Chapter 8: The Silent Zone

The dreams did not stop.For three nights, Mustak saw the same image.The young Setam standing still.Behind it — a shadow.Not a shape.Not a creature.Just a presence.Watching.Waiting.On the fourth morning, Tosif called him earlier than usual.“We have a problem.”Mustak arrived at the warehouse within minutes.Tosif had spread several printed maps across a metal table. Red circles marked different locations.“Sector 19 wasn’t isolated,” Tosif said. “Energy readings are increasing across nearby zones.”Mustak looked at the map.The red circles were forming a pattern.A spiral.“What does that mean?” Mustak asked.Tosif hesitated.“It means something is gathering them.”Two hours later, they stood at the border of what officials now called The Silent Zone.No wind.No insects.No distant city noise.Just stillness.Even the sky above seemed pale and drained of color.Mustak felt it instantly.This wasn’t like Sector 19.This was heavier.Older.Alive.Tosif turned to him.“This is beyond beginner level.”Mustak didn’t look away from the empty streets ahead.“Then why bring me?”Tosif’s voice was calm.“Because you felt something the last time. That connection matters.”They stepped inside.The air felt cold — not physically, but emotionally.Buildings leaned inward like they were listening.Windows were shattered, but no glass lay on the ground.It was as if destruction had happened without impact.The scanner began to flicker wildly.Not beeping.Glitching.As if confused.Then —They heard footsteps.Not running.Walking.Slow.Deliberate.A figure appeared at the end of the street.Human-shaped.Wearing torn clothing.Head slightly lowered.Mustak’s heart tightened.This one looked more complete than the last.It raised its head.It had a face.Eyes.But no pupils.Just white.“You feel it, don’t you?” Tosif whispered.Mustak nodded.This one was aware.Without warning, the ground beneath them shifted.Not cracked.Shifted.Like the street itself was breathing.Multiple shapes began rising from the walls.Half-formed Setams.Limbs pushing out of concrete.Faces emerging from asphalt.“They’re not attacking,” Mustak said quietly.Tosif’s jaw tightened.“They’re surrounding.”The white-eyed Setam took one step forward.Then another.Each step caused the smaller ones to tremble.It was controlling them.Mustak felt the poison inside him react.Not violently.Cautiously.As if it recognized something.The white-eyed figure stopped ten meters away.Its lips moved.No sound came out.But Mustak heard it.Inside his mind.“You are different.”Mustak’s eyes widened slightly.Tosif noticed the shift.“What is it saying?”Mustak answered slowly.“It knows me.”The smaller Setams suddenly lunged.Dozens at once.Mustak reacted instantly.Purple energy burst outward from his body in a circular wave.The creatures touching that wave began to decay mid-air.But they didn’t disappear.They kept crawling.Even while breaking apart.Tosif moved too — precise, controlled strikes cutting through limbs and torsos.But more kept rising from the walls.Endless.“They’re not independent!” Tosif shouted. “Destroy the controller!”Mustak’s gaze locked onto the white-eyed figure.It hadn’t moved.It was observing.Learning.Mustak stepped forward.Each step heavier than the last.The ground tried to swallow his feet.The air pressed against his chest.The white-eyed Setam tilted its head.“Come closer.”Mustak felt anger rise.Not from himself.From the poison.It wanted this.It wanted to clash.He clenched his fists.Purple veins brightened.The air around him distorted.With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed forward.The ground shattered beneath his step.He appeared directly in front of the white-eyed Setam and threw a punch infused with concentrated poison energy.The impact cracked the air.But —The figure caught his fist.Effortlessly.For the first time since becoming a Destroyer —Mustak felt resistance equal to his power.The white eyes stared directly into his.And in that gaze —He saw something terrifying.Recognition.Not fear.Not hatred.Recognition.“You carry the seed.”The voice echoed inside his mind.Then the figure released him and stepped back.The smaller Setams froze.Completely still.Tosif looked around, confused.“What’s happening?”The white-eyed figure slowly began to dissolve.Not from damage.By choice.As its body turned into ash, the final words echoed inside Mustak’s head.“It will awaken.”Then —Silence.The smaller creatures collapsed lifelessly.The street became empty once more.Tosif approached Mustak cautiously.“You’re bleeding.”Mustak touched his lip.A thin line of blood.He hadn’t even noticed.“That wasn’t a young Setam,” Tosif said quietly.Mustak’s breathing was steady again.“No.”Tosif met his eyes.“That was something organizing them.”Mustak looked at the empty sky.“It said I carry a seed.”Tosif’s expression darkened.“I was afraid of that.”On the way back, neither of them spoke.The Silent Zone remained behind them.But something had changed.That wasn’t a random encounter.It was a message.And somewhere beyond human understanding —Something had just confirmed Mustak’s existence.That night, as he lay in bed —The poison inside him pulsed once.Not violently.Not painfully.But deliberately.Like a heartbeat.And deep in the darkness of his mind —A distant voice whispered.“Soon.”