Ashborn Primordial-Chapter Ashborn 393: Old Friends. New Enemies.

“No!” Annas roared, punching a wall, before slamming his back against it and slumping down. “No…”

“It is true,” Raja Matiman said. “Our spies confirm the Akh Nara was sighted entering and leaving Jalak Kallol. Welcomed by Ra himself. What’s more, he arrived on a most unusual contraption. A ship capable of flying high in the sky, and at terrible speeds. We fear he may have a fleet, ready to pounce.”

“That would invalidate our walls,” Annas said, gritting his teeth. “They could fly right over them!”

“I have already ordered Asuman to bolster Samar Patag’s aerial defenses,” Matiman said. “I am equipping all of our garrisons with similar defenses. They will be in for a nasty surprise when they attack.”

“What of his Ash Gates? What of the witch who can create them?”

“Clearly, she cannot create many, or Samar Patag would already be under attack. I have never encountered a demon with such a power before, but whoever she is, she will bleed like any other. From what we have seen, she must be physically present to create those Gates. Which means she will be vulnerable. Should she appear, we will annihilate her.”

“Even so, he possesses too many advantages,” Annas said through gritted teeth. “With Baira and the Iksana on his side, the Panav will surely follow. We’ll have only the Aindri to rely on.”

“Which is why you must sever this budding alliance. Show the Iksana the backstabbing traitor the Akh Nara truly is. Sow mistrust, and win them back to our side.”

“It’s not too late,” Annas muttered, almost as if convincing himself. “Half the realm hates him.”

“Yet more flock to his side each day. Each day, his power grows. Soon, he will be unstoppable.”

“I swear by all the gods, I will not allow it,” Annas said, kneeling.

“I hope so, Annas. For all our sake.”

Time waited for no one. Least of all a Raja and the Akh Nara. After confirming some details with Thaman and informing him of his tentative strike plan to retake Samar Patag, they returned via Ashani’s new Gate to Camar Gadin, where Vir, Ashani, and Ekat’Ma returned to the airship with the wolves.

Their next stop was easily the most important of the trip, and so Vir had saved it for last.

From the Ash to Jalak Kallol to Camar Gadin, and now on to Samar Patag… As Vir flew high over the red rocks of the demon realm, it struck him that he had just covered in one afternoon what only the ablest of demons even dared attempt, and took many months to complete.

If they survived at all. Let alone the Ash, even regular journeys across the Demon Realm were so fraught with peril—of inclement weather, of starvation, and from starving Ash Beasts—that only the bravest risked the journey.

And soon, even bridging that insurmountable gap between Human and Demon Realms would take but a few steps. Every major location in every realm, within immediate, convenient—and most importantly—safe reach.

How this would transform the world, Vir could only guess. The flood of trade traffic alone would revitalize dying towns, bolster the existing hubs, and perhaps even give birth to new, far-flung cities. All Vir knew was that he couldn’t wait to see it.

Of course, for the two passengers behind him, this journey of a mere few hours felt perhaps far longer than it should, cramped as they were. Neither complained, but Vir could tell by their frequent reshuffling that both looked eager to alight.

“What are you smiling about?” Ashani asked from behind Vir.

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“What makes you think I’m smiling?” Vir said with a grin she couldn’t see.

“Oh, I have my ways. My mysterious Imperium ways…” Ashani said with a wink.

“Well, you’re right. I was just thinking how it would seem the legends were right about the Akh Nara.”

“That you would cause an era of upheaval?”

“Well, why don’t we ask our Iksana friend? What do you think, Ekat’Ma? Do you think I will destroy the world?”

Ekat’Ma was silent for a long moment. Longer than would have been comfortable for any other race. Awkward silences, however, were part and parcel of the ghael cultural experience.

“Raja Thaman is right. Your Gates are your greatest advantage. Militarily. Economically. Never again will the Demon Realm suffer as it has.”

“So, you approve?” Vir asked, hopeful his airship and Thaman’s show of support would have started to sway her.

“Change is coming. Chaos is coming. Perhaps prosperity.”

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Vir chuckled. “I’ll take that for a yes. Wouldn’t you say, Ashani?”

When Ashani didn’t respond, Vir turned around. “What’s wrong?” he asked, searching her wistful expression.

“Nothing at all. I was just reflecting on how much you’ve changed, Vir. From that desperate, panicking boy so distraught over breaking my core that he nearly drove himself into the ground… to this. Look at you now. A leader. Thinking of the future of his people.”

Vir turned back around, a wry smile creeping onto his face. “It has certainly been a journey, Ashani. For you, who lives so long, it may only feel like the barest blink of an eye, but for me… I scarcely recognize the person I’ve become.”

“Untrue,” Ashani said. “You’ve changed, yes. But you are still the sweet, caring young man you’ve always been. I know this, because even just now, you navigated that Trial without ever revealing who I was. Doing so would likely not only have granted you the Iksana’s full support, but their Ultimate art you’ve so long sought, as well.”

“It would have served my interests in the here and now, yes,” Vir said. “I would only have doomed myself in the long run. Besides, I could not do that to you, Ashani.”

Vir ignored the curious look from the Iksana. He hadn’t yet revealed Ashani’s true identity, though he figured it was only a matter of time until she learned and leaked the information back to Zarak’Nor.

While he wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea, Vir had made peace with it. While he wouldn’t actively show Ashani around, it was pointless attempting to hide her secret from the world. Especially not after her display at the Tournament.

“See? It’s that,” Ashani said. “Never lose that, Vir. That… purity. That desire to put others first. For it is more precious than you can imagine.”

“Funny,” Vir said. “I recall Cirayus telling me the same thing. Trust me, when two of the people I value most in this world tell me something, I listen.”

“I know!” Ashani said cheerily. “Which is why I find you so fascinating. Few leaders suffer from a lack of ego. Even among my people,” she added softly. “Perhaps that was what brought about the downfall of my civilization in the end.”

Vir bit his lip. Who knew for sure? Janak did, but all Vir had right now were bits and pieces. Snippets of the whole. Janak had triggered the cataclysm, yes, but what was the context around that?

The answers lay in his message chambers strewn about the world. Yet even knowing their general location, pinpointing them was an arduous task. At least until Saunak learned to reconfigure the navigation orb. Vir could not wait for the day when the greatest mystery of all time was finally laid bare.

Vir could feel it in his blood. Janak’s chambers. The liberation of the Garga. The new age of demonic prosperity. All were converging at once. The next months and years would prove to be the most momentous, and perhaps the most historic, in all of demon history.

Vir was pulled from his thoughts when the airship passed over the forests south of Samar Patag. The same forests the Ash beast horde had once surged through, nearly ravaging the city.

The memory brought with it both pride and the aching pain of regret when Vir thought of Bolin.

As much as he desired to say never again, Vir had matured since then. He knew this rebellion would cause yet more tragedies. More innocents perishing for no fault of their own. All he could do—all anyone could ever do—was minimize them.

“We’ll land in the forest,” Vir said, slowing the craft as he searched for an appropriate landing area. “Making a scene here will only set the Chits on high alert.”

“A wise plan,” Ashani said, hopping out as Vir landed the craft between two trees. A clearing would have been easier, but also brought with it an increased risk of detection. “Would you like me to create a Gate here?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Not at all,” Ashani said. “Though my primary core is running low. I may have to ask you to refill it soon.”

“Not a problem,” Vir said with a smile, thinking back to how much he’d struggled the first few times. These days, it only took a few minutes to fill up her core. The only requirement was that they be in the Mahādi Realm, but was of no concern either.

In just a few moments, they had a fresh Ash Gate leading back to Vir’s primary base. Stepping through, he asked a demon to round up some helpers to disassemble the craft before briefly checking in on the camp. All seemed well, and so Vir and Ashani stepped back, collapsing the Gate behind them.

There was no need to leave such a vulnerability behind. Especially one that might attract animals and Chitran patrols.

Making good time through the forest, Vir’s little group emerged at Samar Patag in only a few minutes. Security was so tight around its entrances that not even Vir, in disguise, would have been allowed through. Not without meticulously forged papers. Even if he had, Ashani and the wolves would never have been allowed through.

That was alright. It was one of the reasons he’d allowed Ekat’Ma to tag along, after all.

“Ekat’Ma, if you wouldn’t mind helping me shuttle the wolves past the wall? The process would go quite a bit faster with the two of us working together.”

“Of course,” Ekat’Ma said, nodding deeply.

“Ashani? I’ll carry you through last, once the wolves have secured the perimeter.”

“Quite the royal treatment! Ashani approves!” Ashani said with a playful smirk. “I cannot wait to see a new city. We hardly spent any time at all at Camar Gadin.”

“Oh, don’t worry, you’ll be able to explore Samar Patag to your heart’s content someday soon.”

Dance of the Shadow Demon made short work of the normally arduous task, with Vir and Ekat’Ma working together as a team to pull the others through.

Once inside, Vir inhaled deeply, allowing nostalgia to wash over him in waves. Slums though they may be, the memories he made here upon first arriving in the Demon Realm would forever endear the place to him. Even with its dirt and its odious smells, these were his people. His brothers and his sisters.

To think it’s been nearly a year already… Vir mused. It was difficult to tell exactly how long had passed with all the time he spent in the Ash.

“What do you intend to accomplish here?” Ekat’Ma rasped, her eyes scanning the homeless demons warily.

“A strategy meeting,” Vir said. “But before we can hold it, there is someone I need to meet. An old friend, of sorts. I want you all to come.”

Leaving the wolves to roam on their own accord, Vir bounded through the shadows, taking Ashani with him, while Ekat’Ma followed close behind.

The journey didn’t take long—Samar’s Patag’s slums were dense, shoved into a corner of a city like refuse. That made traveling, especially through shadows, trivially easy.

Vir found the old woman sleeping in her bedroom, her soft snore evidencing deep sleep. He approached slowly, reaching out a hand to rustle her awake.

Yet before he could, she spun from under her blanket, grasping Vir’s wrist with a vice grip.

In her other hand was a seric dagger, pressed firmly against Vir’s neck.

Vir smiled as a whole palette of emotions danced across the woman’s face. From the determined scowl of one committed to defending herself, to the shock when she realized her knife stopped cold against Vir’s throat as surely as if it were stone, before turning to confusion, and finally… Recognition.

“Nice to see you too, Greesha,” Vir said with a smirk.

Instead of replying, Greesha calmly put her dagger away, stood up, turned to face Vir… and slapped him across the head.

“Learn some manners!”