The forest remained silent long after the Hunters vanished. No birds. No wind. Even the trees seemed afraid to move.
Feroz stood still, his chest rising and falling. The image of the man under the tree refused to leave his mind.
Twenty-seven years old.
His future.
Or at least… one version of it.
Yusuf lowered his blade slowly. His eyes were distant, as if he was looking through time itself.
"You shouldn't have seen that yet," Yusuf said quietly.
Feroz turned to him. "Seen what?"
Yusuf met his gaze. "The consequence."
Mrs. Aliya stepped forward. "Yusuf… how much do you know?"
Yusuf hesitated. For the first time, uncertainty crossed his face."Enough to be afraid," he answered. "And enough to know we are already late."
They began moving again, deeper into the forest. The path narrowed, twisting between ancient trees whose roots broke through the soil like bones.
Feroz finally spoke. "That vision… was it real?"
"Yes," Yusuf replied. "And no."
Feroz frowned. "That doesn't help."
Yusuf gave a faint smile. "Good. It means you'll keep asking questions."
They reached a clearing where broken stone pillars stood half-buried in the ground. Symbols were carved into them—old, worn, and unfamiliar.
Yusuf stopped. "This place remembers," he said.
"Remembers what?" Feroz asked.
"Choices."
Mrs. Aliya looked around uneasily. "This isn't just a ruin, is it?"
"No," Yusuf said. "It's a marker. Every person with your bloodline passed through a place like this at least once."
Feroz felt a strange pull in his chest. The air felt heavier here, pressing against his skin.
Suddenly, his head throbbed.
A whisper brushed his mind.
Run.
Another voice followed.
Or stay… and end it early.
Feroz staggered. Mrs. Aliya caught him.
"Feroz!" she cried.
He looked up, eyes wide. "I can hear them."
Yusuf's face darkened. "The Free Masons have begun speaking to you directly."
"They're not just chasing me anymore," Feroz said. "They're… waiting."
"Yes," Yusuf replied. "Because they believe something."
Feroz swallowed. "What?"
Yusuf looked toward the trees. "That no matter what you do… you will still end up under that tree."
Silence fell again.
Mrs. Aliya clenched her fists. "That future doesn't have to happen."
Yusuf nodded slowly. "True. But avoiding it may come at a price far worse than death."
Feroz felt a chill run through him. "What kind of price?"
Yusuf didn't answer.
Instead, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, old object—a broken watch, its hands frozen at a single time.
3:30 AM.
The same time Feroz was born.
"This stopped the night your father disappeared," Yusuf said.
Feroz stared at it, his hands shaking as he took it.
"What does it mean?" he asked.
Yusuf's voice was barely above a whisper."It means your story doesn't move in a straight line."
The forest wind finally returned, rustling the leaves.
Somewhere far away, a man stood beneath a tree in a quiet park—unseen, waiting.
And time, once again, began to move.