Even after the Sabha was cleansed of Draupadi's humiliation, the seeds of war had already been sown.
Duryodhana, stubborn in pride, still claimed everything he won: Indraprastha, the Pandavas' freedom, and the very soul of the throne. The elders—Bheeshma, Drona, Vidura—stood divided, tied by oaths or helplessness.
And war—cosmic, karmic, and inevitable—loomed like a storm.
---
Far to the East, in the quiet plains where the sun kissed the fields golden, Karna trained alone. The divine Kavach and Kundal still gleamed on his body—impenetrable, sacred, gifts from Surya himself.
He had felt the shame of the Sabha burn in him. He had stayed silent, and that silence had become a weight he couldn't bear. He now questioned everything—his place, his loyalty, his name.
That's when the air rippled.
A figure appeared on the horizon: a Brahmin, cloaked in illusion, eyes lowered in humble guise.
Indra, Lord of the Heavens, had arrived.
---
But before he could utter a word, another force shook the skies.
Aryan descended.
Not cloaked. Not hidden.
He stood between Indra and Karna, cloaked in white flames, bearing the mark of all three: Shiva's crescent, Vishnu's chakra, and Brahma's aura.
Karna froze.
Indra's illusion flickered—then dropped. He stood in his divine form now, regal, thunderous, lips tightened.
"You dare stand between a god and his design?" Indra's voice rumbled.
Aryan looked straight at him, unshaken.
> "I don't stand between. I stand above what should never have been necessary."
Indra narrowed his eyes. "You know the outcome. Karna's armor must be given for Arjuna to triumph. That is destiny. You claim to respect Dharma—yet you block its instruments?"
Aryan took a slow breath.
"No. I honor true Dharma—not the one twisted by convenience. Not one that demands the sacrifice of the innocent to balance its own failures."
He turned to Karna.
"You were born with power. Raised with pain. Lied to by fate. But you are not bound to Duryodhana. You are bound only to your conscience."
Karna's lips trembled.
"Then what do I do? I owe him everything. I have nothing but my loyalty."
Aryan stepped forward.
"You owe him gratitude—not your soul. Dharma is not about obedience. It's about knowing when loyalty becomes blindness."
---
System Prompt:
> [Would you like to trigger Divine Intervention – Alternative Timeline Mode?]
[Objective: Preserve Karna's Kavach. Awaken Truth. Shift War into Higher Dharma.]
[Karma Cost: 0 (Fated Override Mode)]
[Activate?]
YES.
Aryan raised his hand.
A glowing orb emerged from his chest—crafted from pure will.
> "Indra, I offer you this instead. A duplicate. Shaped by divine thought, blessed by the Trimurti. Equal in power to the Kavach—but crafted without theft or deceit. Arjuna will not fall."
Indra looked… stunned.
He scanned the orb. Its energy rang true. Balanced. Uncorrupted.
> "You created a new artifact of equivalent value... to redirect destiny?"
Aryan smiled softly.
"I'm not rewriting the Mahabharata. I'm upgrading its heart."
Karna fell to his knees. He looked up, eyes wet, not with defeat—but relief.
"Then I keep my armor?"
Aryan nodded. "And you walk forward knowing the truth."
A scroll appeared in Aryan's hand—etched with golden ink.
> "Your true name: Vasusena, son of Kunti. Brother to the Pandavas. Chosen by Surya. You are not the son of a charioteer—you are a sun reborn."
Karna trembled. "Why… Why show me mercy?"
Aryan placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Because the war is not between brothers and kings. It's between ego and dharma. And I want you on the right side of it—not because I told you, but because you choose it."
---
System Update:
> [Karna's Fate: Altered]
[Kavach and Kundal: Preserved]
[Indra: Reluctantly Satisfied]
[Timeline Status: Instable—but Harmonized]
[War Outcome: Now depends on growth, not slaughter]
---
In Swarga, the Devas gathered again.
Brihaspati smiled faintly. "He didn't stop the war. He transformed it."
Indra looked into the skies. "He's forcing even the gods… to evolve."