A very long time ago, in ancient history, there was a great war between humans and demons. Humanity was pushed to the brink of extinction.
"My Lord, we're being forced back into the city—our troops are dwindling to nothing!" a man said, bowing before a powerful, divine figure.
"Do not worry," the figure replied calmly. "They are nothing compared to me."
Rising from her throne was none other than the ancient Goddess of Time and Destruction—Kali. Feared by demons for her overwhelming power, she could annihilate any who dared approach her.
"I will handle this. Tell your army to stand down and let me take care of things here," she commanded.
And she did just that.
Kali destroyed every demon in sight. She was a force to be reckoned with. No demon could stand against her.
Now, we return to the present day—through the eyes of Jasmine, Kali's best friend.
"Wh… what?" Kali stammered. "What do you mean I'm not an ordinary human?"
"Do you remember anything from when you were on the bus and those people attacked you?" Jasmine asked. "You don't—because of what happened."
"What are you talking about, Jasmine? Now that you mention it… I don't remember anything at all," Kali replied.
"It's because you weren't yourself," Jasmine said softly. "You transformed… just like my dad said you would."
"What?" Kali asked, disbelief in her voice.
"You aren't ordinary, like I said. You have the power of an ancient goddess within you. You, Kali… are the reincarnation of the ancient Hindu Goddess of Time—Kali herself. You're the reason that thing in the cave ran away. It was afraid of you because you once fought demons in your ancient past."
"Wait—this isn't making any sense. How would you even know this? And your dad, too? I don't believe any of it. Just because I share a name with someone from over two thousand years ago doesn't mean I'm connected to them, Jasmine."
"No… you're wrong," Jasmine insisted. "My family has a connection to the ancient Hindu past. This should prove it."
She handed over an old, ornate bracelet—clearly thousands of years old. When Kali slipped it onto her wrist, she didn't feel different at first… but deep inside, it felt as if it had always belonged to her.
Then, in a flash, the bracelet glowed. In an instant, Kali's consciousness was pulled into the past. She found herself witnessing the ancient goddess in battle—herself—obliterating the demon horde that once threatened all of humanity. The Goddess of Time and Destruction was unstoppable.
And just as suddenly, Kali was back in the present. The vision had shaken her to her core.
"I guess I have to take your word for it, huh, Jasmine?" she said quietly. "I still don't understand how I could possibly be the reincarnation of someone from so long ago…"
Before Jasmine could reply, the ground trembled. From the shadows emerged the same beast that had taken Justin's life—and this time, it wasn't alone. Ten of them surrounded the girls.
"We need to go! That's the same thing that killed Justin days ago, Kali!" Jasmine cried.
"No," Kali whispered. Her voice trembled—not with fear, but rage. "I loved him… and you took him from me."
"Huh?" Jasmine gasped.
Kali clenched her fists, veins bulging in her temples as her fury built.
"There's a firework show coming up—it's almost the Fourth of July. If I didn't confess my love to him in that cave, I wanted to do it at the festival. I've felt this way for so long. I've cried for days… and I refuse to back down to these things!"
Suddenly, a beam of blinding light struck her from above.
Kali was no longer herself. Wielding four blades in four arms, her skin turning a divine shade of blue, she transformed completely.
This was no longer the girl Jasmine knew.
This was Kali—the Goddess of Time and Destruction.