Nehra, a magician for a maharaja, feels threatened when another magician shows up with his blue box. Nehra tries to find out what he can about the magician. He uses spells to examine the blue box and is shocked to see the Earth surrounded by threads. He deduces that the magician is trying to destroy the Earth with these threads. Nehra calls up an "asura", or demon. However, the demon he calls up, Vishathra, isn't very bright. Nehra wants to make amends, so the Doctor places him in charge of the airship that takes certain people to the time vortex.