The days that followed were nothing like the ones Gibreel Farishta had once known. The city felt different now, as though the streets were alive with a secret that only a few could hear. Gibreel had spent countless hours wandering through the labyrinth of Bombay's alleyways, his mind consumed by the encounter with the mysterious stranger. Every corner seemed to hide whispers, every shadow hiding something far darker than he was willing to confront.
Gibreel had never believed in the supernatural, never in his wildest dreams did he think that fate had something otherworldly in store for him. But the stranger's words haunted him, rattling in his brain like an echo that wouldn't fade. The choice, the destiny—it was all too much for him to grasp. But every step he took seemed to pull him deeper into the mystery.
One evening, as he sat at a small café on the edge of the city, nursing a cup of coffee that had long gone cold, Gibreel spotted a familiar face in the crowd. He had seen this man before, though he couldn't place where or when. He stood at the doorway of the café, his presence somehow pulling the air around him. The stranger.
His heart skipped a beat as the man's eyes locked with his, and in that moment, Gibreel knew he couldn't ignore the pull any longer. He had to find answers.
Without a second thought, Gibreel stood up, abandoning his half-finished coffee, and made his way to the door. The stranger was gone, as though he had never been there at all. Yet, Gibreel couldn't shake the feeling that the man had been waiting for him. He walked quickly through the dim streets, his breath shallow, not knowing why, but knowing that he needed to follow.
The path led him deeper into the city, to a part of town he had never visited before—an old, crumbling building at the end of a narrow alley. Its walls were covered in ivy, the door creaking open as if inviting him inside. Gibreel hesitated for only a moment before he stepped over the threshold.
The inside of the building was eerily quiet. Dust hung in the air, and the floorboards groaned beneath his feet as he ventured further inside. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed strange symbols carved into the walls, markings that seemed to pulse with an energy of their own. It was as if the building itself had a life force, a history that was older than anything Gibreel had known.
At the far end of the room stood a figure, bathed in shadow. The same stranger, but this time, there was something different about him—his cloak seemed to shimmer, his presence more ethereal than before.
"You came," the stranger's voice was low, almost a whisper, but it echoed in the silent room. "You were always meant to come."
Gibreel stood frozen, his mind racing. "What is this place? Who are you?"
The stranger took a step forward, his movements slow but deliberate. "I am a messenger. A guide. I show those who are lost the way. You, Gibreel Farishta, have been chosen."
Gibreel's breath caught in his throat. "Chosen? Chosen for what?"
The stranger's gaze grew intense, his eyes burning with an unearthly fire. "You have a role to play in something far greater than you understand. You will be part of a story—one that has been written for centuries, a story of transformation, of rebirth. The world is changing, and you will change with it."
The words were heavy with meaning, and Gibreel felt a cold chill run down his spine. He had never believed in fate, never in destiny. But now, as the stranger spoke, he couldn't ignore the undeniable feeling that everything in his life had led him to this very moment.
"What do you want from me?" Gibreel asked, his voice barely a whisper.
The stranger's lips curled into a smile, but it wasn't a comforting smile. It was the smile of someone who knew something you didn't, someone who held all the cards.
"You must trust the process," he said. "You must embrace the change that is coming. The world is shifting, and soon, you will see the truth. The truth about yourself. The truth about everything."
And then, just as quickly as he had appeared, the stranger vanished into the shadows, leaving Gibreel alone in the dark, the words echoing in his mind.