Mahismati did not sleep that night.
Not because of fear—but because of thought.
Fires burned lower across the horizon, and for the first time since the siege began, no horns sounded. No arrows flew. No walls shook. The silence felt unnatural, as if the war itself paused to watch what Arya would do next.
Inside the keep, guards changed shifts with unusual formality. Orders were obeyed precisely. Too precisely. Discipline born not of loyalty—but caution.
---
> [City Morale Scan]
> Fear: Moderate
> Respect: Rising
> Trust: Conditional
> Emotional State: Watchful
Arya felt it with every step he took through the halls.
The air no longer pushed back against him.
It waited.
---
He stopped before the chamber of records.
The scribes froze as he entered.
"You may go," Arya said.
They bowed deeply and fled.
Alone, Arya stared at the shelves—names, reports, tallies of the living and the dead. Wars reduced to ink. Lives summarized in margins.
The Sovereign's Burden tightened.
---
> [Judicial Memory – Active]
> Past Judgments: 4
> Mercy-to-Cruelty Ratio: Favoring Mercy
> Long-Term Projection:
> Host Isolation Increasing
Arya closed his eyes.
"So this is how you keep score now," he murmured.
The system did not deny it.
---
A knock echoed.
Karna entered without waiting.
"You should eat," he said.
Arya did not turn.
"I did."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Karna frowned.
"That explains nothing."
---
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then Karna spoke again, more carefully.
"You shook the army today."
"I needed to."
"You punished men who won us time."
"I punished men who killed civilians."
Karna exhaled sharply.
"And what happens when hesitation costs us soldiers?"
Arya turned.
"Then that cost is mine," he said.
Karna met his gaze.
"That's not how armies work."
Arya nodded.
"I know."
---
The system pulsed.
---
> [Leadership Divergence – Detected]
> Key Ally Perspective Misalignment
Arya felt it.
A hairline fracture.
Not broken.
Yet.
---
Outside the walls, Bhishma stood at the edge of the Kuru camp, listening to reports with a patience that unsettled his subordinates.
"He punished his own commanders," one said. "Exiled them."
Bhishma nodded slowly.
"And?"
"The army still obeys."
Bhishma closed his eyes briefly.
"That," he said, "means he has crossed from fear into legitimacy."
No one smiled.
---
Krishna appeared beside him, unannounced as ever.
"You look troubled," Krishna said lightly.
Bhishma did not answer immediately.
"Punishing victory," Bhishma said at last, "is a dangerous precedent."
Krishna tilted his head.
"So is rewarding atrocity."
Bhishma glanced at him.
"You're enjoying this."
Krishna smiled.
"I enjoy honesty," he replied. "And Arya is becoming painfully honest with himself."
---
Inside Mahismati, the system spoke again.
---
> [Strategic Advisory]
> Enemy Preparing Psychological Offensive
> Objective:
> Force Host into Contradictory Judgment
Arya's eyes narrowed.
"They're going to test consistency," he said.
Karna nodded grimly.
"Bhishma always does."
---
The test came before sunset.
A Kuru envoy approached under white flag.
An older man.
Unarmed.
Calm.
---
"He brings prisoners," the guard reported.
"How many?" Arya asked.
"Twenty-seven," the guard replied. "Captured civilians. From the border villages."
Arya's stomach tightened.
---
They were brought to the outer square.
Men.
Women.
Children.
Bound—but unharmed.
The envoy bowed deeply.
"Bhishma Pitamaha offers an exchange," he said smoothly. "These lives… for the return of your exiled commanders."
Murmurs erupted.
---
Karna spun toward Arya.
"He's daring you," Karna hissed.
Arya nodded.
"I know."
---
> [Judicial Memory – Stress Test]
> Scenario:
> Past Criminals vs Innocent Lives
> Inconsistency Risk: Extreme
Arya stared at the prisoners.
They were frightened.
But alive.
---
"You exiled those men," the envoy continued, voice gentle, "for killing civilians to save your city."
He smiled faintly.
"Now choose. Principles—or people."
---
Silence devoured the square.
Arya felt the Sovereign's Burden surge violently.
This was not a choice.
It was an accusation.
---
He stepped forward.
"You release the prisoners," Arya said, "without condition."
The envoy shook his head.
"Then they die."
---
The system whispered.
---
> [Judgment Fork – Critical]
> Option A: Reinstate Commanders
> - Prisoners live
> - Moral Authority Collapses
> - Judicial Memory Corruption
> Option B: Refuse
> - Prisoners die
> - Moral Consistency Maintained
> - Public Trauma Severe
Arya closed his eyes.
This time—
He did not see Kaliyuga.
He saw the future.
A ruler who bent every time blood was placed on the scale.
A kingdom held hostage by its own conscience.
---
Arya opened his eyes.
"No," he said.
The word cracked through the square.
---
The envoy studied him.
Then nodded.
"As you wish."
He turned.
The prisoners were led away.
Screams followed moments later.
Short.
Final.
---
The square erupted.
Cries.
Anger.
Disbelief.
Karna grabbed Arya.
"Are you mad?!" he shouted. "You could have saved them!"
Arya did not pull away.
"I know."
The Sovereign's Burden crushed down.
Arya dropped to one knee.
Blood spilled freely.
---
> [Judicial Memory – Locked]
> Judgment Consistency Achieved
> Humanity Index: Severely Reduced
> Authority Integrity: Stabilized
Arya forced himself to stand.
"They would have owned us forever," he said hoarsely. "Every choice after this would be made with a knife to someone's throat."
Karna stared at him.
"You let them die."
Arya met his gaze.
"Yes."
---
That night, Mahismati wept.
Not for fear.
For disillusionment.
---
Krishna watched from afar, expression unreadable.
Bhishma closed his eyes.
"He chose consistency," Bhishma said.
Krishna nodded slowly.
"And paid for it immediately."
---
The system delivered its verdict.
---
> [Permanent Status Acquired]
> Title: The Consistent Judge
> Effect:
> Enemy coercion effectiveness reduced
> Ally emotional distance increased
> Compassion costs doubled
Arya stood alone on the wall as the city burned in grief behind him.
The Sovereign's Burden no longer screamed.
It pressed.
Constant.
Unforgiving.
---
"I understand now," Arya whispered.
Justice was not about saving everyone.
It was about refusing to be owned.
---
End of Chapter 26