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Though Vir didn’t require sleep as often as others, it had become customary to adopt the sleep patterns of the locals wherever he’d gone. Tara, however, didn’t enjoy that benefit. As potent as Yuma’s Embrace was, it consumed prana to heal. From the surroundings, if the density was high enough, and from her own body if it wasn’t.
Given the severity of Shan’s malady, the healing process had taken quite a lot out of her, and despite Vir’s insistence that she return home to get some rest, she’d curled up in a corner of the rooftop. Quite literally—she’d reverted to her full serpent form. Apparently, it was the most comfortable.
Meanwhile, Vir sat across from Shan, watching over him like a mother Shrike, checking the wolf’s prana every few minutes. It slowly recovered, evidencing life returning to the beast. Still, Shan was nowhere close to his full capacity, which would hamper him in their upcoming fight.
Vir was running low prana as well, after his recent bouts. Despite its proximity to the Ash, Vir’s capacity was so large that filling his body to its maximum potential was all but impossible, even with Prana Current active all the time.
None of that mattered, though. If Shan woke safely, Vir would breathe easily. He’d manage. What bothered him more was what Annas was planning. And how Vir could get back at the demon without getting himself disqualified. Considering the lengths Annas had gone to, Vir had to wonder if the Chitran had somehow guessed his identity. It felt unlikely, but why else go through so much trouble?
While Vir had taken down Zarak’Nor, the previous reigning champion, he’d done it in a way that made himself look like a fool. His subsequent fights had been similar in that regard. Nobody should be taking him seriously. Then again, if Annas had learned that he was the Akh Nara, Vir doubted he’d have resorted to poison. Easier to simply announce to the world who Vir was and force him to show his tattoo.
The Akh Nara, however, was just one of Vir’s identities. Vaak—the demon who’d sewn chaos for the Chitran in Samar Patag—was another. The more Vir thought about it, the more it made sense.
Annas’ poison, the lack of a public announcement… All of it. And while offing a combatant would be grounds for immediate disqualification, the rules were far more lax around beasts.
Even so, what measures would someone like that resort to during the battle itself, when tensions were high? At the very least, Vir didn’t feel comfortable using the tactic he’d used against Nor. Annas might not hit him with a Warrior Chakra attack with the intent to kill, but if an opportunity arose where he could make a lethal wound look like an accident…
Vir didn’t want to think about it. For the fight tomorrow, he’d have to treat Annas like a real enemy—not merely a tournament opponent.
The frustration compounded, made worse by the fact that Vir could do nothing against his foe. Nothing, other than defeat him. Which wasn't nearly enough. He was about to get up and pace around when the bundle of black fur before him stirred.
Unsure whether he’d imagined it, Vir waited for another sign.
The wolf let out a breath, then slowly raised his head. He attempted to get to his four paws, but faltered.
“Your prana’s very low, Shan. Stay still. You need rest.”
The wolf snapped his head at Vir, and he thought he saw alarm in those beautiful blue eyes.
“You’ll be fine, Shan. Don’t worry. Tara healed you.”
Shan looked at the sleeping snake, then back at Vir, gazing at him intently.
“You’re not worried about yourself. Then… the match? You don’t need to worry about that. I... want you to sit this one out.”
That got the wolf riled up. He tried again to stand, and this time, barely managed it. The wolf’s legs shook from under him, but he stared at Vir in defiance. As if to prove that he was fit to fight.
Vir had spent several hours contemplating whether he ought to ask Shan to fight today. His match with Annas had the benefit of being the second and last match at the end of the day, but after witnessing Shan’s pitiful state, Vir didn’t dare bring the wolf into the fight.
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“Look at you,” Vir said, his voice soft and full of sympathy for the noble beast. “You can barely even stand. What good will you be in a fight?”
Vir stared at Shan, and Shan stared back. Unrelenting. But this was not a debate Vir could lose.
“Look, Shan. Annas is very likely the demon who poisoned you. I understand you want to get back at him, but he is dangerous. He won’t think twice about killing you. I can’t let you fight. Not unless you’re back to your top form.”
That seemed to trigger something within the wolf, and yet again, Vir wondered just how much of his words Shan understood.
Shan barked, though it came out more like a strangled wheeze… And then bounded off the roof.
The motion, while not fast, was so sudden that Vir reacted a second too late.
Luckily, his abilities more than made up for that error. Haste activated, and he Leaped off the roof as well, fully expecting to find Shan lying on the street, bones broken.
The Ash Wolf, even in his weakened state, was tougher than Vir gave him credit for. He was already on another roof and was about to jump to a third.
Vir caught up in no time, and discovered that each action caused the beast more pain. Yet short of scooping the wolf up and preventing him from walking, Vir could do nothing other than accompany his friend. If Shan wanted somewhere to be, then he would go there, no matter what.
Luckily, Vir had Tara. He only hoped she had enough energy by the time she woke to heal Shan again. Something told him the beast would need it.
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Shan continued to bound his way across the city, and it was only when the beast tried—and failed—to jump over its tall walls that Vir had an inkling of what the wolf was up to.
Unable to cross on his own, Shan looked up at Vir, and he swore Shan was attempting a cute face. If he was, he certainly succeeded.
Rolling his eyes, Vir scooped up the wolf and bounded over the wall.
After landing on the other side, he opted not to let the wolf down. “I think I know what you have in mind,” he said. “If I’m wrong, bark or howl, and I’ll set you down. But I’d rather not see you injure yourself needlessly.”
Shan didn’t reply, but he did lick Vir’s cheek, nearly causing him to drop the beast.
“That’s… the first time you’ve ever done that,” Vir commented, shocked that the wolf would display such affection. “Thank you…”
Shan set his head down on his shoulder and purred. Right now, the wolf was behaving more like Neel than Vir ever thought possible. Was it due to his current weak condition? Or had the bond between them strengthened? Vir hoped for the latter, but expected the former. As much as he’d love to coddle Shan, he had to continually remind himself that the beast wasn’t Neel.
He was a predator. An Apex Predator who could end most demons without breaking a sweat. For such a fierce beast to have been laid so low…
“You must hate this,” Vir muttered as he bounded toward the Ash Boundary. Toward Thaman’s Gate. “Don’t worry, we’ll be there soon.”
The gate Vir had stabilized for the qualifiers was heavily guarded, of course, but not from the Demon Realm. The Bairan guards’ attention was focused entirely on the Ash, and several scanned for threats that might come through. Given the size of the Gate, and that an Automaton Guardian had been sighted in the area just days before, their fears weren’t unwarranted.
Luckily for Vir and unfortunately for them, that also meant that they were almost entirely blindsided when Vir, under maximum Haste, Blinked through the Gate and into the Ashen Realm.
Bairans were known for their resiliency and raw strength. Not their speed. Those who noticed would have been far too late to move, let alone intercept Vir.
It was an unnecessary consideration, for not a single one noticed. Or if they did, they didn’t seem to bother pursuing Vir.
Vir didn’t care. What mattered was getting deeper into the Ash. He’d considered using the Ash Gate he’d stabilized for his troops, but that one was far away, and time was of the essence.
Far faster to create his own.
Scanning the surroundings as his Leaps took him hundreds of paces high within the Ash, Vir searched for something suitable. They were everywhere in the Ashen Realm, and it wasn’t difficult to sense the overwhelming amount of prana flowing through.
Vir was about to pick one when Shan suddenly bounded out of his arms, landing softly on the ground, and began barking at a nearby Tear.
Playing along, Vir stabilized it, and Shan immediately jumped through.
For an instant, Vir thought the Tear might lead to the Mahādi Realm given its immense prana, but he was let down. Tears to Ashani’s city were rare, and likely only found in specific parts of the Ash. Soon, he’d scour the realm for them. And soon, he’d free her from her prison.
For now, he’d save Shan.
The Ash Wolf bounded around and sniffed the air, as though searching for something.
Vir let him be, soaking in the onslaught of prana that rushed into his body, filling him to the brim and restoring the prana that had been slowly consumed through the course of the tournament.
The sky was black here, and lightning ravaged the nearby mountain peaks. This was deep within the Ash—a place he’d not been in quite some time. A place that was absolutely lethal to most humans and demons.
Through Prana Vision, Vir saw Shan being revitalized, just the same as him.
“What strange creatures we are, eh Shan?” Vir muttered. “We thrive in a land that kills most others, and we suffocate where they flourish.”
The wolf tilted his head before bounding in circles, already showing a marked difference from moments ago.
Only when the prana fully filled the wolf, and he moved with his usual energy, did Vir finally breathe easily.
“Well, Ashani,” Vir muttered, sitting heavily on the soot-covered ground. “I’m happy to report that your wolf is alive and well.”
“And Ashani is thrilled to hear it!” said a melodious voice from behind him.