The fog became thicker the farther they walked.
Soon—
the valley behind them disappeared completely.
Feroz could no longer hear the wind from the mountains.
No voices.
No footsteps except their own.
Just silence.
Cold and endless.
Haya continued walking ahead calmly while the strange figure remained beside Feroz like a shadow that refused to leave.
The deeper they moved into the broken space—
the stranger everything became.
Trees appeared where there should have been none.
Paths shifted slightly when Feroz looked away.
Sometimes the ground beneath them felt solid.
Sometimes—
it felt hollow.
Feroz tightened his grip around the knife again.
"...how long have you been living around places like this?"
Haya thought quietly before answering.
"Since I was thirteen."
Feroz looked at her.
"Alone?"
She nodded once.
"Mostly."
That answer made him realize something.
Haya understood loneliness far better than he did.
And somehow—
that made him trust her slightly more.
Beside him—
the figure continued walking silently.
Never speaking.
Never leaving.
Feroz looked at it briefly again.
Its face still shifted constantly.
But now—
sometimes—
he could recognize pieces of himself in it immediately.
That frightened him every single time.
Haya noticed.
"Still changing?"
Feroz nodded slowly.
"...yeah."
She stayed quiet for a moment.
Then:
"The more unstable you become, the clearer it gets."
That honestly wasn't comforting.
Far behind them—
inside the valley—
Haroon stood near the fading boundary while Younus and Ibn Younus examined the broken Circle markings carefully.
The distortions had weakened slightly after Feroz left.
But not completely.
Which meant the connection still remained.
Haroon looked toward the forest again.
"...I should've gone with him."
"You couldn't," Younus answered calmly.
Haroon clenched his fists.
"I could've tried harder."
"And died."
Silence.
Haroon looked away.
Because part of him knew Younus was right.
But that didn't make it easier.
Ibn Younus slowly touched one of the remaining symbols on the ground.
Golden light flickered weakly beneath his fingers.
"...the path isn't fully closed yet."
Haroon looked toward him immediately.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Feroz is still connected to this place."
A small hope entered Haroon's expression.
"So we can still reach him?"
Ibn Younus hesitated.
"...maybe."
Younus stood quietly beside them.
Thinking.
Watching the fading boundary carefully.
Then finally:
"The Followers knew too much."
Haroon frowned.
"What are you thinking?"
Younus looked toward the dark forest.
"I think this has happened before."
The silence after that felt heavy.
Because if this wasn't the first threshold—
then somewhere—
someone might already know how to survive it.
Meanwhile—
far from the valley—
Feroz suddenly stopped walking.
The noise inside his head had returned slightly.
Not painful this time.
Just... stronger.
Haya immediately noticed.
"What is it?"
Feroz looked ahead into the fog.
"...someone's there."
The strange figure beside him stopped too.
The air became still.
Then slowly—
another shape appeared through the fog ahead.
An old man.
Sitting near a broken stone structure beside the path.
Calmly drinking tea.
Like he had been waiting for them.
Feroz frowned immediately.
The old man looked completely normal.
Too normal.
Haya's expression changed instantly.
"...that's impossible."
The old man smiled faintly after hearing her.
"People keep saying that whenever they see me."
Feroz stayed cautious.
"Who are you?"
The old man slowly placed the cup down beside him.
Then looked directly at Feroz.
Not at the figure.
Not at Haya.
Only Feroz.
"...someone who survived the crossing."
Silence.
The noise inside Feroz's head suddenly became quieter.
Not gone.
But calmer.
The old man noticed immediately.
"Interesting."
Haya stepped closer carefully.
"...you disappeared years ago."
The old man smiled slightly.
"Most people say that too."
Then his eyes shifted toward the strange figure beside Feroz.
And for the first time—
the figure stepped backward slightly.
Feroz noticed immediately.
So did Haya.
The old man's expression remained calm.
But his next words changed everything.
"You've walked beside it too long already."
Then he looked directly into Feroz's eyes.
"If you continue like this..."
A pause.
"...you won't remember which one of you started first."