The cool night breeze welcomed them as they stepped out of the temple's embrace, but Feroz could hardly feel it. His mind was whirling, the weight of the past pressing down on him like never before. He kept glancing at Mrs. Aliya, waiting for her to say something, anything that might explain what they had just witnessed in the chamber. The silence between them was heavy, and the night seemed alive with unspoken truths.
"Mrs. Aliya," Feroz finally ventured, his voice soft but insistent. "You know more than you're telling me, don't you?"
Mrs. Aliya paused, the moonlight catching the weariness in her eyes. She exhaled deeply, folding her hands in front of her as if bracing herself. "Feroz," she began, "some things are better left in the shadows, at least for now. But I know that's no longer an option. Not after what you've seen… not after tonight."
She stopped walking and looked him directly in the eyes. Her expression was stern but full of care, almost maternal. "What I'm about to tell you… it may not make sense right away. And it's only a piece of the larger truth."
Feroz's heart pounded in his chest. He felt as if everything in his life had been leading up to this moment. He nodded, urging her to continue.
"You weren't abandoned by your family out of neglect or cruelty," she started, choosing her words carefully. "Your father—Qadir Khan—was a man of many secrets, Feroz. A man blessed with… abilities far beyond what most could understand. His powers, his gifts, were both a blessing and a curse."
"My father?" Feroz breathed, feeling the words reverberate inside him. This was the first time he was hearing anything real about his father. His mind tried to connect the dots, but they were too scattered, too elusive.
Mrs. Aliya nodded. "Yes, your father was a great man, but also a man constantly hunted by those who wanted what he possessed. Powerful people. Dangerous people. His abilities… they made him both a target and a weapon. And when he realized that his brother—your uncle—had turned against him, he made a difficult choice. He had to protect you, Feroz."
"My uncle?" Feroz whispered. "You mean… he tried to kill my father?"
Mrs. Aliya's face grew darker, and she averted her eyes. "Your uncle was driven by greed, by the same thirst for power that corrupted many before him. He knew about your father's abilities and believed that by eliminating both of you, he could claim those powers for himself. Qadir Khan knew he had to act quickly. So, he made the ultimate sacrifice to keep you safe."
Feroz felt a lump forming in his throat. His mind was reeling. "Is that why my father left me at the orphanage? To keep me away from my uncle?"
"Yes," Mrs. Aliya replied, her voice steady but filled with sorrow. "He knew that as long as you stayed with him, you would always be in danger. So, he did what he thought was best—he hid you here, in the orphanage, under a false identity, hoping it would be enough to protect you."
Feroz clenched his fists, anger and confusion warring within him. "And what happened to him? Why didn't he come back for me?"
Mrs. Aliya's eyes softened. "That's a question I cannot fully answer. No one has heard from Qadir Khan since he left you here. There are rumors, whispers in the shadows, that he may have been captured or… worse. But I don't know for certain. What I do know is that he never stopped loving you, Feroz. Every decision he made was to protect you."
A hollow ache settled in Feroz's chest. His father, a man he had never known, had sacrificed everything to keep him safe. But what did it matter now? His uncle had probably succeeded in destroying his family.
"Your father's legacy didn't end with him," Mrs. Aliya said, interrupting his thoughts. "You, Feroz, are part of that legacy. The same gifts that flowed through Qadir Khan's veins now flow through yours. That's why the organization hunting your father has turned its gaze towards you."
Feroz looked at her, wide-eyed. "What gifts? I'm just an ordinary man. I don't have any powers."
"You haven't awakened them yet," Mrs. Aliya said with a trace of sadness in her voice. "But they're inside you, waiting. And once they awaken… those hunting you will stop at nothing to control you."
Feroz was silent, his mind swimming with questions. If he had these abilities, why hadn't they manifested yet? What kind of powers were they? And more importantly, what would happen when they did awaken?
"We need to move quickly now," Mrs. Aliya said, pulling him from his thoughts. "We've stirred the waters by coming to the temple, and those looking for you will be on our trail soon enough."
Feroz's thoughts returned to the men in black suits, the ones who had ambushed them in the alley. Who were they? How did they always seem to know where he was?
As they began walking again, the weight of his destiny pressed down on him. He couldn't shake the feeling that the answers were out there, hidden in the shadows of his father's past. And somewhere, perhaps closer than he realized, lay the truth about what happened to Qadir Khan—and the deadly danger that awaited him.
But one thing was certain: there was no going back now.
**"What if my uncle is still out there?"** Feroz thought grimly. The very idea sent a chill through him. The enemy wasn't just some faceless organization or hired mercenaries. This was personal.
As they made their way into the night, Feroz glanced up at the sky, the stars flickering like distant promises of a future still cloaked in uncertainty. For now, his path was unclear. But he knew that whatever lay ahead, he would face it head-on, with the strength of the father he had never known and the mysterious powers he still had yet to understand.
And the battle was only just beginning.