The Weight of Silence

Malik didn't move. He stood there, letting the man's words settle in the heavy air. Shape the city, or be shaped by it.

The man leaned back, watching. "You already know there's no middle ground."

Malik finally sat. Not because he trusted the man—but because he needed to hear more.

The man nodded, as if he had expected this. "Kasab runs on power, not rules. The ones at the top? They're not the strongest. They're the smartest." He tapped the table. "And right now, they're afraid."

Malik said nothing.

The man's gaze sharpened. "You've been noticed. The ones who fear change—they'll either bring you in or wipe you out."

Malik's jaw tensed. He had been careful, moved in silence. But Kasab had been watching him all along.

The man slid a folded paper across the table. "This is where it begins. If you walk out that door without it, you stay in the shadows." His voice lowered. "But if you take it… you stop being invisible."

Malik stared at the paper. A name. An address. A task that would either pull him deeper or erase him completely.

His fingers hovered over it.

Some choices weren't really choices.

After a long silence, Malik picked it up.

The man exhaled. "Welcome to the game."