The sun did not rise gently that morning.
It burned.
Arya stood atop Mahismati's eastern watchtower, eyes fixed on the horizon where light bled into the sky like fire spilling across a wound. The air was still, heavy with the kind of silence that came before screams.
The challenge had been issued.
Now it would be answered.
---
Three days after the council at Chedi, the reply arrived.
Not sealed.
Not written.
A single object was delivered to Mahismati's gates.
A banner.
Golden cloth, edged in black, bearing the blazing sigil of Anga's king.
The sun.
No words accompanied it.
None were needed.
---
> [Declaration Recognized]
> Challenger: Karna of Anga
> Chosen Field: Kurukshetra Plains (Outer Boundary)
> Time: Seventh Sunrise
> [Narrative Lock Confirmed]
> Large-Scale Conflict Probability: Escalating
Arya watched the banner flutter in the wind.
Kurukshetra.
Of course.
A land that drank blood and remembered it.
A land that would one day decide the fate of empires.
So Karna had chosen destiny itself as the field.
Arya exhaled slowly.
"So you want the world watching," he murmured.
---
The king of Mahismati was silent for a long time.
"Kurukshetra is cursed ground," he finally said. "Every step taken there echoes."
Arya nodded.
"That is why he chose it."
"To intimidate?"
"To be seen," Arya replied. "Karna has spent his life unseen."
---
The court erupted in argument.
"It's a provocation!"
"A trap!"
"The Kurus will interfere!"
Arya raised his hand.
Silence fell.
"We do not march to war," Arya said clearly. "We march to witness."
The generals stared.
"To witness?" one repeated.
"Yes," Arya replied. "This will not be an army clash. Not yet. This is a declaration disguised as honor."
---
> [Strategic Doctrine Selected]
> Phase: Limited Exposure
> Objective: Preserve Sovereignty Without Escalation
> [Reward Granted]
> Mental Fortitude +1
Arya felt the familiar tightening in his chest ease slightly.
---
Across the land, in Anga, Karna stood before his gathered commanders.
Kurukshetra lay marked on the map.
A general hesitated.
"My king… Mahismati may not come."
Karna's eyes blazed.
"He will."
"How can you be sure?"
Karna's jaw tightened.
"Because he understands what this means."
---
Duryodhana watched him carefully.
"You chose boldly," he said. "Too boldly, perhaps."
Karna turned.
"You wanted war," he said. "This is how wars begin."
Duryodhana smiled thinly.
"Yes. But remember—heroes die first."
Karna did not respond.
Something in Duryodhana's words felt wrong.
Not false.
Incomplete.
---
The seventh sunrise approached.
The world held its breath.
Kings sent observers.
Rishis closed their eyes in prayer.
The plains of Kurukshetra lay empty—but expectant.
---
Arya arrived with a small retinue.
No banners.
No war drums.
Just presence.
He dismounted and stepped onto the soil.
The moment his foot touched the ground, the system reacted.
---
> [Sacred Battlefield Detected]
> Location: Kurukshetra
> Status: Fate-Heavy Zone
> Warning:
> Actions here carry multiplied karmic consequences.
Arya felt it immediately.
The land was alive.
Watching.
Judging.
---
Karna arrived moments later.
Golden armor gleaming.
The sun itself seemed to favor him.
Their eyes met across the field.
No words.
No salute.
Only understanding.
---
"This land has seen brothers kill brothers," Karna said finally, his voice carrying across the plain.
Arya nodded.
"And it will again."
The words hung between them.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
---
Karna's grip tightened on his bow.
"Why did you let it happen?"
Arya did not pretend ignorance.
"The river," Karna continued, voice shaking. "The basket. The silence."
Arya closed his eyes briefly.
"I let fate breathe," he said.
Karna laughed.
A broken sound.
"And it strangled me."
---
> [Emotional Surge Detected]
> Karna – Rage + Grief
> [Hidden Condition Triggered]
> Sun's Wrath – Unstable
---
"You could have stopped it," Karna snarled.
"Yes," Arya replied.
"And you didn't."
"No."
Silence followed.
The wind carried dust between them.
Then Arya spoke again.
"Because saving you would have destroyed you."
Karna froze.
"What?"
"If you were raised as royalty," Arya said calmly, "you would have been a pawn. A weapon dulled by ceremony. You would never have become this."
Karna's hands trembled.
"You decided my suffering was necessary?"
Arya met his gaze.
"I decided the world was not ready for you."
---
That was the moment.
Not of hatred.
Of rupture.
---
> [Irreversible Emotional Break]
> Karna – Arya
> Status: Severed Trust (Unformed)
> [System Notice]
> This conflict will not resolve peacefully.
---
Karna raised his bow.
Not to fire.
But to declare.
"I will stand with the Kauravas," he said. "Until the end."
Arya nodded.
"I know."
"And when we meet again," Karna continued, "I will not hesitate."
Arya's voice was steady.
"Neither will I."
---
They turned away from each other.
No duel.
No blood.
But the war had begun.
Not on the field.
But in the soul.
---
As Arya walked back, the system spoke one final time.
> [Destiny Phase Updated]
> Mahabharata Core Events: Accelerating
> Your Role: Disruptor Confirmed
Arya did not slow his steps.
"If destiny wants war," he whispered, "then I'll decide how it ends."
Behind him, the sun burned brighter.
Ahead of him, the world prepared to shatter.
---
End of Chapter 10