Luckily for Vir and unfortunately for them, that also meant they were almost entirely blindsided when Vir, under maximum Haste, Blinked through the Gate and into the Ashen Realm.
Bairans were known for their resiliency and raw strength. Not their speed. Those who noticed would have been far too late to move, let alone intercept Vir.
It was an unnecessary consideration, for not a single one noticed. Or if they did, they didn’t seem to bother pursuing Vir.
Vir didn’t care. What mattered was getting deeper into the Ash. He’d considered using the Ash Gate he’d stabilized for his troops, but that one was far away, and time was of the essence.
Far faster to create his own.
Scanning the surroundings as his Leaps took him hundreds of paces high within the Ash, Vir searched for something suitable. They were everywhere in the Ashen Realm, and it wasn’t difficult to sense the overwhelming amount of prana flowing through.
Vir was about to pick one when Shan suddenly bounded out of his arms, landing softly on the ground, and began barking at a nearby Tear.
Playing along, Vir stabilized it, and Shan jumped through.
For an instant, Vir thought the Tear might lead to the Mahādi Realm given its immense prana, but he was let down. Tears to Ashani’s city were rare, and likely only found in specific parts of the Ash. Soon, he’d scour the realm for them. And soon, he’d free her from her prison.
For now, he’d save Shan.
The Ash Wolf bounded around and sniffed the air, as though searching for something.
Vir let him be, soaking in the onslaught of prana that rushed into his body, filling him to the brim and restoring the prana that had been slowly consumed through the course of the tournament.
The sky was black here, and lightning ravaged the nearby mountain peaks. This was deep within the Ash—a place he’d not been in quite some time. A place that was absolutely lethal to most humans and demons.
Through Prana Vision, Vir saw Shan being revitalized, just the same as him.
“What strange creatures we are, eh Shan?” Vir muttered. “We thrive in a land that kills most others, and we suffocate where they flourish.”
The wolf tilted his head before bounding in circles, already showing a marked difference from moments ago.
Only when the prana fully filled the wolf, and he moved with his usual energy, did Vir finally breathe easily.
“Well, Ashani,” Vir muttered, sitting heavily on the soot-covered ground, “I’m happy to report that your wolf is alive and well.”
“And Ashani is thrilled to hear it!” said a melodious voice from behind him.
107
REUNION (PART ONE)
Achill ran down Vir’s spine. One so cold it froze his body in place.
That voice. Strangely melodic, containing tones no natural being could ever achieve. That slight, exotic inflection…
No. It couldn’t be. He’d imagined it. Surely…
Vir finally mustered the will to turn his body. Where just moments ago, it’d bristled with energy, now it felt like stone, and moving it was like wading through a thick, soupy ocean.
When he finally beheld the figure that stood not a dozen paces away, Vir’s mind went blank.
Ashani smiled gently at Vir, as she so often had, all those years ago. She wore her white dress, and wielded her white rod, looking every bit the goddess Vir remembered her to be.
“How?” Vir breathed, too softly for anyone other than a deity to hear.
“’Tis not so surprising, is it?” Ashani asked with a wry smile. “I believe I used a similar method to find you when we first met?”
Vir blinked. Only then did he notice the shimmering oval through which Ashani spoke. An Ash Gate—one created by her. Ashani hadn’t escaped Mahādi. She’d simply used her power, the same as always. And yet…
“I don’t understand,” Vir said. “How are you awake? How did you know I would be here? The chances of stumbling upon me are…”
“Infinitesimal,” Ashani chuckled. “Thankfully, Janak’s home has several useful features. One of which being an alarm system of sorts. It notifies me when events of interest occur. Be it Ash Beasts who wander too near the home, or if the wolves need attending, or if my only living friend happened to wander by.”
“Wait,” Vir said. “Does that mean you were snooping on Cirayus and me after we left you?”
Ashani shook her head. “Unfortunately, no. I’ve been in hibernation to recover my energy after your daring escape. Even if I weren’t, Janak’s monitoring system can only see so far, and I can only establish gates to locations I’ve previously opened. With you moving through the Ash, I’m afraid communication would have been impossible.”
“Which means you’ve opened a Gate to this spot before. And it means I’m close to the Mahādi Realm. Whatever that means.”
How spatial proximity worked with a realm that didn’t exist in the same plane as the rest of the world, Vir could scarcely understand.
“Indeed,” Ashani replied. “Our furry friend must have recognized the area. I sometimes let them out of Mahādi to play. A change of scenery, if you will. Though, I must admit I did not expect you to happen upon me here.”
That explains why Shan became so energetic all of a sudden, Vir thought. It wasn’t just the influx of prana.
Still, it did strike Vir as awfully convenient that he should stumble upon an Ash Tear that happened to lead here. The chances were, to use Ashani’s own word, infinitesimal.
Vir shelved the thought.
“I can’t believe it,” Vir said, shaking his head. “I was going to scour the realm to find you. To think you found me instead…”
Ashani’s smile grew, and there was something there that Vir couldn’t place. “Fate works in mysterious ways, after all.”
“Seems so,” Vir said. “I’m coming through.”
“I admit I would love your company, though I do not wish to impose. Please do not alter your plans for my sake.”
Vir gave her a wry smile. “Seriously, Ashani? I shouldn’t alter my plans for a literal living goddess? The only living being from the Age of Gods? Right. Sorry, Ashani, I have to go walk Shan. Would you mind waiting?”
“Of course!” Ashani said, and Vir couldn’t be sure whether she was being sincere or pulling his leg. The smirk that crept onto her face, proved it was the latter.
“You’re pretty good for a goddess who’s been cooped up for millennia.”
“Why, thank you,” Ashani said. She was positively glowing, and why wouldn’t she be? In all those years, Vir was the only one she’d ever conversed with. The only one she’d ever called a friend.
Just wait until I show you what I can do now…
Shan finally returned, and the moment he spotted Ashani, he Leaped, bounding through the Ash Gate to jump into Ashani’s arms.
She caught him and swung around, laughing merrily as the wolf licked her face again and again.
Vir was both overjoyed at their reunion… and a little sad that, despite the recent progress their relationship had seen, the wolf had never been that affectionate toward him. He’d gotten a single lick. Ashani had a half dozen.
The feeling vanished when he saw how happy the two were together.
Vir took a moment to appreciate the sight, then stepped through the Ash Gate, into Mahādi, where the lightning storms raged eternally and the dark spires pierced the clouds.
He looked off into the distance, to the core of the city. The place Janak’s avatar told him to venture to. When he was ready.