The wind shifted as Arjun and Raaka descended the misty slopes of the Watchers’ Sanctum. The warmth of divine light still lingered on Arjun’s skin, but beneath it simmered unease. The Karmic Throne was no longer a solitary inheritance—it was a prize in a cosmic contest.

  And Arjun had just received his invitation.

  They made camp that night beneath a canopy of stars, flames flickering in a quiet grove. Raaka sharpened his blade absently, though his thoughts were far sharper than steel.

  “We’ll need more than righteous fury,” Raaka muttered. “If other claimants are out there… they’ll come with armies. Orders. Gods behind them.”

  Arjun looked into the fire, its orange glow reflecting the storm in his eyes. “Then we’ll find ours. Not just warriors—but believers. People who want to build, not destroy.”

  He reached into his satchel and drew out the glowing shard they’d recovered from the Pillars of Shakti—the piece of corrupted karmic crystal Vritra had tampered with.

  > [System Alert: Karma Shard - Void-Touched]

  Warning: Exposure to this shard may influence weak souls. Handle with caution.

  Analysis Available: Seek the Oracle of Saptarishi Grove.

  “The Oracle,” Arjun said. “If anyone can read this corruption, it’s her.”

  Raaka’s eyes widened. “That grove’s cursed, Arjun. They say the seven sages sealed part of time itself there. Even gods can’t walk its soil uninvited.”

  “We won’t be walking in,” Arjun said. “We’ll be summoned.”

  Raaka narrowed his eyes. “How?”

  Arjun raised his hand, and the flames obeyed him, dancing into a pattern—a seven-pointed star.

  “I’m not just a claimant now,” he said. “I’m the Wielder of the Unbroken Flame. The Watchers granted me the right to knock on fate’s doors.”

  As the flame rose, a gust of wind extinguished the fire—and in its place, a soft chime echoed through the air.

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  Time warped.

  The trees bent backward.

  The world twisted.

  And they were no longer in the grove.

  They stood instead in a timeless valley where the sun never set and shadows never fell.

  Welcome to Saptarishi Grove.

  Seven towering statues circled a still pond. Each depicted one of the ancient sages—eyes closed, palms raised in eternal meditation. Between them stood a single figure, barefoot, robed in silver threads that shimmered like moonlight.

  Her eyes were covered with a veil, yet she turned toward Arjun without hesitation.

  “You carry the shard,” she said, her voice both old and ageless. “The infection Vritra has sown runs deeper than you think.”

  She gestured toward the pond, and the water shimmered.

  Reflections formed—others, scattered across the world.

  Other heirs.

  One knelt in a desert surrounded by scorpions and bones, lightning crackling from his hands.

  Another stood atop a glacier, taming frost-dragons with a song of sorrow.

  A third—an empress cloaked in raven feathers—bathed in the blood of tyrants beneath a sky filled with black suns.

  “The Convergence has begun,” the Oracle whispered. “Each of them bears a karmic signature tied to an ancient throne. You are not the only one called.”

  Raaka stepped forward, tense. “Are they… hostile?”

  “They are what fate made them,” she replied. “Some will fight you. Some will aid you. But none are weak.”

  Arjun clenched his fists. “Then we have no time to waste.”

  The Oracle nodded, then touched her hand to Arjun’s forehead.

  A vision surged through his mind.

  The Nine Thrones, lost in myth, each born from a different cosmic truth:

  The Throne of Flame – built by sacrifice

  The Throne of Ice – formed from duty and denial

  The Throne of Storms – fueled by chaos and change

  The Throne of Shadows – cloaked in secrecy and guilt

  The Throne of Song – vibrating with harmony and sorrow

  The Throne of Beast – tied to instinct and rage

  The Throne of Light – pure, radiant, but fragile

  The Throne of Silence – neither good nor evil, just stillness

  And the Throne of Karma – the seat of all balance, and the only one that endures when all others fall

  “You,” the Oracle said, withdrawing her hand, “carry the spark of the Karmic Throne. But the others… they are waking too. And not all of them seek peace.”

  She turned toward the pond and dropped the shard into its depths. The water hissed.

  A black bloom spread like ink in clear water—and then crystallized.

  > [Karmic Fragment Purified: Void-Taint Removed]

  System Blessing: Oracle’s Insight – You may now locate Karmic Heirs nearby.

  > Next Heir Location: Throne of Storms – Western Wastes of Darma’kul.

  Arjun bowed. “Thank you.”

  But before he turned to leave, the Oracle placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Beware the Empress of Ravens,” she said. “She remembers you.”

  Arjun frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “She loved you once. In a life you’ve forgotten.”

  With that, the Oracle faded into mist.

  The grove vanished.

  They were back in the forest.

  Raaka exhaled. “So we’re not alone in this madness. Great.”

  “No,” Arjun said. “But we might not have to fight alone either.”

  He turned toward the west. The winds grew stronger.

  Lightning cracked the distant sky.

  The Heir of Storms was waiting.

  And the Convergence had only just begun.