PAGE 1 — THE FOREST THAT TESTS WARRIORS
The forest beyond the village is not ordinary.
Its trees are ancient.Its shadows move late.Its silence listens back.
This is where Master Raghun, the village swordmaster, brings his students for real hunts.
"Today," he announces, voice sharp,"you stop pretending."
Around him stand ten selected trainees.
Among them:
Reth, loud and overconfident, spinning his sword like a hero from stories
Mira, a sharp-eyed girl who mutters, "You'll stab yourself one day"
Kovin, thin, nervous, already sweating
Laughter echoes.
At the edge of the clearing, unnoticed—
Karna stands quietly.
No swordmaster invited him.No one asked him to leave.
Raghun releases the beasts.
They are fast.Too fast.
Brown blurs of muscle and fangs tear through undergrowth.
Reth charges first.
"Watch this!" he shouts—
—and misses.
The beast knocks him flat, claw slicing his shoulder.
Kovin freezes.
Another beast leaps.
Mira barely saves him.
Blood hits the leaves.
The forest accepts it.
Karna watches.
And learns.
PAGE 2 — THE BOY WHO SHOULD NOT UNDERSTAND
Every movement carves itself into Karna's mind.
How fear tightens muscles.How intent shifts weight.How life announces itself before it strikes.
Inside him, Brahma's gift awakens silently.
Not power.
Understanding.
A beast charges Raghun himself.
The master slashes, barely deflecting it.
Sweat drips from his brow.
This was meant to be training.
It has become survival.
Then—
A small voice speaks.
"Sir."
Everyone turns.
Karna steps forward.
Raghun's face darkens.
"You should not be here."
Karna nods politely.
"I know."
He picks up a discarded blade from the ground.
Bent. Dull.
Reth laughs despite the blood on his arm.
"Is he serious?"
Mira whispers, "This is a bad idea…"
Karna lifts a cloth.
Ties it around his eyes.
Silence spreads.
Then laughter explodes.
PAGE 3 — THE BLINDFOLD STRIKE
"You can't even see!" Reth shouts.
"Hey kid, try not to trip!"
Raghun opens his mouth to stop this—
Too late.
The forest changes.
To Karna, sight vanishes.
And everything else becomes clear.
Heartbeats.Footsteps.Breath cutting through air.
Vishnu's balance steadies him.Shiva's instinct sharpens him.
A beast lunges from the left.
Karna steps once.
No stance.No flourish.
One strike.
The blade moves.
The beast falls.
Dead.
Not hacked.
Not torn.
Ended.
The cloth slips from Karna's eyes.
No blood splatter.
No wasted motion.
The forest does not make a sound.
Reth drops his sword.
Kovin sits down hard.
Mira stares, whispering,"…that wasn't luck."
Raghun feels his hands tremble.
That strike was not training.
It was finality.
Karna tilts his head.
"Sir… did I do it wrong?"
No one answers.
PAGE 4 — THE BIRTH OF JEALOUSY
Raghun steps closer to the fallen beast.
The cut is perfect.
Too perfect.
He has trained warriors for decades.
And this—
This was beyond him.
Students whisper.
Fear replaces laughter.
Reth backs away slowly.
"That kid's not normal…"
Something twists inside Raghun.
Not fear.
Not awe.
Jealousy.
How dare a child with no master…No bloodline…No permission…
Surpass him?
That night, Raghun cannot sleep.
Every time he closes his eyes, he sees the strike.
Clean. Effortless.
Erasing his lifetime of effort.
By morning, a decision has hardened.
He leaves the village.
He climbs toward the realm where mortals do not complain.
Toward the throne of Indra.
PAGE 5 — THE FIRST CRACK IN HEAVEN'S SILENCE
High above the world—
An angel pauses mid-flight.
"Did you feel that?" one asks.
Another replies, uneasy,"No… but something moved."
In the heavens, a god's attention drifts downward.
Not alarm.
Not fear.
Curiosity.
The world has shifted — slightly.
Back in the village, Karna walks home quietly.
He washes his hands.
Eats dinner.
Listens to Anaya speak about small things.
He does not mention the hunt.
He does not know:
Heaven has noticed
Jealousy has been born
And fate has begun accelerating
As Karna lies down to sleep, the forest behind the village remains silent.
As if bowing.
END OF EPISODE 2