Chapter 159: Unlimited Potential
Im good, trust me! No pain at all, Vir said, throwing a few punches to prove it.
Very well. Then don your armor.
Vir did as he was told. So, now what?
Since you are so eager to get going, you can join me for a bit.
The demon moved so fast, Vir didnt realize he was falling until his stomach dropped from under him. Falling all the way to the bottom of the mountain.
Vir screamed until he noticed they were falling much too slowly.
Not falling.Floating, he realized as he hung by his cuirass collar. Balancer of Scales.
Oh, come on. What are ya, a little lass? When you return to the Human Realm, you can tell your girlfriend how you peed your pants from a little fall.
Virs face went red. You call this a little fall!? And shes not my girlfriend, he added quietly.
Of course not, the giant said with a smirk.
He lowered them at a steady pace, slowing just before they touched the ground, and Vir felt like hed just ridden the lift to the Pagan Orders Undercity. Except, instead of a team of demons working a rope, mysterious, powerful magic did the heavy lifting. He was glad to be down.
Well? Youve been wanting to stretch your legs, havent you? Have at it!
Vir looked around, noting the empty desert around them, littered by a field of corpses. The ubiquitous ash only came up to his ankles.
A glance at the giant confirmed his suspicion.
What can I say? Cirayus grinned, they were in the way.
Vir rolled his eyes. The man had just killed a hundred Ash Beasts that were in the way. Never mind that they were only scorpions; all Ash Beasts were lethal.
Vir braced himself for a Micro Leap. Hed misjudged its power twice already. He wasnt planning on repeating that mistake. Using only the barest trickle of ground prana, he sent it to his legs.
In an explosion of speed, he sprung forward, covering over ten paces, leaving a puff of ash in his wake.
Ten paces may not have sounded like much; it was only half the range of his normal Leap, after all. Except, hed used even less power than a Micro Leap normally consumed. And that was only supposed to send him a pace or two.
There was no point delaying any longer. Vir crouched low, then sucked as much prana into his legs as he could fit without straining his body.
The Abyssal Flats blurred as he shot forth. Despite anticipating the result, despite his best efforts to recover, he went tumbling end over end, unable to control his body.
Vir came to a stop in a heap, face blackened with ash. Coughing, he slowly righted himself.
No, I take it back. You can tell Maiya how you not only screamed, you managed to also faceplant comically into the ash.
Vir scowled at the giant, who stood grinning, before glancing back to see how far hed come.
Seventy paces Vir whispered. It couldnt be; it sounded too good to be true. This, with a body that was still acclimating?
Parais Channeling Technique, which hed started calling Prana Channeling, almost seemed useless now. With this much prana around, what need was there to be efficient? And that was just airborne prana. As dense as it was, it didnt even hold a candle to the titanic amount within the ground.
Vir Leaped again, this time with a better understanding of what to expect. The spectacle was no less thrilling. The feeling of moving so fast, blindingly fast! There was something intoxicating about it.
When the ability ended, Virs legs were ready. Instead of stopping, he ran, slowly bleeding off his speed, allowing the ash to suck up his momentum bit by bit.
Then he did it again. Vir Leaped over and over, covering absurd distances in mere moments.
Exciting, isnt it? Cirayus said, catching up.
At some point, Vir had started laughing. It was a pure, almost childlike exhilaration. Something he hadnt felt in a long, long time. Not since his adventures into the Godshollow with Maiya as a kid.
The exhilaration multiplied severalfold when he High Jumped for the first time. Because while Leaping seventy paces was one thing, jumping seventy into the air was another entirely.
It was fun until he began to fall headfirst back to the ground.
Panic took him. Could he even use Light Step to break his fall if his head hit the ground first? Hed never tried it.
Just when he was about to scream for help, Cirayus jumped into the air, grabbing Vir as he fell. A bit reckless, lad. I know its good fun, but do think through your actions a little next time.
Despite his words, Cirayus tone was more amused than critical. The smile on his face only added to that image.
Even still, Virs face flushed with embarrassment, and it wasnt only on account of being upside down.
Once back down, Vir took a few moments to shake it off before activating High Jump, this timewith only a fraction of the prana. He went only thirty paces, allowing him to Light Step to break his fall.
Good. Good. Now follow me, Cirayus said, falling into a brisk walk. While Vir had to Empower his legs slightly to keep up, it wasnt anything he couldnt manage.
I must admit, I was wrong, the demon said.
About?
Ive never seen anyone so afflicted by the prana density here. Ive also never seen anyone recover so quickly, either. When you said you had recovered I fear I didnt believe you.
Oh, that. Ive already learned how to deal with the ambient prana levels. But when I suck in extra to use a Talent
And Im guessing not everyone can learn them?
Aye. You need the right affinities, and generally only the Rajathe Clanlordand their heirs inherit those powers.
Wait. Does that mean youre a Clanlord? Vir asked.
Nothing like that, Cirayus replied, casually squashing a swarm of scorpions who drew close. Thus far, they hadnt encountered any of the larger terrors, and Vir began to wonder if the Ash wasnt as bad as everyone made it out to be.
His delusion was put to rest when an Ash Tear suddenly opened up just paces away, forcing Vir to dodge.
Dont get anywhere near it, lad! Cirayus shouted, scooping Vir up and jumping far away.
A deathly scream emanated from somewhere deep within the tear before it collapsed upon itself, sending a shockwave kicking up plumes of ash across the Flats.
Ash Beasts arent the only danger here, lad. Ash Tears open and close at random. Get stuck in one and thats the end of you.
Noted, Vir thought, cold sweat trickling down his face. Where do they lead?
Impossible to say. Some lead deeper into the Ash. Others, to the Human or Demon Realm. And some to spaces that are best left alone. Deep, dark planes, disconnected from reality and time. Tis where the real nightmares lurk, and to enter is to die. Or worse. Never venture into an Ash Tear, lad. Promise me.
I promise, Vir replied. He didnt have a death wish.
Cirayus let Vir down, then continued, unperturbed. Clan Baira holds a fighting competition every few years. The victors, if theyre Bairan, may ask the Clanlord for the tattoo. If theyre deemed of good standing, they get the tattoo.
And you won?
Aye. One-hundred fifty-six times.
Vir did his best not to trip and fall in shock. He barely managed it.
Did, uh did you misspeak?
It is as you hear. If I compete, I usually win. In fact, my greatest losses were to your father. What a warrior, that man.
I see, Vir replied, not quite ready to ask about his deceased parents. There would be time for that. Later. Once hed truly come to terms with what it meant to be demonic royalty. So youre saying that if I want the tattoo, Id have to participate and win?
Aye, you would.
Would you compete?
Of course! the giant replied heartily.
Well, so much for that idea Vir thought, writing off the tattoo in his head.
Rest assured, lad. Usage of Ultimate Bloodline abilities is strictly prohibited. I would not use Balancer of Scales.
Vir rolled his eyes. Oh gee, what a consolation! Thatll be a walk in the park now!
Cirayus roared with laughter. Youll get there, lad. Youll get there. Patience.
What are the others? The tattoos, I mean.
Well be here all day if I were to go through each one. Suffice it to say, they are all staggeringly powerful in their own right. Some are less suited to combat. Others, frightfully more so.
But you have to carry the blood of the clan to use them Vir replied. Something didnt sound right about that, though he couldnt put his finger on it. Not until Cirayus laid a bombshell on him.
Ordinarily, yes. But you see, you are no mere demon, Cirayus said, pointing at Vir. You are the Primordial. The Akh Nara, as we demons call him. You possess Ash prana. And, if Im not mistaken, you have no other affinities? Not even a trace?
Thats right. Its why I cant use human orbs.
Apex ash prana affinity, then. The highest affinity possible for the most powerful form of prana. The root from which all other affinities stemmed. Lad, nobody else possesses that affinity. Not a single human or demon. Only Ash Beasts do.
No. No way. That means It cant be! Can it?
To receive an Ultimate Bloodline tattoo is the honor of a lifetime. Only the luckiest of us mortals ever earn one. But you? Lad, you can use all the Ultimate Bloodline Arts.
And with my Ash prana
Aye. Each will be stronger than their regular affinity counterparts.
Virs heart skipped a beat.
If that were all, youd certainly be a force to be reckoned with, true, but your past incarnations They were all forces of nature, lad. Walking natural disasters, each and every one of them. Do you know why?
Vir shook his head.
Tis the same reason I predicted your moves in our battle. The same reason you thought I could read your thoughts, and why you quaked in fear, the moment you first laid eyes on me.
Cirayus paused, and his demeanor shifted in an instant. Hed done nothing that Vir saw, but suddenly, the demons very presence shifted. Fear rushed through Virs heart and his knees buckled. Cirayus felt heavy, and not just in the normal sense. It was as if his entire existence had grown more significant, like an aura that oozed off him.
Vir withered under his gaze, for it was the gaze of a god. How is he doing that?
Until now, youve fought your battles in the physical plane. Even his voice thundered with supernatural presence. The cradle of toddlers and infants. But there is another. Tis the domain of the metaphysical. A realm that cannot be seen or tasted or touched. But you feel it, dont you? There, in your very soul. Shaking. Resonating.
Vir gulped, and his words came out hoarse and broken. W-What do you mean?
I speak, of course, of the Chakra System.
