The old man's question still lingered in Feroz's mind.
"Has it shown you the tree yet?"
And now—
"Because he spoke to me too."
Nothing about that felt normal.
Feroz stared at him.
"You saw him?"
The old man nodded slowly.
"Years ago."
"The older version?"
"Yes."
Silence settled over the broken road.
Haya looked between them.
"You mean the future version?"
The old man looked toward the fog.
"I mean the version standing beneath the tree."
That answer felt deliberate.
Like he was avoiding a simpler explanation.
Feroz noticed.
"You keep saying it like it isn't me."
The old man's eyes returned to him.
"Because I don't know if it is."
The noise inside Feroz's head shifted again.
Not louder.
Just present.
Listening.
The strange figure beside him remained motionless.
Watching.
Always watching.
The old man stood up slowly.
Then looked toward the path ahead.
"We need to move."
Haya frowned.
"You too?"
"No."
The old man smiled faintly.
"I don't leave this place anymore."
That answer felt sad.
But before anyone could ask more—
the ground suddenly trembled.
A low rumble echoed beneath their feet.
Feroz immediately stepped back.
"What was that?"
The old man's expression changed instantly.
"The road."
"The road?"
Another tremor followed.
Stronger this time.
The fog ahead began shifting unnaturally.
Not like wind.
Like the entire landscape was moving.
Haya's eyes widened.
"...already?"
The old man looked serious now.
"Faster than usual."
Feroz watched as the stone path ahead slowly cracked.
Then—
impossibly—
began changing direction.
The road itself was moving.
Bending.
Reshaping.
Like it had a mind of its own.
"What is happening?" Feroz asked.
"The shift," Haya answered quietly.
"This is what I warned you about."
The old man pointed ahead.
"Listen carefully."
Feroz focused.
"For the next few days, nothing here will stay where you left it."
The old man continued.
"Roads move."
"Buildings move."
"Sometimes entire forests move."
Feroz blinked.
"That's impossible."
The old man laughed softly.
"You're far beyond impossible now."
That was difficult to argue with.
The road ahead continued changing.
A new path slowly appeared through the fog.
One that hadn't existed moments ago.
The strange figure beside Feroz immediately turned toward it.
As if recognizing it.
The old man's expression darkened.
"It wants you to take that road."
Feroz looked at him.
"Should I?"
The old man became quiet.
Long enough to worry both Feroz and Haya.
Then finally:
"I don't know."
That answer was worse than any warning.
Because this man seemed to know everything.
Yet even he wasn't sure.
Far away—
back at the valley—
Haroon stood beside the fading Circle.
Night had arrived.
The valley looked different now.
Smaller.
Older somehow.
Younus sat near the remaining symbols while Ibn Younus examined ancient markings hidden beneath the ground.
Haroon looked frustrated.
"We're wasting time."
Younus didn't look up.
"No."
"We're looking."
Haroon crossed his arms.
"For what?"
Younus finally raised his head.
"A door."
Haroon frowned.
"A door to where?"
Younus's answer came immediately.
"To Feroz."
Silence.
That got Haroon's attention.
Ibn Younus slowly stood up.
"I found something."
Both Haroon and Younus turned toward him instantly.
The old scholar pointed toward a partially hidden symbol.
One neither of them had noticed before.
The symbol resembled a circle.
But broken.
Split into two halves.
Younus's expression changed.
"I know that mark."
Haroon looked at him.
"From where?"
Younus stayed silent for several seconds.
Then:
"Qadir."
The name hit hard.
Feroz's father.
Haroon immediately stepped closer.
"Qadir knew about this?"
Younus nodded slowly.
"He was searching for it before he disappeared."
That changed everything.
Back on the shifting road—
Feroz and Haya stood near the newly formed path.
The old man looked at them one final time.
"When you reach the crossroads..."
Feroz looked up.
"The crossroads?"
The old man's expression became serious again.
"You'll understand when you see it."
The answer wasn't helpful.
But before Feroz could ask another question—
the old man suddenly froze.
His eyes narrowed toward the fog behind them.
Haya noticed instantly.
"What is it?"
The old man didn't answer immediately.
Then quietly:
"...someone followed you."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Feroz turned.
The strange figure beside him reacted too.
The fog behind them moved.
Slowly.
Something was there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And whatever it was—
it had been hiding long enough that even Haya hadn't noticed it.