LOCATION: AGARA — MOUNTAINS

The night has arrived, and faint stars twinkle in the distance. Echa stands on the porch, staring out at the huge, empty, uncultivated crop field. Above, two massive conveyor belts cast a bright, industrial glow down from the sky.

Beside her, Index stands quietly, its red eyes processing Echa.

“Only 2 hours, 29 minutes, and 34 seconds left. After that, Sid will forget everything that happened today,” Index says, its voice low and gentle. Echa listens in silence, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Behind them, inside the house, the wood creaks as Sid walks back and forth, carrying a pillow and a futon.

Turning her gaze toward the barren field, Echa speaks up. “So, what does Oshna actually do anyway? I mean... if she created you to store Sid’s memories, why not do it for everyone?” Her voice is curious, though she keeps her eyes fixed on the horizon instead of looking down at Index.

“I don’t know why she chose Sid, or why she built me,” Index answers quietly. “Maybe she saw something in him that we missed.”

Echa rests her gloved hand against the railing, listening intently.

“We don’t really know how many people are caught in this,” Index adds, its gentle voice growing even quieter. “But it's the reason we can spot anomalies. It gives us the ability to see other variables.”

Echa lets out a heavy sigh. A soft wind moves past them as silence hugs the world.

“Before I came here, I met a little girl in the field. Her name is Nila. You guys might know her,” Echa says, looking down at Index with a worried expression.

“Yes, we know her. She is an anomaly,” Index replies, making Echa perk up with instant curiosity.

“An anomaly? Then she isn't one of Oshna’s projects?” Echa asks skeptically, turning her full attention to the machine.

“No. Her mother was Oshna’s project. Nila wasn't,” Index says seriously, turning its sensors to meet Echa's eyes.

“What the hell does that mean?” Echa takes a step closer to Index, her brow furrowing in a deep frown.

Index stays perfectly still before adding slowly, “Years ago, Sid and I found Nila, thinking she was just like us. But it turns out she is a glitch—a memory glitch born from her mother's soul.”

Index’s red optical lenses register the shock on Echa's face as a wave of conflicting emotions washes over her.

“A glitch?” Echa’s voice is small, heavy with a sudden sadness.

“Oshna’s project failed. Nila actually died many years ago, but her mother's memory physically kept her alive in this space. Even Oshna couldn't entirely comprehend how it happened.” Index takes a long pause.

The wooden deck creaks softly beneath Echa's boots as she sighs, turning her eyes back toward the empty crop field. Her face is filled with quiet, protective concern. A heavy silence stretches between them for a long moment.

“But we have never encountered an anomaly quite like you either, Echa,” Index speaks up quietly. “Who actually are you?”

Echa slowly turns her head. Her soft green eyes reflect the distant, industrial lights, holding a depth where words can't reach.

“I really wish I knew the answer to that. Ever since I died, I haven't been able to remember much besides the final mission Fheshas, and I shared... and how I pestered him to come along just because we picked up a stupid distortion from that stupid planet.” She lets out a deep sigh, shaking her head.

“There is a devastating weight in realizing you might be the reason for the tragedy you regret so deeply, Echa.” Index’s wheels whir quietly as it turns back to face her completely. “But I always tell Sid... even if the world ends, even if everything is gone, and even if we are flawed—it all still happened. You are alive right now in this moment to change things. And that choice changes so much more than what you lost.”

Index’s red optical indicators blink softly on its circular display. Echa turns her gaze back to the little machine, her green eyes softening even more.

“I guess so,” she murmurs, her voice soft-spoken and quiet.

The mountains gaze down at them from the distance.

“Baby, get in here,” a voice calls out cheerfully from behind them.

Echa spins around, her expression utterly deadpan. “Baby? He started calling me 'kid' and now it's 'baby'? Unfathomable.” Her knuckles turn white as she prepares to storm inside to settle the score.

“No, no, wait,” Index whirs, rolling quickly in front of her to block her path. “He is calling for me, babe. Sid often addresses me as such.”

Echa’s anger instantly drains away, though she offers the machine a deeply skeptical look.

From inside the house, Sid groans. “Hurry up,” he calls out, his tone tired and annoyed.

With that, Index and Echa walk inside. They shut the door, leaving the universe to continue spinning silently through the dark.