Dawn came slowly—
Through the trees.
Soft light—
Breaking the darkness.
But it brought no warmth.
Only clarity.
Only truth.
The forest looked the same—
But everything felt different.
Feroz sat on a fallen log.
Still.
Quiet.
His eyes fixed on his arm.
The mark had stopped glowing.
But it hadn't disappeared.
He could still feel it—
Faint.
Subtle.
Like something beneath his skin—
Breathing.
Watching.
Waiting.
Yusuf stood a few steps away.
Silent.
Focused.
His blade moved slowly through the dirt—
Drawing lines.
Circles.
Patterns that didn't look random.
"From this moment," he said,
Without looking up,
"your life will never be normal again."
Feroz didn't react immediately.
Then—
"It already isn't."
His voice wasn't bitter.
Just… certain.
Mrs. Aliya gave a faint smile.
Tired.
Heavy.
But she didn't speak.
Yusuf stopped drawing.
Then turned.
His eyes settled on Feroz.
"The Free Masons believe something."
A pause.
"Your power doesn't peak when you are strongest."
Another pause.
"It peaks when you are weakest."
Feroz frowned slightly.
"Weak… how?"
Yusuf stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not distant.
Direct.
"Loss."
A pause.
"Betrayal."
Another.
"And a choice… that breaks more than it builds."
The words didn't fade.
They stayed.
Pressed.
Feroz looked away.
But they followed him.
They always would now.
They moved again.
Deeper into the forest.
The path narrowed.
Almost gone.
As if the forest itself was trying to erase it.
The birds were silent now.
Not hiding—
Gone.
Even the wind felt different.
Quieter.
Careful.
Like it didn't want to be noticed.
Time passed—
But it didn't feel like movement.
It felt like descent.
Then—
They reached it.
A clearing.
Small.
Open.
At its edge—
An old road.
Cracked.
Forgotten.
And beyond it—
The city.
Distant.
Unreachable.
For now.
Mrs. Aliya stopped.
Her steps didn't continue.
Feroz noticed immediately.
"Why did you stop?"
She didn't answer at first.
Then she turned.
Slowly.
"This is as far as I go."
The words didn't hit immediately.
Then—
They did.
Feroz's chest tightened.
"What?"
A pause.
"Why?"
She stepped closer.
Took his hands.
Gently.
Like she had done years ago—
When he was still a child.
"If I stay with you…"
A pause.
"They will follow me."
Her voice didn't shake.
But something beneath it did.
"You need to disappear."
Another pause.
"Completely."
Yusuf didn't interrupt.
He just spoke.
Calm.
Certain.
"You come with me now."
A pause.
"You learn control."
Another.
"You learn the truth."
Feroz didn't respond.
Because his focus wasn't on Yusuf.
It was on her.
"And you?"
The question came softer than expected.
Mrs. Aliya smiled.
Not strong.
Not weak.
Real.
"I will play my part."
She let go of his hands.
Turned.
And began walking away.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
Just… leaving.
Her figure faded between the trees.
Slowly.
Then—
Gone.
Feroz didn't move.
But something inside him did.
Something cracked.
Quiet.
Deep.
Permanent.
Yusuf didn't speak.
He let the silence exist.
Because some moments—
Shouldn't be interrupted.
After a while—
They moved.
Toward the road.
And across it.
Leaving something behind.
Not a place.
A part.
Feroz's steps slowed again.
Not by choice.
By instinct.
Something pulled his attention.
To the side.
A tree.
Ordinary.
Until it wasn't.
He stepped closer.
His eyes narrowing.
There—
Carved into the bark.
A symbol.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
His breath caught.
"…Yusuf."
A pause.
"Has this… happened before?"
Yusuf followed his gaze.
His expression shifted.
Not surprised.
Not shocked.
Heavy.
"Yes."
Feroz's voice lowered.
"To who?"
Yusuf didn't look away.
"To your father."
The answer didn't echo.
It settled.
Deep.
Feroz felt it instantly.
That connection—
Between past and present.
Between him—
And what came before.
Before he could ask more—
A sound.
Distant.
Faint—
But real.
Sirens.
From the city.
The moment they reached his ears—
Something inside him shifted.
A flash.
Sudden.
Sharp.
The park.
The tree.
People standing.
Watching.
Whispers without faces.
And a body—
On the ground.
Still.
Feroz staggered.
His balance breaking.
Yusuf caught him immediately.
Firm.
"What did you see?"
Feroz's breathing grew uneven.
"…the same place…"
A pause.
"…but not now."
Yusuf nodded slowly.
Because he already knew.
"That's not today."
A pause.
"But the road you walk…"
"…leads there."
Feroz straightened.
Slowly.
His hands tightening.
Not shaking.
Holding.
"Then I'll make sure…"
A pause.
"…I'm not the one lying under that tree."
Silence followed.
Yusuf studied him.
Longer this time.
More carefully.
"Many have said that."
A pause.
"Very few succeed."
Feroz didn't respond.
Because this time—
It wasn't about proving anything.
It was about deciding.
They moved again.
Into the forest.
Deeper.
Further from what was known.
Closer—
To what wasn't.
And far away—
Beyond distance.
Beyond time.
A park remained untouched.
Still.
Quiet.
And beneath a single tree—
The future waited.
Patient.
Unforgiving.