image [https://i.im.ge/2024/06/15/KWnt7r.chapter-46.png]
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“Gage?”
“Hello?”
“Gage!”
“Gage’kin!”
His eyes snapped open as a hand touched his shoulder. Standing in front of him was Hye-jun, a concerned look on her face as she scrutinized him. “Hye-jun? What… where?” Gage glanced around. The woman who had approached him was gone, only a faint echo of her song in his ears remained.
With a pulse of his power, Gage felt throughout his domain. For just the briefest moment he felt her. Kira was just leaving the canyon and stepping into the Waste. From her belt she pulled what looked like a shell and blew into it. Gage heard nothing but from the edge of his perception something stirred. A shrimp-like creature, roughly the size of a horse and twice as fast, sprinted through the Waste. As it turned to run along the cliffs protecting the Valley from the scouring sands of the Waste, Kira leapt onto the beast’s back. Together they rapidly disappeared into the distance and beyond the Waste.
“That was… something else.” Gage’kin focused on what was in front of him, “Hello Hye-jun!” He beamed at her.
She stared at him, shifting from concern, her eyes narrowed. “You are becoming weird. You haven’t been messing with your brain, have you?”
“Oh no, no, no!” His smile shifted a little more predatory, his canine’s growing larger as he grinned at her. “I was already weird. After the day today has been, I just don’t feel like hiding it.”
Hye-jun threw her hands in the air and began to move off. “I suppose you will have to tell me about it then, if just to get you back to normal.”
“Hey! I just had a song induced vision from some random woman who managed to enter into the land of my dead! I think I have a little right to be weird, yeah?” He spoke as he followed after her.
“Well,” She looked back over her shoulder at him, “With you… ‘relaxed’ like this, that was the smoothest transition I have seen you do. It almost looked effortless.” She frowned when he looked at her quizzically before she smiled widely and pointed at her teeth.
Carefully he ran his tongue over his teeth, and blinked to feel the sharp fangs that now filled his mouth. He puzzled over that silently for a moment, testing a tooth on his tongue. It was sharp, but not piercing and they fit comfortably. Nothing felt oversized or mashed together. “Huh, what do you know.”
“And?” Hye-jun’s voice drew his attention back to her. They were still walking down a path through the trees. Their surroundings was looking more and more like a vibrant, jungle oasis each time he visited.
“Right! Griz’tek and Keylan are going to be just fine. Keylan will need some time as he was damaged in a pretty delicate area. I did what I could, but at this point the best I think I can do for him is to sooth it as it heals the last bit. Most of it is probably going to be the trauma of what he went through. Though I think he is on a path of healing for that.”
The two of them drew level with each other, walking side by side as he started to continue. Hye-jun, however, interrupted him. “Who are Griz’tek and Keylan?”
He stopped in his tracks and looked at her. Slowly it dawned on him. “It’s… it’s only been a day. Good gods its only been a day.” His eyes unfocused and he stared at Hye-jun without seeing her.
A gentle hand placed on his arm brought his attention back once more. Slowly Hye-jun guided him over to a fallen log and sat him down. “Just breath. Take your time.”
“I can’t cry. I feel like I should be. I feel anger and sadness, maybe some despair. It’s been eased just a little by a little pride and satisfaction, but…” Gage'kin closed his eyes and rested his head in his hands. Softly Hye-jun rubbed a small circle on his back, a comforting motion.
He began slowly, starting from waking up to the shrines being placed in the hut, followed by his conversation with Rajan’kin. The creation of the Protection Asura of the Shrine of Kin, Asura Honjal. He spoke of Keylan and Griz’tek being rushed into the tent and their care. The accusations that had been made about himself, of Kin. The healing he had done to save Keylan’s life.
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The investigation by the guard, and then again by the Daughter. How, in his anger, he had created Asura Salikat and the spirit that had bound itself to it. All while the hunt for Liu’ye had been going on. The tension of the elf’s capture and the rush to get to his ‘trial’. The reveal of Xarax’s involvement and of Asura Salikat stepping in and placing judgment on behalf of Kin.
“I think Griz’tek will take the duty seriously and watch after Liu’ye. I believe that Keylan should, but it will be a process for him. I can only hope that it will help him heal inside.” He sighed as he sat up.
Hye-jun smiled at him as he turned to look at her. “I am proud of you. I think you did very well for what you had available to you, especially with how quickly life had today’s events transition.” She looked out into the foliage around them, as if in thought. “Your story does explain something though. I was taking you there. I think it has something to do with your Asura Salikat.”
Gage perked up at that. “By all means.” He stood and bowed slightly, offering a hand to Hye-jun. “Show the way.”
She snorted as she took his hand and stood. Pulling apart she led him through the valley. Idly they conversed about Griz’tek and how to progress with his teachings, should he decide to learn the healing arts. Eventually they arrived at the lake’s end, where it turned into a small river to flow down the canyon towards the Waste. Next to the river was a beautiful pagoda tent. A myriad of different colored cloth made up its roof. Each floated and hovered in the air as its entirety gently spun in the air. Not a single support was in sight, it just floated there above the thick carpets that made up its floor. In its center, sat a what looked like a unique divan. The low-seat couch sat just above the floor. It had a small, circular back and each of its ends came up to frame the seat before curling outwards to create arms for the couch.
From the divan rose the form of Asura Salikat. His wing spread out behind him as he approached. Gage gawked at the Asura. He was massive, over twice the height of Gage. “My Lord Kin, First Spirit Hye-jun. It is an honor.” Even as Salikat bowed to them, he towered over them.
“Please, there is no need for that Asura.” Gage gestured for the Asura to rise. As he straightened, Gage looked about. “This is beautiful. Where did it come from?”
“It is an honor to hear you say so, my Lord.” Salikat led the two of them into the pagoda. As he did, he plucked to feathers from his own wings and tossed them before them. With a shifting light, the feathers reformed themselves into two more divans. One was slightly less ostentatious than the already present one but much the same size, while the other was more suited to someone with a smaller stature. “If it would please you, my Lord.” Salikat gestured to the original couch and Gage sat.
Only after he had done so, did Salikat and Hye-jun sit on their respective cushions. “As you saw, my Lord, I created this space myself. It seemed like the best place for judgement for those who wish to enter the Valley.”
“As my Administrator of Justice, I can entirely understand the need for a Hall of… or perhaps Pagoda of… no, those don’t seem right.” He mused for a few moments as Hye-jun and Salikat acquainted themselves. “Ah!” He snapped his fingers, “Dakhala Majlis. Dakhala is ‘intervention’ while majlis is both a ‘sitting area’ but also is used in context of ‘legislation’.” Gage beamed at them both. Asura Salikat looked at him with amusement while Hye-jun raised a brow and studied him. “What?”
“I like the name, but me, why do you do that?” Hye-jun asked, while Asura Salikat sounded out the title.
“Do what?”
“Well, when you name something, you do it by combining words that are, I assume, from your home world.” She mused, relaxing into her seat. “You name them off of the meaning of the word and in this case… they sound like they came from different languages.”
Gage grinned sheepishly. “Well, you aren’t wrong. Dakhala is from a language called Punjabi while majlis is from Arabic. Normally I do combine words of similar meanings to make something new, but I couldn’t find a good one that fit here without using whole words. I’ve mainly pulled from Punjabi, Arabic, and a little bit of Korean. I am by no means fluent in them, but I have a decent understanding. Ma’tuk actually helps fill in the rest with his translation spell.”
He shrugged, “I like English just fine, I suppose, but I grew up with it and it sounds kind of… bland. I want things to sound important, divine even, and so far these languages have kinda filled that gap.” His mirth sobered a little as he continued. “Part of it is… I’m the only human in this settlement. I certainly hope others survived as well, but… I just don’t know. Or what cultures they’re from. At the very least, if there is no one left from any of these places, or knows how to speak it, then I want some sort of memory of it. Something that lasts. Ya’ know?”
Salikat sat forward, “I think that is most admirable my Lord. I certainly do enjoy the names and titles you use. I to find it, refreshing.”
“Thank you Salikat.” The three sat in silence for a few moments. “Not much activity for you here, is there?”
The asura shrugged. “A blessing and a curse, in its own way. I am keeping an eye on those who follow you, but it is not yet their time.” He paused, “But perhaps there is something, if you would my Lord, that can be done. Have you noticed the wandering spirits on the wind?”
Gage nodded, “Yes, Hye-jun pointed them out the last time I was here.”
“Good, very good. Perhaps you, my Lord, could employ an asura to collect them. I worry they may be drawn into the Waste or even the spaces between the realms and become truly lost. Even if they did not worship you, I don’t like the thought of it.”
Gage'kin tilted back and closed his eyes, listening intently to the wind. “Yes, Asura Salikat. I think that is a grand idea.”