217: A Century of Magic

Holiday schedule announcement:

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US, and as such I will be taking Wednesday and Thursday off. So there'll be two chapters next week. Back to usual the week after.

Then, next month, I will be taking the week of Christmas and New Years off - there will be no chapters from December 25th - the 28th and on Jan 1. We'll be back on Jan 2, 2024.

These breaks allow me to restore my buffer and also groom my outline, since the story has started to deviate from it a bit. They also give me a much needed break to avoid burning out :-) Thank you for your patience!

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Saunak the Deranged led Vir and Cirayus through another room, this one filled with just as many horrors as the last, though it was the putrid stench that assaulted Vir’s nostrils that tipped him off.

On several tables lay dissected animals, their rotting corpses reeking of preservative chemicals and the stink of death. Nearly gagging, Vir focused on breathing through his mouth as he forced his eyes away, onto the imprisoned beasts that lined the walls.

These cages were bigger, allowing their occupants some minimal room to move around. It was a small luxury, Vir supposed, though he wondered why they got special treatment.

That was, until he saw the dull inscriptions on their hides.

Vir hesitantly approached a cage, earning a nervous look from Cirayus.

“You’ve inscribed tattoos… on Ash Beasts?” Vir asked incredulously. “I didn’t even think that was possible!”

“It isn’t,” Cirayus said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “At least, it shouldn’t be. Our thaumaturges have tried before. Not on Ash Beasts—only a fool with a death wish would do such a stupid thing—but on Bandies and Ash’va.

Saunak cackled proudly. “Don’t let today’s amateurs let you believe otherwise, boy. These so-called ‘experts’ Cirayus talks about would’ve been nothing but squires during my time. That alone ought to tell you just how much our society has declined. Make no mistake of that. Can you begin to imagine what the Aindri stand to gain if they inscribed their beasts? Yet even they dare not even try.”

Saunak coughed, realizing he’d gone off on a tangent. “Of course, the task is… somewhat tricky, I must admit.”

Cirayus scoffed. “You ridicule our Thaumaturges, then admit the task is difficult, even for you? What hope would an average demon have?”

“None. But with my guidance…”

“Forget it.”

Whatever had happened between the two in the past, Vir sensed it ran a fair bit deeper than just research practices and a crush on the same woman. Cirayus’ reactions made it seem like they shared a history together. It felt personal.

The mad thaumaturge shook his head sadly. “Regardless, you have a point. Even despite my skills, not even I can recover enough of an Ash Beast’s mind to make the inscriptions function. Etching the tattoos is easy enough, but teaching the creatures to actually use them is a nearly useless endeavor. The tattoos go wasted.

“Though, in this way, I must say that Ash Beasts are superior. Did you know their brains are actually larger than an equivalent prana beast? Take Ash Wolves, for example. Extremely intelligent. Incomparable to their lesser counterparts.”

So he’s saying that a sane Ash Beast could benefit from inscriptions… Vir thought, immediately thinking of Shan. No wonder he was so interested in him.

Saunak turned to face Vir, and there was a hunger in his eyes. “What do you say, Vir? How about an inscription or two on your Ash Wolf friend?”

It all made sense now. At first, Vir had thought it was simply the oddity of spotting an Ash Beast that hadn’t lost its mind that caught the thaumaturge’s interest… But there had clearly been more.

“Absolutely not,” Cirayus said. “That beast is Vir’s companion, and far too precious to trust to the likes of you.”

“The likes of me, is it? You question my competence?” Saunak asked in genuine shock.

“No,” Cirayus replied calmly. “I question your sanity.”

If Vir was honest, he’d like nothing more than to ink Shan up with all sorts of tattoos. If Saunak believed the beast’s mind was the only thing preventing it from learning how to use the tattoo, then Vir was confident it wouldn’t pose a problem for Shan. The wolf had learned his advanced prana manipulation techniques nearly instantly, after all.

And yet, he had to agree with his guardian. Vir had only just met Saunak, and while he hadn’t witnessed the atrocities the demon had witnessed, Cirayus didn’t trust him. He reviled him, and Vir valued Cirayus’ opinion. Greatly. The demon had lived for centuries and was beyond wise. If he was issuing a warning, Vir would listen. Whether intentionally or by accident, what if Saunak killed or maimed Shan in the process?

“Perhaps some other time,” Vir said firmly, knowing Saunak wasn’t about to go anywhere. This would hardly be the last time he ventured into the Ash, after all. And next time, he intended to be better informed about Saunak.

The thaumaturge visibly deflated. “Well, I suppose it was worth a try.”

Vir’s eyes narrowed. The thaumaturge’s reaction was calm. Measured. Too calm, Vir thought, given the demon’s reputation. He’d expected a fierce argument, yet Saunak had backed off immediately.

Is he up to something? Or am I just being overly paranoid?

Glancing up to Cirayus, it seemed he wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

Vir still didn’t know how to feel. Truthfully, Saunak had done nothing but help them thus far—assuming, of course, that the Guardian Automaton that had pursued them hadn’t been one of his own. The demon denied it, but he knew full well there was no way Vir or Cirayus could prove it one way or another.

The demon led them further into his compound, and Vir began to understand just how colossal the tower really was. There was nearly as much space below ground as there was in the tower proper.

They passed another room, filled with drawings pinned up on the walls, and schematics covering the tables. Vir thought he even spied the blueprint for something that looked suspiciously like a Vimana, but the demon waltzed on through, giving him no time to investigate.

“Don’t you feel anything? Experimenting on these creatures, I mean,” Vir asked. “I know they’re all Ash Beasts, but do you have to be so… cruel about this?”

“A big heart, I see! Ah, but I do only what must be done. Tell me,” Saunak said, suddenly stopping and turning to meet Vir’s gaze. “If sacrificing one demon saves the lives of ten thousand, is it worth the loss?”

“I…” Vir couldn’t answer. On the one hand, it seemed like a small price to pay for such a large boon. On the other, what right did he, or anyone else have to reap that life?

That’s rich, considering the people I’ve killed, he thought. Vir concluded he had no right to take the moral high ground here. If anything, wasn’t he similar to Saunak in that way? He’d taken the lives of a slumlord and a royal priest believing that killing them would save countless others.

“So you do,” Saunak said knowingly. “Then then what of sacrificing ten? Or a hundred? Where do you draw the line? How?

“My fellow demons were quite happy to look the other way when the numbers were ‘small’. Hear me, Vir. This is hypocrisy. If you agree to sacrifice one life for the good of the many, you agree to sacrificing as many as it takes. There is no arbitrary number where this suddenly becomes wrong. Ten, a hundred, a thousand… Arbitrary. So long as the benefits outweigh the cost, society gains.”

“Which is why one should not even step a single foot upon this path,” Cirayus said quietly.

“Again the hypocrisy,” Saunak scoffed. “Tell me, Cirayus, if demonkind faced extinction tomorrow, don’t you think they’d come running to me to save them, regardless of cost? Do you think they would care what it took?”

Probably… Vir thought. While he couldn’t speak for the  demon realm, humans certainly would.

“That’s the thing about morals,” Saunak said. “They’re nice when the times are convenient. When they’re not, well…”

Saunak drew his finger across his neck. “They get thrown right out the window, don’t they?”

Vir understood then that Saunak wasn’t oblivious to ethical and moral issues. No, it wasn’t ignorance. He simply rejected the concept as flawed.

“That might be true,” Vir said, “but that doesn’t mean we should outright ignore them. Values allow us to live our lives proudly, don’t they? Maybe that’s selfish… but I feel like it still has value.”

Cirayus squeezed Vir’s shoulder, while Saunak regarded him appraisingly.

“A common viewpoint,” Saunak said. “and one that is not without merit. Fear not, young Vir. I do take care to minimize the pain for these beasts. I’m not a monster.”

Vir really wanted to know what Saunak considered monstrous.

“We have arrived,” the demon announced, drawing everyone’s attention to a pool of inky black liquid that sat in an oversized emerald green bowl in the middle of the enormous lab.

“What’s this?” Vir asked, peeking over the bowl’s edge to peer at the ink. Its bowl reminded Vir of a nest formed of ancient tree roots. It looked nothing like any Imperium creation he’d seen before. Imperium architecture was vibrant and orderly… This felt far more organic. More alive.

“The Ink of Clarity,” Saunak said. “Though that’s only the name I gave it. Truthfully, I have no idea what the Gods called it. It was here when I got here, and there’s no documentation of it, that I can tell. Despite my research, I cannot even say for certain if the Imperium was responsible for its creation. All evidence points to the contrary.”

But if not the gods… Who else? Vir’s mind spun at the possibility of another ancient race existing. One that possibly rivaled the gods.

“What, uh… what does it do?” Vir thought, wondering if the liquid was supposed to be consumed.

“This will be a good test,” Saunak said, his eyes brightening. “As best I can tell, it shows the past, the present… and possibly also the future, though I’ve been unable to determine whether it shows only possible eventualities, or foregone conclusions.”

It can predict the future!? Vir thought, panicking. Like the demons’ seers. Is it the same power?

“I shall test this first,” Cirayus said, striding up to the Ink of Clarity. He peered deeply, frowning with suspicion. “Nothing is happening, Saunak. Are you certain this contraption does what you…”

He trailed off, his expression changing to one of surprise, then softening into tenderness, before finally being replaced with a mask of fear.

“What did you see?” Vir asked. “Cirayus?”

Vir peeked at the pool but saw only inky darkness. Whatever it showed, it was for Cirayus’ eyes only.

The giant cleared his throat, stepping awkwardly away from the bowl. “It seems to function as Saunak said,” he replied. “As for what I saw… It was your father and mother, enjoying each other's company,” he said with a smile. “They were happy.”

But why would he be afraid if that was all he saw? Vir felt there was more, but knew that now wasn’t the time to press him. He’d have to ask later, when Saunak wasn’t around.

“Go on, give it a try,” Saunak said, urging Vir forward.

The pool brightened to Vir’s eyes, though not by much. It took him a moment to realize he was staring at a cave. And in a dark corner was a man. A man with a salt and pepper beard, lit only by a dim crack in the ceiling.

Vir gasped.

It’s Riyan! He’s alive!

Alive, but spent and haggard. The man had become emaciated, and he sat cross-legged, his eyes piercing into the darkness. He was whispering something to the shadows, but what it was, or to whom he was speaking, Vir couldn’t tell.

“Are these always accurate? When it shows things from the past, I mean.”

Saunak shrugged. “I’ve found it to be, at least. But who can say for certain? Too many mysteries surround it.”

While Vir had always suspected Riyan might’ve survived, it was one thing to suspect and another entirely to know for certain.

But what is he up to?

The image melted away, replaced by an equally dark place. A temple of some sort, lit with candles.

Red seemed to be a theme, with red banners, and even the ceiling and walls dyed in its shades.

At the center sat a stone tub… and when Vir saw what was inside, he gasped.

Blood. That’s blood, realizing that the red paint on the walls wasn’t paint at all, but blood as well.

He’d heard of such temples.

This is a temple of the Children of Ash!

The crazy cultists. The Primordial haters.

From off to the right, someone appeared, her back towards him. A young woman. Naked, except for her undergarments. She was beautiful…

And then Vir saw her hair, which had been tied into a bun. Crimson.

Vir gulped. No. No! Please don’t let it be true…

She turned, and Vir reeled. Maiya!? What are you doing!?

Maiya gingerly placed one foot into the pool of blood, then another.

No! Stop! Fear and panic flared within Vir. His heart threatened to jump out of his chest. Had she been coerced into this? Was someone threatening her? Was she in danger?

I need to help her! Somehow. Gods, I have to go back!

Vir watched in horror as she slowly sat until her entire body was bathed in the pool of blood.

Priests chanted in a ring around her, though Vir couldn’t make out the words.

Vir dreaded what was about to happen.

“Can I communicate with the person on the other end?” Vir asked, his voice full of panic.

“Not that I’m aware of,” Saunak said. “But you could certainly try!”

“What’s wrong, lad? What do you see?”

It was too late. Maiya took a deep breath as the priest pushed her head into the pool of blood.

The seconds dragged on, and she didn’t rise. Her air bubbles grew more and more frantic, and Vir’s knuckles whitened as he clutched the pool’s bowl.

They’re drowning her! Why isn’t she resisting?

Then, nearly a minute later, the priest pulled her up. Maiya gasped, choking on the blood that entered her mouth.

When she emerged, her entire body was covered in it. She looked like some horrific blood beast.

No! Nononono! Maiya, why!? What have they done to you?

Maiya shivered as she stepped out, painting footprints of blood on the stone floor.

The image immediately went dark. Vir simply stared, his mind in chaos, but before he recovered, a third scene revealed itself.

It was a bright, large room, filled with clutter. Much like the one they were in.

Not ‘like’ this one. It ‘is’ this room! Vir realized, analyzing the details, looking around to confirm.

Some of the items had changed positions, but it was undeniably the same room.

And at its center was the Ink of Clarity.

Vir watched in the vision as Saunak walked up to the pool and peered into the darkness. A pool within a pool. Vir expected to see nothing, as he had with Cirayus, but instead, the image rippled, forming a scene.

It was a bizarre experience to watch a vision within a vision, and Vir had to peer closely to see what pool of liquid inside the vision was showing.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t very difficult. It showed Vir and Cirayus running. It showed them fleeing from the Automaton, before cutting to when they’d dug out a hole in the mountainside to hide.

And finally, it showed Vir, removing his armor. Revealing the symbol on his chest.

Saunak in the vision stared for a moment, then cackled. The cackling grew louder and louder until the image winked out.

Vir turned slowly. Cold sweat broke out across his back.

“Well?” Saunak asked excitedly. “What did you see?”