The night was unusually quiet.
Arash stood on the rooftop of his house, looking at the endless stretch of stars above him. The sky felt larger tonight… almost as if it was trying to speak to him. A soft wind brushed his face, carrying with it a familiar whisper gentle, calm, and strangely comforting.
For a moment, Arash closed his eyes.
And in that silence, he could almost hear the old man's voice again.
Life speaks in the space between two heartbeats… if you have the courage to listen.Arash exhaled slowly.
He remembered the old man's wrinkled smile, his deep eyes that seemed to see through everything, and his presence that always appeared at the exact moment Arash needed someone.
But now… the old man had been gone for so long.
Are you still watching me? Arash whispered to the sky.
No answer came - but the wind suddenly grew warmer, as if the night itself was responding.
Arash sat down, pulling his knees close to his chest. His mind travelled through everything he had lived so far-the confusion, the fear, the lessons, the unexpected people who had shaped him, and the truth he kept running from.A realization slowly bloomed in his heart.
He was no longer the boy who once stood helpless beneath the banyan tree.He had changed.
Life had carved new strength inside him- not loud, not visible, but quiet and powerful. His doubts had not disappeared, but he could now face them without breaking.He whispered to himself:
"Maybe life isn't about finding all the answers…
Maybe it's just about learning how to live with the questions.
As he spoke the words, something lifted inside him - a strange lightness, as if a heavy door had finally opened.
Arash stood up again.
Below him, the world was sleeping. Above him, the stars were alive.
And somewhere between the sky and the earth, Arash felt himself standing exactly where he was meant to be.
He looked at the horizon, where the darkness met the first hints of dawn.A faint smile touched his lips.
A new chapter of his life was coming…And this time, he was ready.
Chapter 57 — The Path That Waited for Him
The next morning arrived softly.
Arash woke before the sun rose, feeling a strange pull in his chest, as if something was calling him from far away. The world was still half-asleep - the sky a pale shade of blue, the air cool and fresh, and the first birds just beginning to break the silence.
For the first time in a long time…
Arash felt a sense of direction.
Not the kind that comes from knowing exactly where to go, but the kind that comes from knowing it's time to move.
He stepped outside and began walking down the narrow path that led out of the village. The ground beneath his feet felt familiar, yet his steps felt different - steadier, clearer, more alive.
As he walked, memories rose around him like shadows.
The empty road where he first met the old man.
The banyan tree under which he had questioned life.
The moments of confusion that once felt unbearable.
But something had changed.Those memories no longer hurt him.
Instead, they felt like reminders - pieces of a map that had shaped his journey.He whispered to himself:
Everything I've experienced…
It was all preparing me for something.
Arash didn't know what that something was yet, but for the first time, he felt excited instead of afraid.
As he reached the edge of the forest, he stopped.
The trees stood tall and silent, forming a dark, mysterious tunnel ahead. Light filtered through the leaves in thin golden lines, turning the forest path into something both beautiful and intimidating.
Arash stared at it.
Somewhere deep inside, he knew the old man had passed through this path before him.And now… it was his turn.
A quiet voice echoed in his heart:
Life doesn't wait.But the path meant for you always does.
Arash took a deep breath.And then…he stepped forward.
One step.Then another.Then another.
The forest welcomed him, not with fear, but with a strange warmth — as though it had been waiting for him all this time.
As the shadows closed around him, Arash whispered:
I'm ready to see where this road leads.
And for the first time, the unknown did not frighten him.
It inspired him.
Chapter 58 — Voices in the Quiet Forest
The forest was silent…
but it was the kind of silence that felt alive.
Arash walked slowly, listening to the soft crunch of leaves beneath his feet. Rays of sunlight filtered through the tall trees, falling on the ground like scattered gold. The deeper he went, the more the air changed - cooler, fresher, filled with the smell of earth and moss.
Every few steps, he felt the strange sensation that someone… or something… was guiding him.
Not physically, but gently, like a whisper in his chest.
He paused for a moment and looked around.
No one.Only trees standing like ancient guardians.
But then-A low, distant sound.
It was faint, almost like a memory carried by the wind.
A voice… familiar yet impossible.
Arash's heart tightened.
It sounded like the old man.Not speaking, not calling…
Just there - like an echo woven into the air.
Arash took a shaky breath.
Are you… watching me? he whispered.
No answer came. Only the soft rustle of leaves.
But somehow, he felt reassured.
He continued walking, following the barely visible path. The forest floor was uneven, roots curling like old veins beneath the soil. The deeper he went, the more he sensed something waiting ahead.
Not danger.Not fear.But truth.
Suddenly, he came across a small clearing - a circle of open space surrounded by tall trees. In the center stood a single, smooth stone, half-covered in moss, glowing faintly in the sunlight.
Arash approached it slowly.
The stone felt strangely familiar… as if he had seen it in his dreams.
He reached out and touched it.In that moment
A wave of warmth spread through his hand, then up his arm, then into his heart.Memories he had never lived flashed through his mind
the old man as a child,as a traveler,as a seeker of answers…
Then Arash realized something astonishing:
This place…was part of the old man's journey.
Maybe even where he once stood, searching for the same answers Arash now sought.Arash whispered:
So… you came here too.
The forest seemed to breathe with him.
He didn't fully understand what the stone meant, but he knew it was a sign – a message left for anyone who dared to seek the truth of life.
Arash sat beside the stone, letting the quiet surround him.
For the first time in many days, his mind wasn't confused.
It was calm.The old man's words echoed softly:
If you want to know who you are…
walk the road that scares you.
Arash looked deeper into the forest, where the path continued into darkness.He stood up slowly.
He was no longer the boy who feared the unknown.
He was someone walking toward it.