Arya dreamed.
Not of war.
Not of fire.
But of scales.
Endless, stretching into darkness—each one weighted with names instead of stone. Each time he placed one name down, another appeared to counterbalance it. No matter what he did, the scales never settled.
They only grew heavier.
---
He woke with a sharp intake of breath, fingers curling into the sheets.
For a moment, he did not know where he was.
Then pain reminded him.
Mahismati.
The keep.
The cost.
---
> [System Interface – Reactivated]
> Status: Limited
> Reason:
> Moral Debt – Critical Threshold
> Action Required:
> Host Transformation Assessment
Arya stared at the words hovering faintly in his mind.
"Transformation," he whispered.
Not redemption.
Not punishment.
Change.
---
Karna was asleep in a chair beside the bed.
Not slumped.
Not careless.
Alert even in rest.
The sight stirred something in Arya's chest—something close to regret.
He shifted slightly.
Pain flared.
Karna's eyes snapped open instantly.
"You're awake," Karna said, already on his feet.
Arya nodded.
"How long?"
"Since you collapsed," Karna replied. "I didn't leave."
Arya looked away.
"You should have."
Karna snorted softly.
"And miss you deciding the fate of the world in your sleep?"
---
Silence stretched.
Then Karna spoke again, more quietly.
"You chose the south," he said.
Arya did not deny it.
"You chose me," Karna continued. "And the army."
Arya closed his eyes.
"Yes."
Karna's voice tightened.
"And you left the east to burn."
"Yes."
The word tasted like ash.
---
Karna gripped the back of the chair.
"I don't know if I can forgive that," he said.
Arya opened his eyes.
"I don't want you to," he replied.
Karna froze.
Arya met his gaze steadily.
"If you forgive it," Arya said, "then I become right. And I'm not."
---
> [System Note]
> Host Rejects Moral Absolution
> Psychological Integrity: Stable
> Risk:
> Isolation Escalation
Karna sat back down slowly.
"You're not asking us to believe in you anymore," he said.
Arya shook his head.
"I'm asking you to see me clearly."
Karna studied him for a long moment.
Then—
"That's worse," Karna said.
Arya gave a faint, humorless smile.
"I know."
---
Later that day, Krishna came.
Not announced.
Not escorted.
He simply appeared at the threshold of the infirmary, flute absent, expression grave.
Karna stiffened instantly.
Arya felt it.
Not pressure.
Gravity.
---
"You look smaller," Krishna said mildly.
Arya scoffed.
"I feel heavier."
Krishna nodded as if that made perfect sense.
"Ah," he said. "Then you are changing."
---
> [Divine Presence Detected]
> System Deference Protocol: Engaged
Arya did not bow.
Krishna noticed.
And smiled faintly.
---
"You have accumulated debt," Krishna said, walking closer. "Not karmic. Not divine. Human."
Arya met his gaze.
"I know."
"You cannot pay it by bleeding," Krishna continued. "Nor by winning."
Arya said nothing.
"You are learning the lesson even kings avoid," Krishna said softly. "That justice cannot remain personal forever."
---
Karna frowned.
"What does that mean?" he asked.
Krishna glanced at him.
"It means," Krishna replied, "that Arya must stop being the scale."
---
The words struck deeper than any accusation.
Arya felt the system stir violently.
---
> [Transformation Prompt]
> Current Role:
> Judge–Executor Hybrid
> Result:
> Unsustainable
> Recommended Shift:
> Architect of Judgment
Arya's breath caught.
"Explain," he said.
Krishna smiled.
"Ah," he said. "That would ruin the pain."
---
Krishna turned toward the exit.
"Bhishma will not stop," he said over his shoulder. "He will force you into greater choices. Wider losses. Deeper debts."
He paused.
"And if you remain the one who decides who burns—"
Krishna looked back.
"You will burn with them."
---
The room felt colder after he left.
---
Karna broke the silence.
"What did he mean?" Karna asked.
Arya stared at the ceiling.
"He means," Arya said slowly, "that I can't keep being the one who chooses."
Karna's brow furrowed.
"Then who does?"
Arya turned his head.
"All of us," he said.
---
> [System Directive – Evolution Available]
> Requirement:
> Relinquish Absolute Authority
> Effect:
> Moral Debt Conversion Possible
> Risk:
> Loss of Control
> Unpredictable Outcomes
Arya felt the weight shift.
Not lessen.
Rearrange.
---
That evening, Arya ordered the council assembled.
Not tomorrow.
Not after recovery.
Now.
---
When they gathered—military, civilian, healer, merchant—Arya did not sit above them.
He sat among them.
Equal height.
Equal reach.
---
"You are here," Arya said, voice steady despite pain, "because I will no longer decide alone."
Murmurs rippled.
Karna's eyes widened slightly.
---
"From this day," Arya continued, "every decision that risks civilian lives will be made collectively. Recorded. Shared. Owned."
A commander stood.
"That will slow us!"
"Yes," Arya replied.
A merchant scoffed.
"That will weaken authority!"
"Yes," Arya said again.
---
"And it will save me from becoming something this city cannot survive," Arya finished.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Real.
---
> [System Update]
> Transformation Initiated
> Role Shift:
> Sovereign Judge → Shared Arbiter
> Moral Debt:
> Conversion In Progress
> Outcome:
> Unknown
Arya felt it.
The Sovereign's Burden did not lift.
But it changed shape.
Less crushing.
More expansive.
---
Karna looked at him after the council dispersed.
"You're giving away power," Karna said.
Arya nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Arya met his eyes.
"Because power hoarded becomes blame," he said. "Power shared becomes responsibility."
Karna was quiet for a long moment.
Then—
"I'll stand with you," Karna said. "Even if this fails."
Arya exhaled slowly.
"Especially then."
---
That night, Mahismati did not sleep easily.
But something subtle shifted in its breath.
Not hope.
Not relief.
Participation.
---
Far beyond the walls, Bhishma listened to the report with narrowed eyes.
"He has diluted his authority," Bhishma said.
Krishna smiled faintly.
"No," he replied. "He has multiplied it."
Bhishma's voice was grim.
"Then the next blow must be decisive."
Krishna's smile faded.
"Yes," he said softly. "It must."
---
Back in Mahismati, the system recorded its final note for the day.
---
> [Chapter End State]
> Host Identity:
> In Transition
> Moral Debt:
> Converting to Collective Burden
> Forecast:
> This path saves the soul—
> but endangers the city.
---
End of Chapter 35