Chapter 236: The Reaper’s Wish (Two)
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Chapter 236: The Reaper’s Wish (Two)
Vir found himself sitting on a stone bench. A long hearth fire burned a few paces away, its smoke rising to a circular hole cut in the top of the thatched yurt. The warm glow filled the dwelling with a sense of peace and security, something so foreign that Vir had nearly forgotten what it felt like.
A precious luxury, soon to be missed, Vir thought. The thought was not his own but rather came from somewhere else.
Vir tried to move but couldnt. He had no motor control, nor could breathe, or even choose where to look.
Oddly, however, panic did not well within him. The opposite, actually. There was a certain calm serenity to the whole scene. Vir felt warm, happy, and content. And a little anxious, though it was the anxiousness one felt when dreading the future.
Vir lookedor rather, was forced to lookup to find the room full of demons. All Ghaels.
Displayed across the far wall was a flag. A gray-bordered purple flag with an icon of a white eye and a brown iris at the very center.
The flag of Clan Iksana. While Vir had never seen it before, he immediately understood it as such. It was knowledge the person in the vision possessed.
Dont leave us! a ghael boy rushed up to Vir, tears in his eyes. His gangly limbs looked less hideous than Zorasthe adult ghael Vir had seen in the Pagan Order.
Virs eyes lowered, and he found that his own body was all wrong. His arms were long, gangly gray limbs that reached almost to the floor. His legs were also misshapen, and he noticed he sat with a hunched back.
Im a ghael?
The boy crashed into Vir, who grasped his shoulder and ruffled his wispy gray hair, smiling gently.
Dont leave, Ekanai! Youre the Akh Nara! You cant leave!
Ekanai!? This time, Vir did panic. Im in the body of Ekanai!? Is this his memory, then?
Who do you think youre talking to, boy? Ekanai said with a warm, hearty laugh. You know what they call me?
Yessir! Youre the Reaper!
A title bestowed upon me. A title earned. You understand? I will delve deeper into the Ash than any demon ever has. And I shall return. For the Iksana. For demonkind!
If I only knew what the gods want of me
For a moment, Vir didnt understand why hed thought that until he realized itd come from Ekanais mind.
The other ghaels cheered, and the boy looked up at Ekanai in wonder.
What kind of sick joke is this?
This wasnt Ekanai. This wasnt the same being who considered Maiya dead weight. Whod violated Virs control over his own body to make attempts on her life? What right did Ekanai have to smile like that?
The difference wasnt one Vir could chalk up to the ravages of time. The person in this memory was someone else entirely. As if some gentle soul had possessed the body of the most heinous of demons.
While Ekanai could do none of those things, his particular combination of tattoos showed Vir exactly how hed earned his name. In less than a minute, hundreds of Ash Beasts lay dead in a ring around him.
How am I supposed to defeat such a monster? Vir thought in awe. Awe that quickly turned into worried concern. He hasnt even used Clarity yet. Or Yumas Embrace.
As if triggered by Virs thoughts, a flight of Shrikes dive bombed Ekanai from behind. The speed at which they plummeted was truly awesome. Even with all his progress, Vir still had trouble detecting and avoiding them in time. It usually ended in broken bones, which hampered Vir significantly as he fought off hordes of beasts over the next hours while his pranites healed the injury.
Ekanai jumped lightly.
Hes too late! Vir thought. But then, something impossible happened. Reality seemed to bend over itself. The Shrikes that shouldve impaled him were now under him. Ekanais gangly arm extended, and the Shrike flew into it as if guided by Fate itself.
No, time hasnt rewound I was simply living the reality that Ekanai saw when he used Clarity.
Then, that reality exploded into a million possible futures. Vir was so overcome with dozens of scenarios, he begged for the sensation to cease. In some, Ekanai was impaled. In others, Ekanai jumped atop the Shrikes backs, and yet others where he lopped off their heads before they dive-bombed him.
Just when Vir felt like his head would explode, the variants all collapsed into one reality, and again, events seemed to flow according to Ekanais will. He stepped onto the Shrike, crushing its neck, and then jumped into the air, swinging his katar in a large arc.
There was nothing but air where he jumped, and Vir was sure hed fall, or worsebecome an easy target for the swift birds.
Nothing of the sort occurred. A Shrike suddenly appeared right under Ekanais boot. The demons katar cut cleanly through the bird as he jumped off it, cleaving another Shrike in two before his boots finally hit the ground.
What in the Realms did I just witness?
It was, of course, the Iksana Ultimate Bloodline tattoo Clarity. The ability to gain a limited prescience, glimpsing the immediate future of the area around the caster. But it operated so unlike anything Vir had ever imagined.
Hed hoped that witnessing the Ultimates might give him an edge when he obtained them. Cirayus said it took decades, if not centuries, to truly master, but Vir was optimistic he could shorten that by leveraging his prior incarnations, even if his command wouldnt be as strong.
After seeing Clarity in action, however, Vir began to wonder if it truly might take as long as hed feared. There were no simple abilities. Not even close.
Ekanai landed again, and this time, he was truly alone in the field of corpses. The demon took a single, deep breath, and soldiered on. Deeper into the Ash.
Through it all, Ekanai felt no glee at having destroyed his enemies. He felt no pride. All that came through was his growing worry that he still didnt know what the gods wanted of him. He didnt know how the power at the heart of Mahdi was supposed to help him fulfill his destiny. Nor even how to go about obtaining that power, assuming he survived the Mahdi plane.
The demon clutched his chest, heaving. While Vir couldnt feel Ekanais pain, it was obvious just how much misery the demon was in.
But he hasnt taken any injuries. Whys he in pain!? Vir suddenly understood. Prana Poisoning.
Ekanai appeared to be in a deep area of the Ash, and the prana density was obviously affecting him.
Hes going to die if he continues like this. Why? Whats driving him? Why does he sacrifice himself?
The scene darkened and shifted. Perhaps with this next memory, Vir would understand. Perhaps hed uncover the darkness that Ekanai had hidden all along.
The scene cleared. Ekanai had arrived at Mahdi.
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Chapter 236: The Reaper’s Wish (Two)
Vir found himself sitting on a stone bench. A long hearth fire burned a few paces away, its smoke rising to a circular hole cut in the top of the thatched yurt. The warm glow filled the dwelling with a sense of peace and security, something so foreign that Vir had nearly forgotten what it felt like.
A precious luxury, soon to be missed, Vir thought. The thought was not his own but rather came from somewhere else.
Vir tried to move but couldnt. He had no motor control, nor could breathe, or even choose where to look.
Oddly, however, panic did not well within him. The opposite, actually. There was a certain calm serenity to the whole scene. Vir felt warm, happy, and content. And a little anxious, though it was the anxiousness one felt when dreading the future.
Vir lookedor rather, was forced to lookup to find the room full of demons. All Ghaels.
Displayed across the far wall was a flag. A gray-bordered purple flag with an icon of a white eye and a brown iris at the very center.
The flag of Clan Iksana. While Vir had never seen it before, he immediately understood it as such. It was knowledge the person in the vision possessed.
Dont leave us! a ghael boy rushed up to Vir, tears in his eyes. His gangly limbs looked less hideous than Zorasthe adult ghael Vir had seen in the Pagan Order.
Virs eyes lowered, and he found that his own body was all wrong. His arms were long, gangly gray limbs that reached almost to the floor. His legs were also misshapen, and he noticed he sat with a hunched back.
Im a ghael?
The boy crashed into Vir, who grasped his shoulder and ruffled his wispy gray hair, smiling gently.
Dont leave, Ekanai! Youre the Akh Nara! You cant leave!
Ekanai!? This time, Vir did panic. Im in the body of Ekanai!? Is this his memory, then?
Who do you think youre talking to, boy? Ekanai said with a warm, hearty laugh. You know what they call me?
Yessir! Youre the Reaper!
A title bestowed upon me. A title earned. You understand? I will delve deeper into the Ash than any demon ever has. And I shall return. For the Iksana. For demonkind!
If I only knew what the gods want of me
For a moment, Vir didnt understand why hed thought that until he realized itd come from Ekanais mind.
The other ghaels cheered, and the boy looked up at Ekanai in wonder.
What kind of sick joke is this?
This wasnt Ekanai. This wasnt the same being who considered Maiya dead weight. Whod violated Virs control over his own body to make attempts on her life? What right did Ekanai have to smile like that?
The difference wasnt one Vir could chalk up to the ravages of time. The person in this memory was someone else entirely. As if some gentle soul had possessed the body of the most heinous of demons.
While Ekanai could do none of those things, his particular combination of tattoos showed Vir exactly how hed earned his name. In less than a minute, hundreds of Ash Beasts lay dead in a ring around him.
How am I supposed to defeat such a monster? Vir thought in awe. Awe that quickly turned into worried concern. He hasnt even used Clarity yet. Or Yumas Embrace.
As if triggered by Virs thoughts, a flight of Shrikes dive bombed Ekanai from behind. The speed at which they plummeted was truly awesome. Even with all his progress, Vir still had trouble detecting and avoiding them in time. It usually ended in broken bones, which hampered Vir significantly as he fought off hordes of beasts over the next hours while his pranites healed the injury.
Ekanai jumped lightly.
Hes too late! Vir thought. But then, something impossible happened. Reality seemed to bend over itself. The Shrikes that shouldve impaled him were now under him. Ekanais gangly arm extended, and the Shrike flew into it as if guided by Fate itself.
No, time hasnt rewound I was simply living the reality that Ekanai saw when he used Clarity.
Then, that reality exploded into a million possible futures. Vir was so overcome with dozens of scenarios, he begged for the sensation to cease. In some, Ekanai was impaled. In others, Ekanai jumped atop the Shrikes backs, and yet others where he lopped off their heads before they dive-bombed him.
Just when Vir felt like his head would explode, the variants all collapsed into one reality, and again, events seemed to flow according to Ekanais will. He stepped onto the Shrike, crushing its neck, and then jumped into the air, swinging his katar in a large arc.
There was nothing but air where he jumped, and Vir was sure hed fall, or worsebecome an easy target for the swift birds.
Nothing of the sort occurred. A Shrike suddenly appeared right under Ekanais boot. The demons katar cut cleanly through the bird as he jumped off it, cleaving another Shrike in two before his boots finally hit the ground.
What in the Realms did I just witness?
It was, of course, the Iksana Ultimate Bloodline tattoo Clarity. The ability to gain a limited prescience, glimpsing the immediate future of the area around the caster. But it operated so unlike anything Vir had ever imagined.
Hed hoped that witnessing the Ultimates might give him an edge when he obtained them. Cirayus said it took decades, if not centuries, to truly master, but Vir was optimistic he could shorten that by leveraging his prior incarnations, even if his command wouldnt be as strong.
After seeing Clarity in action, however, Vir began to wonder if it truly might take as long as hed feared. There were no simple abilities. Not even close.
Ekanai landed again, and this time, he was truly alone in the field of corpses. The demon took a single, deep breath, and soldiered on. Deeper into the Ash.
Through it all, Ekanai felt no glee at having destroyed his enemies. He felt no pride. All that came through was his growing worry that he still didnt know what the gods wanted of him. He didnt know how the power at the heart of Mahdi was supposed to help him fulfill his destiny. Nor even how to go about obtaining that power, assuming he survived the Mahdi plane.
The demon clutched his chest, heaving. While Vir couldnt feel Ekanais pain, it was obvious just how much misery the demon was in.
But he hasnt taken any injuries. Whys he in pain!? Vir suddenly understood. Prana Poisoning.
Ekanai appeared to be in a deep area of the Ash, and the prana density was obviously affecting him.
Hes going to die if he continues like this. Why? Whats driving him? Why does he sacrifice himself?
The scene darkened and shifted. Perhaps with this next memory, Vir would understand. Perhaps hed uncover the darkness that Ekanai had hidden all along.
The scene cleared. Ekanai had arrived at Mahdi.
Chapter 236: The Reaper's Wish TwoVir found himself sitting on a stone bench. A long hearth fire burned a few paces away, its smoke rising to a circular hole cut in the top of the thatched yurt. The warm glow filled the dwelling with a sense of peace and security, something so foreign that Vir had nearly forgotten what it felt like.A precious luxury, soon to be missed, Vir thought. The thought was not his own but rather came from somewhere else.Vir tried to move but couldnt. He had no motor control, nor could breathe, or even choose where to look.Oddly, however, panic did not well within him. The opposite, actually. There was a certain calm serenity to the whole scene. Vir felt warm, happy, and content. And a little anxious, though it was the anxiousness one felt when dreading the future.Vir lookedor rather, was forced to lookup to find the room full of demons. All Ghaels.Displayed across the far wall was a flag. A gray-bordered purple flag with an icon of a white eye and a brown iris at the very center.The flag of Clan Iksana. While Vir had never seen it before, he immediately understood it as such. It was knowledge the person in the vision possessed.Dont leave us! a ghael boy rushed up to Vir, tears in his eyes. His gangly limbs looked less hideous than Zorasthe adult ghael Vir had seen in the Pagan Order.Virs eyes lowered, and he found that his own body was all wrong. His arms were long, gangly gray limbs that reached almost to the floor. His legs were also misshapen, and he noticed he sat with a hunched back.Im a ghael?The boy crashed into Vir, who grasped his shoulder and ruffled his wispy gray hair, smiling gently.Dont leave, Ekanai! Youre the Akh Nara! You cant leave!Ekanai!? This time, Vir did panic. Im in the body of Ekanai!? Is this his memory, then?Who do you think youre talking to, boy? Ekanai said with a warm, hearty laugh. You know what they call me?Yessir! Youre the Reaper!A title bestowed upon me. A title earned. You understand? I will delve deeper into the Ash than any demon ever has. And I shall return. For the Iksana. For demonkind!If I only knew what the gods want of meFor a moment, Vir didnt understand why hed thought that until he realized itd come from Ekanais mind.The other ghaels cheered, and the boy looked up at Ekanai in wonder.What kind of sick joke is this?This wasnt Ekanai. This wasnt the same being who considered Maiya dead weight. Whod violated Virs control over his own body to make attempts on her life? What right did Ekanai have to smile like that?The difference wasnt one Vir could chalk up to the ravages of time. The person in this memory was someone else entirely. As if some gentle soul had possessed the body of the most heinous of demons.While Ekanai could do none of those things, his particular combination of tattoos showed Vir exactly how hed earned his name. In less than a minute, hundreds of Ash Beasts lay dead in a ring around him.How am I supposed to defeat such a monster? Vir thought in awe. Awe that quickly turned into worried concern. He hasnt even used Clarity yet. Or Yumas Embrace.As if triggered by Virs thoughts, a flight of Shrikes dive bombed Ekanai from behind. The speed at which they plummeted was truly awesome. Even with all his progress, Vir still had trouble detecting and avoiding them in time. It usually ended in broken bones, which hampered Vir significantly as he fought off hordes of beasts over the next hours while his pranites healed the injury.Ekanai jumped lightly.Hes too late! Vir thought. But then, something impossible happened. Reality seemed to bend over itself. The Shrikes that shouldve impaled him were now under him. Ekanais gangly arm extended, and the Shrike flew into it as if guided by Fate itself.No, time hasnt rewound I was simply living the reality that Ekanai saw when he used Clarity.Then, that reality exploded into a million possible futures. Vir was so overcome with dozens of scenarios, he begged for the sensation to cease. In some, Ekanai was impaled. In others, Ekanai jumped atop the Shrikes backs, and yet others where he lopped off their heads before they dive-bombed him.Just when Vir felt like his head would explode, the variants all collapsed into one reality, and again, events seemed to flow according to Ekanais will. He stepped onto the Shrike, crushing its neck, and then jumped into the air, swinging his katar in a large arc.There was nothing but air where he jumped, and Vir was sure hed fall, or worsebecome an easy target for the swift birds.Nothing of the sort occurred. A Shrike suddenly appeared right under Ekanais boot. The demons katar cut cleanly through the bird as he jumped off it, cleaving another Shrike in two before his boots finally hit the ground.What in the Realms did I just witness?It was, of course, the Iksana Ultimate Bloodline tattoo Clarity. The ability to gain a limited prescience, glimpsing the immediate future of the area around the caster. But it operated so unlike anything Vir had ever imagined.Hed hoped that witnessing the Ultimates might give him an edge when he obtained them. Cirayus said it took decades, if not centuries, to truly master, but Vir was optimistic he could shorten that by leveraging his prior incarnations, even if his command wouldnt be as strong.After seeing Clarity in action, however, Vir began to wonder if it truly might take as long as hed feared. There were no simple abilities. Not even close.Ekanai landed again, and this time, he was truly alone in the field of corpses. The demon took a single, deep breath, and soldiered on. Deeper into the Ash.Through it all, Ekanai felt no glee at having destroyed his enemies. He felt no pride. All that came through was his growing worry that he still didnt know what the gods wanted of him. He didnt know how the power at the heart of Mahdi was supposed to help him fulfill his destiny. Nor even how to go about obtaining that power, assuming he survived the Mahdi plane.The demon clutched his chest, heaving. While Vir couldnt feel Ekanais pain, it was obvious just how much misery the demon was in.But he hasnt taken any injuries. Whys he in pain!? Vir suddenly understood. Prana Poisoning.Ekanai appeared to be in a deep area of the Ash, and the prana density was obviously affecting him.Hes going to die if he continues like this. Why? Whats driving him? Why does he sacrifice himself?The scene darkened and shifted. Perhaps with this next memory, Vir would understand. Perhaps hed uncover the darkness that Ekanai had hidden all along.The scene cleared. Ekanai had arrived at Mahdi.
