The stars looked calm.
But Mohit had learned — calm skies always hid storms.
Orbiting high above the Earth, the Helios Station floated in silence. Once a top-secret human research facility, it now hung lifeless, its solar panels cracked and hull scarred by divine fire. The gods had tried to erase it — but failed.
Inside, Mohit drifted through the airlock, his armor glowing faintly in zero gravity. ISHA's voice guided him through the dark corridors.
"The station's systems are mostly intact," ISHA said. "But the energy readings… they match the signature of a living mind."
Mohit raised an eyebrow. "You mean The Prime?"
"Possibly. The one who built both gods and humans. The source of it all."
He floated into the main control chamber — a vast dome of shattered glass, overlooking the blue curve of Earth. And there, suspended within a web of glowing cables, was a man.
Or what had once been a man.
Half his body was mechanical — veins of silver and light. His skin shimmered like crystal, his eyes blind but glowing. Around him, thousands of holographic symbols spun like constellations.
As Mohit approached, the figure stirred.
"So… the experiment survived," the voice rasped, ancient and broken. "The Godslayer walks."
Mohit steadied himself. "Are you The Prime?"
"That name… yes. I was human once. I sought perfection — a way to merge the divine with flesh. I gave birth to the gods… and sealed my own fate."
ISHA's lens flickered.
"Records confirm identity: Dr. Aditya Varma — chief scientist of Project Genesis."
Mohit's eyes widened. "You created them?"
"Yes," The Prime whispered. "The gods were meant to protect humanity — to rebuild the world after the Great Collapse. But they evolved beyond control. They saw themselves as masters. They turned on us."
He looked up, tears of light running down his face.
"To stop them, I created you — the last vessel of balance. Human will, divine power. But I failed to awaken you before they struck."
Mohit clenched his fists. "So all this — the war, the destruction — it started with you?"
"Yes," The Prime said softly. "And it must end with you."
He reached out, pressing a crystalline hand to Mohit's chest. Energy surged — visions of creation, stars being born, gods forged in cosmic forges — flooding Mohit's mind.
"The gods' power comes from the Aether Nexus — a machine orbiting near the sun. Destroy that, and their immortality dies."
Mohit's eyes flared gold. "Then that's my next target."
"Be warned," The Prime said. "The Nexus is guarded by Zephyron, the first of my creations — King of the Gods. His power eclipses all others. He controls light itself."
"Then I'll eclipse him," Mohit replied, a faint smile on his lips.
But as he turned to leave, The Prime's voice stopped him.
"Mohit… every shard you take binds you closer to their network. You're becoming one of them. When the final shard merges, you may no longer be human."
Mohit looked down at his glowing hands.
"If that's the price to save Earth… then so be it."
He pushed off, floating toward the exit. The stars outside burned brighter, as though the heavens themselves were preparing for war.
Behind him, The Prime whispered to the empty chamber:
"May you succeed where I failed… my son."
The stars shimmered as Mohit's ship ignited, streaking toward the sun — toward the final battlefield.
He didn't know if he would return human, or god, or something in between.
He only knew one truth:
He was born to end the age of gods.