The hall was silent.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Feroz's heartbeat echoed louder than the distant dripping of water from the ceiling.
"You should not have brought him here."
The voice came again — calm, steady, almost disappointed.
Yusuf tightened his grip on his blade."Step forward," he said coldly.
From behind one of the giant pillars, a figure slowly emerged.
Tall.Broad shoulders.Wearing a dark coat.
His face was partly hidden in shadow.
Feroz's breath caught in his throat.
"No…" he whispered.
The man stepped into the faint light.
Sharp eyes.Familiar jawline.The same scar near the eyebrow.
"Father?"
Yusuf did not lower his weapon.
The man looked at Feroz — not with warmth, not with joy — but with something unreadable.
"You have grown," he said quietly.
Feroz's legs felt weak. His mind raced.
"But… you disappeared. You left. You—"
"I did what was necessary," the man replied.
Yusuf's voice cut in sharply."This is not how this was meant to happen."
The man's eyes shifted to Yusuf.
"You always feared this place," he said calmly. "Yet you brought him here."
"I had no choice," Yusuf answered.
Feroz looked between them, confusion rising."What is happening? Is this real?"
The man stepped closer.
"Yes, Feroz. I am real."
His voice was the same one from the vision in the chamber.
But something felt wrong.
Feroz noticed it now.
His father's eyes.
They were not normal.
A faint blue glow pulsed deep within them — like the Hunters.
Yusuf spoke quietly but firmly."Feroz… do not trust what you see."
The man smiled faintly.
"Still suspicious, Yusuf?"
Feroz stepped back slightly."Father… why are your eyes—"
Before he could finish, the massive stone tree behind them began to vibrate.
Low rumbling filled the hall.
The man turned his head toward the tree.
"It's reacting to him," he said softly. "Just like it reacted to me."
Feroz's chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
The man faced him fully now.
"You think the Free Masons hunt you because of power?"
He shook his head slowly.
"No, Feroz. They hunt you because of what you are connected to."
He pointed toward the stone tree.
"That."
The hall trembled again.
Cracks began spreading along the carved roots on the floor.
Yusuf moved quickly, stepping between Feroz and the man.
"You were not meant to meet him like this."
The man's expression darkened.
"And you were not meant to lie to him."
Silence fell.
Feroz's heart pounded.
"Lie?" he said.
Yusuf did not answer.
The man took one slow step forward.
"You deserve truth," he said to Feroz."The tree in the park… the stone tree here… the mark on your arm… they are part of something older than the Free Masons."
Feroz's breathing grew heavy.
"Then tell me."
The man's eyes glowed brighter.
"You are not just the last of our bloodline."
He paused.
"You are the key."
Suddenly—
The blue light in his eyes flared violently.
Dark energy surged around him.
Yusuf shouted, "Back!"
The man lifted his hand —
And chains of glowing blue light shot from the pillars, wrapping around the stone tree.
The hall shook violently.
"He's trying to awaken it!" Yusuf yelled.
Feroz stared at his father in shock.
"Why would you do this?"
The man looked at him — and for a brief second, pain flashed across his face.
"You will understand… when you reach twenty-seven."
The words hit Feroz like a blow.
Twenty-seven.
The same age as the body under the park tree.
Before Feroz could react—
The floor beneath them cracked open.
Light exploded upward from the roots of the stone tree.
And the hall began to collapse.
Yusuf grabbed Feroz's arm.
"Move!"
But as they turned—
The man stood still in the center of the chaos.
Watching.
Not stopping them.
Not helping them.
Just watching.
And as the collapsing ceiling rained down—
He whispered something Feroz barely heard.
"Forgive me."
Then everything went white.