🌑 Episode 45
The Other Self
Silence.
Heavy. Unnatural. Suffocating.
Everyone stared at the girl standing in front of the open glass chamber.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same voice.
Ariba felt like the ground had disappeared beneath her.
"…Who are you?" she whispered.
The girl smiled.
A calm, almost gentle smile.
"I'm you."
Ryan stepped forward instantly, pulling Ariba slightly behind him.
"No. That's not possible."
Victor's eyes narrowed.
"In this place? Anything is possible."
Lena stared at the system logs, her voice shaking.
"There are two active signals… both registered as Subject A-17."
Ariba's heart pounded.
"Two…?"
The Architect's voice returned, quieter now—almost satisfied.
"Meet your reflection."
The second girl tilted her head slightly.
"You took longer than expected."
Ariba's voice grew stronger.
"Answer me. What are you?"
The girl took another step forward.
"Version A-17… Phase Two."
Ryan frowned.
"Phase Two?"
Victor muttered,
"So she wasn't the only one…"
Lena shook her head quickly.
"No… this isn't a clone."
Everyone looked at her.
"It's something else."
Ariba couldn't look away from the girl.
"Why do you look like me?"
The girl answered softly,
"Because we were never meant to be separate."
The words hit like a shockwave.
Ryan whispered,
"I don't like where this is going…"
The Architect spoke again—
"You were the first success, Ariba."
A pause.
"But not the final one."
The second Ariba raised her hand slightly.
"And I am what came after."
Victor's voice turned sharp.
"What exactly are you capable of?"
The girl smiled faintly.
"More than her."
Before anyone could react—
⚡ The lights flickered violently.
Every screen glitched.
The system began responding again—faster, unstable.
Lena shouted,
"She's connected to the system too!"
Ariba stepped forward.
"Stop it!"
The second Ariba looked at her.
"Why?"
Her voice was calm. Almost curious.
"This is what we were made for."
Ariba shook her head.
"No. I'm not like you."
The girl's smile faded slightly.
"You just haven't accepted it yet."
Ryan stepped beside Ariba.
"She doesn't need to."
Victor raised his weapon slightly.
"Enough talking."
But before he could move—
⚡ A shockwave burst from the system.
Victor was thrown back.
Ryan stumbled.
Lena fell to the ground.
Ariba stayed standing.
The second Ariba walked closer.
Step by step.
Until they stood face to face.
"So this is who I became…" she said softly.
Ariba's voice trembled—but didn't break.
"And this is who I refused to be."
For a moment—
They just looked at each other.
Like two sides of the same mirror.
Then the second Ariba whispered—
"You still don't understand."
Her eyes changed.
Colder.
Darker.
"If I fall…"
"…you fall too."
Ryan shouted,
"Ariba, move!"
But it was too late.
⚡ The system surged again.
Both of them were suddenly surrounded by a field of light.
Data streams flowed around them like energy.
Lena screamed,
"They're syncing!"
Victor struggled to stand.
"Separate them!"
But the Architect's voice echoed again—
"No."
"This is the moment I've been waiting for."
Ariba felt something pulling her.
Memories.
Emotions.
Fragments of another life.
She gasped.
"You're… inside my mind…"
The second Ariba whispered back—
"And you're inside mine."
Ryan tried to reach her—but couldn't get through the energy field.
"Ariba!"
Her eyes flickered.
Confusion.
Pain.
Understanding.
Everything at once.
Then—
She spoke one word.
"…Why?"
The second Ariba answered quietly.
"Because we were never meant to exist alone."
The light grew brighter.
Stronger.
More unstable.
The entire facility began shaking.
Alarms screamed again.
⚠️ CORE OVERLOAD
Lena panicked.
"If this continues, the whole place will collapse!"
Victor shouted,
"Then break the connection!"
Ryan slammed his fist against the barrier.
"Ariba, fight it!"
Inside the light—
Ariba closed her eyes.
For a moment…
Everything went silent.
Then—
Her eyes opened again.
And this time—
They were different.
Not scared.
Not confused.
Focused.
Powerful.
"Then I'll choose," she said.
The light exploded outward—
And everything went white.
To Be Continued…
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