The mist thickened as Arash stepped deeper into the lowered path.
It curled around his legs, cool and silent, as if trying to pull him somewhere…
or remind him of somewhere he had already been.
Every sound felt distant.
Every breath felt heavier.
The forest behind him was fading, swallowed by gray.
Ahead only a dim trail remained, glowing faintly like a thread of silver guiding him forward.
Arash felt a strange tug in his chest.
Not fear.
Recognition.
As if something inside him whispered—
You've walked here before.
But he could not remember when.
He moved slowly, carefully, afraid that one wrong step might break the fragile path beneath him.
The air smelled different here—sweet, but strangely hollow.
Then he heard it.A voice.Soft.Young.
Familiar in a way that made his heart ache.
Why did you leave me…?
Arash froze.He looked around.
The mist shifted, forming vague outlines—
like figures made of fog and moonlight.
One shape stood closer than the rest.
Small.Child-like.
Arash's throat tightened.
Who are you? he whispered.
The figure tilted its head, gazing at him with empty, mist-filled eyes.
You forgot me…
the childlike voice said.
Everyone forgets.
Arash felt a painful pull inside his mind—
like a memory trying to surface, but blocked by something thick and unyielding.
The mist around the child began to swirl violently.
Arash stepped closer.
Tell me your name, he said gently.
The figure reached out a hand—tiny, trembling, almost transparent.
Arash reached back…
But before their fingers touched, the child's voice changed—
deeper now, layered with echoes.
Almost like more than one voice speaking at once.
He showed you the truth…
but not the beginning.
Arash's heart thundered.
The old man. The banyan tree. The story of the river.
But what beginning? What do you mean? Arash demanded.
The mist-child stepped backward, dissolving slowly.
Its voice grew faint— You were here before…
The river brought you…The river took you…
Arash reached out desperately.
Wait! Tell me what I forgot!
The child's final words echoed through the mist:
Find the door…before it finds you.
Then the figure melted into the fog, leaving only silence behind.
Arash stood alone, trembling.
A forgotten past? A door waiting for him?
A truth the old man didn't reveal?
The mist around him stirred, opening up a narrow passage forward—
as if granting him a direction.
Arash wiped the moisture from his face and took a shaky breath.
The answers were close.
Very close.And whatever waited ahead…
was connected to him in ways he never imagined.
He stepped forward into the mist—
toward the door that awaited him.
Arash walked deeper into the mist, his footsteps barely touching the ground.
The air felt heavier… as if the forest was holding its breath.
Every part of him sensed it —
something waited ahead.
Something ancient. Something connected to him.
The mist slowly thinned…
And then he saw it.
A structure half-hidden in the gray haze.
Not a house. Not a shrine. Not a cave.
A door.
Standing in the middle of the forest, unattached to any wall.
Tall, old, carved from dark wood that seemed older than time itself.
Vines wrapped around it like silent serpents.
The carvings on the door were the same symbols he had seen before—
rivers, spirals, and circles that looked like the flow of life itself.
Arash's heartbeat quickened.
The door… before it finds you.
The mist-child's words echoed in his mind.
He stepped closer.The door pulsed faintly
as if something behind it was alive.
He reached for the handle…
but his fingers stopped just inches away.
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him.
Images flashed.
the old man walking away under the banyan tree. the river glowing under the moon. shadows whispering his name. a fragment of a child's laughter. a broken wooden bridge. his own face reflected in water, younger, frightened
Arash staggered back, clutching his head.
What… what is this? he gasped.
His memory burned—
like something trapped inside was trying to break free.
The door vibrated softly, almost calling him.
Arash steadied himself and stared at it.
Is this what I forgot? he whispered.
The forest answered with a low rumble, like distant thunder beneath the earth.
Suddenly—The door creaked.
Not opening.Not closing.Just breathing.
Arash froze.
It felt as if the door was waiting for him to decide—
whether he wished to remember,
or continue living in the comfort of ignorance.
He took a step closer.
Show me, he whispered.
Show me the truth.
The wind stopped.The trees fell silent.
Even the mist froze in mid-air.
Then—A voice broke the silence.
Not the old man. Not the shadow. Not the child.
But his own voice. Are you sure?
Arash spun around.No one was there.
The voice came from…
the other side of the door.
His own voice.Younger.More fearful.
Arash's blood turned cold.
Was his past waiting inside?
A forgotten version of himself?
A buried memory speaking back?
He reached out again—this time without hesitation.
His fingers touched the wood.
Warm. Alive. Strong.
The carvings glowed faintly beneath his touch.
His breath trembled.He pushed the door—
and it slowly began to open.
A blinding white light poured out, swallowing the forest, the mist, and even the sound around him.
Arash raised an arm to shield his eyes.
His heart pounded.
Whatever lay beyond this door…
would change everything.
And he stepped forward—into the light.