Rumors were living things.
They crawled.
They grew.
And when fed fear, they learned to fly.
Gokul had tried to keep its secrets small.
Very unsuccessfully.
It started with merchants.
Butter merchants, to be exact.
They came for trade and left with stories—half-whispered over campfires, exaggerated with every retelling.
"A child who pulled down two trees."
"A storm demon crushed by a baby."
"A village where famine vanished overnight."
Most laughed.
Some listened.
And a few—very important people—remembered.
In Mathura, a spy knelt before Kamsa, trembling.
"My king… the rumors from Gokul persist."
Kamsa's fingers tightened around his throne.
"Rumors," he spat. "I sent demons, not gossip."
The spy swallowed. "Three demons dead. One… starved of existence. Witnesses claim the child never bleeds. Never fears."
Silence fell.
Kamsa's breath came shallow.
"A child," he whispered again. "Always the child."
He rose abruptly, pacing.
"Summon Aghasura," Kamsa ordered. "And Keśi. If brute force fails, overwhelm him."
The spy hesitated.
"My king… even the demons hesitate now."
Kamsa froze.
"They fear a child?" he roared.
Fear.
That word echoed painfully familiar in his mind.
Back in Gokul, Krishna chased calves through tall grass, laughing as if the world held no darkness at all.
Within his awareness, the ripples reached him.
Mathura tension rising.
Demonic mobilization increasing.
Probability of escalation: High.
The system chimed calmly.
«Political Awareness Updated.
Enemy Leader: Panicking.
Recommended Strategy: Let Him.»
Krishna agreed.
A panicking tyrant made mistakes.
Still—some lines required preemptive control.
That evening, Krishna sat on Nanda's shoulders as the village gathered. Music played. Lamps flickered warmly. Laughter filled the air.
Krishna scanned faces gently.
No hunger.
No fear.
No worship.
Perfect.
Yashoda approached with a bowl of fresh butter. "You behaved today," she said proudly.
Krishna grinned. "I always behave."
The system coughed.
«Statement flagged: Inaccurate.»
Krishna ignored it.
Suddenly, a group of travelers entered the village—well-dressed, armed, and nervous. Merchants from Mathura.
They bowed respectfully to Nanda.
"We seek shelter for the night," one said. His eyes flicked toward Krishna… lingered… then flicked away quickly.
Krishna noticed.
He always noticed.
That night, as the village slept, the merchants whispered among themselves.
"That's him."
"The blue one."
"He looks… normal."
Krishna sat atop a roof, legs swinging, listening openly.
Normal was good.
Suddenly, awareness sharpened.
A presence approached—not attacking, not hiding.
Testing.
A spectral horse galloped through the outskirts of Gokul, its mane aflame, eyes blazing.
Keśi.
Krishna sighed.
Not subtle.
The horse demon neighed thunderously, alerting the entire village.
Panic erupted.
Krishna hopped down calmly, patting Yashoda's hand. "Stay here."
Before she could protest, he walked forward.
Keśi laughed mockingly. "So the rumors are true. You come willingly."
Krishna tilted his head. "You're loud."
Keśi charged.
Krishna caught him.
By the mouth.
The horse screamed as Krishna's arm expanded—not physically, but conceptually—reality itself widening to accommodate force beyond measurement.
Krishna pushed.
Keśi's body ruptured from within, divine energy flooding outward.
The demon collapsed, lifeless.
Silence followed.
Villagers stared.
Merchants fainted.
Krishna wiped his hands casually.
Within his mind—
«Hostile Entity Keśi Neutralized.
Method: Internal Expansion.
Public Exposure: Unavoidable.
Faith Risk: Elevated.»
Krishna frowned slightly.
That was… messy.
Yashoda ran to him, panic etched into her face.
"Krishna!" She hugged him tightly. "What was that?!"
"A horse," he said simply. "A bad one."
She exhaled shakily. "You attract trouble."
"Yes," he agreed honestly.
The next morning, the merchants left early.
Very early.
They rode hard toward Mathura, fear driving their horses.
Kamsa listened to their report in silence.
"A demon crushed… from inside?"
"A child who smiled?"
Kamsa's knees weakened.
"Prepare the arena," he whispered. "If he lives… I will kill him myself."
Krishna felt the decision solidify.
The path was set.
Mathura would come.
And when it did—
Dharma would be enforced.
--chapter 13 ended--