"When illusions fall, only truth remains—raw and unforgiving."
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The Veilbreakers' movement surged like wildfire across Ashvattha. The illusions cast by the gods, long accepted as truth, began to crumble.
Asma-Ra stood at the heart of this awakening, his eyes seeing beyond the veils that hid the cosmic machinery of control.
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In the shattered palace of Maya-Devi, once a sanctuary for divine illusions, Asma-Ra and Mitra uncovered the Veil of Samsara—a relic that maintained the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, binding souls to endless servitude.
> "This veil," Mitra whispered, "is the root of their power."
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Their discovery ignited fierce debates within the rebellion. Some urged to destroy the veil, freeing souls at any cost; others feared the chaos that would follow.
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Meanwhile, the gods convened in fury. Shiva, the Destroyer, whose role was to dissolve the old and welcome the new, was torn. Was this rebellion destruction or evolution?
> "Balance is delicate," Shiva murmured.
"To break the cycle is to gamble with creation itself."
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Asma-Ra's resolve hardened. The veil must be torn, but wisdom must guide the destruction.
> "True freedom is not escape," he said, "but the courage to face the void and create anew."
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As the veil began to unravel, the very fabric of existence shimmered with uncertainty.
The dawn of a new age approached—but it demanded sacrifice.
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END OF CHAPTER XXVI
Next: Chapter XXVII – "The Sacrifice of Shadows"