219: The Weight of Revelation

NOTE: Last chapter for the week. See you on Monday!

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Instead of diving fully into the shadows, Vir sank only halfway, though he ensured Saunak’s body was fully submerged. This way, he lengthened the amount of time Saunak stayed under. Lengthening the discomfort.

While the thaumaturge had surely seen Iksana Ghaels using the same ability, Vir doubted he’d ever experienced it himself.

It was quite the terrifying sensation, being stripped of one’s ability to move and breathe. Though, it did give Vir a handy way of protecting someone in a pinch. So long as they were smaller than him. Saunak, with his wiry frame, just barely fit.

Maybe it was the countless fights he’d fought. Or maybe it was simply the brutal nature of the Ash, but Vir found it surprisingly easy to commit the act. A year ago, he wouldn’t have dared subject anyone to such an experience.

It’s hardly anything next to what he’s done to others, Vir thought grimly. Then again, it was the most expedient way to get the message across without actually hurting the demon. Vir suspected Saunak wouldn’t budge if Vir threatened his life—only if he actually injured him.

Vir waited a minute before retrieving the demon from the Shadow Realm.

Eyeing the shell-shocked Saunak, Vir was pleased with his reaction. Saunak had collapsed to the ground, heaving great breaths.

“So that’s what the Shadow Realm is like,” he wheezed. Vir could almost see the demon’s excitement warring with his dread.

“Now, let me tell you how this will work,” Vir said calmly, projecting an image of power. “Either you let us both out of here, or I’ll lock you in that Realm and force my way out.”

It was a bluff, of course. Even with Vir’s ability to drag Saunak there, he was trapped at the bottom of his enormous tower. A tower that crawled with Imperium Automatons, and who knew what else?

Without knowing what he was up against, Vir couldn’t say that he’d be able to get out, even if he did take Saunak out or hold him hostage.

Vir turned to the wall that separated Cirayus from both of them, and placed his palm upon it, surging prana.

“I…” Saunak coughed. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you?”

Vir ignored him, but stopped when a bright beam of red energy smashed into the wall just inches from his fingers.

Whirling, he found himself staring down three humanoid Automatons that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. While none resembled Ashani in the slightest—their faces were emotionless and etched in stone—their eyes all glowed with the same beam that had nearly cut off Vir’s fingers. The same beam the Yaksha had used against the Wyrm, albeit on a smaller scale.

Vir prepared to attack when Saunak raised both hands.

“I mean you no harm, but we can’t exactly negotiate if you’re the one with all the weapons, can we?” he said.

“This isn’t a negotiation,” Vir said, launching his Artifact Chakram at the nearest Automaton just before Blinking to Saunak.

To Vir’s surprise, his Chakram actually sank into the metal of its target Automaton, dealing what looked to be heavy damage. And, unlike Ashani and the Yaksha, its wounds didn’t immediately heal.

Meanwhile, Vir had his katar’s blade pressed against Saunak’s throat as he began to sink back into the Shadow Realm.

The mad thaumaturge sighed exasperatedly. “Really, now. There’s simply no need for us to be antagonistic toward one another. I truly mean you no harm.”

“Pretty words with your Automatons trying to kill me,” Vir rasped, pressing his blade against the demon’s throat as they continued to sink.

“Very well,” Saunak said coolly, showing not a single sign of panic.

Is he hiding his fear? Or is he really unafraid? Was experiencing the Shadow Realm once enough to cure his fear of it?

The Automatons backed away, sinking into nearby walls.

“Happy?”

Vir slowly retracted his weapon, and after a moment, he canceled Dance of the Shadow Demon as well.

“Look, we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot,” Saunak said, scratching his head with embarrassment.

“And who’s fault is that?” Vir shot back, turning once again to the wall to free Cirayus. This time, however, a shock passed through his hand the moment he did, forcing him back.

“The thing is, the moment I set that brute free, he’ll lop off my head,” Saunak said calmly. “My only chance at surviving this is by convincing you that I’m worth more to you alive than dead. Then, you can stop him from harming me.”

“You presume a lot,” Vir said. “Who’s saying I don’t agree with Cirayus? You’re smart, Saunak, but you’re crazy.”

He was expecting a retort, but none came.

“He can’t hear us anymore. Thought we could use a bit of privacy,” Saunak replied, walking away. The wall in front of him dissolved, revealing the table he’d set Cirayus’ guidance Artifact on. His hands played over a series of floating windows while Vir waited several paces away. Well within range of Blink, should he need to threaten the demon again.

“So,” Saunak said while he worked. “The Akh Nara. The fabled Bringer of New Eras… Eras?”

Vir frowned. “What? What’s wrong?”

“Hmm,” Saunak continued, muttering to himself. “The son of Maion and Shari Garga. Spirited away at birth. Turmoil with the Chitrans. Except now… the Akh Nara, too. I see. Yes. Yes, it has to be, doesn’t it?”

“What are you mumbling about?” Vir asked, growing frustrated. He was beginning to suspect that Saunak’s veneer of sanity was paper thin.

“Tell me, Cirayus. What exactly have you told the boy?” Saunak asked, not turning from his work.

“Saunak! I’ll have your head for this,” Cirayus’ disembodied voice roared.

“Typical. He’s always been this way, you know?” Saunak sneered. “Always thinking with his fists. Never his head.”

“Then it seems you’re talking about someone else,” Vir replied defiantly. “The Cirayus I know is wise, patient, and strong.”

Saunak snorted. “So he’s corrupted you as well. Tragic. Anyway, let me guess. Cirayus told you that the Chitrans attacked your clan. Perhaps because of the Ash’s ever-expanding boundary, yes? The Chits have always been up in arms about that, after all.”

“That’s… right,” Vir replied, once again taken aback by the demon’s formidable powers of deduction.

“Doesn’t that strike you as odd, though?” Saunak asked without turning around. “What are the chances that the Chitrans would launch their plan so suddenly? It all seems a little… coincidental, don’t you think?”

The demon had stopped what he was doing and was now making eye contact with Vir.

“That’s…”

“Think about it,” Saunak said. “Was it just the Chitrans who launched their attack? Or did they have help?”

Vir’s expression darkened. “They united the clans against the Garga.”

“Don’t listen to him, lad!” Cirayus shouted, and Vir swore he heard a trace of panic.

“Well, now. That’s quite interesting, isn’t it? Why would the other clans help the Chitrans in a war they launched without provocation?”

“The Chitrans had operatives in the other clans,” Vir replied confidently. “They’ve been planning this for centuries.”

“Cirayus told you that, did he? He’s quite right. They do. But again, doesn’t the timing still feel too convenient?” Saunak repeated.

“What are you getting at?” Vir replied calmly, but his heart was pounding against his chest.

Could it be? Does that mean… No. No way. Right?

“Allow me to offer a more likely scenario,” Saunak said with a knowing grin. “The reincarnation of the Akh Nara is born to Maion and Shari Garga. Upon learning this, several clans have immediate reservations. Will he usher in an era of prosperity and greatness? Or will he be the ruin of them all? You have to admit, your prior incarnations’ track record isn’t great. What with Reaper Ekanai causing the mayhem he did, and Parai the Ancient abandoning his people…”

“Don’t listen to this madness, Vir!” Cirayus said. “The Chitrans instigated a war unprompted. What more is there to say?”

“There is value in the truth,” Saunak said somberly, shaking his head. “There is always value in the truth.”

“It’s alright, Cirayus,” Vir said, finding himself agreeing with the thaumaturge for once. “Let him continue.”

Cirayus’ expression darkened, but he remained quiet.

“The thing is,” Saunak continued, “Cirayus is right about the Chits. They are wily chals. As scheming as they come. They’d have seen the hesitation in the other clans…”

“You’re saying…” Vir’s voice was hoarse. “That the Chitran’s war… the reason the clans attacked the Garga… was because me?”

“I think it’s far more plausible than the story Cirayus fed you, at least. You represent something that strikes fear in the hearts of demons, boy. You represent change. Even when the change is for the better, people resist it. And with you,” he said, pointing a finger at Vir, “it is not always for the better.”

A hushed silence filled the room, and not even Cirayus broke it.

“Is it true?” Vir asked the air, his question intended for Cirayus. “Is what he said true?”

His words came out sharp. Sharper than he’d intended.

“Lad, you are not to blame for the Chitrans’ actions. Inciting the other clans to war? Invading the innocent Garga? The blame rests squarely on their shoulders.”

“Is… It… True?”

Cirayus’ silence told him everything.

“You lied to me,” Vir whispered.

“Lad, you nearly crumbled under the pressure of knowing the sacrifice your parents and retainers made for you. Knowing that half a million demons got caught up in a war centered on you would only have broken your mind.”

Half a million!? Vir thought, panicking. Five hundred thousand people had been put in jeopardy because of him?

“How many died in the war? How many Gargans?”

“What good will that knowledge do you, other than to cripple you with guilt?” Cirayus said.

Saunak furrowed his brows. “Assuming an all-out war, with the eventual sacking of Samar Patag… calculating for Demonkind’s tendencies, Chitran’s Demonic Overlord and Coerscion bloodline arts… I’d say at least forty thousand.”

“No,” Cirayus said. “Less than that. Maion did everything in his power to minimize casualties.”

“How much?” Vir asked, his patience growing thin.

“Around thirty,” Cirayus said quietly.

Thirty thousand souls. When Vir realized the figure likely included women and children, his stomach churned and he thought he felt sick. Wars seldom cared about who got caught in the crossfire, after all. So many had died. All because of him.

“If I wasn’t born…”

“Lad, don’t you dare think that. Your parents—your clan who fought for you—do you think they wished that?”

“I’m sure at least some of them did before they died,” Saunak said bluntly. “Wouldn’t be surprised if they cursed your name, wishing you never existed, before their enemies slit their throats.”

“Damn you to Ash, Saunak!” Cirayus bellowed. “Can’t you see what the lad’s going through?”

Saunak opened his eyes wide in realization.

“Oh, er…right,” he said hastily. “For what it’s worth, boy, Cirayus is right. If the Chitrans truly did use your birth as a reason to wipe out the Garga, they are the ones to blame. Not you. You didn’t choose to be born, after all.”

Saunak did his best to soften the blow, but the damage had already been done.

“If you were me,” Vir said slowly, “would that make it any easier for you?”

Saunak smiled awkwardly before turning back to his table. Vir almost laughed.

He truly is awkward around people.

Saunak retrieved the orb and casually tossed it to Vir, who caught it on reflex.

“It’s done.”

Vir peered through the slot in the center of the Artifact. Where the light inside it had been glowing brightly before, it was now once again dim. Dim, but not extinguished. The thaumaturge seemed to have done his job.

“Now that I’ve shown you some good faith, let us discuss what I want from you,” Saunak said, clearing his throat. “It’s quite simple, really. I wish for you to stay here and allow me to analyze your body. The experiments will be mostly harmless, and should benefit you as well.”

“How so?” Vir asked, but his voice was hollow. His thoughts lingered on Saunak’s revelation. He hadn’t even gotten over the gruesome vision of Maiya, bathed in blood. And now this…

So many had perished for his sake. Moreover, he’d thought that while most of the Demon Realm might hate him, he’d held hope he could find camaraderie with the Gargans. A place to finally belong.

But now? Knowing that he’d been the cause of their clan’s demise? That their wives, husbands, children, and parents had been mercilessly slaughtered, all because of him?

Vir couldn’t see how they’d harbor any positive feelings toward him at all. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to wring his neck with their own hands. It’s how he’d have felt in their shoes, after all.

And that was to say nothing of the sixteen years of cruelty they must have endured at the hands of the Chitran.

I’ve been so stupid, he thought. It all made so much sense now. Why the other clans united against the Garga. He wasn’t some chosen hero, destined to save the world and loved by all. From their perspective, he might as well have been the villain, destined to end it.

All of a sudden, the Children of Ash’s mantra ran in his head.

The Primordial will bring the End of Realms! Find him! Purge him! Burn him to Ash!

Was this the fate that awaited him in the Demon Realm? Would he arrive, only to find a clan not waiting to be liberated—but waiting for the chance to assassinate him? For all the loved ones they’d lost?

The worst part was… Vir couldn’t even bring himself to criticize them. They had every right to feel that way, didn’t they?

“Er… Are you listening?” Saunak said, shoving his face right up to Vir’s, causing him to jerk back.

I didn’t even notice him getting close…

It wasn’t the result of some supernatural magic on Saunak’s part. Vir simply hadn’t been paying attention.

Whatever he felt about his fate, whatever curses he wanted to hurl at Cirayus, they would have to wait until they were both safe.

“Sorry. What were you saying?” he asked.

“I shall allow you to leave after you do me a favor. I’ll even give you two choices! One,” Saunak said, holding up a finger. “You allow me to experiment on you, perhaps leading to new insights into your own powers. Or… two. You allow me to inscribe a tattoo upon that Ash Wolf of yours.”