On the shores of the Great Inland Sea, or Boundless Sea as the humans prefer to call it, two continents meet.

Gaia, the eastern continent, inhabited almost exclusively by humans with a sporadic population of stonehorns, mainly in Suhiria and Kailash Mountains, and the western continent Anantika, home of the aditarun land of Maharanya, meet in Sangam, arguably the most cosmopolitan city in the entire known world.

Here, enterprising merchants from the nearby Trade Cities intermingle with their fellow human traders from Arunia and Aiminia. Even the habitually detached aditarus lose some of their aloofness, joining in mundane human commercial ventures or sharing in food, music and cultural interests from different regions of Gaia. Unlike almost every other city in the world, aditarus, humans, stonehorns could be seen in the same pub drinking ale around the same table and arguing wholeheartedly. Racial disputes, while not unheard of, were rare. One could even find Viskian merchants and sailors on the streets of Sangam. Located at the border of three nations: Arunia, Maharanya and Trade Cities, it boasted the only aditarun fort in existence, the world-renowned Twin Castle, a masterpiece of aditarun artistry and human ingenuity. The oldest fort or castle in the world, it dated back to the third century AC, to the rule of Allmother Anantika, the first aditarun Deeshayer, the First and foremost Sage of aditarus, companion and consort of Aimin the Allfather.

Standing on a balcony on the top floor of the larger of the two castles, also called Green Castle on account of the number of trees surrounding it, Mainak stared morosely at the distant Great Inland Sea.

At only two hundred and seven years, he was the youngest Ranger Commander in aditarun history and in the prime of his life. According to most aditarun women, he was the epitome of male beauty. Roughly six feet eight digits tall, lean yet strong build, pinkish white skin with just the right amount of green tinge, jet-black hair, sleek jawline, pronounced cheekbones, piercing aquamarine eyes exuding kindness and intelligence.

By all reckoning, Mainak should be the happiest of aditarus. He felt anything but.

As far back as he could remember, all through his life – and beyond, he was a restless soul. A very unusual trait for an aditaru. Most aditarus would be more than happy to spend their entire life living in the same Grove, in the same house. In fact, most aditarus do just that.

Mainak had never stayed in the same Grove or same city for more than a decade. After a while, the monotony and tedium becomes too much, causing him to pack up his belongings and move. His insatiable curiosity and constant restlessness had contributed to his decision to join the Rangers. It was the best decision he had ever made, bar none.

His vocation had taken him to almost every watch-post in the Maharanya, or Maha Aranya in Common; unlike Sanbri, it lacked conjoined words.

With his aptitude for creating, maintaining, and using Shields, sometimes in unique and innovative ways, Mainak had thrived in the Rangers. His innate understanding of human nature, which most aditarus found inexplicable, had helped in the meteoric rise to his current post, Commander of the Twin Castle. With over a third of the population of Sangam being human or of human descent, the ability to communicate and interact with them was absolutely vital.

But he had been Commander for twelve years now, and despite being told his request for a transfer was being processed, Mainak feared he might be stuck here till the end of term. The commission was for one century. Aditarus rarely did anything involving time with any degree of moderation. An average lifespan of six centuries tended to have an adverse effect on certain customs and rules.

If the humans are like the Boundless Sea – ever-changing, vibrant, adaptable, violent, unpredictable, then aditarus are like Maharanya – aloof, teeming with life yet resistant to change. Some Great Vines were known to have been alive since before Rebirth, or ‘Cataclysm’ to use the human or stonehorn term, a term which refers to the epoch of time lasting about one century when the Allmother and Allfather had created aditaru and human kinds, approximately three millennia ago.

A quiet knock at the door ended his introspection.

“Enter.”

An aditaru wearing the insignia of a lieutenant on the left upper breast of her green Ranger coat entered the study, and snapped a salute.

“An urgent dispatch from Ridmanya, sir.”

Mainak opened the envelope with a certain degree of trepidation and anticipation. Reading the missive did very little to assuage his anxiety. General Sevak, who was in charge of all three of the Ranger divisions in eastern Maharanya and Mainak’s immediate superior, had requested his presence in Ridmanya. The tone of the request suggested it was a matter of some urgency.

The brooding frown on Mainak’s face was erased when a thought struck, as his Crown Chakra connected some nebulous dots.

At the very least, there is a possibility, however small that may be, of some new and potentially exciting venture. Ghost of a smile flashed across his whole visage.

“Lieutenant Sulidia, when he returns from patrolling, please inform Major Hollis that I would like a word with him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sulidia had been his Adjutant since the day he had accepted this commission and had grown to understand his moods better than most. She saluted smartly and left, a hint of excitement leaking through her kernel signature.

Joy can be infectious. Those who possess a good heart, like the solid and dependable lieutenant, are especially vulnerable to it.

Mainak would have to appoint Hollis as interim Commander until his return from Ridmanya, or until General Sevak commanded otherwise. He desperately wanted it to be the latter.

But before all else, preparations must be made, he thought while glancing at a small framed water-colored painting on his desk, the only article that added any semblance of personal touch in this thousand-square-feet study. It portrayed – in a rather amateurish manner, Mainak admitted to himself – an old aditarun woman with streaks of gray in her light-brown hair, though the proud and ecstatic smile she wore took decades off her age. The object of her delight snuggled peacefully in her bosom, wrapped up in a worn but comfortable blue cashmere shawl. The baby would one day grow up to have an inflated opinion of his own painting abilities, resulting in this mediocre, though heartfelt, rendition of that fateful day in his past, when Maude had found him at her doorstep, crying his lungs out.

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“Aditaru proposes, Om disposes,” Mainak murmured with a reminiscent smile on his face, recalling her old adage. “And so an aditaru must prepare for all eventualities before accepting Om’s will.”

A couple of bells later, as he headed for the Teleportation Hub at the basement level of the Castle, Mainak pondered about the nature – and perhaps more importantly – the timing of the communiqué.

News of recent disturbances in eastern Aiminia had reached his ears. While gossip in pubs and inns were rarely reliable, the sheer number of people had convinced Mainak that something was afoot. People – humans and stonehorns both – from all walks of life, who insisted BrightHeart was enlarging and mobilizing his already formidable army.

Given the time constraints, he had only been able to contact half of the information brokers he knew. Analyzing the vague reports from all over Sindria, especially Gaia, he had come to the conclusion that his earlier excitement had almost been prescient.

Tumultuous times are ahead. And those are the best of times to be alive.

“Could we expect your return today, sir?” Hollis, walking in step beside him, asked as they strode through the ancient stone corridors of the Blue Castle.

“I doubt it.” I hope not. “We shall see.”

Hollis was not altogether displeased to hear this, nor surprised. The position of Commander may be interim, but it was also one of the most sought-after positions in all of Maharanya. Performing well would not do his career any harm.

Lit by phosphoro-crystals that contained bioluminescent fungi, the shadowy corners and musty smells added a sense of comfort to the place. In what may be a first, Mainak might even miss this place, if events transpire the way he expects them to.

The scene also brought back the memory of a memory, only the former of which was his own. The latter belonged to some nameless Ranger who had lived several centuries ago, though the vision had not contained enough clues for him to be certain even of the decade. Thankfully, it was the only episode of the malady during his time here, an unknown malady that has affected him since just after his Awakening. It also was his darkest secret, known only by three others. Mainak shook off the feeling of frustration such thoughts inevitably engendered, and concentrated on another, happier, train of thought.

“I have noticed that your Shields last almost as long as a full day now,” he began. “More importantly, others, holding loftier positions in the Ranger Division, have taken note as well.”

“I anticipate it would take me another year to be fully confident of succeeding in the WardMaestro Challenge, sir,” Hollis replied.

“A gentle reminder to you and a recommendation from your commanding officer to the Generals would not go amiss. The five Gurudevas may ultimately decide who passes the Challenge, but only the Commanders and Generals can recommend a candidate,” Mainak said, giving an approving nod.

Hollis was a prime example of how one can overcome one’s lack of natural inborn talent with sheer determination and tireless effort. It has taken him almost two and a half centuries after his Awakening to reach this stage where he has more than a fair chance of passing the rigorous WardMaestro Challenge, thus not only becoming one of the select few aditarus who have earned that prestigious title, but also be eligible for promotion to the rank of Commander, a fully-fledged one instead of an interim one.

“Thank you, sir. That would be much appreciated.” Hollis was a man of few words, though when he did speak, one tended to listen.

“No more than you deserve,” Mainak assured him. He had found positive reinforcement to be the most effective tool at promoting growth in his subordinates.

Ahead, the corridor brightened as they entered the heavily-guarded Teleportation Hub, home to the permanent Portals as well as the Shielding Dais that can, if necessary, generate a Shield large enough to encompass the entirety of Sangam, one of four such Dais in the world – the others being located in Arungar, Ridmanya and Aimingar. Jivanpur was also encircled by a Shield, but it was a permanent one, much larger than any of the others. However, no Dais was located anywhere within the city – one of the least mysterious aspects about the oldest city in the world, the City of Genesis.

Further contemplation was interrupted when Mainak’s eyes fell upon another subordinate he had high hopes for. The middle-aged TearMaestro was surrounded by two squads of regular Rangers and a few Coordinators, with no civilians in sight.

“Is everything in place?” he asked, giving a greeting nod to Captain Fagul, the Chief Coordinator, who was in charge of all the Teleportation Portals.

“Almost, sir,” said Fagul, looking up in distress from the network of sigils he was fiddling with on one of the two arched columns of the Portal that was responsible for the deserted Teleportation Hub. “There were some complications last night, as I reported, but we have since managed to isolate the problem in one Portal, and fixed it in the other two.”

Both of those two being employed by Rangers exclusively while the last one was left for civilian use.

“I am aware. How soon do you anticipate it being fixed? Each bell it remains closed is costing us a couple of hundred gold coins,” Mainak asked, knowing the stocky Coordinator thrived on pressure.

Fagul’s thin lips became thinner, though the displeasure was more aimed at himself than his superior. “One cannot hasten the restructuring process any more than it already is being hastened, lest the whole network of sigils be damaged beyond repair,” he said, pointing at the column in question. Or more specifically, at the embossed metal covering the entirety of its twenty feet of height and two of diameter. Mainak’s essence senses picked out more than a dozen hairline cracks in them, which would require a good deal of strelenium and refined Anu-crystals to fix.

He gave an agreeable nod, forestalling the next question. “I have already requested the required resources. They should arrive by tomorrow, unless something unforeseen occurs.”

A disapproving frown appeared on Mainak’s face as Fagul visibly relaxed, drawing a huge sigh of relief, which he quickly tried to hide under a guilty smile.

“Thank you, sir,” he said with a salute and bow, the last technically unnecessary as Mainak, through his adoptive parents, was too distantly related to the Deeshayer to be considered royalty. Then, stepping aside, Fagul nodded to one of his subordinates, Lieutenant Jarilan, whose signature turned as bright as the twinsuns for a moment as he gazed at the Activation Crystal on the pad located on a raised platform to the left, built especially to hold that particular device.

The sigils on the smaller of the two Ranger Portals, now bright opalescent white to the naked eye, hummed a subsonic tune as Space itself vibrated, and the area between the columns glowed a deep dark-violet in Mainak’s essence senses. Then, the violet gained an even darker edge, turning almost luminous black, though his eyes only saw the latter.

“If, by the Grace of Om, you are requested to take on a more indirect role in the Rangers once more, I, on behalf of all the staff here, would like to take this opportunity to say it has been a privilege serving under you,” Hollis said, in a voice low enough that only the three ranking officers present could hear it, all of whom were already aware of some of his past duties, though not of the details of course. They all gave varying nods of agreement.

“Counting chickens not yet hatched will do no one any good, as the humans from Arunia are so fond of saying. I heartily agree with their sentiment, and also with yours, contradictory as it may sound. But all life is a war of contradiction. Only death brings cold certainty.” Mainak gave a smile. “You will be notified of the relevant details as soon as it is deemed fit by the General or me.”

Taking a deep breath, Mainak braced himself and strode through the open Portal leading to the capital.