205: Of Kings and Queens (Part One)

NOTE: Shoutout for my dear friend J.M. Clarke (author of Mark of the Fool), who recently released an amazing new prog fantasy litrpg on RR. It's top tier quality, so definitely check it out!

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/73095/rune-seeker-a-progression-fantasy-litrpg

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Cirayus could hardly believe Vir’s progress. When the boy disappeared only a day before, he’d been struggling. True, he’d gained the ability to launch prana attacks at his enemies—a significant advantage—but he was still sorely lacking. From his physical strength to the level of his magic, his powers were nothing like his prior incarnations, even accounting for the tattoos..

But now? Now, the lad ended Ash Beasts barehanded, with claws of prana so thick, even he could see them.

After witnessing Vir reave through enemies that would have given most warriors pause—and do so barehanded—Cirayus had shuddered. This was power on a level most demons could only dream of.

Power that he would sorely need for the trials that lay ahead.

Whatever made his ancestors so strong, Vir had found it in that blighted realm. And he’d found more, apparently.

“You mean to say the energy for your magic comes from within you?” Cirayus asked for the fourth time.

“As I told you, my prana capacity is roughly a hundred times what it was when I first entered the Ash,” Vir replied.

He’d handily decapitated the Naga—the most fearsome Ash Beast on the Mahakurma’s back—only moments earlier, making an enemy that would have ended most demons look like a pushover.

“And I’m telling you,” Cirayus said, following Vir up the hole that led to the surface, “you’re the only demon in recorded history to pull anything like that off, lad!” Cirayus said. “Not even your past selves had such an ability!”

It was true. Powering spells off of one’s own prana had been the pipe dream of many demons throughout the ages. Demon children throughout the realm fantasized about wielding the power of Ash Beasts in their prana starved lands. A delusion they swiftly abandoned, when faced with the stark reality.

Demons were beholden to their barren realm.

What Vir had accomplished, no demon ever had. The amount that coursed within a person’s body was simply insufficient, even for the most basic of magic, let alone powerful Bloodline arts.

And the lad managed it within a day?

Granted, he’d spent nearly a month in the Mahādi Realm, but even still…

No. ‘Tis the opposite. He grew so strong ‘because’ he survived that realm.

Whether or not he had help didn’t matter. Vir had ventured to a place where no one ever dared—or at least, those who had never returned alive.

Cirayus beamed with pride.

He’s ready. More than ready.

At least, his body was. But what of the rest? What of his mind?

I suppose it is time.

— —

Vir scrambled up to the surface, and Cirayus lightly bounded up behind him. Destroying the Domain Lords had helped take his mind off Ashani, but thoughts of her now came crashing back, souring the sweet taste of victory. He wanted to go back to her. Needed to. And yet, he couldn’t.

“Lad, you’re out of sorts,” Cirayus asked, climbing out of the hole in the Mahakurma’s back. Sikandar lay draped across his back. “I’ve seen that look enough times to know that you’re in for a hard time if you keep all those emotions bottled up.”

“Well, I already tried killing things,” Vir said. “Didn’t really help.”

“Aye. So talk to me. Lay it all out.”

“I just… What do I do, Cirayus? I promised I’d bring her back.”

“Then it’s simple, isn’t it?” he said. “You keep your promise. You find a way back to her.”

“Easier said than done,” Vir replied. “If you happen to know of any Ash Gates that lead to the Mahādi Realm nearby, I’m all ears. Even if you could, I have no way of getting her out of there.”

“Lad, correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t hear you promise you’d return today. How long do you have?”

Vir clenched a fist. “If she survives those wyrms… possibly years. Maybe even decades. She’ll just go to sleep again, most likely.”

“Then there you have it. You have your goal. If she means this much to you, you can spend your days in the Demon Realm searching for a way back to her.”

“You really think I’ll find one?”

“Perhaps,” Cirayus said hesitantly.

“Meaning?” Vir asked.

“The records of your ancestors mention several chambers. Ancient chambers, which were said to hold great power. Locked to all but the incarnations of the Akh Nara.”

Vir frowned. “You believe these chambers might have a way back here?”

“‘Tis no secret that several of your ancestors took a keen interest in the Ash. Ekanai himself was said to have died in the Mahādi Realm. Clearly, he found a way.”

“That’s… I didn’t know that,” Vir said.

Why would the Reaper have ventured to Mahādi? Why did Shardul and Ekanai want me to go there?

Even Lord Janak had urged him there, though Vir had found no sign of the god.

“Where would I find these chambers?” Vir asked.

Cirayus pointed to him. “There. In your head. None of the Akh Nara bothered to document them, and none have ever been found. I suppose they felt their subsequent incarnations would know.”

Perfect…

“Well, if I have that knowledge, it’s buried deep somewhere. I suppose that’s on hold until I can open the Fourth Chakra, then,” he said.

“The Heart Chakra?” Cirayus asked. “Why’s that?”

“Shardul said it was the only way I could commune with my past selves. Seems I won’t be able to rely on them much going forward since they sacrificed so much to keep me alive. That’s about all I have left, now.”

“I… see.”

Vir knew that to a being like Ashani, a few years, or even a few decades, were nothing. But even knowing that, he couldn’t get over the tangled web of emotions in his chest. He couldn’t get over the crippling guilt. Like he’d done something unforgivable. Like he’d failed.

“How about a change of scenery?” Cirayus suggested. “There’s something you should see.”

“Here?” Vir asked.

“Not far,” the giant said, loping in the other direction of the forest.

Vir had never explored what lay on the other end of the Domain Lords’ territories, closer to the tail of the mega turtle. He’d assumed the land just sloped off, but to his surprise, the Mahakurma was a fair bit longer than he’d guessed.

Another forest extended away on the other side, and Cirayus entered it. This one was less dense, full of taller, older growth trees that formed a dense canopy nearly a hundred paces above. They reminded him of the trees in the Godshollow, though less girthly.

They continued through the forest, though now that the gargantuan beast had come to a rest, Ash had started to pile up. If it were Vir just after entering the Ash, he’d have found the extra effort inconvenient. Now, with a hundred times more prana filling his muscles, he didn’t even notice.

His strides had grown longer, too, as he subconsciously pushed more power into his legs, even without Leap or Blink. His physical limits were just higher than before. Incomparably higher.

Though he wanted to ruminate on his power gains more, doing so inevitably caused his thoughts to drift to Ashani, who’d played such an instrumental role in helping him obtain them.

A black blur in the distance broke his reverie, but then it was gone.

Something’s following us… but whatever it was, it was keeping its distance. But whether because he’d just taken out the strongest beast on the Mahakurma’s back, or because of the giant beside him, who walked with his comically oversized talwar, Vir felt no danger from the creature.

He informed Cirayus of their pursuer, and both spent the rest of the walk on the lookout, but it never showed itself again.

They soon arrived at a dark pond, shaded by the same trees that kept the Ash off its surface. Unlike most bodies of water in the realm.

At its center was a grassy island barely large enough to fit a small home. A knurled, ancient tree stood at the center, its leafless limbs extending over the water.

Underneath, scores of fish swam, forming a glowing golden cylinder beneath the floating island.

“They’re harmless,” Cirayus said, jumping elegantly over the pond, landing softly on the island, and beckoned Vir to follow.

Leap shot Vir over, though he left Prana Current off. The ability’s sheer power made fine tuning Leap’s distance harder, and he still hadn’t developed fine enough control to ensure he wouldn’t miss the island entirely.

While a bath sounded nice, a bath in his armor did not.

Once on the island, Vir was surprised to find how solid it felt under his boots. It didn’t feel like a floating island, but then again, Vir couldn’t understand how a floating island remained anchored in the middle of the pond in the first place. Perhaps it had something to do with the copious amount of prana flowing through the bark of the dead-looking tree.

“This place is pretty and all,” he said, “but that can’t be the only reason you brought me here.”

Cirayus removed Sikandar, leaning the enormous blade against the tree. He placed a hand on the tree’s trunk.

“Your father and I. We used to fight in the Bairan competitions regularly, you know?”

“The one where I’ll get Balancer of Scales if I win?”

“Aye, the same. Your father was the only one I ever lost to.”

“He was that strong?” Vir asked. He’d seen what Cirayus could do. For his father to have bested the giant, he must have been quite the warrior.

“Strong, yes. But also cunning. And quick as an Acira. Still, don’t get the wrong idea, lad. I beat him far more often than he beat me.”

Vir rolled his eyes. “What a surprise.”

Cirayus chuckled. “You see, while the Tournament gave us no end of good fights, the event is held only once every four years. We longed to test our mettle in the interim.”

Yep. Father was a battle junkie, alright.

“You fought other demons?”

Cirayus shook his head. “Nay. Few demons could offer us the level of fight we wished for. We came to the Ash. Forced ourselves to survive here until we found a gate back home.”

The giant laughed.

“The thing about Ash Gates is you never know where they’ll take you. You just have to peer through, and if the other side looks like the right realm, you jump. Only the gods know where you’ll land! And that’s only if you find one. They’re quite rare, as you’ve seen.”

“That sounds insane,” Vir said.

“Oho?” Cirayus cocked a brow. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same, lad.”

Vir couldn’t stop the grin on his face. “Maybe.”

“Anyway, we once found this Mahakurma here, though it was dormant at the time. We figured it’d be the perfect training ground.”

“You saw a world-ending creature, and you decided to jump right onto its back? To train…”

“Your father’s idea, lad. Let it be known that I was usually the voice of reason.”

Uh, huh.

“He must have been quite the character,” Vir said, feeling like he’d have gotten along really well with his old man. Though he couldn’t imagine his mother would have approved of such reckless behavior.

The cozy scene played out in his mind. He could almost see the happy family together, warm and caring.

“Aye,” Cirayus said wistfully. “Aye, that he was. We spent many months here. This engraving?” he pointed to an M, and a C engraved into the tree’s trunk. “Ours. In case we ever returned. Proof that we were here. That we’d braved the Ash, penetrated its depths, and lived to tell the tale.”

Cirayus moved aside, allowing Vir to run his fingers over the mark. Evidence that Maion Garga had been here, decades—perhaps centuries—ago. Clanlord. King. His father.

The engraving was so simple. So crude. And yet, Vir was so moved. He couldn’t understand why. He’d never even met the man, and yet, he missed him dearly. He missed them both.

“That was… So very long ago. Honestly can’t believe the mark is still here,” Cirayus said, sighing. “It feels like just yesterday to me. I cannot tell you how much I wish they were still here.”

Vir turned to find a tear trickling down the giant’s face. The sight caused his own tears to well.

“What… What were they like?”

The giant hesitated. “I do not wish to add to your burden, lad. You are already grieving for one.”

“Please, I wish to know,” Vir said. “I… need this. I’ll never get to see them or hear their voices. I’ll never get to listen to their stories, or hear their laughter. The least I can do is remember who they were, and carry that within me. Please.”

Cirayus sat against the tree and motioning for Vir to join him.

“Then I shall, for I knew them both better than most. Come, have a seat. This will be quite the tale.”