Chapter 10: The Sealed Room

Afzal’s words did not leave Mustak’s mind.When it fully awakens…He didn’t finish the sentence.But he didn’t need to.The next morning, Tosif summoned him to headquarters again.This time, there were no maps.No officers.No briefings.Only a single steel door at the end of a narrow corridor.Tosif stopped in front of it.“You’re not going on a mission today,” he said.Mustak looked at the door.“Then why am I here?”Tosif’s expression was serious.“Because we need to know what’s inside you.”The steel door opened slowly.Inside was a large, circular room.No windows.No furniture.Walls covered in strange engraved symbols — old, unfamiliar, almost ancient.“What is this place?” Mustak asked.“A containment chamber,” Tosif replied. “Built after the first anomaly.”Mustak understood immediately.“The Destroyer Afzal mentioned?”Tosif nodded once.“He lost control in a place like this.”Silence filled the corridor.“Go inside,” Tosif said quietly.The door shut behind Mustak with a heavy metallic sound.For a few seconds, nothing happened.The room was silent.Still.Then —The symbols on the walls began to glow faintly blue.A low vibration filled the air.Mustak felt pressure around his chest.Not physical.Internal.The poison inside him stirred.Cautiously.A voice echoed through hidden speakers.“Subject: Mustak. Rank: Beginner Destroyer.”A pause.“Begin internal resonance test.”The temperature dropped slightly.The glowing symbols intensified.Mustak’s breathing slowed.He closed his eyes.And focused.At first, it was manageable.The poison moved like liquid fire through his veins.But controlled.Obedient.Then —The walls pulsed.The symbols flared bright.The vibration increased.The poison reacted violently.Purple veins spread across Mustak’s arms and neck.His heartbeat accelerated.Images flashed through his mind.The dragon.The burning world.The white-eyed Setam.Afzal’s warning.The room distorted.No.His perception distorted.The walls stretched into darkness.The floor cracked beneath him.And he was no longer inside the chamber.He stood in a vast, empty void.Black sky.Endless ground.Alone.Except he wasn’t.A figure stood far ahead.Tall.Unclear.Not fully visible.Its presence was overwhelming.Not aggressive.Not friendly.Ancient.“You are not ready,” the voice said.It wasn’t sound.It was thought.Mustak stepped forward.“Who are you?”The figure didn’t answer directly.“You carry my fragment.”The poison inside him surged violently.Pain shot through his chest.Mustak dropped to one knee.“What are you?” he demanded.The figure moved slightly closer.And for the first time —He saw its eyes.Not white.Not glowing.Deep violet.The same color as his energy.“I am what remains.”The words echoed across the void.“Of what?” Mustak asked through clenched teeth.The ground beneath him began to crack.“Of destruction.”The poison flared uncontrollably.Mustak screamed as energy burst from his body.Back in the real world —The containment chamber alarms activated.Tosif stared through reinforced glass.Purple energy was slamming against the walls from inside.Cracks were forming in the engraved symbols.“This isn’t normal,” an operator shouted.“I know,” Tosif replied quietly.Inside the void —Mustak forced himself to stand.“You’re not controlling me,” he said.The violet-eyed figure tilted its head.“I am not controlling you.”A pause.“You are becoming me.”Rage flooded through Mustak.This time, it was his.He clenched his fists and charged forward.The void trembled with his movement.He struck the figure with everything he had.Purple energy exploded outward.The sky shattered like glass.For a moment —There was nothing.Then Mustak opened his eyes.He was back in the chamber.On his knees.Breathing heavily.The walls were cracked.Smoke rose from several symbols.But the room was intact.The energy around him slowly faded.The poison retreated.Quiet.Dormant.The steel door opened.Tosif walked in carefully.“You broke three layers of containment,” he said.Mustak looked up slowly.His eyes were calm.But deeper.“What did you see?” Tosif asked.Mustak stood up.“A memory.”Tosif waited.Mustak’s voice was steady.“It’s not just a seed.”A pause.“It’s a fragment of something that already died.”Tosif’s expression hardened.“And?”Mustak looked at his hands.“It wants to return.”Far away —In a place beyond mapped sectors —The ground trembled slightly.Deep beneath ruined earth,Something responded.Afzal stood alone on another rooftop, looking toward the horizon.He felt it too.A faint pulse in the air.He closed his eyes briefly.“So it’s begun,” he murmured.Back in the containment corridor, Tosif placed a hand on Mustak’s shoulder.“You’re still in control,” he said firmly.Mustak didn’t answer immediately.Because for the first time —He wasn’t entirely sure.