LOCATION: AGARA — FIELDS

The sun dips low, painting the sky in a warm, heavy sunset. Against the orange horizon, the cargo ships have completely stopped flying toward the upper belt. A few thin lines of clouds drift far away, as the grass dances in perfect synchronization with a wind carrying a faint hint of frozen dust.

The little girl stands quietly amidst the grass, a soft, familiar grin playing on her lips as she lets out a small, whispered cheer.

“YAEY.”

Echa looks down into the girl’s eyes, noting how she still glows with that faint, ethereal light. She has such soft, innocent eyes and a gentle smile. She is wearing a very light blue skirt, her black hair tied neatly into twin ponytails as she laughs and jumps around in pure happiness.

Suddenly, she stops jumping, looking up to speak directly to Echa.

“You can call me Nila.”

She walks closer to Echa, her movements filled with an absolute, unbothered trust. The wind flows gently through both of them, punctuated by the distant, lowing “MAAAAA” of a cow in the background. Nila just stands there with a soft grin, giggling quietly to herself.

Echa watches her in silence for a long moment before finally replying to the girl's earlier question.

“I am Echa.”

Cracking a small, genuine smile, she kneels down on the ground, letting the hem of her heavy grey coat settle against the green grass.

“What game do you want to play?”

Nila nods excitedly, picking up a stray wooden stick laying on the ground, and begins to fashion something out of it.

She takes another, smaller stick, breaks it down, and carefully scratches its tips against a nearby rock to sharpen both of its edges. Echa stares at her with a curious look, her lips slightly parted as she just stays there, blinking in silent fascination.

“Okay…”

Echa murmurs, glancing briefly over at a single cow that is staring right back at them while lazily chewing on some grass.

After a few moments pass, Echa waits for Nila to complete her work. The little girl finally places her creations down on the ground—leaving her with one small, sharpened stick and a much longer stick in her hands.

“This game, my granny taught it to me,”

Nila explains with a surge of childhood pride. “You use this big stick to hit the edge of the small stick. Once the small stick flies up into the air, you hit it as hard as you can!”

Echa listens intently, a soft, playful smile crossing her face as she plays along. Nila points the larger stick toward Echa and continues explaining the rules.

“If you are able to catch the small stick in mid-air, I lose. But if you can’t catch it, I get to keep hitting it again!” Nila says with a wide grin, casually resting the long stick over her shoulder.

Echa stares at Nila, her expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. Shrugging her shoulders, she stands back up to full height and walks a short distance away, her heavy military boots crunching against the grass.

“That’s what you call a game?” Echa lets out a massive, dramatic sigh. “Alright... alright... show me what you've got.”

Echa flashes a confident smirk, completely sure of her own reflexes. But the very second Nila strikes the small stick, launching it high into the air, Echa bolts forward to catch it.

Her boot loses traction on the damp turf. She slips violently, falling forward and face-palming directly into the dirt.

“...Hell.”

Nila laughs hysterically at Echa, dropping dramatically onto the grass while pointing a finger at her.

Echa stands up slowly, letting out a heavy groan, but she can't help but let out a soft laugh when she sees how genuinely happy Nila is. She played along, maybe even finding herself a little excited by it.

It is almost night now. Agara has gotten slow and quiet. In the distance, automated flying vehicles fly low to the ground, gently herding the white cows back to their designated pens. Up above, the massive conveyor belt now lights up against the darkness like a luminous ring, resembling a white, dual rainbow stretching across the night sky.

Echa and Nila sit side by side on the grass, looking up at the dark sky with amused smiles, both of them completely sweating from the intense play.

“Maybe you should come to my place! You can see my mother,” Nila says, turning to look at Echa with a wide grin. She lifts both of her hands into the air in pure excitement. “Mom would be so happy to see you!”

Echa stares at her in the dim moonlight for a long moment, then nods softly with a genuine smile.

The screen slowly fades entirely to black.