Who in the Ash are you? Reaper Ekanai rasped, clenching and unclenching his gangly fists.
As did Vir, who faced off against him, so ten paces away.
A gentle breeze rustled the nearby leaves of Virs mindscape. Great Godhollows soared around their clearing, while birds chirped from their canopies. An idyllic setting, but one whose peace was about to be violently broken.
You dont rember? Vir asked. Or is this a ploy to get to lower my guard?
Rember what? Where am I?
Youre in my mindscape, Vir replied, taken aback at Ekanais words. The demon had been many things, but he'd been no actor. Rather, Ekanai was forthright and earnest in his hatred of Vir and Maiya. Hed assud the demon would attack him imdiately and had braced himself for battle.
Mindscape? Ekanai scoffed. What sorcery is this?
Vir had expected a variety of reactions and had planned for several contingencies, but hed never guessed the warrior would appear before him dazed and confused.
You truly dont know who I am? Vir asked.
Are you my enemy?
No, Vir said, feeling, surprisingly, a pang of loss. His experiences with the demon had been far from pleasant, but for better or for worse, they had a history together. For Ekanai to have simply forgotten struck Vir hard. Harder than it ought to have.
Vir thought back to what his predecessors had done for himwhat theyd all sacrificed, including Ekanaiwhen hed first entered the Mahdi Realm.
So this is the cost. This is why they can never intervene on my behalf again.
His predecessors had always maintained so semblance of awareness in his mind. So part of themselves, however imperfect, had remained conscious. Now that was all gone. The Ekanai before Vir was not the Ekanai Vir had interacted with in the past, but another. Likely a version created by Virs own imagination, based on Virs mories.
Vir watched Ekanai wander around the clearing, his footsteps unsteady.
Release ! Ekanai barked.
Vir averted his eyes. Im sorry. I cant.
So you are my captor, the demon replied, a grin forming on his Ghael face. his faltering footsteps steadied, and he crouched. Then there is only one thing to be done.
Vir barely had ti to react before the demon was upon him.
Blinking away in the nick of ti, Vir avoided the Reapers vicious claw-like nails that shot from his hands.
Thats new, Vir thought as he circled behind his opponent.
I dont want to fight you, he said, but his words fell on deaf ears. Lacking any weapons, the Reaper was forced to fight with his bare hands.
Despite this, Ekanai had quite the arsenal at his disposal. Between his claws, tattoos, and Chakras, he was still a formidable threat.
Even nails beca lethal weapons when augnted by the Warrior Chakra.
Vir reeled when the world fell away from under him, activating the Foundation Chakra in the nick of ti, which brought him back to the present.
When he did, the Reaper was in front of him, plunging his Chakra-laden claws in a vicious downward strike.
He expected to use my Foundation Chakra to block his attack! Vir realized, narrowly dodging the demons attack.
Ekanai struck while Vir dodged, and with each encounter, Virs fear drifted away. He found himself forgetting the danger, falling into the rhythm of the fight.
Ekanai was nowhere near as powerful as hed been in the subterranean chamber of illusions. Now, he was more akin to a normal demon.
Vir felt the almighty force of Balancer of Scales, but hed long since learned to deal with its pressure.
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Ekanai stepped back in surprise when Vir shrugged off its effects.
Vir activated Haste at the sa mont that Ekanai used Clarity.
A stalemate ensued. While the Reaper could see the future, Vir moved fast enough to negate its usefulness.
A rush overca Vir, and soon, their fight resembled less a lethal duel and more a dance. Their timing and movents flowed from attack to defense to attack.
They were, surprisingly, evenly matched. Ekanai with his reach, tattoos, and Chakra, and Vir with Prana Current, his agility and his invulnerability in the mindscape.
Vir hadnt been able to dodge all the veteran warriors strikes, and several had landed. Initially, Vir had assud Prana Armor had protected him, but then he saw the truthEkanai hadnt even dented the armor.
His strikes simply werent getting through. This was, after all, Virs own mind. Here, he had unlimited prana. Here, he could set the rules of engagent, and here, he could not be hard. At least, not physically.
Though he knew he was cheating, Vir couldnt help but appreciate the battle. Ekanai fought with such unbridled ferocity and skill that only Cirayus could hope to match him. Even then, Vir figured itd be an even match.
Vir missed those fights. As ridiculous as it sounded, he missed the hordes of Ash Beaststhe days of pitting himself against monsters again and again, always striving to beco faster, deadlier, and smarter.
Vir pushed aside Ekanais strike and used the demons montum to trip him.
They fell to the ground, with Vir mounting the gangly demon, grappling with him. Though despite Vir having the dominant position, Ekanai held a far greater advantagehis gangly arms more than made up for his compromised reach, and he landed blow after blow on Vir until he suddenly stopped.
The demon stared at his claws, retracted them, and let out a great breath.
Vir dismounted the demon and offered a hand. Ekanai took it.
Your prana. You are , Ekanai said. You are my next incarnation.
Vir nodded.
Ekanai laughed wryly. Then I am dead.
You died five hundred years ago, Ekanai. Youre just a mory. My mory. Of you.
Ekanai heavily sat on the trampled grass. I see. How did I die? I rember nothing.
Despite everything Ekanai had done to him, Vir was beginning to pity the demon, despite all that had happened. After all, the version of Ekanai whod threatened and harassed him was a compromised and distorted one. The Ekanai before Vir looked lost. Lost, and scared.
Vir sat beside the Reaper. You ventured into the Mahdi Realm, but your body couldnt take it. You perished soon after.
Tell , Ekanai rasped, his voice even more hoarse than usual. What transpired after? Why have you brought here? Tell everything.
Vir ripped a piece of grass and let it fly away, watching it pensively. I suppose I should start from the beginning. From our first encounter.
Vir spent the next hours narrating his encounters with Ekanai, from the Godshollow, and how the demon had commandeered his body, to their fights in the chamber of illusions in the Ashen Realm.
Impossible, Ekanai said. I know nothing of the workings of the soul. I couldnt have siphoned your lovers soul into an orb.
I figured as much, Vir replied, his lips pulled tight. I feel the chamber was using you as a vessel for its own ends. Or sothing to that effect. To this day, I cant understand it all.
Ekanai grumbled. You must hate . After all those atrocities I committed. You consider your enemy.
I dont, Vir said. The realization ca as a surprise to him. The you I knew wasnt really you, was it? I know that now. But even before I did Id resolved to accept you. For who you were. You are a part of . Only by recognizing that could I move on. Only by accepting that did I open my Foundation Chakra.
Ekanai grunted.
Then I suppose I have redeed myself sowhat, though my actions remain unacceptable. My mories are few, but I at least know that I fought for my people. To protect them. To ward off the destruction of all that I knew.
Ekanai, Vir asked. What is the purpose of the Primordial? The Akh Nara. Is it really to reunite demonkind?
I do not know, Ekanai said slowly. mories of my life elude . It is an aggravating feeling.
I suppose that makes sense, Vir said, disappointed. All you have are my mories, after all.
If I were to wager a guess, however Ekanai said, I feel as though there is more. What need was there for our earliest incarnations to unite the Demon Realm?
Thats true. The splintering of the clans was a recent thing. A millennia ago, the political landscape would have looked quite different.
Vir was left with more questions than ever before.
Tell , Ekanai said. Why have you summoned here? What do you require of ?
Oh, right.
With all that had happened, Vir had nearly forgotten about why hed summoned Ekanai to his mindscape in the first place.
The Life Chakra. I need help training it.
Ekanai looked away for a mont. My instruction would do you little good. I have learned by instinct. Through adversity. I would make a terrible teacher.
I figured, Vir replied, deflated. Well, it was worth a
All I ever did, Ekanai continued, all I have ever known, is fighting. If nothing else, I can strike you with Life Chakra attacks.
Vir winced. Will that help?
Who can say? Perhaps youll be driven mad. But it is how I would train.
Vir stood up. Well, I suppose it cant hurt to try.
Vir quickly learned that indeed, it could hurt to try, as Ekanai catapulted Virs mind into nightmare after nightmare.
Vir lived through visions of Maiyas death. Of Neel getting gored. Of Shan being ripped into two, and of Cirayus being burned alive.
He lived through personal agony. He witnessed the failure of his uprising against the Chitran and the subsequent annihilation of Garga.
When it stopped, Vir could no longer stand. He lay sprawled on the grass of the Godshollow mindscape, twitching.
Who said I couldnt get hurt here? Vir fud. Maybe he couldnt be physically hard, but it seed there was no limit to the damage his mind could sustain.
Are you undamaged? Ekanai asked.
What a strange choice of word, Vir thought dazedly.
Sitting up, he pulled on the Foundation Chakra and cleared his mind.
Ill be fine, he replied. I just dont know if this helped or hurt.
For the first ti in their encounter, Ekanai grinned. Oh, it helped.
How do you know? Vir asked.
Because I can feel it. I can feel you, striking back at whenever I assault your mind.
Virs eyes bulged. Really? Im opening the chakra?
Ekanai scoffed. No. Not even close. It will be a long path. A painful one. But if you persist, the Life Chakra will be yours in due ti.
There was no hesitation in Vir's response.
Then lets continue.
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