The road to Multan stretched endlessly before them, cloaked in shadows and whispers.
Zahra hadn't spoken much since they left Lahore. The map burned into her memory by the First Guardian's ashes guided her with an inner compass—each pulse from the Eye on her palm pulling her closer to something ancient buried deep beneath the City of Saints.
Arif drove in silence, glancing at her occasionally, knowing better than to interrupt her thoughts. Mufti Rafiq slept in the backseat, his tasbeeh slipping gently through his fingers even in slumber.
As dawn broke, the first shrines of Multan appeared in the mist—domes and minarets rising like quiet witnesses of centuries past.
But Zahra's eyes weren't on the surface.
She was looking below.
The Tomb's Shadow
They arrived at the Shrine of Bahauddin Zakariya just as the call to Fajr echoed through the sky.
Zahra stepped out, her breath catching. This was it.
"This is where the veil thins," she whispered.
An old caretaker met them at the gate. His eyes widened when he saw Zahra.
"You… you are the healer from the fire dreams," he said in awe.
"You've seen me?" she asked gently.
He nodded. "In visions. You stood before the gate. Light in your hand. The darkness behind you."
He opened a side door and led them into the inner courtyard. At the far end, beneath the qibla wall, he lifted a stone panel and revealed a spiral staircase made of red stone.
"This leads to the City Beneath Saints," he said.
"The what?" Arif asked.
"Where they buried not bodies—but secrets," the caretaker murmured.
Zahra's pulse quickened.
It was time.
Descent into the Forgotten
The stairs spiraled deep beneath the earth.
With every step, the air thickened—scented with dust, myrrh, and something older: the smell of forgotten prayers.
They entered a vast underground city—an ancient ruin bathed in blue light from bioluminescent fungi that clung to stone walls.
Domes half-collapsed. Minarets twisted and silent. Old marble slabs bore names not written in any human script.
Zahra knelt and touched one.
Immediately, her vision blurred—
She saw guardians walking through these streets, healing the sick, whispering divine names, and keeping watch over a massive gate at the city's center.
"This place…" Zahra whispered, "was the First Sanctuary."
Mufti Rafiq nodded. "Before time carved borders. Before names changed. This was where the first battle began."
The Gate of Souls
In the heart of the underground city stood a monumental gate of bronze and obsidian, veined with glowing silver lines that pulsed with a heartbeat.
The Eye symbol—hers—was engraved across its arch, larger than life.
Zahra approached.
She felt the pulse inside her align with the Gate's rhythm.
Arif stepped forward. "Are you going to open it?"
"I think it's already opening," Zahra replied, voice trembling.
Mufti Rafiq examined the area, eyes narrowing.
"There's a missing guardian," he said. "One who was meant to protect this Gate."
Zahra touched the eye with her palm.
Suddenly, a flash of light erupted—and a vision struck her mind like lightning.
The Betrayal Unveiled
She saw Dr. Adil.
But not in the present.
In a past life, long ago—he had been a guardian. A loyal protector of the Gate. He stood beside the First Guardian, her most trusted ally.
But darkness had whispered to him. Promised him peace. Power. Purpose.
And he accepted.
He broke the seal.
He let the Pulse in.
And ever since, every lifetime, every reincarnation—he was cursed to return as the betrayer.
Zahra screamed as the vision ended.
"That's why he knew everything," she gasped. "He wasn't just corrupted—he remembered. He's always been the betrayer."
Mufti Rafiq bowed his head.
"The Circle never ended. Because he never changed."
Breaking the Cycle
Zahra stepped toward the gate.
"Then I have to do something no Guardian has ever done before," she said.
"What?" Arif asked.
"Forgive the betrayer."
They both stared at her.
She turned to them. "If the Circle is a loop of betrayal and punishment… then breaking it means offering something new."
"Mercy," Mufti Rafiq whispered. "The Prophet's way."
Zahra nodded. "The First Guardian said I carry both flame and mercy."
She opened the book, flipping through pages until one glowed with golden light.
"To open the gate without rage, recite the name that even angels whisper in awe."
She closed her eyes.
And whispered, "Ya Rahman… Ya Raheem…"
The gate trembled.
Light spilled from its cracks.
Then—it opened.
Beyond the Veil
A blinding wind surged past them as the Gate parted.
Behind it was not a place—but a plane of existence.
A realm made of golden light and floating pathways, where the laws of the world bent around divine power.
In the center of the realm stood Dr. Adil—cloaked in shadows, his eyes glowing red.
He smiled sadly.
"So… you found me."
Zahra walked forward, calm.
"I know what you are now."
"And yet, you still come."
"To end the Circle."
He raised his hand. A spear of darkness formed in the air.
"I don't want to fight you," Zahra said. "I want to set you free."
Dr. Adil froze.
"You're… lying."
"I'm not. I saw who you were. I saw what you lost. The pain. The fear. It never stopped, did it?"
He lowered the spear slightly.
"I was just tired," he said. "Tired of watching everyone die. Tired of being too late."
Zahra stepped closer.
"You don't have to carry it anymore."
She held out her hand.
The Eye on her palm flared—not with fire—but with pure, soft light.
He reached toward her.
Tears fell from his eyes.
And as their hands touched—the darkness shattered.
Dr. Adil collapsed to his knees, weeping like a child.
The Pulse behind him flickered, then dissolved into threads of light, vanishing into the sky.
Peace at Last
Zahra helped him to his feet.
The realm began to fade, slowly returning them to the gate beneath Multan.
Mufti Rafiq stood in awe.
"The Circle…" he breathed. "It's broken."
Zahra nodded.
Dr. Adil looked around, his eyes now normal—clear, human.
"I remember everything," he whispered. "And yet, I feel… light."
A New Dawn
Back on the surface, the sky had turned a strange hue—soft violet, kissed by dawn.
The children at Noor General began to recover, their silver eyes fading. The darkness that had haunted the city began to lift.
Zahra stood on the shrine steps, the book now closed, warm in her hands.
Arif joined her.
"What now?"
She smiled.
"Now… we heal. For real."
Final Scene—End of Part I: The City Beneath Saints
The sacred silence of the underground city had returned. The carved faces of long-departed saints stared down once more with calm serenity, no longer bleeding shadows, no longer crying out in agony. Zahra stood in the heart of the ruins, the Divine Book pressed to her chest, her hands still glowing faintly from the last surge of spiritual energy.
They had sealed the first gate.
They had cleansed the city beneath the saints.
But they had only scratched the surface.
Arif lay unconscious beside her, his body healing slowly. The battle had left its mark on both of them, but Zahra knew it had awakened something ancient inside her — not just power, but memory… bloodline… purpose.
As she walked out of the catacombs, dawn crept over the city. The call to Fajr prayer echoed through the still streets. For a moment, peace returned.
She tilted her head skyward.
A falling star crossed the sky — bright, burning — and vanished.
"The saints are silent now," whispered the wind.
"But the Circle is rising."
Zahra exhaled slowly.
The first chapter of her destiny was written beneath these sacred stones.
But the world beyond was stirring.
And it would not stay silent for long.