Dawn broke slowly through the forest, but no warmth came with it. The light only revealed how tired they all were.
Feroz sat on a fallen log, staring at the mark on his arm. It was no longer glowing, but he could still feel it—like something breathing under his skin.
Yusuf stood a few steps away, drawing lines in the dirt with his blade. "From this moment," he said, "your life will never be normal again."
Feroz looked up. "It already isn't."
Mrs. Aliya gave a weak smile but said nothing.
Yusuf turned to Feroz. "The Free Masons believe your power reaches its peak at one point in your life. Not when you are strongest… but when you are most broken."
Feroz frowned. "Broken how?"
Yusuf met his eyes. "By loss. By betrayal. By a choice that changes everything."
The words stayed with Feroz.
They began moving again, deeper into the forest. The path was narrow now, almost hidden. Birds had stopped singing. Even the wind felt afraid.
After some time, they reached a small clearing near an old road. Beyond it, the city could be seen in the distance.
Mrs. Aliya stopped. "This is as far as I can go with you."
Feroz's heart dropped. "What? Why?"
She took his hands gently. "If I stay, they will follow me. You must disappear—completely."
Yusuf nodded. "You will go with me now. Learn control. Learn truth."
Feroz hesitated. "And you?"
Mrs. Aliya smiled softly. "I will play my part."
She turned and walked away, her figure slowly fading between the trees.
Feroz felt something crack inside him.
As they crossed the old road, Feroz noticed something strange carved into the bark of a nearby tree.
A symbol.
The same one that was now on his arm.
He stopped. "Yusuf… has this happened before?"
Yusuf followed his gaze. His voice grew heavy. "Yes."
"To who?"
Yusuf answered quietly, "To your father."
Feroz's breath caught.
Before he could ask more, distant sirens echoed from the city. Feroz felt a chill run through him—an image flashed in his mind.
A park.A tree.People whispering.A body on the ground.
He staggered.
Yusuf grabbed him. "You saw it, didn't you?"
Feroz nodded slowly. "That wasn't today… was it?"
Yusuf shook his head. "No. But the road you walk leads there."
Feroz clenched his fists. "Then I'll make sure I'm not lying under that tree."
Yusuf looked at him for a long moment.
"Many have said that," he replied. "Very few succeeded."
They vanished into the forest.
And far away, the park waited—silent, patient, and unforgiving.