“Right. The other two are a complete mystery to me, though.”
“You said that the Shadow Affinity only shows up inside shadows?”
Vir nodded. “Yeah. It’s a little weird, since shadows aren’t really a real thing. But the weirdest one is the one that’s in my body,” he said, looking at his hand.
“I think you should be happy, Vir. Even if it’s different, this means you do have an affinity after all!”
“I guess,” Vir said. “But if there aren’t any orbs for this affinity, it might as well be useless. And it’s not like I can use utility orbs, either. So something is different about it.”
“Have you thought about telling Riyan?” Maiya asked with obvious hesitation.
“I have, but I dunno if I should. I don’t think we should tell anyone about this, at least not until I know a lot more about how this works. No one’s gonna believe me without a bunch of proof, either. I feel like this is a big deal, Maiya. At least, that’s my hunch. I just need to keep experimenting to see if I can find some use for this affinity that’s in me.”
Maiya leaned against his shoulder. “I’m sure you will. Thanks. For telling me all of this, I mean. I know it couldn’t have been easy.”
“S-sure,” Vir said. “But uh, to be honest, I thought you’d be peeved about your trees.”
“Honestly? I’m so shocked, I don’t think I have any room left to be angry. What you’ve accomplished is phenomenal…” There was a hint of jealousy in her voice.
“U-uh, there’s one more thing,” he said, dreading what was coming next.
He finally told her about the encounter he’d had with the wolf that night.
“I don’t believe this. You almost died and you never even told me!” Maiya shrieked, bolting upright.
“I mean, I got Riyan to treat my wounds. Wasn’t like I was in any real danger, especially with Ekanai’s help. I didn’t want you to worry, is all,” he said, immediately regretting his words.
“And you thought I’d be happy if you told me a week later? What if you hadn’t been possessed by that spirit-thing? What if the wolf tore your throat open? I get why you wouldn’t tell me about your posession. But this? I’m hurt. You know I tell you everything, right? Anything and everything!”
“I… should’ve come clean,” he said, averting his eyes. “Just that I wanted to surprise you, is all. I wanted to see the look on your face. Didn’t expect you’d be scared of me.”
Maiya grasped his hand. “Sorry. That was—I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve put in all of this hard work… And I had no idea what you’d been through. But still, I wish you’d told me. I care about you, Vir. A lot. Isn’t that what it means to be best friends?”
“I know. Definitely my fault, I’m sorry.” He was unable to meet her gaze. He hadn’t told her about how Ekanai almost killed her. How could he possibly tell her that? ‘Oh by the way, you’re in serious danger whenever this guy possesses me?’
He ought to tell her. To warn her, for her safety. But the mere thought of him hurting her made him want to puke. To speak of it would be to admit he’d been overpowered by Ekanai, and he stubbornly refused to give in to the Reaper.
The words he ought to say to her just didn’t come… and he hated himself for it. Vir made up his mind. He’d tell her. But only after he’d conquered Ekanai. Then he’d be able to look her in the eyes, and confidently tell her that the problem had been solved.
“So, how does it work? How do you learn these things?” Maiya asked.
“Believe it or not, I’m still nowhere as good as he was,” Vir replied. “My memories are more like… a set of instructions. I have to practice a lot to get even close to what the Reaper could do. And if I don’t practice the skills immediately, my memories fade. That’s what happened back at the Godshollow. It’s like I’m always fighting through this haze that gets thicker if I don’t give everything I have to push it back.”
“Hmmm. But, possession? That’s heavy,” she said. “You think this has anything to do with the four-armed giant? You think this is why he was protecting you?”
“Wish I knew.” He nervously touching the tattoo on his chest. “When Reaper Ekanai took over, he said something to the wolf. ‘The Akh Nara sends his regards.’ Have you ever heard of anything like that?”
Maiya frowned. “Akh Nara… Akh Nara… No. Never heard of anything like that. But it sounds old. Like something you’d hear in my dad’s tales from the Age of Gods.”
“He also said something about a city of the gods…”
“I mean, the gods built a lot of cities. That’s not especially surprising.”
“Hmm. True. I wish someone had some answers,” Vir said. “Just feels like everything I learn only makes me more confused.”
Maiya held his hand, but remained silent. There was little she could say that would console him, and she hated saying empty words.
“You think Rudvik would be proud of my skills? If he could see me right now, I mean.”
Maiya leaned over and hugged him. “I’m sure of it. Absolutely badrakkin’ sure.”
They sat there for another half hour, admiring the stars’ reflections in the pond before the cold grew too biting.
“We should head back,” Maiya said quietly.
Vir nodded. “Think you could keep all this a secret from Riyan?”
Maiya tilted her head. “Sure, but why? Isn’t he going to find out the next time you fight?”
“The thing is, I’ve asked him several more times about what kind of favor he wants from us, but he’s said nothing. All we know is that we’ll be going our separate ways to do them. I don’t know. I want to do right by him, but I feel like if we do need to escape from him, it’s better to have some surprises up our sleeves. I want every advantage I can get against that man… in case the worst happens.”
Maiya nodded, catching on. “The more we hide our abilities, the more cards we’ll have to play. I just hope it doesn’t come to that. He really has done a lot for us, Vir. But… do you really think we can win against him in a fight?”
“Maybe not today. But after we’ve mastered what he has to teach us? Possibly. I hate even thinking about it. Goes against everything Rudvik taught me. Without Riyan, I’d be locked up in a Hiranyan jail, or worse. Just wish he’d tell us what he wants out of us.”
“Well, first we gotta survive that obstacle course of his,” Maiya quipped, giving him a pained expression. “Vir, I’m worried about this. That course he’s set up is really, really dangerous. I dunno if we should stay.”
Vir squeezed her hand. “I don’t think he expects you to complete the course. And I’ll guide you through the hard parts. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
“And what about you?” Tears welled up in her hazel eyes. “Who’s going to protect you? I wish you’d think about yourself a little more. I couldn’t bear it if you got injured, or worse.”
“Thanks,” he said with a smile, thinking about how nice it felt to have someone care for him as much as Maiya did. “I’ll be careful, I promise. Not like I enjoy getting hurt, y’know? We’ll take it slow and steady. Doesn’t matter if Riyan complains about our slow progress. It’s better than losing an arm or something.”
“Okay. Good,” Maiya said as she tried to blink back her tears.
“And Maiya?”
“Mmm?”
“Thanks. For everything.”
With great reluctance, they returned to Bumpy and headed back to their home. Neither knew how to feel about the place anymore. On the one hand, it was warm and secure, and the hot spring grotto felt like a marvel from the Age of Gods.