And that gave him leverage. Knowing the mad thaumaturge’s motives allowed Vir to predict his actions.
“Why would I let you do this?” Vir asked. “What’s in this for me? And before you tell me I have no choice, you should reconsider. I’ve been to the Mahādi Realm. I understand Imperium magic, to a degree. While I might not be able to escape, I am quite confident I can ruin your little tower here.”
It was only partially a lie. Vir did have some knowledge of Imperium magic, both from Ashani’s memory transfer and from his own experience. Using that to bring down the tower, though? That was altogether different.
“Oh, really, now?” Saunak said with bemusement. “Why don’t you show us, then? Hmm?”
Vir’s expression hardened. He’d figured Saunak would want some proof. As a bluff, it was incredibly easy to call. But if he could somehow back it up… well, that’d allow a more even bargaining field.
Saunak waited patiently, a smug smirk plastered across his face.
But Vir hadn’t been idle. He’d been studying the inscriptions covering the Imperium metal walls that had slid into place and found them similar to the ones in Mahādi, albeit on a much smaller scale. The runes were different, too. In fact, they more closely resembled something he’d seen before. Something familiar.
The box in the Yaksha vault.
For whatever reason, the inscription patterns on Saunak’s wall were nearly identical to the rune ribbons covering that box.
I wonder…
Vir extended a hand to the wall, placing his fingers on its script. He reversed Prana Current, purging his body’s dense prana into the surroundings, leaving him dry and empty.
Ignoring the wave of weakness that passed over him, Vir spun up a Current loop in his fingers, pulling Ash prana from the section of wall.
Energy steadily flowed into him, but after a few moments, Vir could tell it wasn’t enough. The vault box’s inscriptions were smaller and had been on the verge of failing. To trigger the same effect here, he’d need to pull more.
A lot more.
Vir pressed his other hand to the wall and doubled the Current loops in his fingers and palms.
“It’ll take more than pushing on the wall to defeat it, I’m afraid,” Saunak quipped.
Vir ignored him. Still, the amount of pull wasn’t sufficient, so he created a Current loop that coursed through his whole body. Its pulling potential was immense, though as it stood, it’d pull prana from everywhere, not just the wall.
To counter this, Vir formed Prana Dam near his skin, saturating his blood cells everywhere except for his hands.
The effect was an almighty pulling pressure that sucked prana only through his fingers.
The inscription grew dimmer and dimmer… until it flickered and finally died.
Vir stepped away, anticipating what would happen next.
Sure enough, the Imperium metal began to visibly rust, crumbling in on itself in just moments.
“W-what!” Saunak’s panicked voice came through the speaker.
Vir calmly extended his prana claws and slashed. His strike passed right through. He struck again with his other hand, forming an X.
Finally, he kicked through the wall, revealing a panic-stricken Saunak on the other side.
Vir Blinked to the demon, smashing his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him.
“What did you say about pushing, again?” he asked innocently.
Saunak’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came.
Grabbing his waist, Vir sunk into the shadows.
Saunak screamed for mercy. He screamed for the help of his Automatons. But he was too late.
“You showed me a prison of light. Now let me show you what a real prison looks like. A prison where you cannot breathe or move or feel. Welcome to my prison of darkness,” Vir whispered theatrically, sinking into the Shadow Realm along with Saunak.
The mad thaumaturge’s screams crescendoed before silencing. The darkness had swallowed him whole.
65THE WEIGHT OF REVELATION
Instead of diving fully into the shadows, Vir sank only halfway, though he ensured Saunak’s body was fully submerged. This way, he lengthened the amount of time Saunak stayed under. Lengthening the discomfort.
While the thaumaturge had surely seen Iksana Ghaels using the same ability, Vir doubted he’d ever experienced it himself.
It was quite the terrifying sensation, being stripped of one’s ability to move and breathe. Though, it did give Vir a handy way of protecting someone in a pinch. So long as they were smaller than him. Saunak, with his wiry frame, just barely fit. In this case, protection was the last thing on Vir’s mind.
Maybe it was the countless fights he’d fought. Or maybe it was simply the brutal nature of the Ash, but Vir found it surprisingly easy to commit the act. A year ago, he wouldn’t have dared subject anyone to such an experience.
It’s hardly anything next to what he’s done to others, Vir thought grimly. It was also the most expedient way to get the message across without actually hurting the demon. Vir suspected Saunak wouldn’t budge if Vir threatened his life—only if he actually injured him. And if he did kill him, Vir suspected he’d be trapped here in the bottom of a madman’s tower with his Automatons. Who knew what traps he’d set with his death as the trigger?
Vir waited a minute before retrieving the demon from the Shadow Realm.
Eyeing the shell-shocked Saunak, Vir was pleased with his reaction. Saunak collapsed to the ground, heaving great breaths.
“So that’s what the Shadow Realm is like,” he wheezed. Vir could almost see the demon’s excitement warring with his dread.
“Now, let me tell you how this will work,” Vir said calmly, projecting an image of power. “Either you let us both out of here, or I’ll lock you in that realm and force my way out.”
It was a bluff, of course. Without knowing what he was up against, Vir couldn’t say he’d be able to get out, even if he did take Saunak out or hold him hostage.
Vir turned to the wall that separated Cirayus from both of them and placed his palm upon it, surging prana.
“I…” Saunak coughed. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Vir ignored him, stopping only when a bright beam of red energy smashed into the wall just inches from his fingers.
Whirling, he found himself staring down three humanoid Automatons that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. While none resembled Ashani in the slightest—their faces were emotionless and etched in stone—their eyes all glowed with the same beam that had nearly cut off Vir’s fingers. The same beam the Yaksha used against the Wyrm, albeit on a smaller scale.
Vir prepared to attack when Saunak raised both hands.
“I mean you no harm, but we can’t exactly negotiate if you’re the one with all the weapons, can we?” he said.
“This isn’t a negotiation,” Vir said, launching his Artifact chakram at the nearest Automaton just before Blinking to Saunak.
To Vir’s surprise, his chakram actually sank into the metal of its target Automaton, dealing what looked to be heavy damage. And, unlike Ashani and the Yaksha, its wounds didn’t immediately heal.
Meanwhile, Vir had his katar’s blade pressed against Saunak’s throat as he began to sink back into the Shadow Realm again.
The message was clear: I can end you whenever I want.
The mad thaumaturge sighed exasperatedly. “Really, now. There’s simply no need for us to be antagonistic toward one another. I truly mean you no harm.”