*ೃ༄

"Miho, you seriously don't remember your past?"

Althair asked, watching her laying on the hotel bed like a bored queen. It was more like... nostalgic, when he thinks of it. She suddenly shifted her position and facing her back against him, her frown was unseen. "Huh, you can try to let me recall, mister. No matter how much I tried, it failed... maybe you can enter my head," Miho suggested, turning her head back and blinking. Althair hummed at her as his expression turned sharp, before he approached her and stood in front of her. "Alright, now what should I do?" he asked.

Miho closed her eyes, folding her arms. "Just hold my head and close your eyes, but don't flinch nor fucking move because if you do that... you won't come out of my mind! Besides, I don't want you to get caught in the death-like trap. Oh yeah, what do they call it? Limbo or some sort? Anyways, let me focus my words..." she explained, her hand landed on his arm and his hand touched the back of her head, clutching a handful of her hair and closing his eyes when she continued. "Don't open your eyes until you made it."

He nodded.

The Flame Asura took a deep breath as she closed her eyes, she focused herself to concentrate her subconscious into the mental link.

--Old World, Ancient Civilization--

Althair painfully opened his eyes when he saw a clear blue sky and clouds due to the brightness of the sun, he was laying on the sandy ground in the beach as he look around--wondering where he was. He stood up on his feet and taking his steps on the sand, tidying up his crimson short messy hair and his bangs that framed messily on his forehead and dark brown eyes, the sunlight hit his porcelain skin as he was in the unknown island. "Where am I, at an island... a paradise...?" he muttered, what's wrong with this scenery? This seems like a tranquil and peaceful place.

A girl's squeal and splash made him to gaze at the sea, seeing Miho--but it doesn't seems to be Miho despite her similar appearances. The little girl has a long orange hair with light orange streaks with her bangs fell over her cheeks and almost reaching her dark brown eyes, with an ivory complexion. She wears a white dress that reached her below her knees and has a brown linen toga draped over her dress, and a golden jewelry bracelet wrapped on her right wrist. 'Can I interact with her? Or is it part of her memories? There's an only way to confirm,' he thought before calling out to the little girl, her attention was diverted to him once he uttered her name. "Miho? Miho, you're here--"

The girl look back at him innocently, giggling while waving her hand. "Oh, um, have we met? Who are you, stranger?" she called, as Althair fell silent--before he shrugged and smiling at her when he approached her as he realized she's not aware. "Just a visitor, can't say the name but you will know it someday. I'm pretty young, but you can call me 'mister'. I'm glad that I got to meet you, even this is just one of your memory... I've remembered," he mentioned when he glanced at the sea, the little girl tilted her head--confused on how he knew her. "Okay, my mom would surely come--oh wait! You won't stay here forever, will you?" she frowned sadly.

Althair turned to face her before he knelt down to her level, stroking her hair. "I won't, but I promised. Whatever the future for you, I will always watch you. That is one of the things," he responded, which is... the truth. The girl puffed her cheeks, flustered by his affectionate touches, "S-Stop that, mister! I had to go, because... I've always wanted to find the people who will need me," she held his hand, entwined his fingers with hers. He felt his heart clenched upon looking at her expression, before she pulled away and turned her back against him before she left. "See you!"

"See you too..."

For some reason, he sensed that Miho used... to be a human before. Of course, this is a dream and since he's inside her head... he had to wake her up. "Now, let's proceed into the deeper regions of her mind to reach for her memories, what a brilliant plan for being a..." he paused, the memories in front of him suddenly shifted and much to his horror--there was a fire and a person approached her deceased body; carrying her in his arms and brought her to temple with the alchemists. The ancient civilization has a developing technology that advancing the present-day world, their technology was a high-leveled with one secret they still hidden. And seeing her own life shown on her vision, Miho witnessed her birth as an Asura--the Flame Asura.

Althair saw a youthful alchemist brought another deceased child that made his heart clenched, the boy looks like Yura or Varuna--the Water Asura from his white short hair with long bangs and fair complexion, even his closed crystal blue eyes. The lifeless vessels still have their injuries while they were humans, now the cores were on the alchemists' hands with the help of his assistants. "Alright, let's start with him," he said as he was holding the floating blue orb with spiraling waters above his palm, before he placed the floating orb above his chest and letting it floats above his vessel.

"Varuna; one who commands the waters and samudra of the earth…"

The orb reacted by his command before the orb slowly levitate down into the vessel, entering invisibly into the left chest where human's heart would be replaced with the orb. "Is it work…?" the female alchemist named Tara asked him, he nodded when he observed the process. "It'll work, trust me," he said--they knew how serious he was when he dedicate himself with the alchemy, he was knowledgeable and smart in many fields.

The young man's eyes opened with new color of copper-sulfate orbs, making him gasped by surprise as his black hair reverting into white color with dark blue shades. His black pupils shaped into a feline-like pupils and inhumane, he also gained a merman-like ears with fins similar to the sea creatures and the pair of white horns with the colorful corals grown on both side of his head. The corner of his eyes showing the blue-turquoise scales, before he blinked with confusion in his eyes as if he awakened from his comatose state.

"What… happened…?"

He attempted to sit up carefully before the immortality's running through his veins, making him winced in pain and feeling sensation like a window crashed by a ball. That made him surrounded by the any kind of waters around him and made him wreathing on the altar, leaning back which the amount of omnipotence and omniscience's causing him to transform into an Asura. With changing his mind and the psychology of the man, making it his to own the body and able to support his immortality.

Wearing a military attire of black uniform-like coat with a gold trimmings on the sleeves and buttons, a white-pink cape with sea coral-like accessories on its emblems and the cape is similar to the sea creature's fins. With a pair of the white fingerless gloves, a black slacks tucked under his knee-length black boots and dark blue tie tucked into his black vest underneath. As he appears more neat and handsome, he shows authority over the Asuras beneath him since he was supposedly the leader.

"Varuna, it's been a while, long time no see…"

Althair widened his eyes when he muttered, that's Yura. Which is means he... used to be human in the past. There he saw Miho through her Asura name as Agnida and the other two Asuras who have been awakened, they regained their clothings and matured appearances during their rebirth. It was Wind Asura known as Vayuda or her human name Chiyou and Earth Asura known as Aditya--known as his human name Daigo, after they were reborn--they were known as Asura Progenitors for being the first of all Asuras.

Althair was shocked, how did they become immortal beings? What leaded them to this place? He had to find the answer as he run to the vast area where he was until he saw the vast crystalized memories and his reflection on it. 'No wonder… Miho doesn't remember…' he thought with a frown when he think about it, how will he explain all of this to her if she comes back to her memories? Is he really going to let her undergo the trauma again if it was happened in her life? He could hear the sound of crystals cracking behind him, making him to face the source of it and his eyes widened on the shattered crystal.

It shows the memories of the memories with the other Asuras, he watched for a moment... but it might not last long because the memories will shift into the end.

“Makara, attack them!”

Varuna commanded that his serpent-croccodile hybrid familiar following his command to attack the fortress, defeating the Danava Asuras who tried to pollute the river of his to take care of. “Goodness, that’s stressful as hell,” he mumbled, holding his Pasha that took shape of the rope loop similar to the chain-blade.

Until he swung one of the rest of Danava Asuras as a warning into the ground, creating the massive turbulences of tsunami and vortex that can crush the lands and beings—his chain-blade can bind his enemies and he can dismember all limbs. “Leave this place, now.”

Varuna watched them quiver in fear until they fell to the whirlpool he created, not showing mercy towards the sinner without remorse. His long hair was pulled into low ponytail, with his bangs almost covering his eyes and his cheeks that he’s quite young in the Old World. Wearing a black military uniform with silver trimmings and his blue cape with banner on his left shoulder, his black pants tucked into his knee-length boots.

Mithra took an appearance of the young fellow similar to Varuna’s presence, with a handsome and calming aura—he’s actually a dangerous Asura to deal with because of his ability he tried to control. He wears a similar uniform like Varuna, with the slight difference like the accessories on his spectacles. With a short white hair that has a slightly longer bangs almost styled in unkept manner, dark blue eyes with sharp black pupils and snowy complexion—he also has abnormally sharp canines and a pendant around his neck.

“From once was pure, now polluted by corruption.”

Varuna turn around to see Mihtra speaking to him, he was standing behind him as he was clasping his hands. “Mithra, I thought you’re dealing with some business, don’t you suppose to get some rest?” he close his eyes when he was unclasping his hands, he was a sincere and soft-spoken man who loved humankind equally with all Asuras. “My duty is to ensure all of our safety, but since you’re my twin brother and partner… you’re part of my watch, I can’t let you get hurt.”

Mithra explained as he was standing beside him, closing his eyes when he’s praying that the Danava Asuras will atone their sins. “I hope that these kinds… will atone their sins no matter what,” Varuna narrowed his eyes while folding his arms, with a Water Asura let out a deep sigh before he saw his familiar waiting in the seashore. “Come on, I don’t want to make Garuda wait,” he demanded when he’s adjusting his chain-blade, his Brahmastra; Deliverance of Pasha that he carried.

“Varuna.”

Varuna paused when he heard his twin brother Mithra addressing his name, he usually never like anyone calling him out without his title. “What?” he asked coldly before folded his arms, stopping on his track when he turn around to face him. “Why do I have a hunch that one of us will be gone?” Mithra asked, earning a scowl when he was listening to him in silence. “… nevermind, let’s move on,” he had no idea what is he talking about, but he keep that warning to himself.

There are several Asuras that Shukra—the Asura Guru gathered, they were having meeting that their meeting mostly the reports about the Danava Asuras they have hunted—while also searching for the person that Sanata talking about. “Kalpa is that man, there’s no denying it.”

Shukra stated confidently when he pointed out the alchemist who caused these mess, earning intense reactions from the Asuras in the meeting with him and they’re more than wrathful. “Kalpa is the progenitor of the Phantom Beasts, he’s a legendary alchemist who created several demons known as Phantom Beasts that human referred as. Not only that, he also the one who created the sinners into a Phantom Beasts—known as Rama. He must be stopped from incarnating over and over, to prevent further chaos and conflict that caused by him.”

Varuna nodded when he was looking at him, so does Garuda who explained the details of what they’ll be doing. “That man is the manifestation of darkness and evil, although he’s unable to control his power. None of these humans know about him, but he always been secluded from open areas. We must stop him, before they’ll be going to take advantage and the cataclysmic event incoming,” she look back at Varuna, nodding at her as Mahesvara huffed. “Now where is this man? We’re not going to do the search blindly just with all of us. Mithra, can you help us?”

Mithra narrowed his eyes when he was sensing his presence, which made him closing his eyes and folding his arms. “Oi, tell us!” Mahesvara is somewhat impatient that she always demand for answers, making Durga chuckled with his smile. “Svara, patience is a key to the answer,” she scowled at him when she did, with Garuda clicking her tongue and shaking head together. “Come on, give him some slack—as long he hasn’t noticed us, we still be fine,” she growled, before she snapped at her. “You don’t understand! Naksha, Bagala, Bhramari and Dyaus are dead, we have gone through a lot of countless wars and there’s no point of ending this with peace.”

“Know your place, Mahesvara.”

Mahesvara froze when Varuna ordered her as he was the candidate to be their leader, although Garuda still their leader he has the authority to control their positions by Sanata and Garuda’s permissions. “V-Varuna…” she can’t go against him because he was the candidate to be their next commander, knowing she can scold Garuda and Sanata but can’t go against him. “I understand your concern, but please be patient—we don’t know what does he have for us.”

Varuna used logic mostly while maintaining his cold and cool-headed image, Parvati is similar like him but more like a brawn while he’s the brain. “Senapati is right, we can’t just attack him—what if he did the same thing to those two?” Yama asked with his arms crossed under his official Aditya Clan coat, all of them wear one because they’re part of the clan itself. “Varuna got the point,” Agnida stated calmly with cold expression, ignoring Garuda and Shana most of the time.

“Indra, what’s your opinion?”

Indra hummed when she crossed her leg for a moment to think, knowing how dangerous their mission is. “I agree with Varuna, but we have another problem; there has been warring kingdoms lately and I believe we need to work together with these rulers—so we can earn their trusts, how’s that?” she suggested, until they heard a slam of the door from across them. Aruna was panting heavily when she was trying to stand up, exhausted while Soma and Rudra are following Aruna by her side. “Aruna, Soma, Rudra! What just happened?!”

Garuda asked while approaching her sister who was exhausted, holding both of her shoulders before she look up at them. “All of these people has conspired to kill us, you better act now! We don’t have much time left!”

Aranya was shocked to hear that, so does Shukra who was horrified. “Those extremists… we had no choice but with the option of destroying this Old World…” he stand up from the chair when he clenched his fists, his eyes were shimmering red when he did.

“Mithra, what’s the result?”

Mithra slowly opened his eyes as he heard his question, making him nodded that he stand up from the chair. “We have no choice, we must exterminate everything in no time,” he started to feel bad for those people in there, he truly cared about humans but they had no choice. “Not that we have no choice,” Varuna stand up when Parvati was by his side, but keeping her distance like usual she would. “Saving humanity from disaster, it is Shukra’s wish.”

Shukra smiled at Varuna that he taught him well, although his cold exterior’s boosting everyone to be intimidated by him—he’s actually a kind person. “That’s right, I want all of us to protect them; not hate them! We don’t know what kind of ability he have, but let’s do our best to save them!” they nodded when Garuda informed them, before they decided to leave them; with Varuna, Mahesvara, Aranya, Agnida and Durga behind with Shukra once the door closed—with displeased looks on their faces.

“Now where do we left?”

Varuna didn’t seems to be phased, adjusting his glasses. “Why are we allowed to do this for you?”

Mahesvara huffed, folding her arms. “I can’t believe that your wish is going to be a death wish.”

Agnida clicked her tongue by that, scowling at him. “Please tell me this is just a joke for all of us.”

Aranya narrowed her eyes, before she shake her head. “Can I disagree? This is not what we’re doing.”

Durga sighed, with his eyes remained closed. “This is an unwise decision that has been done, Master Shukra.”

Shukra’s smile frown at their response, knowing how unpleasant and angered by this sudden news. “I understand that some of you are disappointed with my wish, but I wanted to reunite with him by ending this conflict.”

He only trusted the Asuras who are close to him, since they have something to do with Sanata and known as the powerful one after Garuda. “I feared that Void of the Eclipse will coming back in the future, creating a different timeline to create a chaos after this Old World’s demise. So, it would be the best to let me die by the hands of the Void, to protect every kinds and the defenders who have our powers… will be the heroes like us.”

The five of them were utterly disappointed by his decision, knowing that this will not end well if that happens. “How about us?” Agnida asked, resting her hand on her hip before looking up at him. “All of you will be free, leading the Raksha and you will be on your own,” he gave them the freedom, while he didn’t tell them the true backgrounds they have. “I never treated you like a tool, but a family after what happened to you in the past… those are part of the guilt for not able to save you all… even the Intention of the Reverse itself disagree with erasing the guilt.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Varuna didn’t know what he meant until he elaborated, folding his arms that he kept his position still. “As for the Yakshas, you don’t have to wait for the creator--the wrathful deities are your younger cousins after all,” he explained, staring at his hand for a momentary time before looking back at them. “Take care of the defenders, they will be the ones who will use this power for the greater good,” Mahesvara laughing his words off with playful tone, thinking it would be possible enough for them. “I think you have falling over heels to someone else, Master Shukra.”

Agnida rolled her eyes when she was stating that out loud, thankfully nobody is outside from what she sensed. Until she began to think of them for a while, she seems to be worried but she knew she eventually had no choice. “Agnida, I understand how you felt- but we have to do this, we can’t let their descendants to suffer in this cycle of samsara, you don’t want that right?” she let out a quiet sigh, closing her eyes before opening them to look at Shukra.

“What about you?”

Mahesvara is satisfied with the opposing Asura, having a similar opinion like her and agreed as well. “Agnida and Aranya were right, there’s no way in hell we’re going to let them died. After all this time, we have been meaning to live our lives freely on our will!” she’s being rebellious like usual, before Varuna shake his head at her. “I’m afraid I must oppose if it must be done, but it’s up to you all.”

Durga sighed softly when he think about that, knowing this will not end well and he’s agreeing to that. “I would like to oppose as well, master,” he opened his eyes, he was meaning to oppose whenever his master told them to do. “Unfortunately I can’t agree with your disagreement, I must fulfil this wish so I can meet my brother again… I’m not going to let another disaster happens again,” he smiled sadly with the anguish in his eyes, the bliss of expression was hard to read from them. “I know it sounds selfish, but what I can do for humanity’s sins they consumed by?”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

“……”

One of them break the silence.

“Fine then… it seems like we have no choice,” Mahesvara responded, giving up by thinking before Agnida stared at the other three while saying. “As you wish then, looks like we’re given no options with doing this,” Durga shrugged with a sad smile, eyes closed when he remained in his usual stance. “What do you say… Varuna?”

Varuna kept his eyes closed for quite some time, until he opened them again when he look up at him. “Seriously- give me a break…” he mumbled, adjusting the frame of his sleeve. “Alright fine—we’ll agree to this, if that time you yearned is coming… then you better be serious about this,” he threatened, making him smiled with satisfaction as he laughed softly by that. “That’s a good choice, now please catch up with them and make sure it’s all done!”

The five of them left without saying anything before they are following them, until they are now outside the palace and somewhere far. “Give me a break!” Mahesvara wrathfully rages with a roar that almost showing her true form, making Durga sighed with a pout saying. “It can’t be helped, not that we don’t have much choice but Master Shukra isn’t easy to be compromised… I wonder what makes him like that…”

Agnida was quiet for a moment, before she shake her head. “I can’t forgive him for what he did that he forgot to sent Garuda to save, totally far too much.”

Varuna understand how she felt about that, now he’d be confused that he must find a way to execute this. “He thinks the peace can be done with the heroic deeds, sadly I disagree with his ideals,” he showed his opposing ideal to them, making them not even surprised by his ideal. “Not all people deserve to a hero, anyone can die anytime that they won’t realize it.”

Then, the memories lasted in the Cataclysm Tragedy--where the Old World ends.

Rama was a young man with a collared dark blue robe with white belt around his waist, dark blue pants as his attire has accents of silver embroidery on them while he wears a black turtleneck bodysuit underneath--in addition of black boots over his knees and has a light blonde hair—he watched the chaos ensemble under the red-colored sky as he couldn’t control his cursed power.

“Ah… humanity…"

Rama was holding his head that he was desperate to find the cure to stop this, he was found in the island where they’re searching for him and there he was. Everything is a chaos for him, but he thought it would be the best option to eradicate sins of humanity and he smiled wanly at the sight of the withered trees. “Kalpa, we meet again,” he heard a familiar voice, making him immediately turning around with slow pace wasn’t shocked to see Shukra here.

“It’s been a while, Shukra.”

Shukra was aware of the blast that emitted from above, mostly the Asuras are fighting against the Phantom Beasts and the Raiders to end the Old World. “Do you know that this world will reset if you killed me?” he asked, placing his hand over his chest when he smiled at him. “I am the vessel of the Void; I am his incarnation, do you know that I will be no longer part of this world?” he asked with a grim smile, before he elaborated.

“My dearest… Arkana."

Rama said with a sigh, earning a cold gaze of him. “Arkana won’t be pleased of what you have done, now enough of this nonsense,” he tilted his head, wondering what could have been gone wrong. “I’m a time-ticking bomb, there’s no way I can help you with that…”

His words trailed off as he reacted to the shadowing aura around him and he can’t control the curse, making him yelped by surprise as he hold his head with his hands with the sense of desperation. “Put an end to the Eclipse, the Eclipse will come… I don’t want none of you get hurt because of me…”

Shukra narrowed his eyes when he begged him, making him closing his eyes that he smiled at him. “There will be no memories of us together if you want to die, you are still my brother after all…” his eyes widened that he saw a blast coming towards him, causing him to step back and watching something came out from behind him. “Kalpa, are you…” he was terrified from what he witnessed, the Void of the Eclipse—or known as a Void itself. The entity laughed devilishly after he fully taken over Rama’s vessel, making him intense by the sight of him.

“Shukra, you’re not going to split yourself into different beings for both Deva and Asura? Do you know it’ll cause a great risk for your life?”

The Void has existed since prehistoric times and is a force always trying to engulf the world and bring it back to nothingness; it tears the world apart, distorts their laws, and tries to destroy the world, repeating the process until it succeeds. Nevertheless, the current world is from the void, as the world chosen from the innumerable possibilities of worlds existing in the void is the current world.

“You are powerful even in your human form, why don’t you give it a try to me? Bet for your life, the world will succumbs into emptiness like a void which is myself! No one can stop me!”

The only way to kill the Void of the Eclipse is a device that can counterattack the entity, Astrarendra; Astra-Brahmastra—a powerful divine gear forged by the Asuras with the help of Asura Guru; it creates collateral damage to its surroundings as the side-effects of the use. No one can wield this divine weapon, except the infamous figure that can wields its magnificent power.

“The torch that lights up the world.”

This is the first time he witnessed the sight known as the Void of the Eclipse; the piercing yellow pupils of its light and dark red circle—with the golden halo-like ring around them. The distorted sight made him feel sick, he realized the danger outcomes for them which it has gone too far. “I’ll divide this ancient civilization with post-civilization Old World then…”

Shukra battled with the Void together with all of the Asuras, with the cost that sacrifices the ancient civilization--before the Post-Civilization Era comes. Everything are crushed by the natural disasters such as tsunami, typhoon, earthquake and other disasters that purged their lives into sacrifice. The Asuras had to flee into the waters or the caves but mostly the ones that allowed them to remain there until thousand years, despite their injuries they manage to recover because of their immortality they have. Now it was split into two, separating the progressing civilization into modern day of the Old World.

Until the scene shifted into different one, in the semi-modern Old World... where everything has been 'erased'.

“I’m tired of this people, committed sins and never atone them… why do I have to let them live?”

Rama muttered that he was sitting on the grassy ground of the hill, looking at the view of the ocean whil his eyes remained close from the start.

“To think that the beasts are the reason the humanity’s going to extinct, it’s because of me… I used to be human… but I’m sick and tired of them,” he said, looking at the side. “I wanted to die so the humanity will unite once again, so that I won’t commit any other crimes once again.”

Rama said when he was looking at the flowers around his sides, touching the petals before withered once it was touched. “Why do you have to die, Arkana…?” he said with a frown, before he take out the pendant. It revealed to be a photo of the young woman around his age, young and beautiful but fate was cruel enough that their bonds ended with bitterness. “I don’t know that gods could be cruel enough to take her away from me… it’s enough for me to practice this kind of technique forbidden by society…”

Rama heard the footsteps behind him while he didn’t look back, he know who it was and he doesn’t need to know who that is. “Varuna, it’s been a while,” Varuna was standing behind him but keeping his distance, outside the flower field and wearing a black cape covering his attire. “Kalpa, how long will you continue this madness?” he questioned him with calm tone, though he sounded serious when he meant that. “How many lives… how many of them did you take in every centuries?”

Varuna folded his arms when he watched him crossing his legs, shrugging his shoulders a little to adjust his seat. “I didn’t know you’re this caring towards humanity… I can’t say the least; about thousands of them I’ve taken,” he said with a humorless smile, before he look to the side. “Pray tell, why do you like humans so much?” he asked, making him narrowed his eyes a little. “Do we look like we cared about them? It’s because your brother ordered us to protect them, I never have shown a care a single of them.”

The Water Asura admited, but his ideal won’t last for long and would change anytime—from what he thought of him. Rama chuckled softly before he kept his gaze to the side, even though he did not face him he can tell his presence otherwise. “You’re still kind as usual, all of you Asuras never admit your true feelings,” he stated, before he stared at his palm for a moment. “What are you doing here, if I may ask?” he unfolded his arms, settling his reason of why is he here. “Your brother sent me here to search for you, and I also came here because people are anticipating to kill you.”

Rama laughed humorlessly when he heard that, thinking it’s impossible to do that when he was this dangerous. “I can’t predict my own power even my skills, they will die by my hands even if I don’t want to kill them,” he said, before he stand up and began to turn to the side. “Do you know the secrets Shukra was hiding from you?” he asked him, thinking that he should have known that. “What are you talking about? There’s no way I know even if he never wanted to.”

Varuna retorted that he kept his stoic gaze, thinking that would be something serious and he remained cautious. “You don’t know?” Rama smiled at him in sincerity he always does, still not looking at him. “I knew it after all… you don’t remember your past, even as a human… but still; you’re an Asura when you woke up,” he stated, making him clenching his fists.

Varuna retorted that he kept his stoic gaze, thinking that would be something serious and he remained cautious. “You don’t know?” Rama smiled at him in sincerity he always does, still not looking at him. “I knew it after all… you don’t remember your past, even as a human… but still; you’re an Asura when you woke up,” he stated, making him clenching his fists. “Kwon Yura… must be your human name, right? How long have you been in here, hm?”

Rama hasn’t seen his shocked face when he revealed his true identity to him, making him raising his gaze. “So… you figured it out, huh? After all this time, I’ve been questioning my existence…” Varuna couldn’t help but laughed with humorless tone, he think it was a joke but turns out it’s not as he closed his eyes. “No wonder Mithra always referring me as her older brother, which means we’re related—another time Garuda was being cooperative and kind enough to work together with me… I have a twin brother.”

Varuna opened his eyes once he finished speaking, his eyes reverted into both original Asura eye color—shimmering copper-sulfate with scales around his eyes. “Now what? Are you going to provoke me?” he asked with a smirk, making Rama turn around to face him with his eyes opened. “You know me quite well, Varuna…” his eyes matching red with his, to think that he was an Asura like him. “Looks like I have no choice but to end another Old World again.”

Rama unleashed his wave of darkness around him while holding his grimoire, before Varuna unleashed his true form as an Asura. Holding the Redemption of Pasha on his hand, he was almost similar to the half-sea creature and merman once he transformed into Asurendra; Divine Waters of Deliverance. He has a pair of merman-like ears on his ears and white horns similar to sea creature on his head, his eyelashes and eyebrows are pure white with light blue shades. His scales now reaching his cheeks and his hair grown longer, his claws are long and sharp and has wings with his scleras are dark blue with the gradient white color of his eyes. “I knew this was coming…”

Durga sighed softly when he watched the island starting to destruct in no time, before the people are joining forces to stop them with the Raiders.

“Kalpa will always try to find a way to trigger Varuna’s wrath, he know the secrets of our origins but… what are those?” he mumbled, before he watched Mithra came after he witnessed everything based of his vision. “Do you think we’ll survive this whole disaster? How about Varuna?”

Durga asked him when he kept his eyes closed, worried of something bad will happen to Varuna. “Let’s leave this to him, but it would be the best if we have to find the hiding place, we’re not that powerful like them unless…” said Yama, Durga was listening to the blast emitted in the distance, sensing the radiating flames from there. “… if they needed us, so we’ll try to stop him,” he nodded with opening his eyes, revealing a radient gold color of Mithra’s eyes. “I’ll make sure they’re alright.”

Agnida roared as she transformed into her Asurendra form, revealing her true form as an Asura. Her golden curled horns has shown on her head, with hanging earring with the tag on the left horn and a pair of dragon-like ears replacing her human ears which part of her human glamours. Her eyes are devilish gold with pair of sharp pupils like the rest of them, along red-colored scleras--having a red scales around her eyes and cheeks including her limbs--she also gained skeletal arms and red dragon wings with the circular large gold burning ring blade behind her.

Mahesvara transformed into her Asurendra form as well, her horns also grown from her head that pointed upwards. Her eyes are pure red like them with a maniacal grin, with her ears are formed into dragon-like ears after dispelling her glamours. “Your soul is mine to have, Kalpa!” she revealed two chakrams on her side, including the accessories on her neck and has similar ring behind her back but shining with magenta color. “Come on, let’s kill these extremists who loathed us! And, I will destroy this universe!”

The rest of the Asuras has transformed into their true forms as the Asurendras, the ultimate lifeform achieved by the Asuras as their true strength. Until they charges into the Emperor-class Phantom Beasts, until Sanata came with the Astra-Brahmastra on his hand—which took form of the large arm-gauntlet. “Astra-Brahmastra has all eight forms, it doesn’t have to be the form of claymore—the weapon split into two due to how powerful it is,” he said with his smile, before he began to meet Rama in the middle of the battle. “Shukra, are you sure you’re going to do this? I doubt if we can survive.”

Agnida asked after she transformed into her Asurendra form, watching him nod once he smiled at her. “Don’t worry about it, all of you better find a place to barricade yourself and I’ll be doing this on my own,” she frowned when he said that, so she insisted him. “Please don’t die on us, the last thing we needed is anyone died because of us—and we ended up have to push anyone away from us,” she’s cold when she was being serious, just like Varuna when she’s like this.

“Parvati, believe in me.”

Parvati narrowed her eyes at him, until she was surprised that he has vanished in front of her. “Master…” she shake her head, before she goes back into the battle with the dangerous-class Phantom Beast humans feared the most—Padishah and Vipralopa—the two that must be banished from this world. “I guess Vipralopa should be a type instead of being a living being.”

Mahesvara, Aruna, Soma, Rudra and Agnida are all only Asuras who can stop Vipralopa, the beast is the unique type and must be defeated by the Asuras with unique yet, rare abilities. Until they manage to defeat the beast with their Asurendra forms, seeing how capable they take the beast down--due to their immortality they have. Without aging they keep their human vessels as part of them, using their glamours to preserve the vessels and beauty even the charms.

Shukra stood in front of him when he was in the cliff with him, watching Rama observing the view with his eyes closed. “Your allies seems to have defeated the beasts, even Padishah and Vipralopa,” he stated, ignoring the large crash landing into the ground that earned the megathrust earthquake. The natural disaster has come again once the Void returned, thanks to Rama who was the incarnation itself by keep living in the samsara he suffered.

“What makes them stronger? Why are you eager enough to come whenever I’m here?”

Rama asked him with a frown, before he answered him with calm tone. “You don’t know how many cycle of rebirth you have suffered through your own samsara Kalpa, it’s time to put an end on your feud—this is the second time I have to kill you and I don’t want to do this anymore,” Shukra heard him responded immediately, making him a bit frustrated. “Then why didn’t you stop? You could’ve done something the opposite if its too much for you.”

Rama was obviously testing his emotions and waters between them, he surely know he cared about him but the way he cared is just so wrong. He was desperate to die after all, why does he wanted save him when he was at this peak of madness? Rama didn’t seems to resist, until his eyes opened when he saw the Void in the sky appearing there all of a sudden. “There will be a light of the world that will stop this madness, both of us will die together when this samsara ends… understand?”

Shukra said with a smile at him, making him surprised by his statement to him and he didn’t expect that coming. “What… you wanted to die with me… by ending this… samsara?” he nodded, pointing his Astra Brahmastra towards him. “That’s right, we meet again when the time comes the Void appeared; which will be the last battle and this will end—but only for us,” he explained, making him wide-eyed by that and he couldn’t help but to wonder. “Who is it…?”

Rama suddenly flinched when the Void of the Eclipse began to possess him, once again making him his puppet to speak. “Shukra, Guru of all Asuras… are you going to kill us again?”

The entity taunted him, testing the waters that this has been several times they fought the Phantom Beasts which is civil wars. “This time might be the same, but in a next future--I’ll be doing something extremely dangerous for you… and you might not know but… it’ll be different and unexpected. I can’t tell you what is that, but it’ll be much more distressing for you.”

The Void had no idea what is he talking about, making the entity grew angry by the statement he stated to him. “Elaborate, Shukra!” he didn’t elaborate any further, it would make the latter worse if he ruined his own plan. Until he goes to blast the power of the Astra-Brahmastra towards them, earning the demise and the cracks of the skies that affected by the powerful gear itself. “I’ll let anyone know what’s Phantom Samsara is, as it was the origins where I used to live--and let them have what they wanted; as long they will defend the humankind from your corruptions!”

Shukra shouted until he goes to slain the Void once again, ultimately stopping the feud and saving the next world through creating new one. However he also added the second world where it would be the same, not knowing the Void will be appearing there through one fatal ‘mistake’ of the Rakshas.

“You… destroyed this universe…”

Rama was shocked from what he was doing, making him smiled with his eyes closed before he will meet his demise. “Let’s meet again, my dear brother…”

The Rakshas witnessed the destruction before they retrieved the cores so they will save the Asuras, by sacrificing themselves and dying together with the locals they’ve protected with their lives and hard work. Sanata was in the battle as well in the past along his Arbiter teams, known as the Flame-Heroes--along Aldiano and they were all the catalyst to stop the Void of the Old World at the same time--the cost is half of them were killed and leaving only four survived.

The Old World finally reseted and destructed by the power of the Astra-Brahmastra, everything in the land and the city where people lived are all destroyed without letting them know about the latest events--progressing into the New World. Until the Void re-existed through making entrance for them to attack humankind once the Asuras awake from their slumbers, in the Phantom Samsara through guarding the Core of the Samsara for himself--and using the opportunity to enter the Eclipse World for the next phase with another event leading to cataclysmic event similar to the Old World.

Phantom Eruption.

This is where the New World born.

That's what Althair witnessed back then, he wondered if Sanju witnessed the same thing.

On the other side, they were shocked of what they have witnessed while they were on their way towards the Deep End and the Core of the Samsara.

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