Chapter 242: The Realm of Demons
Maiya? Maiya can you hear me? Please, say something! Vir said for what must have been the hundredth time.
Might be these orbs dont function across realms, lad, Cirayus said, resting a hand upon Virs shoulder. You cant know.
Cirayus reached down and put the orb back into Vir's black Imperium rucksack, which he'd smothered in ash, hoping to disguise its exotic fabric further.
Vir ground his teeth in frustration. Cirayus had hit on the crux of the issue. They couldnt know. They couldnt know if Maiya was alive and simply unable to communicate, or
No! No, I refuse to believe that. I wont. Not until I have proof.
Cirayus had laid out all of their gear and was checking everything over, inventorying their stock. Vir had brought his white, untearable pack from Mahdi, though hed hardly used it for anything yet. With Balancer of Scales, itd always made sense for Cirayus to carry all of their gear. At least, in the Ashen Realm. Here, where prana was so scarce, the Bairan couldn't use his powers so freely anymore.
Well be needing to resupply soon, Cirayus said. Plants dont grow nearly as well here, in the Demon Realm. Especially this far east. Away from the Ash Boundary.
Vir only half heard him as he stared blankly at the sunset-dyed desert, feeling empty. It was always sunset here, which meant the Demon Realm was perpetually cast in shades of red, orange, and yellow near the sun, and the blues of dusk on the other end of the sky.
Good for Dance of the Shadow Demon. Not so good for ones mental health.
Vir never knew how something so pretty when it occurred only a few minutes a day could look so warped when it became permanent.
The Demon Realm was not right, though it was broken in a different manner than the Ashen Realm'. The sun hung eternally in the same position, half of it hidden, half peeking just over the horizon. Never quite day, though never quite dusk, either.
At first glance, the Human Realm appeared the least broken of them all until Vir recalled it lacked the moon that was supposed to hang in the sky at night.
Theyd been here only a day, and already, Vir felt out of place. The near-total lack of prana only made it worse. Having grown used to the Ashen Realm, Vir felt like a fish out of water.
Having grown so used to Micro Leaping everywhere, it took real discipline to walk normally. It felt awful. Like hed just lost his legs and was hobbling around on crutches.
This, despite his muscles absolutely rippling with power. Far more than they ever had throughout his life. He had to put in effort to explosively jump via his muscles. Prana, however, was effortless.
Once again, Vir had to conserve his prana usage, and once again, he had to wear face paint to disguise himself. The only difference was that the color was now red instead of cream, and that he no longer had to change his eye color. Most demons had red eyes.
And yet, all of those paled next to his worry for Maiya.
We need to go back, Vir said at last. I need to know if Maiyas safe.
Cirayus, who was on all sixes packing the gear back into his oversized rucksack, paused to regard Vir.
I know how you feel, lad. Youre in a foreign land. Natural to miss the lass. Youre worried. But going back will take as long as it took to come here. You know these communication orbs do not function in the Ashen Realm. What if shes simply away from her orb? What if she tries to get in touch with you while youre in the Ash?
Vir was sure the demon would scold him for even thinking of going back. He thought Cirayus would blame Vir for turning his back on the Demon Realm. But he did none of that. He used something far more potentreason.
Thats fair, Vir conceded. Going back wont solve anything, would it?
Like Ashani, Maiyas fate was something that would linger in Virs thoughtsexcept this was much worse. Could he even be functional without knowing she was safe?
Despite all of this, Vir felt he held an overwhelming advantage over his fellow demons. An advantage that ought to scale to more prana-dense regions as well. The only unknown was the effect of tattoos, but after seeing how much less potent Balancer of Scales had become, Vir wasnt overly worried. At least, not against unaffiliated tattoos. Weakened though it may be, Cirayus Ultimate was still extremely formidable.
Vir approached a yurt, hesitated, and finally called out.
Um, hello? Is anybody home? Vir shouted, careful to emulate the accent and dialect he'd heard the Chitrans use.
Other than the dozen demonic kids, who all gave him suspicious looks, he hadnt spotted a single person outside.
At least the face paint is working. Vir had never disguised himself as a red demon before, but reds were far more common than grays, and so it made sense. It helped that Shan wasnt around, either. The wolf, though small compared to his brothers and sisters, was still larger than any prana wolf Vir had ever seen. He also attracted attention, though unlike Neel, Shan was quite proficient at remaining out of sight when he wanted to.
Prana Vision clearly showed that most of the yurts were filled to the brim with people. While he occasionally heard chatter and sounds of shuffling, no one had come outside until now.
Vir waited a long moment. He began to wonder if the three individuals inside were ignoring him when one rose from a chair and trundled over to the entrance. All their prana signatures were incredibly dim, but Vir saw enough to see she walked with a limp.
We dont get many outsiders here. Whatdya want? the middle-aged woman snapped, a look of suspicion on her face.
I, uh Vir stared at her for a moment, before deciding to take a gamble. Im Gargan. Looking for some supplies.
The womans eyes narrowed. You speak odd. You with the rebellion?
Why would you ask that? Vir asked.
The woman shrugged. They're always recruiting demons from all over. So I just figured...
Vir considered his next words carefully, sizing the woman. She wasn't a kothi. She lived in a poor village in the middle of nowhere, and she was clearly old enough to have lived through the sacking of Samar Patag. That, and her casual demeanor when discussing such a dangerous topic allowed Vir to guess a few things.
And if I am? he replied, leaving all emotion off his face.
The woman burst out grinning. Well, then I'd tell ya to come in, come in! Youll be needing food and shelter, ye?
Uh, no, actually Id just appreciate it if you could tell me where to find some supplies, Vir said in relief.
Ash dung! the woman barked.
Does she mean Ashva dung?
Yer stayin with us. Warrior like yous gotta eat. Keep those mean muscles you got packed on, yeah? Whered you bulk up so much, anyway? Youve got the arms and legs of an Ashva!
Vir flushed at her comment. He wasnt that big. Next to Cirayus, he was nothing. Rather, his body contained not even an ounce of fat. It made his dense, toned muscles look more prominent than they were.
I
I wont take no for an answer, young man! Youre comin in and thats that.
The woman grabbed his wrist and pulled him along with more force than Vir had thought possible.
Resigning himself, he allowed the woman to pull him along.
Maiya What have I gotten myself into?