The morning did not begin with calm.
It began with pressure.
Not visible, not loud, but present in a way that could not be ignored.
Karna felt it before he opened his eyes.
A subtle tightening in the flow around him, like the world itself had drawn a breath and refused to release it.
He sat still on the stone platform within the Gurukul grounds, spine straight, palms resting lightly on his knees, but his awareness was already far beyond the physical stillness of his body.
The air was different.
Not disturbed.
Not chaotic.
But compressed.
Like something was about to break.
Slowly, his eyes opened.
The world appeared normal.
Students moved in the distance, some training with wooden weapons, others reciting mantras under the watchful gaze of their instructors.
Birds circled above.
The wind moved through the trees.
Nothing—
And yet everything—
Felt slightly… off.
Karna did not move immediately.
Instead, he observed.
Not just with sight.
But with the flow.
