I suppose it is time.
Vir scrambled up to the surface, and Cirayus lightly bounded behind him. Destroying the Domain Lords had helped take his mind off Ashani, but thoughts of her now came crashing back, souring the sweet taste of victory. He wanted to go back to her. Needed to. And yet, he couldn’t.
“Lad, you’re out of sorts,” Cirayus asked, climbing out of the hole in the Mahakurma’s back. Sikandar lay draped across his back. “I’ve seen that look enough times to know that you’re in for a hard time if you keep all those emotions bottled up.”
“Well, I already tried killing things,” Vir said. “Didn’t really help.”
“Aye. So talk to me. Lay it all out.”
“I just… What do I do, Cirayus? I promised I’d bring her back.”
“Then it’s simple, isn’t it?” he said. “You keep your promise. You find a way back to her.”
“Easier said than done,” Vir replied. “If you happen to know of any Ash Gates that lead to the Mahādi Realm nearby, I’m all ears. Even if you could, I have no way of getting her out of there.”
“Lad, correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t hear you promise you’d return today. How long do you have?”
Vir clenched a fist. “If she survives those Wyrms… possibly years. Maybe even decades. She’ll just go to sleep again, most likely.”
“Then there you have it. You have your goal. If she means this much to you, you can spend your days in the Demon Realm searching for a way back to her.”
“You really think I’ll find one?”
“Perhaps,” Cirayus said hesitantly.
“Meaning?” Vir asked.
“The records of your ancestors mention several chambers. Ancient chambers, said to hold great power. Locked to all but the incarnations of the Akh Nara.”
Vir frowned. “You believe these chambers might have a way back here?”
“’Tis no secret that several of your ancestors took a keen interest in the Ash. Ekanai himself was said to have died in the Mahādi Realm. Clearly, he found a way.”
“That’s… I didn’t know that,” Vir said.
Why would the Reaper have ventured to Mahādi? Why did Shardul and Ekanai want me to go there?
Even Lord Janak urged him there, though Vir had found no sign of the god.
“Where would I find these chambers?” Vir asked.
Cirayus pointed to him. “There. In your head. None of the Akh Nara bothered to document them, and none have ever been found. I suppose they felt their subsequent incarnations would know.”
Perfect…
“Well, if I have that knowledge, it’s buried deep somewhere. I suppose that’s on hold until I can open the fourth chakra, then,” he said.
“The Heart Chakra?” Cirayus asked. “Why’s that?”
“Shardul said it was the only way I could commune with my past selves. Seems I won’t be able to rely on them much going forward since they sacrificed so much to keep me alive. That’s about all I have left, now.”
“I… see.”
Vir knew that to a being like Ashani, a few years, or even a few decades, were nothing. But even knowing that, he couldn’t get over the tangled web of emotions in his chest. He couldn’t get over the crippling guilt. Like he’d done something unforgivable. Like he’d failed.
“How about a change of scenery?” Cirayus suggested. “There’s something you should see.”
“Here?” Vir asked.
“Not far,” the giant said, loping in the other direction of the forest.
Vir had never explored what lay on the other end of the Domain Lords’ territories, closer to the tail of the mega turtle. He’d assumed the land just sloped off, but to his surprise, the Mahakurma was a fair bit longer than he’d guessed.
Another forest extended away on the other side, and Cirayus entered it. This one was less dense, full of taller, older-growth trees that formed a thick canopy nearly a hundred paces above. They reminded him of the trees in the Godshollow, though less girthy.
They continued through the forest, though now that the gargantuan beast had come to a rest, Ash had started to pile up. If it were Vir just after entering the Ash, he’d have found the extra effort inconvenient. Now, with a hundred times more prana filling his muscles, he didn’t even notice.
His strides had grown longer, too, as he subconsciously pushed more power into his legs, even without Leap or Blink. His physical limits were just higher than before. Incomparably higher.
Though he wanted to ruminate on his power gains more, doing so inevitably caused his thoughts to drift to Ashani, who’d played such an instrumental role in helping him obtain them.
A black blur in the distance broke his reverie, then it was gone.
Something’s following us… Whatever it was, it was keeping its distance. Whether because he’d just taken out the strongest beast on the Mahakurma’s back, or because of the giant beside him, who walked with his comically oversized talwar, Vir felt no danger from the creature.
He informed Cirayus of their pursuer, and both spent the rest of the walk on the lookout. It never showed itself again.
They soon arrived at a dark pond, shaded by the same trees that kept the Ash off its surface. Unlike most bodies of water in the realm.
At its center was a grassy island barely large enough to fit a small home. A knurled, ancient tree stood at the center, its leafless limbs extending over the water.
Underneath, scores of fish swam, forming a glowing golden cylinder beneath the floating island.
“They’re harmless,” Cirayus said, jumping elegantly over the pond. He landed softly on the island and beckoned Vir to follow.
Leap shot Vir over, though he left Prana Current off. The ability’s sheer power made fine-tuning Leap’s distance harder, and he still hadn’t developed fine enough control to ensure he wouldn’t miss the island entirely.
While a bath sounded nice, a bath in his armor did not.
Once on the island, Vir was surprised to find how solid it felt under his boots. It didn’t feel like a floating island, but then again, Vir couldn’t understand how a floating island remained anchored in the middle of the pond in the first place. Perhaps it had something to do with the copious amount of prana flowing through the bark of the dead-looking tree.
“This place is pretty and all,” he said, “but that can’t be the only reason you brought me here.”
Cirayus removed Sikandar, leaning the enormous blade against the tree. He placed a hand on the tree’s trunk.
“Your father and I. We used to fight in the Bairan competitions regularly, you know?”
“The one where I’ll get Balancer of Scales if I win?”
“Aye, the same. Your father was the only one I ever lost to.”
“He was that strong?” Vir asked. He’d seen what Cirayus could do. For his father to have bested the giant, he must have been quite the warrior.
“Strong, yes. But also cunning. And quick as an Acira. Still, don’t get the wrong idea, lad. I beat him far more often than he beat me.”
Vir rolled his eyes. “What a surprise.”
Cirayus chuckled. “You see, while the Tournament gave us no end of good fights, the event is held only once every four years. We longed to test our mettle in the interim.”
Yep. Father was a battle junkie, alright.
“You fought other demons?”
Cirayus shook his head. “Nay. Few demons could offer us the level of fight we wished for. We came to the Ash. Forced ourselves to survive here until we found a gate back home.”
The giant laughed.
“The thing about Ash Gates is you never know where they’ll take you. You just have to peer through, and if the other side looks like the right realm, you jump. Only the gods know where you’ll land! And that’s only if you find one. They’re quite rare, as you’ve seen.”