The movement in the forest grew louder.
Fast.
Too fast.
Branches cracked in the darkness beyond the fog as something rushed through the trees toward the valley.
Haroon immediately stepped forward.
His attention sharpened instantly.
"Get back."
Haya looked toward the forest carefully.
Her expression changed slightly.
"...they found this place already?"
Younus noticed her reaction.
"You know who it is?"
Haya nodded once.
And for the first time since arriving—
she looked nervous.
"The Followers."
The name alone changed the atmosphere.
Even Zarqaan looked toward the forest more seriously now.
Feroz frowned.
"...Followers?"
Haya kept watching the trees.
"They search for people near broken spaces."
Haroon's voice hardened.
"Free Masons?"
"Not exactly."
The answer confused him.
Before anyone could ask further—
something emerged from the fog.
A man.
Thin.
Wearing dark torn clothes.
His movements looked wrong.
Too sudden.
Too sharp.
Like his body didn't move naturally anymore.
Then another appeared.
And another.
More shapes slowly stepped out from the fog behind him.
Silent.
Watching.
Feroz immediately felt something strange.
The pressure around him reacted violently the moment they appeared.
The figure beside him shifted instantly.
More alert now.
The man at the front slowly smiled.
But the smile felt empty.
His eyes moved directly toward Feroz.
"...there you are."
Haroon stepped between them immediately.
"Stay back."
The man ignored him completely.
His attention stayed fixed on Feroz.
Almost hungry.
Haya's voice lowered quietly.
"...don't let them get close."
Younus looked at her.
"What are they?"
Haya answered softly.
"People who stayed near broken spaces too long."
Silence.
Then Haroon understood.
"...they changed."
Haya nodded slowly.
"They stop thinking normally after a while."
The Followers began stepping closer together.
Not rushing.
Not attacking.
Moving like they already knew Feroz belonged with them.
That feeling alone made his stomach tighten.
The man at the front tilted his head slightly.
"You hear it too now, don't you?"
Feroz didn't answer.
The man smiled wider.
"The noise."
Haroon's expression darkened immediately.
"Enough."
Golden energy appeared around him instantly.
The Followers stopped moving.
But none of them looked afraid.
That was the disturbing part.
The leader looked toward Haroon calmly.
"...you can't protect him from crossing."
Then his eyes returned to Feroz.
"It already started."
The figure beside Feroz suddenly moved slightly closer to him.
The Followers immediately became still.
Watching it carefully.
Almost respectfully.
Younus noticed it immediately.
"...they recognize it."
Haya nodded slowly.
"They always do."
Feroz looked at the strange figure beside him again.
For the first time—
he noticed something uncomfortable.
The Followers weren't afraid of it.
They trusted it.
That frightened him more than an attack would have.
The leader slowly raised one hand toward Feroz.
"Come with us."
Haroon stepped forward immediately.
"He's not going anywhere."
The man smiled faintly.
"You think this place still belongs to you?"
Those words hit hard.
Because deep down—
everyone already felt the truth.
The valley itself was changing.
The Circle markings continued fading slowly beneath their feet.
Even the air no longer felt stable.
The Followers took another step closer.
The pressure around Feroz increased sharply again.
The noise returned instantly inside his head.
Louder.
Voices.
Whispers.
Pulling.
Feroz grabbed his head tightly.
Haya reacted immediately.
"Don't listen to them!"
The leader's smile widened.
"You can't block it forever."
The strange figure beside Feroz suddenly looked toward the Followers.
And for the first time—
it moved aggressively.
The air distorted violently.
Every Follower stopped instantly.
The leader's expression changed.
Not fear.
Recognition.
The figure took one slow step forward.
The entire valley trembled.
And suddenly—
every Follower lowered their heads.
Like servants standing before something higher.
Haroon stared in disbelief.
"...what is this thing?"
No one answered.
Because nobody truly knew anymore.
The leader slowly stepped backward.
Still staring at the figure.
"...it's waking up faster than before."
Zarqaan's expression darkened immediately after hearing that.
"Before?"
The leader smiled faintly again.
But this time—
the smile carried something worse.
Memory.
"You think this is the first time the threshold opened?"
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Feroz slowly lowered his hands from his head.
The noise had weakened again.
Not because he controlled it.
Because the figure had calmed it.
Again.
The realization hit him hard.
Whatever this thing was—
it wasn't just connected to him anymore.
It was protecting him.
And somehow—
that felt more dangerous than being hunted.