The light of Svarga returned around them as Ganesh, Aneet, and Indra emerged from the path between realms.
The air felt lighter than Sutala, but tension still hung heavy. Devas were waiting — messengers, warriors, and sages — all looking toward Indra as if expecting the world to change at any moment.
Indra turned to Ganesh. "They agreed?"
"Yes," Ganesh replied. "The asuras will come. Not because they trust you… but because they trust the balance this task promises."
Indra exhaled slowly. "That may have to be enough."
Aneet added, "It will be tested soon."
They were led at once to the council hall, where Vishnu, Shiva, and Sati were already present.
Vishnu looked at Ganesh. "You carry the weight of both realms in your eyes. Speak."
Ganesh bowed slightly. "Mahabali's people will join. They will not come as servants, but as equals."
Vishnu nodded. "That is as it should be."
Shiva looked at Ganesh with calm approval. "Words walked before action. Good."
Sati smiled faintly. "May they hold when action comes."
Indra straightened. "Then we must prepare the tools. The ocean cannot be churned by will alone."
Vishnu said, "First, we need a rod strong enough to stir the depths."
"Mount Mandara," Shiva said quietly.
All eyes turned to him.
"The mountain stands firm at the edge of the worlds," Shiva continued. "Its roots touch the bones of the earth. If anything can withstand the churning, it is Mandara."
Indra nodded. "Then Mandara it will be."
Ganesh felt a subtle stirring within him. "Moving such a mountain will shake the lands around it."
"Yes," Vishnu agreed. "That is why it must be done carefully."
By Vishnu's will, a path opened toward the outer lands where Mandara stood.
Ganesh and Aneet walked with Indra, followed by a group of devas and rishis. Shiva and Sati did not come yet — Shiva would stand nearer the ocean when the time came.
As they traveled, the land beneath them grew rocky and uneven. Great cliffs rose on either side, and the air became cooler.
Then they saw it.
Mount Mandara.
It rose like a pillar holding the sky, its peak hidden in clouds. Its sides were carved with ancient lines, as if time itself had written upon it.
Aneet stopped and looked up. "It feels… alive."
Ganesh nodded. "All that stands this long learns to breathe with the world."
Indra said, "This mountain has not moved since the early days of creation."
Ganesh replied, "Then it will resist."
Devas gathered around the base of Mandara.
Indra raised his vajra, and thunder rolled across the peaks.
"Mandara!" he called. "For the sake of the cosmos, we ask you to move!"
The mountain did not answer.
The earth did not even tremble.
Some devas stepped forward, pushing with divine strength. The rock groaned, but Mandara remained unmoved.
Aneet watched quietly. "It will not move because it is told to," she said. "It will move only if it is understood."
Ganesh stepped closer and placed his hand on the mountain's dark stone.
He closed his eyes.
Within, he felt the slow heartbeat of the earth — deep, ancient, steady.
"I do not ask you to move for us," Ganesh said softly. "I ask you to move for the balance of all worlds. If the ocean is not stirred, everything you stand upon will slowly fade."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the stone beneath his palm grew warm.
A deep sound echoed, not through the air, but through the ground itself.
Mandara answered.
The earth began to tremble.
Cracks spread through the ground as the mountain loosened from its ancient hold.
Devas stepped back in awe.
Indra whispered, "It listens to you."
Ganesh opened his eyes. "It listens to the need."
With combined effort, the devas began to lift Mandara.
The mountain rose slowly, tearing free from the earth. Forests slid down its sides. Rivers spilled away, forming new paths.
Ganesh felt the strain on the world and extended his will, steadying the land so that nearby regions would not collapse.
Aneet moved among the devas, guiding them away from falling rocks, calling out warnings.
The sky darkened as dust rose.
At last, Mandara stood free, floating in the air, held by the gathered power of the devas.
Indra raised his hand. "Toward the Ocean of Milk!"
The long journey began.
As Mandara was carried across realms, tremors were felt in many worlds.
In Bhurloka, mountains shook and animals fled.
In Sutala, asuras looked up as shadows passed across their glowing skies.
Mahabali stood on a high tower and felt the pull.
"So it begins," he said. "Prepare our people. We walk to the ocean."
During the journey, Ganesh walked beside Mandara, keeping his hand close, feeling its weight.
Aneet stayed near him. "You're holding more than you should," she said quietly.
Ganesh replied, "If I don't, the lands below will bear it."
She nodded. "Then I will help you carry what you cannot."
Their presence steadied the path.
Even Indra noticed. "Without you two, we would leave a trail of ruin behind."
Ganesh answered, "That would defeat the purpose of this task."
At last, the shining horizon of the Kshira Sagara came into view.
The Ocean of Milk stretched endlessly, glowing like liquid moonlight, waves moving slowly as if unaware of what was coming.
Devas gathered along its shores, setting Mandara down carefully at the edge.
Ganesh stood and looked out over the vast white waters.
"So this is where fate will be stirred," he said.
Aneet felt a quiet shiver. "It feels calm… but too calm."
Indra joined them. "The asuras will arrive soon. Then we begin to wrap the rope."
Ganesh nodded. "And then, nothing will be untouched."
As the light of Svarga faded into the glow of the ocean, Ganesh felt the presence of his guru from afar — Shiva, standing nearer to the coming poison.
He closed his eyes briefly.
"Gurudev," he whispered inwardly. "We are ready."
Far away, Shiva opened his eyes, as if hearing him.
The mountain had moved.
The ocean waited.
And the cosmos stood at the edge of its greatest churning.