She led them into a long, dim hallway, signaling for Noor and Fazil to follow.
"I'll be returning you both to your original bodies," she said calmly. "You don't need to be afraid."
Relief flooded their faces—but disbelief lingered just beneath it. It felt too sudden. Too easy.
Behind them, Zubair watched closely.
He noticed the subtle shift in her expression—the way it softened. It unsettled him. When Noor and Fazil embraced each other, he felt the same faint stir of emotion within himself… but hers faded.
Why?
His eyes narrowed.
If she had changed… then maybe she had a weakness.
And weaknesses could be used.
When they reached the room, they found Hayat and Amran sitting side by side in silence.
They weren't speaking—just existing in the same space.
Hayat looked exhausted, her body slumped as if it could give out at any moment.
The door opened.
Zara entered.
Hayat stirred awake at the sound, her eyes widening slightly.
Then—
Noor. Fazil.
Without hesitation, they rushed toward each other.
They hugged tightly, relief and fear dissolving into something fragile but real.
For a moment… everything felt normal.
Then Zara spoke.
"I no longer need you."
The words were sharp.
Cold.
But her face didn't match them.
Her expression remained calm—almost gentle.
Something was wrong.
They all felt it.
But no one questioned her.
Because for the first time… she didn't look like herself.
And that alone gave them a dangerous kind of hope.
Still, Noor wasn't convinced.
Quietly, without drawing attention, she slipped a scalpel into her pocket.
Just in case.
"Fazil. You first."
He hesitated… then stepped forward.
She guided him toward one of the machines and began attaching electrodes to his body with practiced precision.
She checked his pulse.
Paused.
Then removed her hand.
"This is your normal pulse," she said. "I've recorded it."
Her voice was clinical again.
Controlled.
"Step onto the platform."
He obeyed.
"It might sting," she added. "But you'll be back in your body."
The machine hummed to life.
Numbers flickered.
Coordinates aligned.
This had been done before.
Everything about it felt… rehearsed.
"Pull the lever."
He did.
A sharp surge of energy crackled through the air—
And then—
Silence.
Valarmathi stood where he had been.
Alive.
Breathing.
Confused.
Her eyes darted around the room, trying to understand what had just happened—how she was back.
Now it was Noor's turn.
But Noor had already stepped back.
Her breathing grew uneven.
Her grip tightened around the hidden scalpel.
She stared at Valarmathi—
—or rather, at the space Fazil had occupied.
To her… he was gone.
Erased.
Even though she had been told otherwise.
Fear twisted her thoughts.
"You made him disappear," Noor whispered.
Before anyone could react—
She lunged.
Zara moved instantly.
She grabbed the IV and injected a sedative—propofol—straight into Noor's vein.
But Noor twisted her body mid-motion—
And in that split second—
The lever was pulled.
A violent surge pulsed through the machine.
A flash.
A shock.
Zara shoved Noor back—
When the light faded—
Farhath stood there.
Back in her original body.
But something was wrong.
The transition hadn't settled.
Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
Muscle memory collided with confusion.
Instinct took over.
With the scalpel still in her hand—
She turned—
And slashed.
The blade cut deep into Zara.
At the exact same moment—
Farhat's body gave out.
She collapsed.
Unconscious.
Valarmathi gasped in horror.
She had seen it all—
The injection.
The violence.
The collapse.
Panic took over.
"I need to call the police—"
She turned and ran.
But this wasn't the outside world.
This was a research facility.
No call would save them.
Before she could get far—
Amran intercepted her.
Firm. Unyielding.
No longer just silent.
Now, a guard.
She struggled—
But it was useless.
In the chaos—
6260818 moved quietly.
Unnoticed.
He slipped a folded note into Valarmathi's pocket.
A silent act.
A hidden message.
A possibility.
Hayat didn't know what to do.
Her thoughts were tangled—her cousins, their safety, everything that had just happened.
Nothing made sense anymore.
She turned to look at Amran.
They hadn't even had the chance to speak with fazil . No explanations. No answers.
Everything had unfolded too fast.
And now—
She had to choose.
Leave… or stay.
She looked down at herself.
This wasn't her body.
She was in Farhath's body.
And Farhath—
Farhat was now inside Fawdaa's.
The realization made her chest tighten.
Another exchange.
That's what needed to happen.
Moments later—
Both Valarmathi and Farhat were taken away.
Back to where they belonged.
The area designated for the clones.
But before that—
"Wait."
Zara's voice cut through the tension.
She stepped forward, stopping them.
"Let's finish this," she said calmly. "Both of you need to return to your original bodies. That is where you belong."
Hayat hesitated.
Every instinct told her not to trust this.
But another thought crept in—
If this worked…
Then it would prove everything.
The soul transfers.
The truth behind all of it.
Slowly… reluctantly…
She nodded.
Farhath—still unconscious inside Fawdaa's body—was placed into the machine.
The process began again.
Cold.
Precise.
Unfeeling.
The machine hummed.
Energy surged.
Coordinates aligned.
And then—
Silence.
Farhath woke up with a sharp gasp.
Back in her own body.
Her breathing was uneven, her eyes wide with shock—
Until they landed on Zara.
And everything changed.
"How could you?" Farhat's voice trembled, then rose. "How could you do this to us?!"
Her anger broke through all restraint.
"To me? To us? We trusted you!"
Every word carried pain.
Every accusation carried truth.
"What you put us through—do you even understand?!"
Zara didn't respond.
Not at first.
Her expression was empty.
Detached.
As if none of it mattered anymore.
As if she had already left this moment behind.
Finally, she turned slightly.
"You ." She pinged to 6260818
Her voice was quiet. Final.
By now, 6260818 was no longer just another subject.
She was assisting her.
Following orders.
Without question.
"Sedate her—use ketamine IV ," Zara said. "Then return them."
A pause.
"So they remember this as a dream."
Farhath froze.
"What—?"
Before she could react—
A needle was pushed into her vein.
The sedative spread quickly, within seconds.
Her resistance faded.
Her voice weakened.
And then—
Darkness.
Zara exhaled softly.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
Something flickered across her face.
Fatigue.
Or regret.
It was hard to tell.
Only one exchange remained.
Hayat.
And Fawdaa.
This—
This had been the reason.
Everything Zara had done…
Had begun with Fawdaa.
A chance.
A possibility.
An escape.
Not for herself .
But for Fawdaa.
But even now—
She didn't know if Fawdaa had ever truly escaped.
Or if all of this had been for nothing.
There had been a moment—
A dangerous, uncertain gap—
When a body existed without a soul.
Alive.
Breathing.
But empty.
Not dead.
Not alive.
Something in between.
That uncertainty had driven her further.
Deeper into the experiment.
She hadn't done this alone.
She lured .
Valarmathi.
Farhath.
Both of them had helped her—at some point.
They thought it was harmless.
Documentation.
Writing.
Organizing research.
Something reasonable.
Something safe.
They never knew.
Not even for a second—
That they were helping her build this.
Helping her cross a line no one should ever cross.
Transferring souls.
Breaking identities.
Rewriting existence itself.
And now—
There was no going back.