Bracing himself for the Raja’s inevitable reaction, Vir introduced his friend, “Ashani is an Automaton built by Lord Janak, and is the last known survivor of the Prime Imperium. The race of people demons like to refer to as gods.”
The explanation lasted only a few minutes, but the unending barrage of questions that came after took quite a bit longer, and by the time Thaman slumped into one of Cirayus’ remaining oversized chairs, he looked utterly exhausted.
He wasn’t the only one. After the ordeal of the tournament, Sagun’Ra’s surprise attack, and now an hour-long explanation starting all the way back from how he met Ashani, Vir was too.
“I have committed a terrible atrocity,” Thaman muttered, nearly echoing Cirayus’ own words when he first found out.
“No, you haven’t,” Vir said tiredly.
“Indeed,” Ashani chimed in. “Ashani does not wish to be treated any differently from anyone else.”
Yep, she’s loving the attention alright, Vir thought with a smirk. Ashani rarely slipped into her third-person form of dialogue these days. She truly must’ve enjoyed this.
“To be frank, I do not honestly know how to digest this information,” Thaman said. “A living, breathing deity from the Age of Gods. Half of me wishes to throw my forehead onto the ground and prostrate before you, Goddess.”
“And the other half?” Ashani asked with a coy smile.
“The other half wishes to speak with you for days on end. To learn! What was Janak like? What was it like, living within the Prime Imperium? There is so much we could learn from you.”
“And I am happy to divulge all that I know,” Ashani said. “I simply do not wish to become an idol, worshiped like some fragile thing of glass.”
“Of course, Goddess Ashani,” Thaman said reflexively. “If that is your wish, I shall carry it with me to my grave.”
“Thank you,” Ashani said. “And it’s just Ashani. I’m afraid I must insist on that.”
“This will… take some getting used to,” Thaman admitted ashamedly.
“Don’t worry,” Cirayus said, slapping the bigger giant’s back. “Aida and I are in the same rickety boat as you. It’s just the lad here who seems to have no problem conversing with her as if she were a mere demon.”
They’d go on like this for hours if Vir didn’t put a stop to it, so he looked at Ashani and gave her a nod. “Ashani? You’ve seen Thaman’s palace, right? Would you be able to create a Gate for us? It’ll be much easier than dealing with the crowd outside.”
“But of course!”
“Actually, hold on,” Vir said. “Can you create one to Mahādi? Just for a moment?”
Ashani raised a brow. “I certainly can, though I may require you to charge my spare core soon. Creating Gates takes quite the toll on my reserves, I’m afraid.”
“No problem at all, Ashani,” Vir said with a warm smile. The others in the room looked as though Vir had just spoken another language, but no one seemed to have the courage to ask about it right then.
Vir didn’t doubt he’d be subjected to a barrage of questions the moment they were alone.
Ashani closed her eyes, extending her palm outward, and a moment later, an unstable Ash Tear popped into existence. It soon stabilized, forming into a perfect oval large enough only for Vir.
That was well, because the absolute torrent of visible Ash prana that poured through forced Aida, Thaman, and even Cirayus away.
“I’ll just be a moment, if you don’t mind,” Vir said, before ducking through.
“He’s mad,” Aida said.
“He’s a monster,” Thaman said.
“Folks, he’s the Akh Nara. This is nothing for him,” Cirayus said, beaming with pride.
To the onlookers, Vir seemed to re-emerge the instant he’d entered. When he told them he’d actually spent close to an hour in the realm and had even fought a Phantomblade, Thaman and Aida could scarcely believe him, insisting he was pulling their leg.
While he had no good way to prove it, cycling Prana Current at its maximum caused his prana to manifest visibly, which seemed enough to convince them.
Regardless, Vir had Ashani create a new Gate, this time to Thaman’s palace, which she made large enough for even Thaman to pass through.
“Unbelievable,” Thaman said, inspecting the freshly formed Gate. “Simply incredible!”
“I’m afraid I cannot pass through my own Gates, but Vir was kind enough to solve that issue for me,” Ashani said, trying and failing to suppress a smile at the compliment.
Vir approached the Gate and injected prana to stabilize it. Now that his reserves were full, the action took barely any thought at all on his part, and soon, their whole party was at Thaman’s residence with no one being the wiser.
“This way, if you please,” Thaman said, guiding them into his oversized home, down hallways to a room with a bookshelf that swiveled open to reveal a surprisingly spacious secret passage.
Of course, it’d have to be, Vir mused as they passed through the magic-sconce-lit hall. Thaman himself barely fit, but for Vir and even for Cirayus, the space was cavernous.
This was true of all Bairan architecture. It was far too large for Vir, which often made him feel unwelcomed.
“The applications of such a power,” Thaman trailed off as they walked. “Imagine, if you will. Camar Gadin connected to Samar Patag by such a Gate. Journeys of weeks and months would take no more than an instant.”
“It goes beyond that, Thaman,” Cirayus said. “Every location in the Demon Realm. Accessible with just a walk. Vraj Parah. Jallak Kallol. Quara Ragul. All the strongholds.”
“We could build entirely new cities!” Thaman said with rising excitement. “Cities we’d never even have dreamt of constructing due to their remote locations! Trade will flourish. Cross-clan interaction will blossom!”
“It’s more than that, Thaman,” Vir said. “For the first time in recorded demonic history, demons can now freely travel to and from the Ash. No longer a lethal maze, the Ashen Realm can be fully mapped. And… safe passages to the Human Realm can be easily established.”
Thaman, who’d been leading them, froze.
“Humans. The infinite distance separating us… You’re saying the two realms will meet.”
“One day. If I choose it,” Vir said. “I will be honest. Humanity hates demonkind, and I imagine demonkind would have a similar reaction, were it ever to come into contact with the Human Realm. I intend to journey to the Human Realm soon, but to connect the realms? It would require far more thought. That decision is not mine to make, but the entire realm’s.”
The secret passage led them to Thaman’s personal quarters, which could’ve served as a small ballroom in the Human Realm, such was its size. Aside from the enormous four-poster bed sat centered along the far wall, the room sported stained glass windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, and a wall full of bookshelves equally tall.
Several tables and chairs of all sizes were placed in the corners, and were clearly made to accommodate giants, half-giants, and regular demons.
“On that, we are agreed,” Thaman said, guiding them to one such square table, where they all sat. “Still… it would seem that you’ve come into a truly staggering level of power.”
Vir nodded. There was no point in hiding it. “With this power, I now claim the Ashen Realm as my own. I intend to train my troops there, and should you pledge your clan to my cause, you are more than welcome to partake.”
The giant wrung his wrists. “You offer tempting terms, Champion. I have to wonder, though, whether I’d be entering into a bargain with a messiah… or an Asura.”
“Now that’s a title,” Vir said with a smirk before shaking his head. “Don’t worry, I’d never pressure you into anything you’d regret. I understand why you can’t publicly support my bid for the Gargan throne right now. I hope that, in time, I’ll sway public sentiment to my side. I hope that in the near future, pledging to support my cause won’t turn you into a pariah.”