The night is draped in a tapestry of twinkling stars, and the moon bathes the mystical land of Kishkindha in a silvery glow. Deep within the Whispering Woods, a lone figure moves with the grace of a seasoned warrior. Arjun, a young man with unruly dark hair and piercing eyes, traverses the forest's winding paths and silent determination. His breath mingles with the soft murmur of the leaves overhead as he ventures deeper into the hearts of the woods.
Arjun is known throughout Kishkindha for his extraordinary skills. He is a warrior like no other, possessing mastery over archery skills, sword skills, and the control over the five elements, fire, water, lighting, earth, and wind. But tonight, he moves not as a celebrated hero but as a brother driven by an unrelenting purpose.
The whispers of the woods seem to echo in his ears, as if the ancient trees themselves share in his burden. For his twin sister, Nandini, has been taken. Captured, he believes, by the sinister organization The Rakshasa Cult, that seek to resurrect the demon lord Hiranya, a malevolent entity that had once plunged Kishkindha into darkness.
Arjun's quest is twofold: to rescue his beloved sister and to prevent the resurrection of the demon lord at all costs. His journey has brought him to the Whispering Woods, outside which there is an old temple of Goddess Mahakali, where all his questions can be answered. As Arjun ventures deeper into the woods, he encounters a mysterious cleaning bathed in an ethereal blue light. In its center stands a massive, ancients tree – the Whispering Oak. Its branches reach skyward like gnarled fingers, and its leaves shimmer with an otherworldly radiance.
"Seek the Rings, Arjun. Seek the Rings," a soft, melodic voice comes from the very leaves of the tree. "The fate of all Kishkindha rests upon your shoulders." As Arjun prepares to leave the tree speaks again, "The old master shall give the guidance, the young priestess shall provide the light. The princess shall provide the method, the thief shall provide the might. The assassin shall give the protection, the knowledge enigma shall bring. Do not fret O' mighty warrior, as your fates shall guard the Ring."
Arjun's heart swells with resolve. He knows that the path ahead will be perilous, that he will face adversaries both mortal and supernatural. But now he also knows that he cannot falter as he will have the support of the people who will join him in his quest. With the Whispering Oak's blessing and guidance, Arjun sets forth, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon, where awaits the temple of Goddess Mahakali.
Arjun, fueled with determination, reaches the near end of the Whispering Woods, where he is attacked by an ugly night creature. He tries to run from there because he does not want to harm the creature, but the creature is faster than he expected. A gruesome fight ensues, Arjun, afraid of harming the forest, holds back his powers while attacking and dodges and blocks creature's attacks. At last, he finds an opening and pierces his heart with cleansing fire and finishes the fight. The creature falls on the ground and light are released from his body. A female nymph comes out of the creature's body and says, " O' my kind warrior, forgive me for my rudeness, as I was cursed with this fate by the demon lord Hiranya." Arjun asks, "Why did he transform you into this?" The nymph replies, " O' my kind warrior, I was once a celestial nymph called Chitralekha residing on the Great Himalayan Range. That accursed Hiranya came there one day lusting after my beauty. I humbly denied his approaches as I was waiting for a warrior who had kindness for all the living things equally. The demon was dissatisfied with my response, and in anger he stole my divinity, stole my powers, stole my light, and reduced me to this form. That is my story. Oh, where are my manners? I forgot to show my gratitude and ask who you are. So, I thank you very much for freeing me from this curse. And if I may ask who you are and what is your purpose coming here?" Arjun replies, "O' the most beautiful nymph, I am a warrior called Arjun and I am on a quest to find the five-elemental ring to free my sister and to stop the resurrection of the same demon lord who is also responsible for your condition." "O' Arjun, the kindest of all souls, you are on a great journey. It was my fate to be freed by you from that curse. I want to heal the wounds I have reflected upon you, but I am yet to recover my powers. Fear not as you will find a priestess in that temple who has healing powers greater than me. Seek her assistance and you can call me anytime to seek my guidance. Also, I would like you to obtain the legendary bow Gandiva if you are to face the demon lord. I now will return to the Great Himalaya to restore my light. I shall return to you once I am worthy enough to aid you in your quest. Until then, fare the well and wait for me," saying that Chitralekha flies toward the Himalaya and Arjun bows to her and continues his journey in the wounded state.
Finally, Arjun leaves the Whispering Woods and ventures into the open, moonlit expanse beyond. As he walks through the night, his wounds start to spread. In the distance, a faint shimmering light beckons, and the sweet sound of a prayer can be heard. Arjun quickens his pace, knowing that it marks the entrance to the Temple of Goddess Mahakali. The temple's trees height reaches towards the greater sky, its walls adorn with ancient runes and symbols telling the story of the Goddess Mahakali.
Heavily breathing, he finally reaches the temple and falls on the stairs. All the people present there come to his aid and bring him to the grand priest of the temple. The priest asks, "I am the one called the grand priest of this temple, Bhargava. Warrior, who are you and why are you so much wounded?" Arjun replies, " O great sage, I am Arjun and I seek guidance in my quest." "Before that, let us heal you first," saying that he starts examining his wounds. After examining he beckons one of the servants to come there. He says, "His wounds are more serious than I expected. The malice has made its way through his veins. It might not be possible for me to heal his wounds as I do not have enough power and light energy inside me. Only she can heal him right now. Ask her to come here at once." "As you wish, great sage," he replies and leaves. Arjun asks, "To whom you are referring to?" Bhargava replies, "A young priestess named Sarika, who is known throughout this valley for her remarkable gift of healing. She possesses light energy greater than a young celestial nymph, which is a great deal for us mortals."
The servant comes back with a young priestess who is none other than Sarika. Her eyes, a soothing shade of green, hold a depth of compassion that seems to touch the very souls of those she tends to. With a delicate touch and calming presence, she mends wounds and pains that are torturing the soul of mortals. As they look at each other, their eyes meet, and for a moment, time seems to stand still. She then notices the wounds of his body and without further delay starts healing him. Her soothing energy and delicate touch provide him the peace of his mind which allows him to go into the resting state. He slowly closes his eyes and goes to sleep.
The night ends and the next morning, when Arjun wakes up, he notices that all his wounds are already healed. A servant comes inside and gives him a change of clothes. Arjun changes the clothes after taking a long bath in the healing hot spring near the temple and then he is guided by a servant where Sarika and Bhargava are doing the prayers. Once the prayer is completed, they approach Arjun and Bhargava offers him a cup of medicine. Arjun says, "Thank you both of you for healing my wounds." Sarika replies, "It is our duty to heal the good souls in need." Bhargava asks Arjun, "Young warrior, why were you in that state? And what kind of guidance you were seeking the previous night?"
Arjun then starts narrating his story about him and his twin sister Nandini. Around 18 years ago, when they were orphans of a village of the Kishkindha Kingdom, they were kidnapped by a slave trader. He was about to sell them to a merchant, when a knight commander attacked the slave trader and the merchant and freed all the captured kids. He was none other than the prince Anshuman of the Kishkindha kingdom and with him was his fiancé, Gautami, a priestess of light who healed the kids and fed them as well. Arjun was captivated by the courage and strength of the prince while Nandini was impressed by the kindness of Gautami. After they dispatched the kids to the orphanage run by the King, they noticed that two kids are still following them. They were Arjun and Nandini, hoping to become like them they asked Anshuman and Gautami to teach them so that they could help others in the future like those two did that day. Impressed by their courage and innocence, Anshuman and Gautami took them as their protégé. Anshuman trained Arjun and taught him the duties of a knight and warrior adventurer, while Gautami taught Nandini the way of the light. After some years, Arjun became a renowned adventurer and a knight, while Nandini became a famous priestess of light. At that time, Anshuman was already the king and married to Gautami and had a daughter named Aditi who was 4 years smaller than Arjun and Nandini. One day, King Anshuman got a request from the King of Anga Kingdom to find the Ring of Space as the evil forces were also finding the rings as well to resurrect the demon lord. King Anshuman gave the responsibility to find the Ring to his most trusting Knight Arjun. Arjun and Nandini left the kingdom to find the Ring and other adventurers from different kingdoms joined them. After going through some clues and trials they finally found the Ring but were betrayed by one of the adventurers. He with the help of the members of the Rakshasa cult, killed the other adventurers and captured Nandini in the Ring of Space, when Arjun went to find some food in the forest. When he returned he saw the dead bodies of the adventurers and an almost dead adventurer who was the same person who betrayed the others and was then betrayed by the Cult. He told everything that happened to Arjun and succumbed to his injuries. Angry and Heartbroken Arjun, then tried to find both Nandini and the Ring but was unable to do so. Finally, he returned to the Kishkindha Kingdom and told the King and the Queen everything. A heartbroken Gautami then slapped Arjun and asked him to continue the quest not just to find the Ring of Space but also all the other Rings as well to finish the demon lord once and for all. She also told him not to show his face until he successfully saves Nandini and brings her back. Outside the palace, when Arjun was leaving, Anshuman was already waiting for him with the sword he used to bring in his adventures. He gave the sword to Arjun and told him to go to the temple of Goddess Mahakali outside of the forest of Whispering Woods.
After listening to Arjun's story, Bhargava gets up and says, "Arjun, your story and quest are very moving, and I want to help you in finding the rings. But before telling you about the Rings you must answer three questions which will tell me if you are worthy enough or not for the said knowledge." Arjun nods in agreement and Bhargava asks his first question, "Who is in this whole world who will never die?" Arjun answers, "The souls of all the living beings of this whole universe, as they are the part of the cosmic energy which can not be created nor be destroyed." Bhargava nods, agreeing to his answer. He then asks the second question, "What person who enjoys all the objects of sensing but cannot be considered alive?" to which Arjun answers, "The person who does not offer anything to Gods, Guests, Servants, etc., and does not donate anything to the poor masses." Bhargava then smiles to his answer and asks his last question, "What is the single truth of this world?" Arjun replies, "Everything is Impermanent. All the materials and emotions will be left once you leave this world. There is nothing which you can take with you." After listening to his answers, everyone in the temple was surprised.
Bhargava, filled with joy, then leaves for his room and comes back with a token. He says, "It is a token which will allow you to enter every kingdom on this planet. I only know the location of Ring of Time, which is right know in the Chola Kingdom in the protection of Sage King Agastya. I should warn you that he is not someone who can be easily swayed. He is very soft spoken but rarely trust anyone. To get that Ring, you will have to impress him and after that you will have to go to the Shiva-Shakti Temple where you will meet the great sage Kashyap, who can tell you the location of the next ring." Arjun says, "O great sage, I am very grateful for your guidance. I am obliged to complete any quest you need me to fulfil." Bhargava replies, "We sages are not attached to any materialistic object in this world, nor do we need which we do not have. Though I do have a request for you." Arjun says, "Anything you wish will be a command to me." Bhargava says, " I want you to take Sarika with you on your quest." Everyone goes silent and surprised after hearing that. Sarika is confused as well as happy after hearing that. She says, "Grand priest, I am happy that you consider me worthy enough to go on this godly quest. But I also have a duty towards the temple and the villagers." Bhargava smiles and replies to her, "Do not worry about the temple and villagers. I want you to know the outside world as it will increase your knowledge and this quest will help you in your personal growth and growth in your abilities as well. If you are worried about the people here, then do not forget that we are in the protection of Goddess Mahakali and the king Anshuman. But Arjun in his quest is going to face a lot of dangerous situations and he will be wounded worse than the previous night. Do you want him to take on those dangerous situations alone?" Sarika replies, "I understand, great sage. I will do as you ask me to." Bhargava then asks Arjun, "Can you fulfil this wish?" Arjun then remembers the line told by the Whispering Oak Tree – The young priestess shall provide the light. He smiles and replies, "Great sage, this servant of yours will always take care of your daughter and no harm will ever touch her." Arjun is delighted with this offer as he only expected sympathy and guidance from them, but their willingness to help him in his perilous quest in all possible ways was unexpected. He is now more determined as the warmth and reassurance that are emanating from her presence gives him more confidence.
Together, Arjun and Sarika fare them well and embark on a journey that will take them to distant lands, where they will encounter ancient mysteries, powerful adversaries, and the enduring bonds of friendship and love. Arjun's meeting with Sarika marks the beginning of a significant partnership and the start of a deepening connection that will play a crucial role in this quest. As they join forces, they bring their unique abilities and strengths to the mission of finding the Rings and saving this world from eternal darkness. The Chronicles of The Elemental Rings have found their two new heroes, and their destinies are forever entwined.