LOCATION: AGARA — GAL1049

Time feels like it has stopped completely. Echa’s eyes lock onto the Orynite crystal, which looks modified, resting against the lady’s chest, seamlessly integrated into the fabric of her white dress. Echa's lips part slightly. In her mind, the lively, busy mob fades into a dull grey blur, leaving only the woman in white standing a few meters away.

Then, the lady turns to walk.

Echa follows her through the central, keeping her gaze fixed. But after a while, the lady abruptly stops in her tracks and spins on her heel, turning directly toward her. Her crimson eyes glare straight at Echa.

Echa’s gaze remains locked onto the Orynite despite getting caught. Noticing the intense stare, the lady looks down at the crystal on her chest, her frown deepening.

“I see,” the lady murmurs, her red eyes casting a faint, abnormal glow.

She begins walking straight toward her. Echa’s jaw clenches; she tries to take a wary step back, swallowing hard, but a sudden, overwhelming weight presses down on her eyelids, making them heavier than lead.

Her footing falters. Stumbling backward, she collides with a random passerby, who grumbles, “Careful where you walk.” Echa tries to raise a hand to seek his help, but the man has already disappeared back into the crowd. She opens her mouth to speak, but her words melt entirely in her throat.

Her legs feel as if they are held to the floor by a commanding magnet. The adjacent air grows unbearably abundant and suffocating. Unable to take the pressure any longer, she closed her eyes as the space went dark.

Thud.

A few minutes passed.

The roof of GAL1049 serves as a modified parking bay for advanced aircraft; its white, highly sophisticated plating gleams faintly under the sun.

Parked on one of the pads is a sleek black and violet ship, where a maintenance drone rhythmically sprays sparkling water over the chassis. The surrounding area is cluttered by a large white canopy tent and stacks of heavy metallic cargo crates.

Echa lies flat on top of one of those metal crates. The intense midday heat radiates straight through her grey coat, causing her skin to glisten with sweat. Her lips stay parted softly as her features twist into a look of sheer discomfort.

Slowly, her eyes flicker open. Sitting directly across from her on an opposite crate is a guy with long, vivid yellow hair tipped with green dye, casually sipping juice through a straw. His bright yellow eyes slowly lock onto hers.

For a split second, he looks at her with complete, deadpan calmness—before suddenly losing his balance, staggering backward, and tumbling clean over the back of his cargo box.

“NOOOO! SHE’S ALIVE! NOOO!” he screams hysterically from the floor. His dropped juice cup spills sticky liquid across the pad, but a cleaning drone instantly hovers over, spraying water and scrubbing the mess away, completely unbothered.

Startled by the sudden scream, Echa scrambles to move, rolling right off the edge of her crate. With a loud THUD, she face-plants directly onto the solid metallic floor.

“Ouch…” her muffled voice groans from behind the crate.

“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!!! GUYS!!!! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU ALL????” he yells at the top of his lungs.

Echa peeks over the edge, placing her hands on the metal crate to hoist herself up. “Why the heck is he yelling like that?” she mutters, darting her eyes around the landing pad. “Look, I’m not gonna hurt you,” she says, starting to stand up to steady herself.

Before she can fully stand, a heavy foot drives straight down onto her head, pinning her right back to her knees.

“No, no, you stay down. I’ll get to you next,” a girl's high-pitched voice commands from directly behind her.

Echa winces, closing her eyes tight as the sole of the boot presses against her hair. “Ouch, ouch, ouch… okay, okay, okay!” she murmurs quickly, conceding to the pressure.

Seeing the girl, the yellow-green-haired guy scrambles off the floor, quickly dusting off his clothes before erupting dramatically.

“YOU GUYS DIDN’T TELL ME SHE WAS ALIVE, LURIYA!!!” he shrieks, leaping right back up onto a cargo crate with wide eyes and a frantic, theatrical shrug.

The girl holding Echa down is clad in a sleek, teal-colored swimsuit; her short hair falls on one side.

“We gave you one job, and you completely ruined it,” Luriya says, throwing a heavily annoyed glare at him. “Honestly, you make me think 'Fool Set' is the absolute perfect name for you.”

“Quiet.”

The command cuts through the air. Suddenly, Folset, Luriya, Echa, and even the automated cleaning drone freeze, turning their gazes toward the cause of the voice. A heavy, suffocating silence drops over the roof, leaving everyone with wide eyes and lips zipped tight.

Under the chilling weight of the lady’s gaze, Luriya quickly lifts her boot away from Echa. Folset scrambles down from the cargo crate, a look of pure dread washing over his features.

Crisp, rhythmic footsteps echo across the metal plating as Jayya steps forward, her piercing red eyes scanning the deck. Walking right beside her is the performance android from the central stage. The android's violet optical lenses stare straight ahead, completely unbothered, its hands elegantly clasped over its black and violet skirt as the fabric flutters in the mountain wind.

Echa slowly pushes herself up from the floor, swallowing hard as she mutters a desperate prayer under her breath, “Oh, Sid... Index... please help me.”

“Divbi, prepare for extraction,” Jaya instructs, her red eyes unblinking.

The android nods smoothly. “Understood, Madam Jaya,” Divbi responds, her voice cold, calm, and perfectly collected. Turning on her heel, she boards the aircraft with a flawless, elegant stride.

Luriya rests a pale hand against her chin before roughly shoving Echa by the shoulder with her leg. “Move. Get over to Madam Jayya before she decides to put you down, rabbit.”

Echa winces, bristling with a flash of pure anger at Luriya's rough handling, but forces herself to relax. Swallowing her pride, she takes a slow, hesitant step forward.

Meanwhile, Jayya walks calmly to the brink of the rooftop, gazing down at the lively, unmindful crowd below.