“…You’re not joking, are you? Really, Cirayus? I can give you a run for your money. What threat do you think I’m in danger of here?”
As he said the words, Vir felt his own resolve build.
“The unseen one, lad. Aye, you are not the boy you were upon entering the Ash. I proudly recognize you as the warrior you truly are. Yet even a dagger across the neck can be lethal whilst you are asleep. Poison can be consumed without any warning, and hours later, you collapse, dead.”
“I understand,” Vir said, thinking back to his own assassination missions. “Except, I’m in disguise, and you know how good I am at that. Nobody knows I’m here. They don’t know what I look like, or even the name I’m using. I’ll be fine. You said you recognize my skills. So trust me.”
Cirayus let out a great breath. “Aye, lad. I will. I do. While I am at Camar Gadin, do all you can to learn of the Chits and their ways. Enter Samar Patag and get to know your people. Live among them. See how they’re treated. Experience everything you can, but let no one except Greesha know who you are.”
Vir’s eyes lit up with excitement. He genuinely did want to meet his clansmen.
“I will. But, Camar Gadin? Isn’t that a Bairan city?” Vir asked, recalling a vague memory from Narak’s vision, long ago.
“Indeed. The Bairan capital stronghold. I have friends there. Least, I should, if no ill has befallen them. Friends who can apprise me of the goings-on in my absence. I know nothing of what has transpired in this realm after I fled with you in my arms, sixteen—now seventeen—years ago. Without that information, we are at a severe disadvantage.”
Cirayus placed an arm on Vir’s shoulder. “Find Greesha in Samar Patag. She’ll be expecting you. She is the seer who prophesied your birth.”
Vir’s expression darkened. Her. The one who’d indirectly caused the deaths of his parents and the fall of his entire clan.
“You want me to meet her?”
“Lad, I won’t ask you not to judge her. But I will ask that you refrain from doing so until you’ve at least met the woman.”
“Fine,” Vir said, barely restraining his anger. That was not a meeting he was looking forward to. “Wait. You said she’s expecting me? How’s that possible?”
“When we were trapped in that illusion, do you remember? I mentioned meeting a friend.”
“And you think it was real. You think that this friend of yours really was there?”
Cirayus shrugged. “I suppose there is only one way to find out for certain, isn’t there?”
He’s got me, Vir thought, once again appreciating just how well Cirayus understood him. The demon knew Vir struggled with the events in that illusion world. Specifically, about Maiya. Whether or not she was really there. If Greesha truly was expecting him, then it’d go a long way to proving that Maiya, too, was really there. If not her body, then her soul.
“Say,” Vir said. “The currency in this realm. It’s the same as the Human Realm. I… wasn’t expecting that.”
“Aye, it is. Was a surprise for me too, when I first entered the Human Realm.”
“I suppose it makes sense, now that I think about it,” Vir said. “If there was only one realm before the fall of the Imperium, and if the Imperium spanned the world, then their currency would be everywhere.”
“True,” Cirayus said, stroking his beard. “The history books say that in the beginning, nations tried minting their own coin, but discovered it was easier to operate the pre-existing mints. The Rajas—the clanlords—all agree on issuance policy during inter-clan meetings. Convenient, yes?”
It certainly was. He just wished he had serics on hand instead of a handful of silvers.
“Now, before we leave, I wish to leave you with some advice.”
“Is this what I think it is?” Vir asked, feeling his pulse quicken.
The giant grinned. “Now that you’ve mastered your Foundation Chakra, it is time you start opening your Life Chakra. You will soon be in the ideal environment to practice it, after all.”
“What do you mean?” Vir asked.
“The Life Chakra allows one to sense—and sometimes manipulate—the thoughts of their target. Best practiced when around others. Attempt to feel the presence of others around you—without your Prana Vision.”
“That’s a bit vague,” Vir said. “Can you guide me like you did for the Foundation Chakra? It really helped when you injected some of your Chakra into my body.”
“Unfortunately, Life Chakra cannot be transferred in the same manner. Not without assaulting your mind, which isn’t helpful. I hardly need to explain how it feels, yes? You have already experienced its effects.”
“Ah, yea, during our duel in the Ash, when you attacked me with Life Chakra, it just felt like I’d lived another version of reality. One where you’d cut open my neck.”
The pain had been real. None of it had felt like an illusion—not up until it’d ended.
“Aye. The best way to train it is through meditation around others. Practice until you can feel their presence. Once mastered, you will find it a useful tool, especially against Ash Beasts who haven’t mastered the Foundation Chakra. Its effects are dramatic and obvious. Nothing like Chitran’s Coercion Bloodline Art, which is far more insidious.”
“Right, the one the Chits used when we first arrived,” Vir said, fully suspecting the art would be used against him again, given where he was headed.
“Aye. One finds themselves more agreeable to the wielder while its effects are active. ’Tis subtle and subconscious. By the time you realize you are under its influence—if you ever do—it is far too late. For most, it is an ability with no good counter. But for you, I suspect it will not be an issue at all…”
“Prana Vision,” Vir replied. “I’ll be able to see their tattoo light up when they activate it.”
“Indeed. Even so, be vigilant.”
“I will,” Vir said with a nod.
The demon moved to embrace Vir in a great hug. “Stay safe, you hear? Keep your wits about you. Listen to Greesha and her people.”
“I will,” Vir repeated. Cirayus was acting every bit like a doting parent, and Vir didn’t mind that at all. “When will I see you again?”
Cirayus grinned. “Soon enough, lad. Soon enough.”
8LABORER CALLING
After handing Cirayus a handful of loaves of stale bread—which Vir felt was already straining Sani’s means—Vir set out on the road to Samar Patag with her two children and their communal Ash’va.
Darsh was the boy who’d fetched all the bread, and his hardworking nature reminded Vir of himself in his younger days. Darsh’s sister, however, was far shier. She hadn’t said a word to Vir the entire time they’d eaten together, constantly stealing glances at him.
“Don’t mind Hetal,” Darsh said as he set their Ash’va’s saddle on the outskirts of the village. “She’s just bad around strangers. Not like we get a lot of you lot, y’know…”
Vir smiled at the slim-framed black-haired girl, who promptly hid behind her brother. Like him, she too was a red demon, dressed in very similar rags. Thankfully, they’d both donned sandals for the journey. Vir would’ve raised a few objections if they’d gone it barefoot.
With Vir’s prana-enhanced constitution, footwear was mostly optional, but for a malnourished demon child, it’d be a terrible ordeal.
If this is what the situation is like, even outside of Samar Patag, just how much worse do the Gargans have it there?