In another time... I was a hero. In another time... I had Father's trust and Mother's love. I lost these blessings trying to end my troubles. Look around at what has come of us! Babylon is aflame, and many lives have been sacrificed in this war gone awry. How could a Prince let this happen? Even as I led the Royal army into foreign lands I knew I would desert my countrymen. Such were the desperate moves of this desperate Prince. Since that time, armies attack Persia from north and south, east and west. And no matter where I run, the beast follows close behind. Prince: It all began one year ago, when Persia waged war against its neighbors... It was the first time I had seen battle. The dead. The smoke. The clamor of a thousand desperate men passed by as I rode to meet Father at the front. I was unafraid in my ignorance. It was an unreal sight to such young eyes! India tried to stall us on the battlefields outside the capital, but Father and I led the troops further and further until finally reaching the Maharajah's palace. Shahraman: In battle, instinct is your greatest asset! You have training - but no experience, my son. Prince: But that is what I seek! Isn't now the perfect time to gain such experience? Shahraman:  There is no perfect time! Your brashness bothers me. Although, the Indian army is feeble... Prince: I could take a small party north. Mount Singri-la offers a clear vantage point of their capital! Shahraman: A bold beginning! If you were to do well in this battle - Prince: I know, I know - you promised me a gift, but I do not want it. Please, let me prove my talents! Shahraman: I meant only to say that I would be proud of you, son. That would be your gift to me. Prince: There was a traitor in their midst - a flatterer who fooled Father too! It was the Vizier who showed us to his master's treasure vault. What did he want from us? He wanted the Hourglass! But when we would not give it to him, he tricked me into opening the Sands of Time! The Sands swirled throughout the palace, possessing everyone they touched with evil. I was forced to fight my own army or perish! In the end I was able to go back in time using a magical dagger, saving all I had slain. I thought my journey was over when I killed the treacherous Vizier - But I was wrong! Prince: In the unspoiled days before that time I often walked with Darius through the splendid gardens of Babylon. What a beautiful setting for our debates! Each bloom was perfection; every leaf shimmered in delicious breezes. How could I not be happy? Darius: What do you know of hardship? Of! war? Rose petals cushion the very soles of your feet! Prince: I consider this garden a noble's reward for fighting well. You will see that I am a great warrior, like father. Darius: Prince, you know you haven't proven yourself yet. Although we do need a second in command... Prince: I have more experience than you could ever imagine, Darius. I say you should commission me for that post. Darius: O ho! You are quick! How far will your confidence lead you, Prince? Prince: I have confidence enough to wager my honor. Do you think you can beat your pupil in battle? Darius:  Age versus beauty? I like it! Darius: Well fought, Prince! You have retained your honor. Now, let us go back to the gardens, I will tell you a tale! Prince: I prefer to focus on my training, friend! Shouldn't you? Darius: I am an old man... I could teach you! much if you would listen, Prince! Prince: I don't care for idle chatter! I would do something grand if I could... I want to travel to faraway places! Darius: But... What could be more important? Mark my words! You will miss our talks once you re living the warrior's life! Prince: That night I saw the beast for the first time. A black shadow fell across my path and attacked in an instant. Time stood still. My warrior instincts failed completely... But Darius? The great man was not intimidated. He threw me out of harm's way, shouting, "leave now! as he fought furiously. My father was right... He told me many years ago that I did not have the instincts of a warrior. Darius did not have to die! Perhaps we could have overpowered the beast together. Instead I hesitated, terrified by the black shadow that hunted me. Prince: What darkness had descended upon me? In the weeks that followed the beast's attack I found no rest from my worries... Or my regrets. Until finally, I found a slim volume in the great library called "The Box of a Thousand Restraints which described a magical prison able to hold one hundred thousand souls. Surely this Box could hold the beast! To get it I had to take an army through India into Aresura. I knew this would anger the Maharajah, but it was the only way. I had to convince father to break our treaty with India, and I thought I knew how... Shahraman:  You think you can command an army by virtue of your royal blood? Don't be foolish! You can't - Prince: But I can! And furthermore, I must! I cannot stand by while the Maharajah insults our family! Shahraman: The treaty was signed to promote peace. And we have had peace since! Prince: I cannot be at peace when the province of Khat is theirs. It is, after all, my Mother's birthplace! It should be ours! Shahraman: Surprising! You never mentioned this disquiet before. Darius was the only one I trusted in matters of war, but... Prince: There is no but! On who else can Persia's fate rest now? I am the Prince, I am the future of Persia! Shahraman: Prove your words, my boy! We will see if you fight like a warrior! Shahraman: Prince - you are no warrior's son, but a warrior in your own right. You have proven as much today. Prince: If I did well, then my mentor, General Darius, deserves all of the credit... Shahraman: I had not planned for this to happen for a few years. Hm... Prince: Yes? What are you thinking? Shahraman: Go see Arkabar in Mugger's Square. He will be expecting you. He will give you a tattoo, the Mark of the King. Prince: The Mark of the King? A tattoo... like the one Darius wore? Shahraman: Yes. This will mark you as a general in my Royal Army. Once the tattoo has healed - we ride to India! Prince: That is how peace ended between India and Persia, a peace that had lasted a hundred years or more. As the Indian people ran to hide in mad confusion I realized that I was the only being alive who knew the true reason for our attack. I was absolutely alone, even in the middle of so many men. With the Mark of the King still burning on my sword arm, I fought my way through the panicked masses. I was going to save myself from the beast - at any cost. Shahraman: There is nothing sweeter than victory! I will be proud to tell your mother how you tasted this reward today. Prince: I will stop to savor my successes when Aresura is ours, as well! Shahraman: Aresura? Victory has gone to your head! We must take the Indian capital now or suffer a counterattack. Prince: I will press on and win more battles in Aresura while you control India! Shahraman: We cannot fight this war on two fronts! Do you know nothing of strategy? Prince: My path lies north, father. I mean to follow it! Shahraman: Wait son! Do not desert us - or you will come to rue this day! Prince: The road to Aresura was more arduous than any battle. Our blistered faces displayed our misery to the rocks, the sand and the infernal sun above. We had no other company... Save once, when a woman's tanned face and hooded eyes passed us by. Her strange manner was puzzling. When her figure appeared before us I assumed I was seeing an apparition. Such things are said to have happened on long journeys through the Wounded Lands. I couldn't understand what she cried into the desert silence. I only recognized the words, "The Box". Prince: Stop! Did you mention the Box? The Box of a Thousand Restraints? Sindra: The Box! He was stealing, thieving... Prince: I am the Prince of Persia, and the Box once belonged to my Kingdom. Please, tell me where I can find it? Sindra: ...Vizier...he used it! Prince: The Vizier? I remember him! Did you know him too? Tell me! Sindra: ...Oh! Please! Prince: Lady? What is the matter? Soldier, help this poor woman - she has fainted! Prince: She mentioned the Vizier... Prince: Could it be the same man? The man I killed in the Maharajah's palace? I wish I could forget that fateful night! Prince: Well, I must be getting closer to the Box, that is certain... But how does this woman know of it too? Prince:  The air was alive with fear as my men and I slowly ascended the path to the peak. The horses balked, the men spoke in whispers, but I thought only of the beast that pursued me. I shivered as I remembered the awful sight of that shadow overpowering brave Darius.The end of this nightmare was surely near! Although the peak was deserted, there was an otherworldly humming all around us. As I stepped onto the plateau, it came alive with the flashing of a hundred swords! As the demons came forward I caught a glimpse of an altar and the Box! Once I saw this my courage rose - I called out the order to attack! Shahraman: A wise man knows when to lay down arms... Arun: Do you mock me? You know I serve the wisest man on the continent! Shahraman: Then be a help to your King, do as a wise man would! Arun: You mean a cowardly man, perhaps? Prince: Our army holds twice as many riders. To challenge us means defeat! Arun: Your words betray your fear... Why would I run from an army that has no will to fight? Prince: The mountain was silent once more. My eyes searched the dark, straining to see in the dim light. I saw the outline of the Box first. Then I made out the seal that protected its secrets. I remembered that the book from the library counseled me to break the seal to use the Box's powers. I paused a moment as I held my sword high, about to break the seal, I stopped. Was there anything else that the slim volume from the Great Library didn't tell me about the Box? After all, the book had made no mention of its guardians. Kalim: I expected today to be just like any other day... But instead it brought a chance for glory. I was training with my sword master when the alarm was raised. "Persia attacks! was soon on every warrior's lips. I rushed up the stairs to my father's war room with a daring plan in mind. As I opened the door, all turned to look at me with suspicion. My presence there was strictly forbidden, but I wasn't about to give up my chance to help my Father fight the invaders. Maharajah: Kalim! This is no place for a soldier, generals only! Kalim: I need to know our strategy if I am to lead an army! Maharajah: Preposterous! You are imagining things. Kalim: My brother led his first campaign at twenty-one. It is only fair that I am given the same opportunity. Maharajah: You are not your brother. Were he still alive, I know he would send the Persians back with haste! D I beg your pardon, lord. I have news of Arun's defeat. The Persians march towards Patna! Maharajah: It seems Fate has decided... Son! You are off to battle on this night. I hope you prove yourself worthy! Kalim: Visions of victory crowded my head as I crossed the plains with my army. I would fight the Persians as they had never been fought before. My Father would have no choice but to recognize my bravery. On the horizon, a cloud of dust grew larger and larger as it approached. An army! As they drew closer I could see the white flag of surrender flying from the leader's standard. The Persians? That was my first assumption... But the lone horseman who rode out to greet me was one of our own. It was Arun! Arun: Turn back! The Persians are coming, with an army twice as fierce as ours! Kalim: That army is no more! I have ensured that India is safe from their menace. Arun: Have they retreated? Kalim: For the moment... However, they will send more troops this way. We must act before they recover! Arun: Yes! Let us make haste for Patna, and fortify our army there. Kalim: Never! We ride for Persia and the palace of Babylon. Stop anyone who dares escape the city walls! Kalim: Once the city gates burst open Arun lost all control over his men. Their bloodthirsty blades sought the populace mercilessly. But even the most bloodthirsty stopped to watch as a woman emerged from the palace. Queen Mehri descended the steps with a sword in hand, head held high, her voice clear. As she spoke her brave words, a stray arrow pierced her side, and she fell. The mo Darius: engulfed her and when the scene had cleared all that was left was the sword she had defended herself with. Prince: I wept with joy as I broke the seal, hoping to finally end my trials... But my hope withered into despair as more demons emerged from the Box! We fought the monsters at first but they kept pouring out a hundred at a time. They were the most ferocious beings I had ever seen! Our only hope was to flee. The Box of a Thousand Restraints, my salvation, lay useless on the altar. How would I stop the beast that hunted me now? These thoughts tormented me without rest as we rode back to Babylon. I did not dare look back to see the horde of demons that surely followed! Messenger: She addressed the mob, saying: "Persia, I have lived for you and now I die for you! Shahraman: No! This cannot be... Mehri, my wife! How could I have left your side? Why! Oh, Mehri! Messenger: Her last act was one befitting a Queen! Shahraman: I cannot take any more! Please leave me... Messenger: One more thing - I apologize for speaking his name but I must... I hear that the Prince rides towards Babylon! Shahraman: The Prince dares to return? How he makes my blood boil! Messenger: A horde of demons follow him! What are we to do? They are headed this way! Shahraman: Demons? So he has opened the Box of a Thousand Restraints... He will pay for his mistakes! Capture him! Prince: This is where my tale began... See how I let my whole world fall to pieces? I did not know that my deeds would have such consequences. Oh! My poor mother - martyred in a war that I created! After what I have done, forgiveness is impossible. I gambled everything for the Box of a Thousand Restraints. The Box that I had to abandon at the summit of that unholy mountain. Prince: Father! Thank you for visiting your disgraced son. It is not right that I live, while my mother... Shahraman:  You made that choice when you started this war! Prince: There is no excuse for my actions. I can only try to explain what happened, even if nobody will believe it. Shahraman: I listened well to your testimony today. Don't forget - I was at the Maharajah's palace that day! You are lying to us! Prince: You don't remember because I went back in time to save you! The Sands of Time were unleashed, it is true! Shahraman: You went back in time using a dagger? Oh, son! All of this nonsense does not explain your actions! Prince: I myself do not fully understand. But since that day I am hunted every night by a beast, the beast that killed Darius! Shahraman: You wanted to trap the beast in the Box. That is why you demanded we! wage war, then... What a blunder! Prince: I am sorry.... I felt alone, father. Completely alone! Shahraman: But you were not! I could have advised you. You see, I know all about The Box of a Thousand Restraints! Prince: You do? But how? Shahraman: It was stolen many years ago and I chased the thieves, breaking treaties and creating war as I went. Prince: As I did! I am not alone in that, at least. Shahraman: Listen to my story, son... Shahraman:  When I was a young man, the Daevas rode through the Wounded Lands for Babylon. They were not after land or honor. It was the Box they sought. The whole city blazed with the light of a million fires before Saurva had his treasure. A stunned Persia struggled to gather enough allies to avenge the attack. My youth would not allow me to wait for the lawmakers to sign their treaties. With a warrior's cry I set off for Aresura that very night. All my thoughts were of retrieving the Box for my country. As we entered Sun Valley the next morning, one of my best men spotted the glint of metal high above us. An ambush! Shahraman: Beating Aesma gave me the fire I needed to continue through the Wounded Lands to the capital. I was even more determined to win back the Box for Persia! We were greeted at the capital by an army of soldiers stretching as far as my eyes could see. I forced my horse into a gallop as we approached the massive army.There could be no fear, no thought of defeat on that day. Foolish bravery motivated us to fight! Only a fortunate few would survive the slaughter, but if we could maintain our presence until India arrived, all was not lost. Shahraman: The battle was bloody, the battle was long... A rider sped by and slashed at me so violently my horse crashed to the ground - his throat cut. As I tried to free myself from the dying steed, a black figure approached me with sword poised. It was the great General, Saurva! Suddenly, a strange droning thrummed all about us, causing Saurva to look around in wonder. A white light came down from above, grew steadily and consumed us with its brilliance. Then these strange sights and sounds ended with a resounding crash of thunder! And with that, the Daevas vanished! Kalim: Total Chaos! Babylon was ours... or rather the burning smouldering mess that it now was. I worried that my Father would blame me for the massacre, as I blamed myself for not controlling Arun's men. Then we, the conquerors, were likewise attacked! A strange army, an army of demons, charged across the plain towards the shattered city. I could not abandon Babylon now that I had just won it! We would take a stand! Arun: What was that nightmare? Kalim: I don't know, exactly... However, I believe we have nothing more to fear. D Prince Kalim! More demons are on the loose, but these are heading for India! Kalim: Patna! Our beloved city! Arun: If it were to end up in flames - like! Babylon - think of the bloodshed! We must stop them! Kalim: To Patna! Kalim: We rode like a tempest over the land towards India. My horse is swift but could it beat the mounts of our fiendish foe? I searched the horizon for signs, but in vain. It was a race to save India, for how would my countrymen beat this demonic army without me? At the summit of Mount Singri-La we gazed out at an empty landscape. Had the ghost army disappeared into another world, perhaps? Then... there they were, approaching from the East! We had just enough time to head them off before they reached Patna. Vizier: There are many ways to win your desires: flattery; bribery; trickery; cruelty... I had used them all. They say the hardest to obtain is the affections of a woman, but that I would win too. First, I needed the Box of a Thousand Restraints... And I knew who could steal it for me. Saurva was the greatest general in this world so he served my purpose perfectly. The Box would be mine! The beautiful thing is that the theft of the Box would anger the Persians - and so pit Persian against Daevas, Indian against Persian... As I escaped with my bride. Saurva: I beg of you! Please do not make me do this! Vizier: What choice have you got? Steal the Box of a Thousand Restraints or your family will feel my wrath! Saurva: You would do this to us? You don't deserve to live... Vizier: Ha! You can do nothing while my blade is at your wife's throat! Saurva's wife: Be strong! Don't you see? The Persians will avenge the theft! War will engulf us! Saurva: I prefer war to living without you, my love. I am used to war... Saurva's wife: You are used to war, but think of your countrymen. My life is not worth the deaths it would take to save it. Saurva: I could not live without your love. If it means war, so be it! Saurva: There is beauty in a land without war. I crossed over the border into Persia at daybreak and was welcomed in every town without fear. In the faces of all we met, I saw something to remind me of my wife: a winning smile; a noble forehead; beautiful eyes... How I hated having to steal the Box from such sympathetic souls! We set up camp beside a calm river. A day of rest and play by the shore awaited us before we struck that night. Darkness would cover the shameful deed I did. I hoped the ancestors would forgive me for ruining this paradise! Saurva: Here is the Box. It comes at the price of a hundred men's lives! Vizier: One hundred? One thousand? What do I care? Hand over the Box! Saurva: With pleasure, the sooner to be done with this ugly task! Vizier: It will be over once your wife draws her last breath! Saurva's wife: Stop! Please! You are hurting me! Saurva: Let her go, or I swear... Vizier: It is too late, fool! The deed is done, and neatly too. Saurva: My wife! My love! Vizier: The woman was of no use to me, so I felled her with a single strike. So simple and right - it was what I needed to do to further my plans. Keeping her alive was out of the question. No, I did not even hesitate to take her life. I had important work to do, after all... Vizier: What a fool! An honorable man cannot beat a free man! The free man follows his will in any direction, thereby achieving what others dare not. I laughed at the honorable ones who seemed to love the rules that bind them. Saurva's outrage would be useful later, and for many years to com. Yes, it was good that he saw his wife's blood spilt. This would fuel his hatred! Then with the spell I cast, I sealed his fate forever! Saurva: The last memory I had is of a great war. Persians, Indians, Daevas all clashing under stormy skies. I was about to strike down Persia's King Shahraman when it happened... A flash of light blinded me and then all I saw was the deepest darkness. Everything had changed... The features of the Wounded Lands were alien to me - And yet, I had not aged! Was it sorcery? I did not know... All I knew was that the Vizier would pay for my unholy exile. Aesma: What news! You are not the only exile lost and found again! Your sister, Sindra, was found in the desert! Saurva: My fair sister! I had almost lost hope of seeing her again! Tell me - is she safe and sound? Aesma: She has changed much. Her mind is... muddled by hardship. Saurva: He must have captured her as well - I am glad she escaped alive! The Vizier and all of India will feel my wrath! Aesma: Your sister wants no part in this war. She spoke so strongly against it that half my men turned tail to follow her! Saurva: What? Give me your remaining troops! I will gather the men who deserted you. Aesma: But, there is no need to go to war now that your sister is out of harm's way! Saurva: Enough simpering talk. All Daevas must seek revenge against our wicked neighbors! Aesma: I cannot do what you ask! Saurva: I think my blade will persuade you! Saurva: Aesma was a Daeva by birth only - his spirit was weak. That is why he had to die. I could not risk the success of this campaign - vengeance is not a matter for fools! Finally, my real work could begin. With true Daevas men behind me, I would crush the Vizier - I would crush all Indians! I would go even further to make this world clean once more... Saurva: Thoughts of revenge burned red-hot as I gazed upon Patna. I would focus my rage upon all like the sun through a lens. The Vizier and all India would burn that night! Kalim: Halt here or die! Your demon arts do not intimidate us! Saurva: My goal is not to intimidate, but to burn your city to the ground! Stand aside, boy! Kalim: You won't make it to our gates alive! Saurva: Brave words, child! My blade is eager to taste such sweet young blood! Saurva: There was no time to suffer the posturing of an arrogant prince. How dare he try to stop me! I slit the Indian Prince's throat and turned away to conquer Patna. My rage had to be satiated and it was the Vizier I sought! Saurva: Patna burned as hot and wild as my anger, but where was the Vizier? The slave girls, the soldiers, the nobles in court - none could tell me of his whereabouts, no matter how mercilessly I broke their bones as they screamed for mercy! I did not stop until the bodies were piled ten deep... Oh, how blood flowed through the streets that night! Vizier: I had gained all the tools I needed to win my bride... Who said that love cannot be obtained except through the heart? She was the only one I ever considered worthy. Oh yes, I would have this warrior princess with eyes that pierced my soul! I stood but a mile away from where she slept. How would she meet me? With insults? With protests? See how she made me worry? I soon remembered that no matter what she said, now that I had the Box, I was assured success! Vizier: Don't bother running, my dear - stay close! Sindra: You cannot win! My brother will come to fight you with a hundred thousand men! Vizier: Ha ha ha! A hundred thousand, you say? How lucky! They will fit perfectly into this little Box... Sindra: You must be mad! Saurva! Save me! Vizier: Do not doubt my sanity. You are now my consort, forevermore... Sindra: Never! Vizier: Saurva and his hundred thousand men could not disrupt my contentment from their tiny prison, their final resting place... Sindra's last conscious words were: "Never! However, with my magic I proved her false. Later she sat by my side, without a thought of rebellion. Her memories sunken deep inside her mind, locked away for all eternity. Shahraman: You see, my son. The tale of the Box of a Thousand Restraints is a long one... Prince: And the Vizier has tainted its history with blood! Shahraman: Its story is not yet finished. Saurva and his army of Daevas will continue to spread across the land like locusts! Prince: I would be of more use to my country with a sword in my hand than locked in a cell. Please, let me go! Shahraman: The court charged you with treason!- No man will trust you with Persia's fate now. Prince: Is it true that no man trusts me? Even my own Father? Shahraman: I don't doubt your heart, son - I doubt your wisdom. Nonetheless, there is no other who can help us now! Maharajah: The Vizier was a very dangerous man. I regret that I allowed this traitor to sleep under my roof for many years... Kalim: In those days, I believed the Vizier to be a loyal servant. Only a rare villain can fool a child! Maharajah: The Vizier was no ordinary man. His treachery knew no bounds! Kalim:  And now, to stop the marauding army - Maharajah: The Daevas are too great a foe for you! I will don armor and wield sword once more. Kalim: What kind of son would I be if I let my father fight? It is only fitting that I defeat the invaders. Maharajah: Must you be so arrogant? Leave this task to me. Kalim: Why do you call my help arrogance? Good-bye then! I will return when I have earned your respect. Prince: A feeling of hopelessness washed over me. Where could we hide from this raging horde? They would follow us relentlessly until every living thing was dust. So strong was the Daevas lust for blood, I feared that our only chance for survival was to battle. India had to join Persia, for separately we would perish. Prince: Both of us will lose the battle against Saurva unless we band together! Kalim: You invaded our lands! On that day we saw Persia's true intentions. Prince: It is my fault our nations are at war, I admit it. I am sorry, I made a mistake! Kalim: And you will not be forgiven just! because you cannot fight your own battles! Prince: This is our battle, Kalim. As one prince to another - Kalim: The cowardly words of a cowardly prince. Prince: If you do not see reason I will have to capture you. I need your army for both India's and Persia's sake! Prince: And now, Kalim, do you see that I mean you no harm? Kalim: I will always fight my Father's enemies, the Persians and the Daevas. That is all I know. Prince: What infernal stubbornness! Kalim: The Indians call it honor! Prince: I am no enemy! I regret that I did! convince my father to invade, but I had reasons of my own. Kalim: A likely story! Even so, I have no choice but to help you... for now. Prince: The next morning I found the entrance to Kalim's tent flapping open in the desert winds. The guards I assigned to watch the Indian Prince lay dead on the ground. Why did Kalim persist in fighting the truth? A single army is useless against the Daevas! A ram's horn sounded in the distance! Kalim! I hoped against all hope to hear news of his victory on the morrow... Prince: Father! What news? I fear the worst... Shahraman: We are doomed! Kalim has fallen, and along with him the only army that could help us. Prince: I tried to make him see this, but his pride won out over his reason. Shahraman: He was very brave, nonetheless... I pray for his soul! Prince: An army without hope cannot win a war, that is the truth. Every man who rode with me knew what I knew: that we would not win the battle, that the Daevas would continue their reign. But we would fight as desperately as a drowning man to fell what Daevas we could, in hope that another could stop them, as we could not. As we rode to our deaths with heavy hearts we were stopped by a puzzling sight. A man in Daevas armor emerged from the forest and greeted me with hands raised in a gesture of surrender. He explained quickly that his general wanted to meet with me that night! Daevan: This is my commander, Princess Sindra. Prince: But... I have met you before - in the! Wounded Lands! You spoke to me of the Vizier! Sindra: I do not remember much that has happened, I apologize. Prince: You were not the woman I see now. You were crazed, wild! Sindra: That may be, but now I have something to propose to you. We need to join forces. That is the only way... Prince:  How do I know I can trust you? Sindra: I have recovered from my ordeals, fear not! Prince: It is also strange that I have not heard of you, a princess... Sindra: I have only met your people in war, I Aesma: afraid. I once even met the great Persian General, Darius... Sindra: As a young princess on her first campaign, I knew I had much to prove. The soldiers looked askance at this girl in warrior's garb, wondering how I could possibly lead one hundred men. They did not know that behind this feminine facade lived a keen mind well versed in the art of war! I met my adversary at daybreak, a glorious sunrise welcoming me to my first battle. We faced each other across the plains for what seemed like eternity while our armies stood silently. I would let Darius make the first move, confident that I could counter any attack. Sindra: It is a horrible thing to be helpless... Without an army, there was no escaping this evil Vizier. I cried my brother's name in vain! As I tried to decide what to do, I started to feel very odd - I was frozen to the spot! I turned my tear-streaked face away from his distorted visage as he went into a trance. When he suddenly shrieked as if possessed, I could not help but watch. He raised his gnarled hands to the sky and brought a crackling ball of purple light down on me! Sindra: Even though many years had passed, I still remembered my brother's habits. I knew he would choose to set up camp on Aresura's plains, as we once did in the days when we fought the same enemy. My brother was once a reasonable man who loved life - and loved his family most of all. Perhaps he would listen to his own sister. I had to convince him to stop his mad crusade against the rest of this world. Saurva: Sister! I am overjoyed! But - how did you ever find me here? Sindra: You do not remember the times we rested here after battle, then? Saurva: That was so long ago... Sindra: I hope you will hark back to that time! You once respected your sister's wisdom... Please, stop this slaughter! Saurva: I will not! The Daevas have been persecuted long enough. They see us as demons, and we will act as such! Sindra: We must put aside thoughts of war or all sides will perish: Indians, Persians - and Daevas! Saurva: So it is true! You did steal Aesma's troops! Sindra: Aesma's troops follow me because they yearn for peace! Saurva: The only way Daevas will have peace is if they are alone on this continent, sister of mine. Sindra: You leave me no choice! I will not let the bloodshed continue! Even if you are my brother! Prince: Sindra! I should have trusted you! Sindra: It is hard to trust in these treacherous times... I understand. Prince:  We have suffered. Oh, and many others as well! Sindra: My brother was broken by his ordeal. I can see no way out but to fight him! Prince: I will apologize by finishing what you have started. Today, this war ends. Prince: Words cannot express what I feel! You! have helped saved this world from years of struggle... Sindra: I doubt that I could ever pick up a sword again. Prince: And what of your brother? Sindra: I captured Saurva and now he awaits his trial. They call him a war monger! Prince:  I am sorry, Princess Sindra! Sindra: The penalty is dire among my people. Death is the only thing awaiting him! Prince: Be brave for your soldiers! Sindra:  My brother made me promise long ago... If he should ever be disgraced.! He does not want to die in shame! Prince: What do you mean to do, princess? Sindra: I have no choice but to remember my pledge to him. Saurva will die by a loving sword. Prince: I left brother and sister to their sorrow. I could hear Saurva's hoarse demands for his sister's blood above Sindra's calm and loving words. I turned and left the Daevas camp with a heavy heart. Sindra has ensured that peace will return to this land... But will there be peace for me? I cannot rest with this beast forever at my back. I must travel on to distant places, desperate and alone. A prince without a land to call his own... Kalim: I have seen things that should not be... Maharajah: Oh! You mean the Daevas? Kalim:  No Father - An army of demons! Maharajah: They may have fought like demons, but the Daevas are much like men, nonetheless. Kalim: Human? Impossible... You didn't see their faces, father! Maharajah: The Daevas were a noble race once. They lived beyond the Wounded Lands! in the days before you were born. Kalim: What happened to them? Maharajah: They disappeared - around the same time the Box of a Thousand Restraints went missing. Kalim: What is this Box? I have never heard of it. Maharajah: It is a magical Box that can hold a hundred thousand souls. I understand their rage at being trapped inside it! Kalim: An entire race - trapped in a box? Sounds like a fairy tale... Maharajah: It is very real, and I fear our Vizier did this! Sindra: I don't remember anything more. I am here today only because Aesma found me. Prince:  I saw you wandering the Wounded Lands during my travels. I wondered what made you so distressed! Sindra: I fear I spent many years in a haze... I know not how many. Prince: An interesting story... Sindra: And so, do you understand now why I want to stop Saurva? Prince: I said your tale was interesting, I don't know if I can believe it yet.... I need to think about your words. Sindra: I will leave you to do this. Farewell! Prince: Farewell! Prince: The woman seems to know much... But can I trust her fantastic tales?