The path ahead was no longer carved in stone—it slithered like smoke through uncharted lands. After the revelations in Varkhala, Arjun felt the weight of his destiny press tighter around his shoulders. The vision of the First Bearer haunted him: chained not by failure, but by his defiance of divine order.

  They had seen what power could do to a mortal soul. Arjun had felt its whisper—sweet, promising, dangerous.

  The group moved east now, toward a forgotten place known only in half-remembered texts and dying tongues: Sarpa-Vana, the Garden of Serpents.

  It was Ayra who first mentioned it.

  “I read about it in the archives of Kelvarun,” she said one night, poking the campfire with her dagger. “A realm said to be older than the gods themselves. No man dares enter. Not because of death—but because of truth.”

  Elaran had nodded. “It’s said to house the Well of Echoes—where karma is not only weighed but spoken aloud. It reflects your innermost self. No illusion survives there.”

  Arjun’s voice had been steady. “Then it’s where I must go.”

  So they went.

  The forest changed as they approached. The trees grew taller, their bark lined with silvery veins like blood beneath skin. Leaves shimmered with unnatural hues, shifting from green to violet in the moonlight. The wind carried whispers—not words, but intent.

  By the third day, the birds were gone. So were the animals. Even Raaka, ever-joking and loud, had grown silent.

  They walked in solemn quiet, and every step felt like an offering to something watching them.

  That night, the dreams returned.

  Not visions from the system—no. These were raw, chaotic, true.

  Arjun saw himself on a throne made of bones, fire licking at his feet. Ayra was kneeling, wounded. Elaran stood distant, blind. Raaka was gone, erased, forgotten.

  And then… he saw a child.

  A boy with his eyes.

  Crying in a world aflame.

  He woke with a gasp.

  Ayra was already awake, staring into the trees. “You saw it too?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  He nodded.

  “Everyone did,” she whispered. “This forest… it knows us.”

  By morning, they reached the garden.

  But it wasn’t a garden at all. It was a temple, hidden beneath nature’s camouflage. Vines curled over statues of serpents coiled around pillars. Petals fell like ash from trees that never moved. The scent in the air was heavy—sweet and suffocating.

  At the center of the grove stood a basin filled with liquid silver.

  The Well of Echoes.

  As Arjun approached, the system stirred.

  > [Karmic Site Detected: Well of Echoes]

  [Warning: This location bypasses all System Filters. All truths revealed here are absolute.]

  [Proceed?]

  He didn’t hesitate.

  “Yes.”

  The silver within the well rippled, then rose. It shaped itself into a serpent—enormous, gleaming with scales of obsidian and starlight.

  It didn’t speak.

  It simply stared.

  Into him.

  Arjun felt something pull at his chest—a burning, ripping sensation—and suddenly, he wasn’t just in the garden. He was beneath it.

  Alone.

  Floating in darkness.

  And then…

  He saw himself.

  Not as a warrior.

  Not as a leader.

  But as a boy.

  Alone in the temple where it all began. Crying. Afraid. Forgotten.

  The serpent circled him like a ribbon of memory.

  “You seek power,” a voice echoed in his mind. “But power is a mirror. What are you afraid to see?”

  Images flashed.

  Him betraying Ayra.

  Him abandoning Raaka.

  Him choosing the throne over the people.

  And worst of all…

  Him enjoying it.

  The fear twisted into something uglier: hunger. The desire not just to be great—but to be worshipped. Obeyed.

  The serpent hissed.

  “You are not ready.”

  Arjun gritted his teeth. “I saw those futures. I rejected them.”

  “But they were within you,” it replied. “The throne does not corrupt. It reveals.”

  He dropped to his knees. The weight of himself crashed down—every selfish thought, every buried jealousy, every moment he’d longed to hurt the world that had hurt him first.

  And still…

  He stood.

  Because despite all that darkness, there was also light.

  Memories of healing a broken villager.

  Of sparing a monster who surrendered.

  Of holding Ayra when she thought she’d lost her brother.

  Of smiling when Raaka cracked another terrible joke.

  Arjun spoke—not to the serpent, but to himself.

  “I carry the dark… but I choose the light.”

  The Well exploded in brilliance.

  And he rose.

  When his eyes opened, he was still at the basin. The serpent had vanished.

  Ayra, Elaran, and Raaka looked at him in awe. His eyes now glowed faintly—like embers waiting to ignite.

  > [Karmic Trait Unlocked: Will of Balance]

  You have embraced the full spectrum of your soul. Future karmic decisions will be influenced by both light and shadow, increasing system adaptability.

  > [New Ability: Echo Binding]

  Once per battle, reflect an opponent’s attack or intention with equal force, shaped by your moral alignment.

  He felt alive.

  Not just stronger.

  Clearer.

  Ayra stepped forward. “What did you see?”

  Arjun looked at the basin, now calm.

  “Myself. All of it.”

  Raaka laughed, nervously. “And you didn’t run?”

  “I wanted to,” Arjun admitted. “But I couldn’t. Not if I want to sit on that throne.”

  Elaran stepped forward. “The garden accepted you. That’s rare.”

  Ayra added, “Most people go mad. You… changed.”

  Arjun turned back to the path.

  “Then let’s keep walking.”

  As they left the Garden of Serpents, none of them noticed the statue hidden behind the vines—another serpent, smaller, coiled in a sleeping circle.

  Its eyes opened slowly as they passed.

  Watching.

  Waiting.