Silence returned.
But not the hollow, unsettling silence of a place abandoned.
Not the kind that pressed against the ears and unsettled the mind.
This silence—
Was different.
Steady.
Grounded.
Earned.
The battlefield had calmed.
The fractured earth no longer trembled.
The air had lost its oppressive weight.
The distortions—
Gone without a trace.
And yet—
Something remained.
Not visible.
Not tangible.
But present.
The echo of what had happened lingered like a shadow that refused to fade completely.
A memory imprinted into the space itself.
Duryodhana exhaled deeply.
A long breath, released slowly as tension finally loosened from his body.
He rolled his shoulders slightly, easing the stiffness from the earlier confrontation.
"…That was annoying."
His tone carried irritation.
Not fear.
Never fear.
But dissatisfaction.
A fight—
Interrupted.
Unfinished.
"They just leave after all that?"
There was a sharp edge beneath his words.
Because to him—
