The fires of victory still burned in the valley below, but Veer stood beyond their warmth.
He had wandered into the woods, deep enough to be alone, far enough to silence the cheers, the songs, and the burden of being "the one." The moonlight fell like silver blades through the canopy, painting his path in shifting light. The scent of moss and wet bark clung to the air.
Yet Veer's heart beat louder than the forest.
He wasn't running from his people—but he was walking toward something. Something ancient. Something that had been calling him since the Mirvans fled and the system whispered about the Tharni.
> [Notification: Unknown scouts detected within 500 meters. Tharni symbols confirmed. Cloaked observers. Non-hostile.]
"They're watching," Veer murmured.
But that wasn't new.
Eyes had always followed him—since he was a boy lost in the storm that took his parents. Since he survived alone in the ashes. Since the system, Vakya, awakened with its divine breath. Since he united the first two tribes.
But this time… the watchers weren't only human.
A flicker of movement.
Then another.
Veer turned sharply, his blade half-drawn. But the forest did not growl. It whispered.
Leaves rustled like ancient chants. A soft hum, then silence. Then—
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
Draped in dark green, with hair woven in feathers and bark. Her eyes were wide like a doe, and her skin held the tone of earth soaked in twilight rain. She carried no weapon.
Only a staff wrapped in roots.
"You are him," she said, voice like the river—flowing yet firm. "The one who wakes the old paths."
Veer didn't speak immediately.
Then, "Are you Tharni?"
She tilted her head. "Names are masks. But yes. I watch for them. And they watch through me."
Before he could reply, more shapes emerged behind her. Silent, lean, cloaked in natural armor. Spears crafted from stone and bone, not metal. Painted faces. Predators of the green.
They surrounded Veer. But not like enemies.
More like… judges.
The woman stepped forward. "You freed the wolves. Broke chains. You fought not for blood, but for balance."
"I fought for people who believe in something more than fear."
"And that is why we are here."
She stepped closer and tapped her staff on the ground.
The forest responded.
The trees swayed unnaturally. The mist coiled. An ancient echo spread like a ripple in time. And then—
A giant tree, hidden behind vines and mist, began to glow.
Symbols appeared—carved deep into its bark. Glowing in soft blue.
> [System Alert: Unknown Spiritual Structure Detected. Accessing…]
> [Tharni Archive Tree – 'Vedhavan' Recognized]
[Compatibility Detected – Synching with System 'Vakya'…]
Veer's breath caught.
The roots of the tree moved slightly, like a living being responding to breath. A hollow opened at its base.
The Tharni priestess nodded toward it. "If you are to lead, you must first listen."
Veer stepped forward, blade sheathed, heart open.
Inside, the tree was hollow but massive—larger than any shrine. The walls pulsed with symbols. Each one flickered as he passed, responding to his presence, his karma.
Then—he heard it.
A voice.
Old.
Broken.
Whole.
"You walk a path long forgotten, child of soil and storm."
It wasn't the system. It wasn't Vakya. It was older. Rooted deeper.
"I... don't understand," Veer whispered.
The voice echoed. "You carry the weight of kingship. Yet the soil beneath your feet fears the return of thrones."
Images appeared around him.
Visions of ancient rulers—some noble, some cruel. Empires rising, burning. Trees turned to gallows. Rivers turned to graveyards.
Then… a single glowing thread connected them all.
The will of the people.
Their faith.
Their sacrifice.
"You seek to unite nine tribes," the voice said. "But if unity is forged in fear, it will crack in peace."
Veer stepped forward. "Then tell me how to lead without chains."
A long silence.
Then, the tree pulsed again.
A seed rose from the ground—glowing with golden light.
> [Vakya Update: 'Seed of Balance' Acquired. This sacred token allows the bearer to form temporary bonds of understanding between rival clans. Can only be used once per moon cycle.]
"You must plant unity, not demand it."
Veer took the seed.
The Tharni priestess stepped inside, silently watching him. Then, without words, she bowed.
Not in submission.
In recognition.
"The forest sees you, Veer."
He looked at her. "Will your tribe join us?"
The answer came not from her—but from the others behind her, who all raised their weapons in unison—not to strike, but as a vow.
"For now," she said, "we walk with you."
By dawn, Veer returned to camp.
Rahi met him, arms crossed. "You vanished again."
"They found me," he replied. "The Tharni."
She raised a brow. "And?"
"They walk with us."
She smirked. "You keep doing impossible things."
Veer looked to the eastern hills.
"No," he said softly. "The impossible is still ahead."
> [System Update: Tharni Tribe Joined. Total Tribes United: 3/9]
[New Title Earned: Pathmaker]
As the third fire was lit beside the other two, rising with smoke into the morning sky, Veer sat alone for a moment.
He looked at the seed glowing faintly in his hand.
He didn't feel like a king.
But for the first time, he felt like something more dangerous.
A leader people chose.