The sun burned without mercy.
It did not ask who you were.It did not care where you were born.
It only shone.
The boy standing in the dusty clearing raised his bow again, arms trembling, teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
"Again," his foster father said.
Karna did not complain.
He never did.
His name was Radheya to the world.
Son of a charioteer.
Born to grease-stained hands and cracked wheels.
But every time he drew the bowstring, something inside him screamed.
This is not enough.
The arrow flew.
True.
Too true.
It struck the wooden target dead-center, splitting a previous arrow cleanly in half.
The clearing fell silent.
The other boys stared.
One whispered, "That's impossible…"
Adhiratha, the charioteer, felt pride—and fear.
"You must stop," he said softly.
Karna turned.
"Why?"
"Because people notice," Adhiratha replied. "And noticing brings trouble."
Karna frowned.
"Then let them notice."
[Dormant Fate Node – Karna]Emotion Spike: Resentment
Far away, Arya felt it.
A faint sting across his awareness.
He's growing faster than expected.
Karna trained in secret.
At dawn. At dusk. At night.
He ran until his lungs burned. He lifted stones until his muscles tore. He shot arrows until his fingers bled.
And still—
It was not enough.
"Why am I like this?" Karna asked the river one evening.
The river did not answer.
But the sun dipped low, bathing him in gold.
Karna clenched his fists.
He dreamed often.
Of a woman crying.
Of chains he could not see.
Of standing before kings who laughed.
He always woke angry.
Years passed.
His reputation spread despite Adhiratha's efforts.
A charioteer's son who fought like royalty.
That was the phrase whispered in markets.
Royalty.
The word burned.
The first open humiliation came at Hastinapura.
Karna stood among princes, armor borrowed, posture proud.
He defeated them all.
Then came the question.
"Your lineage?"
Silence followed.
The hall laughed.
"Son of a charioteer," the herald announced.
Laughter roared.
Karna stood unmoving.
Inside, something shattered.
[Fate Resonance – Karna]Core Wound: Denied Identity
Far away, Arya closed his eyes.
This is the moment I allowed.
The system spoke quietly.
[Reminder]Witness to Tragedy does not mean freedom from consequence.
Arya said nothing.
A man watched Karna from the shadows.
Eyes sharp.
Smile thin.
Duryodhana.
"Rise," he said later, voice smooth as poison. "A man like you deserves a throne."
A kingdom was offered.
Anga.
Karna knelt.
Loyalty was born in fire.
[Fate Node – Karna]Alignment Shift: Kaurava
Arya felt it like a blade sliding into place.
The board is set.
Back in Mahismati, Arya received the news in silence.
Karna—now King of Anga.
Ally of Hastinapura's darkest prince.
A warrior without peer.
The ministers panicked.
"The balance will break," one whispered.
Arya stared at the map.
It already has.
That night, Shiva spoke once more.
"You still believe you chose wisely?"
Arya answered honestly.
"I believe there was no clean choice."
Parvati's voice was softer.
"Then be ready to bleed."
Arya smiled grimly.
"I already am."
The system activated.
[Major Convergence Approaching]Next Arc: Brothers Without Blood
Preparation Suggested:Increase Military SovereigntyStrengthen Emotional Control
Arya looked toward the rising sun.
A sun that did not belong to him.
A sun that would burn the world.
Karna stood atop Anga's walls, gazing west.
Toward a kingdom he had never seen.
Toward a prince who had watched him fall.
Neither knew the other yet.
But fate smiled.
Cruel.
Patient.
Inevitable.