A blinding light swallowed the classroom. One instant, Ash was sitting at his desk, half-listening to the lecture. The next, the world turned white.
When vision returned, he was no longer on Earth.
He stood on a marble dais inside a vast golden hall. Glowing crystals floated overhead, casting gentle rays across the sacred chamber. Around him were his friends—Akarshan, Shiv, Anuj, Shivam, Monish, and the rest of their classmates—each of them stunned, blinking, some shouting, some frozen in fear.
In front of them stood a serene woman dressed in white robes, a golden sun-shaped crest hanging from her neck. She raised her hand, and calm washed over the students like warm water.
"Welcome, brave souls," she said. "You have been chosen by the gods of Suryalith to deliver this world from ruin. You are the Transmitters—heroes sent from another realm."
Ash listened in silence, arms crossed behind his back, his expression unreadable.
The priestess continued, explaining the basics: a world at war with the Demon Lord; ancient prophecies of saviors arriving from another world; the importance of choosing a Profession that matched one's soul.
The other students murmured and whispered in confusion and excitement. Some were panicking. Others looked thrilled. But Ash remained still. Observing.
Akarshan nudged the others and whispered, "Why does Ash look like that? He's too calm. Like... like he's not surprised at all."
As the priestess invited the students to follow a robed priest to the Profession Hall, Akarshan turned back.
"Guys, wait."
The group paused.
Akarshan walked up to Ash, frowning. "What's going on with you? You're acting like you expected all of this."
Ash looked at him, his eyes not surprised, not cold—but ancient. "Because I did," he said softly.
Before Akarshan could ask more, the ground rumbled.
A soldier burst into the hall, panting and terrified. "The Demon Lord! The Demon Lord is here!"
Gasps erupted. The priestess stepped back in horror. The ceiling exploded in a storm of dust and shattered stone.
From the sky descended a tall figure cloaked in black and crimson. Her wings of void and fire spread wide. Horns curled from her temples. Her eyes glowed with dread power.
She landed.
And knelt.
"To my father... the Supreme Being... I offer my eternal respect. Welcome back."
Silence crushed the hall.
Then, light shimmered. Another figure appeared, descending in a cascade of divine radiance.
The Goddess of Creation.
She, too, knelt before Ash. "We have awaited your return, O Supreme One."
One by one, figures began to appear—goddesses of Life, Nature, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Void—all kneeling.
Ash's voice broke the stunned silence.
"Why," he said coldly, "are the humans still alive?"
The students recoiled. Akarshan's lips parted, unable to speak. "Ash... what are you talking about?"
The Demon Lord trembled. "B-because, Father... the goddesses disobeyed your command."
Gasps again.
"Father?" someone whispered. "What is happening!?"
The Goddess of Fire spoke, her voice shaking. "We—we cherish humanity. You disappeared for eighteen thousand years after giving that order. We thought... perhaps, it was madness."
Ash stepped forward.
"So," he said, "if I vanish, my orders mean nothing?"
"We couldn't—!" the Goddess of Life began, but stopped.
Ash raised a hand.
"I gave you time. Mercy. Now I take it back." His voice resonated like thunder across dimensions.
"To the Demon Lord: you have one year. Destroy the human race. Or I will."
And with that, he vanished—leaving a silence more terrifying than his presence.
The Demon Lord, now trembling, turned to the goddesses. "He's gone."
They all felt it. His presence was no longer in the chamber.
"Then we must obey," she said. "He's returned. You know what that means."
The Goddess of Void narrowed her eyes. "No. I will not destroy everything we built just because Father is angry."
"Do you remember what he is?" the Demon Lord snapped. "He is the last of the Supreme Beings. The architect of the universe itself."
Akarshan staggered forward. "Wait! What's happening to Ash? What do you mean 'Supreme Being'? Why is he acting like that?"
The goddesses fell silent.
The Goddess of Water finally spoke. "Why should we explain anything to mortals?"
But the Demon Lord held up a hand. "No. They are Father's chosen companions. They deserve to know."
And so, the story began.
"Billions of years ago," said the Demon Lord, "he created us. He taught us, guided us. On his fifty-millionth birthday, he gave us a gift—this entire universe. And one day, long after, he told us to destroy humanity."
"Why?" Akarshan asked.
"We never knew," she answered. "But we discovered something: Supreme Beings, despite their infinite lifespan, go through cycles. If they remain in one form too long, they... decay. Change. Grow cold. So, to reset themselves, they enter the life cycle. Reincarnation. Memory sealed. One hundred years of mortal life to cleanse their divine mind."
She looked at the ground. "But time in this world is faster. A hundred years here is only a few days to him. We thought we had centuries. But he came early. And now…"
She looked at the group of shocked students.
"…now the Father has returned before his balance restored."
---