Tarik felt the ground beneath his feet grow softer. With every step, his movements grew heavier, but not from exhaustion — something around him was shifting. There was no wind, no sound — everything became so still that each of his breaths blended with the silence. He paused, glancing around, sensing that something was changing in the very fabric of the space.
Before him, a new scene appeared. It wasn’t a forest, nor a field — it wasn’t a place that could be defined by words. It was simply a space where his presence seemed to merge with everything around him. It felt as though time itself was different here, like an endless flow with no beginning or end. He felt this space penetrate his consciousness, enveloping him, making him feel that he was part of something far greater.
Something vague, unseen, began to take shape. In the darkness, outlines emerged, becoming clearer with every passing moment. Though he couldn’t fully recognize what it was, he felt it — this wasn’t a threat. It was like an invitation, a beckoning to accept something he hadn’t understood before.
He didn’t know how much time had passed, but he realized he couldn’t stand still any longer. Time and space no longer had clear definitions for him. He took a step forward — light, uncertain, yet resolute.
And at that very moment, as he moved forward, he felt it. The awakening. It was as if something vast and powerful, which had been dormant for so long, was now stirring. The sensation was physical; his heart raced, and the blood froze in his veins. He couldn’t understand why it was happening now, but he knew one thing — what he was feeling couldn’t be ignored.
His first steps in this new space didn’t bring him clarity. He only felt this unknown force that he couldn’t explain with words. It surrounded him, making him part of something unpredictable. But this force wasn’t hostile. It was comforting, like hands gently guiding him out of the darkness.
And then, as he moved further, a figure appeared before him. Faint, shrouded, but distinct. Tarik stopped, surprised but not frightened. The figure was immense, like a mountain, and unfathomable, like the world itself. Tarik knew that this wasn’t just an image. This was something alive, something that had been waiting for him.
He didn’t have the words to describe what he was feeling. He only knew that what stood before him was the very reason he had traveled this far. And he was ready. All that was left was to take one more step.