Chapter 1: Grandfather's Tales — Angels vs Demons
(Revised with more thrill and flow)
The night was a canvas of ink, dotted with fiercely bright stars. Inside a modest cottage, an old man with a flowing white beard sat cross-legged, his wise eyes fixed on his eager grandson.
"My boy," the elder's voice was low, like distant thunder. "In this age, people are drunk on blind passion. They would cross oceans and break mountains for what they call love. But mark my words — while love has its place, true friendship sits upon the highest throne. Today, I shall tell you of three companions whose loyalty was so fierce... it made the universe shudder."
The child's eyes widened. "But Dada... friendship bonds people. How can it cause such chaos?"
A mysterious smile touched the old man's lips. "These three didn't just cause chaos — they terrified creation itself. This tale is older than the mountains.
"Long ago, existence was split into realms. Our Earth is but a speck in the cosmic tapestry. Beyond lie others — Patal, the shadowy underworld; Nark, the pit of eternal anguish; Adhkarlok, the twilight zone of forgotten souls; Swarg, the gleaming heaven; and Parilok, the sacred abode of angels.
"Long ago, the angels, enraged by the cruelty and dark sorcery of the Rakshas — the demon kind — captured them and sealed their fate in the depths of Patal. None could escape... or so it was decreed.
"Yet, a handful of Rakshas had slipped onto Earth even before the Great War. They hid among men — some building families, some fading into the heart of ancient forests. They dared not draw attention, for they knew the angels watched... waiting to drag them back into the abyss.
"Centuries melted away. Bloodlines diluted, memories faded. Many of their descendants lived unaware of the ancient fire in their veins. Such were our three heroes — two men, and one who carried a demon's blood without knowing it. Yet their bond was pure. Unbreakable.
"But destiny is a twisting river. The heavens themselves seemed to look away — as if the first tremors of doomsday had already begun. It started with one fatal mistake by the angels... a blunder that unleashed the fury of friendship upon the cosmos. That was the day the world held its breath. The day God Himself stepped onto the battlefield... to end a bond.
"On that day, love was cursed and swallowed by shadow. And friendship earned another name —"
The old man's voice dropped to a haunted whisper.
"They called it Armageddon."
The boy sat frozen, his small hands clutching his grandfather's shawl. "What happened, Dada? What was so terrifying that even Lord Eshwar had to intervene?"
He leaned closer, breathless.
"What... did their friendship do?"