The hall was silent.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Feroz could hear his own heartbeat—
Louder than the distant drops of water falling from the ceiling.
Slow.
Echoing.
Unnatural.
Then—
The voice came again.
"You should not have brought him here."
Calm.
Steady.
Not angry—
Disappointed.
Yusuf's grip tightened on his blade.
His stance shifted slightly.
Defensive.
Controlled.
"Step forward," he said coldly.
A pause.
Then movement.
From behind one of the massive stone pillars—
A figure emerged.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Tall.
Broad shoulders.
Dressed in a dark coat that seemed untouched by dust or time.
His face—
Half-hidden in shadow.
Feroz's breath caught.
His chest tightened instantly.
"No…"
The word barely formed.
The man stepped further into the dim light.
And everything became clear.
Sharp eyes.
Familiar features.
The same scar—
Just above the eyebrow.
Feroz's voice broke.
"…Father?"
Silence followed.
Yusuf did not lower his blade.
Not even slightly.
The man looked at Feroz.
Not with warmth.
Not with relief.
But with something else.
Something distant.
Measured.
"You have grown," he said.
Quietly.
Feroz's legs felt weak.
His thoughts scattered.
"But… you disappeared."
A step forward.
"You left."
Another breath.
"You—"
"I did what was necessary."
The answer came without hesitation.
Without emotion.
Yusuf cut in immediately.
Sharp.
Controlled.
"This is not how this was meant to happen."
The man's gaze shifted.
Toward Yusuf.
"You always feared this place."
A pause.
"Yet you brought him here."
"I had no choice."
Feroz looked between them.
Confusion rising fast.
Too fast.
"What is happening?"
His voice cracked slightly.
"Is this real?"
The man stepped closer.
One step.
Then another.
"Yes, Feroz."
A pause.
"I am real."
The voice—
It matched.
The same tone.
The same presence.
The same one from the vision.
But something felt wrong.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
Feroz saw it.
Finally.
The eyes.
His father's eyes.
They weren't normal.
A faint blue glow—
Deep inside them.
Like something burning behind glass.
Like the Hunters.
Yusuf's voice dropped.
Low.
Serious.
"Feroz…"
A pause.
"Do not trust what you see."
The man smiled faintly.
Almost amused.
"Still suspicious, Yusuf?"
Feroz took a step back.
Instinctively.
"Father…"
His voice lowered.
Careful now.
"Why are your eyes—"
The ground trembled.
A deep vibration rolled through the hall.
The stone tree behind them—
Moved.
Not physically.
But something within it shifted.
Awakened.
The man turned his head slightly.
Looking at the tree.
"It's reacting to him."
A pause.
"Just like it reacted to me."
Feroz's chest tightened.
"What do you mean?"
The man turned fully toward him now.
"You think the Free Masons hunt you because of power?"
A small shake of the head.
"No."
A pause.
"They hunt you because of what you are connected to."
His hand lifted slowly.
Pointing.
Toward the stone tree.
"That."
The hall trembled again.
Stronger.
Cracks spread along the carved roots beneath their feet.
Yusuf moved instantly.
Stepping in front of Feroz.
Blocking him.
Shielding him.
"You were not meant to meet him like this."
The man's expression darkened slightly.
"And you were not meant to lie to him."
Silence.
Heavy.
Feroz's breathing grew uneven.
"Lie?"
The word came out sharp.
Demanding.
Yusuf didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Didn't explain.
The man stepped forward again.
"You deserve the truth."
His eyes locked onto Feroz.
"The tree in the park."
A pause.
"The stone tree here."
Another.
"The mark on your arm."
His voice lowered.
"They are all part of something older than the Free Masons."
Feroz felt it again.
That pull.
That connection.
Like everything was pointing to something—
Just out of reach.
"Then tell me."
His voice was firm now.
No hesitation.
The man's eyes glowed brighter.
"You are not just the last of our bloodline."
A pause.
Longer this time.
"You are the key."
And then—
Everything changed.
The blue light in his eyes flared violently.
Dark energy surged outward—
Exploding from his body.
Yusuf reacted instantly.
"Back!"
But it was already happening.
The man raised his hand.
And the pillars responded.
Chains of blue light—
Shot outward.
From stone.
From carvings.
From the very structure itself.
They wrapped around the stone tree.
Binding it.
Awakening it.
The hall began to shake violently.
Dust fell.
Cracks widened.
"He's trying to awaken it!" Yusuf shouted.
Feroz stood frozen.
Shock flooding through him.
"Why?!"
His voice broke.
"Why would you do this?!"
The man looked at him.
And for a moment—
Just a moment—
Something changed.
Pain.
Real.
Unhidden.
"You will understand…"
A pause.
His voice softer now.
"When you reach twenty-seven."
The number hit harder than anything else.
Twenty-seven.
The same age.
The same body.
The same ending.
Before Feroz could react—
The ground beneath them cracked open.
Light burst upward—
From the roots.
Blinding.
Violent.
Unstable.
The hall began collapsing.
Stone shattered.
Ceiling fractured.
Yusuf grabbed Feroz's arm.
"Move!"
They turned—
Running—
But Feroz looked back.
Just once.
The man—
His father—
Still stood there.
In the center.
Not moving.
Not escaping.
Not stopping them.
Just watching.
And as the destruction closed in—
As everything fell apart—
His lips moved.
Barely visible.
Barely audible.
"Forgive me."
Then—
White.
Everything disappeared.