The first light of dawn spilled over the world, painting the landscape in hues of amber and gold.

  Arjun tightened the leather straps on his worn satchel, while Ishani adjusted the twin daggers at her hips. Their firelit rest had been brief, but neither complained. There was no time for luxury — not when Vaikuntha’s shadow grew darker with each passing hour.

  Their destination was clear: the Whispering Woods.

  The system’s guidance pointed eastward, beyond the rolling hills and the broken riverbeds. There, deep within the ancient forest, lay the ruins of a forgotten village — a place once blessed, now cursed.

  The perfect location for Vaikuntha to plant his seeds of corruption.

  As Arjun and Ishani set off, the air turned cooler. Mist clung to the earth, and the call of distant crows echoed through the emptiness.

  They spoke little, their bond needing no words.

  But as the sun climbed higher, Ishani broke the silence.

  "Why you?" she asked suddenly. "Of all the souls in this broken world, why did the Karmic Throne choose you?"

  Arjun pondered the question.

  "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe because I have nothing left to lose. Or maybe... because I still believe we can rise again, even from the ashes."

  Ishani smirked. "Belief alone won't save you."

  "No," Arjun agreed, eyes narrowing with quiet determination. "But it’s where saving begins."

  By midday, they reached the outskirts of the Whispering Woods.

  A wall of ancient trees towered before them, their gnarled branches twisted together like the skeletal hands of long-dead giants. A low, keening sound drifted from the depths of the forest — not quite wind, not quite voice — but something in between.

  Arjun felt the hairs on his neck rise.

  "I hate this place already," Ishani muttered, daggers drawn.

  The moment they stepped beneath the shadow of the trees, the temperature dropped. Their breath misted before them.

  The light dimmed, and the whispering grew louder.

  The System chimed softly in Arjun’s mind:

  > "System Notification: Area Warning — Whispering Woods (High-Risk Zone)."

  "Threat Level: Grave."

  "Objective: Cleanse the corruption and rescue any survivors."

  Arjun gripped his sword tighter. "Stay close."

  They moved cautiously along a narrow path, eyes scanning the undergrowth.

  The deeper they went, the stranger the forest became.

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  Branches shifted in the corner of their vision, though the trees remained still. Figures flickered in the fog — children laughing, old men weeping — illusions meant to weaken the heart and confuse the mind.

  Ishani snarled at one point, slashing at an apparition of her mother’s face.

  "They’re trying to break us," she hissed.

  Arjun nodded grimly. "We break harder."

  Hours passed. Their muscles ached, but they pressed on.

  Finally, they stumbled upon the village — or what remained of it.

  Crumbling huts leaned drunkenly against each other. Wells lay choked with ash. Crops rotted in fields thick with black mold.

  And in the village center stood a grotesque tree — massive and pulsing with sickly green light. Its bark oozed dark sap. From its twisted branches hung strange fruits that looked disturbingly like human heads.

  At the base of the tree knelt a figure in tattered robes, head bowed in prayer.

  Arjun approached cautiously.

  When the figure looked up, he recoiled.

  The face was that of a young woman, but it was wrong — her eyes were hollow pits of darkness, and her skin was cracked like dry riverbeds.

  She smiled — a terrible, broken smile.

  "Welcome... saviors..." she croaked. "You’re just in time... to join the feast..."

  With an inhuman shriek, the woman’s body convulsed.

  Her limbs twisted unnaturally, bones cracking and reforming.

  She rose, growing taller, her hands elongating into claws.

  Around them, the fruits on the cursed tree burst open — and from each one fell a creature, twisted mockeries of men and beasts fused together by dark magic.

  "Back!" Arjun shouted.

  The monsters charged.

  Arjun and Ishani fought with desperate fury.

  Ishani unleashed her new ability — Fire Lotus Bloom — and summoned a shield of blazing petals around them, incinerating any creature that dared approach.

  Arjun, drawing upon the Seal of Valor, moved like a tempest, his sword a blur of silver light.

  But the corrupted woman — now a towering abomination — was not so easily deterred.

  She hurled herself at Arjun, her claws raking across his shoulder.

  Pain exploded through him, but he gritted his teeth and countered with a powerful upward slash.

  The abomination shrieked, staggering back.

  Ishani flanked it, her daggers carving burning lines across its twisted form.

  Still, it would not fall.

  "We need to strike the tree!" Ishani shouted.

  Arjun understood at once.

  The tree was the source of the corruption.

  If they could destroy it, they might cleanse the entire village.

  "Cover me!" Arjun roared.

  Ishani nodded and leapt into the fray, drawing the abomination’s fury onto herself.

  Arjun sprinted toward the tree, dodging the monstrosities that lunged at him.

  He reached the base — and plunged his sword deep into the blackened bark.

  The tree shrieked — a sound so terrible that it shook the very ground.

  Dark sap gushed from the wound, hissing and steaming where it touched the earth.

  Arjun pulled back, gathering his strength for a final blow.

  From deep within, he summoned the power of the Seal — and drove the sword in with all his might.

  > "System Activation: Purge Protocol."

  Golden light erupted from the blade, racing through the tree’s veins.

  The abomination let out a final, horrible scream — then collapsed into ash.

  The creatures writhed and shriveled, disintegrating into dust.

  The whispering voices ceased.

  The forest fell silent.

  Breathing heavily, Arjun pulled his sword free.

  The tree, now hollow and blackened, collapsed with a thunderous crash.

  Ishani staggered to his side, bloody but alive.

  "Not bad," she said, grinning through the exhaustion.

  "You too," Arjun replied with a weary smile.

  A soft chime echoed in his mind:

  > "System Notification: Mission Complete — Whispering Woods Cleansed."

  "Rewards Unlocked: Karmic Energy +500, New Title Available: 'Purifier of the Lost'."

  "Ability Upgrade: Fire Lotus Bloom — Now summons explosive petals."

  Arjun slumped to the ground, staring up at the sky through the now-open canopy.

  The sun was setting, bathing the ruined village in a warm, golden glow.

  Another small victory.

  But Arjun knew it was only the beginning.

  Vaikuntha would learn of this.

  And he would respond — with fire and fury.

  Still, as Ishani dropped beside him, and they shared a tired, triumphant laugh, Arjun felt a surge of hope.

  The Karmic Throne was stirring.

  And nothing — not cursed forests, not ancient evils, not even shattered gods — would stop its rise.