Karma did not punish immediately.
It accumulated.
Rudra felt it first as resistance—not from men, but from the world itself. Decisions that once aligned effortlessly now required pressure. Dharma still held, but the air felt thicker, as if fate itself leaned against him.
The system broke its usual silence.
—
[Karma Backlash Initiated]
[Cause: Sustained Timeline Deviation]
—
Rudra did not react outwardly.
He had expected this.
That night, as he meditated, the pressure intensified. Visions pressed against his awareness—paths where he intervened too early, wars fought without him, futures fraying at their edges.
The system expanded its display.
—
[Karma Debt Mechanics Revealed]
• Every major deviation accrues debt
• Debt can be paid through:
– Sacrifice
– Balance Restoration
– Anchored Witness
• Unpaid debt results in forced correction
—
"Define sacrifice," Rudra said quietly.
—
[Options Vary]
—
Pain lanced through his chest.
Not physical.
Existential.
Bhairava stirred violently.
Rudra tightened control.
This was the moment fate wanted—overreaction, exposure, collapse.
Then—
Small fingers wrapped around his sleeve.
"Bhai?" Anaya's sleepy voice cut through the pressure. "You look sad."
The pain eased instantly.
The system reacted.
—
[Anchor Intervention Detected]
[Karma Load: Partially Discharged]
—
Rudra opened his eyes.
Anaya leaned against him, half-asleep.
"I had a bad dream," she murmured. "So I came."
Rudra pulled her gently onto his lap.
"It's over now," he said.
The pressure receded.
The system updated.
—
[Karma Debt Offset]
[Method: Anchored Witness]
—
Rudra understood.
As long as he acted not as a god—but as a brother, a king, a person—karma would bend rather than snap.
Later, Devika watched from the doorway.
"You didn't fight it," she said quietly.
"No," Rudra replied. "I remembered why."
Outside, thunder rolled without rain.
The world had tested him.
And failed.
-- chapter 20 ended --