The ground shook harder as shadows crawled out from the broken earth. They moved like smoke but felt solid, their shapes twisting into claws and blades.
"Feroz!" Mrs. Aliya shouted. "Focus on the leader!"
But it was already too late.
Pain shot through Feroz's head. The forest faded. The shouting stopped.The world around him collapsed into darkness.
Then—
He saw something.
He was standing in a quiet park. The sun was pale, the air heavy. People were gathered nearby, whispering. Their faces were unclear, like broken reflections in water.
Feroz looked down.
He saw a body lying under a tree.
The body was older. Taller. Thinner.
And terrifyingly familiar.
His heart stopped.
"That's… me," he whispered.
The man on the ground looked about 27 years old. His face was calm, almost empty. There were no wounds. No blood. Just silence.
People nearby were talking.
"Why would he do this?""He looked normal…""Maybe he was in pain…"
Feroz tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Suddenly, a shadow stepped beside the tree. Taller than the others. Calm. Watching.
A voice echoed in his mind:
"This is one of many paths."
"No!" Feroz shouted. "I won't become this!"
The vision shattered.
Feroz gasped as he was pulled back into reality. He fell to his knees, breathing hard, sweat covering his face.
The forest was still there. The Hunters were still there.
But something had changed.
Yusuf grabbed him by the shoulders. "What did you see?"
Feroz looked up, fear filling his eyes. "I saw my future… I saw myself dead."
Mrs. Aliya froze. Her face turned pale. "Under a tree?"
Feroz nodded slowly.
Yusuf's jaw tightened. "So… the timeline has begun."
The Hunter leader laughed softly, his blue eyes glowing brighter."You saw it too, didn't you? The ending the world believes in."
Feroz stood up slowly. His fear was still there—but now something else rose with it.
Defiance.
"That future isn't decided," Feroz said. "Not yet."
The Hunter stepped back, studying him carefully."Interesting… Most break after seeing their end."
Yusuf raised his blade again. "Enough talk."
The Hunter smiled beneath his hood."Run while you can, child of Qadir. Every step you take only brings you closer to that tree."
The shadows suddenly pulled back, sinking into the ground. The Hunters vanished into the forest as if they were never there.
Silence returned.
Feroz stood still, his heart pounding.
He had seen his end.
But he was still alive.
And now, he knew one thing for sure—
The Free Masons weren't just hunting him.
They were waiting for him to reach that moment.