Sands of Time

About the Book

The Proximan Empire was an advanced alien race that closely resembled humans. A mutation across their world granted many of its inhabitants extraordinary abilities, such as skin tougher than steel, flight faster than the speed of sound, heat vision capable of melting the strongest metals, and ice-cold breath that could freeze smooth streams of water and entire lakes.

Akaad escapes his home planet of Proxima, where the power of their host star is being replicated by a massive Dyson Sphere—a colossal spherical structure whose metallic, whirring arms rotate like charged electrons around an atom’s nucleus, giving birth to an artificial sun.

The failed attempt to replicate the star falters, causing the very core of the planet to become unstable. A massive implosion brings about the demise of the sole planetary nation of Proxima. Akaad barely escapes the dying world aboard the last remaining antimatter-powered spacecraft and travels through the stars in search of another home.

Akaad travels to a younger, brighter yellow star known as “Sol,” Earth’s bright, perfectly warm sun, to study humanity. He arrives on Earth near Jerusalem during the 11th century, at one of the most pivotal points in history. There, he embarks on a journey through his own sands of time, where he realizes that Earth’s atmosphere grants him near immortality, enabling him to age very slowly. The yellow sun toughens his skin and grants him the ability to fly, propelling him through the air as he navigates across the epochs of time.

From the 11th-century period of the Crusades, to studying during the Golden Age of Islam, he learns from great conquerors such as Salahuddin. He witnesses the regret of death and the mental scarring brought by the Mongol Hulagu Khan, learns the art of battle from another superhuman in imperial Japan, and finally helps establish the Mughal Empire as an ageless entity, assuming the disguises of many Mughal rulers under different alter egos. Akaad remains in the shadows, guiding the Mughal dynasty until he eventually takes on a new identity.

Akaad’s journey ultimately leads him to a veiled land called Aswaarach—a realm hidden from humanity, surrounded by murky waters. 

And so from the death of a star, Akaad lands among mortal yet special earthlings. 

About the Author

My name is Danish Gagai, and I write the kind of stories you will one day read to your children before they sleep—and the kind they may one day pass on to their own.

Before there were screens, there were stories.

Stories carried through generations—held in the minds of mothers, whispered to children before they were even born. Stories passed down, shaping wonder, shaping imagination.

I write the kind of stories I hope your children grow up with—whether through books or through that magical place we call cinema.

If you’re here, you’re early.

And if you feel you’re late, like I once did in life, then remember this:

“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late—or in my case, too early—to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change, or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.”

— F. Scott Fitzgerald, via The Curious Case of Benjamin Button