"A rogue with flickers of Danav lineage." The woman's eyes gleamed with amusement. "I wonder how that's possible."
Shit. Is my second life ticket about to be cancelled?
"Nadrima." Acarya Errick's voice carried gentle reproach. "Don't terrify the boy."
He produced a large dark brown carpet from somewhere—folded, precise, deliberate—and spread it on the floor. Lowered himself onto it with the careful grace of age. Nadrima clicked her tongue. Settled beside him.
"Ashan." Errick gestured. "Sit. Compose yourself."
Ashan obeyed. Body still tense. Mind racing.
"It's not the first time this has happened." Errick's tone turned grave. "But bear in mind the consequences it carries."
"I understand."
The message is clear. Toric's fate is my responsibility. If he falls to corruption—if the Danav lineage spreads—the Order will hold me accountable.
"That short spar with Nadrima revealed much." Errick's old eyes studied him. "You've achieved Bodh in multiple mantras and kiriyas. Your siddhi has honed considerably." A pause. "But you haven't achieved Bodh in the siddhi itself."
Ashan's eyes flickered—their usual hues, but something shifted behind them. An information panel unfolded in his mind's eye.
[INFORMATION PANEL]
MANTRAS:
[Combat Bolt]: Bodnir Rank | Jnata
[Elemental Bolt]: Bodnir Rank | Jnata (Prithvi only)
[Totem Beast Transformation]: Bodnir Rank | Sravana
KIRIYAS:
[Broken Stone Fist]: Bodnir Rank | Sravana
[Traya Vetra]: Bodnir Rank
[Serpent Grasp]: ??? (Rank Unclear)
ANUMAPAH SIDDHI — [Viksana]:
[Analyse]: Near-instant activation; can process multiple targets simultaneously
[Memory Drive]: Controlled precision; can select specific memory threads
[Conceal]: Fifteen-second self-erasure; touch extends concealment to others (living/non-living) for five seconds
[Foresee]: Eight-second future-gazing
[Scrying]: Heightened danger intuition; random visions still occur
I'm nearing Bodh in [Viksana]. But it seems each sub-ability must achieve its own Bodh before the whole can follow.
[Memory Drive] and [Scrying] are the hardest to train. The others feel... complete. At the limit of my current capacity.
"And how in the hells did you grasp [Serpent Grasp]?" Nadrima's scoff cut through his thoughts. "Calling it by that name is utter foolishness."
Ashan blinked. Sorry. I'd hoped this particular kiriya hadn't been invented yet.
Errick stroked his short, trimmed beard. The motion was slow. Thoughtful. "[Serpent Grasp] is an Arohan-ranked technique. It disrupts the target's prana flow entirely during the grasp." His eyes sharpened. "You accessed it through [Totem Beast Transformation]—your heightened senses. Perhaps your life sense." He paused. "Or... does your siddhi play a role?"
Ashan answered without hesitation. Plain. Respectful. Honest. "My senses feel enhanced when I use it. Perhaps the siddhi affects basic sadhaka abilities." He paused. "Or..." He considered his next words carefully. "Shikshak Yaren called it a Netra-facet siddhi. Eye-based. Perception-based. Maybe that's why."
Errick did not speak for a long moment. The silence stretched—heavy, expectant, evaluating. "It might be." Finally. "The Order lacks comprehensive study of the Anumapah siddhi. Too rare. Too varied."
The silence did not break. It thickened. Nadrima huffed. "Acarya. Don't hibernate mid-conversation." Errick's old brown eyes narrowed—just for a second, just enough—into something serpentine. Cold. "Where were we? Ah. Yes." A slight smile. "I'm getting old."
He refocused on Ashan. "Ashan. Do you know what you still lack—as a follower of the Lord of Greed?"
Ashan considered. Too few mantras? Insufficient kiriyas? The correct method of Samyama Marga sadhana?
No. That's personal. That's between me and the path.
He rose slightly. Bowed. Offered the formal salute of the House. "I am ignorant of the Lord's full knowledge. I do not yet comprehend His' benevolence. 'His' opulence. I do not know the way to reach 'His' Abode."
Errick's lips curved—mild, approving, warm. "Good. That's exactly what I needed to hear."
He produced a book. Ashan recognized it instantly. The same weathered volume from the Lord's temple. Serpentine skin binding. Pages that seemed older than the Order itself. Errick flipped through it with reverent care. Stopped.
Verse 5:17 — The Serpent's Patience
"The serpent does not chase its prey; it allows the prey to enter its sphere. Similarly, the wise sadhaka must also let opportunity come to them. Let your resources be the still coil, your will the poised head. Strike not with rage, but with calculation. The cost of a missed strike is the energy wasted; the cost of patience is zero."
Errick's voice carried the weight of decades—no, centuries—as he spoke. Zealous. Reverent. Absolute.
Ashan listened with rapt attention. Nadrima listened too—her earlier hostility replaced by something approaching respect.
The dark sermon of the Lord of Greed echoed in a small room, on an insignificant island, on the day the rest of the world celebrated the Lord of Storms.