The First Echo
Dim, flickering ceiling lights illuminate rusting metallic walls. Pipes hiss softly in the background. The echo of Lyra's boots hitting the floor is the only consistent sound.
She walks slowly, wristband on her left arm now glowing with faint pulses.
A faint voice-ECHO_09-cuts through the silence.
Echo_09
(V.O)
Your mind is a key. You must unlock yourself–one fragment at a time.
Lyra Rotn
(almost whispering)
How?
A low hum vibrates through the corridor. Lights flicker...then stabilize.
A soft whirring begins, and a holographic image slowly projects into the hallway before her–a shimmering vision in front of her like a ghost.
Lyra Rotn
(V.O)
Is this real?
She reaches toward the image.
Ext. Cityscape Memory–Night
(Flashback/Memory)
The scene is vivid. Alive. Neon signs hum overhead. Rain falls gently.
Lyra looks around, bewildered.
Eris is in front of her now–real, alive, warm. Her smile is soft, eyes full of quiet affection.
Eris Rame
You always zone out when it rains. What are you thinking.
Lyra Rotn
That this moment feels...perfect. But temporary.
Eris Rame
That's what makes it real.
They stand together under a glass awning. Rain trickles. The hum of city life surrounds them.
Eris reaches forward, gently brushing wet strands from Lyra's face.
Eris Rame
(voice warping)
Don't forget–
Scene fractures. Colors drain.
Lyra collapses against the wall, breathing hard, trembling. The hologram flickers, disintegrates into faint pixels and vanishes.
Her wristband pulses red.
Echo_09
(V.O)
Fragment unstable. You must proceed carefully. The deeper you dive, the more of yourself you may lose–or find.
Lyra closes her eyes, pressing her hand against her chest.
She stands slowly, adjusting the wristband. Determination rising in her eyes.
She takes a step forward.
Behind her, a faint echo of laughter drifts–her and Eris's–hidden in the static.
She walks into the darkness.
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