The Seeker lunged.
Faster than before.
Its body tore through the air, leaving behind a trail of unstable blue energy that cracked the ground beneath it.
Feroz barely had time to react—
But the grey-haired man didn't move.
Not immediately.
He simply stood there.
Watching.
Measuring.
And then—
He raised his hand.
The moment he did—
Everything slowed.
Not the world.
Not time.
Just the Seeker.
Its movement stuttered, like something pulling against it from every direction.
Feroz felt it again—
That strange shift in the air.
Not force.
Not resistance.
Something deeper.
"Balance isn't about stopping power," the man said calmly.
The Seeker pushed harder, its body glitching forward inch by inch.
"It's about deciding… where it belongs."
The man's fingers moved slightly.
A small gesture.
Barely noticeable.
And suddenly—
The Seeker's momentum shifted.
Not stopped.
Redirected.
Its attack veered sideways—
Crashing into the stone ground instead of the man.
The impact shook the valley.
Dust rose into the air.
Cracks spread across the ground like veins.
Feroz stared in disbelief.
"You didn't block it…"
The man didn't look back.
"I told you," he said quietly. "I don't waste energy fighting what can be guided."
The Seeker rose from the rubble.
Its glow now unstable—almost flickering between forms.
"System… interference… critical…"
It tried to stabilize itself.
Failed.
Feroz stepped closer, unable to take his eyes off the man.
"How are you doing that?"
The man turned his head slightly.
"Because I understand what it is."
Feroz frowned.
"It's a weapon."
"No," the man said firmly.
"It was turned into a weapon."
The Seeker roared—
A distorted, mechanical sound mixed with something… human.
For a split second—
Feroz felt it.
Pain.
Not his own.
Something inside the Seeker.
The man's voice lowered.
"They take people like us… and reshape them."
Feroz's chest tightened.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
The man didn't hesitate.
"It wasn't always like this."
The realization hit hard.
Feroz looked at the Seeker again—
Not just as an enemy.
But as something broken.
Something stolen.
The Seeker's body surged again, forcing itself into motion.
"Primary directive… must execute…"
Its voice cracked.
The man's expression darkened.
"Still holding on to commands…"
He stepped forward again.
This time—
Faster.
In a single movement, he closed the distance between them.
The Seeker swung its arm—
A direct attack.
But the man moved effortlessly.
Not dodging.
Flowing.
He placed his hand on the Seeker's chest.
And everything stopped.
The blue energy collapsed inward.
The unstable glow flickered violently.
The valley fell silent.
Feroz held his breath.
"What… did you do?"
The man's voice was quiet.
"I reminded it."
The Seeker trembled.
Its glowing eyes flickered—
For a moment—
They dimmed.
Almost human.
"Who… am… I…"
The voice was faint.
Broken.
Feroz felt a chill run down his spine.
The man closed his eyes briefly.
"Too late," he murmured.
The Seeker's body began to crack.
Light burst through the fractures.
Unstable.
Violent.
The old master from the Circle shouted—
"Step back!"
The man opened his eyes instantly.
"Everyone move!"
Feroz didn't hesitate this time.
He jumped back as the man pushed the Seeker away—
Not with force—
But with a sudden shift of energy.
The Seeker stumbled backward—
Its body collapsing in on itself.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
An explosion of blue energy tore through the valley.
The ground shook violently.
Light burst outward, scattering into the sky.
Feroz shielded his eyes.
When the light faded—
The Seeker was gone.
Nothing remained.
Not even fragments.
Just… silence.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
Feroz slowly lowered his arm.
"It's… over?"
The man stood still, staring at the empty space where the Seeker had been.
"No," he said quietly.
Feroz looked at him.
"That was just one."
The old master stepped closer.
"You destroyed it."
The man shook his head slightly.
"I freed it."
Those words lingered.
Feroz swallowed.
"They'll send more, won't they?"
The man finally turned back toward him.
"Yes."
Feroz clenched his fists.
"Then we fight them."
The man studied him carefully.
"You still think this is a fight?"
Feroz frowned.
"What else is it?"
The man's eyes darkened slightly.
"This… is a correction."
Feroz didn't understand.
"A correction of what?"
The man looked toward the sky, where the last traces of blue energy faded.
"Of a mistake made long before you were born."
The old master's expression tightened.
"You're talking about the origin."
The man didn't deny it.
Feroz's voice dropped.
"What origin?"
The man looked back at him.
"The moment the Free Masons decided they could control balance… instead of protecting it."
Silence fell again.
The weight of those words settled deep.
Feroz felt something shift inside him.
Everything he thought this was—
A chase.
A survival.
A fight—
It was bigger.
Much bigger.
The man took a step closer to him.
"If you continue on this path," he said calmly,
"You won't just be running from them anymore."
Feroz met his gaze.
"Then what will I be doing?"
The man's answer came without hesitation.
"You'll be standing against everything they built."
The wind in the valley picked up slightly.
The golden light around them flickered.
And somewhere far away—
Unseen—
Something else had already begun to move.