Victory arrived quietly.
That was how Arya knew it was dangerous.
There were no cheers echoing through Mahismati when the messengers returned at dawn. No drums. No cries of triumph. Only grim faces, soot-stained armor, and eyes that refused to meet his.
The kind of victory that avoided celebration.
---
> [Battle Report – Night Raids]
> Kuru Supply Lines: Crippled
> Command Casualties: High
> Mahismati Losses: Minimal
> Anomaly Detected:
> Civilian Casualties – Unconfirmed
Arya read the last line twice.
Then a third time.
---
"Bring the commanders," he said quietly.
Karna, standing beside him, felt the shift immediately.
"Now," Arya added.
---
The courtyard filled slowly.
Three strike leaders knelt before him—men chosen for discipline, not cruelty. Veterans. Professionals. They did not look defiant.
They looked nervous.
---
Arya descended the steps.
Each movement felt heavier than the last.
The Sovereign's Burden pulsed—not sharply, not violently—but steadily, like a drum counting down.
---
"Report," Arya said.
Commander Vritra spoke first.
"The eastern supply depot was destroyed," he said. "As ordered. Minimal resistance."
"And the bridge?" Arya asked.
"Collapsed successfully."
"And the village beside it?" Arya pressed.
Silence.
Karna's jaw tightened.
---
Vritra swallowed.
"They sheltered Kuru engineers," he said carefully. "Provided food. Intelligence."
Arya nodded slowly.
"How many lived there?"
Vritra hesitated.
"Approximately… two hundred."
Arya closed his eyes.
---
> [System Warning]
> Civilian Casualties Confirmed
> Count: 147
> Including Non-Combatants
> Responsibility Attribution:
> Indirect – Command Authorization
Arya's breath hitched.
Not because he was surprised.
But because some part of him had hoped.
---
"Did you issue an evacuation order?" Arya asked.
Vritra looked down.
"No."
"Why?"
"They would have warned the Kurus."
Arya opened his eyes.
"And children?" he asked softly.
Vritra's shoulders stiffened.
"They… were collateral."
The word echoed.
Ugly.
Efficient.
Deadly.
---
Karna stepped forward.
"You were ordered to avoid civilian harm," he snarled.
Vritra met his gaze.
"We were ordered to win," he replied. "And we did."
---
The courtyard held its breath.
---
> [Moral Conflict – Extreme]
> Host Authority Challenged
> Public Precedent Risk: High
Arya felt the line again.
Not bending this time.
Breaking.
---
He turned away.
Not in weakness.
In control.
---
"Bind them," Arya said.
The guards froze.
"What?" Karna demanded.
"Bind them," Arya repeated.
The guards obeyed.
Ropes tightened.
Shock rippled through the gathered soldiers.
---
"You're punishing success?" Vritra asked incredulously.
Arya turned back.
"I am punishing murder," he said.
"They aided the enemy!"
"They were civilians," Arya replied. "Under my protection."
---
> [Authority Assertion – Active]
> Sovereign's Burden: Spiking
> Pain Threshold: Exceeded
Arya swayed.
But he did not fall.
---
"You authorized force," Vritra said desperately. "You said we could be ruthless!"
Arya nodded.
"I did."
He stepped closer.
"And this," he said quietly, "is the cost."
---
The system spoke.
Not cold.
Not cruel.
Judicial.
---
> [Judgment Opportunity]
> Options:
> - Public Execution (Deterrence)
> - Imprisonment (Instability Risk)
> - Demotion & Exile (Moral Signal)
> Advisory:
> Choice will define internal culture
Arya felt eyes on him.
The city.
The army.
Karna.
All waiting.
---
He remembered Krishna's words.
*The second compromise is the one that matters.*
---
Arya straightened.
"Commander Vritra," he said, voice carrying, "you will be stripped of rank."
Murmurs.
"You will be exiled beyond Mahismati's borders."
Shock.
"And you will live," Arya continued, "with the names of every child who died because you decided efficiency mattered more than restraint."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
---
The system recorded it.
---
> [Judgment Enforced]
> Action: Exile
> Cultural Effect:
> Fear of Accountability Established
> Tactical Aggression Reduced
> Moral Authority: Reinforced
> Sovereign's Burden:
> Intensified
---
Vritra sagged.
Not in relief.
In ruin.
---
The others received similar sentences.
No death.
No forgiveness.
Only consequence.
---
Afterward, the courtyard emptied slowly.
No one spoke.
Not in anger.
In uncertainty.
---
Karna followed Arya to the ramparts.
"You made enemies today," Karna said.
Arya stared out at the battlefield.
"I know."
"Among our own."
"I know."
Karna clenched his fists.
"They'll hesitate next time."
"Good," Arya replied.
"They might die because of it!"
Arya turned.
"And if they live because of it?" he asked.
Karna had no answer.
---
Night fell.
Reports came in.
The Kurus were adapting faster than expected.
Alternate routes.
Hidden stores.
The siege tightened again.
---
> [Enemy Adaptation Level: Very High]
> Recommendation:
> Escalation Required
Arya dismissed the report.
---
Later, alone, he collapsed to one knee.
The Sovereign's Burden crushed down.
Pain exploded.
---
> [Critical Condition]
> Compassion Threshold Exceeded
> Host Sustainability: Declining
Arya laughed weakly.
"So this is it," he murmured. "I punish cruelty… and pay for it."
The system did not answer immediately.
When it did, its tone had changed.
---
> [System Evolution – Initiated]
> New Subroutine Detected:
> Judicial Memory
> Function:
> The system will remember every judgment you pass.
> Future choices will be influenced accordingly.
> Note:
> Mercy and cruelty will compound.
Arya's smile faded.
"That's not a system," he whispered.
"That's a sentence."
---
Far away, Krishna watched.
"He punished his own," Krishna said softly.
Bhishma nodded.
"That will cost him."
Krishna smiled.
"Yes," he said. "And that's why it matters."
---
In Mahismati, whispers spread.
Not fear this time.
Respect.
Uneasy.
Conditional.
But real.
---
Arya stood again, leaning on the parapet.
The fires still burned.
The war still waited.
But something fundamental had changed.
Not the enemy.
Not the gods.
Him.
---
> [New Title Acquired]
> Judge of His Own Blood
> Effect:
> Allies gain trust in fairness
> Authority strain increases
> Loneliness Amplified
Arya closed his eyes.
He felt it.
The isolation.
The weight.
The cost of not looking away.
---
"This is the road," he whispered.
And took another step forward.
---
End of Chapter 25