Far from the forest.
Far from the quiet path where Karna continued his training—
There was a place untouched by sunlight.
Not hidden in darkness.
But removed from the world itself.
A structure stood deep within a barren expanse, its form neither ancient nor new, shaped not by time but by purpose. No banners marked it. No guards stood at its gates. And yet—
Nothing entered.
Nothing left.
Without being known.
Inside, the air was still.
Not calm.
But controlled.
A long chamber stretched into shadow, its walls lined with faint markings—patterns that seemed to shift if observed too long, as though they resisted being fully understood.
At the center—
Figures stood.
Not many.
But enough.
Each one carried presence—not loud or overwhelming, but heavy. The kind of presence that came not from raw strength alone, but from knowledge, from experience, from control over something beyond ordinary means.
One of them stepped forward.
"The report is confirmed."
