In the quiet twilight of the Ganga shore, the breeze whispered through the ancient trees. Aryan stood still, waiting—not with weapons, but with truth.
Before him stood the grandfather of Hastinapur, the lion-hearted Bheeshma Pitamah, resting against his long spear. His beard was silver, his eyes storm-gray, his back still straight despite the weight of centuries.
The Kuru commander had felt it—the shift in fate, the unexplainable cleansing of the Sabha, the change in Karna's aura, the unsettling silence from the heavens.
He knew who stood before him.
> "You are the one Indra spoke of," Bheeshma said. "The one who claims to walk with Dharma, but defies the gods themselves."
Aryan stepped forward calmly.
> "No. I walk in service of Dharma. Not blind to it."
Bheeshma's grip on his spear tightened, but his voice remained level. "You've spared Draupadi humiliation. Saved Karna from divine theft. But I warn you, stranger—my vow is unbreakable. I serve the throne of Hastinapur till my last breath. That cannot change."
Aryan nodded. "I did not come to break your vow."
He summoned a scroll of time, showing the future—his third eye projecting visions onto the wind.
> Arjuna, loosing arrows.
Bheeshma falling, pierced but peaceful.
Lying on a bed of arrows—not killed, but waiting for death.
Krishna standing beside him, silent.
A war already lost… even before it ends.
Bheeshma watched the vision, unmoved—but his jaw clenched.
Aryan stepped closer.
> "I came to ask you: is a vow still dharma when it causes adharma to flourish?"
Silence.
> "You swore to serve the throne. But what if the throne no longer serves the people? What if Duryodhana twists your loyalty into a sword against innocents? Do you still stand by that vow?"
Bheeshma's voice was a whisper. "It is not the throne I serve. It is the word I gave."
Aryan didn't flinch.
> "Then let me offer you a new word. A new vow. One that frees you, not binds you."
He raised his palm.
System Intervention – Custom Dharma Contract: Unlocked
> [Oath of the Crownless Guardian]
– Serve the people, not the throne.
– Defend Dharma, not dynasty.
– Fight for those who cannot stand for themselves.
[Effect: Transcends old vow without dishonor. Approved by Saraswati.]
Bheeshma's eyes widened—not with disbelief, but with wonder.
> "You offer me… a way to keep my word, and still do what I know is right?"
Aryan nodded. "Not by breaking your vow—but by elevating it."
For the first time in decades, Bheeshma smiled. It was brief. Sad. But free.
> "You are not a man. You are an age incarnate."
He took Aryan's hand, and the scroll dissolved into light.
---
System Update:
> [Bheeshma's Alignment Shifted: Dharma > Absolute Dharma]
[Future Battlefield Role: Neutral Arbiter – Protector of Innocents]
[Timeline Stability Increased]
[War Outcome: Tilted toward Dharma Consciousness, not Power Balance]
---
As Aryan turned to leave, Bheeshma asked:
> "Do you believe you can truly stop the river of blood that's coming?"
Aryan paused.
> "I'm not here to stop the river. I'm here to build bridges over it—so what comes after the flood… is worth surviving for."