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The Ashen Realm. Year 3744 of the Age of Realms.

Primordial Ekanai would live again.

They called him the Reaper, but as he crossed the gate between realms, Ekanai feared it was his own life that would be reaped in this world of volcanoes and ash. Not in the warmth of his home, surrounded by family and fellow warriors, but alone, in a rocky wasteland of jagged peaks and barren plains smothered by soot.

Crowning this blighted landscape stood a jungle of dark and sinister towers that pierced the sky, disappearing into distant lightning clouds that raged eternally.

The ruined city of the gods.

Fabled, rumored, but never seen. Those who laid eyes on it never returned to tell the tale.

Fate had not been kind to the city of spires. For millennia, it remained abandoned—a mausoleum of an era long forgotten.

The Reaper was beginning to understand why.

Prana, the energy of life, was thick in this realm. It grew heavier the deeper he went, corrupting his body like ink bleeding through paper, suffocating him with each step. Whatever tragedy had befallen the gods had also corrupted the very air, rendering it toxic to life.

Even so, Ekanai had not wasted lifetimes seeking this place only to turn back now. He persisted doggedly on, edging closer and closer to death’s door.

And then there were the wolves.

Pure black and with flames of prana that burned off their hides, their minds had broken long ago. No longer capable of intelligent thought, they swarmed Ekanai, driven only by instinct and addled hatred.

Not just one, or even a dozen. Hundreds. Each powerful enough to end a warrior in an instant.

To a Primordial, they were merely insects.

Ekanai silenced the pain that ravaged his body and channeled his prana to the eight-spoked tattoo on his chest. The white symbol of the Akh Nara flared to life, powering his spell.

The Ash Wolves swarmed... and Balancer of Scales activated.

An invisible force pressed, crushing every living being within thirty paces of Ekanai. With their weight amplified a hundredfold, the wolves' assault ended before it even began. Where there were once mythical beasts now lay a ring of corpses.

The stragglers paid their fallen brethren no mind.

Ekanai's tattoo glowed with prana once again, and Clarity gave Ekanai a glimpse into the next few seconds—two Ash Wolves approaching from behind.

He dodged, but his boots caught in the shin-deep ash. The Reaper allowed himself to fall… and avoided a razor-sharp paw that could’ve decapitated him. Dance of the Shadow Demon activated, and instead of crashing into the ground, he sunk into the depths of his own shadow.

An instant later, his katar's dagger blade gleamed as Ekanai materialized from beneath the wolf, piercing its heart as cleanly as splitting water.

The other Ash Wolf fared no better. A razor-sharp throwing disk between its eyes ended the beast even before its body hit the ground.

He placed his soot-blackened boot on the corpse’s tough hide, eyeing the beasts that circled him. His calloused, leathery fingers grasped his throwing disk, and with a firm tug, dislodged his trusty friend.

Then the poisonous prana finally took effect.

The Reaper may have earned his title, but time was unrelenting. As his heart seized and his knees buckled and agony ripped through his body, Ekanai was no different from any mortal at the end of their life.

With a vain hope, Ekanai’s fingers grazed the symbol on his chest, which now glowed with the healing power of Yuma’s Embrace. But even his most powerful healing magic failed against such extensive damage. Unable to endure the onslaught of magical pressure, his blood vessels ruptured, poisoned by pitch black prana.

The pain had distracted him; Ekanai failed to notice a nearby beast before its bladed limb slipped through his back and out of his chest. His vision blurred… But pain was nothing to him. He thrived in pain. He consumed it.

The Primordial forced himself to his feet. A slice of his prana-empowered blade bisected the beast that had injured him. The same prana density that was killing him supercharged Yuma’s Embrace, healing his stab wound in moments.

Step after step, he inched closer to the lost city through sheer force of will. He was so frustratingly close. Closer than any prior incarnation had ever come. But the Ash refused to be overcome.

He fell to his knees, his body no longer obeying him. For the first time in decades, he felt the icy grip of fear.

The Reaper had wriggled free from the bony fingers of death too many times to worry about his own life. But there were other, darker terrors he feared more. He’d seen the spatial ruptures himself—had seen them corrupt the very fabric of reality.

There was nothing he could do against it. To do so was to defy Fate itself, and only the symbol on his chest possessed such might. But it was incomplete.

The tattoo yearned for the almighty power that lay deep within the city, buried under rubble and time. Power that made Ekanai's abilities look like child's play, outstripping his current abilities a hundredfold.

Ekanai pressed his fingers against the tattoo. With each rebirth, the Primordial’s existence faded. His sense of purpose, once thick like blood, had diluted to water. If his successor failed to unlock the full potential of the tattoo, then that would be the true end.

Not just for him, but for all.

Primordial Ekanai would live again. But his next incarnation would be the last.

Human Realm. Hiranya Kingdom. Five Hundred Years Later...

Vir tiptoed across the rickety wooden floorboards of his log cabin’s kitchen in the predawn darkness. With a single candle for illumination, he picked out a small log from a firewood bin, then reached into the cooler.

It wasn’t just the chill of the Magic Cold orb that sent shivers up his spine as he rummaged around for a banana; today was his fifteenth birthday—the last possible day for him to manifest a magical affinity. Today, he’d learn whether he was destined for greatness or doomed to mediocrity.

He knew the chances were beyond slim—not after a lifetime without a drop of magic—but hope was a difficult flame to douse.

Tiptoeing back to the kitchen, Vir slipped the log into their clay stove. The oat porridge bubbled shortly thereafter, reminding him to give it a few stirs.

He gave the porridge a quick taste. “That oughta do it,” he whispered, careful not to wake his father. But Rudvik’s loud snores told him there was little risk of that; the big man slept as hard as he worked.

Transferring the sweet-smelling meal to a wooden bowl, he placed it on the dining table alongside the banana, leaving the stove’s door open to radiate heat back into the cabin.

Vir basked in its warmth, but only for a moment. Grabbing his rucksack, he pinched off the flame, then felt his way to the door. Even from here, he could feel the bone-chilling draft from outside.

He carefully donned his shoes, ensuring he didn’t enlarge the holes that riddled the worn fabric.

“Have a great day at work, father,” Vir whispered under his breath. There would be no breakfast for him—the recent famine hadn't been easy on the village, and Rudvik needed the food more than he did.

The biting cold hit the young man with the weight of a woodchopper’s ax, and his worn shirt and frayed pants did little to protect him. He scarcely noticed, all thoughts occupied with his upcoming magic aptitude test.

“Neel!” he whispered to his canine friend. “Time to go, boy!”

The droopy-eared brown-and-white bandy stepped out of its warm wooden kennel and nuzzled him. Neel's beady eyes, squat snout and pudgy legs didn't paint a picture of agility, but the animal was deceivingly quick on its four paws.

Bandies were loyal canines, and Neel had been part of the family for years.

“Atta boy. We’ve got a big day today, so let’s hop to it!” Vir had long ago learned that the best way to get warm was to get moving, so he did exactly that.

Brij was rather large for a village, almost the size of a small town, and Vir’s home sat on its outskirts. The village itself was nothing to look at, but the Godshollow? Now that was a different story. The vast ancient forest felt like another realm to Vir, full of wonder and danger.

A solid ten minutes of walking past farms on a muddy dirt road put him onto the central village streets with its many spiderweb-like alleyways. The square clay buildings grew taller and more dense as he approached the village’s center where his destination—the temple—was located.

“You ready, boy?” He said, turning over the hourglass in his pocket. A makeshift thing that was always on the verge of falling apart.

Neel barked and wagged his tail.

He took a deep breath and sped up. Sweat flew from Vir’s brow as he bounded from crate to barrel to pole, leaping his way through the narrow alleys with deft footwork beyond his fifteen years of age.

Dawn was less than an hour away, and the sky had brightened with a beautiful blue glow. The village of Brij couldn’t afford Magic Lamp streetlights, but the occasional Magic Candle orb illuminated the path well enough; his night vision had always been better than the village kids. Especially useful for avoiding the many piles of Ash’va dung that littered the alleyway. Or running away from Camas and his lackeys.

Vir avoided the problem entirely—streets were too risky. He could do better.

This was the best part of his morning routine. Each day, he’d time himself through the obstacle course he’d fashioned along his route, always trying to push his limits. With every attempt, he iterated, refined, and optimized his handholds and his speed, ever in pursuit of that next morsel of time. In pursuit of safety from those who sought to do him harm.

For Vir, this wasn’t a hobby, or something he did out of boredom. It was a survival skill.

He jumped onto a barrel and leaped off, grabbing onto a horizontal pole that jutted out above the alley. Using his momentum, he swung up onto the roof of a nearby trellis and sprinted over the narrow wooden beams with perfect balance.

From here, he had a few options. He could either hop across the balconies on the second floor of the alley, or he could push even higher to the rooftops. The rooftops were easier, but the balconies were shorter. Of course, he chose the latter.

Each balcony had a small railing that served as his balancing beam. He jumped from one to the other, then across the alley to the other side, then back again. With his heart pumping full blast, all thoughts of the morning chill were forgotten.

He leaped for the final rod… and came up short.

The cool nighttime breeze had encouraged him to push just a little harder than usual, but his frail, malnourished body could only give so much. His leg buckled under the strain of his acrobatics, sending him tumbling onto hard clay.

Vir tried to roll to carry his momentum, but his body just wouldn’t listen. He hit the ground hard, landing on his shoulder.

A quick check showed he was thankfully only bruised, and not broken. The throbbing pain, while distracting, would soon subside.

So much for breaking my record, he thought angrily, heaving from the exertion. As skilled as he was, the bullies were better fed and had numbers on their side. He simply couldn’t afford these mistakes.

Vir squeezed his eyes shut and touched the eight-spoked tattoo on his chest while he caught his breath—an unconscious habit he’d developed at an early age. He’d been born with the white tattoo, but he’d never known what it signified.

He treasured it nonetheless. The symbol was beautiful in the way that only geometric iconography could manage—eight spokes, eight white dots perfectly positioned between, and in the center, three overlapping circles, all joined by a triangle. It was one of the few bodily traits he was proud of.

Neel, not finding his master, turned and barked from up ahead before running back. His droopy-eared friend barked at him in frustration.

“Oh, c’mon. Don’t look at me like that, boy!”

Neel sat on his haunches, eyeing his master with expectation. “Nope. No treats for beating me,” he said, narrowing his eyes. The bandy drooped its muzzle and whimpered, but Vir knew better than to give in to Neel’s well-honed begging.

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“I know, I know! Can’t be late. Not today.”

With his energy mustered, the young man set out once again. But just as he’d gained some speed, a shadow sprung from the darkness, moving swiftly into the alley.

“Halt!” The black-robed figure said, extending its arms.

Neel barked incessantly, intent on protecting his master.

“Down, boy,” Vir commanded, grabbing the bandy’s collar as he backed away from the stranger. “Who’re you?”

“A name? This one needs no name,” said the mysterious man. He flung back his black hood, revealing a wrinkled, bald scalp and a scrawny face that just screamed bandit.

Having determined that the man was obviously not right in the head, Vir turned tail, but the man’s hand shot forth and clutched his arm in a death grip.

“Be calm, young one. I am not the one you should fear. He is out there,” the man said as his eyes rolled in their sockets.

Creep, Vir thought, eyeing the filthy, emaciated man in black. Gotta get out of here!

But even with Neel biting the man’s patchwork robe, he seemed utterly unfazed.

“What might a young one like you be doing up and about at this hour, hmm? I wonder if you are up to no good?”

“Real rich, coming from someone as suspicious as you.”

To free himself, he’d need an edge. The only way he’d find one was with a cool head on his shoulders.

Deep breaths, Vir, he told himself. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

With his mind working again, he did what he did best—think and analyze. The stranger had a firm grip on his arm. He wasn’t going to break it without a lot of force, and the man was bigger than him, so he’d need to get creative. There were a few options available to him, but for now, he decided to stall for time. Easy enough, thanks to the man’s ramblings.

“Tell me, have you seen him, child?”

“The heck are you talking about? Who are you? I don’t recognize your face.”

“Oh, be still, child. For I too am a child, like you. A Child of the Ash.”

Vir went very still. Head priest Apramor had warned of these cultists, the Children of Ash, long ago. “You worship the Ashen Realm,” he whispered.

“No!” the cultist yelled, sending spittle flying onto his face. “The Ash merely contains the One.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “The one we worship lurks within its hallowed depths. Consuming. Growing. With each passing moment, it becomes a more perfect god. We dare not speak its name.”

Someone had to have heard Neel’s barking. Just a little longer and somebody would show up, he was sure of it. He just had to keep stalling the cultist.

Vir tried again to pull away from the cultist’s grip… and to his surprise, he succeeded. It was as if the man had forgotten about his existence, which was perfectly fine by him. But just as soon as he’d broken free, the man reestablished his grip on Vir’s arm.

“Have you seen him, child?” Not bothering to wait for his answer, the cultist continued, “Have you come across the Primordial? Answer me!”

“I don’t even know who that is, you grakking chal!”

Vir had hoped that Neel’s incessant barking would’ve woken up the neighborhood, but no help was forthcoming. It was as if they’d shuttered their doors and pretended like nothing was happening. He realized it’d be up to him to get free.

Luckily, he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

“You. Yes~! Those red eyes. Yes! You are an odd one!”

You’re one to talk!

The Child of Ash continued rambling. “The Primordial will bring the End of Realms! Find him. Purge him! Burn him to Ash! If you see him, you must let us know! ”

The moment the man uttered those words, something changed within Vir.

His chest tattoo throbbed with power, and while he couldn't place his finger on what happened, he felt it. A myriad of new voices and feelings erupted within him. Like the whispers he heard in the forest, but different in a way he couldn't explain.

The sudden event made him dizzy, but Vir shook himself out of it. Whatever it was, it would have to wait until he was free from the cultist's clutches.

He finally found the opening he needed.

“Join us! I shall bring you to the Blessed Chosen. Together we shall join with the Prana Swarm, the one true god!”

No thanks! Vir lowered himself, but slowly. He didn’t want to attract the cultist’s attention.

“Yes… Yes! Red Eyes, you belong with us!”

Uh, nooope. I really, really don’t.

“And my name… is Ekavir!”

Vir crouched down and jumped, kicking off of the cultist’s chest to propel himself into a perfect backflip. What he’d needed was leverage to overpower the stronger man’s grip. If his muscles couldn’t do that, then he’d use his weight instead.

His years of leaping and jumping paid off. Vir tore free of the man’s grip, and this time, he didn’t hesitate. He ducked and sprinted past the man.

Neel ceased his barking and caught up. Together, the pair blitzed through the alley faster than ever before. Fear and the will to survive kept Vir running when he’d normally have collapsed from exhaustion. He took every turn he could to throw off his pursuer, doing everything he could to quieten his footsteps.

“Oh grak,” he muttered, finally realizing his mistake. In his desperation, he’d forgotten about his greatest advantage. Shaking his head, he jumped onto a box and reached for a horizontal pole.

For the second time that morning, he missed, but this time he managed to break his fall with a roll. Unfortunately, he rolled right into a clay urn, shattering it.

The sound felt like it carried through the entire village, and Vir froze, listening.

Clack clack clack. The cultist’s footsteps grew louder and louder.

Neel barked again, jolting Vir out of his freeze.

He tried again, this time throwing all he had into his legs. He caught the bar, then vaulted himself up onto a balcony and climbed up to a flat rooftop.

Let’s see if he can follow us here.

Vir didn’t stick around to find out. He leaped from rooftop to rooftop, gaining as much distance as he could, ignoring the new feelings that assaulted his thoughts. He stopped only when his body could go no further.

Neel took a slightly different route, but caught up with his master in no time. Years of accompanying its master had taught the animal to climb up things—a feat that went unmatched by the other bandies.

Heaving on all fours against the rooftop, he took deep breaths to calm his beating heart. No matter how much he worked out, no matter how much effort he put in, his body remained frail, his stamina weak. Over the years, he’d realized that there was something wrong with his body… Like his energy was being somehow drained, and it wasn’t just the single meal he ate each day.

Neel sat on his haunches, gloating, with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Vir thought about descending and trying the heavy doors to the temple, but he knew they would be locked. He’d never wished for the security of the holy place’s sturdy walls more than he did at that moment.

“Stay sharp, Neel. The man’s still out there,” Vir said to the bandy. He wasted his breath—not like Neel could understand him.

Vir’s fingers grazed the white tattoo on his chest as he strained to listen to the echoes of the cultist’s footsteps.

What happened back there? He wondered. These new voices inside his head made no sense to him, but he knew they must mean something. It was as if they were telling him something, just that he hadn't learned the language yet. But why now, of all times? Had the cultist done something to him?

No, this feeling came from my tattoo.

The cultist's footsteps broke him out of his thoughts. Every time they grew louder, he readied himself to flee.

Neel continued to gloat.

“Sure, must’ve been easy for you,” he said, frowning at the droopy-looking bandy. “You’re not the one who can’t run thirty paces without keeling over. But see if the other kids can backflip like I can.”

Neel whimpered.

“Uh, huh. Thought so.”

Despite how hard he had to push himself, escaping from the cultist had felt good. Maybe it was the thrill of the danger. Or maybe it was that flawless backflip he’d executed to free himself. He rarely ever got to experience that much action in their remote village. There was something else, too. Breaking free of the cultist's clutches had felt easier than it ought to have. As if he'd been guided to the right pressure points in the man's body. The only thing that had changed were the nonsensical voices in his head.

Is it somehow aiding me?

As his heartbeat slowed and the fear wore off, Vir realized he’d been in more danger than he thought. Who knew what the cultist would’ve done to him if he hadn’t broken free? Where would he have taken him? Would anyone have found him? The sweat on his back picked up the cool breeze, chilling him to his core.

If only I could get inside the temple, he thought. But the magic orb sealing those doors denied him entry. No amount of wishing and hoping would get him through. Only prana would solve that problem, and he had none of that… Yet.

Minutes passed in tense silence, where each second felt like an hour. As a precaution, Vir never stayed on the same rooftop for long. While the cultist didn’t seem able to climb onto rooftops, the man had an uncanny knack for following Vir around the village. His footsteps never fully faded, despite Vir’s actions.

It was only after Vir had lobbed a rock as a decoy that the cultist’s footsteps finally died away. Vir waited several more minutes before he mustered the courage to drop back down to the street, warily sneaking over to the temple.

He regretted not waiting longer on the rooftops. Time passed with agonizing slowness, every rustle setting him on edge.

Finally, a familiar voice hailed him. “Ho, Vir! You’re here early this morning! Tis only to be expected, I suppose, what with it being your big day and all.”

Head priest Apramor arrived with his tall, redheaded wife, Lady Aliscia.

“Good morning, sir,” said Vir to the slender figure in priestly robes. Relief washed over him. But Apramor’s words made the knot in his stomach tighten again; he’d almost forgotten about the magic test.

Lady Aliscia spoke up. “Good morning, Vir. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long? You look tired.”

“Actually I, er, had an encounter with someone on the way here… a Child of Ash. He chased me through the alleys, but I got away… I think,” he said, staring at the dark alley in the distance. Vir neglected to mention the new voices in his head. No reason to alarm them until he knew exactly what he was dealing with.

Both Aliscia and Apramor, who had been unlocking the temple door, froze.

Apramor turned and stared him in the eye, all joviality missing from his expression. “Tell us everything.”

Vir summarized his story, mentioning how he met the cultist, the tussle he got into, and his escape. He’d commuted to the temple thousands of times in the past. He knew every rooftop, every back alley. Every ledge he could use to vault… but now, his village suddenly felt a little less familiar than it had when he’d woken up this morning.

“I’ll inform the guards. I am truly impressed that you escaped unscathed. The Children are a powerful order. They are not to be trifled with. I promise you we will deal with this man immediately.”

“Thank you, sir,” Vir said with a satisfied smile. Despite his abysmal stamina, he’d prevailed over the fearsome cultist. Rudvik would be so proud when he told him.

“Where’s Maiya?” he asked, trying to distract himself from the creepy cultist.

Apramor chuckled. “Where else? In her comfortable bed, of course.”

Vir’s expression fell. His best friend was never up at this hour, but he’d hoped she could manage it just for today.

The head priest clasped his hands together in prayer and gazed up at the starry night, his face etched in a perfect picture of devotion. “Only Lord Janak himself could raise her at this hour. Ooh Janak! Ooh Adinat! Would you please—Ouch!”

Aliscia delivered a swift kick to her husband’s shin, sending him hopping in pain. “Dear, that’s hardly fair to our daughter,” she said, giving Vir a sidelong glance.

Vir took the hint. “Ah, that was my fault, sir. Maiya was up late helping me with the writing lessons Aliscia aunty assigned me.”

Aliscia held out her hand. “You completed them, yes? And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me ‘aunty’?”

Vir smirked. Though she said that, she couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes, as usual. “Sure did. Got some of the next lesson done, too.”

“Of course you did,” she said. “I can’t recall a single time where you failed to finish your assignments. Keep it up and you might even have a life outside of this village of ours.”

“Don’t really want to leave, though,” Vir said with a frown. “Just want to help Rudvik out as much as I can.”

“I tell you, that man is blessed to have a son like you,” Apramor said, having recovered from his shin injury. “My daughter, on the other hand? Head in the clouds! All she ever talks about is ‘big city this, famous mejai that!’ She could learn a thing or two from you.”

Vir looked away and coughed.

Apramor went to unlock the temple door. “Morning congregation begins in an hour. Vir, I apologize for asking you to do this on your big day, but would you mind sweeping the place for me?”

“Of course, sir!”

The priest nodded and stepped through the door, which closed shut with a click.

“Ah—” Vir said, reaching a hand out in vain. He eyed the door lock, then glanced at Aliscia. “Would you mind…”

Aliscia looked at him, then at the door. “That man! How forgetful can he be? I’m so sorry, Vir.”

She touched the Magic Lock orb on the door, making it glow with prana. “Here you go.”

He thanked her before bursting inside. The thick scent of incense and age hit him the moment he stepped foot into the temple. Vir wasn’t much of a believer, but even he could sense the aura that filled the holy place.

He found a lantern on a shelf and began the process of lighting it. Magic Candle was far simpler and easier to use, but Vir didn’t have that option.

Vir’s hands trembled with excitement as he went to light the tinderbox full of char cloth. He almost dropped his fire steel on the ancient hardwood flooring, but caught it just before it hit the ground. Once it ignited, he gingerly transferred the small flame to the candle within the lantern.

This was it! He’d waited years for his magic to manifest. This was the last chance he would ever have. Without magic, he had no future. But even a minor elemental affinity would unlock endless possibilities.

With sweaty palms and bated breath, Vir approached a piece of covered furniture on a raised dais. After a quick glance to ensure that no one was looking, he pulled the cloth off the apparatus. A translucent crystal as big as his head mirrored his reflection right back at him.

Vir reached out and touched the device.

He stared at his reflection, hoping against hope that the magic testing apparatus would come to life. He prayed to Adinat. To Janak. To Haymi, and even to Chala. But no matter how much he swore he’d honor the gods, their blessings never came. The orb remained cruelly silent.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Aliscia aunty, by her light touch. “So that’s it, then,” he said.

“There may still be time, Vir. Some don’t manifest an affinity until… well, I’ve heard that in rare cases, it can take until their mid teens. Especially out here where prana is scarce.”

Vir shook with anger. He knew she was just trying to cheer him up, but her words had the opposite effect.

“If that was true, I’d at least be able to use basic utility orbs to open doors and heat water, wouldn’t I? I’m prana scorned,” he said, touching the tattoo on his chest. He was doomed to be magic-less…

But even as he said those words, he refused to accept it. A voice stirred from deep within him. One that rejected this reality.

Was this really okay? Could he truly accept this outcome?

He didn’t even need to think about it.

Vir clenched his fists.

No badrakking way.

image [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1047385184791699457/1067188509129052240/The_Known_World_Hiranya_Crop.jpg]