The fire had calmed.
But it had not disappeared.
It lingered—
Deep within.
A quiet heat.
Steady.
Controlled.
Karna stood unmoving upon the sacred snow of Mount Kailash.
His breath flowed smoothly.
His mind remained silent.
And his body—
Was no longer the same.
The first wave of purification had passed.
But what remained—
Was not rest.
It was aftermath.
A strange sensation filled his limbs.
Light—
Yet heavy.
Relaxed—
Yet tense.
As if his body was trying to understand itself again.
Every muscle, every tendon, every subtle fiber pulsed with awareness.
It was a sensation that could not be named, could not be compared.
Karna observed.
Without interference.
Just as he had been taught.
The Prana flowed quietly within him.
But now—
It moved differently.
Freely.
Smoothly.
Without obstruction.
It reached places it could not reach before.
His bones.
His muscles.
Even the subtle layers beneath his skin.
Every part of him—
Was now connected.
