To pursue ultimate power was indeed a lonely road, full of sacrifice. What other sacrifices had his godfather made? All for this moment. To support Vir as he restored the Garga and reunited the clans.
A lucky distraction broke the heavy mood. Vir sensed Shan’s prana signature before he saw the beast nudge open the door and lope inside.
“Well, look who showed up!” Aida said, rising to her feet. “How are you feeling?”
Shan barked at her, before walking past her legs and sitting in front of Cirayus.
“Count on a wolf’s nose to lead it to food, eh?” Cirayus said, throwing the wolf a treat.
“He looks fine to my eyes,” Vir said. “Now, I suppose I just need to teach him to use his tattoo before the Tournament.”
“Best of luck with that,” Aida said. “I don’t care how intelligent your mutt is. I’d bet my firstborn he doesn’t learn it for years. If ever.”
“I wouldn’t make that bet if I were you,” Vir said with a grin. “This one will surprise you.”
“I s’ppose we’ll see, then.”
Cirayus’ meal ended up being an enormous bowl of hot, hearty stew with bread. Simple, yet well-spiced and oh-so delicious. It was the sort of food Vir had always pined for growing up, yet only occasionally had.
Comfort food that reminded him of home. He found his thoughts wandering back to Brij. To the meals he shared with Rudvik by the fire that kept them warm. Of the tales his father would tell him, of heroes and monsters and demons and champions.
The grief of Rudvik’s loss had faded, tempered by time. Though the pain would always linger, Vir could look upon those joyous, simple days with warmth and affection.
He wasn’t sure why a simple stew conjured up such images, but Vir was happy for it.
“If you could cook this well, why’d you always feed me raw fruit and vegetables in the Ash?” Vir asked. The cooking was genuinely good, with subtle, refined flavor, and where all the ingredients were in balance with one another.
“It’s the Ash, lad. Where are you going to get spices? And without spices, why even bother cooking? Might as well eat them raw.”
“That’s Ajja for you,” Aida said. “All-or-nothing.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Vir said, grinning as he downed another spoonful and tore into his bread.
Time went by in a flash, with the three exchanging idle banter, and soon, the meal was polished off without a drop wasted. Even Shan had devoured his stew.
“Thank you,” Vir said softly.
“Cooking you a meal is the least I could do, lad,” Cirayus said. “After all we’ve been through, you would thank me for this?”
“Not just that,” Vir said, heart pounding. It was just one simple word, and yet, he struggled. “For… for treating me as you do. For treating me like… like family, I guess.”
Vir blushed the moment he said those words, and he looked away.
Cirayus looked at Aida, then at Vir. “Not like family, lad. As far as I’m concerned, you’re as flesh and blood as my hot-headed granddaughter here.”
Vir expected Aida to bonk Cirayus, rebuking him for his words. Instead, she stared into Vir’s eyes and nodded.
“Family.”
Vir’s chest grew hot, and his eyes moistened. He broke Aida’s gaze and looked away.
“That’s, er… Thank you. Truly.”
“Alright, alright,” Cirayus said. “That’s enough, Aida. Before you go and make the lad lose his dignity in front of us all.”
Both grandfather and granddaughter laughed, and this time, Vir laughed with them.
“So… what now?” Vir asked once the laughter died down.
“Now? We get you registered.”
79TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION
There were so many giants walking around that Vir was fearful he’d be trampled upon. He felt like a kid in a city built for adults, which was likely how most children felt growing up in any city, and he suspected parents must have had a similar issue with young children—maybe they wouldn’t be outright stepped on, but it was very easy to miss them.
This worry wasn’t without merit. Several incidents he witnessed on the way to the registrar’s office gave him ample reason for alarm.
Bairans bumped into Iksana, Chitran, and regular demons that Vir supposed were either Ex-Gargan or Aindri. Only Panav Nagas in their half-serpentine forms seemed safe. Owing to their snakelike lower bodies, they could vary their height at will, and most stood a pace or two taller than the rest, likely to prevent this exact issue.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The food, and quite frankly everything else, was similarly oversized. On their way to the Colosseum, Vir and Cirayus stopped by one of the many street-side merchants hawking a variety of tasty-looking dishes. Grilled skewers and food plates were all double the portion, and while more expensive, Vir did notice they weren’t quite double the normal price.
“Maybe bigger isn’t always worse,” Vir muttered as he took a bite into a chunk of deliciously fried fermented soybean cake. His only regret was that with the portions so large, he couldn’t sample nearly as much as his heart desired. That was alright, though. If he didn’t fail out of the tournament, he’d be spending the following weeks here, at the very least.
They made way for a Narapazu—the same beast Vir had fought in the Rani Queendom—whose stomping tremors made Vir wonder if an earthquake had occurred nearby. The great beast was surrounded by a procession of a dozen Bairans, who held reins that reached up to its collar.
This one, however, wasn’t deranged. It was clearly domesticated.
Even among giants, the Narapazu reigned supreme. Standing nearly thirty paces in height, the horned, elephant-headed, Ashva-hooved beast lumbered along, causing those minor tremors with each step.
Vir had scarcely ever seen any beast as large, even in the Ashen Realm, and he had to wonder how such a bizarre amalgamation of various beasts could ever have been in nature. Was it? Or were they a product of Imperium experimentation? Vir doubted he’d ever know.
Everyone gave the creature a wide berth—even full-sized Bairans. In their case, the Narapazu may very well stomp on someone without noticing. They truly were that large.
It carried a boulder the size of a building above its head, though for what purpose, Vir couldn’t say.
“First time seeing one?” Cirayus asked.
“In this realm.”
Cirayus cocked a brow. “I don’t recall ever encountering one in the Ash.”
“Not the Ash. The Human Realm. Trapped in an ancient Imperium complex under Rani.”
“Incredible,” Cirayus muttered, taking a large spoonful of spicy curry. “I’d never have guessed one of their kind could have ended up there. Exceedingly long-lived, those beasts. Not too intelligent, though I’d be scared shitless if they were. They’d make unparalleled warriors.”
Vir shuddered at the thought. Their size alone made them deadly. With equally large weapons and the knowhow to use them, they would be absolutely terrifying.
There had been several factors influencing Vir’s fight back in the Human Realm. The relative lack of prana, the tight confines, and the Narapazu’s limited intelligence had all contributed. Without those impediments, Vir had no doubt he’d have perished.
The Narapazu’s procession soon passed, leaving an empty street in its wake. From Narapazu to Nagas to giants, Vir couldn’t help but wonder at the Demon Realm’s uniqueness and diversity as Vir and Cirayus traveled to their destination—the Colosseum’s registrar’s office.
The Human Realm, for all its bountiful prana and prosperity, now felt a bit stale to Vir, who’d now experienced this land of perpetual sunset. Despite the poverty, despite the short stick demons had received, Vir felt more at home here than he ever did in the Human Realm.
He felt proud. Of his people—of what they’d accomplished despite all that was stacked against them. He only wished their petty inter-clan politics hadn’t resulted in a realm-wide war, with his own clan at the center.