The forest stretched ahead in quiet tension, its silence not empty but filled with something waiting beneath the surface.
Karna walked at a steady pace, his steps light yet deliberate, as if each movement was placed with purpose rather than habit. The ground beneath him felt different now—not because it had changed, but because he could feel it in ways he never had before.
The flow was everywhere.
It moved through the roots beneath the soil, through the shifting air between the trees, through the faint presence of life that hid beyond sight. It no longer needed to be searched for. It simply existed, constantly feeding into his awareness.
And that—
Was not entirely comfortable.
Duryodhana walked beside him, resting his mace across his shoulder, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. He had learned enough now to understand when something was off, even if he couldn't see it the way Karna did.
