The forest did not give them time to rest.
It did not wait for recovery, nor did it allow comfort to settle back into their bodies. The moment the previous encounter ended, the air itself began to feel heavier—not in pressure, but in intent, as if something unseen had already decided that the next step would not be gradual.
Karna felt it first.
Not as a disturbance.
But as an absence.
The flow—so familiar now, so constant in its presence—thinned in certain places, like threads being pulled apart just enough to weaken the pattern without breaking it entirely.
That was new.
And dangerous.
Duryodhana noticed Karna's stillness immediately.
"…What now?" he asked, his tone no longer casual, but sharpened by the repeated clashes.
Karna didn't look at him.
"Don't rely on rhythm," he said quietly.
A pause.
"It's being altered."
Duryodhana exhaled slowly, adjusting his stance, grounding himself more deliberately than before.
"…Good thing I never relied on it."
