The Archive trembled.
Not violently—
deliberately.
Vasundhara stiffened, eyes narrowing.
"That's not a breach,"she said.
"That's permission."
Kashyap felt it instantly—
a pressure behind his eyes,like reality itself had leaned closer to inspect him.
Mandakini's fingers tightened around his.
"They're here,"she said quietly.
The air folded inward.
Not tearing like a Gate.
Not cracking like a Hunter's entry.
This was smoother. Cleaner.
As if the universe itself had stepped aside.
A circular platform of pure obsidian light manifested before them.
Upon it stood three figures.
Tall.
Featureless.
Wrapped in layered robes of shifting geometry.
No faces.
No eyes.
Yet Kashyap felt their gaze crawl over his soul.
Vasundhara dropped to one knee instantly.
"The Council of Origin,"she said.
"Architects of the First Reality."
Mandakini did not kneel.
Neither did Kashyap.
The central figure spoke—
not aloud,
but directly into their minds.
KEY. LOCK. ANOMALY.
Mandakini's jaw tightened.
"We have names,"she said.
"And you don't get to define us."
A pause.
Not surprise—
calculation.
YOU DEFY STRUCTURE.
YOU CREATE INSTABILITY.
Kashyap stepped forward.
"You created the Void-Seekers,"he said coldly.
"You don't get to lecture us about instability."
The Council's presence intensified.
WE CREATED CORRECTION.
YOU ARE ERROR.
Mandakini laughed once—sharp and humorless.
"Funny,"she said.
"Because your'correction' keeps failing."
The leftmost figure shifted.
THE LOCK HAS EVOLVED.
THIS WAS NOT INTENDED.
Vasundhara rose slowly.
"You underestimated her,"she said.
"And now you're afraid."
The Council ignored her.
THE KEY MUST BE RESET.
SEPARATION IS REQUIRED.
Mandakini felt a sharp pull in her chest—
a command trying to pry her away from Kashyap.
She resisted.
Reality strained.
Kashyap felt his resonance surge in response—
not violent,
but protective.
The Archive groaned.
Then—
A new presence slammed into the chamber like a storm.
Wind howled.
Light fractured.
A figure dropped between Kashyap and the Council, cloak snapping violently.
"Well," a familiar voice said,
"this escalated fast."
Kashyap's eyes widened.
"Vayu?!"
The man grinned, electricity dancing along his arms.
"Miss me?"
Another ripple—
A tall woman stepped out of a glowing sigil, calm and razor-sharp.
"Bhrigu reporting,"she said.
"Looks like the gods finally came out of hiding."
One by one, the space filled:
Viraj, armor humming with kinetic fields.
Agastya,staff carved with ancient equations.
Nirbhay,silent, eyes scanning for threats.
Saswat,smiling faintly—too calm for the moment.
Mandakini exhaled in disbelief.
"Our people…"
Vasundhara's voice shook.
"You came."
Agastya tapped his staff against the floor.
"When reality starts shaking at the foundation,"he said,
"even old men wake up."
The Council's presence shifted—
less dominant now.
INTERFERENCE DETECTED.
IRRELEVANT VARIABLES.
Saswat smiled.
"You always say that,"he replied lightly.
"Right before things go wrong."
Vayu cracked his knuckles.
"So what's the plan?"he asked.
"Because I'm voting we hit them."
Mandakini stepped forward, eyes locked on the Council.
"No,"she said.
"We don't attack."
She turned to Kashyap.
"Not yet."
Kashyap nodded instantly.
He trusted her—without question.
Mandakini faced the Council again.
"You want separation?"she said evenly.
"Then hear this."
She placed her hand over Kashyap's heart.
"Try it," she whispered.
"And the Origin Gate opens whether you're ready or not."
The Archive went silent.
Even the Council paused.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
THREAT ACKNOWLEDGED,
the central figure finally said.
TEMPORARY WITHDRAWAL AUTHORIZED.
The platform began to dissolve.
But before leaving, the Council spoke one final message—
cold and absolute.
WAR IS NOW INEVITABLE.
CHOOSE YOUR SIDE.
They vanished.
The pressure lifted.
The Archive stabilized.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Then Vayu let out a low whistle.
"So,"he said.
"We're officially fighting the creators of existence."
Viraj smirked.
"About time."
Mandakini looked around at the group—then at Kashyap.
"This isn't about running anymore,"she said.
"It's about standing."
Kashyap met her gaze, steady and unafraid.
"Together."
Vasundhara stepped forward.
"Then we must move,"she said.
"The Council will rally their enforcers.Entire realities will be weaponized."
Agastya nodded gravely.
"The Origin War has begun."
Far beyond the Archive, ancient engines stirred.
Worlds aligned.
And somewhere in the deep fabric of creation—
The Origin Gate responded.