Prologue: The Lands among Seas.

Mightywaves,eachasbigasthepalmtreesbytheshore,crashedonthestonewallinthemiddleofthe ocean.Thebrightgoldensunshonewithimmensefuryoverthesplashingwaves,makingthemlooklike liquidfire. Behindthebigwallwasamoat,whichwasoverrunbylavafromavolcanonearthebeach.Asfarasthe eyecouldsee,thestonewallstretchedlongenoughtocoveranempire. The sea beyond the wall was calm for miles together, followed by stretches of white sand. The islands looked like pearl clusters ina necklace, linked with each other by backwaters. The beaches had several undergroundhugechambersthatwerecoveredbylightningbars. Theharshsunshonesurprisinglydifferentbeyondthiswall.Despitethemixingofhotlavaandcoldwater, theseawasexceptionallywellbehaved. Dhursadhisatguardonthewatchtoweronthefortclosesttothebeach.ItseemedtohimthathisKings courtwasinsessionassilencewasthecodeeverywhere.Hewasanunusuallookingdemon,withalean frameandathickbeard.Itwasdifficulttoidentifyifitnotwereforhiscustomarydemonicsmile,with twoprominentcanineteeth.Thatoddly,uppedhischarmwiththeladiesinhistribe. It was almost lunchtime and Dhursadhi was waiting for his food to arrive. Realizing that his lunch was delayed, he decided to indulge in some mischief to kill boredom. Down below in the waters he saw a schooloftriplefinnedfish. With a wicked smirk on his face, he aimed his spear and pressed the centre ring that sent out a blue lightning spike and hit one fish. The flesh where the spike hit burnt; the fish jerked and jumped, an obviousindicationofitsagony. Thedemonhowever,senttwomorespikestopreventitfromescaping.Thesearedfishwasstillwrithing inpain,whenitwaspulledoutofthewaterinthespearselectricpulse.ThisamusedDhursadhifurther andhissmilewidened. That moment, his boss Simhadhooth appeared next to him out of a lightening flash. He was the forts chief of security, a tall, muscular demon with more prominent teeth. He seemed to be devout with a tridentmarkedonhisforehead,symbolizinghisallegiancetothecelestialsofShivasconstellation. Didyourmothernotteachyoutorespectyourfood?hefumedatDhursadhi.Heputthefishoutofits miserywithalashofhisfirewhip.Usingthesamewhip,hecaughtthefishbackandtheduofeastedonit ravenously. AmidallthisDhursadhisawathunderousdarkcloudformingintheusuallyclearsky,whichwasgetting dark.Henudgedhisbossandmotionedhimskywards. Sharinghiscuriosity,Simhadhoothgrabbedhisfirewhipinonehand,spearintheother,andstoodstillin acuteobservationwiththehappeningsabove. The dark cloud thickened and whirled, creating a tornado picking up sand, blobs of lava and even branchesfromthepalmtreesofthebeaches.Thetornadowasgainingforceandseemedtobespinning towardsthem.Aterrifyingsight,thesecondgenerationislandershadneverseenitbefore. Therehadntbeenanysuchactivityontheshoresoftheislandssincethelastbattleafeweonsago.And

sincethen,noonehadthestrengthtoevenstrayclosetothesewaters. The tornado suddenly dropped its fury and turned into a huge ball of fur hurled towards the palace. Alarmedbytheintrusion,theguardschasedit. Thicksmokewasrisingfromthestrangeobject.Whenitsloweddown,Simhadhoothjumpedtowardsit and attempted to catch it with his fire whip. The whip apparently caught into a part of the object and dragged a clutching Simhadhooth along. Both crashed in the garden that overlooked the palace by the lake. ApantingDhursadhisprinkledsomewateronhisboss,waryofthedoubtfulobjectthatlaynearby. When Simhadhoot gained his senses back, they slowly approached the mysterious thing. Simhadhooth pokeditwithawoodensticktoinvestigatethecontents. Theybothjumpedbackastheballletoutasudden,sharp,heartbreakingcryofpain.Alarmed,theyboth lookedonforitwasthecryofafellowdemon!Simhadhoothcautiouslyinchedclosertomoveatornfur wing.Hegasped. Maricha!!!! Thebloodieddemonwasinextremeagony.LordRraavanaLord...hemanagedtomumblebetween gaspsofbreath. Simhadhoothsignalledtohissubordinatetogetsomewater. Whathappened?Subahu,Tataka;wherearethey?Theobviousquestions,butSimhadhoothhadtofind out. HesawashininggoldenarrowprotrudingfromMarichasshoulder.Thisdemonwasprofuselybleeding andfastlosingconsciousness. Attempting to speak with whatever energy left in him, Maricha whispered once more, A boy humannotwotakemetoLordRavana...andspokenomore. A still visibly stunned Simhadhooth claimed the downed demon and disappeared into the fort as dust, leavingDhursadhiinastateofshock. Hestaredontohiscountrysflagoverthefortwall.Somethingwashappening;thisplanetseemedready forwar. Lanka,however,wasoblivioustothestormthatwasbrewing