76: Guaranteed Annihilation (Patreon)

“Janak,” Vir said blankly, addressing the glowing man who stood ten paces tall. White was the word that best described him. From his hair to his long white beard and goatee, his flowing white robe with blue-white patterns, he shone like a sun to Vir’s eyes and Prana Vision alike. “As in the god from the myths?”

“Myths,” Janak said with a chuckle, but there was no happiness in his eyes. Only tragedy. “Yes. I am one and the same.”

Of all the sermons Apramor had ever given, Vir valued Janak’s story the most. A mortal who had ascended to divinity. Who’d triumphed against all odds. And here he was, meeting this god in person…

Vir took a knee.

“Rise, Ekavir, seventh of your line. Janak died millennia ago,” the glowing man said, striding up to him. “Along with the rest of his kind.”

“How do you know my name?” Vir blurted before realizing he was talking to a living god. Of course he’d know his name.

“I know much about you. I have observed you since you arrived at Daha.”

Observed? From where? He hadn’t felt like anyone was spying on him. Unless…

Comprehension dawned upon Vir. “From the Vimana.”

“Indeed.” The man offered his hand, which Vir reverently took… but found that his hand passed right through.

“This body is not of flesh and blood. I am merely a memory, from an age long forgotten. An avatar. This meeting is fortuitous, but our time is short. How did you reach this place?”

“I honestly don’t know, sir,” Vir replied, averting his eyes. “I messed up an ability of mine and found myself in a cavern. Then I just followed the prana, which led me here.”

“Coincidence?” Janak said, stroking his beard. “Nay. It must be their influence. But do they hope to aid or hamper?”

“Sir, I don’t understand. Whom do you speak of?” Vir asked. He didn’t rightly know how to address the avatar of Janak; while the god may not have been here in person, the entity before him was at least related to the god. He deserved Vir’s respect.

“There are those in this world who seek to shape the threads of destiny. Fateweavers, of a sort,” Janak replied. “But our time is limited and there are more important matters to discuss. Come, walk with me.”

“Why? What’s the matter?” Vir asked, following slightly behind the god.

“Beasts lurk in these depths. Ones that survive and thrive off prana. And you have just lit a prana beacon,” he said, pointing up at the city around them.

Outpost. Not a city, Vir reminded himself. It was small, but it was still the most dazzling sight Vir had ever seen.

“We do not have long. Listen to me, Ekavir. You must seek the Ashen Realm. No doubt your prior incarnations have advised you as such already?”

“T-they have,” Vir replied. “So they’re not demons then? Ekanai and Shardul.”

“Demons, yes. But not the sort you are imagining. Broken shards of identity, lost to time. Be careful. They mean well, but may pose a danger to you if managed improperly.”

“I’ve seen that.” If Ekanai’s voice in his head was just a shard of the person he’d once been, then his manic obsession with killing Maiya made a bit more sense.

Janak’s words confirmed the suspicions he’d had for so long, but could never prove. “They’ve been threatening me to head there. But to enter the Ashen Realm is suicide.”

“Suicide for humans. Not you.”

When they reached something akin to a central square, Janak swept his arm, causing an enormous image to appear in midair. An image of black volcanoes, thunderclouds, and ash-dyed wastes.

Vir shirked back, nearly falling over. It was like a painting the size of a house, and yet…

“It’s like you?” Vir asked, running his hand through the floating image.

Janak nodded. “This is the Ashen Realm.”

The painting moved. It showed volcanoes erupting, lightning strikes flaring before dying away. Thousands of vicious-looking raptors skittered across the landscape, while enormous flying beasts blotted out what little light made it through the thick thunderclouds.

It was a glimpse into another world.

“And this,” Janak said, “is Mahādi. The capital city of my people.”

The scene shifted to show a… city? But it was unlike any Vir had seen before. Hundreds upon hundreds of pitch-black spires pierced the sky as lightning struck them relentlessly. It looked less like a city and more like a mausoleum to Vir.

“At Mahādi, you will find me. The real me. But Ekavir, heed my warning. Do not venture there until you are ready. The Ashen Realm is dangerous, yes, but that city is lethal to life. Not even demonkind survives there for long.”

“T-then,” Vir gulped, afraid to ask the question that had been on the tip of his tongue. “I’m a demon?”

“Neither are you human, nor demon. You were crafted for a purpose, Ekavir. You are primordial. A being who transcends all other beings.”

“What do you mean—”

“We are out of time,” Janak said, looking off into the distance.

Vir followed his gaze and saw it as well. Not with his eyes—the monster was invisible—but through Prana Vision. Its prana signature was so strong it lit up like a beacon, even from this distance. A singularity of Ash Prana hurtling to the city. It possessed neither form nor body.

“Prana Swarm…” Vir whispered, scarcely believing what he was seeing.

The bestiary had said that anything that ever came into contact with a Prana Swarm died. That it consumed anything and everything containing prana. That it was invincible. Balar 3,500 to 10,000. Threat level Cataclysmic.

This was a being that was only supposed to exist within the depths of the Ashen Realm, where the prana was dense enough to support it. It was a creature of legend, and from the existential dread that coursed through his body… he knew. He felt it in his veins.

I’ve died to this monster before…

“Listen closely, Ekavir. You were never supposed to enter this realm. It was only by a twist of Fate that you were forced here. You must return to the Demon Realm,” Janak said, growing increasingly desperate as the Prana Swarm approached. “Only there will you fulfill your destiny. Seek the Pagan Order.”

“The Pagan—”

“Run, Ekavir! You cannot die here!”

Vir had a hundred more questions for Janak, but his survival instincts took over.

With heavy steps, Vir left the dazzling light of Valaka Amara behind him. An outpost of the gods that floated on its own island, deep under Daha. Vir knew he’d never see it again.

The activation of the city had flooded the entire cavern with Ash prana, and Vir used it to his advantage. He Leaped across the bridge, Ash prana rushing into his legs almost before he’d even thought to activate the ability.

Activating the ability continuously, he sped away faster than he ever had before. The bulk of the prana concentration lay with the city—the Prana Swarm would prioritize the city before getting to him.

But the instant his boots left the bridge and touched the cavern, the city lights began winking out. And with it went its prana.

Vir’s eyes bulged. Was it a self-defense mechanism? Or was the city shutting down now that he’d left?

The Prana Swarm paused for a moment over the city, leeching its residual prana and draining the previously prana-filled cavern in an instant. The Prana Swam assimilated the prana, growing its incorporeal body as if snacking on food.

The worst part? Its meal barely even slowed it down. Without even a pause, it pursued after Vir through the tunnel, leaving the physical buildings untouched.

Vir accelerated, jointly leveraging Dance and Leap to send him flying through the tunnel at a speed he hadn’t thought possible. He put so much force into his legs that his muscles strained, and if he were on dirt, it’d have crumbled underfoot. Luckily, the ancient road held firm under the pressure.

Unluckily, the prana thrown off by the city diminished steadily as he whirled through the tunnel, slowing his Leaps, and preventing him from using Dance as often.

The Prana Swarm was catching up.

Dread coursed through Vir’s veins and he felt like suffocating. Images of being eaten alive ravaged his mind, replaying endlessly.

Realizing what was happening, he wrestled his thoughts under control. Panicking was the surest way to die.

Options. What are my options?

Vir arrived at the four-way intersection he’d crossed earlier. The one with the animal tracks.

Right… that might be an option? Vir thought, turning left to follow the footprints of some massive animal. Maybe the animal will distract it.

It was a poor plan, and he knew it. The amount of prana emanated from the city was incomparable to what any beast could emit.

Think! What else can you do?

Vir racked his head for ideas, running as fast as he could. With the reduced prana in the tunnel, he ran more than he invoked Talents. If this was him a year ago, he’d have keeled over long ago. As it stood, his highly trained stamina held, though he couldn’t keep up the exertion indefinitely.

Grawwwwwr!

Before he could craft another plan, a great roar erupted from up ahead. It would ordinarily have been enough for Vir to turn tail and run away, but as it was, the greater threat behind him forced him to press on.

Vir scarcely saw the animal’s prana signature before he tumbled through the air. He smashed up against a wall, blinding him with pain, before crashing down to the tunnel.

The beast that had thrown him disappeared from his senses, appearing only a pace away.

Vir immediately activated Dance of the Shadow Demon, sinking into the shadow realm where time stood still.

Breathing a little easier, he took stock of his situation. His shoulder was broken and his left arm hung limp. The pain wracked him, but his fear muted it. He’d live. But unless he came up with a plan in the next ten seconds, he wouldn’t live very long.

While the shadow realm protected him from this animal, the Prana Swarm approached, only seconds behind.

Through the shadow exits, Vir spied upon the beast that had gored him. From afar, this creature resembled an Ash’va, but was at least three times their size. It stood over ten paces high, with a horn two paces long on its bull snout.

Its body overflowed with Earth Prana. The creature roared, angry over having lost its prey. Earth prana surged through its hooves and it disappeared again, reappearing several paces away.

It’s using Talents! Vir realized. He’d seen that prana signature dozens of times when fighting Riyan. It was using Blink.

Animals that can use Talents…

Vir wondered what kind of madhouse he’d stepped into. It was almost as if he’d entered the Ashen Realm by coming down here.

Entered… the Ashen Realm? A sudden thought struck him. What if there’s an Ash Gate down here? It’d explain the elevated Ash prana density, and how the Prana Swarm could follow him here.

Which meant if he led the Prana Swam to a sufficiently prana barren region, it shouldn’t be able to survive. At least, assuming the bestiary was telling the truth.

It was an incredibly risky plan, but it was all he had. The issue was the timing.

Vir’s ten seconds expired, popping him back into the tunnel.

Right as the Prana Swarm arrived.

The horned beast locked its gaze upon Vir, completely ignoring the apocalyptic horror.

It can’t detect prana! Vir realized. Not two seconds in, and his plan had already fallen apart. The beast focused on him instead of the real enemy, dooming them both.

The animal Blinked again, and once again Vir was thrown sky high. Right at the Prana Swarm.

As he sailed through the air, he did the only thing he could—charge Dance. He’d never charged a Talent using prana in the air, since there’d never been enough to do so, but after training Maiya, he knew the process worked the same. He sucked blood from his feet up into his legs, but this time, he did the same with his arm, accumulating prana from all four of his limbs at once.

Vir launched himself into a roll the moment he hit the ground, leeching ground prana as he rolled right at the Prana Swarm.

The monster blinded his Prana Vision with its intensity.

Still not enough!

Dance hadn’t fully charged, and he didn’t want to risk a repeat of the last time he undercharged the ability. What if it threw him into a wall? What if it deposited him right into the middle of the Prana Swarm?

Instead, Vir did something dumb. He reached out and touched the Prana Swarm. If Prana Swarms were pure Ash prana, and if he depleted his arm of prana, then it stood to reason he could take prana from the Swarm.

He was right. And he was wrong. The moment his hand came into contact with the swarm, prana rushed into his arm, which prompted the swarm to begin consuming his flesh.

It was as if he’d fallen into a vat of acid.

Dance activated, sucking him into the embrace of the shadow realm.

Trapped inside the shadow world, Vir couldn’t even scream in pain. And after all of this, he’d bought himself only ten extra seconds.

What can I do?

For the second time in less than a minute, he found himself trying to devise a plan to save his life. Except this time, he had something he lacked just moments prior—he had information on the Prana Swarm.

The Ash Beast had only consumed his arm once he’d refilled it with prana. Until then, it’d ignored the limb, reaching out for the rest of his body.

Which means if I purge my body of prana… I might survive. But can I even do that?

Not once during all of his experimentations with prana had he tried to evacuate prana from his body. It’d always been the opposite—he’d spent so much effort to keep every morsel of prana he had.

But the more he thought about it, the more he believed it could work. After all, prana sought equilibrium with its surroundings, and right now he was forcibly keeping it in his body. If he just let go, and then pushed the prana in his body to the edge of his skin, it should automatically dissipate.

Once again, the issue was timing. The Prana Swarm had moved to the four-legged beast. The poor thing had no idea it was about to die.

Vir looked on, horrified, as the beast’s skin dissolved, revealing its muscles and tendons. He looked away, unable to bear anymore.

It’s now or never, I guess.

Vir exited the shadow realm back into the tunnel, as far away from the Prana Swarm as he could manage.

Lying down upon the stone, Vir closed his eyes and released all the prana he contained within his body. The prana dissipated into the ground, flooding out of his body.

For the first time in many months, Vir felt weak. But it wasn’t enough—not enough prana had left his body. He grasped whatever prana was left and gently coaxed them along his blood pathways to his skin, where they could escape.

The Prana Swarm finished consuming the Ash Beast. It hovered for a moment, uncertain.

Then it turned and floated toward Vir, as if questioning whether there was a meal there for it.

Vir frantically searched his entire body, purging all motes of prana he could find. But while some areas of his body allowed him a heavy hand, he dared not attempt such a thing anywhere near his head. He’d seen—twice—what violently manipulating blood to his head did.

Which meant it took some time to get rid of all of that prana. Time he scarcely had.

The Swarm approached. And approached. And nothing Vir did swayed it.

Empty as he was, he couldn’t even use Dance anymore to escape.

The Swarm meandered closer and closer. And then it was on top of him.

Vir held his breath and chanted a prayer to Janak in his head as the being passed over. It hesitated, stopping briefly over him.

He lay there for what felt like an eternity. Waiting for his executioner to decide.

But it seemed the Prana Swarm wasn’t interested. It lazily moved on, seeking greener pastures.

Vir finally allowed himself to exhale.

Somehow, against all odds, he’d done it. He’d survived against a Cataclysmic level threat. A mythological being that was said to bring certain annihilation upon all those who encountered it.

He remained in place for another ten minutes, well after the Prana Swarm had moved on.

Only then did he allow himself to cry. He wept and wept until he could cry no more.