The ground trembled harder now.
Not from impact.
But from awakening.
Cracks spread through the forest floor like veins splitting open.
And from them—
The shadows rose.
Not floating.
Not drifting.
But crawling.
Like something beneath the world had finally been allowed to breathe.
Their shapes twisted unnaturally—
Claws.
Blades.
Human-like forms that refused to stay human.
"Feroz!" Mrs. Aliya shouted.
"Focus on the leader!"
But Feroz didn't respond.
Not immediately.
Because something had already taken hold of him.
Pain.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Inside his mind.
The forest around him began to fade.
Sounds distorted.
Voices stretched.
Light broke apart like glass.
And then—
Nothing.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Feroz stood somewhere else.
A park.
Quiet.
Still.
Too still.
The sky was pale, almost lifeless.
The air felt heavy, like time itself had slowed down.
People stood in the distance.
Whispers.
Confusion.
Fear.
But their faces—
Were blurred.
Unclear.
Like memories that refused to form correctly.
Feroz took a step forward.
And stopped.
Because he saw it.
A body.
Under a tree.
His breath caught instantly.
"…what is this…"
The body looked older.
About 27 years old.
Thin.
Still.
Wrong in a way he couldn't explain.
He moved closer.
Slowly.
Hesitant.
Then he saw the face.
And his world collapsed.
"…me."
The words came out broken.
The man on the ground was him.
Older.
Lifeless.
No wounds.
No struggle.
Just silence.
Finality.
People around the body murmured.
"He was normal…"
"Why would he do this?"
"Maybe he couldn't take it anymore…"
Their voices felt distant.
Unreal.
Feroz tried to speak.
To scream.
To move.
But his body didn't respond.
Like the world had rejected him.
Then—
A shadow appeared beside the tree.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
Not part of the crowd.
Not reacting like them.
Just observing.
And then—
A voice echoed.
Not outside.
Inside him.
"This is one of many paths."
Feroz's eyes widened.
"No…"
His voice broke through the silence of the vision.
"No! That's not me!"
The shadow didn't move.
Didn't react.
Just remained.
Watching the ending like it had already happened.
Feroz's breathing turned sharp.
"I won't become this!"
The park cracked.
Light fractured.
The sky shattered like glass—
And everything collapsed.
—
Feroz gasped violently.
Air rushed back into his lungs.
Cold.
Real.
Painful.
He dropped to his knees in the forest.
Sweat covered his face.
His hands trembled.
The battle had not stopped.
The Hunters were still there.
The shadows still alive.
Yusuf grabbed him immediately.
"Feroz!" he said sharply.
"What did you see?"
Feroz struggled to breathe.
His voice came out broken.
"I… I saw myself."
A pause.
Dead silence around them.
Then—
"I was under a tree…"
His eyes lifted slowly.
"…dead."
Mrs. Aliya froze instantly.
All color left her face.
"…under a tree?"
Feroz nodded faintly.
The Hunter leader tilted his head slightly.
Amused.
"You saw it."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"The outcome."
Yusuf's grip tightened.
"What is he talking about?"
The Hunter stepped forward slightly.
Not attacking.
Not rushing.
Just speaking.
"The world does not guess the future," he said.
"It calculates it."
A pause.
"And you… Feroz Khan…"
"You are already inside that calculation."
Feroz slowly stood up.
His legs still shaking.
But something inside him had changed.
The fear was still there.
But it was no longer alone.
Something else had joined it.
Defiance.
He looked at the Hunter.
"You're wrong."
The Hunter didn't react immediately.
Then—
A faint smile.
"Am I?"
Feroz clenched his fists.
"That future isn't fixed."
"Not while I'm alive."
The forest grew silent again.
Even the shadows paused.
Observing.
The Hunter studied him carefully now.
"Interesting…"
He murmured.
"Most break when they see their end."
Yusuf stepped forward again.
Blade raised.
"Enough of your games."
The Hunter ignored him.
His focus remained on Feroz.
"Run while you still can," he said calmly.
"Every step you take…"
"…is a step toward that tree."
A pause.
"And I will be there when you arrive."
Then—
The shadows began to withdraw.
Not fleeing.
Not defeated.
Returning.
Sinking back into the ground like they were never fully there.
The Hunters disappeared into the forest darkness.
One by one.
Until only silence remained.
The battlefield was gone.
But the weight stayed.
Feroz stood still.
Breathing unevenly.
His hands slowly lowering.
Not because the danger was gone—
But because something far worse had just been revealed.
He had seen his end.
And it was waiting.
Patient.
Certain.
Already written.
But as he stood there—
Alive.
Breathing.
Bleeding.
One truth formed inside him.
The Free Masons weren't chasing him.
They weren't hunting him.
They were guiding him.
Step by step.
Toward the moment he had just seen.
Toward the tree.
Toward the end.
And now—
Feroz understood something deeper than fear.
They weren't trying to kill him early.
They were making sure he arrived exactly when he was supposed to.