Months of diligent training, of choosing to train during her every free moment, had led to this singular moment.

  It didn’t matter that it had taken so long. It didn’t matter that Maiya had fallen far behind the batch of demon hopefuls she started with. Nor did it matter that she had endured far more pain and suffering to get here than any demon ever had.

  All that mattered was the Ash Gate that stood before her, leading into the very depths of the Ashen Realm.

  Well, maybe not its depths. More like the very edge of the Ash, where prana levels were incomparable to those deeper in, let alone Mahādi.

  What mattered was that she had made it here. That she was still standing. Still conscious, even though she was drenched, legs barely able to hold her.

  She tottered through the Gate, scarcely able to believe this was really happening.

  Yes, thousands upon thousands of demons roamed the Ash these days, but she was quite possibly the first human to cross that boundary in recent history. Or at least, to cross it with any intention of surviving the experience.

  She fell to her knees, grabbing a handful of soot as she took in the blighted realm.

  “I’m really here,” she muttered.

  “Easy there, lass,” Cirayus said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You made history today. Take it slow. The Ash isn’t about to disappear. Far from it.”

  Maiya closed her eyes and breathed heavily, forcing her prana to circulate through her body. She could scarcely believe the density here, worming its way into her veins.

  The discomfort was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, but Maiya knew that if she pushed through, she would emerge a stronger mejai than ever. And while subjecting herself to the prana of the Ash was hardly the standard method for getting there, forcing herself through the ordeal had shaved not months, but years—perhaps even decades—off her journey.

  With her mediocre talent for learning, Maiya doubted she’d ever have made it even this far without this infinite well of prana.

  If she could press just a bit deeper into the Ash, she would become a true Mejai of Realms, no longer reliant on others to precharge her A-rank orbs. She’d be able to recharge them quickly enough to make them viable in battle, significantly elevating her capabilities.

  If she managed to press further, to Vijaya Garrison, she’d be able to unleash those orbs one after another. She’d become a true force of nature.

  And if she could one day reach Mahādi—even just its entrance—she would join the highest echelon of human mejai ever to have lived. The Prime Mejai.

  But Mahādi, as tempting as it was, wasn’t her goal. Vijaya Garrison held a special meaning for her, as not only would she be truly strong if she managed to survive there, but she would be able to see Vir.

  Once it became clear that Vir would not come out of his coma anytime soon, they had moved him to Vijaya Garrison to exploit its time advantage.

  There had even been discussions of moving him into Mahādi to further enhance the effect, but its prana levels were so great that not even Tara would be able to check up on him, to say nothing of the other Panav. It would have been difficult, if not impossible, to provide the basic care he required. Only Ashani and Cirayus could enter that realm, and both were far too busy handling affairs in both the human and demon realms.

  Even so, Vijaya Stronghold’s time advantage over the mortal realms was not to be underestimated.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Seeing Vir had been a powerful motivator—something to drive her when her body felt like it would explode from the pain. Something to force her to train in the few moments she had to herself, instead of resting from the crushing burdens of her position as Rajni of Clan Garga.

  “I daresay this is enough for today, lass,” Cirayus said gently.

  “It’s not,” Maiya replied. “I have so much further to go if I want to see him. Besides, you said Vir got through this in just a few hours, didn’t he?”

  “Come now, lass. You know that isn’t true. We can bring him back to the demon realm anytime you care to visit. And don’t you start comparing yourself to that monster. Not a demon alive who should,” Cirayus said. “And it’s not just his body I’m talking about. He’s… different.”

  Maiya chuckled. “Different as in crazy? I suppose that’s true. But then, I’m no different, am I? Taking a risk like this despite everyone’s warnings.”

  “It would seem to run in the family,” Cirayus said with a laugh. “And yet, you know as well as I that the lad treasures you even regardless of your combat capability.”

  “I know,” Maiya said softly. “It’s just… back when he fought Annas. All I could do was stand there and watch as Vir’s soul shattered. I have never once been able to watch his back or help him or even fight beside him.”

  Maiya raised her eyes to meet the giant’s gaze. “Do you have any idea how hard that is? I keep catching up, and for the briefest instant, we’re almost equal—or at the very least in the same realm. And then off he goes, leaving me in the dust.

  “It’s pushed me to improve, yes, but not being there for him when it matters most eats me up, Cirayus.”

  “Then you’ve little to fear,” Cirayus said at length. “For while you may not have supreme talent like he does, your relentless determination will see you there, lass, as surely as the eternal sunset. In my view, that is a far more valuable quality than any amount of talent.”

  “Thanks, Cirayus,” Maiya said with a smile. “I can always count on you to cheer me up, can’t I?”

  “What are doting old uncles for, eh? Besides, I do believe it is time to be going, yes?”

  Maiya nodded. “The meeting. Right. Lead the way.”

  She followed Cirayus out the Gate to Samar Patag’s castle before heading for the pre-existing Gate that led to Kartara—one of the only two Gates that linked the two realms.

  Without Vir to recharge Ashani’s orbs, they had been forced to be extremely tactical about their Gate placement, restricting travel only to the most crucial locations, allowing all others to destabilize and collapse. Not to mention how Ashani could not travel through any Gate she created, having to rely on the old ones that Vir had already stabilized.

  The only other Gate to the Human Realm was located in a forest near Sonam, deep within the Children of Ash’s stronghold, where Maiya knew it would be secure. Both led deep underground, within Samar Patag’s castle. The Asura’s seat of power.

  “It’s funny,” Maiya muttered. “I never had this problem before.”

  “Problem?” Cirayus asked.

  “Having to go back to a more prana-deficient region before gating to the Human Realm.” She smiled. “I suppose that more than anything shows the progress I’ve made.”

  Cirayus chuckled. “Indeed. I can’t tell you the number of times the lad almost had Ashani create a Gate to the Demon Realm from Mahādi. Quite the catastrophe that would have been.”

  Maiya shook her head, still unable to believe that the Ashen Realm—a realm so feared and rumored for all of recorded history—was now as common and well-traveled as any other.

  Vir truly had accomplished the impossible. An unprecedented feat that promised to change the face of all the realms forever.

  And Maiya truly was living through it. Events that would be recorded in books for millennia to come. There were already myths of Vir, so she had no doubt his legend would only continue to expand. But would they be singing myths of her? Would she, too, become like Ashani?

  She somehow doubted it. Ashani, while originally intended as nothing more than a friend to a child—a caretaker of sorts—she was still the last living being of a race of gods.

  Maiya shook her head. Pointless distractions. She had far more pressing worries to occupy her mind.

  “Thank you, Cirayus, as always,” she said, bidding the giant goodbye.

  “Think nothing of it. Now, I’m afraid I must leave you here, lass,” Cirayus said. “My presence is required at the Chitran camp.”

  Maiya nodded. “Please see to it that Governor Asuman’s requests are handled as peaceably as possible. I’d hate for the recent unrest to escalate into anything more.”

  “You needn’t worry, lass,” Cirayus replied. “Consider it done.”

  She didn’t doubt him for an instant. Cirayus had never once failed her. Never once broken a promise. Quality people like that were so difficult to find, and yet, Vir had collected so many that Maiya almost seemed to be drowning within them.

  Maiya swiftly navigated the halls of Kartara’s frigid castle—always too cold for her liking—before entering the war room where her partners in crime awaited.

  “About time you showed up,” Riyan said as two guards opened the heavy wooden door, allowing Maiya through. “We have much to discuss.”

  “That’s an understatement. I understand that there have been movements in both Sonam and Alt Ashani?” Maiya asked.

  “The rumors have some weight, I’m afraid,” Ira said. “Kinjal truly seems to have allied with the Altani, and they are making preparations to attack Ksaia.”

  Maiya’s face hardened. “We cannot allow that to happen.”

  War, it seemed, was once again on the horizon. Hardly a surprise, considering the Imperator’s personality.

  And yet, this time, she would be forced to tackle this challenge without Vir. Without her shining North Star to guide her.

  Maiya could only pray she had it within her.