It was a long winding line of visitors stretched across the yard, from the gate to the gilded doors of the court hall. Sage Parasu hustled ahead in long, determined strides, passing by the surprised and unhappy faces of the people who had been waiting there since dawn.

"Stand in the line," some visitors spat out, but the sage scarcely seemed to hear them.

He padded down the courtyard boldly, not sparing one glance at any of the formidable and illustrious guests who were waiting in line for visitation. Sachi hurried along, fazed by the sour looks from both mortal and immortal bystanders. The row of sentries watched quietly and did not intervene until they reached the very threshold of the court entrance. The sound of exquisite music was spilling out from inside the hall.

"You cannot go in. Stand in the line like everyone else," the palace guard at the door simply offered, but Sage Parasu was defiant.

"The Palace Gate has let me inside. If you value your life, do not obstruct my path," Sage Parasu warned the guard menacingly. "What fools has the asura king begun to recruit in his army?"

Five spears shot out, pointing at their necks, quick as a whip and sharp as a glass blade. Sage Parasu was a skilled practitioner of all three magic forms, Tantra, Mantra, and Yantra. Still, the spears were deadly, and those wielding them belonged to the most powerful army in the OneRealm, many of them immortals themselves. The tip of the spears scraping at the neck made it hard for Sachi to even swallow, and he began to contemplate if he was swift enough to outrun King Digvi's men.

"Let them go," a deep voice floated in, the words bringing the respite of summer's breeze. "The king would enjoy hearing what this man has to say."

The very next moment, the spears disappeared like a charm, and the door to the court opened to let the guru and the pupil inside. The man walked beside Sachi, and the youth did not even reach up to his shoulder. He was bald and burly, with arms thick as tree trunks, and his mustache swirled like a double-arched bow on top of his mouth.

When the royal announcer yelled out their arrivals to the court, Sachi came to know that the daunting man was none other than the commander of the asura king's army, Lord Kartikeya, a warrior god who had never seen defeat in duels or battlefields.

But Sachi forgot all about Lord Kartikeya or their purpose for visiting the court the moment he entered the hall. A court performance by the divine apsaras was underway when they walked in.

The beautiful music brought tears to his eyes in a matter of seconds, and the bright aura of each apsara forced him to close his eyes, but he quickly reopened them as he could not stop gazing. It was like looking at the stars of the night sky up close, darting from one corner of the sky to another. Sachi shifted his gaze over to courtiers, the immortals and mortals, each more glorious than the one before.

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Tall marble columns with intricate floral spirals stood at intervals and divided the entire gallery into sections. The same floral patterns covered the marble roof like vines, inlaid with gems and crystals that Sachi could not even dream. The floral designs embellished the smooth marble floor too, emerald for leaves and ruby for flowers, and the floor parted in the center of the aisle to form a small, circular pool, with the most beautiful lotus flowers floating on top.

The seating in the gallery was leveled; the higher the seat, the more illustrious the courtiers were. The highest level mostly had gods and asuras, thousands of years old. Sachi had read about them in the scriptures, and when he looked at them, he immediately recognized the scholarly Lord Gajanan, the elephant god, and Lord Shakya, the hastyasura that possessed a thousand hands with a thousand enchanted weapons in his full asura form. Goddess Shakti was robed in the grandest red saree and sat beside her pet lion, that was drolly peering down at the rest of the court.

The ones by the aisle were mainly mortal humans, but they still were the wisest and most accomplished in their fields, warriors, statesmen, poets, musicians, and whatnot. Sachi even found a Tantric, dressed in black, not too older than him, sitting further back in the gallery, sharply watching the court proceedings. For a moment, their eyes met, but then the young tantric looked away.

"Sage Parasu," a thundering voice bellowed from the other end of the hall. It was the Asura King Digvi himself, seated on his sun throne, Suryasana, on the high platform. He raised himself and slowly began to descend the carpeted steps. "You honor us with your presence. When you left in a blaze promising I would never see you again, I almost believed you!"

King Digvi was as tall as he was broad as if a mountain was walking towards them. He was in his regal clothes, a red brocade tunic, and a crisp, white dhoti. He had the strong jaw of a warrior, and his dark brown eyes quickly regarded the men who had just presented themselves to him. His jewel-encrusted golden crown caught the daylight slanting in through the high, open windows and sent it dancing onto the walls.

Asura Digvi ascended the throne of the OneRealm hundreds of years ago when Sachi's great grandfather's great grandfather was not even born, and the asura did not look older than forty. He followed Agni Asura Puru to the throne of the OneRealm and, so far, had proven to be as kind and benevolent as his ancestor was.

Not so kind was his son, Agni Asura Bali, named after a legendary fire demon who was once the ruler of the heaven, a seat of the old gods in the olden Yugas. Unlike his father and his namesake, Asura Prince Bali was widely regarded in the realm as unruly and spoiled.

Sachi found the young prince sitting restlessly on his smaller throne on the platform. And he looked nothing like his father. He was a tall, slender youth, with a soft face and head full of curly, black hair. But they shared one common quality, the warm, red glow of the skin, a characteristic of all fire demons, agni asuras.

"Then, you will do well, my king, if you believe me once more when I share this news with you," Sage Parasu answered King Digvi's call, stepping closer to the king and bowing. Suddenly remembering his manners, Sachi joined his palms and bowed low.

When he straightened back up, he found the king stroking his thick, black mustache that went all the way up to his ear whiskers. "And what news is that?" King Digvi asked, with a faint wrinkle on his brow.

"The world is coming to an end," Parasu announced gravely.