Chapter 305: Gates of Rebellion

As Vir stepped through the Ash Gate—no longer a mere Ash Tear—his mind reeled at the implications of this profound discovery.

To his knowledge, no demon who had ever lived had managed such a feat. There simply was no Bloodline Art that allowed one to stabilize Ash Gates.

As for whether his predecessors ever accomplished it, Vir somehow doubted it. It’d have been in the record books, and even if they had wished to hide it, Ash Gates were not so easily concealed. Then again, from what Vir had learned, Ash Tears had been far more rare back then. Perhaps there hadn’t been much opportunity.

Whatever the case, aside from Ashani, Vir was the only living being with power over Ash Gates. And that gave him immense power over the realm. While he couldn’t quite create them as the Imperium Goddess could, once he found a suitable tear, he could now turn it into a permanent—or at least, near-permanent—fixture.

Gates would allow his budding army to march from realm to realm, using entrances and exits only they knew about, with absolute impunity. It’d allow them to establish bases deeper within the Ash, allowing their troops to benefit from the higher prana density and positive time effects. By relying on intermediary Gates to bring them to the periphery, they could then connect to the Demon Realm.

Vir could scarcely think of a time when his heart pumped so madly. For so long, they’d been against hopeless odds. Vir was only one demon. Even with his powers, he’d agonized over the upcoming war.

Now? Now, they had a chance.

The extent to which it worked would, of course, depend on how often they needed to be maintained, but Vir was nevertheless optimistic. Perhaps in just a few months, he could have a viable network built and ready for use.

I suppose they’ll see this as yet another feat of the almighty Akh Nara, Vir thought with a sigh. There was nothing to be done about that, however. If further reverence and alienation were the price for this incredible advantage, then so be it.

Vir took in his surroundings, finding flat desert and rolling hills off in the distance. He could be literally anywhere in the demon realm. Vir wasn’t too worried—one nice perk about it being perpetually sunset was that the sun was always in the same position in the sky. To approach the Ash Boundary, one needed only to move toward the sun. The relative prana density also cued Vir in to how far away he was from the Boundary—currently, quite far.

That was a consideration for later. Before Vir delved back into the Demon Realm, he had work to do and people to inform.

“You did what!?”

Balagra thundered, making Vir shirk back.

“Speak softly!” Vir hissed, looking around the command tent to see if anyone had heard. From the prana signatures outside, it seemed several demons had, and were currently edging closer to listen in.

Vir thought about driving them off, but resigned himself to the fact that his little secret wouldn’t be a secret for much longer. He didn’t want it to be, after all. Just… He wished he could’ve broken the news to them on his own terms. Now, unnecessary rumors would spread, fanning the flames of the Akh Nara even further.

Balagra looked at Vir as though he were a Prana Swarm, while Malik edged back slightly.

“Look, I understand if you don’t believe me, or if you think I worked some mysterious, magical power. I didn’t. Anyone who wields Ash prana could do the same. I should’ve realized it long ago. Can’t believe I never did,” Vir said, genuinely meaning his words.

“Have you forgotten, oh living god, that you are the only person in all the realms who wields the prana of Ash Beasts?” Balagra said.

“I… no. I just meant it wasn’t a big deal. Just a quirk of my prana.”

“You’ll have to forgive us for not believing your humility,” Malik said in a soft voice. “If what you say is true…”

“This changes everything,” Balagra completed. “Supply lines, troop movements… The very nature of warfare. Everything! Do you know why the Ash is so dangerous?” Balagra asked, but continued before anyone could respond. “It’s because you never have a way back out! It’s because you never know where it’ll dump you! Not with any certainty, anyway. You could end up roaming these wastes for years and never find a way back. With this…”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Malik nodded. “We can send troops here anytime we like. We can house them within our garrison, ensuring they have access to healers and safe housing until they’re ready to take on beasts.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“We can exploit this realm like no demon ever has!” Balagra said, laughing with maniacal glee that spooked even Vir. He’d never seen the demon this excited.

“Forward operating bases, Ash-sourced supplies… The list is endless,” Malik said. “Sir, if I may, how many Gates can you stabilize?”

Vir shrugged. “Remains to be seen. Depends on how quickly they deteriorate. I don’t have any personal limit, though.”

“Well?” Balagra asked. “What are we waiting for! Show us this new marvel of yours!”

Vir looked outside with Prana Vision to find demons running all over the place, whispering to each other as they stole glances and point at the command tent.

Oh, well…

A day later, Vir was back at his Gate, this time, with a complement of a dozen of their strongest demons—Balagra and Lagen included.

Malik had tagged along, insisting that he measure the dimensions of this Ash Gate for future logistical purposes. Vir was pretty sure the demon had just tagged along due to excitement. It must have been quite severe for him to have voluntarily joined an excursion that included Lagen—his mortal enemy in romance.

Like all the other demons in their small party, he spent most of his time boring holes into Vir’s back. When he wasn’t, Lagen kept throwing looks at Malik, but one word from Vir put the fear of god in the demon. There would be no tussles… on this trip. Whether this situation would resolve peacefully in the future remained to be seen.

The trip had taken a full day not only because of the size and limited mobility of their group, but because they’d stopped every mile to dig wooden way signs into the Ash—establishing the route for future travel.

While Vir wasn’t sure if this particular destination would be useful, Malik felt it’d be good training for subsequent Gates. A trial run that would help them improve upon their signage system in subsequent iterations.

The Gate itself was nothing special. An oval a couple of heads taller than Vir, situated right on the ground. It was located nearby a copse of trees, but that was the only landmark in sight in an otherwise featureless, flat expanse.

Vir was about to step through when Balagra stopped him.

“Make clear the Gate!” he barked.

Lagen and the others rushed to the Gate, forming a perimeter.

“Clear!” Lagen shouted, prompting six of their number to rush through the Gate, setting up positions on the other side.

All the while. Balagra shook his head, muttering under his breath. Their performance, while perhaps not up to professional military standards, struck Vir as more than adequate. Not adequate enough for the veteran warrior, though.

“Alright. The rest of you lot, follow us through,” Balagra said, slithering through the portal to the demon realm.

Vir followed, finding the same bleak landscape unchanged from the day prior.

“If you told me this was a natural Gate, I’d believe you,” Balagra said, peering intently at the rift in space. “How’s it look to your eyes, Akh Nara?”

Vir bit back his desire to tell the Naga not to call him that, and instead focused on the prana signature.

“Intact. And barely any signs of degradation,” Vir replied.

“Most fortuitous,” Malik said. “At this rate, you could maintain several Gates without issue!”

“Certainly seems that way,” Vir said with a nod. “Any idea where we are, by the way?”

Balagra shrugged. “Most of the demon realm looks like this. Could be anywhere.”

“Sounds like I’ve got some scouting to do,” Vir said.

Balagra cocked a brow. “Is that wise? If we’re in Iksana territory… If they spot you… Better you leave that task to us.”

“And how many days would that take? You know as well I that no one in our group can match my speed. Trust me,” Vir said, clasping the naga’s shoulder. “I’ve got plenty of experience hiding. I’ll be sure to stay well away from any.”

Balagra nodded. “Very well. In the meantime, we’ll construct a makeshift outpost on the other side to guard the Gate. Wouldn’t want beasts causing carnage now…”

Taking careful note of the surroundings, Vir set out to the west, Leaping over barren land for as far as the eye could see.

Soaring a hundred paces into the air with each bound, Vir expanded his field of view considerably, and soon spotted a tall and jagged mountain range running north-south.

At its base near a pass was a settlement, not unlike the one Darsh and his sister Hetal lived in—small and primitive. From his high vantage, Vir observed that the village was around the same size, too, supporting no more than a hundred people.

Coming to a stop a few hundred paces away to avoid suspicion, Vir wandered in, earning the stares of the serpentine folks who lived there.

Had Vir not already met Balagra, he might’ve panicked. But the Panav were a mostly peaceful people who regularly took refugees from the Garga. Not that this excused their involvement in the sacking of his clan, but Vir was at least happy he hadn’t landed in Iksana territory. The moment one of their kind spotted him, it would be the end.

Luckily, this was both the first and last time Vir would travel through an Ash Gate alone. From now on, he’d bring demons with him, who could scout the land beyond to determine whether the exit pot was in a useful location. A Gate that led to the eastern sea would have little strategic importance, except perhaps as a hidden staging area.

“You lost, stranger?” An elderly half-serpent half-woman Nagini asked, slithering up to Vir.

Vir scratched his neck with mock embarrassment. “Er, I seem to be! Would you be so kind as to point me to the Gargan border?”