Chapter 15: Prana Vision

Chapter 15: Prana Vision

Vir sat cross-legged under the leafless tree that had quickly become his and Maiyas spot. His friend was off doing who-knew-what, leaving him alone under the searing heat of the midday sun with his trusty four legged companion. The bare tree did little to protect either of them. Beads of sweat dribbled down Virs forehead.

Life had become such a flurry of activity after arriving at Riyans place that hed hardly even had time to reflect upon the events of that fateful day at the Godshollow. The day Rudvik had died The day hed been possessed. He recalled only bits and pieces of those moments, but he did remember a name: Reaper Ekanai.

The one whod tried to kill Maiya. Whod spoken of some mission that Vir had no inkling about.

The warrior from his vision had been fierce and mighty. Invincible. Though Ekanai was clearly deranged, the sense of total confidence that filled Vir at that moment had been intoxicating. Hed felt nothing like it before Or ever since.

The most tangible effect hed carried forth from that ordeal was his altered eyesight. At first, hed worried that his eyes had been somehow corrupted. As time went on, he realized that wasnt the case at all. He saw more now. More than he ever had in his entire life.

And now he knew that what he had was special. Riyan had confirmed it himselfnot even the worlds strongest mejai could see prana. For the first time in his life, he possessed a powerful secret. Something no one other than Maiya knew about. Now, he had to learn how to leverage it.

But something had been worrying him about the ability. The dazzling intensity of the colors he saw during the vision had dimmed significantly. He struggled to see the colors that had almost nauseated him in the forest.

So instead, Vir shut his eyes and fell into his memory of the events back then.

Hed been separated from Maiya. He had run desperately to find her, finding her beset by two of the knights bandies.

Vir recalled the dread hed felt at that moment. Hed been too far to help her. Then then time had seemed to slow.

It rained that day. Black clouds.

No! He realized that wasnt true. Reaper Ekanais memories had bled into his own. There was no rain in the Godshollow, but it was raining in Ekanais memories. Vir focused on the image of rainfall. He soon realized that the rain in Ekanais memory wasnt rain at allit was falling ash.

Ash that fell eternally in a blighted realm.

Then he saw the lightning. So much lightning! A lightning storm, the likes of which hed never seen. Vir had only ever heard of those; Brij never saw that kind of weather. The crack of lightning striking nearby startled Vir. He forced his eyes open, finding only Neel staring at him quizzically.

He took a moment to let the feeling pass over him.

Youre not in a lightning storm. Youre sitting here on a dune under a tree.

There wasnt a cloud in sight.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

He repeated this mantra in his head several times and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes once more.

The lightning from Ekanais memory felt like it was everywhere, scorching the soot-covered earth wherever the Reaper had looked. Everything was so golden. No! Not gold, but one of the new colors that had bled into his vision afterwards. The gold color appeared only when lightning struck, and dissipated soon after.

Gold for Lightning.

Despite Maiyas rejection of his theory, Vir still suspected that his newly gained sight allowed him to see prana. As hed learned from her yesterday, Lightning affinity orbs were golden. Hed initially thought that orbs of the various affinities were dyed in different hues to help people differentiate them. But now he wondered whether they simply took on the color of the affinitys prana itself.

Vir shook his head. It was too early to come to that conclusion. He opened his eyes.

He stared at the ground beneath him. There was a color there, but it was so dim, he couldnt make it out. The problem he currently faced was that his new sight, whatever it really was, had faded significantly.

Vir had hoped that rekindling his memory of the events in the Godshollow would help restore his vision, but it was not to be. At a dead end, he did the only thing he couldtest the other affinities.

If Lightning strikes contained golden prana, and Riyans Life magic was white, then it stood to reason that the other affinities prana should show up in their respective elements. The simplest thing Vir could think of was water.

Vir pumped his fists with joy. The only elements left untested were ice and wind. He wasnt sure where hed find ice out here, but if he just waited long enough

Whoosh!

As if the gods had heard his thoughts, a gentle breeze blew past, ruffling his hair and threatening to put out his little fire.

Vir didnt care, because he saw it! Green in the air that rushed past him.

He spent the next several hours alternating between exhaustion and giddiness as he repeated his jumping jacks. During that time, he noticed something. The colors had actually become brighter. Now they were almost as bright as when hed been back in the Godshollow. Almost, but not quite.

The new colors overwhelmed his vision, but he was much more familiar with them now. He didnt lose his balance or feel nauseous. Instead, he appreciated the world in a way he never could before.

The way the colors danced through the air, the way they swirled through rivers and coursed through the trunks of trees It was all so delightfully elegant. Like hed stepped into a fabled realm of the gods.

Vir cast his gaze on a hare that ran across the plains. In it were traces of blue, green, white, and brown. Several elements were there, but the quantities were so tiny that hed never noticed them before.

Then he looked down at the earth and instantly regretted it. A wave of nausea overcame him, making him fall onto his butt. A vast ocean of prana lurked beneath his feet, all of it a single color: Brown. It was both bright and vast to his senses. So vast that he felt it dwarfed all the other affinities combined.

Groundno! Earth Affinity? But thats impossible!

There was no earth affinity. If there were, there would be orbs of that color. Itd be well known and used across the world. But it wasnt. Hed never heard of such an affinity.

Then he recalled Riyan. Hadnt he seen the very same affinity in Riyans own body?

What does this mean?

Then he looked at his arm and saw the prana that coursed through his body. There wasnt a trace of any affinity within his body. Not even a single mote. It was a barren void, with only a slight trickle of a deep, inky black from the marrow of his bones.

Yet despite its paltry quantity, the depth with which that black prana shone was far beyond any of the other affinities hed seen. It wasnt even remotely comparable. But what was it?

Vir felt a sudden prick of pain from his back; his exertion had taken its toll on his mending injuries. Hed have to see if there were better ways of activating his color vision, but for now, he could at least do jumping jacks, or jog, assuming he wasnt injured. The pain from the burn wound had lessened so much that hed almost forgotten about his burns. Thanks to Riyans orbs, he was almost back to normal again.

Thinking about his recovery made him remember Riyans condition for him staying, which soured his mood somewhat. He still needed to prove his combat prowess if he wanted to stay. Virs stamina was always a problem for him, and hed had no training in the combat arts.

If he wanted to prove to Riyan that he was worth keeping around, hed need something more. Something like this new ability hed gained. Something like Prana Vision.

Once again, Vir contemplated telling the man about Prana Vision. He might be able to prove to the man he could see prana, but wanted to reserve that as a last resort. If he failed his physical test, he'd tell him. Otherwise, it would be in his best interest to hide it; he still didn't know how much he could trust the man.

Vir! Vir, are you there? From far away, he heard Maiyas panicked voice.

Boy! You will pay for this! How dare you take my Ashva without permission!

It was Riyans thundering voice. And he sounded pissed.

Oh no. Badraks Balls! Nonono! Virs blood ran cold.

I never told them I was going out.

Next time: 16 - Rite Of Passage