Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 141: The Same, Yet Different

Im sorry, Vir. The Pagan Orders heresy must be brought to light, Tia said, standing in front of the leaders of every major nation in the Known World. Tell your people. Tell everyone that the Order is a haven for demons. They plot to overthrow you even as we speak!

No! Tia, stop! Vir shouted, but his voice wasnt heard by any of those assembled.

To arms! they cried.

The scene rippled, like a drop of water falling on a perfectly calm lake. Now Tia stood in front of an Executor.

Did you know? Your Acolyte not only failed to complete his contract, but he actively went against your wishes. He helped the Pagan Order. That band of evil demons!

We shall excise him at once. The Brotherhoods doors will be forever barred to him. Issue the bounty for his head immediately!

Wait! It was just a test! Vir shouted, but yet again, his voice fell on deaf ears. They didnt want me to kill the demon! I swear!

The scene shifted again, and this time, Virs heart nearly stopped.

No. Dont, he whispered. Please.

You betrayed me, Vir, Tia said, pressing her spear against Bumpys neck. If only youd told me who you were, we could have avoided this.

Stop! Vir screamed, right before Tia plunged her weapon into the Ashva. Bumpy squealed in pain then went deathly still.

I did him a favor, Vir. Now hell no longer have to serve demon filth.

No! Vir roared, shooting up with his hand outstretched.

Whats wrong? Maiya asked, startled awake by Virs cry. Vir? Are you alright? Gods, youre drenched in sweat!

Vir looked around dazedly.

With a great sigh, he brought a hand to his face. Sorry. Just nightmares.

Still bothered by what happened last night? Maiya asked, holding his hand. You can tell me anything, you know?

There was no lie in her eyes, and Vir knew that he truly could talk about anything and everything with her. Unlike Tia.

Tia was more than just the leader of Spears Edge to me, Vir said, gazing down at the waves that crashed against Balindams walls in the distance. The city was still waking up, with the sun having just poked its head above the horizon, painting the sky amber. Under any other circumstance, hed have gazed at it, enraptured.

As in you liked her?

Huh? Oh, no. She was a friend. A good friend. Now shes gone.

Friends with a princess in hiding. Look at you! Maiya teased.

I never even suspected, Vir said, frowning. Sawai, sure. But royalty? Never. She never did explain why she was gallivanting as a Brotherhood Mercenary, though. I got the feeling Rani knew who she was, but I never guessed she mightve been doing it to hide from some threat.

Was she hiding to protect herself? Like me

Maiya shook her head. No, it makes perfect sense. With the death of her parents, her brother took the crown, but Matali is a dying kingdom. There are plenty of people out there whod love to hasten their demise. Hate to admit it, but Kinjals one of them. Just that they have their own way of going about things.

Theyll move in and take over when Matali finally falls, huh? Vir said grimly.

Its how the Kinjals are. When Matali does collapse, itll be chaotic and dangerous. The Kinjal Empire might actually restore order and save some lives in the process. They might even leave Erhan in charge.

Theyll save the lives they themselves put in jeopardy by precipitating their downfall? What a mess.

Truly is. But a princess, huh? You have a thing for princesses, Vir? Im Im afraid Im not a princess, milord, she said, batting her eyelids, pretending to look bashful. I might be but a plain village girl, milord, but Ive my own charm, I assure you.

Vir punched her lightly on the shoulder. Believe me, Im glad youre not. If theres one thing Ive learned, its that royaltys nothing but trouble. I want nothing to do with them.

You are so fabulously right about that. Shes like an overgrown baby. That girl seriously needs to grow up.

Sure does. Though she did have her redeeming traits.

Oh yeah? Such as being an entitled chal?

Vir rolled his eyes. She was daring and strong, though she bordered on reckless.

I can be daring! Maiya said, just before stomach grumbled, making her blush and look away. You heard nothing.

Right, Vir said with a grin. How about we go grab something to eat? Still some time before my meeting with the Tribunal, and Id love to show you around the city.

Works for me, Maiya said, taking Virs hand to help her up. Can we go see Neel, though? Been dying to see him!

Vir thought for a moment. Sure, but I cant take you with me. Not yet, anyway. Mind waiting out here while I fetch him?

Oh, what? In this terrible place? With that awful sunrise and that annoying breeze? Maiya laughed. Take your time. I could spend all day here.

Vir rolled his eyes. Be right back.

Vir Leaped away, just barely catching Maiyas Show off! before he was out of earshot.

Rushing to the nearest entrance checkpoint to the Undercity, Vir rubbed off some face paint to prove his identity, then Leaped through the tunnels, powered by a sense of inner warmth he couldnt quite explain. Arriving at his home in just minutes, he found Neel sleeping lazily in a pool of his own dribble.

The moment Vir entered, the bandy sprang up, wagging his tail and running circles around Vir, howling in joy.

I missed you too, buddy, he said, kneeling to scratch his friend behind the ears. Hey, wanna go meet a friend you havent seen in a while? Promise youll like it!

Awoo Awooo!

Good boy! Race you there! Vir said as he locked the door behind them, then took off Leaping again. There was a time when Neel wouldve beaten him handily, looking back at him with smug satisfaction. These days, the bandy had no chance. Worse, the Voidlands sapped the poor bandys strength. Vir didnt even need his Talents to give his furry friend some stiff competition.

They slowed only when approaching the hidden trapdoor that led to the surface checkpoint. Strategically placed inside a locked building, and guarded by Order demons, nobody was getting in or out without approval.

Vir waved to the guards before hastily touching up his face paint, then rushed back to Maiya.

Neeeeeeeeel! Maiya shouted, running up to the bandy with open arms. Neel jumped, tackling her and sending them both crashing to the ground.

Hahaha! Still as energetic as ever, arent you? Maiya said, as the bandy furiously licked her face.

She embraced him in a deep hug, rocking gently back and forth. Its good to see you again, boy.

Aroooooo!

Surprised he hasnt forgotten you by now, Vir said sarcastically, eliciting a scowl from Maiya.

Hed never forget me! He loves me the most out of anyone in this whole wide realm. Right, boy?

Woof woof.

See?

Hes just excited to find someone wholl play with him.

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The two of them entertained Neel a while longer, playing fetch on the grass, before the bandy had had his fill and tired out. Given the lack of prana in the area, Vir felt the bandy put up quite an impressive showing.

Youve really grown close to the Order, huh? Maiya asked as they waited for Neel to recover. I get that theyre demons, but you havent even known them all that long, have you?

Just a few days, actually, Vir replied. But, well theyve created something amazing here, Maiya. I wont lie. Some of the stuff they say scares me. Theyre far too extreme with humans, but everything else? Its like a dream come true.

While he couldnt wait to tell her all about the Undercity, he wouldnt dare without obtaining permission first. He planned to ask the Tribunal about it during their meeting later.

I imagine it is, Vir. Im glad that youve found some people who accept you.

Me too. Hasnt been an easy road getting here, though. Theres more to that Tia story. A lot more.

Tell me, Maiya said, hooking her arm in his as they walked down the hill into town.

I ran into Tia and her party, Spears Edge, back at Zorin.

I still think Spears Edge is a terrible name, she said. What kind of name is that?

Inside joke, Vir said with a pained smile. He still didnt know how to treat all the fond memories of his time with Tias party. Was he to banish them from memory? Or was it okay to value them for what they were?

Easier said than done. Recent events had tainted those joyous moments for him, serving as a reminder of all that had gone wrong.

Anyway, Vir said, shaking off the thought. I traveled with them for a time, and eventually joined their party after we arrived at Avi.

Id normally ask what drove you to do such a thing, but, well, Maiya said, glancing at Vir. You never did have many friends at Brij. I imagine you must have been overjoyed to finally find people who didnt ostracize you.

Thats exactly right, Vir said, raising a brow.

Ive known you your whole life, silly. Why are you even surprised?

Vir laughed. True. Youre right, it was a stupid decision, in hindsight. After that, most of what Ive been doing since fleeing from Daha is collecting information about the Pagan Order. Mainly by accumulating enough karma with Brotherhood contracts, though I ended up not needing it.

Howd you even know to seek the Order, though? Their identity might be an open secret among royalty, but its definitely not common knowledge. The Order does a lot to run interference, drowning out any rumormongers with their propaganda.

Thats interesting. I wasnt aware, Vir said, mulling it over.

Its not just them, either. Pretty much every country in the Known World is in on it, too. You can never keep such a big thing a real secret, but nobodyll ever believe the rumors when Kinjal and Rani say otherwise.

I didnt know a thing about the Order, to be honest. Not until Daha.

Daha? Maiya asked.

Thats Vir lowered his voice. I found something. Deep beneath Dahas sewers. An ancient Imperium outpostan outpost of the gods, Maiya!Intact and functional.

Maiya stopped walking. No way. Thats how? Thats seric! Did you find a powerful Artifact?

Vir narrowed his eyes. No, sadly. But I did find the avatar of Lord Janak. Or, the avatar of a copy of Janak, anyway.

Lord Janak? As in the god? Maiya whispered.

Lord Janak, Vir confirmed. A bunch of stuff happened, but he said I should seek the Pagan Order.

Kinda weird hed direct you here, though. Still, this is insane. The Kinjal have no records of anything like that!

Vir shot her a glance. You sure seem to know an awful lot.

Well, yeah. Its kinda my job. I work directly for Princess Ira, so I have access to quite a lot of sensitive Kinjal intelligence. If Kinjal knows about it, chances are I can get my hands on it. You have no idea how many hours Ive spent combing over intelligence reports. Its mostly just boring and awful, honestly.

Still. The princess must trust you a lot.

She does, Maiya replied with a concerned frown.

You havent told the princess you were working for Riyan, have you?

Of course not! I dont have a death wish. But if she does find out, thats probably whats gonna happen to me, anyway. But hey, tell me more about this outpost. What was it like?

Magical. Prana was everywhere. And not just randomly. I think I think the gods could see prana like I do. The way they inlaid prana into their buildings, it had to be that way.

Theyd just entered the hustle and bustle of Balindams city streets, though there werent quite as many people out at this hour, allowing them a leisurely stroll down the cobblestone paths.

Seric, Maiya breathed in wonder. Yknow? I didnt believe you way back when we arrived at Riyans place. When you said you could see prana. But Id be lying if I said I havent benefited immensely from it. Your prana manipulation techniques, Vir The Kinjal think Im a prodigy for progressing so quickly with my magic.

Vir had peered at Maiyas prana earlier, finding it to be mostly the same as before, so what she said came as a surprise.

I can manipulate it so much more freely now. Im at the cusp of becoming a Greater Mejai of Ash! Its all thanks to you. You cant know how much your instruction helped me.

Thats seriously impressive. Whats your Balar Rank?

Well, around a hundred, Maiya said. Probably more, now.

Virs eyes bulged. V-very impressive, Maiya! he said tersely.

Whats um, whats yours? Maiya asked, looking at her feet.

Virs head fell slightly. Sixty. Ive gained some power since then, though. Still, dunno if Id rank a hundred. Look at you, racing past me.

Its not a competition, Vir.

Maiya, if youre gonna lie, at least try to do it without a grin plastered all over your face?

O-oh. Sorry. Ha! I mean, Ive been weaker than you for so long. Allow me my moment in the sun, will you?

Im happy for you. Really, Vir said. Must feel great, knowing youve come so far.

It does, Maiya said with a smile so dazzling, Vir bumped into a passerby.

Oi! Watch it, laddie!

Vir mumbled an apology, thankful for the makeup that hid his flushed face.

Maiya said nothing, but Vir didnt miss the smirk on her face.

Lets be honest, Vir, she said. Im just practicing your technique. When you make your next breakthrough, youre gonna Leap past me again, Maiya quipped, prompting a chuckle from Vir.

Really, though. You should be proud. Vir said. He meant it. Sure, he was a little jealous, but he also beamed with satisfaction. To have come so far meant shed slogged for it. If she was Balar 100, shed earned every last digit. All while learning the Kinjal Balarian arts, too.

She must truly be a force to be reckoned with now, Vir thought. Maybe well fight side by side one day.

What is that? Maiya said, gawking at an apothecarys assortment of healing implements. It was the same stall Vir had stopped at on the day hed arrived at Balindam. That's a bone, isnt it? That looks awfully like a bone. Yep, thats definitely a bone.

Metatarsal, dearie, the kindly woman said. From the toe. Cures all kinds of poisons. You need only dip it into your drink before consuming it.

Vir wished he couldve captured Maiyas look of absolute revulsion.

Does that really work? Maiya whispered in Virs ear.

If it did, wouldnt everyone be using it? he whispered back.

Good point.

But some of their stuff is quite effective, Vir said after theyd thanked the woman and left the stall behind. They have to live without magic here, so theyve come up with some really innovative ways of doing things.

The non-magical lighting that illuminated the Undercity still awed him.

Cant wait to see Maiyas reaction to that, he thought.

At some point, theyd begun holding hands, just like they did in the old days. It was more a habit than anything intentional, though Vir still felt giddy, feeling her palm in his. There was something different about it this time around.

Her hands so soft.

Vir! What about that one? Look at those pastries! Dont they just look so juicy? Maiya said, pulling him along. This, too, hadnt changed one bit. Shed always led him around, back at Brij. At the time, hed found her annoying and pushy, but now

Kinda cute.

Vir shook his head. Why do I keep thinking of stuff like that? It was terribly distracting.

And yet, while the mannerism mightve remained, Maiya had changed. Grown. She was working for a Kinjali princess now. Working for those who would happily gobble up Tias country without a second thought. The very country Riyan considered a mortal enemy.

Say, Maiya? Vir said as Maiya chomped down on a grilled veggie skewer.

Mmhmm? she said with her cheeks full of a fried sugar pastry she still hadnt swallowed.

Do you ever feel bad about working for Kinjal? I mean, I dont have any love for Hiranya, but Kinjal seems I dunno. I wouldnt call them good guys, you know?

Owo shuzzies. Wirash gunnashput nend todat.

Iras going to put an end to that? Vir clarified with a bemused expression. Her lack of etiquette ought to have felt unsightly to him, but instead, her puffy cheeks reminded him of an endearing chipmunk. He wondered how her handmaiden colleagues would react if they saw her like this.

If only I had that moving painting device at Valaka Amara. If he could capture this moment, thered be no end to how much he could torment the girl.

Maybe its for the best that things like that dont exist, Vir thought. If they did, everyone would walk around with peoples worst moments. That sounded downright terrifying.

Thats right, Maiya replied, having swallowed her snack. Princess Ira wants to end Kinjals expansionist policies to establish better diplomatic ties with its neighbors. She wants to oust Imperator Androsher fatherto make that happen. And she wants me to help with all this. Can you believe that? Me, of all people.

Maiyas eyes went as wide as saucers and she put her hand over her mouth. Grak!

Vir froze, looking furtively around. Luckily, the crowd had thickened to where any conversations would be lost in the noise.

Maiya, that is not the kind of thing you ought to be telling me in public! What if someone overheard?

I know! Trust me, I don't normally slip up like that! I dunno what came over me, Maiya said, her cheeks turning red. I just... lost track of where I was. It's not like me, I swear.

Vir understood. After all, he'd been feeling all sorts of weird sensations. Maybe it was the same for her? We should be alright. But be more careful, please? For your own sake.

Maiya nodded.

Vir mulled over her words. If Princess Ira wanted to change Kinjals policies, it would represent a windfall for Riyan. Had the man placed Maiya there knowingly? Or had this been mere luck?

There was something else that bothered Vir, though.

You like working there, dont you?

A pang of pain shot through Virs chest, though he couldnt explain why.

I do. I truly do. Its You know how I used to fantasize when I was little? This is literally my dream come true.

Guess you got your big city life, Vir replied, chuckling.

Sonams the biggest city in the Known World. Its staggering, honestly. And Ive got magic now, even if its not fire magic. I live in the royal castle, Vir! And I work directly for a princess, though shes kind of a workaholic. And the money? The prestige? If you told me Id have all of these things a year ago, Id have thrown myself into Riyans arms and begged him to send me there.

Wish I could say the same, Vir thought. Hed grown stronger, sure, but he was now a fugitive. Vir doubted he could ever return to the country of his youth. Hed even been forced to kill people. Yes, hed grown from those experiences, but he felt as though hed lost something along the way. Something precious.

Vir, trust me. Youll love Sonam. And you could live in the castle with me! If, erm, yknow if you wanted to.

Vir smiled. How about we deal with that later? Lets head back to the castle. You wont be able to attend the Tribunals meeting with me, but Id love to show you the grounds after. Maybe even some other stuff, if were lucky.

Id love that, Maiya said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

It was such a simple, benign action, and yet, once again, Virs capacity for thought sailed away to the horizon.

G-good, then.