Feroz kept running.
Branches cut across his arms and face as he pushed deeper through the forest.
His lungs burned.
His ribs ached with every breath.
But he didn't stop.
Behind him, the sounds of the battle between Yusuf and the Seeker had faded long ago.
That silence worried him more than the fight itself.
"Yusuf…" he whispered under his breath.
But there was no answer.
Only the wind moving softly through the trees.
Suddenly—
The mark on his arm glowed again.
Not violently like during battle.
This time it pulsed slowly.
Guiding.
Feroz slowed his pace.
The glow seemed to pull him toward a narrow path between two large rocks.
"I don't even know where I'm going," he muttered.
Yet his feet continued moving.
The forest gradually changed.
The trees became taller.
The air cooler.
The ground beneath him turned from rough soil into smooth stone.
After several minutes of walking, the forest suddenly opened.
A quiet valley stretched before him.
It was unlike anything he had seen before.
Mist hovered gently above the ground.
Old stone structures stood scattered around the valley — small buildings, simple yet ancient.
Lanterns glowed softly near doorways.
The entire place felt… peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Feroz stepped forward cautiously.
The mark on his arm stopped glowing the moment he entered the valley.
He frowned.
"So this is where you brought me."
Before he could move further—
A calm voice spoke behind him.
"You followed it well."
Feroz turned instantly.
An old man stood several steps away.
He wore simple robes, and his long white beard moved gently in the breeze.
But his eyes were sharp.
Very sharp.
Feroz stepped back slightly.
"Who are you?"
The old man studied him quietly.
"For many years," he said slowly, "we wondered if the Key would ever find this place again."
Feroz stiffened.
"You know about the mark."
The old man nodded.
"We know much more than that."
Several other figures appeared silently around the edge of the valley.
Men and women dressed in simple clothing.
Not soldiers.
Not Hunters.
But they moved with quiet discipline.
Feroz felt surrounded—but strangely not threatened.
The old man walked closer.
"Your name is Feroz," he said calmly.
"You lost your father many years ago."
Feroz's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know that?"
The old man gave a faint smile.
"Because your father once stood where you are standing now."
The words hit Feroz like a shock.
"My father was here?"
"Yes."
The old man stopped a few steps away.
"He came seeking answers… just like you."
Feroz felt his pulse quicken.
"Then where is he now?"
The old man's expression became serious.
"Captured."
Feroz clenched his fists.
"By the Free Masons."
"Yes."
Silence filled the valley for a moment.
Then Feroz asked quietly,
"And you… who are you people?"
The old man turned slightly, looking toward the ancient stone buildings.
"We are keepers of a path older than the Free Masons."
He paused.
"They call us many things."
"But long ago…"
His eyes returned to Feroz.
"…your father called us the Circle of Silence."
The name echoed in the valley.
Feroz frowned slightly.
"Then why have I never heard of you?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"Because we do not seek to be heard."
One of the younger members stepped forward.
"Master," he said quietly.
"The disturbance in the forest is growing closer."
The old man nodded slowly.
"Of course it is."
He looked back at Feroz.
"The Seeker has already found you once."
Feroz's chest tightened.
"And it will not stop," the old man continued.
"Until it drags you back to the council."
Feroz asked the question that mattered most.
"Then why bring me here?"
The old man's eyes grew serious again.
"Because there is something you must learn before they find you again."
"What?"
The old man turned toward the largest stone building in the valley.
"The truth about the mark you carry."
Feroz hesitated.
Then followed him.
But as they walked—
Far beyond the valley…
The forest trembled.
The Seeker slowly emerged from the destroyed battlefield.
Yusuf lay unconscious against a broken tree.
Alive.
But barely.
The creature turned its glowing eyes toward the distant mountains.
"Key signal reacquired."
And it began walking again.
Unstoppable.
Patient.
Closing the distance with every step.