Paraedons: A War beginning

**Chapter 3: The Journey to the Past**

MacMillan stood in the dimly lit chamber, his mind racing as he tried to process what Professor Durga had just said. The gravity of the situation weighed heavily on him. He wasn't just here to find descendants of the Jaba tribe; he was now being asked to travel back 1,300 years to the very heart of the ancient war between the Jaba and Paraedon clans.

"You want me to go back in time," MacMillan repeated, trying to wrap his mind around the idea. "To 1300 years ago, and save a child?"

Professor Durga nodded, his eyes gleaming with a strange mixture of wisdom and intensity. "Yes. The child of the admari woman, the one burned by the Paraedons. He holds the key to the future of your world. If you don't save him, the Jaba descendants in this era will never rise, and the Paraedons will continue their dark reign."

MacMillan felt a surge of fear. "And how exactly do you expect me to bring him to the present? What if I get trapped there?"

The professor's expression turned serious. "I will send you back only 100 years, to a time where the powerful sorceress, Mayi Ji, still roamed the lands. She was the last great protector of the Jaba people. She can help you travel back further in time. But be warned, MacMillan, Mayi Ji is unpredictable and not always kind. Gaining her trust will not be easy."

MacMillan's hands tightened into fists. "So I have to convince a 1,200-year-old sorceress to help me travel further into the past, then find this child, and somehow bring him back to this time?"

Professor Durga smiled, the gleam in his eyes unsettling. "Precisely."

**The Impossible Task**

The room felt colder as MacMillan processed the enormity of the mission ahead. The Paraedons, the ancient war, the prophecy-all of it was intertwined, and failure meant not just the death of the Jaba descendants, but the continued suffering of Asia under the growing shadow of the Paraedons. And yet, the idea of being trapped in the past, never to return, haunted him.

"I won't lie to you," Durga continued, sensing MacMillan's hesitation. "This journey will be perilous. But it is the only way to stop the Paraedons. You have no choice if you want to protect your world from their domination."

"Are you sure this child is the key?" MacMillan asked, his voice steady but uncertain.

The professor nodded. "Yes. The child was meant to grow into a force that could end the Paraedons once and for all, but he was killed before his time. If you can save him and bring him to the present, the balance of power will shift, and the descendants of the Jaba will have a chance to rise again."

Maxine, who had been silent during the conversation, stepped forward. "MacMillan, we can't let the Paraedons win. You have to do this."

MacMillan turned to look at her. She had always been the voice of reason, and her words hit him hard. She was right. He couldn't back down now, not when so much was at stake.

"I'll do it," MacMillan said finally, his voice firm with resolve. "I'll go back and find the child."

Professor Durga smiled, satisfied. "Good. The ritual will be dangerous, but I am the only one who can send you back. I'll start the preparations."

**The Ritual Begins**

The chamber darkened as Professor Durga began preparing the ritual. Strange symbols were drawn on the floor, and incense filled the air, making the atmosphere thick with mysticism. The team watched in silence, knowing that once MacMillan crossed into the past, there would be no turning back.

"Remember," Durga said, as he placed a strange black stone into MacMillan's hands, "this will be your connection to the present. Keep it safe, for when the time comes, it will help you return."

MacMillan held the stone tightly, feeling its cold weight in his palm. "And what if it doesn't work?"

Durga's expression turned dark. "Then you may be lost in time forever."

MacMillan swallowed hard but nodded. He couldn't let fear hold him back now.

The professor began chanting in an ancient tongue, his voice echoing off the walls of the chamber. The air seemed to ripple around MacMillan as the symbols on the ground began to glow. Light and shadow twisted together, swirling like a vortex that began pulling MacMillan in.

Suddenly, everything went black.

**The Past Unveiled**

When MacMillan opened his eyes, the world around him had changed. The air smelled different, and the landscape was unfamiliar. He was no longer in modern India-he was in a time long forgotten by history.

He looked around, disoriented. Tall trees surrounded him, their branches swaying gently in the breeze. In the distance, he could see the outline of a small village. His heart raced. He had made it to the past.

Now, he had to find Mayi Ji.

MacMillan walked for what seemed like hours, his mind racing with thoughts of what was to come. He knew that finding the ancient sorceress would be no easy task, but he also knew it was his only hope.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling in the bushes ahead. He stopped, his hand instinctively reaching for the small dagger he carried. Out of the shadows stepped an old woman, her eyes sharp and filled with knowledge far beyond her years.

"Are you lost, boy?" she asked, her voice a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

MacMillan took a deep breath. "Are you Mayi Ji?"

The old woman smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That depends. Who is asking?"

"I'm from the future," MacMillan said, his voice steady. "And I need your help."

Mayi Ji's eyes gleamed with understanding. "The future, you say? I see. And what is it that you seek from me?"

"I need to travel further back in time-1,200 years-to find a child who can stop the Paraedons from destroying everything."

The sorceress regarded him for a long moment before speaking. "Time is a dangerous thing to tamper with, boy. You cannot just go back and pluck people from history without consequences."

"I know the risks," MacMillan replied. "But this child is the key to saving Asia. The future depends on him."

Mayi Ji's expression softened, just slightly. "You speak of the child whose mother was an admari-the one burned by the Paraedons."

MacMillan nodded. "Yes. I need to save him."

The sorceress turned, motioning for him to follow. "Very well. But know this, young traveler-what you seek may not be what you find. The past is not so easily altered."

MacMillan followed her, his heart pounding in his chest. The ritual had begun, and there was no turning back now.

As they walked deeper into the forest, the air around them thickened with magic. The trees seemed to bend toward them, whispering ancient secrets. And in the distance, MacMillan could hear the faint echoes of a battle that had long since been forgotten by time.

The war between the Jaba and Paraedons was far from over.