"Nāgāntaka..."

The ancient name rolled off Wisnu’s tongue with unmistakable familiarity.

"As expected of Garuda’s descendant"

For a brief moment, something ancient stirred behind his eyes.

Not the gaze of a god.

But the gaze of someone remembering a companion from a distant age.

"It has been a very long time since we last met"

Taufik studied him for a moment.

His gaze was calm, but probing.

"You do realize he’s not the Garuda you once knew, right?" he asked at last.

A brief silence followed before he continued.

"Even if Garuda was never truly dead because of his immortality, immortality can only preserve the body. It can’t stop the flow of time"

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"A mind changes. A soul accumulates new experiences. Eventually, they become someone else entirely"

Wisnu met his gaze.

Then a serene smile appeared on his face.

"I understand that better than most, my friend." There was no disappointment in his voice. No denial... Only acceptance. "I have no intention of claiming something that no longer belongs to me"

His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.

"Not in this life"

A faint chuckle escaped him.

"All I wish to do is see the final Garuda"

A pause.

"Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say..." His smile deepened slightly. "The Garuda of this era"

Taufik stared at him for another second before nodding.

"Good"

He leaned back in his seat.

"As long as you understand that, I’ll allow you to meet him"

And just like that... Silence descended upon the gazebo.

No one spoke.

Not Taufik.

Not Wisnu.

Not even the queens.

At first, the quiet was comfortable.

But as the seconds stretched into minutes, it gradually became unbearable.

After all, seated before them was none other than Wisnu.

One of the Trimurti.

The Preserver.

A being who had witnessed countless ages rise and fall.

It wasn’t fear that kept them silent.

Nor reverence.

They simply had no idea what kind of conversation one was supposed to have with someone who had lived for so long.

Even Gaia found herself in a similar situation.

She had known Wisnu for ages.

But knowing someone and being close to them were two entirely different things.

The two shared history.

Not familiarity.

Still, leaving a guest sitting in awkward silence felt incredibly rude.

Eventually, every one of Taufik’s wives turned toward him at the same time.

Taufik, meanwhile, remained completely oblivious.

He leisurely sipped his tea while gazing toward the distant sky, looking as though the fate of the world had never been discussed only hours earlier.

Then he felt it.

Several pairs of eyes staring directly at him.

Slowly, he lowered his teacup.

"...What?"

No one answered.

The wives simply looked at him.

Then they looked at Wisnu.

Then back at him again.

The meaning was painfully obvious.

[Talk to the guest]

Taufik stared at them for a few seconds.

"...Sigh..." He rubbed his forehead before turning toward Wisnu. "So..."

Wisnu looked up.

"Yes?"

Taufik gestured vaguely.

"Which side are you on?"

For the first time, genuine confusion appeared on Wisnu’s face.

"...I’m afraid you’ll need to be more specific"

"The Null Pantheon or Sanctum Aeterna?" He shrugged. "Shiva seems to have sided with the Null Pantheon"

A pause.

"Brahma joined Sanctum Aeterna"

His eyes settled on Wisnu.

"But you?"

Taufik leaned back.

"I didn’t see you standing with either of them"

A brief silence followed.

"So which side are you on?"

"Ah..."

Wisnu finally understood.

A soft laugh escaped him.

"That," He gently shook his head. "I’m not on either side"

The answer came so naturally that several of the queens blinked.

Taufik raised an eyebrow.

"You didn’t join either faction?"

"No"

Wisnu picked up his untouched cup of tea and finally took a sip.

The warm smile never left his face.

"I never had any intention of joining either of them"

The gazebo fell silent again.

Then Wisnu tilted his head slightly.

"...Would that be a problem?"

His tone remained gentle.

Almost innocent.

As if he genuinely couldn’t understand why everyone was staring at him.

Taufik took his time to consider the answer.

Wisnu was the Preserver.

The guardian of balance, order, and continuity.

Across countless ages, mortals had worshipped him as the deity who maintained the harmony of existence itself. Unlike gods who sought conquest or dominion, Wisnu’s role had always been one of preservation.

Because of that, there was actually no issue with him remaining independent.

In fact, Taufik preferred it that way.

As long as Wisnu did not align himself with the Null Pantheon, there was little reason for concern.

After all, unlike many of the gods who had abandoned Earth when mana began disappearing from the world, Wisnu had remained.

He had adapted.

Endured.

Survived.

Yet even a god could not exist indefinitely in a world where mana had nearly vanished.

Especially when what little remained had become corrupted.

So Wisnu chose a path that few others could have taken.

Reincarnation.

Again and again, he was reborn into the world, allowing himself to begin anew whenever time wore down the vessel he occupied.

Taufik had always found that choice somewhat extreme.

Immortality could preserve the body.

It could preserve existence.

But the mind was another matter entirely.

Memories faded.

Experiences accumulated.

Even the strongest will could eventually be eroded beneath the weight of endless centuries.

And yet Wisnu continued forward.

Life after life.

Era after era.

A faint smile appeared on Taufik’s face.

When most gods fled from a dying world, Wisnu had chosen to remain with it until the very end.

That alone was worthy of respect.

His gaze settled on the man sitting across from him.

At first glance, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about him.

A gentle smile.

Calm eyes.

A relaxed posture.

Someone could mistake him for an ordinary traveler enjoying an afternoon cup of tea.

But beneath that unassuming appearance existed an ancient being who had witnessed civilizations rise and collapse more times than most could comprehend.

Taufik’s eyes narrowed slightly.

According to the traditions surrounding Wisnu, he would incarnate ten times.

Nine incarnations had already appeared throughout history.

Matsya.

Kurma.

Varaha.

Narasimha.

Vamana.

Parashurama.

Rama.

Krishna.

And Buddha.

Each incarnation had marked a turning point in the world.

Each had existed to preserve balance during an age of disorder.

Which meant only one remained.

The final incarnation.

The one destined to appear at the end of an age and usher in the beginning of another.

Kalki.

---

"Actually, no, there’s no problem with it," Taufik finally said. He then studied Wisnu for a little bit longer and then asked again, "...So this is your final incarnation?"

Wisnu looked up, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

"That depends on who is asking"

Taufik snorted.

"Answering questions with more questions, huh?"

"Ahaha~" Wisnu laughed softly. "Some habits are difficult to abandon"

The gentle breeze drifted through the gazebo, carrying the scent of flowers from the surrounding gardens.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Wisnu smiled faintly.

"...But yes," he finally answered. "This is my last incarnation"

The moment those words left his mouth, a subtle tension spread among those present.

None of the queens was ignorant of what that meant.

A final incarnation.

The last cycle.

The end of a journey that had continued across countless lifetimes.

For someone like Wisnu, it was not a trivial statement.

It was the conclusion of an era.

Yet strangely... Wisnu did not look relieved.

If anything, he looked uncertain.

"...However," he continued after a moment, "there is something that confuses me"

Taufik raised an eyebrow.

"Confuses you?"

Wisnu nodded.

"Yes... This should have been my final incarnation"

A pause.

"Which means the ending should have already arrived"

His voice remained calm, but there was a trace of genuine uncertainty beneath it.

"The Earth I remembered is gone"

"The future I expected never came"

His eyes lowered toward the tea in his hands.

"The end I spent so many lives preparing for..." A faint smile appeared. "...was replaced by something else"

Silence followed.

No one interrupted him.

"Since awakening, I’ve spent my time wandering the world"

"I’ve watched Mana return"

"I’ve watched the old pantheons descend once more"

"I’ve watched humanity adapt"

A brief pause.

"And they are different"

His fingers lightly traced the edge of the teacup.

"So different"

Confusion became visible in his expression. Not dramatic. Not overwhelming... Simply honest.

"I realized something while wandering"

His smile became slightly bitter.

"For the first time in all my incarnations..." He looked toward Taufik. "...I do not know what my purpose is supposed to be"

The gazebo fell silent.

Immediately, every queen turned toward Taufik.

Simultaneously.

Without exception.

Taufik froze.

’...Why are all of you looking at me?’

No one answered.

They didn’t need to.

The accusation was obvious.

The end had already arrived.

The cycle should have concluded.

But Taufik had interfered.

He had taken an ending and turned it into a beginning.

He had rewritten the future itself.

So, in a very indirect way... Wisnu’s current existential crisis was entirely his fault.

The pressure from his wives’ gazes became unbearable.

Taufik coughed awkwardly.

"B-But..." He quickly searched for something to say. "Isn’t that a good thing?"

Everyone continued staring at him.

Including Wisnu.

Taufik felt even more pressured.

"I mean..."

He gestured vaguely toward the world beyond the garden.

"Look at Earth now"

A pause.

"It’s better, isn’t it?"

His voice grew more confident as he continued.

"Back then, everyone was preparing for an ending"

"Now they’re preparing for a future"

Another pause.

"So maybe..." He scratched his cheek. "...maybe not knowing your purpose isn’t such a bad thing"

Wisnu blinked.

Then he laughed softly.

A warm, genuine laugh.

"Perhaps you’re right"

The confusion in his expression eased slightly.

"Maybe I am simply struggling to adjust"

His gaze drifted toward the distant sky once more.

"For countless lifetimes, I walked toward a destination"

A faint smile appeared.

"And now that destination no longer exists"

The smile widened slightly.

"So perhaps..." He looked back at Taufik. "...I should spend more time wandering... To find a new purpose"

Taufik immediately nodded.

Far too quickly.

"Exactly... Aha... Ahaha~"

An awkward laugh escaped him.

"There are plenty of things to do out there"

He pointed nowhere in particular.

"The world’s huge"

"You’ll definitely find something"

A pause.

Then he added with complete confidence:

"I believe in you"

Wisnu chuckled.

"Thank you, my friend"

The atmosphere lightened considerably after that.

The conversation continued naturally as they waited for Nāgāntaka to arrive.

Two beings sat together beneath the gazebo.

Yet despite sharing the same table, their paths had been fundamentally different.

One had stepped beyond the world’s cycle.

Defying endings.

Rejecting fate.

Creating new possibilities whenever reality attempted to close its doors.

The other had remained within that cycle.

Watching.

Waiting.

Enduring.

Accepting each beginning and every ending entrusted to him.

And now... For the first time in countless ages, both of them stood before an uncertain future.

Not an ending.

Not a predetermined destiny.

But a road neither of them could fully see.

A new age.

Waiting to be written.

....

...

..

.