Nothing happened immediately.
And somehow—
That felt worse.
The valley remained still after the alignment.
Too still.
No wind.
No movement.
Even the distortions around Feroz had quieted now.
Not gone.
Waiting.
Feroz stood where he was—
Breathing slowly.
The pressure around him had changed again.
Before—
it felt unstable.
Now—
it felt adjusted.
Like reality had finished correcting something.
Haroon felt it instantly.
And he hated it.
"...it's calmer," he said quietly.
Younus didn't answer.
Because he felt it too.
That was the problem.
The distortions were becoming more stable around Feroz—
Not weaker.
More compatible.
Feroz looked down at his hands again.
No shaking.
No uncontrolled energy.
Even the mark on his arm had stopped flickering.
That should have been a good sign.
But it wasn't.
Because for the first time since this began—
His power felt... comfortable.
Not controlled.
Welcoming.
The realization unsettled him more than the instability ever had.
Slowly—
he looked toward Haroon.
The distance between them wasn't far.
Maybe twenty steps.
But now—
it looked wrong.
The space itself felt stretched.
Like they existed slightly out of sync.
Haroon noticed Feroz staring.
"Stay focused," he said immediately.
His voice reached Feroz strangely late.
Like sound itself needed more time now.
Feroz frowned slightly.
"...why does everything feel farther away?"
No one answered immediately.
Because they already knew.
The separation was increasing.
Not physically.
Structurally.
Younus stepped carefully along the outer edge of the markings again.
This time—
he didn't attempt to cross.
He simply observed.
Golden light moved softly beneath his feet as he studied the distortions surrounding Feroz.
Then his expression changed slightly.
Haroon noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Younus looked toward Feroz quietly.
"...the space around him is stabilizing into a boundary."
Silence followed.
Even Zarqaan looked toward Younus after hearing that.
Haroon's jaw tightened.
"...a boundary?"
Younus nodded once.
"Not a prison."
A pause.
"...a separation layer."
Feroz felt coldness move through his chest again.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Like some part of him already understood what that meant.
Behind him—
the shape shifted slightly.
Still incomplete.
Still distorted.
But calmer now.
It no longer felt aggressive.
That frightened Feroz more than anything else.
Because it no longer seemed interested in forcing synchronization.
It was waiting for it naturally.
Haroon suddenly stepped forward again.
Younus grabbed his arm immediately.
"Stop."
"I'm not standing here doing nothing."
"You won't reach him."
"I have to try."
Haroon pulled free and forced himself forward.
One step.
Then another.
Pain hit instantly.
Sharper than before.
Haroon's body tensed violently—
But he kept moving.
The space around him distorted hard.
A deep cracking sound echoed through the valley.
Not from the ground.
From the air itself.
Younus's expression darkened immediately.
"Haroon, stop now."
Haroon ignored him.
Three more steps.
Closer.
Closer to Feroz.
Then—
everything twisted.
Space folded sharply between them.
Haroon froze mid-step.
Blood suddenly ran from his nose.
Then his mouth.
The distortion around him intensified violently.
For one terrifying second—
his body looked split.
Misaligned.
Like different parts of him existed in slightly different places.
Feroz's eyes widened instantly.
"Haroon!"
Haroon finally staggered backward.
The distortion released him immediately.
He dropped to one knee—
Breathing unevenly now.
Younus moved beside him quickly.
But Haroon barely reacted.
His eyes remained fixed on Feroz.
"...I couldn't even touch the boundary."
Those words hit harder than the injury itself.
Because now they understood:
There wasn't simply distance between them anymore.
There were rules.
And those rules were becoming absolute.
Feroz looked around slowly.
The valley suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Not because it had changed.
Because he had.
The realization settled heavily inside him.
The others still belonged to this place.
But something was slowly making sure he didn't.
The shape behind him shifted again.
Closer this time.
Feroz didn't turn around immediately.
Because part of him already knew what he would see.
A silhouette.
Almost human.
Standing silently behind him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Not an enemy.
Not a reflection.
Something worse.
A possibility.
Feroz finally turned slowly.
The figure remained still.
Its outline unstable.
Like reality hadn't fully decided its shape yet.
But its posture—
Matched his exactly.
Haroon saw it too now.
And for the first time—
fear appeared clearly in his expression.
"...it's synchronizing faster."
"No," Zarqaan said quietly.
Everyone looked toward him.
His eyes remained fixed on the figure.
"...Feroz is."
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Feroz stared at the distorted silhouette.
And suddenly—
he understood something terrifying.
The figure wasn't becoming more human.
It was becoming more specifically him.
The way it stood.
The tilt of its head.
Even the stillness.
Every moment near Feroz refined it further.
Not copying.
Learning.
A quiet pressure formed around Feroz again.
This time—
he didn't resist it immediately.
And the moment that happened—
the figure stabilized slightly more.
Younus noticed instantly.
"Feroz."
His voice sharpened.
"Do not align with it willingly."
Feroz looked toward him slowly.
"...I didn't."
But even he wasn't fully sure anymore.
Because the pressure no longer felt foreign.
That was the real danger.
Not corruption.
Familiarity.
The valley trembled lightly again.
Small cracks spread through nearby markings.
One of the ancient symbols faded completely.
Ibn Younus saw it happen.
And his expression changed immediately.
"...the Circle is losing connection to this section."
Haroon looked toward him sharply.
"What does that mean?"
Ibn Younus answered quietly.
"It means this space..."
A pause.
"...is no longer fully part of the valley."
Nobody spoke after that.
Because they all finally understood where this was heading.
Not death.
Not possession.
Separation.
Slow.
Precise.
Unavoidable.
And standing at the center of it—
Feroz was already beginning to drift somewhere none of them could follow.