“And the Ultimate tattoos?”
“Hmm. The Ultimates are quite special. Each clan has only one or two. As their name suggests, they’re the most powerful arts, passed down through the generations.”
“And I’m guessing not everyone can learn them?”
“Aye. You need the right affinities, and generally only the Raja—the Clanlord—and their heirs inherit those powers.”
“Wait. Does that mean you’re a Clanlord?” Vir asked.
“Nothing like that,” Cirayus replied, casually squashing a swarm of scorpions who drew close. Thus far, they hadn’t encountered any of the larger terrors, and Vir began to wonder if the Ash wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be.
His delusion was put to rest when an Ash Tear suddenly opened up just paces away, forcing Vir to dodge.
“Don’t get anywhere near it, lad!” Cirayus shouted, scooping Vir up and jumping far away.
A deathly scream emanated from somewhere deep within the tear before it collapsed upon itself, sending a shockwave kicking up plumes of ash across the Flats.
“Ash Beasts aren’t the only danger here, lad. Ash Tears open and close at random. Get stuck in one and that’s the end of you.”
Noted, Vir thought, cold sweat trickling down his face. “Where do they lead?”
“Impossible to say. Some lead deeper into the Ash. Others, to the Human or Demon Realm. And some… to spaces that are best left alone. Deep, dark planes, disconnected from reality and time. ’Tis where the real nightmares lurk, and to enter is to die. Or worse. Never venture into an Ash Tear, lad. Promise me.”
“I promise,” Vir replied. He didn’t have a death wish.
Cirayus let Vir down, then continued, unperturbed. “Clan Baira holds a fighting competition every few years. The victors, if they’re Bairan, may ask the Clanlord for the tattoo. If they’re deemed of good standing, they get the tattoo.”
“And you won?”
“Aye. One hundred fifty-six times.”
Vir did his best not to trip and fall in shock. He barely managed it.
“Did, uh… did you misspeak?”
“It is as you hear. If I compete, I usually win. In fact, my greatest losses were to your father. What a warrior, that man.”
“I… see,” Vir replied, not quite ready to ask about his deceased parents. There would be time for that. Later. Once he’d truly come to terms with what it meant to be demonic royalty. “So you’re saying that if I want the tattoo, I’d have to participate and win?”
“Aye, you would.”
“Would you compete?”
“Of course!” the giant replied heartily.
Well, so much for that idea… Vir thought, writing off the tattoo.
“Rest assured, lad. Usage of Ultimate Bloodline abilities is strictly prohibited. I would not use Balancer of Scales.”
Vir rolled his eyes. “Oh gee, what a consolation! That’ll be a walk in the park now!”
Cirayus roared with laughter. “You’ll get there, lad. You’ll get there. Patience.”
“What are the others? The tattoos, I mean.”
“We’ll be here all day if I were to go through each one. Suffice it to say, they are all staggeringly powerful in their own right. Some are less suited to combat. Others, frightfully more so.”
“But you have to carry the blood of the clan to use them…” Vir replied. Something didn’t sound right about that, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. Not until Cirayus laid a bombshell on him.
“Ordinarily, yes. But you see, you are no mere demon,” Cirayus said, pointing at Vir. “You are the Primordial. The Akh Nara, as we demons call him. You possess Ash prana. And, if I’m not mistaken, you have no other affinities? Not even a trace?”
“That’s right. It’s why I can’t use human orbs.”
“Apex Ash prana affinity, then. The highest affinity possible for the most powerful form of prana. The root from which all other affinities stemmed. Lad, nobody else possesses that affinity. Not a single human or demon. Only Ash Beasts do.”
No. No way. That means… It can’t be! Can it?
“To receive an Ultimate Bloodline tattoo is the honor of a lifetime. Only the luckiest of us mortals ever earn one. But you? Lad, you can use all the Ultimate Bloodline Arts.”
“And… with my Ash prana…”
“Aye. Each will be stronger than their regular affinity counterparts.”
Vir’s heart skipped a beat.
“If that were all, you’d certainly be a force to be reckoned with, true, but your past incarnations… They were all forces of nature, lad. Walking natural disasters, each and every one of them. Do you know why?”
Vir shook his head.
“’Tis the same reason I predicted your moves in our battle. The same reason you thought I could read your thoughts, and why you quaked in fear, the moment you first laid eyes on me.”
Cirayus paused, and his demeanor shifted in an instant. He’d done nothing that Vir saw, but suddenly, the demon’s very presence shifted. Fear rushed through Vir’s heart and his knees buckled. Cirayus felt… heavy, and not just in the normal sense. It was as if his entire existence had grown more significant, like an aura that oozed off him.
Vir withered under his gaze, for it was the gaze of a god. How is he doing that?
“Until now, you’ve fought your battles in the physical plane.” Even his voice thundered with supernatural presence. “The cradle of toddlers and infants. But there is another. ’Tis the domain of the metaphysical. A realm that cannot be seen or tasted or touched. But you feel it, don’t you? There, in your very soul. Shaking. Resonating.”
Vir gulped, and his words came out hoarse and broken, “W-What do you mean?”
“I speak, of course, of the Chakra System.”
5THE CHAKRA SYSTEM
“Chakra… Is that related to my disks?” Vir asked.
“Related in principle, yet entirely different in execution. But first, eat. A warrior cannot survive on an empty stomach, after all.” Cirayus rummaged through his rucksack and tossed over a blackened melon.
Vir was about to protest, but one look at Cirayus told him the giant wasn’t about to say another word until he’d eaten.
This has no right being edible! he thought, gingerly hefting the oversized fruit in his hands.
Everything grew larger in the Ashen Realm, with its abundance of prana, and the fruits were no exception. The melon was larger than his head, and it was still smaller than the one Cirayus was eating.
Cirayus wiped away the Ash that covered his own melon, revealing a lighter gray fruit that did all of absolutely nothing to whet Vir’s appetite. His mind simply couldn’t fathom how this passed as food.
“Dig in!”
Vir watched with horror as Cirayus chomped down, squirting purple juice. The way the demon relished the thing only made the spectacle even more surreal.
Vir dusted off his own fruit, leaving his fingers stained black with ash. Then, after intense mental preparation, he bit down.
He wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Bitterness, or something awful tasting. Certainly not delicious nectar.
Vir’s eyes opened wide as he registered the incredible sensation that filled his mouth. He took another bite. Sweet, complex flavors flooded his mouth. He couldn’t stop himself. He tore into the fruit, desperate for another mouthful of this incredible fruit.
Noticing Cirayus’ eyes on him, he finally managed to stop himself. The demon was grinning.
“Do you always eat that messily, lad? I’m afraid it’s no way for a prince to eat.”
Prince, huh? Vir thought, staring at the half-eaten fruit in his hands. Even now, the idea seemed absurd to him. Wrong. As if someone had blundered and mixed up his name with someone else’s. What did that mean for him? For his future? Was it a title in name only? Or would it someday become something more?