Disclaimer: If you haven't finished the series yet (or haven't read this book) and had jumped to this chapter, I recommend reading the novels to avoid spoilers in this explanation. If not, continue reading to gain a better understanding of the story and concept.

Hello, Tethered Readers. I hope most of the major questions have been answered.

►What exactly are Tethered Souls?
►What is the story behind them?
►What was the overarching purpose of the disguised psychiatric institutions?
►Why were the central characters constantly being monitored?
►How are Tethered Souls paired?
►And why can't Tethered Souls physically meet?

In Tethered Souls, all humans have telepathic genes, but they don't always awaken, preventing souls from becoming telekinetic. The Biological Research and Development Agency (BARDA) capitalizes on humans' telepathic abilities. Because anyone who develops their natural telepathic gift gains superhuman abilities, including the ability to cure diseases, employees from around the world are making scientific connections. This story's concept is paranormal rather than science fiction, but it blends multiple genres. 

None of these elements were planned ahead of time and came to me while writing the first book.

The hospitals were tricking the public and profiting off their money, while BARDA did experiments on their patients. All that mattered was research and finances. Some employees at different facilities have good hearts or are motivated to help the organization reach its goals. However, BARDA hasn't figured out that everyone has feelings and that you can't always force people to do bad things. That is their biggest flaw aside from greed.

Sergeant Ethan Trent, Sergeant Colin Decker, and other staff members turned against the organization and decided to help Amir and Luna because of how their families were manipulated. Since Amir was born between two Pure Souls, people who were paired and had met before their powers were awakened, he and his family have been relentlessly hunted.

"Tethered Souls" was more about friendship and overcoming differences (like prejudice, hatred, and anything else that separates people) than it was about romance, but love was a bonus for two souls who were paired. BARDA considers people who fall in love to be a threat to humanity since certain pairings' abilities become more powerful when their bloodlines are merged. That's how Amir and Luna had their flash-forwards (visions) in several scenes throughout the books. In Book One, their blood oath helped them connect to their future selves so that they could assist them in the past. I wanted to bring in a time-travel element and came up with a clever way to do it.

Chase was Luna's egotistical ex-fiancé who couldn't get over himself and spent years working for BARDA. Because of this, she and Amir were often controlled throughout their lives. Amir's previous investor, Tahir Malik, was in charge of the Khan family. He kept an eye on them and made sure they stuck to the organization's plans for them. [Think of the film, The Adjustment Bureau for Tethered Souls.] Sarah's father, Sam, was following Chase, Tahir, and Dr. Kim around and doing whatever they told him to do. He was merely a puppet but still evil.

Tethered Souls were matched with each other based on the genes they shared in time, and BARDA has been a part of everyone's life since they were conceived. The staff pretended to be reliable experts who had also made Genesis, a powerful medication that can wipe people's memories of their lives. The serum explains why some characters couldn't remember things that happened in their past.

Genesis' history shows why it was called that. It is taken from the first verses of the Holy Bible and refers to "the earth being without form, and void, and darkness was swept upon the face of the deep."

BARDA "moved across the face of humanity" and changed the way people thought and acted. The company was the true villain of the story, and its heirs have carried on their legacy. They have also changed the DNA of humans to help themselves. This is why there are many "lifeforms" in this universe. (Engineered Souls, Defectives, Lazarus Souls, Hybrids, Origins, etc.)

Engineered Souls were people who were either taken from the street and brought to a BARDA facility to be tested, or who were born in a facility and raised there. They can do the same things that other superhumans can do. The plot provides information about Hybrids, Defectives, and Origins. They are the children of other superhumans and have powerful abilities. These lifeforms are also paired with Tethered Souls.

BARDA genetically altered people's bodies and appearances, as shown by the characters in Books Two and Three having varying eye colors. Red eyes indicated danger, while orange eyes signified neutrality. Enzo has amethyst eyes, whereas purple eyes are linked with leadership, and white eyes with purity. And black iris' and yellow pupils signified the character being coded; they were slowly transitioning into becoming a killer, much like Luna in Book Three.

Regarding Luna and anyone classified as an "Origin" — her parents had a dormant tethered gene inside their bloodline, deeming them to never generate any superhuman abilities. But her father, Lawrence, got medical treatment from BARDA before her older sister, Liberty, was conceived, not knowing that the serum had DNA from Amir's bloodline in it. It seems like Liberty should be paired with Amir instead of Luna, but maybe the tethered marker skipped her, just like other genetic qualities skip people in reality. It has to do with genes.

That is basically how Tethered Souls are connected to people across the world. Their genes are shared between bloodlines, plus, BARDA could have played a part in humanity's pairing as well. They're evil.

Now that the audience is aware of BARDA and their true nature, as well as how they formulate serums for a myriad of purposes, we can now explore why paired souls could never meet in person. Nurse Julia Smith explained the logic at the end of Book One, indicating active Tethered Souls can cure illnesses. In Book Three, after being revealed as a villain, Tahir Malik explained it further. BARDA created a serum called Oasis that prevents paired souls from meeting.

Since this concoction has been passed down throughout history, the damage is done. Tethered Souls (pairs) can become immune.  A loophole. They can meet if they've interacted before their abilities are initiated. Oasis exists because Tahir claimed in PAWN, "everyone should have stayed apart, as it was intended." He was furious that pairs came together, allowing their superhuman abilities to expand and take over the world.

Because plasma in their bodies made them sick, paired souls couldn't meet in person. It kills nerve cells like a virus. But let's applaud Faisal Khan for working diligently to offer an antidote. He is an amazing chemist who found a way for no one to die because of what BARDA did.

The themes of Good versus Evil were significant in Book 1: Tethered Souls. Corruption and Morality were themes in Book 2: The Tethered Ones. And the themes of Survival and Redemption were featured in Book 3: Tethered.

There may be more questions or story gaps. Don't hesitate to ask me anything. I'd be happy to connect the dots. In all honesty, most of these story arcs in this series were thought of on the go. I did not pre-plan most of these twists. Some commenters actually provided me insight to help flourish the story themes, meaning, their input was greatly appreciated. Thank you.

⋆ Tethered Souls ⋆

When I update the new version of this book, I'll put stars around the title of "Tethered Souls." The stars show how people from all over the world are connected. They may run into each other someday, just like stars do.

∞ The Tethered Ones ∞

The infinity symbol around "The Tethered Ones" doesn't really need to be explained. All Tethered Souls are linked and continue to thrive.

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ Tethered ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

The lines that resemble scribbles next to "Tethered" stand for a pulse between Tethered Souls. Even though the lines look like Arabic, Urdu, and other languages, they are not just those. Amir and Luna are tethered, which means that their hearts beat at the same time.

• Q & A Time •

° Who was your favorite character and why?

° Which novel of the three surprised you the most?

° Which novel had better twists in it?

° Which character did you enjoy getting to know?

° What plot twist shocked you to your core?

° Which twist can you not get over?

° Do you have one favorite scene? If so, which is it and what book?

° What scene made you cry the most?

° What scene made you smile the most?

° Which character made the biggest impact in your opinion?

° What did you think about the last few chapters of Book Three? How about that ending?

° And finally, what is your overall opinion about the concept of Tethered Souls?

• If you'd like to answer any of these questions, I would love to hear your thoughts. A "dream cast" for the characters is included in my older draft of the book located on my account. Thank you all for reading my series and have a blessed day/night. :)