The valley stood still.
Not silent—
But watching.
The grey-haired man stepped forward again, his boots making a soft sound against the stone.
The Seeker reacted instantly.
Its body pulsed with unstable blue light.
"Hostile entity detected."
It raised its arm—
But this time—
It didn't attack immediately.
It hesitated.
Feroz noticed.
"You're afraid of him?" Feroz muttered.
The man let out a faint chuckle.
"Not afraid," he said calmly.
He tilted his head slightly, observing the Seeker like one studies a broken machine.
"Just… remembering."
The Seeker's glow intensified.
"Threat level exceeds parameters."
The man sighed.
"Still following commands without understanding."
He lifted his hand slowly.
No sudden movement.
No visible energy.
Yet the moment he did—
The air changed.
The Seeker froze.
Completely.
Its glowing body flickered violently, like something interfering with its system.
Feroz's eyes widened.
"What did you just do?"
The man didn't look at him.
"Reminded it," he said quietly, "what it was before they turned it into this."
The old man from the Circle stepped closer, cautious.
"You shouldn't be here."
The grey-haired man glanced at him.
"And yet, here I am."
"You left this war."
"I stepped away from it," he corrected.
"That's the same thing."
The man shook his head slightly.
"No," he said, his voice firmer now. "Running is leaving. Watching from the shadows is not."
Feroz stepped forward.
"Enough riddles," he said. "Who are you?"
The man finally turned fully toward him.
Up close—
His presence felt… heavy.
Not like the Seeker's pressure.
Not like Yusuf's calm control.
This was something deeper.
Like someone who had seen too much… and survived it.
"You want a name?" the man asked.
Feroz nodded.
The man held his gaze for a moment.
Then spoke.
"I was once part of the inner chamber of the Free Masons."
The words hit the air like a shockwave.
The Circle members tensed.
Feroz's expression hardened.
"You're one of them?"
"I was," the man corrected.
"What changed?"
The man's eyes darkened slightly.
"I learned the truth."
Feroz frowned.
"And that made you run?"
The man's voice sharpened instantly.
"I didn't run."
The ground beneath them trembled faintly.
"I chose."
Silence followed.
Feroz held his gaze.
"And now they want you dead."
A faint smile crossed the man's face.
"For decades."
The Seeker's body flickered again, trying to regain movement.
"Primary directive… eliminate targets…"
The man didn't even look at it.
"They've been sending things like this after me for years."
Feroz looked at the Seeker.
"You've fought these before?"
The man nodded once.
"And survived."
The old man from the Circle spoke again, more serious now.
"You're risking everything by showing yourself."
The grey-haired man finally looked at him properly.
"No," he said calmly.
"They already crossed the line the moment they sent that thing here."
He gestured slightly toward Feroz.
"This changes the game."
Feroz stepped closer.
"What game?"
The man looked directly into his eyes.
"The one you were born into."
Feroz felt something tighten in his chest.
"I didn't choose this."
"No," the man said.
"But your blood did."
The words echoed something Yusuf had said before.
Feroz clenched his fists.
"Then tell me the truth," he demanded. "All of it."
The man studied him carefully.
For a moment—
He didn't answer.
Then—
"You're not just someone they fear," he said slowly.
"You are something they tried to control once before."
Feroz's breath caught.
"What does that mean?"
The man glanced briefly at the old Circle master.
Then back at Feroz.
"It means…"
He paused.
"…your father wasn't the first."
Silence.
Heavy.
Unavoidable.
Feroz's voice dropped.
"You're lying."
"I wish I was."
The Seeker suddenly moved again—
Breaking free from whatever hold had frozen it.
Its glow turned unstable—more aggressive than before.
"Multiple targets confirmed."
Its voice echoed louder.
"Priority: elimination."
The ground cracked beneath it as it prepared to attack again.
The grey-haired man exhaled slowly.
"Conversation ends here."
He stepped forward.
This time—
The air around him shifted completely.
Not calm.
Not balanced.
Something else.
Something dangerous.
Feroz felt it instantly.
This man—
Was far more powerful than he appeared.
The man spoke without turning back.
"Watch carefully, Feroz."
His voice was calm—
But carried weight.
"If you want to survive what's coming…"
He took another step.
"…you need to understand the difference between power…"
The Seeker lunged forward—
Faster than before.
"…and control."
The man raised his hand—
And this time—
The valley itself seemed to respond.
The golden light bent—
Not resisting him.
But aligning with him.
For the first time—
Feroz realized something terrifying.
This man…
Was not just someone who left the Free Masons.
He was someone who understood both sides.
And that made him—
Far more dangerous than anything they had faced so far.