“I’m good, trust me! No pain at all,” Vir said, throwing a few punches to prove it.

“Very well. Then don your armor.”

Vir did as he was told. “So, now what?”

“Since you are so eager to get going, you can join me for a bit.”

The demon moved so fast, Vir didn’t realize he was falling until his stomach dropped from under him. Falling… all the way to the bottom of the mountain.

Vir screamed until he noticed they were falling much too slowly.

Not falling. Floating, he realized as he hung by his cuirass’ collar. Balancer of Scales.

“Oh, come on. What are ya, a little lass? When you return to the Human Realm, you can tell your girlfriend how you peed your pants from a little fall.”

Vir’s face went red. “You call this a little fall!? And she’s not my girlfriend,” he added quietly.

“Of course not,” the giant said with a smirk.

He lowered them at a steady pace, slowing just before they touched the ground, and Vir felt like he’d just ridden the lift to the Pagan Order’s Undercity. Except, instead of a team of demons working a rope, mysterious, powerful magic did the heavy lifting. He was glad to be down.

“Well? You’ve been wanting to stretch your legs, haven’t you? Have at it!”

Vir looked around, noting the empty desert around them, littered by a field of corpses. The ubiquitous ash only came up to his ankles.

A glance at the giant confirmed his suspicion.

“What can I say?” Cirayus grinned, “they were in the way.”

Vir rolled his eyes. The man had just killed a hundred Ash Beasts that were ‘in the way’. Never mind that they were ‘only’ scorpions; all Ash Beasts were lethal.

Vir braced himself for a Micro Leap. He’d misjudged its power twice already. He wasn’t planning on repeating that mistake. Using only the barest trickle of ground prana, he sent it to his legs.

In an explosion of speed, he sprung forward, covering over ten paces, leaving a puff of ash in his wake.

Ten paces may not have sounded like much; it was only half the range of his normal Leap, after all. Except, he’d used even less power than a Micro Leap normally consumed. And that was only supposed to send him a pace or two.

There was no point delaying any longer. Vir crouched low, then sucked as much prana into his legs as he could fit without straining his body.

The Abyssal Flats blurred as he shot forth. Despite anticipating the result, despite his best efforts to recover, he went tumbling end over end, unable to control his body.

Vir came to a stop in a heap, face blackened with ash. Coughing, he slowly righted himself.

“No, I take it back. You can tell Maiya how you not only screamed, you managed to also faceplant comically into the ash.”

Vir scowled at the giant, who stood grinning, before glancing back to see how far he’d come.

“Seventy paces…” Vir whispered. It couldn’t be; it sounded too good to be true. This, with a body that was still acclimating?

Parai’s Channeling Technique, which he’d started calling Prana Channeling, almost seemed useless now. With this much prana around, what need was there to be efficient? And that was just airborne prana. As dense as it was, it didn’t even hold a candle to the titanic amount within the ground.

Vir Leaped again, this time with a better understanding of what to expect. The spectacle was no less thrilling. The feeling of moving so fast, blindingly fast! There was something intoxicating about it.

When the ability ended, Vir’s legs were ready. Instead of stopping, he ran, slowly bleeding off his speed, allowing the ash to suck up his momentum bit by bit.

Then he did it again. Vir Leaped over and over, covering absurd distances in mere moments.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” Cirayus said, catching up.

At some point, Vir had started laughing. It was a pure, almost childlike exhilaration. Something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Not since his adventures into the Godshollow with Maiya as a kid.

The exhilaration multiplied severalfold when he High Jumped for the first time. Because while Leaping seventy paces was one thing, jumping seventy into the air was another entirely.

It was fun until he began to fall headfirst back to the ground.

Panic took him. Could he even use Light Step to break his fall if his head hit the ground first? He’d never tried it.

Just when he was about to scream for help, Cirayus jumped into the air, grabbing Vir as he fell. “A bit reckless, lad. I know it’s good fun, but do think through your actions a little next time.”

Despite his words, Cirayus’ tone was more amused than critical. The smile on his face only added to that image.

Even still, Vir’s face flushed with embarrassment, and it wasn’t only on account of being upside down.

Once back down, Vir took a few moments to shake it off before activating High Jump, this time with only a fraction of the prana. He went only thirty paces, allowing him to Light Step to break his fall.

“Good. Good. Now follow me,” Cirayus said, falling into a brisk walk. While Vir had to Empower his legs slightly to keep up, it wasn’t anything he couldn’t manage.

“I must admit, I was wrong,” the demon said.

“About?”

“I’ve never seen anyone so afflicted by the prana density here. I’ve also never seen anyone recover so quickly, either. When you said you had recovered… I fear I didn’t believe you.”

“Oh, that. I’ve already learned how to deal with the ambient prana levels. But when I suck in extra to use a Talent…”

“Your body can’t handle it. Yes. Most take days, if not weeks, to truly acclimate. How did you adapt so quickly?”

“I just saturated the blood near my skin to match the ambient density, all over my body. That acts as a barrier that prevents prana from worming its way in. Like a dam holding back water. After that, I just expel prana from the inside of my body. Either by activating Talents or by supersaturating the blood close to my skin and letting it bleed out.”

Cirayus stopped and stared Vir in the eyes. “Say that again.”

“Uh, which part?”

“You formed a layer of saturated prana. Near your skin?”

“Yes?”

“And you also lowered the prana density of your blood everywhere else?”

“That’s right. Why?”

“Lad. Nobody has that kind of prana control. I mean nobody. Not even me. The best I’ve been able to manage is to move prana at will around my body. That took four hundred years of training. Differentially adjusting density levels? Unheard of.”

“I see…”

Vir thought back to Maiya. She, too, had issues getting the prana in her body to do what she wanted. At the time, he’d assumed she was just on the slower end of the talent spectrum, and that other humans picked it up far quicker. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe it wasn’t so much that she was slow, but that he was fast.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“What else can you do with that prana control of yours?”

For the next half hour, Vir launched into an explanation of how he’d essentially inverted the process he’d used in the Human Realm—keeping prana out, rather than trapped within his body. He mentioned Prana Blade, Empower, Toughen, and Prana Channeling, all of which had grown stronger in the Ash.

The more Vir spoke, the quieter Cirayus grew, and the more his pace increased until Vir had to Micro Leap to keep up with the demon.

Finally, the giant spoke. “You see this tattoo?” he asked, pointing to the blue tribal tattoo that snaked around his chest and onto his back.

“That’s Balancer of Scales, isn’t it?” Vir shouted, falling behind momentarily. It wasn’t hard keeping up with the giant, but Cirayus’ smooth gait differed from Vir’s bounding one. As they picked up speed, that difference amplified the distance between them, unless Vir matched his pace perfectly.

At least I’m not falling over anymore, though. That’s progress.

It was easier said than done when each Leap launched him seventy paces at a stretch. Half his attention was occupied with fine-tuning the ability, and the other half on the ruins of the walls they passed. Cirayus must have caught him staring at the walls because he didn't answer Vir's question right away.

“Humans see fit to keep rebuilding their walls every several decades as the Ash expands,” Cirayus explained. “A foolish waste of resources, if you ask me. Better to man the Boundary with capable warriors instead.”

So these are ancient walls. Built by the hands of those long dead.

It was like looking back through time. The deeper they ventured, the older the walls became. They’d hopped over nearly half a dozen of them, and the oldest ones were so dilapidated that only their foundations remained.

How many centuries ago were these built?

“To answer your earlier question, this tattoo is indeed Balancer of Scales,” Cirayus said. “The Ultimate Bloodline Tattoo of Clan Baira.”

“That’s the clan of giants, right? The one Narak the Destroyer hailed from.”

“Indeed. Demon tattoos run the gamut. Many can be used by any demon with the correct affinities. Take Aspect of Midwinter’s Embrace. It requires either Ice or Water as a base affinity, and optionally Life or Wind. Any demon possessing the base affinities can inscribe the tattoo on their body, and with practice, learn to use it.”

“Did you say either Ice or Water?” Vir clarified.

“Aye. Either works. Depending on the power of the wielder’s imagination, Midwinter’s Embrace can be used to summon terrible winds, launch hail at opponents, cause snowfall, or even freeze enemies. Of course, the affinities play some role in determining the breadth of possibilities.”

That’s interesting, Vir thought. It correlated with what he’d seen when Cirayus activated Balancer of Scales; it had used both Earth and Life Affinities.

That was already a significant deviation from human orbs. But the variety of attacks it could conjure was on another level entirely. Human magic was based on a single, basic spell. Ember, Arc, Water Dart. Simple and well-defined. Midwinter’s Embrace, on the other hand, sounded far more abstract. Manifesting different powers based on the wielder's imagination was a foreign concept to Vir. If his hunch was right, it sounded stronger.

“Then there are the Regular Bloodline Tattoos. Each clan possesses a handful of these. The only common trait is that one’s blood must primarily be from that clan. For example, your Dance of the Shadow Demon is an Iksana Regular Bloodline art. “

“You’re saying all the Iksana have it?”

“Not all, but many. Perhaps even most.”

Well… Hope I never have to fight any of them, Vir thought, recalling Cirayus’ warning about fighting others in the Shadow Realm.

“Besides Balancer of Scales, I possess the Bairan Giant Hide, Giant Grace, and Spirit of the Ravager tattoos,” he said, gesturing to each tattoo on his body.

“I’m guessing Giant Hide is like natural armor, and Giant Grace allows you to move faster?” Vir asked.

“Not quite. You’re right about Giant Hide. It’s why Bairans forego armor—just gets in the way. Giant Grace allows us to move with better dexterity. Generally, the larger you are, the more clumsy your actions seem to those of lesser size. Not so with us Bairans.”

Vir imagined the Narapazu moving as fast and with as much dexterity as he did. Terrifying.

“What does Spirit of the Ravager do?”

Cirayus scratched the back of his neck, looking almost embarrassed, though Vir couldn’t fathom why.

“That one… Well, it strengthens my attacks.”

Vir waited for him to say more, bounding several times across the Abyssal Flats, but the giant remained silent, almost like he hoped Vir would change the topic. The demon was hiding something, but Vir was more interested in the Ultimates, so he humored him.

“And the Ultimate Tattoos?”

“Hmm. The Ultimates are quite special. Each clan has only one or two. As their name suggests, they’re the most powerful arts, passed down through the generations.”

“And I’m guessing not everyone can learn them?”

“Aye. You need the right affinities, and generally only the Raja—the Clanlord—and their heirs inherit those powers.”

“Wait. Does that mean you’re a Clanlord?” Vir asked.

“Nothing like that,” Cirayus replied, casually squashing a swarm of scorpions who drew close. Thus far, they hadn’t encountered any of the larger terrors, and Vir began to wonder if the Ash wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be.

His delusion was put to rest when an Ash Tear suddenly opened up just paces away, forcing Vir to dodge.

“Don’t get anywhere near it, lad!” Cirayus shouted, scooping Vir up and jumping far away.

A deathly scream emanated from somewhere deep within the tear before it collapsed upon itself, sending a shockwave kicking up plumes of ash across the Flats.

“Ash Beasts aren’t the only danger here, lad. Ash Tears open and close at random. Get stuck in one and that’s the end of you.”

Noted, Vir thought, cold sweat trickling down his face. “Where do they lead?”

“Impossible to say. Some lead deeper into the Ash. Others, to the Human or Demon Realm. And some… to spaces that are best left alone. Deep, dark planes, disconnected from reality and time. ‘Tis where the real nightmares lurk, and to enter is to die. Or worse. Never venture into an Ash Tear, lad. Promise me.”

“I promise,” Vir replied. He didn’t have a death wish.

Cirayus let Vir down, then continued, unperturbed. “Clan Baira holds a fighting competition every few years. The victors, if they’re Bairan, may ask the Clanlord for the tattoo. If they’re deemed of good standing, they get the tattoo.”

“And you won?”

“Aye. One-hundred fifty-six times.”

Vir did his best not to trip and fall in shock. He barely managed it.

“Did, uh… did you misspeak?”

“It is as you hear. If I compete, I usually win. In fact, my greatest losses were to your father. What a warrior, that man.”

“I… see,” Vir replied, not quite ready to ask about his deceased parents. There would be time for that. Later. Once he’d truly come to terms with what it meant to be demonic royalty. “So you’re saying that if I want the tattoo, I’d have to participate and win?”

“Aye, you would.”

“Would you compete?”

“Of course!” the giant replied heartily.

Well, so much for that idea… Vir thought, writing off the tattoo in his head.

“Rest assured, lad. Usage of Ultimate Bloodline abilities is strictly prohibited. I would not use Balancer of Scales.”

Vir rolled his eyes. “Oh gee, what a consolation! That’ll be a walk in the park now!”

Cirayus roared with laughter. “You’ll get there, lad. You’ll get there. Patience.”

“What are the others? The tattoos, I mean.”

“We’ll be here all day if I were to go through each one. Suffice it to say, they are all staggeringly powerful in their own right. Some are less suited to combat. Others, frightfully more so.”

“But you have to carry the blood of the clan to use them…” Vir replied. Something didn’t sound right about that, though he couldn’t put his finger on it. Not until Cirayus laid a bombshell on him.

“Ordinarily, yes. But you see, you are no mere demon,” Cirayus said, pointing at Vir. “You are the Primordial. The Akh Nara, as we demons call him. You possess Ash prana. And, if I’m not mistaken, you have no other affinities? Not even a trace?”

“That’s right. It’s why I can’t use human orbs.”

“Apex ash prana affinity, then. The highest affinity possible for the most powerful form of prana. The root from which all other affinities stemmed. Lad, nobody else possesses that affinity. Not a single human or demon. Only Ash Beasts do.”

No. No way. That means… It can’t be! Can it?

“To receive an Ultimate Bloodline tattoo is the honor of a lifetime. Only the luckiest of us mortals ever earn one. But you? Lad, you can use all the Ultimate Bloodline Arts.”

“And… with my Ash prana…”

“Aye. Each will be stronger than their regular affinity counterparts.”

Vir’s heart skipped a beat.

“If that were all, you’d certainly be a force to be reckoned with, true, but your past incarnations… They were all forces of nature, lad. Walking natural disasters, each and every one of them. Do you know why?”

Vir shook his head.

“‘Tis the same reason I predicted your moves in our battle. The same reason you thought I could read your thoughts, and why you quaked in fear, the moment you first laid eyes on me.”

Cirayus paused, and his demeanor shifted in an instant. He’d done nothing that Vir saw, but suddenly, the demon’s very presence shifted. Fear rushed through Vir’s heart and his knees buckled. Cirayus felt… heavy, and not just in the normal sense. It was as if his entire existence had grown more significant, like an aura that oozed off him.

Vir withered under his gaze, for it was the gaze of a god. How is he doing that?

“Until now, you’ve fought your battles in the physical plane.” Even his voice thundered with supernatural presence. “The cradle of toddlers and infants. But there is another. ‘Tis the domain of the metaphysical. A realm that cannot be seen or tasted or touched. But you feel it, don’t you? There, in your very soul. Shaking. Resonating.”

Vir gulped, and his words came out hoarse and broken. “W-What do you mean?”

“I speak, of course, of the Chakra System.”