“The Ash. You’re kidding. No. No, you’re not kidding. That’s your plan? There are easier ways of killing yourself, Vir. Trust me, I’ve read enough reports on Kin’jals forays into the Ash to know. Only the strongest mejai and Talent wielders stand a chance, and even if the prana poisoning doesn’t get you, the monsters in there are beyond the best of us. It’s insanity.”
“I know. As a demon, I stand a better chance of surviving there, but I’ve fought Ash Beasts. Even weakened as they were outside the Ash, none of them were easy opponents.”
“I can attest to that. So, why?”
“Well, a few reasons. For one, because Reaper Ekanai won’t let me stay.”
“Ekanai. That’s the name of one of your past incarnations, right?”
“Right,” Vir said, dreading what was to come. “Back when we fled those knights in the Godshollow, Ekanai wanted me to kill you. Said you were dead weight. He took control of my body and nearly hurt you.”
“But… You stopped him,” Maiya said. She was doing her best to keep calm, but she was obviously shaken.
“I did,” he said. “And again, that night I fought the wolf above Riyan’s abode. I came this close,” Vir held up his thumb and index finger, “to hurting you with my chakram. Ever since then, I’ve been terrified of being around you. Never knowing when I might lose control.”
Maiya was silent for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
“I… I should have. I know! I just… couldn’t. I can name any number of excuses, but none of them will make it right. I-I’m sorry,” Vir said.
“Grak it, this is frustrating,” Maiya said, pacing around. “You didn’t tell me because you didn’t want me to worry. Right? It’s so like you to do something like that.”
Vir bit his lip. “There was nothing either of us could’ve done. Short of running away. But…”
“But you couldn’t stand the thought of leaving me alone with Riyan.”
“If I ran away, Riyan might have… He might’ve hurt you. He might have punished you in my stead. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t do it.”
Maiya embraced Vir. He was too stunned to resist.
“Hey. I’m not angry,” she said gently. “Just… You didn’t have to bear that burden alone, Vir. I wish you hadn’t.”
She really is incredible, he thought, doing his best not to get distracted by her hug—a task easier said than done.
Anyone else would’ve held it against him for keeping such a deadly secret. Not Maiya. She forgave him without batting an eye. Because she was Maiya. Irreplaceable.
“But hey, I’m stronger now, right? I’m not dead weight anymore! I take offense to that, y’know?”
Vir gave her a pained smile, breaking the embrace before it grew awkward.
“I’m afraid your strength matters little to him. As a human, you can’t follow me into the Ash. And Ekanai wants me to enter the Ashen Realm as soon as possible. To fulfill my ‘destiny,’ whatever that’s supposed to mean.”
“That’s why you don’t want to come to Kin’jal with me. You’re afraid Ekanai might try to hurt me again? I feel like your concern’s unwarranted, Vir. I can defend myself just fine. Even against you.”
“Sure, when you’re awake. How about in your sleep? Against a Talent that cannot be detected or defended against? Also, you know my abilities. I’m pretty much the perfect weapon against mejai.”
“You’re not a weapon,” Maiya said softly, but didn’t press the issue. It was obvious to both just how dangerous Dance truly was.
“I can’t let that happen, Maiya. I won’t. Besides, it’s not just Ekanai saying these things. Another past incarnation—Shardul the Vicious—tried to bargain with me. He promised me power in return for going there.”
“You declined?”
Vir flashed an impish grin. “I kinda reverse-engineered that power on my own. Doubt he’s thrilled about that.”
Maiya rolled her eyes. “That’s so like you.”
“And also… one other. Someone I neglected to mention before. When I stumbled upon Valaka Amara, I mentioned Lord Janak, right?”
“Hard to forget about the literal god.”
“Not the actual god. I don’t quite understand, but he said the real Janak died millennia ago with the other gods, and that he was… like a copy? Not even that. His real body’s in the Ashen Realm. He keeps an eye on the world via the Vimana, but he had no power.”
“I still don’t know what to say. Do you have any idea what this means? It means that the gods are real! It means they’re not just myth and legend.”
“We knew that already, right? The Vimana and the orb inscriptions come from them. So does our currency.”
“Yeah, but everyone thinks they left those behind! To think they still have a presence in the world… Even if it was an avatar, you met a god, Vir! A copy’s still a god, as far as I’m concerned.”
“Well, it certainly felt like meeting a god. Janak’s avatar was made entirely out of prana.”
“Huh. So I wouldn’t have been able to see him?”
“Probably not.” Vir flashed her a pained smile.
“Oh well. Not like I was there, anyway. He said something, didn’t he?”
“He told me to journey to the Ashen Realm. Wanted me to travel through it to get to the Demon Realm, which is apparently on the other side.”
“On the other side…” Maiya said blankly.
“Yep. I didn’t even know there was anything on the other side.”
“This is all too much to take in,” Maiya said, clutching her flowing crimson hair, tangling it up. “But… okay, I get why you’re so bent on going to the Ashen Realm now. If a god told me to do something, I’d probably do it, too. Even if it did sound suicidal.”
“Yeah. Well, he did guarantee I wouldn’t die. At least, not by the prana poisoning. But where do I go? How do I find food to eat and water to drink? What strategy’s best for avoiding the worst monsters there? I don’t know nearly enough.”
“Is there anyone here who could help?” Maiya asked. “They’re demons after all. Maybe some have been to the Ash?”
“There’s one such person, apparently. The custodian, responsible for the tomes the Order keeps stashed here in the Undercity.”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Maiya said, standing up. “Let’s go!”
“I was planning on it,” Vir replied. “It’s just… you’re okay with this? Me going to the Ash, I mean.”
“I’ll admit I have a million concerns. I also know that you know what you’re doing. I’m worried. I really am. But if that’s what you’ve decided, I’ll support you. You remember my parents’ note? They told us to support each other and to stick together. Maybe I can’t follow you through the Ash, but I can at least help. I’ve learned a thing or two from poring over Kin’jal reports. And…”
“And?”
“And when you eventually return, I’ll be waiting. For you. No matter how long it takes,” Maiya said with a blush, staring at her feet.
“T-thanks Maiya.”
The library wasn’t difficult to find. Not only was it taller than most of the other Undercity’s brick buildings, its ornate carvings and central location at the fountain plaza made it impossible to miss.
Having left Neel at home, Vir and Maiya strolled through the open doors, but gaining access to the information they wanted proved more difficult. No matter how hard they searched, they found no trace of the custodian Badal had mentioned, so they did the next best thing—find every tome on the Ash they could and come up with a plan.
After hours of poring through difficult-to-read wording, they’d made little progress.