The night grew colder as they moved away from the road. The forest seemed to breathe again, slow and deep, as if it had been watching them all along.
Feroz kept walking, but his mind was stuck on the man's words.
Will you jump, or will you be pushed?
"Who was he?" Feroz finally asked.
Yusuf did not answer at once. His face was tense, thoughtful. "Someone who walks between choices," he said at last. "He does not fight. He prepares the ground for others."
"For the Free Masons?" Feroz asked.
"Yes," Yusuf replied. "And for you."
Mrs. Aliya stopped near a fallen tree. "Yusuf, you said the future can change. Then why does Feroz keep seeing that park?"
"Because some futures resist change," Yusuf said. "They pull harder."
Feroz clenched his fists. "So what am I supposed to do? Run forever?"
"No," Yusuf said firmly. "Train. Learn. And when the time comes… decide."
They reached a small clearing. In the center stood an old stone circle, half-buried in the ground. The air here felt heavy, thick with unseen energy.
"This place," Mrs. Aliya whispered, "it's old."
"Older than the city," Yusuf said. "Older than the Free Masons."
Feroz stepped inside the circle. The moment his foot touched the stone, pain shot through his head. He dropped to his knees.
Images flooded his mind again.
The park.The tree.People standing around.Police lights flashing red and blue.
But this time, something was different.
He saw someone else standing near the body.
Someone watching.
Feroz gasped and pulled back, breathing hard.
"There was a man there," he said. "Not a stranger. Someone who knew me."
Yusuf's eyes widened slightly. "Did you see his face?"
"No," Feroz said. "But I felt it. Whoever he was… he wasn't surprised."
Mrs. Aliya looked worried. "That means the moment is planned."
"Or protected," Yusuf said quietly.
Suddenly, the ground trembled.
From the edge of the clearing, shadows began to move. Not Hunters this time—smaller, faster shapes, crawling between the trees.
Scouts.
"The Free Masons are closing in," Mrs. Aliya said.
Yusuf drew his blade. "Then we do not stay."
Feroz stood up, his heart racing. The power inside him stirred again, but this time it felt different—calmer, sharper.
"Yusuf," Feroz said, "teach me how to control it. Not later. Now."
Yusuf met his eyes and nodded once. "Very well."
He placed a hand on Feroz's chest. "Listen to your blood. Do not fight it. Guide it."
The shadows rushed forward.
Feroz closed his eyes—and for the first time, the energy did not explode.
It answered him.
Light wrapped around his hands, steady and strong.
As the first shadow reached the edge of the clearing, Feroz stepped forward.
The path to the future had bent slightly.
But it had not broken.