Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 51: The Aftermath

Vir opened his eyes to soaring trees and a lush meadow bisected by a babbling brook. The sounds of trickling water and the chirping of birds painted an idyllic picture, but the deception didnt fool him. The Godshollow was dangerous for all humans at all hours.

He gingerly sat up to find his arms and legs covered in well-dressed bandages. His wounds were mostly gone, alleviating his most pressing concern, and he found no trace of his benefactor. It was just him and the eerie voices of the forest.

It looked as though Tanya had rescued him, patched him up, then bailed well before hed woken. He couldnt believe shed leave him here alone and unconscious like that

No... No that sounds exactly like something she'd do. He could easily picture her growing bored of waiting around for him.

But then, he also couldnt believe shed healed him in the first place. The woman would've been ecstatic if hed perished.

Which likely meant she was operating under Riyans orders. And that meant...

Vir looked around. Was she simply observing him from the woods? A quick scan with Prana Vision found her soon enough, hiding behind some bushes nearby.

Ah, yup. Strong ice affinity mejai. That's her signature alright. But why's she... Oh.

In case more pursuers showed up, she'd have the element of surprise.

She clearly didn't want to be found, so Vir let her be. He doubted she'd reply if he called out to her, anyway.

More importantly, how did she know where to find him? Her words made it sound more like she expected him here. If so, whyd she wait right until I was about to die to interfere? Was she testing me?

She had to have been after the people hunting him. But howd she know of them? And who were they in the first place? Theyd admitted to not being knightsdid that mean they werent related to Knight Captain Vastav? One soldier said that she had sent them. But who?

Gulping, Vir recalled how skilled those soldiers had been, corralling him perfectly.

No, he thought. That wasnt the source of the problem. The real issue was how his katar had been completely ineffective against their armor. Riyan never wore armor, and he hadnt yet trained Vir to fight against armored opponents. It was a glaring deficiency in his offensive capabilities, one he hoped to resolve soon. Maybe there was a Talent that could help with that.

And then Tanya had come and killed them both with a single spell

It seemed like every time he saw magic in use, it grew more impressive in his mind. Every time he gained some strength, he was shown just how small of a fish he was, swimming in a very, very large ocean.

Vir shook his head free of the confused jumble of thoughts. He had no way of obtaining answers right now, and moping around wasnt going to get him anywhere.

His eyes found an orb nearby. A white Life affinity orb. Next to it was an arrow etched into the dirt, pointing parallel to the stream nearby.

At least she left directions, Vir thought with a sigh. But does she have to needle me like that?

Tanya knew full well that he was prana-scorned and that the orb would be useless to him.

No, the mejai had left it here just to spite him. For the sole purpose of reminding him how crippled he was.

Jokes on her. He smirked, approaching the orb. Shed messed up. Even C grade orbs like this one fetched a pretty penny. Maybe it was nothing to a rich mejai like her, but to Vir? The little ball of magic represented a small fortune. Not a single Brijer had one, and here shed just casually left it behind out of petty spite.

It was cracked.

Badrakkit! Of course she wouldn't have left a working orb behind...

Vir kicked the piece of scrap away. It was worse to have hope crushed rather than to have no hope at all, and Tanya knew that.

Limping to the nearby brook, Vir swore she'd get what was coming to her.

He plunged his head right into the stream, gulping up mouthfuls of the refreshing liquid and washing away the grime that caked his face.

His stomach grumbled as the cool liquid trickled down his throat. Vir could scarcely recall the last time hed had anything to eat or drink. Unfortunately, his rucksack full of food was nowhere to be seen.

At least I wont die of thirst

Fully energized, he set out in the arrow's direction. As much as he wanted to plop down right there and practice the new ability Shardul had shown him, the Godshollow was not a suitable location. And without his heavy blanket, spending another night in the forest was out of the question. He had to leave, and soon.

None of the surroundings felt familiar to him, which meant Tanya must have carried him here. He only hoped shed put him at the edge of the forest. Itd be too cruel to have taken him deeper in, even for her. Maybe. Possibly.

Only then did he remember her words. Nice fight, she'd said. It was the first time she'd ever acknowledged him, let alone paid him a compliment. Vir shook it off. He'd go crazy trying to understand that woman's thoughts.

He struck a slow, steady pace across the forest, following the brook and always seeking firm footing to avoid aggravating his injuries. His limp worked itself out once hed limbered up, allowing him to keep a decent pace. Tanya had no issues keeping up, and Vir was surprised at how quietly she moved through the forest. Without Prana Vision, he wouldn't have noticed her at all.

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The hike gave him ample time to reflect on the series of bizarre events that had befallen him. Putting aside the matter of his assailants identity, what truly puzzled him was the memory-vision hed had just before the wind blade hit him.

Shardul The Vicious. That was the part he couldnt wrap his head around. This was the third time hed experienced something like thisfirst in the Godshollow, then again when hed fought the wolf on top of Riyans home. But on both prior occasions, itd been Reaper Ekanai whod possessed him. The demon hed come to hate.

Now there was another. And this demon said similar things. Fulfill your destiny. Travel to the Ashen Realm.

Sheer grakking idiocy. Vir had progressed far over the four months hed spent at Riyans place, but he was no fool. Even if Shardul promised great power in return, to step foot into the Ashen Realm was to commit suicide. Everyone knew that. And yet Shardul wanted him to do this? Did he have some way of keeping Vir safe?

Too much lay unknown. Nothing Shardul had said gave Vir any evidence that hed be spared from death in that place.

And yet, he knew well the repercussions of ignoring their advice.

Each time, theyd taken over in life or death situations. When faced with certain death, they took over his body and guided him to victory. At least, that was how it was until now.

Shardul outright threatened to abandon Vir in the future. It mightve been a bluff, but it wasnt one Vir could risk. If he was wrong hed die.

Another thing bothered him. There was a possibility Ekanai might take over his body in his sleep. A scene formed in his mind. A morning where he woke to see Maiya dead, a red slit running across her throat.

Vir purged the image. He needed to come up with a plan. Some way to thread the needle. Something that would keep the voices in his head satisfied while also keeping him and Maiya alive.

Keep Maiya alive? Thats

There was a solution. A simple one.

All I have to do is leave her. If we go our separate ways

But could he do that? After hed sworn to stay by her side? After hed grown up with her?

It irked him that Riyans favor would have exactly this situation unfold. The man divulged nothing about their tasks, but he had told them theyd be going their separate ways to accomplish it.

Vir was dead set on disobeying Riyan if he asked an unreasonable favor out of them. Now? Now, he wasnt so sure

There was something else that puzzled him about Sharduls memory. On all occasions, the name Garga came up. Ekanai hated them. Shardul belonged to thema nation? Who were they? And when and where did these memory fragments occur? The land in all three of his memories was a place of red skies and even redder soil. A land where Ash prana occupied both the air and the ground. Vir hadnt even heard of such a place in the Known World.

The only thing that was familiar about all of this was the tattoo on his chest. Both Ekanai and Shardul possessed it. Did that mean there were others out there with the same tattoo? The Symbol of the Akh Nara as Shardul had called it.

Or am I seeing memories of my past incarnations?

Either way, he had to admit that without Ekanai, without Shardul, he wouldve perished long ago. Could he really afford not to capitalize on these visions? The powers he gained allowed him to leap forward in his combat power.

Granted, he had to train nonstop to regain the heights hed achieved in the visions, so it wasnt like they came for freehed earned them through sweat and hard work, practicing the motions repeatedly. But even if they yielded him great power, the only way he could justify getting them was if he could guarantee Maiyas safety. Which, of course, led him back to separating from her.

Vir continued walking, his mind lost in his thoughts. When the sky grew brighter an hour later, he knew he was close. You couldnt really tell that you were at the edge of a forest until you were nearly there, but the overall light level gave a big hint.

Sure enough, he broke through the forest edge minutes later. The forests boundary was stark, with the ancient Godhollows abruptly giving way to vast plains under a sunny blue sky. As though hed stepped into another world.

Gazing up, he could hardly believe it still wasnt even noon yet. The day had already felt thrice as long as a normal one, considering everything that hed been through.

Another half hours walk along the forests edge put him back at his entry point, with Bumpy loitering right where hed left the beast.

Were you good, Bumpy? he said, patting the animals hide, Nobody troubled you? Vir had never been so happy to see the Ashva before.

Bumpy snorted in response, nuzzling him. Hed developed a kind of bond with the beast over time, as had Maiya. Though it did bother him that Bumpy played favorites with her. The consolation prize was that Bumpys little brother Grumpy seemed to hate him slightly less than it did Maiya. Not enough to let Vir ride him, though.

Vir hopped on and rode northto home. Tanya's presence soon fell out of Prana Vision's range, as she made sure to stay out of visual range, which was much further.

Regardless, he didn't rely on her. Throughout the bumpy ride, Vir kept a sharp eye for any pursuers. If his enemy planned to press their assault, now would be the best time when he was seemingly alone and out in the open.

Each minute passed at a snails pace, with Vir continuously scanning the horizon for enemies. Though none ever came, his nerves were frayed nonetheless.

After ensuring that Tanya had headed back to the abode, he made a quick detour, riding for the cave network just south of Riyans place.

The sun was still high in the sky, so even with the six-hour ride back, hed make it with time to spare. If Tanya wondered why hed taken so long, he'd just tell her hed been disoriented after the harrowing ordeal, having woken up with nobody around. Maybe that would make her sweat a little.

He guided Bumpy into the mouth of a cave and dismounted, leaving the beast behind and proceeding the rest of the way on foot.

Riyan had been right to warn them about these caves, deep and labyrinthine as they were. Without carefully mapping out the place, it would be incredibly easy to get lost. Luckily, cartography had become something of a pastime for both Vir and Maiya, and they had charted a majority of the network already.

It was easier for Vir, too, since Prana Vision let him navigate in pitch blackness, so long as there was some amount of prana around. And the cave network was filled with Earth and Shadow affinity prana.

Vir forged ahead into the network, negotiating several turns before arriving at his destination.

Deep within the caves recesses, hidden in a hollow behind a rock, lay a cache of provisions. Though modest, they had slowly grown it over time, swiping things from Riyan whenever it was safe. Sacks of nuts and dried fruit, a pair of clothes, a blanket, Rudviks twenty coppers, and the silver and forty coppers from their Saran haul.

All to prepare for their escape from Riyan, if it ever came to that.

Once hed ensured everything was all safely accounted for, he retraced his steps to where hed left Bumpy only he didnt quite exit the caves. Not yet.

The cave had a relative abundance of Shadow prana, and it just so happened that Dance of the Shadow Demon had a lot to do with shadows.

Shardul had said he could not unlock its secrets. That hed have to travel to the Ashen Realm to do so. But the Ashen Realm was far away, even if he decided to go there eventually. He needed power now, and he was grakking sure hed do everything in his power to try.

It was time to unwrap the secrets of this mysterious ability.

Next time: 52 - Dance Of The Shadow Demon