They did not announce their departure.
No formal permission was taken, no gathering was called, and no explanation was given to the other students who remained within the Gurukul grounds.
Because this was not a matter of protocol.
It was a matter of urgency.
Karna stepped past the outer boundary first, his pace steady, his posture unchanged, as if crossing that invisible line meant nothing.
But it did.
The moment his foot left the controlled space of the Gurukul—
The flow changed.
Not violently.
Not abruptly.
But undeniably.
The stability that had always existed within the Gurukul, the quiet balance that guided every movement, every breath, every thought—
Was gone.
Replaced by something looser.
Less structured.
More unpredictable.
Duryodhana followed closely behind, his presence firm, his senses alert even if he could not perceive the deeper layers Karna was tracking.
"…Feels different," he muttered, glancing around at the open terrain beyond.
