The road remained silent after the encounter.
No पीछा.
No लौटना.
No संकेत that the battle would continue.
And yet—
The weight of it did not leave.
Karna walked ahead without speaking, his steps steady, but his mind was not still. The clash had ended, but something within him had not settled. It was not frustration. Not defeat. But a recognition that something had not worked the way it should have.
For the first time since his perception had awakened—
It had failed to keep up.
Not completely.
But enough.
Duryodhana walked beside him, unusually quiet for a while before finally breaking the silence.
"That one… he wasn't normal."
Karna nodded slightly.
"He was not."
A pause followed.
Then Duryodhana added, more thoughtfully this time, "You couldn't read him fully."
Karna did not deny it.
"No."
There was no hesitation in his answer, no attempt to justify or soften it. The truth was clear, and he had already accepted it.
The flow—
Had been there.
Visible.
Present.
