“Indeed,” Cirayus replied. “It will remain to be seen whether she blazes through the remainder of her Chakras. If so… She might turn into a true monster.”
“In a realm where nobody has any defense against Chakras?” Vir shivered just thinking about it. “Which is why you were wrong, by the way. Even with our more limited numbers, demons wield an all-powerful advantage over humans in Chakras.”
Cirayus grunted. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. There are simply too few of us who have mastered the Warrior Chakra. Even a devastating weapon can be outnumbered. Even I can only be in one place at one time.”
The subsequent days passed in a blur as Maiya meditated. Her appetite came back with a vengeance—much to the relief of her guardians, and really, to everyone in the Sanctum. She’d received no end of pestering, both from the Sisters of Gray wishing to discuss other plans, and from cultists wishing for her to participate in commencement blood rituals.
Apparently, it was customary for the Blessed Chosen to visit every major sanctum around the Known World upon their coronation.
Maiya had other plans. She’d denied them all, accepting only the food and water. It’d be some time before her muscles recovered, but she was already feeling much better.
Moreover, the weight of the souls that had nearly crippled her had nearly disappeared. For the first time in months, she was herself again.
And I have Vir to thank for that… again.
At every step, Vir had been the one to enable her progress. Though, from what he’d said, her pace was unheard of. Maiya didn’t know what to make of that, but she was almost positive it had to do with her soul connection.
The existence known as the Blessed Chosen—and indeed, the Children of Ash as well—continued to worry her.
When she was ready, she’d visit that mysterious room with the tree again. To see if she could unravel more of the secrets surrounding this shadowy organization. If the prior Blessed Chosen was right, there was so much more than she’d ever guessed.
For now, there was only one task that took precedence over her Chakra training. She was so close. Yet as much as she wished to meditate for another week without leaving her room, she owed those two far too much to ignore them any longer.
Rising to her feet, Maiya pushed open her heavy wooden door—only to find a half dozen guards dutifully standing vigil. She knew they’d be there, of course. She’d felt their presences for months.
They parted like water as she exited. No words were exchanged. They fell in line behind her, following wherever she wished.
There truly was a difference between the Blessed Prophet and Blessed Chosen. The latter had all the freedom in the world.
For the first time since she’d set foot within the Sanctum, Maiya no longer felt repressed. She could leave whenever she liked.
Maiya walked with authority down halls she’d rarely frequented. Without even needing to ask for their permission, Maiya walked into the large mess hall.
The room was filled with dozens of cultists who sat at the long benches. Some eating in silence, while others conversed with their friends in hushed voices.
That all stopped the moment Maiya entered.
Without pause, Maiya walked up to two, who were seated alone at the end of a bench. One was hunched over, attempting to shorten his large frame. The other was busy devouring his food.
The two tracked her the whole way, flinching visibly as she arrived.
Maiya looked each over in detail, causing their faces to tighten.
Then she broke out in a big smile and clapped them both on the shoulders.
“I’ve kept you both worried. I’m sorry. Thanks for sticking around. That… means a lot to me.”
“It’s the least we could do,” Yamal said abashedly. “We tried to enter your room, but your guards prevented us. We didn’t know what to do.”
“It’s fine,” Maiya replied. “That’s all behind me. Now, we have so much to chat about. Like, your promotions. And then we’ll talk about overthrowing the rulers of two countries.”
73THE BEATING DRUMS OF DESTINY
Upon arriving at the Ash Gate, Vir found only a single, small tent. While he hadn’t expected permanent structures given the duration of his absence and the time shift of the Ashen Realm, he’d still expected to find the Gate more fortified.
Jumping off Cirayus’ shoulder, Vir approached the camp and soon learned why.
From thirty paces away, it was clear just how destabilized the Gate had become. So much so that it’d regressed into an Ash Tear. One that was impossible to travel through.
Hearing Vir’s approach, a pair of red demons emerged from the tent.
“What a relief!” one of them said, running up to Vir and kneeling—a gesture that earned a raised brow from Cirayus. “Akh Nara, sir, we thought all hope was lost! And Lord Ravager, it is an honor to meet you, sir!”
Cirayus nodded at the demon before giving Vir an appraising glance. “Lad, do I have some questions for you.”
“I’ll fill you in later,” Vir said, turning to the demons. “Rise. You don’t need to kneel in front of me. I take it you were stranded on this side when the Gate collapsed?”
It was the demon’s partner who answered, “Actually, sir, Commander Balagra stationed us here knowing the Gate was due to collapse. He wanted someone to update you on what happened. Though it looks like there’s no need for that now.”
Vir walked up to the Ash Tear and funneled his prana into it. The faded, broken image on the other side stabilized immediately—restored to its former glory.
“Looks like these don’t last long without me feeding them prana,” Vir muttered. “Or maybe it’s the lack of prana in the Demon Realm that’s causing it to fail.”
Though a much larger amount of prana flowed into the Demon Realm via the Gate, tiny wisps dissipated from the edge of the ovaloid portal, being absorbed into the surroundings.
“I can’t believe it,” Cirayus said in a hushed voice. “You really did it. You turned an Ash Tear into a Gate! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might not have believed it, lad. This… Do you understand what this means?”
“The ability to use the Ashen Realm as a training and staging ground?” Vir asked with a knowing smile. “The ability to ferry troops around the Demon Realm without the enemy being the wiser?”
“Aye, that,” Cirayus said. “But think of the nonmilitary applications! If you happen to find an Ash Tear that links two cities together…”
Vir’s eyes widened. “That would remove the long journey across the realm. I hadn’t thought of that. Though, I don’t think we’re likely to stumble upon a Tear like that…”
Cirayus shrugged. “Not immediately, perhaps. Wait a few decades, and you’d be surprised.”
Ah, right. Demonic timelines are so much longer… Vir was still getting used to the idea that he’d live for several centuries.
“Let’s all return to the base,” Vir said, deferring that philosophical thought for another time.
“Lad, we’ve lost precious time coming here,” Cirayus said, placing a hand upon Vir’s shoulder. “I’m afraid we do not have time to waste within the Ash.”
“And I thought you wanted to see me create more Ash Gates,” Vir quipped.
“I do, but I needn’t remind you of the importance of getting to Baira posthaste. We’ve journeyed in the wrong direction to get here as it is. Even if I travel at max speed, I am unsure if…”
Cirayus trailed off as Vir’s grin grew brighter.
“Cirayus, don’t you understand? I can stabilize Ash Tears. We just need to find one that leads to Baira.”
Cirayus’ mouth slowly closed. He chuckled. “Look at you, lad. Redefining common sense. I admit, there is no better place than the Ash to find Tears.”
“Exactly,” Vir replied. “Besides, I have a few demons I’d like you to meet.”