The glow of the Ocean of Milk filled the horizon.
Mandara stood at its edge now, towering and silent, its dark stone reflecting the pale light of the vast waters. Waves lapped gently against the shore, unaware that soon they would be torn into a storm that would shake all realms.
Ganesh remained near the mountain, his hand still close to its surface, feeling its deep weight settle into place.
Aneet stood beside him, eyes fixed on the glowing sea.
"It feels like the world is holding its breath," she said.
Ganesh nodded. "So are we."
Behind them, devas gathered in growing numbers. Standards fluttered in the strange breeze rising from the ocean. Rishis arrived and took their places, forming circles of protection. Indra walked among them, giving quiet commands.
Then the air shifted again.
A deep, coiling presence approached.
From the far edge of the shore, the ground cracked as a massive serpent emerged, his scales shining like dark emerald, eyes glowing with ancient power.
It was Vasuki, king of the nagas.
He rose high, his hood spreading wide, and looked upon the gathered devas without fear.
"Why am I called from my realm?" Vasuki's voice echoed like rolling thunder.
Indra stepped forward. "Great Vasuki, we seek your strength. We ask you to become the rope with which the Ocean of Milk will be churned, so that amrita may rise."
Vasuki's eyes narrowed. "You ask me to bind myself to Mandara and be pulled by gods and asuras alike?"
"Yes," Indra said. "For the balance of all worlds."
Vasuki was silent.
Ganesh stepped forward.
"Great serpent," he said calmly, "your strength will hold more than a mountain. It will hold the fate of realms. But know this — what rises from the ocean will not all be nectar. There will be suffering before renewal."
Vasuki looked at Ganesh closely.
"You speak not as a deva," Vasuki said. "Who are you to warn me?"
Ganesh met his gaze. "One who walks where dharma leads, not where banners stand."
For a long moment, Vasuki studied him.
Then he lowered his massive head slightly. "I will do it," he said. "Not for the devas… but for balance."
Aneet stepped closer. "We will stand near you when the strain comes."
Vasuki's eyes softened. "Then I will endure."
As Vasuki coiled himself around Mandara, his vast body wrapped again and again around the mountain, scales scraping against ancient stone. The sight alone made the gathered beings fall silent.
Soon, one end of Vasuki lay toward the devas' side of the shore, the other toward where the asuras would soon arrive.
Ganesh felt the tension building in the air, like a tightening cord across the cosmos.
"The rope is set," he said quietly. "Now both sides must take hold."
The ground began to tremble again.
From the distant lower horizon, dark banners appeared. Heat rolled across the shore as the asuras arrived in great numbers, led by Mahabali and his warriors.
They halted across from the devas, facing them with guarded eyes.
Weapons were not raised.
Yet hands were never far from them.
Mahabali stepped forward until he stood across the open ground from Indra.
"So," he said, looking from Mandara to the ocean, "this is the task that binds us."
Indra nodded. "You came as promised."
Mahabali's gaze shifted to Ganesh. "I came because he stands here."
Ganesh inclined his head. "And I will remain between you."
Aneet took her place beside him, calm and unmoving.
Vishnu now appeared at the center of the gathering, his presence steadying the air.
"The churning will begin soon," Vishnu said. "But before that, hear this: both sides must pull with equal strength. If one seeks to overpower the other, the rope will snap — and the ocean will swallow all."
Mahabali smiled faintly. "Do not worry, Preserver. We know how to pull."
Indra answered, "So do we."
Tension hung thick.
Then Vishnu spoke again, "Let the asuras take the head of Vasuki. Let the devas take the tail."
A murmur spread.
Mahabali looked at the massive serpent's blazing eyes. "You give us the dangerous end."
Indra frowned. "It is only fair. The head carries more strength."
Ganesh stepped between them.
"Do not begin with resentment," he said. "Whatever end you take, the strain will be shared. What matters is not where you stand, but how you pull."
Mahabali looked at him, then nodded slowly. "We will take the head."
Indra hesitated, then said, "Then we will take the tail."
Vasuki looked at Ganesh. "Both will feel my breath," he said. "Stand ready."
"I will," Ganesh replied.
As both sides took their positions, devas lining one shore, asuras the other, Ganesh and Aneet remained near the center, close to Mandara, watching both.
The ocean remained calm, glowing softly.
Then a sudden weight came down.
Mandara began to sink.
The base of the mountain slipped into the Ocean of Milk, water rising rapidly around it.
Cries rang out.
"It's sinking!"
"The mountain will vanish!"
Ganesh felt the pull instantly.
"The ocean cannot bear its weight," he said. "It will disappear into the depths!"
Aneet looked at him sharply. "Then this cannot continue."
Ganesh turned his gaze toward the far horizon, toward where he felt his guru's presence.
"Gurudev," he whispered. "Now."
The waters roared.
Mandara sank faster.
And from the glowing depths of the ocean, the surface began to rise.
Something vast moved beneath.
The ocean bulged upward.
The world seemed to pause.
And from the depths, a massive form began to emerge.
The churning had not yet begun.
But already, the cosmos demanded a foundation.