Svarga was busy.
Messengers moved across the golden halls. Devas gathered in groups, speaking urgently. The call to prepare for the great task had spread fast.
Ganesh walked through the realm with Aneet, feeling the tension in every step.
"This place used to feel light," Aneet said. "Now it feels like everyone is carrying a heavy thought."
Ganesh nodded. "Because they are. For the first time, even gods are unsure of tomorrow."
They were called to a wide open terrace where Indra, Vishnu, Shiva, and Sati stood together.
Ganesh approached first and bowed to his guru.
"Gurudev."
Shiva looked at him with calm eyes. "You came quickly."
"I would not be slow when you call," Ganesh replied.
Shiva placed a hand on his shoulder, a rare gesture. "Good. Walk beside me today."
Ganesh felt the fire within him settle. Just being near Shiva did that.
Sati smiled at him. "You carry your teacher's stillness more than you realize."
Ganesh bowed slightly. "Because he teaches without words, Devi."
She nodded, pleased.
Vishnu turned to Ganesh and Aneet. "You both will travel much in the coming days," he said. "Between Svarga, Patala, and the shores of the cosmic ocean. I would have you consider me not just as one who guides this task… but as a friend who walks part of it with you."
Ganesh met his eyes. "Then I accept you as one, Lord Vishnu."
Vishnu smiled gently. "Then call me Vishnu, when we stand away from thrones."
Aneet looked surprised, then smiled too.
Indra approached next.
He looked tired, but his eyes were sharp.
"I have heard of you, Ganesh," he said. "You stood in the flood and did not bend. You speak without fear, even here."
Ganesh replied honestly, "Because fear clouds judgment. Even in heaven."
Indra let out a short laugh. "You speak to me like an equal."
Ganesh met his gaze. "In dharma, we are equals."
There was a long pause.
Then Indra nodded. "Good. I need voices that don't flatter me. Walk with me through this, Ganesh. As a friend who will tell me when I am wrong."
Ganesh inclined his head. "I will."
Indra extended his arm, and Ganesh clasped it firmly.
Aneet watched quietly. She could see it — respect forming.
They spent the day together, planning.
Vishnu spoke of approaching the asuras.
Indra spoke of gathering devas and their strengths.
Shiva listened, speaking only when needed.
Sati often asked the questions others avoided — about cost, about lives, about what might be lost even if they succeeded.
Ganesh listened to all.
At one point, Vishnu turned to him. "What do you feel?"
Ganesh answered, "That everyone here wants renewal. But not everyone is ready to pay the same price for it."
Indra frowned slightly.
Shiva said calmly, "That is why he walks with us."
Vishnu nodded. "Yes."
Later, Ganesh found himself walking beside Shiva along a quiet path in Svarga's gardens.
"Gurudev," he said, "you could stand apart from all this. Yet you choose to carry its weight."
Shiva replied, "Because detachment does not mean indifference. It means choosing to act without being owned by the act."
Ganesh thought about that.
"I still struggle with that," he admitted.
Shiva looked at him. "That is why you are my disciple. Not because you are perfect — but because you keep walking despite the struggle."
Ganesh bowed his head slightly. "I will keep walking."
Shiva said, "I know."
Aneet walked with Sati by a stream of light that flowed through the gardens.
"You stay close to him," Sati said gently, meaning Ganesh. "He carries fire that could burn him if he forgets why he holds it."
Aneet nodded. "And you stay close to Shiva. Even mountains need the sky to remind them how vast the world is."
Sati smiled warmly. "You speak with the clarity of someone who has walked long."
Aneet replied, "I walk with him. That teaches you quickly."
They shared a quiet smile.
As evening came, they all gathered again.
Vishnu spoke. "Tomorrow, we begin. Messengers will go to the asura realms. Mandara will be chosen. The ocean's shores will be prepared."
Indra looked at Ganesh. "You will come with us to meet the asuras."
Ganesh nodded. "Without bias."
Shiva said, "And I will watch from near the ocean. When the poison rises, I will be ready."
Ganesh met his guru's eyes. "I will stand near you when that moment comes."
Shiva gave a single nod. "That is enough."
As they parted for the night, Aneet said quietly to Ganesh, "You're not just walking through history anymore. You're becoming part of its heart."
Ganesh looked back at the figures of Vishnu, Indra, Shiva, and Sati standing together.
"I don't seek their friendship," he said. "But if it comes, I will carry it with responsibility."
Aneet smiled. "That's why it will last."
Above them, Svarga's light still flickered.
But now, Ganesh felt something new among the fading glow.
Not just tension.
Connection.
Friendship, forming in the middle of a gathering storm.