You reached the temple too late.

Or maybe — just barely in time.

The air shimmered with golden light, his cosmos radiating in waves so intense it made your lungs tighten. He was already mid-ascension, seated in a meditative pose, framed by the sacred glow of the lotus. Serene. Unmoving.

But then — he opened his eyes.

And your breath caught.

Blue. A piercing, ethereal blue that saw everything — and yet, so gently, saw only you.

For the first time… he saw you.

Not with his cosmos. Not through insight or instinct. But with sight. True, physical sight.

And the first — and last — image he would ever behold… was you, broken, knees hitting the marble as you rushed to him. Trembling hands reached for his, clinging to his robes, desperate.

You didn’t speak. You couldn’t.

Words would never be enough to stop him — you knew that. He was beyond pleading, beyond fear. This was his purpose. His decision.

Still… your arms wrapped around him. Still… your cheek pressed to his shoulder, tears falling onto the very Virgo cloth that wouldn’t vanish with him.

And in that moment, Asmita did not flinch. He did not pull away.

Instead, he exhaled slowly. One final breath.

Then… a hand lifted — gently, shakily — to your face. He touched your cheek. Just once.

“So this is you,” he whispered.

You nodded, sobbing silently, your hand covering his.

“Then I leave… with no regrets.”

He closed his eyes once more.

And the next time you opened yours…

The lotus and his armor were the only things left behind.