“I tried everything I could,” said a familiar voice. “If he could have been saved, I would have. But his soul was too far gone. Not even the ultimate Panav art can restore a soul that unraveled so completely.”

  “No. He can’t be dead.” Maiya’s voice faltered and tears streamed down her face. “He held on for so long! He fought so hard. I know it. How? Why now?”

  Tara placed a comforting hand on Maiya’s shoulders. “It was only a matter of time until his soul fully unraveled. Nobody can return from that.”

  “He wasn’t like us, Tara. He wasn’t mortal.”

  “Not even gods can recover from such damage.” Tara lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry, Maiya.”

  “Tsk, tsk, Tara. I never took you to be such a nonbeliever,” Vir teased, his voice cutting through the somber mood like a seric dagger.

  Tara and Maiya froze, staring at him in shock.

  “What? Did you think it would be so easy to kill a god?” Vir asked with a smirk.

  It was too much. Their looks of utter disbelief made him burst out laughing. Especially Maiya.

  To see her face again after so long—to watch her confusion melt into pure, unbridled joy—it filled him with a warmth he had so dearly missed.

  Warmth he could now enjoy to its fullest, without the pain of a shattered soul.

  “How?” Maiya whispered, her voice trembling. Before she could say more, Vir sat up and pulled her into a deep embrace. He breathed in her sweet scent, feeling her warmth.

  “I’m so sorry, Mai. I’m sorry for everything I put you through.”

  Her words failed her as she buried her face against his chest. Then, suddenly, the dam burst. “Vir!” she cried, her tears soaking his chest. She clung to him desperately, sobbing with relief.

  They remained like that for a long, quiet moment. Neither speaking, just content to exist in each other’s presence. At last, Maiya choked out, “I thought I lost you. I thought…”

  “I thought I lost everything, too,” Vir murmured back. “But I’m here. I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. You were here all along, weren’t you? Supporting me.”

  Tara placed her hands on Vir’s body, breaking the moment. “This is… impossible. You’re alive. And your soul—it’s intact!”

  Vir smiled faintly. “And if I’m not mistaken, it’s better than ever.”

  “That’s impossible,” Tara repeated, shaking her head. “No one has ever recovered from soul damage. Not once, in all of history.”

  “Impossible for most, perhaps,” Vir said.

  Maiya pulled away, searching his eyes. “Are you truly a god now, Vir?”

  “Haven’t I always been?” He quipped.

  She slapped him lightly across the cheek. “You haven’t changed one bit. No, not a god—just my Vir. The same as always.”

  His smile softened, content to lose himself in her gaze until Tara cleared her throat. “This changes everything. I honestly can’t believe it. Do you have any idea the sort of waves this will make? You already had a cult before, can you imagine what they’ll say about you now?”

  Vir looked between them. “How long was I gone?”

  “Nearly a full year,” Tara replied.

  Only then did Vir notice the bags beneath Maiya’s eyes, the scars of endless worry. “A full year,” he said quietly. “I can’t even imagine the pain I put you through.”

  Maiya shook her head, wiping away her tears. “It’s nothing next to what you must have gone through. I knew you hadn’t given up.”

  “For the longest time, I didn’t even have control of my own thoughts,” Vir admitted. “I was adrift in an ocean of darkness. But something deep inside held on, piecing together the shattered remnants of my soul. Eventually, I somehow managed to rebuild my mindscape and began the process of healing.”

  “You’re telling us you healed your soul through willpower alone?” Tara asked, frowning. “Forgive me if I’m a little skeptical.”

  “Not just willpower,” Vir said. “I had help—from my predecessors. Jalendra the Wise guided me, taught me how to repair my soul, how to reopen my Chakras and master myself once more, before…”

  Maiya’s eyes fell. “Before you… died?”

  “Yes,” Vir said, nodding.

  “You’re saying your death was part of the process?” Tara pressed.

  “It was,” Vir replied. “The only way to recover from soul damage is to allow yourself to die and be reforged. That’s what Jalendra believed, at least. In most cases, that means reincarnation. You lose your memories, but the soul returns to live again. Just that I managed to retain enough of myself to be reborn into the same body, with a renewed soul, though I couldn’t have done it if my soul wasn’t, er, somewhat unique.”

  Maiya’s lips trembled. “You died. You literally died and came back to life.”

  “Uh, yeah?” Vir said, not sure where she was going with this.

  “She’s asking how that makes you anything other than a god.” Tara asked, her voice hushed. “I’m quite certain that’s pretty much the definition of divinity.”

  Vir chuckled softly. “I’m still me. And believe me, it’s not like I’ve mastered death. If my soul shatters again, I won’t survive another rebirth. That’s not a path I ever want to walk again. It’s… It’s not something anyone should ever have to endure.”

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “That’s unbelievable,” Maiya said, shaking her head. “I can’t even—”

  The door burst open.

  “What Ash-damned chal did this?” a voice thundered as a massive, armored four-armed demon burst through. “He can’t be dead. There’s no way the lad—”

  Cirayus froze, eyes as wide as orbs.

  “Hey, old man,” Vir said with a faint grin.

  The Ravager’s mouth opened and closed several times before he finally burst out laughing, rushing forward to sweep both Vir and Maiya into a crushing embrace.

  “I see you haven’t died of old age in my absence,” Vir chuckled.

  “I can’t believe it, lad. I can’t believe it! You did it. Gods know how, but you did it!”

  Vir was now wet with the tears of not just one, but two people.

  “The realm must know. Word must be spread of your return!”

  “I’m back,” Vir said softly, smiling. “And this time, I’m back for good.”

  Vir had hoped the initial throng of people entering his bedchambers—to wish him congratulations, express their heartfelt relief, or throw themselves at his feet, crying in joy—to eventually fade, but instead, even more people flooded into the room as the news spread across Samar Patag and beyond like wildfire.

  The room eventually grew so crowded that Cirayus and Maiya had to finally drive everyone out, and even then, people refused to leave until Tara stepped in, claiming Vir required rest after his life-and-death ordeal. She shooed away the last of the stragglers, winking at Vir before pulling the door shut behind her.

  “Finally!” Maiya said with a huff, glomming onto him even tighter.

  His bride-to-be sat cross-legged on his bed, hugging him, and hadn’t let go even once during the procession of people. As though he might vanish forever if she let go even for a moment.

  Vir didn’t make any move to resist and instead held her gently by the waist.

  “You cannot know how much I missed you,” he murmured. “It may have been one year for you, but for me…”

  “I can’t even imagine. The pain you must have gone through…” Maiya sniffled, shaking her head against his chest. “It’s been hard, Vir. So hard. Not knowing if you were alive or dead, if you’d ever come back to us—to me. And then…” Her voice cracked. “Everyone expected me to run the country in your place.”

  Vir sighed, throwing his legs over the bed, ensuring he never let go of her hand. They walked together, waist to waist, out to the balcony.

  An almost unrecognizable Samar Patag stretched before them. Dozens of new buildings had been erected, and old structures renovated to such a degree that Vir struggled to place them. Even the outer walls of the city could barely be seen now, swallowed by the sprawling expansion.

  “There have been some changes,” Maiya said with a weary chuckle.

  “It would seem you’ve done an incredible job,” Vir said, shocked at the transformation.

  “People needed hope after we lost you,” Maiya said softly. “We may have won the war, but losing you… it was just too high a cost. Everything threatened to come crumbling down, but I couldn’t let it. Not after your sacrifice. So we rebuilt. We expanded the city, improved the sewers, commissioned parks. Made life just a bit easier. I couldn’t have done it without your Asura or the Children. Tara and Thaman, too. The Panav sent food and supplies when we needed them most and Thaman ensured no other clans tried to take advantage of the power vacuum.”

  “And the Chitran?”

  She hesitated. “We set Asuman up in a temporary camp. He assured his people that you had no ill will towards their clan. That you wanted us to thrive together. After a few months, though, people started to lose hope. They said no one could recover from that kind of soul damage. Not even you. One by one, they began to give up. They became afraid we might persecute them, despite my repeated assurances. It’s been tense ever since. I’ve just been trying to keep another war from breaking out. This realm’s seen enough death already.”

  “You cannot know how proud it makes me to see you become such a capable Rajni…” Vir pulled her into a tight embrace. “I only wish I never put you through that, Mai. Arrogance led me to think I'd become too strong to be harmed. That I could save everyone as a matter of course.”

  “But you did save them,” she whispered. “Those children worship you now. And they’re thriving. Janani is the head of education now, and every orphan has a place to live. Proper schooling, proper clothes. Families to call their own. The city’s transformed, Vir. The whole clan has. The realm is changing. I can feel it. Saunak’s invention’s made barren fields fertile again. Every clan wants it. It would already be everywhere if I hadn’t intervened.”

  “You don’t trust him,” Vir said.

  “Not at all. I hate working with that guy,” Maiya spat. “He doesn’t listen to anyone—not even me. Only you ever had any hold on his leash. I feel like I’m one bad interaction away from him going on some solo crusade.”

  Guilt weighed down on Vir’s chest as she listed every burden she had carried in his absence. He owed her more than words. So much more. For now, however, words were all he had to give.

  “I swear to you, Mai. I will never leave you again. I’ll never put you through this again.”

  “Thanks,” she said softly. “It was tough, I won’t lie. Harder than I thought I could bear. But I managed. And I think I did a decent job. I made every decision with you in mind. What would Vir want?”

  “That’s…”

  Maiya smirked. “Not that hard, considering how aligned we usually are on things.”

  “Would you like to rule the Garga?” Vir asked, looking deep into her eyes. “My people are your people now. They accept you. They must love you for you to have been this effective.”

  Maiya’s eyes widened. “You… don’t want your position back? I wasn’t planning on fighting you for it, you know? I planned to give it back all along.”

  “I know,” Vir said with a gentle smile, looking at the city in the distance. “But I can see how much you enjoy it. This city could not have grown as much without love.”

  “You don’t want the power?” Maiya asked, though he knew she must’ve guessed what he would say. They’d known each other so long they could practically read each other’s thoughts by now.

  He said the words, regardless. “I want what’s best for my people, Mai. I’d be a fool to interfere when you’ve done such a good job.”

  “I… I think I’d like that,” Maiya replied, putting a finger on his chest. “But you’re not gonna foist your kingship onto me, mister. Even with you back, it’s still a burden, and I expect you to help shoulder it.”

  Instead of replying, Vir took her lips, pulling her into a deep, long kiss, full of the passion of years.

  “That’s not fair,” Maiya said, leaning her head against his chest and pouting. “I’m the Akh Nara. I don’t play fair.”

  Maiya giggled, and Vir found himself grinning in return, just happy to hear the melody that was her voice.

  “Well, it’s not the clan that needs your immediate attention, anyway. It’s Ira. She’s been rebuilding her faction behind her father’s back, risking her life every single day to earn the trust of her people.”

  “Has she succeeded?”

  That was, after all, why she’d failed. True, her intelligence network had not been nearly as watertight as she thought, but it was the fact that Andros had the people’s support that brought her down.

  “I think she has,” Maiya said. “She’s changed so much. She spends every waking hour thinking of her people and how she can better their lives. Kinda like you, in a way.”

  “I see And what of Andros?”

  Maiya flinched. “He marches with an army of a hundred thousand. His own troops, and Altani allies, believe it or not. We’ve been waging a guerrilla war, slowing them as best we can… but soon we’ll be beset by their full force.”

  “The Altani? Allying with the Kin’jal? I never thought I would see the day. Are their combined forces truly that powerful?”

  “In a sense,” Maiya said grimly. “We underestimated them, Vir. Not in military might, but brutality. The high-ranking Altani mejai are terrifying, but it’s the combination that makes them truly deadly.

  “We always knew they wielded S-Class magic, but they’ve never actually used it.

  “Andros convinced them to?” Vir asked, dreading the answer.

  Maiya nodded. “You’ve never seen magic of that level, Vir. Once deployed, it cannot be stopped. We can kill thousands of them, but how do we stop an Altani mejai from casting an S Rank spell in the middle of a city, wiping it off the face of the realm?”

  Vir’s blood ran cold. “You mean they already—?”

  Maiya’s eyes dimmed. “Ksaia. Bheem’s home city. They blackmailed us. Said they’d end the city if we continued waging a war against their forces. We never saw it coming. There was nothing we could do.”

  Vir clenched his fists. “And you can’t retaliate for fear of them destroying another city. What a cruel way to wage a war.”

  “Altani might and Kin’jal brutality. There has never been a more terrifying combination. We’re hamstrung. We can’t launch a rebellion, or they’ll go slaughter innocents. I know you would never have approved of that.”

  “You’re right. There’s only one response that will work here. Only one way to win this war without more tragedy.”

  Vir’s gaze hardened.

  “I can think of no better way to show the world that the Akh Nara has returned than to rid it of the blight that is Imperator Andros Kin’jal.”