Clearing his throat, Vir brought the voice amplifier up to his mouth. Before he spoke, he searched the crowd and made eye contact with a certain demoness, high in the stands. Finding her, he nodded, and only after she nodded and began to make her way to the stage, did he begin.
“I understand that many of you have preconceptions about who and what I am. Let me tell you, here and now, that I am not some great evil being, come to destroy this realm. I… am an orphan. I was robbed of my parents at birth, and would have died had my godfather, Cirayus, not ferried me into the Ash.”
Vir scanned the crowd. Every eye in the stadium was on him. Every ear listening with rapt, undivided attention.
So far, so good, Vir thought.
“I was raised the son of a village lumberjack. Poor, simple, and oblivious to what I really was. An outsider among aliens. Over the years, I fought my way through the Ash to return here, hoping to find a place I might truly belong. Yet I return to find a realm that has decided to hate me, without ever once considering if that hate was warranted. Ask yourself—what have I ever done to you? And then ask yourselves, what have you done to me?”
The crowd stirred, visibly uncomfortable.
“You took my clan. You took my family and slaughtered innocents, all to kill a baby. And yet, despite the many wrongs you have wrought, I do not stand before you today promising revenge. This is not a declaration of war, and I have not come back to do harm to you. I understand that sometimes, difficult decisions must be made. That alliances must sometimes be forged, even when we loathe to link our hands with the devil. No, my qualms lie with one clan and one clan only.”
Vir pointed to the Kothis who, even now, were clamoring to make their way to him. It was a wonder that violence hadn’t broken out, but Vir knew it was only a matter of time.
“The Chitran precipitated the war, and it is they who ought to be held accountable. My goal is simple. I merely wish to restore my clan, which was so brutally and unfairly annihilated, and to bring the Chitran to justice for their crimes. Past that, I am counting on all of you to ensure that this realm can exist in peace and harmony.”
“Lad, if I may?” Cirayus asked, extending a hand.
Hesitating only for a moment, Vir handed the voice amplification device over.
Turning to the crowd, Cirayus extended his two upper arms. “Hear me, demons of the Realm! I speak now, not as a Bairan, but as the sworn guardian of Sarvaak, son of Shari and Maion. By my title of Ravager, I swear to you now that I will end anyone who dares do harm to him. If you wish to get to Sarvaak, let it be known that you must go through me, first.”
Cirayus beat his chest with such force that the sound was amplified by the device, reverberating through the stadium as a deep boom.
It was a bold move, and Vir was every bit aware of just how terribly this could go. It was also necessary that he knew where the lines stood, and who among the crowd was friend and foe.
Vir watched the assembled demons closely, paying special attention to the Rajas who were now in full view at the bottom of their respective clans’ sections.
Immediately obvious was the Panav’s reaction. They, along with the Bairans, were the only ones to clap once Vir concluded his little speech. Whether that made them allies, Vir couldn’t say, but it was at least a good sign.
The Iksana were, as usual, difficult to read. Of all the clans, theirs was the most muted reaction, while several of the Aindri had joined their Chitran friends in attempting to muscle their way past the Bairan guards.
So, Chitran and Aindri as enemies. Baira and possibly Panav as allies. And the Iksana neutral… For now.
“Could’ve been worse,” Cirayus grunted, and Vir had to agree. At this juncture, he was surprised anyone other than the Bairans supported his cause. Then again, having a Panav mother undoubtedly aided his plight.
“If I can bring the Iksana and Panav to my side…”
“Aye, t’would be a good thing indeed. There may yet be hope with the Iksana. If you can think as they do, and speak to them in earnest, perhaps. The Aindri, however, have been cowed by the Chitran. Weak-willed, that lot. Thoroughly domesticated at this point. Winning them over will be a tall order.”
“Brick by brick. Stone by stone,” Vir said, eyeing the crowd that had burst into chatter. “Everything one step at a time. For now, I’ve accomplished what I came here to do.”
“Aye, that you have, lad. Now, leave it to Thaman and me to escort you somewhere safe. You’ll no doubt be the talk of the land for some time to come. Not a bad idea to lie low for the time being.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Vir said, watching Ashani float over the barricade Thaman’s men had set up. “Besides, I have one last trick up my sleeve. One more message to send to the Rajas, so they know what they’re dealing with.”
The Bairan guards began to panic, but Vir waved them off. “She’s a friend. Allow her to pass.”
Unbeknownst to the forty thousand demons, the only living being from the Age of Gods floated onto the stage, alighting gently next to Vir.
Thaman, who’d been speaking with his commander, turned. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure…”
“Ashani, and the pleasure is mine,” Ashani said, nodding to the Raja, who seemed at a loss for words.
Ashani, for her part, seemed to enjoy the dynamic, and smiled with what Vir was sure she thought was an amiable smile. In reality, it came across as terribly seductive.
“I, er… So, you are a friend of Sarvaak, then?” Thaman said stupidly. Vir decided to save the poor Raja before the situation devolved any further.
“Ashani? Would you mind creating a Gate to Cirayus’ home?”
“But of course,” Ashani said, extending a hand.
“Gate?” Thaman asked, but before he could say more, a shimmering oval portal rippled into existence just paces away, causing the Raja and all the Bairan guards who surrounded the group to jump away in panic.
They weren’t the only ones. The stadium had taken notice, and now, every projection showed the Gate, magnified for the world to see.
Good. Can’t have them missing this, after all, Vir thought.
“What in Janak’s name…” Thaman breathed.
Vir couldn’t help but appreciate the irony of the Raja uttering the name of the demon who’d destroyed the world.
Reaching his own hand out, Vir infused his Ash prana.
“The Gate’s stable, now, Ashani. Thank you, as always.”
“My pleasure!” Ashani replied, before walking through. “Oh, and again, a pleasure to meet you.”
“Y-you as well,” Thaman replied reflexively.
“Raja Thaman,” Vir said, bringing the giant’s attention back to him. “I expect arrangements will be made for the bequeathing of Balancer of Scales?”
“I, er… Yes. We will need time. A public ceremony will have to be conducted. But, Vaak, or Sarvaak… You are not the only one who can create Ash Gates?”
“Technically, I can’t. Only she can,” Vir said, nodding to Ashani on the other side. “I can only stabilize them. Working together, though, we can open and close Gates at will across realms. Cirayus?”
“Right behind you, lad,” the giant replied.
Vir stepped through before Thaman could ask any more questions, but the Raja gripped Cirayus’ bicep, preventing him from following.
“Ravager… what is the meaning of this?” Thaman asked, his voice tinged with awe.
Cirayus’ grin grew even wider. “It means, old friend, that change is upon us,” he said as he stepped through. “And the Akh Nara will usher it.”
With eyes locked onto Thaman, Vir collapsed the Gate, leaving five Rajas with a mixture of awe, confusion, and most of all… abject terror.
Thaman spoke for the realm when he uttered his next words…
“Not just change, Cirayus! Don’t you understand? This changes everything.”