Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 208: The Trial of Faith (One) (Maiya)

Maiya shivered at the chill of dawn in Jatan Forest. While not nearly as ancient as the Godshollowthe trees were shorter and less girthyit had its own mystique. Moss covered the trunks and ferns decorated the forest floor. The variety of flora surpassed the Godshollow tenfold, and sounds of birds and rodents filled the air as the forest awoke.

Were it not so close to the Ash Boundary, it mightve become a tourist destination. As it was, however, Jatan Forest went largely unvisited by humans.

Sane humans, at least.

A crowd had gathered at the spot the cultist priest had informed them about a month before, and Maiya saw several familiar faces. Yamal, unfortunately, being one of them. The man searched the crowd, likely looking for her, but Maiya ensured she stayed far away.

For this initiation ritual, Maiya wore only light gambeson, concealed under her faded brown cloak. The hood concealed her red hair, which was tied back into a ponytail. Shed even smeared a bit of dirt on her face to better blend in with the type of people shed seen at the Childrens briefing shed attended a month prior.

Her unassuming appearance was a carefully crafted guise, of course.

Maiya hadnt spent the past month idling. Quite the opposite, in fact. After securing permission from Princess Ira to reduce her duties in preparation of her infiltration, shed trained almost nonstop. If there was one thing shed learned about power, it was that one could never have too much of it.

The days shed spent fighting Ash Beasts hadnt been in vain. Shed even meditated near Ash Tears, despite the danger, soaking in the prana. All to expand her bloods capacity, as Vir had taught. Itd been painful. Itd been brutal. But shed grown strong.

Strong enough, she felt, that she wouldnt lose to Virs own gains in the time hed been gone. The thought had consumed more of Maiyas attention lately. She feared. Not only for Virs safety, but of being left behind. She feared Vir would grow so powerful that shed no longer see him as an equal.

Vir would grow powerful; that much she knew. Hed been unsure of his future, but Maiya knew. That when he reached the demon realm, hed see his peoples suffering. And hed help. Because that was who Vir was. And by helping them, hed become something great. A king. A monarch.

And if Maiya wasnt at least his equal in both strength and authority, how could she stand by his side in good faith?

As a direct result of her effort, Maiya was now a Greater Mejai of Ash, and with that came a sense of relief. Of tangible progress. It also brought with it a small but crucial perkshe could now slowly charge B Grade orbs, though not quite fast enough to use in battle. If she could, shed have been a Mejai of Realms.

Moreover, she could now activate precharged A Grade orbs of Wind Affinity.

As such, under her robes, Maiya had brought along an entire arsenal.

She carried with her two C grade Wind Blade orbs, two B Grade Gale Blasts, one B Grade Water Spear, one each of the B grade Mend Flesh and Set Bone orbs, and finally, one A Grade Tempest. All of which were precharged.

Tempest was the most powerful weapon shed ever wielded, and the mere ability to set off a precharged one had sent her Balar Rank soaring to two hundred. With this single spell alone, she could easily annihilate the fifty hopefuls whod appeared should she choose to.

Not that shed ever do such a thing, of course. A Grade spells toed the line between the tactical and strategic levels for a reason. They tended to affect an immense area and did catastrophic damage to all those caught within, whether they were friend or foe. Every usage had to be reported to the Kinjal military, and they were a tightly governed resource.

Borrowing even one had taken pulling every string Maiya had.

Despite their power, or rather, because of it, they were incredibly unwieldy and difficult to safely deploy. Yet some situations called for Veras might, and only A and S Grade orbs could deliver such unbridled firepower.

Maiya glanced down at her armor. Though her gambeson looked ordinary, it had been custom-made to her specifications. The magic pathways covering it allowed her to slot B Grade Slashing Protection, Piercing Protection, and Blunt Protection orbs, with Enhance Speed C Grade orbs in both of her greaves. In addition, she carried six daggers strapped to both of her thighs. Two for melee combat, and four to throw.

Maiya was, without a doubt, the most well-armored and armed attendee at this initiation.

Maiya glanced around to find that the number of hopefuls trickling in had diminished. Just then, the priest began walking.

Maiya couldnt help but notice one among the crowda man who towered over the rest. For a moment, she thought he mightve been a demon giant, but soon realized he wasnt. He was just exceedingly tall. And muscular. He was easily the tallest human Maiya had ever seen.

The tall man strode boldly forth, and after glancing hesitantly at one another, the other initiates followed.

It was a smaller crowd than the one that had attended the briefing at Sonam but not by much. Whatever zealotry drove these people was clearly not something to be underestimated, if they were willing to risk their lives coming this close to the Ash.

Maiya was beginning to understand the value Princess Ira saw in the Children of Ash. They didnt just make for ideal spies. They were spies whod take their knowledge with them to the grave. Whod apply themselves to whatever task the Blessed Chosentheir holy leadercommanded. Perhaps even becoming an army if needed.

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Versatile.

It was near impossible to find such a dedicated and multifaceted group. To craft one took decades, if not centuries, of careful effort. And here was one, just ripe for the taking.

The irony was not lost upon Maiya. The Children were attempting to convert her, while she was trying to do the same to them.

Maiya fell in with the others, striding with ease thanks to the orbs hidden within her boots.

The minutes dragged on, and soon, an hour had passed.

An hour of walking was within the means of most people, but hiking through a forest at a fast pace? That was quite the ordeal for anyone who lacked training.

Training, or determination.

Everyone huffed and puffed. Some dropped out, but not nearly as many as Maiya expected. They pressed doggedly on, the light in their eyes evidence of their zeal.

That was impressive, but it also meant that there were likely no mejai hidden amongst the group. Not unless they hid their fatigue better than Maiyas trained eyes could discern.

While Maiya wouldve had no issue with the trek without her Enhance Speed orbs, most mejai never sculpted their bodies as much as Maiya had. Mejai all trained in weapons should their magic ever fail them, but nearly everyone she knew took their bodies less seriously than their magic.

Which meant theyd be forced to use orbs to compensate, and unless their acting skills were better than hers, itd be obvious who among them were cheating.

Unlike her; this was nothing next to her grueling handmaiden training. She hadnt even broken a sweat.

Makes sense that Im the only mejai here Maiya thought. She hadnt even seen a real mejai until a year ago. Shed been surrounded by them lately, but the reality was that they were rare. Rare and precious. Few would willingly join an insane cult like this one.

The hour turned into two, and Maiya wondered why the Children required such endurance out of their recruits. Did they secretly send their members on physically arduous missions? Or was there some other motive?

No I shouldnt think that way, Maiya chided herself. She was dealing with a group driven by primal instinct and crazed fervor. Logic had no place with them. There likely wasnt any good reason, other than it being a test of faith.

The group broke through the eastern edge of the forest soon after the third hour had passed, coming to the lush green plains that eventually led to the Ash Wall.

Only half their number remained when the Rector finally came to a halt.

The tall man from before had made it, though to Maiyas surprise, so had Yamal. While he heaved heavily and looked like hed fall over any minute, Maiya had to give him credit for persevering. Especially when his original goal had been simply to leech some free food and shelter.

What could possibly be driving him so hard? Maiya wondered.

Unfortunately, the cover the forest afforded her was now gone, and Yamal spotted her immediately.

You were here! he said elatedly, stumbling over to her.

You came all this way not knowing if Id even taken part in this test? Maiya asked.

I knew youd be here, he said confidently. Though I worried when I couldnt find you. I thought you mightve collapsed partway.

Right, Maiya laughed.

How was I to know youd arrive without even a bead of sweat on your brow? Yamal said. How are you so strong, anyway?

Maiya raised a brow. Maybe its not that Im strong, but that youre not strong enough? I suspect the hardest is yet to come.

Yamal turned pale, edging slightly closer to Maiya.

So many of you, the Rector said softly. Yet so few. No matter.

The cultist turned his back on the group and stared at the horizon.

Minutes passed, and Maiya and several of the others opted to sit on the lush grass.

What do you think hes doing? Yamal asked.

Who knows? Maiya lied. It was obvious to her what the Rector was intending. He was waiting for an Ash Beast to make it past the Ash Gate. Either by spontaneously appearing, or by jumping over the Ash Wall. It certainly happened regularly enough that they had a decent chance of encountering one. It was why few dared tread this close to the Ash Boundary.

Maiya thought back to her days along the wall.

Ash Beasts didnt favor the lower prana density farther away from the ash, so they congregated close to the wall, making it simpler for Kinjal soldiers to deal with. Shed know; shed led one such squad not too long ago.

Unfortunately, not all beasts followed that behavioral pattern. Every so often, an errant beast would decide to press on, sometimes raiding a village or encountering a town. Such events represented major crises, so Kinjal did everything in their power to stop them. It wasnt a good look for the strongest military power in the world if their heavily manned wall failed to achieve its purpose, after all.

Or so Ira had said during one of their teatime chats, which had been happening more frequently as of late. Sometimes, Maiya questioned whether the princess really felt it that urgent to speak to her, or if she just wanted a friend to chat with.

Sooo, Yamal asked, interrupting Maiyas thoughts, plopping down beside her. From the moment hed spotted her, hed never ventured more than a few paces away, clinging like a child.

Hard to blame him, Maiya thought. The safest place for miles was next to her, but that didnt change the fact that he was still an annoyance.

Why are you here, Maiya? Yamal asked. Forgive me for prying, but it doesnt look like youve fallen on hard times

Im interested in the Ash, she replied with her rehearsed response.

So you believe them. You think the Ash is sacred? You want to ascend?

As much as Maiya resented the effort of correcting him, itd be bad if he thought she wasnt right in the head. The Childrens logistics and intelligence network was run by sane people. At least, relatively sane. If word got around that she was a zealot, itd actually hurt her chances of infiltrating that cell.

Not at all, Maiya replied. I just want to understand more about it. The Children have the most experience dealing with the Ash, so I figure theyll have something I can glean.

It wasnt quite trueKinjal knew more about the Ash than most thanks to their scouting missions, but Maiya wasnt about to divulge her privileged access to top secret military intelligence.

Oh. Oh, I see, Yamal said. But that just begs the question of why youre so interested in the

OUR GODS MESSENGER HAS ARRIVED! The Rector shouted, raising his arms to the sky. Quickly! Up! Show their holiness the respect they deserve!

The Rector prostrated himself in front of the incoming beasts.

There were six.

Maiya stood, discreetly palming a hidden orb, but soon exhaled. They were merely Greater Zards. Balar Rank Thirty to Fifty in the Ashtheyd be weaker here.

Maiya could dispatch them all alone.

Yamal hid behind her, cowering. She ignored him.

Wonder how this is supposed to be a test, though

The Childrens cultists lacked military training. How were they expected to defend themselves against these beasts? And what if a single individual took them all out? Would she be the only one to pass?

Maiya brought out her daggers.

The priest whirled.

No! No! What are you doing!? he wailed in panic. Put away your weapons! Hurry, before you incur their wrath! Bow down! Prostrate! If you are worthy of our cause, the divine messengers of the One True God will protect you!

Maiya froze.

No way.

Er, did he just say we cant defend ourselves? Yamal asked, gripping his own dagger. Because thats what it sounded like This is madness.

Is he out of his mind!? Maiya thought. Nevermind.Stupid question.

Maiyas lips grew taut. She agreed with Yamal. This wasnt merely insane. It was suicide.

And yet, she had a job to do.

With great reluctance, Maiya sheathed her blades and lowered her head to the grass.

Damn you to Ash, Ira.