High in the heart of the Celestial Fortress, a palace carved from the stars and laced with ancient runes older than reality itself, Ash stood alone at the edge of the Mirror of Aeons. This wasn't just a reflection of self—it was the source of all memories lost and buried.
The divine light from the trials shimmered in the sky above.
Ash gripped the balcony rail, his eyes closed. But inside him, storms raged.
He saw flashes—Sarina weeping in the Trial of Stars, Akarshan stepping into fire for him, Monish kneeling beside a broken vision of Ash, whispering, "You are still human to us."
The goddess of Void, Shunyata, appeared beside him in silence.
"You're remembering," she said.
Ash didn't speak.
She continued, "Do you know why they passed your trials?"
He glanced at her with faint golden eyes. "Because I didn't make them to destroy. I made them… to test loyalty."
"And they were loyal."
"To me," Ash whispered, almost in disbelief. "Not to the Supreme Being… but to me, the boy who walked beside them in a mortal body."
Shunyata stepped forward, resting a pale hand on his shoulder. "You forgot who you were. You vanished into the identity of the god. But now you see who you are through them."
Ash's eyes widened.
Memories flooded back in a surge:
— A world made from his dreams…
— Goddesses calling him "Father" with fear and love…
— Him creating life with compassion…
— And then… the curse. The fate of the Supreme Being: infinite life leading to infinite madness.
He remembered standing alone atop the universe, weeping as galaxies crumbled.
Then giving the order: Destroy the humans.
Then disappearing, sealing his godhood, reborn as a boy.
And now…
Ash dropped to his knees.
"They remembered me," he murmured.
"They stayed," Shunyata replied gently.
Ash stood slowly, his presence shifting — not just divine, but balanced.
"I must meet them," he said. "Not as the Supreme Being. But as Ash."
---
Elsewhere, the heroes stood atop a cliff overlooking the City of Stars, where divine light rained from the sky.
Sarina turned suddenly, eyes wide.
"He's coming," she said.
From the heavens, a single comet of golden flame descended.
Ash, cloaked in starlight and humanity, landed before them.
A pause.
Akarshan stepped forward. "Ash…?"
Ash looked at them—really looked at them—with tears shining faintly in his eyes.
"…I remember."
And with that, the journey reached its turning point—not an end, but the beginning of the battle for the fate of everything.
---