Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 190: Pranite Power

Two years?

Vir despaired. Even with the time effects of the Mahdi Realm, it was too long to linger; Cirayus would be worried sick. Worse, he might wander away looking for Vir if he took too much time. If that happened, Vir would have no chance of finding the giant. As he'd learned, Ashani's gates could only reliably open at locations she'd created gates before. The placement was otherwise random.

Besides, it's two years only if I charge it every day without sleep.

An impossible task.

But one look at Ashanis face wiped all dark thoughts from his mind. This was a goddess he was talking about. A living, breathing goddess. Actually, Vir wasnt certain if she did breathe, but what were a few years if it meant saving her life?

Please stop, Ashani said. I thank you for trying, but the task is impossible.

Oh, I dont know about that. I have a few tricks up my sleeve.

Your sleeve? Ashani asked, looking at his arms.

Its a saying, Vir chuckled. Lets try this.

Vir evacuated the prana from his body, boosting the density difference between the ambient prana and his body. As expected, the prana suction force multiplied.

Ashani stared intently at the orb. Impressive.

Well? How much time did we gain?

It appears to be charging four times as quickly as before. Around six months.

Six months! Thats still not practical. But its a lot better.

Smart, Ashani said, shifting her gaze to Virs body. You maximized the potential difference between the atmosphere and your own body. Your layer of saturated blood prevents external prana from building up within you, maintaining a localized prana vacuum.

Er, yes? Vir replied. Some of the terms she used felt familiar, thanks to the bits of knowledge shed transferred, but it was like he recalled them through the veil of a dreamlike hed heard them before, but didnt really know what they meant.

Do you have any more of these tricks? Ashani asked.

Maybe a couple, Vir replied snarkily, activating Prana Channeling in his palm.

Channeling sucked in prana to boost his bodys vitality, and, like all his abilities, it wasnt choosy about where it got its fuel from. Finding none in Virs body, it sucked from the air instead.

Prana Dam stopped it from entering, except for the area on Virs palm where hed let it lapse.

Through that small opening, energy sucked in with even more force, into the orb.

Three months. That doubled it again! Ashani said, bringing her face to within inches of the orb.

Thats a lot better, Vir said. Figure maybe four months accounting for eating and sleeping? I can do that.

That is simply unreasonable, Ashani said. You would have to concentrate every moment youre awake. But how did you!?

The goddess shifted her gaze to Virs body, eyes widening in surprise. You are altering the flow of blood within your body, to alter the flow of prana. In doing so, youve created an attractive current.

Sounds about right, Vir replied. Whats wrong?

Vir, this feels very dangerous to me. Altering your blood flow in the wrong way can easily lead to injury, or even death. Do you understand the risk youre taking?

I do, Vir replied grimly.

How would you even learn such a thing without killing yourself?

Vir winced. Painfully. For this particular technique, you could say I had a little help. I got to watch someone whod mastered it. I just copied them in a safe environment, he said, thinking of Parais memory vision where hed learned it. Still hurt though. A lot.

But why take such a risk? Why not simply decouple prana flow from your blood flow?

Youre saying thats possible? Vir asked in surprise. Hed always theorized it, but had never had any proof it could be done.

Why yes, of course! Ashani said. Quite possible.

Er, can you guide me? Can you tell me how?

Ashani frowned. Im afraid I cannot. Only flesh and blood cycle prana, and I do not possess such information. The Vidya network was destroyed along with everyone else, millennia ago.

I see Vir said. While the setback was unfortunate, it was nothing next to discovering that prana could be decoupled. Guess Ill have to rely on my tricks, then.

Staring at the orb, Vir could hardly believe its capacity. It was no larger than a C Grade, and while hed never laid eyes on an S, Vir was sure Ashanis prana core consumed many times the prana of even those vaunted orbs. He needed more prana. Lots more.

Then how about this? Vir asked, resting his other palm on top of the orb. If one arms suction bought him this much

The prana rushing in doubled, growing so thick Vir began to see it with his naked eye.

Two months! Ashani cried.

I can do even more! Vir said, heart pumping with excitement.

Excitement that ended abruptly, only seconds later.

The charging halted abruptly, and the prana that had grown visible disappeared.

Vir looked inside himself, and to his horror, found no pranites circulating within his body.

What happened to them? Vir asked.

Consumed. Moving them around that quickly takes a fair bit of energy, Ashani said, producing a shining steel box with metal clasps.

Consumed? Vir panicked. The pranites had been instrumental for him. He was hoping to rely on them going forward. And now they were gone?

Ashani lifted the lid of the metal case, revealing three full syringes.

How many more do you have? Vir breathed in relief, preparing his arm for the injection.

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This is all, Im afraid, Ashani said. Janak maintained quite a stock, but Ive administered them to my lupine friends over the years.

Well, I suppose Id better make them count, then, Vir said as Ashani injected him.

Vir immediately felt the new pranites within his body, topped up with prana.

Ashani shut the lid of her metal case.

Vir still hadnt gotten over how much metal the Imperium seemed to use. They treated metal the same as how modern day people treated wood. In fact, he hoped to come across small objects he could pocket. Quite literally. Each one would be an Artifact, even if their uses were unknowable.

Still, Vir wasnt about to steal from Ashanis home. There was an entire city to lootthere would be time for such things later. Or so he hoped.

This is going to be an issue, though, he said. Is there any way I can control which wounds the pranites heal?

Ashani shook her head. None. They behave according to their programming, which cannot be altered.

Vir frowned. What about refilling their prana? Is that possible?

Again, Ashani shook her head. Prana is prana. If I enabled them to restore themselves, they would rob your bodys own energy. That would be quite disastrous in your current state.

Because my bloods prana capacity is still so low, Vir said, nodding in understanding. But that means you do have a way to restore their prana?

Well, yes.

How?

Simply will them to, Ashani replied reluctantly. Youre going to turn them on, arent you?

The pranites are full right now, Vir said. Shouldnt be an issue.

I hope. A worrying thought came over him.

Er, the worst that happens is they consume my prana, right? They're not going to take over my body, or something?

Ashani chuckled. There is no worry of that.

Right. Of course. Phew.

A simple application of will, similar to his Talents, released the pranites, allowing the pranites to consume prana.

Though the little machines were nearly full, Vir still felt them draining his nearby blood cells.

Definitely need to expand my bloods capacity, he thought. It would be a crime not tothe highest prana density in all the realms was right here, at Mhadi. It had to have been many, many times greater than what the Domain lords lairs had been.

If he got his blood to acclimatize, he could very well store up enough prana for multiple activations of most of his Talents.

That was an advantage nobody in all the realms could boast. The mere thought made him giddy.

Vir? Are you well? Ashani asked with concern.

Sorry, he replied. I sometimes get lost in my own mind. I want to try charging your prana core again.

Though, I must wonder how much more you could channel if you simply disabled that current running through your body.

Sorry? Current? Vir asked.

Yes, the beautiful pattern coursing through all your limbs, Ashani said, pointing to his body.

With a frown, Vir turned Prana Vision inward, but saw nothing. I dont see it, he said.

Look closely. Tis a subtle thing. You must be quite the master to work prana so delicately. Especially tied to your blood as it is.

What are you then Vir saw it. She was right. The pattern was barely a trickle, only a few blood cells thick.

Vir traced the pattern through his body, and traced, and traced. It was the most staggeringly complex working hed ever seen.

This isnt mine, Vir whispered, attempting to take control of it.

That was a terrible mistake.

Vir screamed in pain as blood ruptured throughout his body.

When Vir came to, it was to a world that hurt more than it had any right to. His whole body just throbbed with pain.

Vir clutched his head, finding himself on a bed in the same white room hed been in before. Janaks laboratory.

What happened? he asked groggily.

You broke the circulation pattern, Ashani said from beside him. Why did you do such a thing?

Didnt mean to, Vir said. I think I just figured out what my predecessors did for me when I first arrived here.

So this is what I gained from Parais sacrifice, Vir thought.

Shardul had said Vir shouldnt ever expect any more memories from him again. Those words hadnt been easy for Vir to stomach. The one memory fragment hed had with Parai had revealed dozens upon dozens of cycling patterns he hadnt had time to memorize. If he could only revisit that memory, hed learn so much more.

Alas, it was not to be. Parai had sacrificed what little of himself remained within Vir to bestow upon him this one power.

A power so subtle, Vir had never even noticed it. That impressed him as much as its intricacy. Delicate, yet powerful. Complex, yet elegant. This was a masterwork of prana, and Vir had sacrificed something extremely precious to obtain it.

Looking at it coursing through his body was a strange sensation. Vir recognized the pattern as his own making, yet it wasnt his conscious doing. It felt a little like what happened when he mastered a skill. Like LeapVir didnt think of sucking prana from the ground to power it. Hed practiced it so many thousands of times that it now happened automatically. Subconsciously.

As outlandish as it sounded, Vir sometimes found himself wondering if hed forgotten how to consciously invoke the ability. Itd become so baked into his muscle memory that his knowledge of it started to gather dust in his mind.

Parais full-body technique felt similar, except Vir had never mastered it. Hed inherited it from a prior life.

But what does it do? he wondered. Lacking the skill to control it, hed messed up the cycling pattern when hed taken control. That had caused it to stop functioning, and

Well, that explains it, Vir thought, glad that his prior incarnations had the good sense to allow it to operate without his guidance. If not, hed have died the moment he lost consciousness.

Ashani? What name would you give to that pattern? The one that I messed around with earlier?

It appeared to be a prana repulsion field, to me, Ashani said. My people once had implements that achieved largely the same effect.

Thats a hard name. How about Prana Barrier?

What did they use them for? Vir asked.

Mainly academically, for researching prana.

Hmm. Well, I dont plan on researching prana, but I do believe its whats keeping me alive.

Yes, though it is also preventing your blood cells from adapting to the ambient prana levels, Ashani commented accurately. You should consider weaning yourself off of it. Your pranites will aid you.

Id love to, Vir replied. Oh grak. The pranites! Vir said, finding them mostly gone again.

Consumed in healing your injury, Ashani said grimly.

Challing Ash! Vir groaned. Ashani chuckled.

Whats funny? he asked. I just wasted one of your precious pranite vials. Theres only two left!

Yes, the situation is far from ideal, Ashani admitted. I was merely responding to your curse. Chala was quite the notorious trickster, you know? And a good friend of Janaks.

Wait, Chala was real? Vir asked incredulously. You knew him?

Quite real, Ashani said nostalgically. Hed have doubled over in laughter if he ever heard he came to be worshiped as a god.

You miss him, Vir said softly.

Ashani gave him a sad smile. I miss everyone, Vir.

W-well, I uh, I probably shouldnt experiment with that inscription pattern until I have a better understanding of it. Im good to charge your core, though.

You should rest, Ashani replied. Your body is still not fully healed.

Im fine, Vir insisted. I feel much better already. Those pranites really work fast. Do you mind injecting me again?

Ashani obliged, dosing him with another vial of the blue liquid.

Vir sat cross-legged on the floor and got to work, charging the core as quickly as he dared. The pranites moved so quickly, he could feel the miniature machines moving within his palm.

This time, he kept a close watch on their charge. When theyd depleted halfway, Vir moved them next to the surface of his skin and turned on the prana collection function for half of them, allowing them to consume prana from the saturated layer he maintained.

The process went smoothly initially. But after an hour, Vir began to sense something was wrong. Not all the prana was captured by the black orb. The excess that leaked into his body from the air was minimal, but it built up over time. Instead of ejecting it, he fed the prana to the pranites when they ran low.

He thought he could keep this up indefinitely, but it was not to be. His body began to resist this transfer of prana, and purging his body became harder and harder.

Eventually, his blood saturated, and any more would have burst his cells.

Vir halted the process, setting the orb down.

Prana Saturation. This is what happens when mejai can no longer use magic. In their case, they lost the ability to evacuate prana from their palms, thus losing the vacuum effect.

For Vir, the prana machines could cycle forever as long as they had energy, but it was the rest of his body that was the weak link.

There was nothing to be done other than to let the prana bleed off.

This could be a problem, Vir said in frustration. Might be some time before I can channel prana again.

Barely an hour of charge, for two days of rest. The pace wasnt sustainable. Vir felt he could bring the charging time down to a month by accelerating the flow of pranites even more, but only if he was able to charge it every waking hour of every day.

Still, it was hard to feel too down over it. He had an Artifact of the gods in his body! If he managed them carefully, they'd fill a gaping hole in Virs combat arsenalnamely, his ability to heal. They would also boost his offensive potential.

Moreover, they proved a theory Vir had entertained ever since seeing the Pagan Orders electricity.

Decoupled prana is superior. Incomparably superior.

Pranites werent pure pranathey had a physical componentbut they were smaller than his blood, and held far more prana. Not only was he able to move them around his body far quicker, they also produced a much greater effect.

Which made Vir wonder just how powerful he would grow if he learned to decouple prana from his blood entirely. Would there even be an upper limit to how fast he could cycle the current?

What great powers would he obtain if he did?

Not if. When. Vir now felt confident it was possible. He needed only to unlock the secret.

Satisfied, Vir stood up.

And then the orb hed been filling shattered.