The land stretched wide before them.
Green shoots now dotted the muddy fields, and birds flew low over the ground, searching for food. Life was returning, slowly but surely. Yet Ganesh felt something was not right.
It wasn't in the land.
It was in the air.
He stopped walking.
Aneet noticed at once. "What is it?"
Ganesh closed his eyes for a moment, listening inwardly. "The world feels… uneven. Like something heavy is leaning on one side."
Aneet looked around. "Here, everything looks calm."
"Yes," Ganesh said. "That's what troubles me."
They continued walking, but his steps were slower now.
By midday, they reached a small riverside settlement where people were repairing fishing nets and building new huts from driftwood. Smoke rose from cooking fires, and children laughed as they chased each other near the water.
It was peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Ganesh and Aneet were welcomed kindly. They helped for a few hours—Ganesh lifting logs, Aneet organizing food and water.
While they worked, Ganesh listened.
People spoke of strange things.
"The rains stopped suddenly," one man said.
"The winds don't change like they used to," said another.
"And the stars look dimmer at night," an old woman added.
Ganesh looked at Aneet.
She nodded slightly. She had heard it too.
That evening, as they sat near the river, a sudden silence fell over the place.
The birds stopped calling.
Even the water seemed to flow more softly.
Then a glow appeared in the sky—bright, white, and moving fast.
A figure descended and landed on the riverbank, light fading into the form of a tall, radiant being clad in armor of shining gold.
A deva.
People fell to their knees in fear and awe.
Ganesh stood.
Aneet stood beside him.
The deva looked around, then his eyes settled on them.
"You two," he said, his voice firm but tired. "You walk freely among worlds."
Ganesh replied calmly, "We walk where dharma leads."
The deva bowed his head slightly. "Then dharma has led me to you. I am Vibhash, a messenger of Svarga."
Aneet asked, "What has happened?"
Vibhash exhaled, and the light around him dimmed just a little.
"The devas are losing their strength," he said. "Our powers fade. Our weapons feel heavy. Even Indra's thunder does not answer him as it once did."
Murmurs spread among the people.
Ganesh felt the fire within him stir.
"Why?" he asked.
Vibhash shook his head. "We do not know. We have not sinned greatly. Yet our energy drains, as if the universe itself is drawing it away."
Aneet asked, "And why come to us?"
"Because Vishnu has spoken of two walkers," Vibhash said. "One who carries fire without burning the world. One who carries stillness in motion. He said if we find you, we should ask you to come."
Ganesh met Aneet's eyes.
"This concerns more than Svarga," Ganesh said. "It concerns balance."
Vibhash nodded. "Yes. Indra asks that you come to Svarga. Now."
Ganesh turned to the people of the settlement.
"Do not be afraid," he said. "Continue your lives. Help each other. The world is not ending today."
The people bowed respectfully.
Aneet placed a reassuring hand on a child's head, then turned back to Ganesh. "We should go."
"Yes," he agreed. "If the heavens are weakening, the earth will feel it next."
Vibhash raised his hand, and light surrounded the three of them.
For the first time since the flood, Ganesh felt the pull of another realm.
The land vanished.
They emerged into Svarga.
But it was not the Svarga of endless light and celebration that stories spoke of.
The sky was still bright, but muted.
The gardens were green, yet many flowers drooped as if tired.
Streams flowed, but slowly.
Devas moved about with urgency, their faces tense.
Ganesh could feel it clearly now.
Something was draining the realm itself.
They were led to a grand hall where Indra sat upon his throne, Vajra resting beside him. But even the thunder weapon looked dull, its glow faint.
Indra rose when he saw Ganesh and Aneet.
"So these are the walkers Vishnu spoke of," he said. "You come at a dark hour for us."
Ganesh bowed slightly. "Tell us what troubles Svarga."
Indra did not hide it.
"Our strength fades by the day," he said. "The asuras grow bolder. Our guards tire easily. Even the rites that once renewed us bring little relief."
Aneet asked, "Have you sought Vishnu's counsel?"
"Yes," Indra replied. "And he gave us only this: 'What is lost cannot be regained by holding on. It must be drawn from the depths.'"
Ganesh frowned. "From the depths of what?"
Indra shook his head. "He did not say. Only that the answer lies in the cosmic ocean."
Ganesh felt a chill.
"The Ocean of Milk," he said.
Indra looked at him sharply. "You know of it."
"Yes," Ganesh replied. "And if Vishnu points there, then the matter is greater than any one realm."
Aneet added, "The ocean does not give without struggle."
Indra sighed. "Then struggle we must. But before we act, Vishnu told us to listen to you."
Ganesh thought for a moment.
"If devas weaken, and asuras grow stronger, then balance is already breaking," he said. "Any action taken in fear may deepen that break."
Aneet said, "Whatever you plan, it must not be done by devas alone."
Indra's eyes narrowed. "You mean the asuras."
"Yes," Ganesh said. "If the ocean is to be stirred, it will shake all worlds. Both sides will be pulled into it, whether you wish it or not."
Indra was silent.
Then he said quietly, "That is what I feared."
That night, Ganesh and Aneet were given a quiet place to rest in Svarga.
But sleep did not come easily.
Ganesh sat looking out over the glowing sky, feeling the fire within him restless.
"This is the beginning," he said.
Aneet nodded. "Of something vast."
"The devas want to regain their strength," Ganesh continued. "The asuras will want the same. And when both want the same thing badly enough…"
"…they stop seeing each other," Aneet finished.
Ganesh looked at her. "Do you think we can stop what's coming?"
She shook her head gently. "No. But we can walk inside it. And keep it from becoming only destruction."
Ganesh let out a slow breath.
"Yes," he said. "That will have to be enough."
Above them, Svarga's light flickered faintly, like a lamp running low on oil.
And far beyond all realms, the cosmic ocean waited—
silent, deep, and full of things the world had never seen.