Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 232: Reunited (Two)

No way! Vir seethed. Princess Ira made you go through that awful ritual? When I saw you in the Ink of Clarity

You saw that!? Maiya cringed, her toes curling reflexively. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and she covered her face with both hands. That was the worst! Oh, gods! The whole time, I kept thinking how lucky I was that you hadnt seen! It was that thought that let me weather the ordeal!

Vir patted her back awkwardly.

While he was relieved that she hadnt lost her way and actually fallen in with those cultists, another part of him resented the princess for forcing her into such a demeaning ritual.

Princess or not, nobody should have had to endure anything like that. Least of all her personal operative.

Through it all, a small voice in his head whispered that everythingall of thiscouldnt possibly be fake. It was far too detailed. Too real.

It whispered that Maiya wasnt real.

Vir wasnt even sure if he wanted it to be fake anymore. Yes, something strange was happening to Maiya, and her presence here put her life in jeopardy. Had he a choice, hed send her away at once.

But if this really is all a dream, or a hallucination Itd mean their time together here never really happened. That it was a made-up figment of his imagination. Hed awake, and just like a dream, itd all be gone.

You were very brave, Vir said haltingly, earning him a scowl. They stared each other in the eye for a long moment before bursting out laughing.

They sat together atop a grassy hill in peaceful silence, Maiya resting her head on Virs chest. The spot bore a striking resemblance to Rabbit Hill, their hangout spot in Brij. It, too, was adorned with a large tree, though the scenery it overlooked was incomparable to the backwater village.

Floating islands drifted lazily before them, the peaceful scene betraying none of the chaos that had taken place earlier.

For that brief moment, Vir seemed to forget the world. Content to be reunited after so very long. Longer, Vir suspected, than Maiya had, owing to the time effects of the Ash.

Ive really missed this, Maiya said after a while. More than I thought.

Me too, Mai. Me too.

Maiya cocked a brow, smiling coyly. Mai, huh? Since when did you start copying my parents?

Since now? I guess? Vir honestly hadnt even noticed. S-sorry, I didnt mean

I like it, Maiya said, smiling gently. I liked it when mom and dad used to call me that. I liked it very much.

Vir wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her semi-translucent figure closer, though even as he did, he worried hed somehow break her if he grasped too hard. Like she was made of glass.

That demon back there? she said after a moment. You said it was Ekanai? Was it the Ekanai?

Vir sighed. Do we really have to talk about that right now?

While he knew this blissful moment couldnt last forever, he dreaded it coming to an end.

But when Maiya turned and looked into his eyes, confused and distraught, Vir knew that the feeling was a lie. There was no true bliss here, only willful ignorance. There could be no peaceful reunion until Ekanai had been dealt with.

I wish I could tell you, Maiya. Ekanai shouldve died a long time ago. He had to have died for me to have been born. Did he hurt you?

No, nothing like that, Maiya said, looking away. I was at an Orientation Camp with the Children of Ash. It was going pretty well, too.

Really? Vir asked with suspicion.

Well, as well as such a camp could go. They made us do this leap of faithwe had to jump off a cliff into a pool of blood far below.

Thats

Insane? Yep. Welcome to my world. Thing is, they moved it when we jumped.

They tried to kill you!? Vir asked in alarm.

Sure seems that way, Maiya replied. I'll have to dig into that when I get back. Whoever they are, they can't hide from me for long. When the three of us jumped, I was afraid that was it, for them at least.

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Wait, who are these people?

Ah, right, I havent told you about them, have I? So, Yamal, hes a real character

Maiya spent the next minutes filling Vir in about Yamal and the Silent One, and how they met and became close.

Vir was immediately suspicious of the man, and when Maiya mentioned how he was useless in a fight, Vir grew anxious.

Hey, Maiya said with a smile, squeezing his arm. Relax. He knows not to make any moves on me. Besides, having a group thats loyal to me is really useful in an organization like that. Despite Yamals issues, I feel like I lucked out. He and the Silent One are among the few sane ones in my batch. Hes pretty smart, too.

Vir exhaled. I know. Just I wish I could be there for you.

Me too, Maiya said quietly. Anyway, we jumped together. I knew we wouldnt make it, so I relied on my blunt force protection orbs to absorb the impact.

Did that actually work? Vir asked. Mejai defensive armor wasnt designed to nullify falls like Light Step did. Hed never thought to try using the magic protection in that way.

Sorta? Maiya grinned sheepishly. It did keep us alive But I kinda broke some bones. And one of my B Grade Life orbs. Oops!

She stuck her tongue out and winked at him.

Vir rolled his eyes. Most people would be in tears over losing such a precious orb, you know? I guess youre just swimming in seric, arent you?

Maiya waved away his concern. Its fine. I can get as many of those as I want. Problem was, I only had one left, so I healed my broken leg, but couldnt heal my ribs.

Your ribs are broken? Vir asked in alarm.

Thats the thing. They arent. Not here. Im not even wearing the same clothes! I was wearing a faded brown robe, not this old one-piece. I havent worn this since Brij! And Im obviously not in the practice of walking around barefoot, she said, wiggling her toes.

So, how did you end up here?

We missed the pool, but we crashed through the ground, into a large shaft of some kind. That led down into a tunnel that was protected by Children guards.

A secret lair?

Who knows? I took out the guards and entered the room they were defending. There was this tree... except it wasn't like any tree I'd ever seen. It was like the trunk became the ground, and continued up, making the walls. I cant remember much of what happened after that. My mind went fuzzy, and I felt myself moving, like a trance. I think I mightve touched its trunk? Next thing I knew, I was in those caves.

A tree that functions like an Ash Gate? Vir thought, but then looked over Maiyas form. No. This is something else entirely. If she were really here, shed have died from prana poisoning already. What could that room have been? And why was it under guard? Is there more to the Children of Ash than I thought?

It's so bizarre, Maiya said. What are the chances there happened to be a tunnel leading to that lair right where we landed, right? What are the chances the Children held their Orientation camp at that exact spot?

You're saying someone wanted this to happen? That they orchestrated these events? Vir asked.

Sure seems that way, doesn't it? Maiya asked. But who or why... I haven't a clue.

Vir had to agree. Except he didn't know if it was a who, or a what. After all, who could have timed it such that Maiya not only touched that tree, but Vir did too? At the exact same time? There were far too many coincidences for it to have been mere chance, and yet, such a feat was far outside the means of any mortal.

Was it Janak? Or another god, perhaps? Vir's head swam with questions and no answers.

Once I got here, I roamed around for a bit, Maiya continued. I heard a sound so I went towards it. That's where I found that demon, standing hunched over in that room. He attacked me without warning.

He attacked you? Vir asked, panicking. Was I too late? Is that why shes this way?

Dont worry, Maiya said hurriedly. You came before he could do anything. But, er I cant use magic, Vir. Its like all my blood, sweat, and tears have come undone. Like its been a waste.

It hasnt, Vir said emphatically. The more he heard, the more it felt like some third party was at work here. Look, I dont know whats going on here, but something brought us all together. Ekanai's dead, Maiya. It's impossible that he's here. And, to be honest, the same goes for you. All I can say is we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. I wish I had the answers, but I dont. And until we know more, you cant say things like that, alright? Maybe youll just wake up and thisll all have just been a bad dream.

Maiya rolled her eyes. Uh, huh. Sure.

Whatever it is, well find a way out of it. Together. Im Im strong now. Strong enough to keep both of us safe.

I know, Maiya said quietly. The way you Leaped up here? I didnt want to distract you, so I didnt say anything before But thats impossible, Vir. No Talent wielder moves that far. If thats any measure to go by, I cant even begin to imagine the gains youve made.

Maiya bit her lip as she said that, though Vir failed to notice. He was busy retrieving his katar, though doing so just reminded him of the chakram Ekanai had stolen.

Vir popped to his feet and held out his hands, helping Maiya up.

If you thought that was impressive, check this out, Vir said, firing off a Katar Launch Barrage. Deadly arcs of prana blasted out of his blade one after another, so thick with prana they became visible, even to Maiyas eyes.

The prana blades ripped deep gashes in the grass as if ravaged by a giant claw.

It was the same Talent Kamna had used against him in Daha, just thrice as powerful and with about a dozen more blades.

He looked back to see her jaw hit the floor.

Prana Current flared and Vir allowed a trace of his accumulated prana to seep out, forming black flames that burned off his skin.

This time, Maiya fell on her butt, pointing comically at where his strikes had landed.

What the grak, Vir! she stammered. What the grak!

Vir grinned. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can only do stuff like this in the Ashen Realm.

Mostly, he didnt add. The immense prana reserves in his body allowed him a few full power blasts regardless of where he was at, and Prana Current ensured hed be able to regain what he lost, though perhaps not immediately.

Vir looked forward to testing his powers against the challenges faced by the prana-starved Demon Realm. Despite the setbacks hed face, he was confident his gains in the Ash would give him an unfair advantage. Assuming, of course, they made it out of whatever this surreal place was.

Maiya shook her head. This is all just karma, isn't it? Compensating for the lack of prana you had to live with your whole life, isnt it? Im happy for!?

Vir Blinked to Maiya, nearly smashing into her as he grabbed her by the waist before Blinking away.

If he'd been just a second slower, Maiyas head wouldve been cut clean off.

And standing where shed been just moments earlier was none other than Reaper Ekanai, twirling Virs Artifact chakram with a wicked grin.

Enjoy your little reunion? A raspy voice said. I hope you said farewell. No? A pity. At least you will die together.