image [https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/646bd9baef7e904ad31912d5/c2609650-09c4-4b53-869f-b2a44342717f/Akh+Nara+no+labels.png?format=750w&content-type=image%2Fpng]

As it turned out, marshaling the prisoners towards the mountains proved exceedingly difficult, though not for the reasons Vir expected. While the demons seemed happy to follow his leadership, their cooperation lasted only until a horde of Ash Beasts broke through the Boundary, scrambling down the jagged mountains on a collision course.

It had taken the combined efforts of Vir, Balagra, and Malik to keep them from routing. Vir and Balagra to drive off the enemies, and Malik to keep the demons from routing. Advancing further, however, seemed like a lost cause until Vir Leaped ahead, chopping up Ash Wolves, Shredders, Phantomblades, and Ash Biters before they ever threatened the group.

He knew such actions were precisely what he’d been hoping to avoid. That the more extraordinary the skills he displayed, the more questions it would raise. Questions that would be difficult to answer without revealing who he truly was. At the same time, however, Vir was more joyous than he’d ever been since entering the demon realm.

During Samar Patag’s defense, Vir not only had to conceal his true strength, but the safety of an entire city also hung in the balance. Here, close to the Ash where the prana was denser, and where he needed only to protect two hundred instead of twenty-thousand, he could truly revel in the thrill of battle.

Vir lost himself in the fight, flowing from one enemy to another like water, sapping their Ash Prana as he ended them. Years of preparing for the demon realm whilst inside the Ash had honed his prana efficiency to the limit. As he fought, he actually ended up gaining prana, despite relying heavily on his abilities to dispatch foes.

It didn’t take long for the horde to rout. Vir allowed them to flee—hunting down Ash Beasts would force him to expend too much prana.

“Follow me!” Vir roared. “Hurry! Before more arrive!”

The demons didn’t need any further coaxing, especially when a fresh group of beasts began charging after the group from behind.

Vir moved swiftly around the prisoners, covering for the stragglers and killing any beasts that drew too close.

It took an hour for the group to finally make it to the relative protection of the mountains, and another to scout an appropriate location for the group to hunker down.

Once there, however, Vir and Balagra’s task became much easier. With only one direction to protect, they had a far easier time of it. The Ash Beasts soon gave up, seeking softer prey.

Vir found it somewhat ironic that the most secure location was worryingly closer to the shimmering boundary, just a few hundred paces away. Part of him worried that the location put the prisoners at risk of being suddenly yanked into the Ash. When Balagra pointed out that it was either this or being constantly harassed by Ash Beasts, Vir concluded the crescent-shaped piece of flat ground was the better option.

Here, at the base of the jagged mountain range, steep slopes surrounded them on three sides. Slopes that rose hundreds of paces—too high for most Ash Beasts to survive, especially without the full prana of the Ashen Realm bolstering their strength.

Thanks to the natural barriers, there was just one entrance and exit to the camp. An exit the prisoners were already working to shrink under Malik’s watchful supervision. Vir was unsure what arts the demon possessed, but his leadership skills were second only to Balagra’s. The prisoners hefted rocks and rolled boulders without uttering a single complaint, moving with both speed and efficiency, and betraying none of the exhaustion they all felt.

While demons boasted stronger bodies than the average human, the physical toil of running for an hour was nothing to scoff at—to say nothing of the mental stress of continuous Ash Beast attacks. Even with Vir protecting them, they’d reached their limits long ago.

So it was of little surprise that they began keeling over the moment their camp had been staked out, falling flat upon the ash in some cases.

As a leader, Vir unfortunately couldn’t afford that luxury. Neither could his commanders.

“Malik?” Vir asked, approaching the gray demon. “What are you doing?”

“Assigning berths to our troops, sir,” Malik replied with his usual deference. “Though it’s well that we made it here safely, I’m afraid there is yet much work to be done. I find it’s always the mundane matters that get overlooked. Tallying rations, partitioning the companies, tending to the Ash’va, establishing watch details. The drudgery. Important drudgery, but drudgery all the same.”

“Thanks,” Vir said with genuine gratitude. “To tell you the truth, I’d been putting that off.”

Vir had never organized logistics before—not on such a scale. If Malik wasn’t around, Vir knew that he’d be struggling to keep the camp from devolving into confused chaos right now. For his help, Vir was eternally grateful.

“Understandable,” Malik said, gesturing to a group of demons who were guiding a supply Ash’va to a makeshift corral they’d assembled from volcanic rock. “This is nobody’s most-loved business, I assure you.”

“Why separate Balagra’s soldiers from mine, though?” Vir asked. “Do you think they’ll have issues getting along?”

“Nothing of the sort,” Malik said. “Merely that when asked to muster, I don’t want demons tripping over one another. Keeping them separate ensures we minimize the chaos when Ash Beasts are breathing down our necks.”

Vir couldn’t help but be impressed. “Have experience at this sort of thing, I’m guessing?”

Malik shrugged. “Not in a military sense, but yes. I was officially a bodyguard for a merchant network, but the job often devolved into logistics management as they traveled between villages. Coordination is largely the same, I find, no matter where you go.”

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“I see,” Vir said, feeling like he’d only scratched the surface of Malik’s vast experience. “Mind joining me for a moment? I’d like to check in on Balagra.”

“Of course,” Malik replied, barking some orders before falling into step behind Vir.

The naga warrior had consistently healed himself along the ride back, so Vir had expected to see the demon to be resting with a stump for a leg. He’d been coming up with several options to help the demon recover—if not physically, at least mentally.

Balagra possessed vast battle prowess, and as such would be invaluable in training up their warriors. As for what came after… Vir was hoping Cirayus could whisk him away to safety. Somewhere remote, where he’d be able to live out the rest of his days in peace.

So when Vir walked into the makeshift infirmary tent and found the naga’s limb regrowing before his very eyes, he couldn’t help but gape.

“Your leg,” Vir whispered. Where he’d expected to see a stump was instead a brand-new limb. Not yet fully grown, but nearly halfway. Like a child’s.

“Another day and I should be good to go,” Balagra said. He was sweating profusely, evidencing just how arduous the process must have been for him. “Ironic how the very prana that empowered those beasts will allow me to heal faster than ever before.”

“So the Panav can regrow limbs,” Vir muttered, transfixed at the sight of the fresh flesh. It was grotesque in a way, though also marvelous.

“I admit it is my first time seeing this as well,” Malik said. “Quite the impressive magic.”

“Lies! If by impressive you mean, grotesque, then I’ll believe you,” Balagra said with a wry chuckle. “Not often that we nagas have to heal our own bodies—what with most of us being back-line noncombatants. Though I’ll admit it is certainly handy. Or perhaps the proper term here is leggy?”

Malik winced at his terrible pun, but Vir’s mind was elsewhere.

What the human realm would give for this…

Vir thought back to Mina Hiranya. To how Maiya said the Princess had become disfigured, likely during her battle with Riyan. Was she still that way? Thinking of the human realm struck Vir with a pang of longing. It’d been days since he’d last spoken with Maiya.

Two years apart… and now I can hardly go two weeks, Vir thought in exasperation.

He’d left the communication orb with Cirayus for safekeeping, and knew it would be some time before he could take it back. At least she’d have Cirayus to keep her company.

I gotta talk to her once we return to Garrison Atnu. A couple of hours of privacy would be difficult to swing, though Vir thought he could manage it. He felt like he had to.

“What you said back there?” Balagra asked quietly. “Did you mean it?”

Vir nodded. “Every word. We’re going to come out of this together. Say, I hate to ask anything of you while you are injured…”

Balagra scoffed. “I’ll be good as new by the morrow. I know you need someone to train the troops and keep them in line. Malik runs a tight camp, but maintaining morale and training up troops requires a different set of skills. I assure you, the camp will be capable hands while you’re gone.”

“Thanks,” Vir said with a small smile. “I really mean it. Can’t really say this has all gone according to plan. We’re in a precarious situation right now.”

“I’ll say,” Balagra replied. “Without weapons, armor, and training, we’re dead meat. Still, do you truly plan to have everyone return after this? Freedom is an infectious thing. Might have trouble corking that nectar now that it’s out.”

“I have to agree with the naga on that one,” Malik said. “The soldiers are already whispering about overthrowing the garrison and claiming it for their own.”

“Suicide, is what it is,” Balagra said. “I’ll have to smack some sense into those louts.”

Vir just barely suppressed a smirk. “Since when did you care so much about this? A few hours ago, you were plotting how to kill off half of our number.”

“Thank the gods I no longer am,” Balagra sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. What you’re planning is more likely to get us all killed than just obeying the Chits. But, well, if you do succeed, I suppose there might be a life for us after all.”

“We will succeed. But only when the time is right,” Vir said. “What we need now is order and discipline. I’m trusting you two to handle that. Recruit as many trustworthy officers as you need. Get them trained as well.”

“Not that I have any issues with this, but what is your plan?” Malik asked. “Even if we convince these prisoners to return, what of the Chitran guards? Do we kill them as well? Returning with no escort will appear extremely suspicious. The secret is bound to come out.”

“I don’t doubt that it will,” Vir said. “But we’re not killing the guards. They’re under heavy guard right now, but I was hoping Balagra could put them under.”

“Already on it,” Balagra said, holding up a vial. “I can make more. The supply Ash’va had all the ingredients I needed, and Malik was kind enough to fetch them for me.”

Vir exhaled in relief. It’s so nice having capable help.

“Good,” he said. “Let’s deal with returning to Atnu after I return. I have a plan for that.”

“I’m sure you do,” Malik said. “Though you still haven’t answered my question about what we do with the guards when we return.”

“I’ll think of something.”

“I pray that you do,” Malik replied.

“I’ll have to, if we don’t want to be put on the chopping block when we return,” Vir said. “Trust me, I am fully aware of importance of this decision.”

“You are planning to leave, then?” Balagra said. “Right now? Alone?”

Vir shrugged. “I can move faster than anyone here.”

“What of the gear you’ll need to haul back? Surely, you don’t plan to make trips to and fro?”

“I intended to take some of the supply Ash’va,” Vir replied.

“I’d recommend at least a few demons to tend to them. You’ll be able to take more if you do,” Malik said.

Vir hesitated.

“I’ll be delving into the city,” he said. “It’d leave them unprotected.”

Balagra pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted. “Look, I won’t tell you what to do with your powers, but it looks to me like you’ve been trying to keep a low profile. I know, you feel that your secret has been exposed now, but trust me. The more people see something, the harder it becomes to ignore. I’d wager most of the camp is struggling to ignore the seemingly impossible feats you pulled out of your hair. The last thing you want is to show it off again. With luck, many will have forgotten about that by the time we return.”

“You really think so?” Vir asked, skeptical. “I figured the first thing they’d do was gossip about my powers.”

“They’ll gossip, yes,” the naga replied, shifting to a more comfortable lying position. “What they will not do is tell the Chitran guards. Because right now, they see you as a strong, capable demon. Not as something… more.”

Malik frowned. “What do you mean?”

Balagra locked eyes with Vir, who nodded.

“Neel here, if that’s his real name, managed to not only slay the strongest Chitran here, he pulled off all manner of feats that ought to have been impossible without centuries of training.”

“So, he’s a powerful demon in disguise,” Malik said. “Is that what you’re saying?”

“Well, he might’ve been, except he didn’t succumb to the collar, either. More than that, he broke mine and somehow disabled the collars of every prisoner present. Tell me, do you know of any demon who could pull that off?”

Malik fell silent, and Vir felt the demon edge away from him ever so slightly, before clearing his throat and standing straight to attention.

“It’s fine, Malik,” Vir said. “You don’t have to hide it. It’s true. I am… not who I claim to be. I am a rebel, that much is true. And I meant everything I said about returning alive. Can we leave it at that for now? When the time is right, I promise, you two will be the first to know.”

Balagra nodded, followed shortly by Malik.

“Everyone has their secrets. I can work with that,” Balagra said.

“Good. Then I have preparations to make,” Vir said, then paused before Malik could interject. “I’m assuming you have a list of who I should take along?”

“Oh yes. A few,” Malik replied, a glint in his eyes.