The journey back was quieter than the battle.
Not because there was nothing to say—but because both of them were thinking.
Each step carried its own weight, and words felt almost unnecessary in the presence of so much unspoken understanding.
The road seemed to absorb their silence rather than demand it.
The road stretched long beneath their feet, cutting through forests that whispered with the wind and open plains where the sky felt wider than before.
Trees arched overhead, their leaves rustling like murmurs of some old wisdom, while the plains opened to a horizon that seemed to promise both freedom and uncertainty.
Nothing had changed in the world itself, yet everything felt slightly different to Karna.
Every shadow, every bend in the road, carried a subtle significance he had never noticed before.
Because now—
He could see it.
Not just the movement of people or the rhythm of travel, but the subtle undercurrent that flowed beneath everything.
