The world slept, but on a quiet corner of the Earth where the waves kissed the moonlit sand, Mirshad sat alone. Barefoot. Unmoving. Silent. His sword lay beside him, its glow dim and resting. His eyes were fixed on the stars, but his soul was elsewhere.
He spoke without moving his lips. Are you there? Always, the voice answered from within, warm yet ancient, like the pulse of the universe itself. A faint light stirred in his chest, steady and alive. Why are you leaving me again? I need you.
The voice came, calm as space. Because I am not your power. I am the guardian… of your memory. His brow furrowed. What memory? The truth of who you are. The truth you chose to forget. You sealed me to protect existence itself. The sea stilled. Even the tide seemed to hold its breath. Then show me, he said. Show me what happens if I remember. There was a pause. A silence deep enough to feel. Then the voice obeyed. He was standing in a vision. Not a dream — a prophecy.
Planets collapsed beneath his steps. Galaxies burned in his name. Even gods knelt before being erased in perfect silence. He stood at the edge of all things, and the roar that tore through space came not from his mouth but from his soul. No stars. No light. No life. Only him. Alone. Immortal. Eternal. Feared… even by the idea of time.
His voice trembled. Why would I do that? Because when you awaken without love, the voice said, you awaken as judgment. Because your power is not creation… it is dominion. He fell to his knees on the sand. Then stay with me. Guide me. Don't sleep.
The voice asked the question that shattered him. Do you want to destroy your children before they are born? Do you want to erase Sophia from the breath of time? Do you want to see Rayyan, Amir, Malik crawl before you, begging for mercy? His fists tightened. His heart cracked. No. Then let me sleep again. Because if I awaken fully… the wall between you and the forgotten darkness will break. And no one will survive what rises.
His breath came heavy but steady. So I'm immortal… and death avoids me. Because you are not part of the universe. You are the reason it exists. Nature knows your name. Time fears your return. The sky obeys you. Death kneels before you. You don't need me to fight men and monsters. You are more than enough.
A final flash burned through him — a memory not of Earth, but before it. He saw himself before time, before light, crafting stars in his hands, weaving galaxies in silence. Then lightning struck through the heavens, and he descended into the womb of a mortal woman. There, life began. Not born. Returned. Then go, he said. Sleep. But remember my words…
He rose, standing against the endless waves. If I am the one who created everything… I will not allow a single innocent soul to suffer again. The voice faded into the dark, leaving only one final whisper. When the true darkness rises… I will rise with you. And then it was gone. Only the sea. Only the sky. Only him. The god who had not yet remembered — but who was no longer afraid.