind-?"

"You're overthinking this." Flopping back onto her rented bed, Y/N pressed the hem of the blanket over her scarred eyes. It alleviated her nervousness somewhat, and she continued to speak. "People don't notice blind people, and, if they do, they leave them alone. At least, back in my city." Hero didn't respond, so she elaborated.

"People with permanent injuries are seen like children, I suppose. For the most part, I'm treated with pity or ignored altogether. If people don't have to interact with me, they won't. Unless they're obligated to do otherwise, they leave me alone." Hero still didn't speak, mulling over this for a moment.

"You don't strike me as the type to allow herself to become an object of pity."

"Oh, I don't try to." She scoffed, letting her hands fall to the bed. "That doesn't stop people from seeing me that way. They look at me, they see the blindfold, and suddenly I'm a dumb kid who can't take care of herself." She blinked, then lifted her head. "You can relate to that, can't you? Don't people judge you based on appearance?"

"They do." He confirmed. "I just... hm." He fell silent again, and Y/N busied herself smoothing the blanket of the inn's bed. After an exhaustive study of Orion and some other ancient beings, the pair had gone to a nearby inn for some rest. Luckily, Hero had emeralds, with which they were able to rent a decent-sized room to share. One with two beds.

Unfortunately, their time spent in the library had done them little good (and not even just because she couldn't read). They had learned nothing useful about Orion, nothing that could possibly be a weakness. All they'd gotten out of it was some trivia, the only thing that might be helpful being some rumors about a longstanding rivalry between him and some other ageless demigod. Unfortunately, no one had seen said ageless demigod in centuries, and Y/N thought it unlikely that he was actually still around.

At last, Hero broke the silence.

"I don't understand you."

"Eh?" She tilted her ear in his direction. "What do you mean?"

"You seem... what I have seen of you is..." He struggled momentarily to find the right words. "You are very stubborn. Strong-willed."

"Got that right."

"But it doesn't change how people view you?"

"Apparently not."

"Then why resist?" There was genuine confusion in his voice. "Why continue to... fight against the label you've been given?"

"To the Nether with them, that's why." Was the girl's blunt response. "I mean, though... what they say doesn't matter. That's not me. What they say about me doesn't affect who I am." She felt Hero's gaze on her, and neither of them spoke for a good few moments.

"I see." He said at last, even as his bewildered tone implied the opposite. Y/N heard the hiss of fabric against fabric, rustling as he laid down in his own bed. She heard a click as the lamp was turned off, and closed her own eyes, letting herself sink into the stiff mattress as she pondered Hero's questions. She could only assume he had a lack of social interaction, due to the everyone-hates-him thing, but was that the only thing that made him so... different?

Something was off about him.

*

"According to the map, the journey should take us about five days on foot." Hero stated, accompanied by the rustle of parchment. "A pity we couldn't find a ride, but..."

"Couldn't risk 'em seeing our eyes, right." Y/N marched alongside him, a knapsack full of food slung over one shoulder. "Whatever. We'll make it."

"I'm just glad I can see clearly again." Hero muttered. A pause, then, "Surely someone would've been suspicious about us buying a map-?"

"Nah. People don't care." After spending the night in the inn, the pair had purchased some food and set off for the Phoenix Kingdom. According to the texts they (Hero) had read, the city was located in the middle of Orion's old stomping grounds, and might have more info on the fabled warlord.

"If you say so." Y/N ignored him, keeping time with his footsteps beside her. So far the ground was fairly even, interspersed with clumps of grass. Unfortunately, it was less than likely to be easy footing the whole way. "What's the terrain like from here to there?"

"The map shows mountains, but our path goes around them. It shouldn't take too much longer, and it would be far more of a hassle to go straight across." Hero responded, twisting the parchment in his hands. "We will pass through a forest, but it should be mostly clear."

"That's not bad." The blind girl remarked absently. She was enjoying the fresh air - the air in the city was always tainted with a plethora of different scents, from burning coal to the food being sold in the marketplace. Such a mix was overpowering, and dulled her senses as she struggled to look past the stench.

"We should be within view of the mountains by tonight." Hero continued, apparently still studying the map. "We can make our 'camp' of sorts just inside the forest, out of sight of any travellers."

"What about mobs?"

"Mobs don't bother me." Hero dismissed her complaint. "They never have. They keep their distance - perhaps that's the only thing these eyes are good for."

"Maybe." Y/N raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further, mentally tucking away the information to add to the growing list of weird-things-about-Hero.

The rest of their trek was long and uneventful. The pair walked in near-silence for hours on end, Hero occasionally warning her of a rock or other projection she needed to avoid. It was mind-numbingly dull, but Y/N busied herself fantasizing about shoving Orion's face into a mud puddle.

At long last, Hero announced that the sun was setting and that they should stop for the night. Fighting off the mild chill settling into her bones, Y/N obliged, and the pair shared a loaf of bread before lying down in the grass. She thought at first getting to sleep would be a chore, due to the cold and her aching muscles, but her exhaustion won out and she soon drifted off to sleep.

*

C⍑╎ꖎ↸, ↸𝙹 リ𝙹ℸ ̣ ℸ ̣ ∷⚍ᓭℸ ̣ ⍑╎ᒲ. Hᒷ ╎ᓭ リ𝙹ℸ ̣ ∴⍑ᔑℸ ̣ ⍑ᒷ ᓭᒷᒷᒲᓭ.