Previously, you read how Dev was injured in a fight between Prem and Vish, and to save him, Zaid gave up his body to an unknown force. That force not only saved Dev but also destroyed Vish.
Now continues the story…
Zaid once again found himself in the world of his dreams—the same one that visited him every night. But this time, the atmosphere was different; something felt unusual.
He always saw someone his age burning in flames before him in these dreams, someone he felt a strange, inexplicable connection to.
That person was present today as well, but this time, he stood face to face with Zaid, locking eyes as if he had been waiting for him.
It was all new and strange for Zaid, yet it didn't feel like a dream.
He could feel everything around him. It was as if he had entered a completely different world. He noticed the man's face was half-covered with a mask below the eyes.
Before Zaid could say anything, the masked man spoke first,
"Strange, isn't it? Seeing something that feels far from reality... that stands right in front of you but still feels unreal."
Hearing this, Zaid looked around for a moment and then asked,
"Where am I? What is this place?"
The man replied,
"This is your mind—or rather, a corner of it. A place that's completely empty, filled only with darkness and despair. This place has been my home ever since you were born."
Zaid couldn't make full sense of it, but still, looking into his blood-red eyes, he asked in a confused and soft voice,
"Who are you? What connection do you have with me? And if this is my mind, then why are you here?"
The man looked directly at Zaid and said,
"I know you have many questions, but to get the answers... you have to wake up first."
The moment he said this, Zaid was jolted awake. His eyes were open, but his body felt frozen. He was drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.
Once he regained control, he realized he was lying in his room, in his bed. Dev was asleep on the bed next to him.
Zaid felt a little calmer now. He started thinking maybe everything that had happened—the football match, following their teacher, the fight, Dev getting hurt—was all just a bad dream.
He was almost relieved at that thought when suddenly, a voice called out,
"You're awake."
Zaid turned toward the voice, and his hair stood on end. Shocked, he moved to a corner of the room. He couldn't believe his eyes—the same masked man from his dreams was standing right in front of him. But he didn't look like a normal person... Zaid could see right through him.
Before he could make sense of it, his room's door was flung open with force.
Rushing in were his friends—Abrar, Nidhi, and Aman. Seeing them brought a sense of relief to Zaid, who was beginning to worry about his friends' safety too.
Nidhi and Abrar ran to hug him with teary eyes and a smile. They looked sad and scared. As they embraced him, Zaid realized the events of that day were even more terrifying than he had thought.
"Don't worry. I'm fine," Zaid reassured them.
Then he turned to the masked man and asked,
"Who is this? What happened to me? What is going on here?"
Nidhi and Abrar calmed Zaid down and helped him sit. Then, Nidhi glanced at the masked man and scolded him,
"He woke up after two days, and you scared him already!"
The masked man replied,
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to scare you. But you didn't give me a chance to explain."
"You were the one in my dream just moments ago, right? The one who told me to wake up. You've been appearing in my dreams since childhood. You were the one who showed me how to save Dev that day, weren't you?" Zaid asked with a puzzled voice.
His question was a mystery to his friends, but now everyone waited for the masked man to answer.
"Yes, that was me. I have been with you since the day you were born. I live inside you."
This statement left everyone stunned. Zaid then asked something different,
"Why did you take over my body during that fight? What happened after I passed out?"
The masked man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he walked slowly toward Zaid.
Zaid felt a wave of fear. He wasn't sure why, but he thought this man might harm him or his friends.
"Stay away from us!" Zaid said, stepping back with trembling eyes.
"Calm down. Just trust me for a moment, and you'll get your answers," the man said gently.
Then he placed his hand on Zaid's shoulder. The moment he touched him, Zaid felt a surge of energy flow through his body.
His entire being calmed down, and his eyes began seeing what had happened after he had lost consciousness on the battlefield.
He saw a terrifying force emerging from his body, surrounding him in a strange energy. Zaid's body transformed into the masked man's form. The man disintegrated Vish in an instant and healed Dev effortlessly.
Zaid thought that was the end of it, that his friends must've taken him home afterward—but something more appeared before his eyes.
After healing Dev, the man created a glowing shield and launched it into the sky. The glowing orb sped through the clouds into space. As it reached the moon's distance, it began expanding and slowly covered the Earth and Moon completely—then disappeared.
That's how an invisible shield formed around Earth.
Then the man said something to Zaid's friends and, with a blink, transported them all to their homes.
Zaid came back to the present. When he asked his friends about the incident, they confirmed the exact same thing he had just seen. This made Zaid trust the masked man a little more.
He then asked,
"Who was that man with Prem and Rehman sir? What connection do they have with him? And what are they after?"
Zaid's friends were curious too and waited for the masked man's response.
The man took a deep breath and said,
"That man is named Altamash. He is the guru of both Prem and Rehman. They work to maintain peace in this world. Believe me, they are good people. And the thing they are searching for..."
He pointed at Zaid and continued,
"…is you. Yes, you are the one they've been looking for. Even Vish and others before him came for you."
Everyone was shocked. They couldn't believe what they had just heard.
"Me? They're after me? But why?" Zaid asked in a serious, quiet tone.
The masked man saw the concern on everyone's face and answered clearly,
"Because within you lies one of the four Great Cosmic Powers of this universe. You are the successor... heir to Infinite Energy. My successor."
His words stunned everyone. Then Zaid asked,
"Successor? Infinite energy? And what do you mean I'm your heir? What is our connection? What are these great powers?"
The masked man replied,
"I know you have many questions, and I promise—I have answers to all of them. But…"
He sat in front of Zaid and said,
"I can't tell you everything right now. If you want to truly understand Infinite Energy, you must reach Altamash. You must go to his Gurukul. And to get there, you need to awaken your powers. I will help you with that."
Zaid thought for a moment and then firmly said,
"No. I don't need your answers. I'm not going anywhere, and I don't want to be involved in any of this."
He got up and started walking out of the room. A deep and serious voice called from behind,
"You have no idea how special and powerful you are, or how great your responsibility is. One wrong decision from you could destroy your world… humanity itself. Even my shield won't hold him back for long."
But Zaid didn't stop. He left.
His friends had been quietly listening to the entire conversation. None of them interrupted.
Then Abrar stepped forward and said to the masked man,
"You tried. We told you he wouldn't agree. He desires nothing—no power, no wealth."
The masked man, still looking toward the door, turned toward Abrar and said,
"I know. I've been with him since birth. I've watched him grow. I know he doesn't crave power or revenge. He only searches for one thing—peace—which he never had."
Hearing this, Nidhi couldn't hold back her tears. Wiping them away, she said in a voice full of emotion and complaint,
"If you know him so well, then why drag him into all this? If he wants peace, let him have it!"
The masked man couldn't meet their eyes. He knew he was the reason their lives were now caught in this chaos. Yet he softly said,
"I'm helpless. He's the chosen one. It's his destiny to become the bearer of a power with no limits. And to face the coming danger, I need him… his soul and body."
Abrar didn't say anything more. He turned to leave the room. But just before leaving, he said to the masked man,
"I'll convince him. But you better keep your promise."
And then he walked out, following Zaid.
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TO BE CONTINUED...