174: Foundational Stability (Patreon)

Cirayus regarded the sleeping Ekavir with a concerned frown. He’d assumed many roles over the centuries. Of them all, he considered himself a capable teacher. More than capable—there was no end to the number of demons who sought apprenticeship with him. He’d even run his own school for a few decades, long ago.

These days, he turned down all but the most talented, though there was a time when he’d mentored dozens. He’d seen all types of students. The ones who slacked and needed to be pushed—those were the most common—and those who excelled naturally owing to their talent.

Then there were the precious few who had both the talent and the drive to do whatever it took to improve. Those were one in a million, and Cirayus now understood Ekavir was among their number.

He’d initially thought to pressure the boy, to test his limits. That style of teaching worked well for the masses; everyone benefited from a little push.

Unfortunately, it tended to have disastrous consequences on the self-driven. He’d pushed hard, and Vir had pushed himself even further, working himself to the bone. If left unchecked, Cirayus had no doubt Vir would drive himself to the ground. Elsewhere, that might have resulted in a career change. Here, it was a death sentence. They had no such luxury in the Ash. There was no rest here. Only death offered that release.

S’pose I ought to lean off him a tad, Cirayus thought, stroking his beard. Rather, he might very well have to do the opposite—act as Vir’s brake rather than his prod. Though, can I really manage that, with what’s at stake?

The boy had a good head atop his shoulders, but everyone had their breaking point. Cirayus had seen too many good demons crack. Be it the pressure of military command, or the weight of a judge’s decision in royal court… Few seldom rebuilt themselves if pushed beyond their limit.

Facing the boy was what might’ve been the most monumental challenge one could undertake. The lives of an entire realm were at stake.

Vir had a good heart. He mourned for his late father. He bore the weight of his every sin, and he wanted to do right by everyone. That was precisely why Cirayus worried.

How will he react when he learns that thousands have died? Not for their clan, but for him? How will he endure when thousands more perish for his cause? Will he be able to order good demons to march to their deaths?

He wasn't ready for that knowledge. The boy would have to, eventually, and it was Cirayus’ role to prepare him for that burden. Even if it turned Vir into someone he didn’t want to be. The burden of royalty was heavier than most ever knew.

The giant moved across the humble abode he’d built for the two, hoisting the chipped greatsword the Hiranyans had given him. The sword was never designed to cut through rock. Soft sandstone though it was, the blade neared the end of its life. To Cirayus, it was a toy. One that had nearly lived its purpose.

“Rest well, lad. We’ll see to your training when you wake.”

Cracking his neck, Cirayus got to work.

— —

Vir dreamed of a grassy hill with a lone tree, ruffled by a peaceful breeze. The sun shone gently, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Under the cool shade of the tree, Neel and Maiya awaited.

His furry friend lay splayed on the grass, accepting belly rubs by the crimson-haired girl, who lounged atop a picnic mat in a flowery red dress.

Sensing Vir, Neel yelped, bounding up to him to licking his face furiously. Maiya waved, an angelic smile on her beautiful face.

“It’s been forever, my prince! Please, come join us!”

Maiya saying such an embarrassing line without bursting into laughter tipped him off that this was a dream. The surroundings were all wrong. For one, a hundred demons surrounded the hill in a ring, prostrating before him.

“The Akh Nara returns! He will help us!”

Vir shirked back, only to find thousands behind him, pointing their spears at him.

“The Akh Nara returns! Burn him to Ash!”

Lightning cracked. The scene transitioned, and now Vir stood in a vast, featureless expanse of ash, battered and beaten, fighting the sort of beasts that might appear in nightmares. No matter how many he killed, more came.

Where are you now, Ekanai? Shardul? he thought in spite.

Vir dodged lightning bolts and wondered if he might not intentionally get hit by one to get his ancestors to appear.

Until he felt a presence behind him.

Vir whirled, expecting another beast. Instead, he found an impossibly beautiful woman with hair as white as snow that reached down to her back. She wore a simple white dress with pristine, flowing white hair, and smiled back at him.

It doesn’t have to be this way… the woman’s musical voice transmitted to Vir without sound. The burden is not yours to bear alone.

Then she was gone. The scene shattered like a broken mirror, and Vir fell into an endless void of darkness.

When he woke, it was through the thick haze of a half-remembered dream.

Maiya. Neel. And… someone else?

Memories flickered through his mind. Brij. The Godshollow, but perhaps because of Maiya’s communications orb, Vir’s thoughts focused on the bandy. How many years would it be before they reunited? Would Neel still be alive? The boy wasn’t old for a bandy, but he was close. It wouldn’t be inconceivable for him to have passed.

Lightning struck outside. Torrential rain darkened the already-blighted sky, battering the forest and mirroring his heavy thoughts.

But that was outside. Nestled within his new abode, and with Cirayus nearby, Vir felt safe and secure.

“How do you feel, lad? Not even last night’s storm could wake you.”

“Groggy,” Vir replied, taking in his surroundings. “How long was I out?”

Cirayus had expanded the home while he’d slept. Where before there was a single room, now there were three, with the living space having expanded deeper into the mountain.

“Long enough to recover from your overtraining.”

A day, at least, Vir thought. Nearly another week in the Human Realm.

“Sorry. I lost track of time,” he said, blinking away the cobwebs. “Speaking of, how do you keep track of time here?”

The lack of a day/night cycle had affected him more than he’d thought, forcing him to stay awake when he would normally have slept, and sleeping when he should’ve been active.

“I learned to develop an innate sense of time centuries ago. Really about the only solution, here in the ash, other than a timestone, and I don’t have any of those.”

“Uh, time stones?” Vir asked. This was the first he’d heard of such a thing.

“Obsidian tablets made of volcanic rock, etched with pranic inscriptions. We use them for a variety of tasks, from locking doors to transcribing messages.”

“So, like orbs?” Vir said. “Except instead of crystal, you etch them on plates!”

Cirayus stroked his beard. “Aye, I suppose you’re right, though our plates cannot keep a charge, and we do not use them for combat purposes. Time stones burn a special incense stick. When powered with prana, they detect the amount of incense burned and display a time reading.”

That’s kinda ingenious, Vir thought. He wondered why obsidian tablets couldn’t hold a charge, and why demons had never discovered orbs. With their knowledge of prana, Vir figured they’d have learned of it long ago. There had to be a reason, but when asked, Cirayus admitted he’d never delved into the secrets of Thaumaturgy—the art of inscriptions.

Vir’s list of topics to investigate in the Demon Realm continued to mount.

“Well, I guess I’ll return to training,” he said, dreading the thought of going out in such a downpour.

“Do you have a death wish, lad? It’s raining lightning out there right now. Just because Ash Beasts can brush off a lightning strike or two doesn’t mean you can. At least, not yet.”

Vir’s eyes narrowed. “Aspect of the Demon God, right? My clan’s tattoo?”

“Aye. Here in the Ash, you'd be untouchable with it. Without that... even with that incredible prana manipulation of yours, I doubt you could manage such a feat.”

Vir considered his words. Lightning strikes contained a staggering amount of Lightning prana. It was possible that someone with Apex affinity for that element might be able to circulate their blood fast enough to shunt the strike into the ground… But it felt unlikely. Vir doubted it was possible anyone could expand their body’s prana capacity that much. Especially since Lightning strikes were nearly instantaneous.

Besides, Ash Beasts didn’t even have that affinity, which left only one other explanation.

“Prana armor?”

“You saw it on those beasts with your Iksana Sight, didn’t you? Ash Beasts can cloak their body with armor as durable as seric. A quirk, it seems, of those with your particular affinity. Or so I believe.”

“Trust me, I’ve tried. I know Parai managed it with his cycling technique, but Ash Beasts don’t use that. They’re getting their armor some other way.”

“Then I’m afraid I cannot aid you there, lad. My own armor comes from my tattoo, Giant Hide.”

“Right. So, what now? I can’t go outside, and this home isn’t ideal to work on my Talents. Don’t want to destroy the place.”

“I wouldn’t allow you to train, even if you could go outside,” Cirayus said firmly. “Your body needs rest.”

Vir was about to cite how much time he’d already lost sleeping when Cirayus beat him to the punch.

“Instead, we’ll begin your Chakra training.”

That got Vir’s attention. “I thought you said it took years to open the Foundation chakra?”

“It does. Normally. With the proper guidance and a talented student, we might hasten that process a tad.”

“Hasten it by how much?” Vir asked.

“I imagine we could get you there in a handful of months, if you’re diligent.”

So slow, Vir thought. It was a massive improvement, but compared to his progress with the other chakras, it felt like an eternity. Not to mention there were six more to go. Still, he had no leads for accelerating the pace. He'd simply have to put in the hours.

“Well? Will you accept my training?”

Vir rolled his eyes. “You know I will. I’ll take every edge I can get.”

“Good. Now sit on the floor with me and cross your legs, like last time. Back straight. Close your eyes. Good. Now clear your thoughts. I'll be more gentle than last time. Focus.”

Vir attempted to do so, though it was easier said than done with all the hammering rain and cracks of thunder. It was as if the skies had waged war on the turtle’s shell.

“Now, guide your thoughts to the concept of sturdiness,” Cirayus said in a low, soothing voice. “Hmm, yes. Think of the Mahakurma upon whose back we sit. Think of its ancient disposition. It has existed for millennia since you were born, and will exist for millennia after. It is eternal, like the earth itself. Solid and unshakeable. Immovable. Yes. Hold this image in your mind for as long as you can.”

Following Cirayus’ guidance, Vir meditated on the concept. This still felt foreign to him despite having done it once before—he normally kept his mind clear, focusing solely on cycling prana or expanding his body’s blood pathways. The act of cycling itself was usually meditative, putting him in a trance-like state.

Focusing on a single idea was much harder. Vir’s mind would drift, often to Maiya and Neel. Errant thoughts of unlocking Talents turned the ocean of his mind choppy, and before he knew it, he’d had a half-dozen random other thoughts.

“Your mind will wander,” Cirayus said soothingly, perhaps sensing Vir’s mental state with his Life chakra. “This is normal. Do not dismiss the errant thought. Recognize it. Accept it for the distraction it is. Then whisk it away.”

Vir tried Cirayus’ strategy. It did work, initially. But soon, Vir’s mind became so preoccupied with shuttling thoughts away, he had no time to actually meditate.

“This isn’t working,” he grumbled.

“Your mind is agitated. Allow me to help.”

“How, exactly?” Vir asked, thinking back to their prior experience.

“You will feel a presence in your mind, like last time. It will feel strange to you, but do not resist it. It won't feel nearly as invasive. Understand?”

Vir nodded, unsure of what to expect. He found out soon enough. An alien sensation touched him. Not his body, but something deeper. It felt a little like standing under Riyan’s shower, except one that had two spigots—with one burning hot, and the other chillingly cold.

Though his body jolted at the sensation, Vir did his best to allow it to wash over him. Soon, the hot and the cold melded with each other, enveloping his mind in a warm, comfortable blanket.

Vir felt the pent up frustration dissipate. So what if he took an extra week or two to cross the Ash? Maiya wasn’t going anywhere. She knew Cirayus was with him. She knew he’d be out of touch for a while. Maiya was a big girl who could take care of herself.

“Good. Now focus.”

The thoughts were fewer this time, and Vir felt his mind guided toward the concept of sturdiness. It wasn’t anything as strong as mind control—Vir retained his thoughts and he didn’t sense that Cirayus was reading his mind—but it helped. It soothed him, and he sunk into the feeling.

Soon Vir felt a heaviness settle upon him. Light as a feather at first, then progressively weightier until it felt uncomfortable.

There was something there, though. Past the discomfort, like a mountain seen through a veil, far away. A sense of power—of presence—that Vir had never experienced before. This was strength on a dimension Vir hadn't even conceived of before.

“Well done.” Cirayus’ voice radiated sincerity, and Vir wondered if he’d imbued it with the Life chakra. The giant retracted his influence from Vir’s mind, and the weight lifted. “You have taken your first step to opening the Foundation Chakra. How did it feel?”

“Heavy. Like you’d activated Balancer of Scales on me. But it was different from what you did the other day, when you showed me all the different Chakras.”

“Aye, it would be. There, I used my chakras to suppress and attack. Here, I wished to aid you. Chakras are not inherently destructive in nature. They are colorless; it is the wielder that dyes them with their intent. The heaviness you speak of is the sensation of the Foundation Chakra. Sometimes also called the Root chakra, both for its location at the base of your spine, and—like the roots of a great tree—immovable.”

“Well? Do you wish to go again?” Cirayus asked, regarding Vir intently.

“Is that even a question? We train until the storm passes. Then I’m fighting that Ash Beast.”

Cirayus smiled, but there was a sadness to his expression. A sense of foreboding that Vir couldn’t place. “As you wish, my liege.”