Vir and Cirayus stood in a field of corpses, watching as the infinite wave of beasts closed the noose. When they’d first entered this realm, the landscape had been mostly barren Ash, sparsely populated by Ash Beasts.
Now, Vir could scarcely find a single inch of land that wasn’t roving with these monsters. When he took in the horizon, he no longer found fields of Ash. He found hostile, deranged organisms. Not hundreds. Or even thousands. Millions.
The world has no idea, Vir thought, nearly laughing at the absurdity of it all. If they knew how many mythical beasts lurked in this realm… If they ever got out…
That would be the end of the world as humans and demons knew it. The least of the monsters that surrounded him was Balar 50. And there were millions, some many thousands of Balar Ranks strong.
Some poured through partially-formed Ash Tears—half of their numbers dying in the process. Some simply popped into existence. It was a land where nothing made sense, and where every moment of every hour of every day was a constant, relentless fight for survival.
Forget sleep—even eating became a chore. Every meal involved fighting their way to vegetation, praying that the beasts who’d come before hadn’t already eaten their fruits and vegetables. They even fought while they ate.
Vir’s duels with Cirayus had ended long ago. There was no time for such luxuries anymore. Now, they simply fought Ash Beasts, and whatever Vir learned, he learned in deadly combat. As for meditation, it was the last thing on his mind.
“We’re nearly there, lad! Hang in there. It has to be around here!” Cirayus roared over the din of the clattering, shrieking, howling, and roaring.
That’s what he said yesterday… Or was it a week ago?
Days blurred together as time lost meaning in this place, and Vir dared not hope. Cirayus’ Artifact had led them here, its light growing brighter and brighter, but it’d led them astray before. It was entirely plausible that Saunak had sabotaged it, or that it was guiding them to another Imperium tower.
Vir didn’t dare consider the possibility—the thought of escape was the only thing keeping him going.
His eyes found Shan, who heaved with exertion despite the thick prana of their surroundings. Not quite as thick as Mahādi, but close.
The land had taken a toll on all of them. Vir had snapped at Cirayus more than he could count, and Shan was always irritable these days. Even Cirayus, who clearly spent great effort to keep his gentle and strong demeanor together, was fraying around the edges.
At least Vir could seek refuge within the Shadow Realm, where he fled more and more these days, purely to retain his sanity. For every minute, he spent nearly half of that within the realm. Regaining his peace. Prolonging the endless torture.
When he could, he brought Shan in with him. The Ashfire Wolf appreciated it. How Cirayus managed without it, Vir couldn’t know.
When inside the safety of the shadows, Vir often thought of Maiya. Of his home in Balindam’s Undercity, tucked safely away from harm. He yearned for the sturdy walls of Saunak’s tower. What a luxury that was! It was only now, when he was so far from safety, that he appreciated its value.
I’m so sick of this place. How much longer can I last?
Not long. More than once, in the moments when he dodged an enemy’s attack, his mind had drifted off. What if? What if he didn’t dodge? What if he just let it all end?
The pain, the relentless fights, it’d all disappear to sweet, black nothingness.
It was Maiya’s blood-soaked image that always shook him out of those thoughts. It was a bleak reminder of why he fought.
Not for himself. But for her. For all those who’d sacrificed so much for him. But everyone had their limits, and Vir had long ago exceeded his.
“Lad! Over there! What do you see?” Cirayus shouted, snapping Vir out of his reverie. During his daydream, Vir managed to kill another half dozen Ash Beasts.
Vir flowed prana to his eyes, straining in the direction Cirayus pointed.
He saw nothing, but Prana Vision caught it. Covered by Ash Beasts was a network of underground… somethings. Passages, by the looks of it. They crisscrossed under their feet, deep below the ground. It was difficult to tell with the amount of Ash prana in the earth.
Vir’s heart skipped a beat, and he forced his emotions under control. He refused to celebrate. Not yet. Not until they were out. How do we get in? In between attacks and dodges, Vir traced the passages up to the surface. There was no obvious entrance.
“Cirayus! Shan! To me!” Vir called out, avoiding another rain of worm fragments as they fell. Even dead, each worm was like acid, burning everything it touched.
Vir didn’t look for his allies—that was a fruitless endeavor with the throngs of enemies. He simply followed the trail of death they left in their wake as they made their way to his position, and he knew they did the same to locate him.
Reunited once again, Vir played his hand over the Automaton’s control tablet, ordering it to follow. It was far too dangerous to venture away from the Guardian, and so they always fought with it close by.
Using its legs as cover from the Wyrm above, the three slowly made their way to the spot. They were aided by the Automaton, because while its eye beam was focused on the Wyrm above, its legs did a fine job of mulching any Ash Beast unfortunate enough to be caught under it.
Vir ordered a halt the moment they arrived.
“Well?” Cirayus asked, his voice strained. “Where is it?”
“Below us!” Vir said. “But I don’t know how to—!”
A brilliant white light shone, blinding Vir. Consuming the world around them. The Ash Beasts faded away, breaking up into motes of white essence, as if reality itself was coming undone.
And then there was nothing. Only darkness.
So, this is what death feels like.
74
ORIENTATION CAMP, PART ONE (MAIYA)
Maiya was once again surprised by the vastness of the Childrens’ resources. For an organization that relied primarily on donations from its members to survive, they certainly had deep pockets.
Which means there are more crazies in this world than people think, Maiya thought with a shudder.
Maiya stood with her cabal at the central plaza of an abandoned town that lay at the southwest of Kin’jals territory, near its border with Rani.
Once a thriving trade stop for merchants crossing the vast plains between Avi and Sonam, traffic had shifted when Jalasa rose to prominence. Since then, the backwater town of Bahurai had fallen by the wayside. Now, all that remained were crumbling buildings and overgrown grass. Hardly a place fit for habitation.
Which meant it was just about perfect for the Childrens’ purposes. The downtrodden grass formed trails between the buildings, and they’d done the bare minimum to make the buildings fit for human habitation.
Guided by Children ushers, Maiya, Yamal, and the Silent One entered what used to be an old barn, along with fifty other Initiates—about forty more than the barn was ever designed to fit.
Thankfully, the Sisters of Gray prevented the fanatics from painting the walls and ceilings with blood. It was something of a signature of the Children. Should anyone stumble upon the town after they’d left, it’d only cause problems. And, unlike the Pagan Order, the Children of Ash had no redeeming qualities whatsoever. No agreements with the heads of state to tolerate their presence.
Children fanatics had been slaughtered whenever they crossed the line. Which happened too often, in Maiya’s opinion. The organization truly trod on thin ice.