56: Immortal (Patreon)

Double chapter release today to celebrate #1 on RS and 3k follows!

Got a few edit announcements before we begin. Apologies in advance for the length!

#1: This is the largest retroactive change I've made. In ch 1 after Vir's run in with the cultist, his tattoo pulses with power and he gains voices in his head. Far louder than the one's he's always had. Over the course of arc 1, he experiments with this & learns it's related to magic & is trying to tell him something about magic. It's a rudimentary form of prana vision. In ch 9, it's replaced by prana vision. I added this to bring a magic progression element into arc 1, since the progression stuff is a late to kick off.

#2: I've made Ekanai more powerful in the prologue. He shows off a new power called Balancer of Scales. He's more badass now as a result. Search for that phrase if interested. (Updated on RR, not patreon). Thanks to Hunter8k, seadog, and Ashura

Link: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/63958/ashborn-primordial-an-epic-progression-fantasy/chapter/1100798/arc-1-1-the-end-of-your-world-the-beginning-of

#3: At one point, I'd edited the prose to have Vir tell Tanya about Prana Vision, but I have redacted this edit. In the edited version, she didn't believe him, and she told Riyan, who also didn't quite believe him. But seeing as how Riyan now considers Vir a prodigy, it doesn't really make sense for him not to believe Vir about prana vision. But if he *did* believe Vir, it'd mean accepting that his/the mejai's understading of magic is broken. Which has ramifications that won't really work for the story. So, I've returned the prose back to where Vir hides Prana vision from them both. Maiya still knows all about it.

Lastly, note that patreon billing has been updated to monthly on the date you join. (Rather than the 1st of the month). This doesn't impact existing patrons, but new patrons can sign up whenever they like, without having to worry about being double billed if they sign up at the end of the month.

Vir took the lead, navigating through Brij’s streets. While Maiya knew the village as well as he did, she didn’t have the benefit of Prana Vision. Especially useful for maneuvering around piles of Ash’va dung, of which there were many. And while the main road was well lit, the alleys had far more darkness than light, with the rare Magic Candle placed haphazardly by whoever lived nearby.

Vir soon found his usual route to the temple, leading Maiya down a series of familiar alleys. Nothing had changed… and yet, it felt like everything had changed. Neither he nor Maiya would ever be welcomed back here again.

Maiya must have been thinking the same thing. “We can never come back, would we?” She asked.

“Even if we could,” Vir replied, “would you really want to?”

“Never,” came Maiya’s reply in an instant. “I’ve hated this place since the moment I was born. Good riddance, I say. What about you? All you ever wanted was a life in the village, yeah?”

“I…” Vir said, thinking it over. The answer came to him easily. “I wouldn’t.”

“Figures,” Maiya said. “We’ve seen the wider world. There’s no going back now.”

He had to agree. Returning to village life felt… Well, it felt like a tragic waste. He didn’t know when he started feeling that way, but the thought of coming back filled him with pure revulsion. His fate had changed forever on that day the knights arrived, and were it not for Rudvik’s death, Vir would have been happy for it.

Without the knights, Vir would never have met Riyan. And he definitely would never have learned about Kalari or katars… Or, for that matter, about prana and Talents. So much had changed on account of that one event.

All because of my decision to flee to the Godshollow, he realized. He did have an option back then. He could have gone with the knights. If he had, Rudvik would still be alive.

Guilt threatened to seize his heart, but Vir shook off the feeling. His father would never have wanted him in the hands of those knights. He’d made the right decision to flee.

The real question was—knowing what he knew now… would he make the same decision? That was harder to say. He’d grown so much, but it all came at the cost of Rudvik’s life. How could he possibly weigh those two on a scale?

“Just wish things didn’t have to end up this way,” Maiya muttered, echoing his thoughts.

They continued on in the darkness, taking their time. While the alley was empty, they were plenty of sounds—a man yelling at his wife, an elderly person’s snores, Ash’va snorting, and the mouthwatering scent of home cooked food.

The village was rarely ever truly silent, which helped hide Vir and Maiya’s presence. It wasn’t like they weren’t allowed to explore the village, but two Sawai teens gallivanting in an alley at night were bound to attract some attention.

“I think… I think I might have lied to you, Vir,” Maiya said at length.

“About what?”

“I don’t think I can stay at Riyan’s anymore. Not when my parents are missing like this. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep until I know where the knights have taken them.”

“I understand, Maiya. Their wellbeing is the most important thing in the world. I’ll come with you.”

Vir realized she’d stopped, so he turned around and met her gaze.

“You mean that?” she asked, searching his expression.

He nodded. “Of course. Aliscia was like a mother to me, and your dad… I could work for a lifetime and I still wouldn’t be able to repay my debt to him.”

Maiya hugged him briefly. “Thanks, Vir. You can’t know how much this means to me.”

“C’mon,” Vir said, flushing with embarrassment. “Maybe we’ll find something at your place.”

He led them to another alley—the one where he’d encountered the Child of Ash. He could only shake his head at the memory. Back then, he’d felt as if the cultist was some kind of god of death who’d snatch him away.

Now, he realized that the man was emaciated, didn’t have a shred of combat training, and that old man Akros could’ve defeated him. Against Vir with his full stamina, Kalari training, and Talents? Vir felt confident he could fight ten cultists and come out without a scratch.

Wonder what my Balar Rank is now… he idly thought.

The great temple doors soon appeared before them in the darkness, its doors nailed shut by planks of heavy wood.

The planks were etched with the words: ‘Closed until further notice.’

“Looks like they haven’t found a new priest yet,” Vir commented, placing his hand upon the door. He’d had so many good memories in this place. He only hoped it opened its doors again soon.

“Priests are hard to come by,” said Maiya, eyeing the building with sorrow. “Most villages don’t even have one.”

“Let’s try your home,” Vir said, taking Maiya’s arm. It was best not to linger on their regrets.

Apramor’s house was located only a short distance away. They found it in a similar state, with the main door locked and barred.

Vir yanked at the wood, but it refused to budge. “Back door?”

Maiya nodded and led him around to the other side. Luckily, this door was only locked and not barred.

Vir broke out his lock-picking set, which made short work of it. As Rudvik liked to say, ‘de simplest answer’ll lead ya true.’

Upon finishing, Vir bowed theatrically and swung the door open for Maiya. “After you, my lady,” he said, hoping to ease her nerves.

His friend rolled her eyes, then looked inside. The moment she did, Vir immediately knew something was wrong.

She rushed in, activating her Magic Lamp orb, and he followed. Maiya’s light shone upon a scene of devastation and chaos.

Ceramic shards from cracked pots lay littered across the floor, and there wasn’t even a single piece of furniture in the room. Cabinets had been ripped open and cast aside, curtains ripped asunder.

Vir gently squeezed Maiya’s shoulder.

“Why?” She whispered. “Why did the knight have to do this? Were they not satisfied with taking my parents!?”

Vir squeezed tighter. “I… don’t think the knights did this, Maiya. Nothing here’s of any use to them.”

“You mean… wait, no. We saw my table at Akros’ house. They’re obviously the ones behind this. I should’ve expected such behavior from backwater ignoramus trash.”

Vir was a bit shocked at her language, though he understood her feelings. “Your family was far richer than everyone else in the village. Even your tables and chairs would be enough to improve the quality of life of the villagers.”

Maiya spun and faced him. “And that makes it right to steal from my house? What’s supposed to happen when my dad returns? You think he’ll just say ‘oh well, you needed it more than we did. I’ll just return to my position and pretend like none of this ever happened’? This is unforgivable!”

“I’m not agreeing with them, Maiya. Just saying that this is exactly the kind of thing they’d do, is all.”

Unlike her, he found it hard to be angry at Akros and his ilk. Instead, all he felt was pity, the way one might pity a starving bandy.

“How dare they! They’ll pay. I’ll make them pay!” she shouted. Vir threw his hand over her mouth.

“Quiet! We can’t let anyone find us here!”

Maiya’s eyes opened wide. Then tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to pour out onto her cheeks.

Vir hurriedly dabbed them away before they could smear her disguise.

Grasping her shoulders, Vir met her gaze. “Look, homes can be mended. What they did was wrong, and I am sure they’ll get their just desserts one day. We should focus on any clues your parents might have left behind. Okay? Maybe they left a hint about where they went.”

She nodded and whispered something Vir couldn’t quite hear.

Upon inspecting the damaged kitchen and dining areas, Vir found that every utility orb had been swiped, as well as anything of value. Less useful implements like wooden spoons and clay pots lay broken or thrown aside. There really was nothing left. If Apramor and Aliscia had left anything for Maiya, he hoped they’d hidden it well.

“Do you have anywhere you stash things you don’t want found?” he asked.

Maiya tapped her chin, then bolted to the stairs and up to the second floor, taking the only light source in the room with her.

Vir didn’t mind the darkness. Prana Vision let him make out most of the objects, laden with a smattering of various affinities as they were. It was strange—at some point he’d grown used to his augmented vision, though any time he stepped back and took in the myriad of new colors, it always awed him. He’d never understood why only he had Prana Vision, or anything even remotely close to it. It was a subtle power that gave him an edge in a variety of areas.

Vir gave Maiya a moment, allowing himself to sink into the nostalgia of the place. Like the temple, some of his best memories were at this house—Aliscia’s cooking, loudmouthed Rudvik arguing against Apramor, the nights he and Maiya had burned candles staying up late into the night, trading stories—sneaking down at an ungodly hour to nab a cracker from the kitchen.

All in the past, now. This home would never know those times again. A part of Vir died when he realized that.

“V-Vir?” Maiya called out from upstairs. “Can you come up here?”

With heavy steps, he made his way up to her bedroom, though it was hardly recognizable. Like the rest of the house, all the furniture that could be moved had been looted, leaving behind a bare, empty room. They’d even torn apart Maiya’s pink wall coverings.

The girl sat cross-legged on the floor, turning over a pitch black envelope with a red wax seal. “They didn’t do a great job searching,” she said. “Didn’t even look under the creaky floorboard.”

“What’s it say?” Vir asked.

“Dunno. Haven’t opened it yet.”

She flipped it over, and Vir made out Aliscia’s immaculate handwriting: ‘To Mai’, it said. “It’s from my parents.”

She handed the envelope to Vir. “You read it.”

“Uh, you sure? It looks like they meant it for you.”

“I’m sure. I… Yeah. I’m sure.”

Vir shrugged and popped the seal, carefully retrieving the single piece of paper within and unfolding it reverently.

The message wasn’t long—enough to fit on a single side, and written in perfect cursive.

Vir cleared his throat and began his recitation.

To Maiya, our most beloved star…

We still remember the day you came into this world, kicking and screaming. We always knew you would grow up to be a rambunctious young woman! If only we knew just how correct we would be! You caused us no end of headaches… and yet, we would not trade you for the world. You may hate us for raising you in ‘a backwater village’, but Maiya, you were—you are—our proudest achievement. You will always be, even long after we have left this world.

Knowing you, Vir must be right there by your side, listening to you read this letter. You were always inseparable, after all. Perhaps he is the one reading? Well? Are we correct?

Hello, Vir! It is good to see you. Truly.

Prana scorned. Ashborn. You have suffered under many names. But to us, you are the son we never had, and so this message is for you as well.

Do not be sad for us. Read this letter and find strength. Not sorrow.

Support each other, for you are precious. More precious than you know.

When Fate’s whims separate you two and carry you each to distant realms, never forget that. Never forget the bond you share.

Make it unbreakable, and you will not bend. Make it supple, and you will not shatter. In each other, find your strength, find your home, and find yourselves.

Grow strong.

This is our only wish. Do not search for us. Do not grieve us. Remember us in your memories, both of you. While we may be gone from this world, we live on in your memories.

And thus, we are immortal.

With Dearest Love,

Mom and dad

The ransacked home’s deathly silence was broken—not by wails or screams—but quiet sobbing.