The screen is black. A soft, resonant voice slowly echoes, filling the emptiness with a philosophical tone, yet heavy with ancient wisdom. The camera begins to drift through the vast, endless expanse of space, revealing swirling galaxies, shimmering nebulae, and the faint glimmer of distant stars. The voice speaks:
"Reality... What is it, truly?"
A cluster of stars spins into focus, their brilliant light illuminating the darkness as if beckoning an answer. The voice continues, weaving a tapestry of thought and wonder.
"Is it what we see? What do we touch? What we know? Or is it simply... what our minds allow us to comprehend? Reality, as we know it, does not exist."
The camera glides closer to a blue-green planet, teeming with life. As the voice speaks, images of living beings- diverse, strange, and beautiful- flash before the audience, each accompanied by a brief glimpse into their unique world perspectives.
"Our minds sense the environment through fragile instruments- eyes that see, ears that hear, skin that feels. Yet, these senses are but tools, their limitations binding us to a single, narrow view. What we call 'reality' is merely an interpretation, a shadow of the true infinite."
The screen splits, showing the contrast between the two creatures. A human gazes at a rainbow arching across the sky, vibrant with seven colours. Meanwhile, a dog, standing beside him, sees only shades of grey and muted tones.
"Some beings see seven colours, while others see only two. Some behold the entire spectrum, while some see... nothing at all."
A butterfly's intricate wings shimmer in ultraviolet light, invisible to human eyes. A bat, hanging upside down in a cave, emits a silent pulse and "sees" the world through sound. An octopus shifts its skin, communicating through patterns and colours that no human eye could decipher.
Some hear melodies within a range of frequencies. Others sense vibrations far beyond. Some do not hear at all. Some beings feel warm as an embrace, and others thrive in the cold. Some communicate through words, building societies with their voices, and those who dwell in silence, alone, yet whole.
The camera drifts to a barren desert, where a tiny insect completes its life cycle in mere hours, then shifts to an ancient bristlecone pine tree, its gnarled branches stretching across millennia.
"Some live for moments. Some endure for centuries. And yet, every living thing perceives its reality as complete, as whole. But tell me..."
The camera slows, pausing at the edge of a black hole, its gaping maw swallowing light and matter alike. The voice grows softer and more inquisitive, as if it addresses the viewer directly.
"Where did it all begin? Who shaped this reality, this tapestry of countless perceptions? What lies beyond it, in the void where no light reaches? Why was it created? Was there a purpose? Or... was there only chaos?"
The black hole collapses into a singularity, then blooms into a brilliant explosion of light abstract representation of the Big Bang. Particles swirl and coalesce, forming stars, planets, and eventually... life. The camera focuses on a single, microscopic cell, floating in primordial waters, pulsing with the spark of existence.
"It all begins with one thing... a force both fragile and unstoppable. The tiniest spark. The smallest seed. The simplest question... Curiosity."
The cell divides, then multiplies, evolving, growing, changing. The voice grows firm, resonant with purpose, as the camera zooms out, revealing the vast complexity of life born from that single moment of wonder.
"And from that spark, a story unfolds. A story of gods and mortals, of chaos and creation, of questions that give birth to answers and answers that lead to even greater questions. This is that story. The tale of one mortal who dared to reach beyond the limits of his reality. A tale of how curiosity made him... a god."
The camera lingers on the back of a young man, standing at the edge of a cliff, staring into a horizon lit with the city below and stars. He is nameless for now, but his journey is about to begin.
The screen fades to black, and the title appears:
Rudra: A Tale of How a Mortal Ascends to the Level of Gods.