And Rahi, himself a victim, had been forced to watch.
Day after day, experiment after experiment, he had seen her reduced to numbers on a clipboard, scars mapped like constellations across her skin. He had watched her bleed into tubes, convulse under current, collapse against restraints. He had seen the way the doctors smiled—not because she survived, but because she endured long enough to be useful again tomorrow.
And she had survived. Always.
No matter how much they carved, cut, burned, drowned—she lived.
It was that endurance that terrified him.
Because it meant they would never stop.
Now, holding her unconscious form in the mansion's grand hall, Rahi's chest heaved with the weight of those memories. His hand shook as he brushed hair from her face, though his grip remained firm as iron.
"She was their masterpiece," he rasped, voice jagged with fury. "The perfect subject. They cut her open—inside and out—and when she didn't die, they celebrated."
Mahi let out a strangled sob. "Stop… please, stop talking . "
But he would not. His voice grew sharper, crueler, slicing through the silence like broken glass.
"You want to know what she is? You ask why she doesn't smile, why she doesn't speak? She is the sum of their cruelty. A girl they turned into a machine, a weapon, a shadow. They stripped her of childhood, of laughter, of color— That's what 17B is."
His eyes, blazing with fury, lifted from Maya to the family that surrounded him.
"And you…" His words dripped venom. "You dare call yourselves different. But you aren't. You sat her down, poured poison into her veins, and demanded truth she didn't owe you. You looked at her silence and treated it like rebellion. You wanted to break her open just the same. Tell me—how are you any different from them?"
The accusation thundered.
"How many times have I told you not to do such a thing?
Don't do it. Don't do it.
But you want the 'truth'. You didn't listen to me even once."
Mahim stiffened, his mask cracking. His eyes flickered with something unspoken, a shadow of guilt he could not entirely smother.
"You all ourselves cannot even imagine how much damage you have caused."
"Do you understand, She erased her memory so that she could survive. She has given up everything.
But because of the serum, that layer in her memory has been removed."
"I don't know if I can save her or not.'
"God knows what will happen ."
"The method will be very dangerous because it will allow the organization to know our location."
"But the 'Maya' that you knew all this time will disappeared today."
Fahad shook his head, stammering. "We only wanted—we only wanted to understand—"
"Understand?" Rahi snarled. "No. You wanted to pry her open. You wanted to peel her skin and call it love. That's not love—that's another experiment."
The twins, Faha and Fahish, flinched as if struck. Naya wept openly, shoulders shaking with grief and shame.
Even the servants lowered their heads, unable to bear the sight.
But Rahi's fury burned on, unstoppable.
"You ask why she walks this house like a shadow instead of a daughter. It's because she knows you're no different. You watched her collapse, and your first instinct was to demand more from her. More truth. You're not family—you're just another cage."
The hall was silent now, suffocating.
Only Maya's shallow breathing filled the space.
Rahi lowered his head, pressing his forehead to her gloved hand. His voice, so fierce a moment ago, trembled into something fragile.
"You don't belong here, 17B," he whispered. "Not with them. You survived the lab—you don't need to survive them, too."
His shoulders shook, silent sobs wracking through him though no tears fell.
Around him, the family stood shattered, silenced not by his words alone, but by the truth they had always feared to face:
That Maya was not simply their daughter or sister.
Nahi stumbled, her hand clutching the edge of a pillar for support. Her voice quivered as she spoke:
"But look at her… look at her! She is so small. She can barely breathe. How can you say she is the stronger then all of us?"
"Small?" Rahi's voice turned sharp.
"Fragility is an illusion they forced upon her. Stillness is not weakness — it is control. Silence is not emptiness — it is discipline. And endurance…"
endurance is the deadliest weapon of all."
And you all , whether through ignorance or demand, forced her to relive the same cruelty she had already endured.
The chandeliers flickered, their crystals shivering as if disturbed by invisible hands. The hall, once filled with light and music, seemed hollow, echoing with only one truth—spoken not by Maya, but by the one who had borne witness to her suffering.
And as she lay silent in Rahi's arms, the weight of her existence pressed down upon them all, until none could lift their eyes.
Not even the chandeliers dared to shine too brightly anymore.Not with peace. Not with calm.
It was the silence of people who had just seen a storm tear the sky open and were waiting for the next strike to burn them alive.
The air hung heavy, thick with questions no one dared speak. Dust settled like ash in the light of the chandeliers. Somewhere, a clock ticked softly — each sound a weight pressing against every heart in the room.
"Rahi, what is happening to Maya? Why is she not regaining consciousness? "
Mahi panicked and kept saying.
Call the doctor now.
Rahi let out a long breath and said,
"The doctor won't be able to help him get up."
Mahim said, "Why? Are you becomeing mad? Rahi. "
Rahi answered , "Do you think there is anything normal in her body after all these experiments?"
Fahim was surprised.
"Then what will happen? Her pulse is decreasing a lot .This isn't normal," Fahim said, holding Maya's pulse.
' If the doctor don't help,then who will?" Mahim wispard.
" Will you help her then?"
"I don't know if I can do it or not. But there is no other way."
His fingers were still pressed against Maya's pulse, his head bent close to her unmoving form, then he spoke—
"Do you have a rose garden?"
For a moment, no one understood.
Fahad blinked. "Wait what?"
Rahi did not look up.
"A garden," he repeated, more slowly now "Roses. Outside this house."
Farhan, who had been standing near the open archway, his voice came out unsteady.
"…Yes."
Rahi exhaled— like a man making a decision he could not take back.
"Good."
Only then did he move.
He slid one arm beneath Maya's shoulders, the other beneath her knees, lifting her. Her head fell lightly against his chest, her braid slipping over his arm like a dark thread unraveling into silence.
Mahi stepped forward instantly, her hands trembling. "Where are you taking her? Rahi—wait—"
"Stay back."
He didn't shout.There was something in his voice—something edged with memory—that made even Mahim hesitate.
Fahim took a step forward anyway, instinct overriding fear. "If you're going to move her, at least tell us what you're—"
"You'll slow me down."
Rahi finally lifted his gaze.
And what they saw there—
not a victim, not even entirely human in that moment.
It was someone who had done this before.
Too many times.
"Open the way," he said.
The guards didn't wait for permission.
They moved.
The great doors at the far end of the hall were thrown open, and the night rushed in—cool, carrying the faint scent of earth and something softer beneath it.
Red and blue roses.
Rahi didn't wait.He walked—fast at first, then faster—his steps echoing against marble.
Behind him, the family followed.
Because they couldn't do anything else.
The garden stretched wide under the night sky, rows of rose bushes blooming in careful discipline, their petals pale under moonlight.
His breathing had changed.Shorter now.
Tighter.
As if every step into the open air dragged something out of him he had tried to keep buried.
He reached the center of the garden and stopped.
Carefully—he lowered her to the ground. The grass bent beneath her, the roses nearby trembling faintly in the night breeze.
The others gathered at a distance, forming a silent, fractured circle. No one dared step too close. Not after what he had said. Not after what they had done.
Mahi's voice broke through, fragile and shaking.
"Why here…? Why the garden?"
"Gardens were part of the system."
The word hung there.
System.
Precise. Inhuman.
"They called it stabilization."
Mahi let out a broken sound, covering her mouth.
Rahi didn't look at her.
"They weren't trying to comfort us," he said. "They were studying how long it took before the body stopped shaking… how fast the mind could be forced back into function."
He shifted her carefully, one hand supporting the base of her neck. His movements were precise—too precise to be learned in any ordinary place.
He applies pressure to her pressure points.
Fahad frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Buying her time," Rahi replied, not looking up.
"Her nervous system is crashing," he muttered, half to himself. "The serum forced too many pathways open at once… she's withdrawing to protect the brain."
Mahi's voice trembled. "Then wake her up!"
Slowly, he reached for her gloves.
For a second—just a second—his hand paused.
Because he knew what they meant.
But this was not a moment for boundaries.
He pulled them off.
A collective breath caught in the room.
Rahi took a small blade from his pocket.
Fahim stepped forward instantly. "What are you—"
"Stop." Rahi's voice dropped into something dangerous. "You said yourself—her pulse is fading."
Carefully, he made a cut across her palm.
A line of red appeared—sharp against her skin.
Mahi gasped. "Rahi!"
But he ignored it.
Without hesitation, he made the same cut on his own hand.
His breath hitched—just slightly.
Then he pressed his palm firmly against hers.
Blood to blood.
Rahi's entire body stiffened.
A sharp inhale tore through him as if something invisible had latched on.
Fahan stepped back. "What… what is that?"
Rahi didn't answer.
Because he couldn't—not at first.
"This is what they did," he said through clenched teeth. "When a child wouldn't respond… when her body started shutting down…"
His voice shook—but his hands never did.
"They forced the system to restart."
His breathing grew uneven now.
Because the cost was becoming visible.
A tremor ran through his arm—then spread.
His shoulders tightened as if bearing weight that no one else could see.
"They trained some of us," he continued, voice lower, "to act as… anchors. External stabilizers. If one subject collapsed… another could pull them back."
His head snapped down. "Come on…" he whispered. The tremor in his own body worsened.
Fahim noticed first. "Your pulse—it's spiking."
"Ignore it."
"Rahi—"
"I said ignore it!"
Rahi exhaled shakily,"Subject 17B. listen to me."
his lips shook. "Code."
Maya stirred.Her chest rose and fell.
" Awaiting input. Please. "
The voice cut through the tension like steel, cold and deliberate.
Everyone in the room froze. The word fell like a command in the air, sharp and strange.
Rahi said, "C-13. Override protocol."
Maya's eyes opend a little, "Confirm chain?"
"Active," Rahi choked.
"Root?"
"Subject 13A."
Something flickered in her eyes. Recognition.
"Subject 13A. Confirm safety?"
" Confirmed," Rahi whispered,
" Code black secured. "
Her breathing slowed, a fraction,
"Status check: oxygen—unstable. Heart rate—irregular. Pain—unknown.
Brain function — collapseing . "
"Override panic," Rahi's voice cracked. "Subject 17B… stabilize now!"
"Stabilizing," Maya whispered. Her body swayed slightly. The words wrapped her in invisible chains. Safe.
Mahi's hands clutched her mouth. "What..... what are they saying?"
Rahi did not turn. His eyes remained locked on her. His voice was a blade dripping blood.
"They left us only this. A language made of chains."
"I won't let them hurt you again. Never again. I swear on everything, Subject 17 B ."
Her head tilted slightly. Her voice monotone,
"Confirm."
Rahi pressed his forehead to her hands. "Confirmed."
"Command sequence complete. Subject 17B… returning to standby."
The words landed like a blade drawn across stone.Her breath became shallow, robotic — a monotone hum beneath the surface.There was no emotion on her face.
"Standby mode activated… system shutting down… neural collapse imminent. "
Rahi's body trembled.
Like something precious that the world had tried to erase.
And the garden was silent again.
This silence was different. Heavy. Endless
Light lingered in fractured shards across the marble floor, scattering from the chandelier like a thousand broken mirrors.
The crystals trembled faintly as though even they feared to shine too brightly. Somewhere, hidden in the belly of the mansion, a clock struck — hollow and heavy, each chime falling like the tolling of a bell at a funeral.
No one moved. No one dared to.
Only Maya's body lay at the center of it all, still as carved stone, her small frame cradled in Rahi's trembling arms. Her chest rose and fell, but not with the rhythm of life. It was something slower, more detached — a mechanical cadence, as though breath itself had been reduced to calculation. Her eyes, reflected nothing.
The family gathered around them like ghosts drawn to a grave. Mahim stood rigid, his back too straight, jaw clenched so tightly it seemed his teeth might shatter. Beside him, Mahi wept into her hands, her sobs reduced now to thin, choking gasps.
Fahad's fists opened and closed at his sides, the calloused knuckles whitening with every movement. Fahim lingered near the wall, pale as though the air had been stolen from his lungs.
Farhan's lips moved silently, whispering her name like a prayer that had already been denied.
And Anik — the one who had poured the glass, the one who had insisted — stood apart, shoulders tense, his face unreadable, his jaw locked. His shadow stretched long across the marble but he could not meet a single pair of eyes.
Rahi did not speak at first. His forehead rested against Maya's gloved hand, his body bent over hers as if by weight alone he could shield her from the emptiness swallowing her whole. His breath came ragged, uneven.
Her skin beneath the gloves was cold, cold in a way that felt unreal, inhuman.
When he finally spoke, his voice was little more than a whisper of cracked steel.
"She's nothing but a machine now.
What can I tell this system ?
They changed the rules again, after I left.
They changed the code sequence."
Mahi raised her tear-streaked face at once. "No—"
"She's gone," Rahi said, his voice cutting, but fragile.
His eyes lifted, bloodshot, "I have activated the system in her brain."
Fahad says, "Why?Why do you do that? "
Rahi says, "So that at least her own existence can be maintained to some extent."
Mahi's sob cracked into a scream. "Rahi, don't, Maya —"
"Don't," he snapped, though his voice broke as the word left him. His throat ached from it. His eyes fell back to Maya, her stillness, her frozen breath.
"Don't say her name like she's still here. She isn't."
Mahi collapsed into sobs again, clutching her chest. Fahad's hands lowered, his shoulders slumping, his jaw trembling.
Fahim turned his face to the wall, shame burning his pale features. Farhan shut his eyes tight, his whisper dissolving into silence.
Anik did not move.
Mahim stepped forward at last, though every line of his body trembled. His voice came low, uneven, "Rahi — What will happen as a result of activating the system? "
Rahi says, "As a result, A subject will become a puppet. A puppet that will follow commands. "
Mahi sobbed into her hands. Fahad pressed his palms into his face, his body shaking with the weight of guilt. Fahim turned away completely.
"She has no personality of her own."
Fahan clung to silence as though sound itself would betray him.
"A… weapon?" Fahad's voice cracked, caught between shock and denial.
"Yes."
His voice broke briefly,
"When, they created something they could not contain.
They used rules to control a subject, which is what I did now, so her own existence can be maintained to some extent. "
Fahim's fists clenched, his voice rising in desperate protest, "Rahi, stop! Stop this madness! You make her sound like she is no longer human. She is not a weapon. She is a human !
If she is truly what you say, Rahi, then why does she not rise? Why does she lie there still as stone?"
Rahi bowed his head. "She can't do anything unless she is given a command . She is waiting ."
Farhan moved hesitantly then, stepping closer, his voice small and shaking, "Rahi.... you are lieing, aren't you? "
Rahi lifted his head, his eyes glimmering not with grief now but with something colder. Harder ,
" Subject 17B… stand."
Maya moved.Not like before . Not like someone waking from collapse.She rose in one smooth motion.
No hesitation.
A collective gasp tore through the family.
Mahi staggered back, her hand flying to her mouth. "No… no, that's not—"
Fahim's voice dropped to a whisper, "That's not how a body moves…"
" Done. Make a new command. "
"Face me," he said.
She turned.Instantly.
Now they stood opposite each other—creator and creation, anchor and subject, past and present colliding under the pale wash of moonlight.
His eyes never left Maya. Not the girl—
The system.The thing standing before him.
Black silk shifting with the quiet of something that did not need breath to move.
"I'm your anchor," he said under his breath, more to steady himself than her. "You can only answer me."
"As you command, anchor. "
But even as the words left him—
something felt wrong.
Then— A command comes from outside ,
"Engage."
The voice did not belong to anyone present.
It did not echo through the garden like a human voice should.
Rahi froze. His eyes snapped wide.
"…No."
Maya moved . She vanished from where she stood.A blur.A fracture in space—and then she was in front of him.
Rahi barely raised his arm in time.
' CRACK.'
The impact slammed into his guard, force reverberating through bone. Pain shot up his arm instantly, his muscles screaming as he staggered back a step—her body closing the distance in less than a heartbeat . Her strike came sharp and direct, aimed with terrifying accuracy.
He bites his jaw and says,
"Damn—Holy shit. Who's commanding her ?"
"She's not following my delay intervals…" He muttered, " Then, who is it? "
The impact forced him back a step, his arm vibrating from the force. His breath hitched.
—
"She's faster…" Fahim whispered, horrified. "That's not normal speed—"
Rahi pushed himself up fast, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
"She's not reading me," he said, voice tight.
"She already know my movement ."
A second strike came, then a third, each one calculated, each one aimed at a point that would disable.
Rahi ducked, twisted, caught her wrist mid-motion —
Maya broke free with a sharp, efficient movement and drove forward again, her elbow striking toward his side. Rahi staggered back this time, breath knocked uneven.
No pause between movements—each strike chained seamlessly into the next, a relentless storm of calculated force. Rahi blocked, redirected, stepped back, but it was like trying to hold back a tide.
Fahad stepped forward instinctively. "Stop this! You're going to—"
"Don't interfere!" Rahi snapped, not even looking at him.
She feinted high—then shifted mid-motion, her leg sweeping low toward his balance point. Rahi jumped back just in time, but she was already inside his guard again, her hand striking toward his throat.
He caught it.Barely.
Their hands locked for a second.Skin against skin.
Her knee drove upward toward his abdomen. He twisted, taking the hit partially, the force still enough to send him stumbling back across the grass.
The family watched in frozen horror.
Rahi steadied himself, wiping blood from the corner of his lip, "After I left…they refined it…"
"17B—stop," he snapped under his breath.
No hesitation.
Her other hand came up instantly—two fingers driving toward a nerve point beneath his jaw.
Rahi jerked his head aside, but she adjusted mid-strike—her elbow slamming into his ribs instead.The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
He grunted, grip loosening— vision flashing white for a split second.
The family gasped as one.
"Rahi!" Mahi cried, voice breaking.
"Stay back. If you come inside it, it won't take her a minute to finish you off. I can't be able to handle her , then. " he barked, breath ragged.
Her knee drove up.Straight into his abdomen.
The force folded him slightly, pain exploding through his core.
Rahi staggered back, blocking what he could, redirecting what he couldn't—but it was like standing against something that had already calculated every possible defense.
He countered—grabbing her arm, pulling her forward—trying to break rhythm—
But she pivoted mid-pull, her body turning with unnatural control.
Her foot planted against his thigh—
And she used his own force to flip.
Rahi's grip broke as she twisted free, landing lightly behind him.Before he could turn—
Her hand struck the back of his shoulder.
A nerve hit.
His arm went numb instantly. He dropped to one knee,
" Holy shit. "
his eyes lifted, scanning the darkness beyond the garden walls,
"External command… higher authority .
Whoever it is…he is stronger then me. "
"Terminate resistance, " The external voice again.
Maya's hand rose , blade-straight—aimed for his heart.
Rahi's eyes widened.For the first time— He fell real fear .
"Don't—!"
He twisted at the last second, her strike grazing past his side instead of piercing through. The force still sent him stumbling back again, breath tearing from his lungs.
He hit the ground—
rolling once before forcing himself up on one arm.Blood stained his shirt now.
"They gave her kill authority…" he whispered.
" I am finished.What do I do now? "
Then, marble floor of the front hall seemed to shiver under something . guards froze, their hands tightening on their swords.
Then they stepped in the garden .
Seven figures. Seven silhouettes carved in darkness. They moved without sound.
They are called 'Goests . '
Their faces were half-hidden beneath masks and hoods. Their clothing was black, stitched with crimson, their movements synchronized like a single organism.
When they stepped into the courtyard, rahi looked up. He somehow managing Maya's deadly attack .
"…Why are you here?" he rasped, barely managing to block another strike from Maya. His arm trembled under the impact.
Their leader tall, broad-shouldered. His face hidden beneath a mask of black steel. His voice was deep and slow when he spoke:
"We experienced the subject wave of Phase
B. So, we come and see ' 17 B ' here."
Veera smiled wickedly and said, "So I thought, let's see how your strength has grown."
Rahi gritted her teeth and said, "Help me. Stop the command sequence. I can't handle this anymore."
Eryth feels a little embarrassed and says, "Sorry. But we've lost control of her too."
Rahi says, "Oh my God, what will happen to me now?"
Then he screams helplessly, "Then why are you standing there? help me to stop her .
She is so powerful. "
Then maya stood unmoving for a fraction of a second and then moved.
"Target expansion detected," her voice whispered— "Multiple hostiles. Priority recalculation."
Rahi's breath caught.
"No—don't—"
She vanished.ripple—no, less than that—a fracture in presence—
—and she was already among them.
Kaelen moved first.
Or tried to.
His body dissolved into shadow, slipping sideways to flank her—
—but Maya turned before he fully emerged.
Her hand cut through the dark—
and caught him.
Mid-transition.Impossible.
Kaelen's eyes widened beneath his hood as her grip locked around his throat, dragging him out of shadow as if it were nothing more than cloth.
"Shadow displacement… countered," she murmured.
Then—she threw him.
His body slammed into Drenic, both of them crashing hard against the stone edge of the courtyard, breath knocked violently from their lungs.
"Spread out!" Tharos roared, stepping forward.
The ground cracked beneath his first step.
He met her head-on.
A mistake.His fist came like a hammer—enough force to shatter bone—Maya didn't block.
Her palm struck his chest—A single, exact point.
Tharos froze mid-motion.His strength—stalled.For one second.Two.
Then —his own momentum twisting his body off balance as she pivoted—and drove her elbow into his side.The impact echoed.
Tharos staggered back—a rare thing—breath leaving him in a sharp grunt,
" What kind of monster have they created?
My entire body is paralyzed.
I can't even move ."
A whisper in the air—
Veyra's vibrations spread, bending balance.
the world tilted—Rahi felt it, even from a distance.
But Maya, her head tilted slightly.
"External interference detected. Filtering."
And then—
she stepped forward.Perfectly straight.
Veyra's smile vanished.
"That's not—"
Maya was already there.Her strike landed—
At the exact point where Veyra's control originated.Veyra gasped, stumbling back as her own ability collapsed around her.
"She's adapting in real time!" Fahim shouted,
horrified.
Neryth lunged in fast, blade extending—
Maya turned—caught the blade between her palms.Bare-handed.
Then—
she twisted.Neryth's grip broke as the force redirected, Maya stepped in—
two fingers striking—
Neryth dropped instantly, muscles locking, body collapsing to one knee.
"Incapacitation complete."
Rahi's voice tore out, desperate, "STOP—17B. STOP!"
No response.
Eryth and Kaelen moved together now—chaos and shadow merging— smoke twisting, illusions fracturing space—
Maya disappeared inside it. Disorientation.
"Now!" Eryth shouted.
"Environmental disruption… insufficient. "
Her voice did not rise.She slipped between them—Too fast.
struck Eryth once and he dropped, light shattering out of control as he hit the ground.
Kaelen barely escaped, melting fully into shadow this time—He could not hold ground.
Drenic activated traps, spikes tearing from the earth, projectiles firing—
One spike grazed her sleeve. she caught it, snapped it,threw it back.It embedded inches from Drenic's throat.
just one—
even the Ghosts hesitated. All trained.All deadly.And still they were losing.
Rahi staggered forward, blood staining his side, "She's above Phase B. "
"But she still has a chain, Isn't she. "
He forced himself closer.target shifting—
him.
"Primary anchor detected. Priority elimination." Her body aligned.
Rahi's heart slammed,
"No—no, listen—listen to me—!
C-13… override—no—denied—damn it—!"
Her hand rose.
He didn't defend." Chain recognition!"
He shouted,"Subject 13A—priority anchor—manual override—sequence delta—SEVEN!"
"Confirm chain!" he forced out.
"listen to me—17B—listen—!"
"Code Black—root anchor—Subject 13A—full authority—SEQUENCE RECLAIM!"
Everything—stopped.
Maya's body trembled.Violently.
"Authority… conflict…"
"Primary command… unstable…"
Then—
"…anchor… confirmed."
Her body went still. Completely.
Rahi exhaled—a broken, shattered breath.
"Sleep."
Maya's eyes closed.Her body collapsed forward.Rahi caught her before she hit the ground.
Around them, the Ghosts stood—bruised, shaken, breathing hard.
Even after the storm had passed— the air remained altered. As though something sacred had been broken… or something forbidden had been awakened.
Rahi's chest rose and fell unevenly, each breath dragged through exhaustion and pain. Blood darkened the side of his shirt,
"I survived today…with great difficulty." he murmured hoarsely.
A dry wind passed through the garden.
Then—Laughter. Low at first. Then rising. Sharp. Amused.
Eryth leaned back slightly, wiping a streak of blood from his lip, a crooked grin pulling at his face,
"Well," he said lightly, breath still uneven, "that was… refreshing."
Kaelen emerged from shadow again, slower this time, one hand pressed against his ribs.
"Refreshing?" he muttered. "I almost got my throat crushed mid-phase."
Veyra let out a quiet, breathless laugh, brushing dust from her sleeve.
"She read my frequency," disbelief threading her voice. " What a creation. "
Tharos cracked his neck once, though the movement was stiff, controlled pain flickering behind his expression.
"I couldn't move," he admitted bluntly.
"For a moment… I actually couldn't move my whole body ."
Silence brushed the edges of that statement.
Because for someone like him—that meant something.
Rahi adjusted his grip on Maya slightly, one hand steady at the back of her head.
"You think that was a game?" he said quietly.
The laughter dimmed—but didn't fully die.
Eryth lifted both hands slightly, half in surrender, half in mock innocence.
"Relax. We stepped in, didn't we?"
Rahi's eyes snapped to him.
"Stepped in?" His voice sharpened, "You call that stepping in?"
Drenic exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.
"She adapted too fast," he said. "Faster than Phase B models should."
"Because she's not Phase B anymore," Rahi shot back, "Did none of you feel it?"
Neryth, still crouched slightly from earlier, lifted his gaze,"We did," he admitted. "That wasn't standard escalation."
Rahi let out a quiet, humorless breath.
"No," he said. "It wasn't."
"You all came here curious," he continued, voice lower now, steadier—but heavier. "You wanted to see what she had become."
"Well ,"
a beat. " You saw it now ."
Eryth scratched the back of his head, grin fading just slightly.
"…Alright," he admitted. "Maybe we underestimated her."
"Underestimated?" Fahad's voice cut in sharply from behind.
The family had not moved far—but now, they stepped closer. Slowly.
"You call that underestimating?" he said.
You call that underestimating?" he said."All seven of you—and none of you could stop her."
"seven trained fighters—and not one of you could stop her."
"…Did it hurt?" Nahi asked softly.Her voice was too gentle, too human—like a thread of warmth woven through cold iron.
Rahi didn't look up,"Yes."
Eryth shifted, rolling his shoulder with a faint wince, then smirked like pain was just another inconvenience he refused to respect.
"Come on. Don't be shy, " he said, nudging Kaelen lightly.
"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy it at least a little."
Kaelen gave him a flat look.
"I enjoy breathing. I nearly lost that privilege."
A faint, reluctant chuckle passed through them.
Eryth grinned again, this time softer.
"Still," he added, glancing at Rahi, "you held your ground. Not bad… for someone out of practice."
Rahi finally looked up.Something steadier had returned to his gaze.
"To be honest after fighting," he said slowly, "My ... my bones felt fresh."
Silence.
Then—The Ghosts laughed.
Neryth, still kneeling slightly from earlier, let out a soft breath that almost resembled amusement.
" You …you're all ridiculous."
Eryth tilted his head , amused, "See? That's what I'm talking about."
Kaelen huffed quietly."You're both insane."
"Professionally insane," Eryth corrected.
Veyra rolled her eyes,"There's a difference?"
"Of course," Eryth replied. "We just survived a Phase B subject. It was not possible for us to do.
But we did it. "
Then—
Fahim blinked,"Wait a moment ."
"What the hell ?"
Faha stared at Rahi like he'd just said something deeply unreasonable ," He just nearly died and he's talking about his bones feeling fresh. "
Fahad rubbed his forehead. Then, he dragged a hand down his face, exhaling sharply, "I thought his head was the only stable thing here,"
he muttered. "Clearly, I was wrong."
Farhan let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a laugh,"No, no."
he said softly,"He fits right in."
Fahad nodded once,"They're all the same."
His eyes moved over the Ghosts, then to Rahi,"Pure crazy devils."
Eryth placed a hand dramatically over his chest.
"I prefer 'professionals.'"
Rahi's gaze sharp despite the exhaustion.
"Next…next time," he said quietly, "Don't take any sequel control without analyzing it first .
"…So please," Rahi added, "Analyze it first."
His voice dropped, almost to himself—
"or don't touch it at all. "
"Because next time you might not survive it. "
"…You really thought we'd ignore that advice?" Tharos asked.
Rahi didn't smile back, "Yes."
A beat.
"…And that's exactly why I'm saying it.
Because, I don't want to die young. "
Eryth let out a quiet huff of laughter,
"I don't plan on dying young too."
"Well, well, " he said, "that makes two of us."
Fahis shook his head slowly ,
"This is insane," he muttered. "All of them are totally insane."