The morning sun poured through the tall windows of the dining hall, golden and calm. Mirshad sat at the head of the table — alive, present, but different. Not the broken body they once carried back, not the silent man they once feared to lose, but someone else entirely. Sophia sat beside him, her hand never far from his. Sara was smiling again. Rayyan sat tall, Malik cracked jokes, Amir laughed too loud, and Jabir, as always, ate like the world owed him food. The Phantom Reapers were there too, dressed casually, their wives and children filling the room with the sound of life. No titles. No missions. Just love. And in the middle of it all… Mirshad. Watching. Breathing. Reborn.
As breakfast neared its end, with the mood still warm, he stood. The entire hall turned toward him without thinking. His voice was soft, yet it carried weight enough to change the air. "All of you. Ten minutes. Training ring." He walked away without another word, and the light chatter faded into an unspoken anticipation. Something was coming. They could feel it.
The private training ring stood wide and clean under the sunlight. The Phantom Reapers were already in formation, weapons holstered, backs straight. Rayyan, Malik, Amir, and Jabir stood at the center, warming up. Above them, Sophia, Sara, the wives and children sat quietly, their eyes fixed on the arena with the sense that something was about to shift. The air was calm, but it wasn't still. Mirshad entered in silence, dressed in black training clothes, his sword across his back. He looked over the field, his gaze deep and unreadable, then said, "Start the training." The Reapers stood ready. Rayyan raised an eyebrow. "And you?" A faint smile touched Mirshad's lips. "I'll be back soon." Without waiting for another word, he turned and walked toward the deep water pool beside the ring. No warning. No hesitation. He dove in.
Underwater, everything was blue silence. He descended slowly, his eyes closed, his breath steady, until he touched the bottom. Folding his legs beneath him, he let the world fade away. Then he stepped into the place within him — a realm of light, a void of stars, timeless and vast. He stood there not as a man, not as MRD, but as himself. From the center of this dimension, a pulse of cosmic fire moved toward him, and a voice spoke. "You've returned." "Always," Mirshad answered. "Fear no longer holds you." "It died," he said. "And in its place… I want clarity." The voice rumbled like distant thunder. "You seek more than awakening. You want your people to see it. You want them to feel your rise. Not in battle… but in stillness." "Yes," Mirshad whispered. "I want them to see what their god looks like… when he's at peace." "Then show them," the voice replied. "Not through strength. Through presence. Let them see that their storm… is also their sky." A ripple of energy passed through him like a star igniting in his chest, and the power awoke. Not loudly. Not violently. But completely.
Above, in the arena, the water began to glow. At first soft, then brighter. The Reapers stopped their drills. A faint hum filled the air. Sophia stood slowly. "What is that…?" Sara's eyes widened. "The water…" And then he rose. Mirshad emerged from the pool not climbing, not swimming, but floating. Droplets spun around him like stardust. His eyes were closed, yet his presence roared. The moment they opened, the sky seemed to dim, and in his gaze, galaxies turned.
The Reapers dropped to their knees, one by one, hand to chest, head bowed. They did not kneel to a soldier, not to a leader, not to a king — but to a god. Amir's voice cracked. "He's not flying…" Malik breathed, "He's ascending." Rayyan's voice was quiet but certain. "He's remembering who he is." Sophia's tears welled, Sara's hands covered her mouth, and the children, the wives, the family all watched the man they loved float in silence, shine like divinity, and return like a promise.
He hovered in the air, not moving, not speaking, but everything on Earth seemed to pause — because he was no longer just back. He was born again. And in that quiet moment, on that quiet island, the wind seemed to whisper— The god you loved… has risen.