The dust hadn't settled.
The air itself felt torn—
Distorted by the energy that had just been unleashed.
Feroz stood at the center of it all.
Breathing heavy.
His eyes—
Still glowing.
Not the same gold.
Something darker now.
Unstable.
Awake.
Haroon struggled to stand.
"…Feroz…"
But his voice didn't reach him.
Because Feroz wasn't fully there.
Not anymore.
Zarqaan took a slow step forward.
Calm.
Unafraid.
As if standing before this chaos—
Was expected.
"…this," Zarqaan said quietly,
"…is what your father feared."
Feroz's head lifted slightly.
The mention of Qadir Khan—
Cut through the noise.
"Don't… talk about him…"
His voice—
Distorted.
Not fully his own.
Zarqaan stopped a few steps away.
And for the first time—
He didn't smile.
"You deserve the truth," he said.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Real.
Haroon's expression changed instantly.
"…Zarqaan, don't."
Zarqaan ignored him.
Because this moment—
Had been waiting for years.
"Your father didn't protect you from us," Zarqaan said.
A pause.
"He protected the world from you."
The words landed—
Like a blade.
Feroz froze.
"…what?"
His voice—
Unsteady.
Zarqaan stepped closer.
"Do you really think this power was meant to exist freely?"
Feroz's breathing grew uneven.
"I didn't ask for it."
Zarqaan nodded slightly.
"No."
A pause.
"But it chose you."
Silence.
The wind returned—
Cold.
Controlled.
"The bloodline you carry," Zarqaan continued,
"…was never meant to be uncontrolled."
Haroon shouted—
"Stop!"
But it was too late.
Zarqaan had begun—
And he wouldn't stop now.
"Your father knew what would happen if you reached this stage," Zarqaan said.
"He saw it before you did."
Feroz's fists tightened.
"Then why didn't he stop me?"
Zarqaan's eyes darkened.
"He tried."
A pause.
"And failed."
The air trembled again.
Not from power—
But from realization.
Feroz's voice dropped.
"…what did he do?"
Zarqaan looked directly into his eyes.
"He made a choice."
Silence.
"The same one you just made."
Feroz's heart pounded.
"…no."
Zarqaan continued—
Unstoppable now.
"He chose someone over balance."
A pause.
"And that moment…"
"…created you."
Everything stopped.
Not physically—
But mentally.
Feroz's world—
Shifted.
"…what are you saying…"
Zarqaan's voice remained calm.
"You are not just a result of power."
A pause.
"You are the result of imbalance."
Haroon stepped forward—
Anger rising.
"You're twisting the truth!"
Zarqaan didn't even look at him.
"Am I?" he replied.
Then back to Feroz—
"Your father broke the balance to save someone."
A pause.
"And you…"
"…are the consequence of that decision."
Feroz stepped back.
For the first time—
Not from attack—
But from truth.
"No…"
His voice cracked.
"That's not true…"
Zarqaan moved closer—
Slowly.
"You felt it today."
A pause.
"The moment you chose her over control."
Another step.
"What happened?"
Feroz didn't answer.
Because he knew.
He felt it.
The loss.
The instability.
The shift.
Zarqaan stopped right in front of him.
"This is not new, Feroz."
A pause.
"This is your nature."
Silence.
Deep.
Unavoidable.
Younus stepped forward—
Finally breaking his silence.
"That is only half the truth."
Zarqaan glanced at him—
Slightly amused.
"Then say the rest."
Younus's eyes remained on Feroz.
"Yes," he said calmly.
"His power was born from imbalance."
A pause.
"But what he becomes…"
"…is still his choice."
Silence returned.
But this time—
Different.
Because now—
Two truths existed.
Zarqaan's.
And Younus's.
Feroz stood between them.
Breathing slowly.
Thinking.
Feeling.
Breaking.
Rebuilding.
"…so what?" Feroz finally said.
His voice—
Still heavy—
But clearer now.
"So I'm a mistake?"
Zarqaan didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Younus spoke at the same time—
"No."
The contrast—
Sharp.
Feroz looked at both of them.
"…then tell me."
A pause.
"…what am I supposed to be?"
Silence.
Neither answered.
Because that—
Was the point.
Feroz closed his eyes.
For a moment—
Everything disappeared.
The power.
The noise.
The voices.
And in that silence—
He understood something.
Not from them.
Not from the past.
From himself.
He opened his eyes again.
This time—
Clear.
Steady.
"I'm not what he created."
A pause.
"I'm not what you expect."
He looked directly at Zarqaan.
"I decide what I become."
The air shifted.
Not violently.
But meaningfully.
Zarqaan watched him—
Carefully.
Then—
For the first time—
He smiled differently.
Not manipulation.
Not control.
Recognition.
"…good," he said quietly.
A pause.
"Then choose."
Feroz's eyes narrowed.
"Choose what?"
Zarqaan turned slightly—
Stepping back.
"Come with me."
Silence.
Haroon's voice exploded—
"No."
Younus didn't speak—
But his presence hardened.
Zarqaan continued—
"I can teach you control."
A pause.
"Real control."
Another step back.
"Not suppression."
"Not balance."
"But mastery."
Feroz stood still.
Listening.
Feeling.
Tempted.
"…and if I don't?" Feroz asked.
Zarqaan's eyes darkened slightly.
"Then you will lose yourself."
A pause.
"Not today."
"Not tomorrow."
"But eventually."
Silence.
Heavy.
Because this—
Was not a threat.
It was a prediction.
Feroz didn't answer.
Because for the first time—
He wasn't choosing between right and wrong.
He was choosing between two paths—
Both dangerous.
Behind him—
Haroon.
Beside him—
Younus.
In front of him—
Zarqaan.
And within him—
Something waiting.
Watching.
The Devil.
And the question now wasn't—
What he would become.
But—
Who he would choose to become it with.