Fate did not announce itself with thunder.
It whispered.
Arya felt it before anyone spoke the name.
A disturbance—not in the air, not in the court, but deep within the invisible threads that connected lives across kingdoms. It was sharp, fleeting, and unmistakable.
Something important had begun.
[Fate Node – Active]
Designation: Solar Lineage
Subject: Karna (Dormant)
Arya's breath slowed.
So the sun has found a vessel.
He had known this moment would come. The Mahabharata was not a single story—it was a convergence. And Karna was one of its darkest stars.
The report arrived three days later.
A caravan from the eastern territories had been attacked near the riverbanks. Most were killed. One survivor remained—a woman, badly wounded, clutching an infant.
"She refused to give up the child," the scout said. "Even as she bled."
The court murmured.
Arya said nothing.
But his fingers tightened.
They brought her into the palace infirmary.
She was young. Too young to carry the weight of divine transgression.
Her eyes were dull with pain, but when she looked at the child—
There was terror.
And love.
"I did not sin," she whispered repeatedly. "I did not sin."
Arya recognized the fear.
Not of death.
Of judgment.
[Dharma Sense – Resonance Spike]
The pressure hit him like a blow.
Abandonment. Shame. Fate imposed.
The infant glowed faintly to Arya's perception—not light, but potential.
This child will suffer.
Not might.
Will.
The king stood at the foot of the bed.
"A scandal," a minister hissed. "An unwed woman bearing a child of unknown father."
Another added coldly, "Such births invite unrest."
Arya finally spoke.
"What would you do?"
The ministers turned, startled.
The first replied, "Send the child away. Quietly."
The second nodded. "Erase the problem."
Arya looked at the infant.
Erase Karna.
The Mahabharata would change.
The bloodshed might lessen.
Or it might worsen.
[Major Decision Point Detected]
Choice Options Available:
Intervene Directly – Save the child openly (High Risk)
Alter Fate Quietly – Influence circumstances (Severe Uncertainty)
Observe Only – Preserve original fate (No Immediate Risk)
Arya closed his eyes.
Shiva's words echoed.
Even gods manipulate dharma.
Parvati's whisper followed.
Remember compassion.
He chose.
"Send the woman away," Arya said calmly.
Relief spread through the ministers.
"But—" Arya continued, eyes cold, "ensure she is escorted safely to the river port. With guards who know silence."
The king studied him.
"You would let fate run its course?"
Arya met his gaze.
"I would let it breathe."
[Choice Registered]
Path: Strategic Dharma – Advanced
Immediate Reward: None
Future Consequence: Unknown
The system did not approve.
It only recorded.
That night, Arya stood alone on the balcony.
Far away, beneath the moonlit river, a woman wept as she placed her child into a basket.
Arya felt it.
A tearing.
A scar forming across destiny.
[Fate Event: Karna's Abandonment – Confirmed]
Warning:
This event will echo throughout multiple lifetimes.
Arya clenched the railing.
I know.
Years passed.
The child lived.
Raised by charioteers.
Denied his birthright.
Burning with silent resentment.
Arya knew it without seeing.
The system reminded him often.
[Dormant Fate Node – Karna]
Status: Alive
Alignment: Unresolved
Mahismati flourished.
Arya led reforms—grain redistribution, merit-based military ranks, disciplined nobility.
But his dreams darkened.
He dreamed of a man bathed in sunlight, bleeding loyalty onto ungrateful soil.
He dreamed of war.
The first direct consequence arrived during a southern campaign.
A young warrior stood among the enemy ranks.
Armor worn.
Stance perfect.
Eyes blazing with hunger.
Arya's breath caught.
Not yet.
But soon.
[Fate Convergence Warning]
Your path and Karna's will intersect.
Suggested Preparation:
Increase Emotional Resistance
Arya scoffed softly.
"I don't need protection from guilt."
That night, Shiva's presence returned—heavy, undeniable.
"You let him fall."
Arya did not deny it.
"Yes."
"And when he rises?"
Arya looked toward the horizon.
"I will face him."
Parvati's voice followed, gentle and sad.
"Even if he hates you?"
Arya's jaw tightened.
"Especially then."
The system chimed one last time.
[Major Milestone Achieved]
Title Unlocked: Witness to Tragedy
Effect:
You cannot claim ignorance of suffering you allow.
Arya accepted it.
No denial.
No escape.
Mahismati's banners stood tall.
Kuru's shadow grew longer.
And somewhere, a boy learned to hate the world that denied him.
The Mahabharata had begun—
Not with war.
But with abandonment.