Far away from the forest…
Far away from the mountain.
In a city that never slept.
A long underground chamber stretched beneath an old stone building.
The room was circular.
Twelve chairs formed a ring around a large black table carved with ancient symbols.
Every chair was occupied.
The Council of the Free Masons.
Silence filled the chamber.
A tall man in a dark coat stood in the center of the circle.
He was the Hunter who had retreated from the forest.
His glowing eyes dimmed slowly as he spoke.
"The key resisted."
One of the council members leaned forward.
An elderly man with sharp silver hair.
"And the guardian?" he asked.
"Alive," the Hunter replied.
Murmurs spread through the chamber.
Another council member — a woman with cold eyes — tapped her fingers against the table.
"That was not the projection we calculated," she said.
"The awakening happened earlier," the Hunter answered.
The silver-haired man spoke again.
"How strong?"
The Hunter paused.
"Stronger than expected."
The chamber grew quiet.
Then a deep voice from the far end of the table spoke.
"It begins again."
All eyes turned toward the speaker.
He was the oldest among them.
The one they called The Archivist.
His voice carried the weight of history.
"The bloodline was never meant to survive this long," he continued. "Yet the boy stands where his father once stood."
The woman frowned slightly.
"Then we remove him."
The Archivist shook his head slowly.
"If killing him solved the problem, we would have done it decades ago."
The silver-haired man nodded grimly.
"The key must be used, not destroyed."
Another council member asked, "And the father?"
The Hunter answered.
"Still bound to the source."
"Stable?"
"For now."
The Archivist folded his hands.
"The boy must reach the tree willingly. That was always the condition."
The woman leaned back in her chair.
"And if he refuses?"
The Archivist's eyes darkened.
"Then the timeline collapses."
Silence followed.
Finally, the silver-haired man spoke.
"Phase Two begins tonight."
The Hunter bowed slightly.
"What are your orders?"
The silver-haired man stood up slowly.
"We release the Seeker."
Several council members reacted immediately.
"That is too early," one said.
"He is not ready," another added.
But the Archivist remained calm.
"The boy has already shifted the path," he said. "Balance demands a counterweight."
The Hunter's expression hardened.
"As you command."
He turned and walked toward the chamber exit.
Before he reached the door, the Archivist spoke once more.
"One warning."
The Hunter stopped.
"The boy must not die before the convergence."
"Understood."
"And the guardian?" the Hunter asked.
The Archivist closed his eyes briefly.
"If Yusuf interferes too much…"
His voice became colder.
"Remove him."
Meanwhile, in the forest…
A small fire burned between Yusuf and Feroz.
Feroz sat quietly, his ribs wrapped in cloth.
The pain was dull now, but exhaustion weighed heavily on him.
Yusuf stared into the flames.
"You changed something tonight," he said.
Feroz looked up.
"Good or bad?"
Yusuf didn't answer immediately.
"Both."
The fire cracked softly.
Feroz finally asked the question that had been growing in his mind.
"Who were those Hunters really?"
Yusuf's eyes lifted toward the dark forest.
"They are not soldiers."
"Then what are they?"
Yusuf's voice lowered.
"They are what remains of the first people who tried to control the source."
Feroz felt a chill.
"You mean… humans?"
"Once."
The wind moved through the trees.
Yusuf stood slowly.
"We cannot stay here long."
Feroz frowned.
"Why?"
Yusuf looked into the darkness beyond the firelight.
"Because something else will come next."
Feroz followed his gaze.
"What kind of something?"
Yusuf's answer came quietly.
"The kind even the Hunters fear."
Far away…
In a sealed chamber deep beneath the city…
A large iron door slowly opened.
Chains fell to the floor with heavy metallic echoes.
From the darkness inside—
Two glowing eyes opened.
And a voice whispered for the first time in years.
"Finally."
Phase Two had begun.