“Ho?..You can sense me….” The old man said with a smug look, while his eyes scanned Pralaya.

“You never tried to hide your presence…” Pralaya replied while turning his head towards a large banyan tree at the top of the hill;

“You should have them lower their weapons,...maybe they can kill me…but be certain…you won’t survive” Pralaya said in a low voice, while his eyes stared at the dense leaves.

The old man’s complexion wavered for an instant, but he quickly calmed down.

“Who are you?....You certainly aren’t a human…” The old man said while raising his hand,

[RUSTLE]

The leaves moved, and in an instant, three warriors wearing green clothes jumped down, while holding a wooden bow along with a quiver on their back. They had covered their head and face, with only eyes visible.

Pralaya’s curious eyes gazed at the warriors. Suddenly, his brows got closer and a serious look covered his face;

“Why are dragonian elves in human territory?” He quickly turned towards the old man and asked. The old man’s eyes widened;

“Ho…how….how did you find out?”

The three warriors quickly raised their bow and pointed at Pralaya;

“You elves are quite adept in disguising yourself…” Pralaya raised his skinny hand and pointed at him;

“You hold yogdanda, yet aren’t aware of it’s meaning..” Pralaya said, while pointing at his hand.

The old man went silent, with his uncertain eyes staring at him.

Pralaya noticed his state and lowered his hand, he turned towards the warriors;

“You all are new warriors,...” He said in a low voice while walking forward towards the banyan tree. The old man silently stared at him, while the warriors kept tracing his movements with their bow. Pralaya stopped at the tree, glanced at the old man and placed his hand on the trunk.

One of the warrior’s eyes flinched, he stretched the string of his bow;

“Stop…” The old man’s voice froze him, as he turned towards him with his eyes filled with rage;

[SWOOOSH]

At that very moment, a dense green flow of energy erupted from the tree. The four of them looked at Pralaya, with their eyes turning green as the energy rushed past them.

***

Pralaya looked around, he stood on a seemingly infinite grass field with a single large tree in his front.

[KRRRR]

With a cracking sound, the trunk of the tree moved, with two eyes opening..

“Humans can’t vi…” A voice echoed from the tree, but it stopped its words.

“You are not human…certainly not a demon…What is your identity?” The voice asked,

“I suppose I was gone for too long…” Pralaya said with a smirk while picking a small rock in front of him;

“SUNDARVAN…” He said while throwing the rock back on the ground,

“Yo…you know…about the forest?” The voice said in a surprised tone;

“APPEAR” Pralaya’s voice vibrated,..

“....What are you….”

[HUM!]]

Suddenly, an intense green light appeared from the tree, illuminating the surrounding in an instant;

“Hmm..that’s more like it..” Pralaya said while smiling, as his eyes stared in front at the point of the light’s origin..

[HUM!]

A woman with long pointy ears appeared from the light, she instantly went on her knees with her head bowed down, causing her green clothes to wave due to the movement,

“M..my lord….I greet your majesty…” She said in a shaky voice, without raising her head;

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“As elegant as ever,...” Pralaya said while moving towards her. The woman’s heart began racing, as she closed her eyes;

“Raise your head…” Pralaya ordered as he stopped his steps. The woman slowly raised her head, with her eyes opening,

“Heh…” A soft voice escaped her lips, and she quickly covered her mouth;

“What’s so funny?” Pralaya asked while raising the corner of his brow,

“Apologies my lord…but I couldn’t hold my laugh after witnessing your…majestic appearance” She completed her statement with a brief pause;

“.....My appearance isn’t of much importance right now…why are the elves here?”

The woman’s expression darkened, her eyes shivered with her heart getting heavy, she took a deep breath and began explaining;

“[SIGH]...After your unfortunate disappearance, the entire demi human race went into chaos. Struggle to acquire as much power as possible got initiated. The elves stayed safe, as even after hundreds of years, not a single clan dared to enter your territory, until..”

“The phoenix clan?” Pralaya interrupted her,

“....It would be better, if that were the case..” She replied while slightly bowing her head;

“[SIGH]...HUMANS!!...” Pralaya clenched his fists, while his eyes slightly turned red, instantly noticed by her.

“My lord…” She anxiously said,

“Haah…It hasn’t been long since I arrived here…but I keep getting reasons to eradicate that race..” Pralaya turned away from her;

“Inform the elves, I’m not a threat. Keep my identity hidden..for now” Pralaya said as he walked away;

[WOOSH]

The green energy from the tree disappeared, with pralaya retracting his arms. He turned towards the four, with his usual calm expression;

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” The warrior pointed his bow at Pralaya once again;

“STOP!!...” The old man exclaimed, while taking hasty steps towards Pralaya.

“Can I dare to know your identity?” The old man said while bowing down in front of Pralaya;

“...Arav.”

***

{Few hours later}

The sun had almost disappeared behind the hill, with its red light illuminating the surrounding. Arav sat under the banyan tree, with his eyes closed. The cold breeze moved his hair, and his ears heard the birds chirping above his head.

“Hooh….” He opened his eyes while taking a deep breath.

‘This body…It strangely feels familiar….as If it belonged to me from the very beginning..’ Arav thought while getting up. He raised his hand in front and clenched his fist;

‘Only its weakness bothers me,...’ His face had a disappointed look, as he stared at his fist.

[RUSTLE]

Arav raised his head and looked at the leaves;

“Get down…I’m leaving..” He said while smiling;

[THUD]

A warrior wearing green clothes jumped in front, while holding a bow.

“Tch…I don’t know how you keep finding me..” He said while placing the bow on his back;

“Your feet aren’t stable enough,..” Arav began walking down the hill.

“DON’T YOU DARE LECTURE ME!..” The warrior exclaimed while raising his fist.

“.....”

“.......”

“...H..how can I make…them more stable?..” He asked while turning his head away from Arav.

“One can’t improve if not aware of their limits…I suggest meditation..” Arav replied while raising his finger. The warrior's eyes sparkled, as he halted his steps. Arav continued without looking at him, leaving the warrior staring at his back.

***

{Meanwhile in the castle}

A woman sat on the throne, while constantly unsheathing and then sheathing a dagger with a golden hilt. The room had empty seats with a red carpet stretching from the entrance to the throne, with the sound of the dagger echoing in the silence.

[TAK…TAK…TAK]

Vijay with golden hair entered the room with hasty steps;

“Hmm?” She noticed his restlessness, she placed the dagger aside and stood up.

“Why the gloomy expression?” She asked while walking forward;

“Tch…Even the rishis are involved this time…Mother…what if we ge…” The man spoke anxiously;

“Ssssh” Usha placed a finger on her lips, and walked towards a white pillar. She raised her hands, with her palms facing the pillar;

[FWOOO]

A purple energy rushed outside and crashed on the pillar,

[KRRR]

She smirked and looked at Vijay, who stared with wide eyes while staying still, as the pillar turned red with cracks appearing all over its surface.

“M..Mother…” He spoke lightly, while sweat covered his forehead;

“This poison has never failed to accomplish my goal. Your father will survive for a few days, because an instant death would be suspicious.” Usha kept speaking while forwarding towards the throne.

“I…I..see…But…what if the poison’s exposed?...The rishis are already suspecting.” Vijay spoke, with his previous anxious expression returning.

“[SIGH]...Seriously Vijay,..How long are you going to stay dependent on your mother?...That poison can never be detected, until the Dragon Lord himself reincarnates and treats your father…” Usha spoke with an annoyed expression;

[TAK…TAK…TAK]

A soldier rushed inside the room, while breathing heavily;

“What happened?” Vijay asked while quickly hiding his nervous expression;

“Young Master,..Your soldiers are missing…I couldn’t find them in their homes..” The soldier replied, while sweat covered his entire face.

“WHAT ARE YOU BLABBERING ABOUT?..” Vijay instantly appeared in front of the soldier, and asked in a loud tone. The soldier went on his knees, with his entire body beginning to shake..

“I…I…hope I was lying…” The soldier barely spoke, while he tried to calm his racing heart.

[THUD…CRACK…]

“Tch…” Vijay slammed his leg on the floor, causing it to crack into several pieces around him.

“What’s the commotion about?” Usha asked while getting up,

“The soldiers,..who worked under me…they’re missing..” Vijay replied, with his voice showing a hint of concern;

“So?...Recruit new ones, you are the sole prince of this kingdom..you shouldn’t bother worrying about these pests.” Usha said, while her eyes glanced at the soldier with disgust.

“They…were…my drinking mates….and were aware of our doings.”

“WHAT?!!!!” Usha’s sharp voice echoed inside the hall, causing the soldier to pass out with his eyes rolled back. Vijay’s nose began bleeding, with his vision becoming blurry..

“Oh my!..” Usha quickly calmed down and placed her palm on her mouth;

“Mo..mother..I will sort out this matter…” Vijay wiped the blood and grabbed the soldier by his feet.

“You should..” Usha sat on the throne, as her ears heard Vijay’s footsteps leading outside.

“....Something feels off” She whispered, while her eyes stared at the cracked pillar.

***

The entire town had gathered under a tree at the center. On a small podium surrounding that tree, an old man stood with Arav eating fruits right beside him.

[MUNCH…MUNCH…MUNCH]

The sound of him enjoying his meal could be heard by all present around him.

“Ahem! This young man has been given the position of an esteemed guest by our elder.” The old man spoke loudly, while his left hand pointed at Arav. Who kept glancing at a boy standing in front of the crowd.

“What?..”

“Is that true?”

“Isn’t the young man a human?”

“I thought he was getting executed or something!”

“Look at him, he looks worse than a scarecrow..”

The crowd began murmuring, as a smile appeared on the boy’s face.

[MUNCHHH!!!]

A loud sound resounded, everyone went silent. Their gaze stuck on Arav, who took a large bite from the fruit.

‘He eats like a beast’ The boy thought as an annoyed look covered his face.

“Hmm…[CLAP]..[CLAP]” Arav came forward after finishing his meal while clapping his hands clean.

“I know you all are in a difficult position..” He spoke, with his very first words catching the entire crowd’s attention.

“I understand your anger and resentment towards the humans,..but showing hostility towards me won’t do any good. 24 hours,..that’s the amount of time I ask of you.”

[Chapter 4: END]