Chapter 1 – In the Beginning, I Am Brahman
At the dawn of time, there was only Brahman.
The universe was a boundless ocean of chaos. Invisible, without features, beyond the senses. No life, no death. No existence, no non-existence. No day, no night. All was undifferentiated, all was one.
Yet within this primordial chaos, a supreme spirit already existed, self-born and eternal. Unknowable, nameless—but later generations would call it Brahman.
He was the origin of the cosmos—everlasting, unseen.
…
Ray opened his eyes to the endless ocean of chaos.
"Alright," he said to himself, still getting used to his new existence. "Two kalpas down. How many more?"
A kalpa was a unit of time he'd created—the span between closing and opening his eyes. Between each opening, universes would be born and die.
The first time he'd closed his eyes, the cycle had begun. His body and spirit transformed, but his power stayed exactly the same. It was strange, but not alarming. He was getting used to the strangeness.
The second time was easier. He'd known what to expect.
And through it all, he'd been aware. Fully, completely aware. He'd seen visions while sleeping—Brahma being born from a golden egg, creating everything. Vishnu coming to preserve it all. Shiva eventually destroying it all with his third eye.
He'd seen the whole cycle.
"So this is the primordial era of Indian mythology," Ray said, still processing. "Okay. I can work with this."
The thing was, his power had never diminished. Not once. He'd expected some kind of exhaustion, some drain from creating universes or whatever. But no. He was just as strong as he'd been at the beginning. Maybe stronger, now that he understood the system.
"The creation of Brahma," Ray mused, "all of it flows from my strength. But I don't get tired. That's... actually really convenient."
He settled into the observation mode. This was going to be his life now—watching as Brahma created, as Vishnu preserved, as Shiva destroyed. Over and over again.
From the still waters of the void, something began to stir. Lotus flowers started blooming, and hymns resonated through the chaos.
Ray sat up, paying attention.
"Yeah, I see it," he said. "It's starting. The golden egg is forming."
He could feel it—the presence of something about to be born. Something conscious. Something that would take form and create an entire universe.
"Brahma's almost here," Ray observed. "He'll be the creator. Good at his job, from what I've seen. He'll make everything—gods, mortals, the whole world. Then he'll maintain it until it's time for the end."
Ray paused, thinking about what came next in the cycle.
"After him, Vishnu shows up. The preserver. He's got this whole thing where he incarnates over and over to keep balance. That's... actually kind of exhausting just thinking about it."
The cosmic sound began—Om. Ancient and pure and impossibly old.
Ray listened to it echo through the chaos.
"And then Shiva," Ray continued. "The destroyer. Three eyes, trident, whole deal. When he decides he's done, he opens that third eye and just... ends it all. Resets everything back to chaos. Then Brahma starts creating again, and the whole thing loops."
Ray's consciousness remained perfectly unified. He wasn't splitting himself or fragmenting or hiding. He was just... here. Fully present. Fully aware.
"This is the cycle," Ray said, still talking to himself because there was no one else to talk to yet. "Birth, life, death, rebirth. Over and over. And I'm apparently going to be watching all of it."
He settled deeper into the chaos, his power absolute and unchanging.
"The universe will take shape," Ray said. "Brahma will emerge from that egg. He'll look around at the void and start creating. He won't know I'm here watching, but that's fine. I'll observe. I'll see where all this goes. I'll watch him create, watch Vishnu preserve, watch Shiva destroy."
Ray paused, considering something.
"Actually, they might know," Ray said, a slight realization dawning. "If they're gods like me, they'll probably sense that there's something here. Something watching. They'll know Brahman is present. That I'm present."
He was okay with that. Let them know. It didn't change anything. He'd still be watching from the depths. Still maintaining control. Still observing where everything was heading.
"Let's see what happens," Ray said, settling back to watch the cycle begin.
The cosmic chant continued to resound through the void as creation prepared itself.
Ray remained—fully conscious, completely unified, eternally powerful—waiting for the universe to be born.