Morning arrived quietly.
The village slowly came to life.
People opened their shops.
Children ran through the streets.
The peaceful atmosphere returned.
But Feroz's mind was elsewhere.
One name kept repeating in his thoughts.
Rahim.
He had never heard it before.
Yet somehow—
it felt important.
After a quick breakfast, he headed straight toward the Hall.
The old man was already there.
Waiting.
Almost as if he expected him.
Feroz stopped in front of him.
"We need to talk."
The old man sighed.
"I know."
That answer immediately caught Feroz's attention.
"You know?"
The old man looked tired.
More tired than usual.
"Sit down."
Feroz sat.
The old man remained silent for several moments.
Thinking.
Choosing his words carefully.
Finally he spoke.
"Where did you hear the name?"
Feroz's eyes narrowed.
"So you know him."
The old man didn't answer directly.
"Where?"
"The mark on my arm reacted last night."
That answer seemed to confirm something.
The old man's expression darkened.
"I was afraid of that."
Feroz leaned forward.
"Who is Rahim?"
Silence.
Then:
"Someone who should have been forgotten."
That answer only created more questions.
Feroz frowned.
"That doesn't explain anything."
"No."
The old man nodded slowly.
"It doesn't."
Ayan entered the Hall at that moment.
Noticing the serious atmosphere immediately.
He stopped.
"Should I come back later?"
"No," the old man said.
"You should hear this too."
That surprised both young men.
The old man rarely shared information openly.
Which meant this was important.
Very important.
The old man took a deep breath.
Then began.
"Many years ago, before your father came here..."
He paused.
"...another man arrived."
The Hall became silent.
Ayan sat down.
Listening carefully.
The old man continued.
"His name was Rahim."
Feroz immediately focused.
"Was he part of the Circle?"
"No."
"Free Masons?"
"No."
"Then who was he?"
The old man looked toward one of the ancient carvings.
"A seeker."
A pause.
"Like your father."
That answer surprised Feroz.
The old man continued.
"Rahim spent years searching for answers."
"About what?"
"The same thing everyone eventually searches for."
Feroz already knew the answer.
"The Tree."
The old man nodded.
"Yes."
Silence followed.
Then Feroz asked the obvious question.
"What happened to him?"
The old man's face became unreadable.
"He disappeared."
The answer immediately annoyed Feroz.
"Everyone disappears."
Ayan tried not to laugh.
The old man actually smiled.
"Fair point."
Then the smile faded.
"But Rahim was different."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
"How?"
The old man hesitated.
Then answered.
"Because he came back."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Feroz sat up straighter.
"What?"
The old man nodded slowly.
"He disappeared for eleven years."
A pause.
"Then one day he returned."
Ayan looked shocked.
"Where had he been?"
"We never found out."
The answer frustrated everyone.
Including the old man.
"He refused to tell us."
Feroz frowned.
"Then what did he tell you?"
The old man's eyes hardened slightly.
"He said he had seen what waited beyond the Tree."
The Hall suddenly felt colder.
Even Ayan noticed it.
Nobody spoke.
Then Feroz asked quietly:
"What did he see?"
The old man looked directly at him.
And for the first time since the conversation started—
there was genuine fear in his eyes.
"He never told us."
A pause.
"But whatever he saw..."
The old man swallowed.
"...it terrified him."
Silence filled the room.
Then another question appeared in Feroz's mind.
The most important one.
"If he came back..."
A pause.
"Where is he now?"
The old man looked away.
Toward the archive.
Toward the hidden shelves.
Toward the place where the mysterious book rested.
Then he quietly answered:
"No one knows."
At that exact moment—
inside the archive—
a single page turned by itself.
As though something had heard the conversation.
And somewhere far away—
far beyond the village—
a lonely traveler walking a mountain road suddenly stopped.
For no visible reason.
The man slowly lifted his head.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Then he whispered one word.
"Finally."
And continued walking toward a destination nobody else knew.