The broken watch felt colder in Feroz's hand than metal should ever feel.
Not just cold—
But still.
Like it had stopped belonging to time itself.
He stared at the frozen hands.
3:30 AM.
The number didn't change.
But the weight of it did.
It grew heavier the longer he looked.
As if the moment wasn't frozen—
But aware.
"…why this time?" Feroz asked quietly.
His voice wasn't emotional.
It was tired.
Focused.
"Why does everything come back to this?"
Yusuf didn't answer immediately.
He turned slightly, scanning the forest instead.
Like he expected the answer to appear between the trees.
Finally—
"Because some moments are not moments," Yusuf said.
"They are anchors."
Mrs. Aliya frowned.
"Anchors to what?"
Yusuf's voice dropped.
"To fate."
A pause.
"And sometimes…"
"…to mistakes."
The word mistakes lingered longer than the others.
They moved again.
But the forest had changed.
Not visibly.
Not obviously.
But perceptibly.
The trees felt closer now.
Their shadows stretched unnaturally across the path—
Like fingers trying to measure Feroz's distance.
Every step forward felt like something stepping closer behind him.
And then—
Flashes began.
Not dreams.
Not imagination.
Something sharper.
More invasive.
A park bench.
Police lights.
Yellow tape fluttering in wind that didn't exist.
Voices murmuring without faces.
A body under a tree.
Still.
Silent.
Feroz stopped abruptly.
His breath broke slightly.
"…I've seen that place before."
Mrs. Aliya turned immediately.
"Where?"
Feroz swallowed.
"In my head."
A pause.
"Not like a dream."
His fingers tightened around the watch.
"Like a memory that hasn't happened yet."
Yusuf's expression hardened instantly.
"That is dangerous."
Feroz's voice sharpened.
"Or useful."
He stepped forward.
"You keep talking in fragments. Half truths. Warnings without answers."
A pause.
"If I'm going to die there…"
"…I deserve to know why."
Silence hit the forest again.
Heavier this time.
Yusuf stepped closer slowly.
His voice lowered.
"Listen carefully."
"The future you saw is not a punishment."
A pause.
"It is a result."
Feroz's eyes narrowed.
"A result of what?"
Yusuf didn't hesitate.
"Of choosing the wrong sacrifice."
That word hit differently.
Sacrifice.
Not death.
Not fate.
Choice.
They reached the edge of the forest.
An old road stretched before them.
Cracked asphalt.
Broken lines barely visible beneath years of neglect.
The world beyond it felt different.
More exposed.
Less protected.
Mrs. Aliya looked uneasy.
"This leads toward the city…"
"Yes," Yusuf said.
"And eventually…"
"…to the park."
Feroz felt something sink in his chest.
"So we're walking toward it?"
Yusuf shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"We're avoiding it."
"For now."
But even that answer didn't feel reassuring.
Because avoidance wasn't escape.
It was delay.
Then—
A sound.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Clap.
Silence.
Clap.
Silence.
Clap.
Three times.
Not random.
Not distant.
Close.
Too close.
The forest behind them shifted.
And a man stepped out.
Calm.
Composed.
Like he had been there the entire time and simply decided to become visible.
Dark coat.
Still posture.
Eyes that didn't rush anything.
Feroz felt it instantly.
Not fear.
Recognition without memory.
The man smiled faintly.
"You're walking in circles."
Mrs. Aliya froze.
Her lips parted slightly.
"…no… it can't be—"
Feroz turned toward her sharply.
"You know him?"
She didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
Feroz looked back.
"Who are you?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
Amused.
"Someone who doesn't need to chase you."
A pause.
"Because I already know where you arrive."
Yusuf's hand moved instantly to his blade.
"You shouldn't be here."
The man's gaze shifted to him.
"And yet I am."
A pause.
As if the conversation itself was optional.
Then his eyes returned to Feroz.
"Tell me something, boy."
His voice softened.
Not kind.
Not cruel.
Certain.
"When the time comes…"
A pause.
"…will you jump?"
Another pause.
"…or will you be pushed?"
The words didn't sound like a threat.
They sounded like a recorded outcome.
Feroz's grip tightened.
"What are you talking about?"
But the man had already stepped back.
Into the shadows.
Not disappearing.
Not fleeing.
Returning.
As if he had only come to deliver something.
And then—
He was gone.
The forest fell into unnatural silence.
Even the wind paused again.
Feroz stood still.
His breathing uneven.
"…that wasn't a Hunter."
Yusuf lowered his blade slowly.
"No."
His expression was colder now.
"That was a Messenger."
Mrs. Aliya whispered.
"The Free Masons aren't hunting anymore…"
Feroz looked down at the watch.
3:30 AM.
Frozen.
Unmoving.
And yet—
It felt like it was counting.
Not seconds.
Not minutes.
But distance.
Between now…
And the tree.
Feroz's voice came low.
"They're not chasing me."
A pause.
"They're waiting."
Somewhere far ahead—
In a city park no one in this moment could see—
A tree stood still under quiet air.
And beneath it—
Time continued to gather.