The trumpets rang through every inch of Kailasa, but their joyful tidings only sent shivers through Kishan's spine. The great tiger watched over the city of crystal with his golden eyes as he always did when he was swathed in regret. He could never forget the day when he'd abandoned his brother to allow Ren to return to the 21st century. He could never forget the day when he'd written a letter promising he was fine, that everything was fine, that he'd fallen in love with Anamika as she changed into the goddess Durga.
Kishan took great care not to mention the challenges that came from the other gods in his letter, specifically Shiva and his quiet love for Durga. He stretched out on the marble floor, yawning. If anything, he couldn't hate Shiva for stealing Durga's affections as Lord Shiva had been kind enough to allow Kishan to live in Kailasa even after Durga was gifted with a new mount: Sarim, the lion prince. There were months on end where Kishan loathed the city of white stone, it was more of a prison than a paradise.
The constant blaring could only mean one thing, Durga had given birth to a son.
And it wasn't Kishan's.
Suddenly, Kishan sprang up, the marble floor cool on the tender pads of his large paws. He silently padded across his lush sleeping chamber to the tall bronze mirror that rested near his balcony, covered by a plain white sheet. With his teeth, Kishan pulled the sheet down, though the dust particles made him sneeze. He sat before the mirror.
Time didn't exist in Kailasa, but there were days when the human part of Kishan reminded him of the things he'd seen. He'd watch his brother suffer from a heart attack, and watched as those he loved died and moved on into the afterlife without him. The mirror had been a gift of pity from the Deva Lakshmi, who strangely avoided living near the other gods. She had held her strange tattooed hands over her eyes, and whispered that someday Kishan would have good fortune.
Today was certainly not that day.
'I wish to see my brother.'
The mirror began to fog up as if a storm had suddenly came to rest on the surface. After a moment, the clouded surface began to swirl, eventually becoming a vortex sparking with power. The mirror cleared, and Kishan exhaled.
Before him, the mirror displayed a sunshine filled park in what he assumed to be London. Kelsey and Ren sat cuddled up next to each other as they watched their son, Anik, clamber over a seesaw. A toddler in pigtails and an Elena of Avalor t-shirt sucked on her thumb as she tried to follow her big brother. Deschen Rajaram was far shyer than her outgoing brother. Kishan's heart swelled with regret, envy, and remorse.
Did Ren even miss him?
Kishan swiped at the mirror, and the image instantly dissipated. Seeing his family was far too lonely. There was no family for him on Kailasa, only the constant fear of falling out of favor. Had he been permitted to take on his form as a man, Kishan might've wept. Oh how very fall he had fallen. He longed for a moment to himself, to be alone, or at least with his brother.
As is with all deities, they rarely are ever alone. The day Kishan and Anamika met Lord Shiva and the other Devas was seared onto Kishan's very soul, but he couldn't allow himself to think of the terror Shiva the Destroyer had instilled in him. If he thought too long about Shiva, he became angry. Especially over the fact that Lord Shiva had wooed Kishan's 'wife' into leaving him... And enforced the law of isolation: no Deva could leave Mount Kailash unless he permitted them to.
The circular crystal door to Kishan's chambers opened, and in came Vishnu, the pale blue god with 4 arms and the only one to understand how much losing Anamika had hurt Kishan. Kishan stalked away from the bronze mirror to greet Vishnu.
'Welcome, Preserver.'
"I hope you do not mind my intrusion, Damon," Vishnu clasped one pair of arms behind his back as he bowed to Kishan respectfully. "I realize you may have wanted some company before..."
'Before Shiva sends for me and I become a plaything for when he wishes to inflict pain on someone?' Kishan shot back, his golden eyes blazing. He could not speak, after all, he was a tiger at the moment,but he could still think and form words. That was how he communicated.
The blue god's face fell, "You do not know if Shiva will do that to you."
But both gods knew Shiva had no intention to keep Kishan anywhere near Durga and their newborn son. Shiva the Destroyer was too unpredictable.
Kishan shook his mighty head, 'I do not want to be a part of this any longer.'
Vishnu didn't voice any more words of comfort; both gods remained standing in silence until Kishan broke his gaze and stared out at the lush jungles surrounding Kailasa.
To the naked eye, Mount Kailash was covered in snow and seemingly barren, but at Kailash's peak, the city of the gods proudly watched over the people of Asia in a jungle paradise. The palace of Kailasa surpassed the beauty of the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Delhi. The palace was made of the purest crystalline stone, and many of the homes of the lesser gods were similarly made of crystal. Anything the Deva wanted, the Deva created. Luxurious rugs were scattered about the palace, and it seemed like every major god in the palace had several tapestries dedicated in their honor.
Sometimes Kishan felt sick watching the people of India starve to death as the Devas lived in isolated luxury. The people counted on them for blessings to receive maybe a small act of kindness here or there. The gods had too much power.
But even the Devas had their rules set in stone. Several gods had boons, something that may have been beneficial, but more often than naught turned out to be a flaw in their cosmic strength.
Kishan's boon had once seemed like it would be of great assistance to him, as he had fought long and hard with the demon king Yama during the first years as a companion to Anamika.. He would never have to fear another moment of pain unless his bride mothered a child with the head of an elephant. Of course, this fear had led to Kishan going to great lengths to avoid accidentally getting Anamika pregnant... But destiny has a way of surpassing all odds to dominate one's fate.
Anamika had gotten pregnant by Shiva the Destroyer, who'd made her his bride.
She'd abandoned their children for the Destroyer.
Another god cleared his throat behind Vishnu, and in stepped Shiva dressed in the finery of celebration. He was flanked by his mount, Nandi, and the snake Sensha. Kishan held his head higher as Shiva stepped past Vishnu, "Greetings, tiger."
'Greetings, Destroyer.' Kishan bowed his head in submissive respect.
"Anamika has brought forth a son, my son," Shiva declared, as if Kishan hadn't already inferred that. "Are you not joyous?"
Kishan promised he was happy for Shiva and his wife, though he was tired, and couldn't find the strength to display his true feelings of pure joy. He'd gained many skills in protecting his inner thoughts from the pryings of his fellow gods. 'I trust you to care for the child, as I am expected to join Durga's side. I am her consort, after all.'
If a blue man's skin could drain of color, Vishnu's features certainly paled. Kishan's ears twitched, there was something neither god was telling him. The blue god clasped his four hands behind his back and kept his head bowed as Shiva solemnly brought forth the news.
"Ganesha has the head of an elephant."
There had seemingly been nothing that could compare to the anguish Kishan had felt when he chose to let Kelsey go... But Lord Shiva's declaration made Kishan's chest tighten and feel as if his heart was caving in. Durga had mothered an elephant headed child that wasn't even his. The protective boon Kishan carried so proudly had vanished, the protective layer was slowly vanishing into thin air. Kishan didn't know what pain he would experience first, but he dreaded its coming.
Of all the pain Kishan could have felt, the first was the horrific realization that Anamika had left him for Lord Shiva, and had carried Shiva's child. She'd betrayed him, just as Yesubai had... And in a way... Just as Kelsey Hayes had.
Not a single shred of emotion crossed Kishan's furry face. He'd forgotten he was used to such betrayal. Kishan was the unwanted brother, always the second choice.
Unwillingly, a mournful growl left Kishan's chest. The doors to his balcony room had long since blown open, and a chill jungle breeze began to ruffle his fur.
Shiva cleared his throat, and stroked his well trimmed beard. His voice dripped with victory, "I think you have forgotten that you are not Durga's consort, that title goes to me. You, tiger, are a lowly concubine. I'm only sorry that it's taken you so long to realize it."
'I am too.' Despite the devastating blow of betrayal, Kishan forced himself to stand tall. He flicked his tail from side to side, where would he go? He was nothing more than a lesser god unwanted in every corner of the earth. There was nothing for him in Kailasa, not unless he wanted to watch Durga raise the beast that had stripped Kishan of his protection from pain.
"The child has received a boon," Shiva continued. He held up his hand, and motioned for Nandi to come forwards. The bull headed man held a thick, golden collar in his hands. Kishan held perfectly still as Nandi clasped it around his neck. There was no use in fighting Shiva the Destroyer with no protection and no Ren to come to Kishan's side and save him. "As you know, I cannot reveal the details and risk you murdering my child. But you are from henceforth banished from this holy place, exiled from the Earth. I never thought of you as an enemy."
Kishan looked up at Shiva, staring the god in the eyes, 'You don't have to do this.'
There was no stopping Shiva, he held up one of his hands, the one with the eerie eye in his palm. "Damon Anirbana ... By the power of the cosmos, I hereby banish you to the farthest reaches of Naraka. The fiery whips of Yama shall cut your skin, and never shall you be free from this hell."
Shiva snapped his fingers and black smoke flooded the room from every side. Fire began biting at Kishan's tail. He jumped up with a yelp. Smoke began to flood his lungs; Vishnu, Shiva, and the others were nowhere in sight. Kishan's fur began melting off his body, leaving patches of his skin stinging.
An unfamiliar sound began pounding against his head, some sort of screaming roar. His skin was on fire. Crazed by the sudden pain, Kishan began swiping at his body, his paws wet with blood each time he managed to pull some of his burning fur off of his body. The burning stopped as quickly as it came, Kishan heaved in the ash filled air, blood and sweat drenching his body.
He held up what he thought was a paw, but instead saw his callused hands. Kishan's knees began to complain, no longer was he trapped in the form of a tiger. The smoke began to fade away, but the darkness didn't. Kishan stood up, doing his best just to tell where exactly he was. There was no way he'd truly been exiled Naraka, the hell all sinners went to. Anamika would never allow Shiva to get away with this, or so Kishan hoped..
But Kishan's name was no longer Kishan, he was someone new now. The only thing keeping him from slipping away into oblivion was how firmly he clutched onto the name's his mother had given him eons ago. Damon the Deva, specifically the forgotten Deva. His supposed last love had seemingly forgotten him, considering that she was allowing Kishan to be literally banished to hell. The only person who had ever truly loved him was his mother. She would've protected Kishan. He hoped Naraka's demon king was in a merciful mood.
But there was to be no mercy for him. Anamika, that headstrong young woman was dead now, replaced only by her godly persona. She'd lost her name too, and became the queen of the Devas, becoming one of the three women who'd shattered Kishan's heart.
Solitude had always been a form of punishment to him.
The heat returned, and Kishan's eyes adjusted. Finally he could make out some of the details of Naraka... And it was every part of fiery dark hell anybody had ever imagined... But as far as Kishan knew, he was completely alone.
Kishan blinked rapidly as bright red light flooded his sight, from past adventures, he doubted the sudden light meant anything good. He took a step back the moment a figure seemed to form in the light, and sure enough, Yama the god of death had come to great him. In his hand, Yama held a spear.
Everything about the demon was unholy. Yama's skin was blacker than soot, and his eyes a dripping red. A crown of fire clung to Yama's head, and around his neck he wore a wreath of skulls. Bloody fangs protruded from his lower lip. Kishan vaguely remembered Ren attempting to frighten him with stories of Yama. Now that he was alone and powerless, Kishan could finally know why so many feared Yama the demon king.
There was no speaking between the two, and for that, Kishan was grateful. He doubted he could've withstood Yama's tauntings. Kishan only wished to suffer in peace for a reason he didn't even understand.
"Naraka is forever," Yama hissed, respectfully bowing before Kishan.
And then the demon king plunged his mighty spear into Kishan's chest.