The village square was crowded.
More crowded than Feroz had ever seen it.
People stood in small groups.
Children sat on rooftops.
Even elders who rarely left their homes had gathered.
Everyone seemed excited.
Feroz looked around in confusion.
"What exactly is happening?"
Ayan grinned.
"The first trial."
"I heard that part."
"Then why are you still asking?"
Feroz sighed.
Ayan laughed.
"You'll understand soon."
They continued toward the center of the square.
There, several wooden platforms had been built.
The old man stood near one of them.
Beside him were a few village elders.
As soon as he noticed Feroz approaching, he nodded.
"Good. You're here."
Feroz folded his arms.
"I still don't know why."
The old man smiled slightly.
"Because learning isn't only about books."
That answer worried Feroz immediately.
The old man stepped onto the platform.
The crowd slowly quieted.
Within moments, the entire square fell silent.
The old man looked around before speaking.
"Today marks the beginning of this season's trials."
Several villagers cheered.
Clearly this was a tradition.
The old man continued.
"The purpose of these trials is not victory."
A pause.
"It is understanding."
Feroz immediately recognized that kind of lesson.
Everything in this place seemed connected to understanding.
The old man pointed toward three large wooden gates standing at the far end of the square.
Each gate carried a symbol.
A circle.
A flame.
And a river.
"The first trial is simple."
The crowd laughed.
Ayan laughed too.
Feroz noticed.
That made him suspicious.
Very suspicious.
The old man continued.
"You must choose a gate."
Feroz blinked.
"That's it?"
Ayan tried not to smile.
The old man nodded.
"That's it."
Now Feroz knew something was wrong.
Nothing in the hidden world was ever that simple.
The old man looked directly at the participants.
"There are no wrong choices."
That statement made Feroz even more suspicious.
Whenever someone said there was no wrong choice—
there was usually a very wrong choice.
Several villagers stepped forward first.
One entered the gate marked with the circle.
Another chose the flame.
Two more walked toward the river.
Nothing happened.
No explosions.
No traps.
No monsters.
Just gates.
Feroz looked at Ayan.
"This is ridiculous."
Ayan shrugged.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"Or maybe you're overthinking it."
Feroz stared at him.
Then looked back at the gates.
Circle.
Flame.
River.
Three choices.
Again.
Everything seemed to return to choices.
The Messenger.
The Tree.
The Learning Path.
Now this.
For several moments, he simply stood there.
Thinking.
Then he noticed something.
The villagers who had already entered were not returning.
Not yet.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The old man noticed his expression.
"What are you thinking?"
Feroz answered honestly.
"That this isn't about gates."
The old man's smile widened.
"Good."
That confirmed it.
There was a lesson hidden somewhere.
The question was where.
Feroz looked carefully at each symbol.
The circle seemed familiar.
Balance.
The Circle.
Haroon.
Younus.
Everything he had learned before.
The flame felt different.
Change.
Action.
Movement.
Risk.
And the river...
The river simply flowed.
Forward.
Never stopping.
Never forcing.
Just moving.
For some reason—
that symbol reminded him of Yusuf.
The lesson from long ago.
"Don't force the power. Flow with it."
Feroz stared at the river symbol.
A memory surfaced.
Chapter after chapter of struggle.
Pain.
Fear.
Mistakes.
And one lesson that never left him.
Flow.
Not force.
Finally—
he stepped forward.
Past the circle.
Past the flame.
Toward the river.
The moment his hand touched the gate—
everything disappeared.
The village vanished.
The crowd vanished.
The square vanished.
Silence.
Feroz found himself standing beside a real river.
Its water moved gently beneath a bright sky.
He looked around carefully.
No villagers.
No gates.
No old man.
Nothing.
Only the river.
Then a familiar voice spoke behind him.
"Interesting choice."
Feroz turned.
His eyes widened.
The old man stood there.
But younger.
Much younger.
Not old at all.
Perhaps thirty years younger.
Feroz froze.
"What?"
The younger version smiled.
"Welcome to the first lesson."
And suddenly—
Feroz realized the trial had truly begun.