[Realm of the Ancients – Hidden Temple of the First Flame]
Deep beneath the Goddess of Life's sanctuary, where no mortal had ever stepped, the goddesses gathered in silence.
Akarshan, Shiv, Anuj, Shivam, and Monish stood behind them, still bruised from training but alert. A single question echoed in their minds:
"What happened to the other Supreme Beings?"
Goddess Varnika, her silver hair flowing like water, finally spoke.
"There were once many like Ash—many Supremes. Beings who shaped stars, galaxies, and laws of creation itself. Ash, or Asuryan, was only the youngest of them."
"Youngest?" Shiv asked. "But… he's like... eternal."
"To you," murmured Abyanta, Goddess of Void. "But in the cosmos... even eternity is relative."
They arrived before an ancient stone gate, sealed with divine glyphs. Varnika placed her hand on it. The glyphs responded to her essence.
The doors creaked open.
Inside lay murals older than history—etched in flame, void, and star-silver.
They depicted titanic beings with crowns of suns and hearts of galaxies.
Ash—Asuryan—stood among them in the final panel… but alone.
And below him—ashes.
Goddess Prithvika stepped forward. "There were seven Supremes in the beginning. Ash was the last created by the cosmic source—the Supreme Seed."
"They were meant to maintain balance," said Agnisha. "But... one by one, they changed. Became unstable."
"Their memories began to collapse into paradox," added Jalita. "Their minds couldn't hold the weight of infinite knowledge."
"So they started going mad?" Anuj asked quietly.
"They started becoming gods of destruction," Abyanta replied.
One Supreme collapsed into a black hole and erased four galaxies. Another erased their own realm, claiming creation had become impure. Another began trying to recreate other gods in their image—forcing sentience onto stars.
Ash's friends listened, horror dawning in their eyes.
"And Ash?" Akarshan asked.
"He was the only one who resisted," Varnika said. "He sealed the others, one by one. Alone. And then… he realized his own mind was fracturing."
That's when the room darkened.
An ancient recording, hidden by divine seals, flickered to life.
Ash—his old form—stood before the goddesses, cloaked in shadow and fire.
"My mind… it's slipping," the echo said. "The same fate as the others awaits me. There is one way to reset… to preserve sanity."
He raised a blade—a blade that looked like a galaxy forged into a sword.
"I will destroy my own divine body, and reincarnate in a mortal world... without memory. For however long it takes."
"If I return—if my memories restore before the set time…"
"Warn me. Stop me."
Then the echo looked straight at them.
"Because if I remember too soon… I may not be me anymore."
Silence.
The room dimmed. The vision faded.
The goddesses looked at the students. None of them spoke.
Shivam finally whispered, "So... what we saw, what we felt... was his warning?"
"He wasn't supposed to remember yet," said Monish. "The teleportation… the magic that brought us here—it must've triggered it early."
Akarshan looked back at the mural of Ash alone.
"He saved the universe from himself."
He turned to the goddesses. "Then we'll do the same. If he can't fight it—we will."
The Goddesses exchanged glances.
Then Varnika stepped forward and held out a shard glowing with ancient magic.
"This is a Memory Fragment—a piece of Ash's original soul, uncorrupted."
"If you can reach his heart with this…" Prithvika added, "you may awaken what remains of your Ash."
"But beware," warned Abyanta. "The current Ash... is not just powerful. He is divine law incarnate. You will not only face his power—but his judgment."
The five friends nodded.
And far away, in the Palace of Eternity, Ash sat silently—eyes closed, flames swirling in his palm.
A single tear escaped him.
Not of grief.
But of doubt.
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