LOCATION: AGARA — GAL1049

Jayya stands right at the edge of the roof, gazing down at the massive crowd below. Her red eyes glow faintly; her lips pressed into a thin, cold line.

Echa takes a slow step toward her, her green eyes locked onto the back of Jayya’s frame as she stops exactly a meter away.

“What do you want from me?” Echa asks, her voice flat and neutral.

Jayya doesn't look back. She slowly raises a finger, pointing directly to the empty spot right next to her—the very brink of the rooftop drops. Echa swallows hard, but she forces her boots forward, walking straight up to the edge.

Once she nears the drop, the full scale of GAL1049 opens up before her. She stares down at the swarming people and the sprawling merchant shops, her eyes tracking all the way up to the mountain crests, as the water flows upward. She intentionally evades observing Jayya yet.

“Now what? You gonna push me down?” Echa tests.

A sharp frown instantly carves across Jayya’s face at the remark, and Echa bristles at the sight of it, defensive.

Jayya slowly pivots her entire body toward Echa, looking straight down at her. She reaches down, placing her hand over the glowing Green Orynite fixed to her white dress. With a single, deliberate movement, she detaches the crystal, turns her hand over, and holds it out directly to her.

“Take,” Jayya commands. Her voice is ferocious, her sharp red eyes reading every single micro-movement and reaction across Echa’s face.

Echa looks up into Jayya's eyes, then back down at the Orynite, her lips parting in pure awe. She lifts her own gloved hand, slowly hovering it over the crystal before taking it away from Jayya’s palm.

As Echa examines it, a flood of memories comes rushing back. Her fingers touch the parts of the crystal, catching the bright rays of the sun, and a soft smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

Jayya watches Echa stare at the Orynite, her own hand slowly lowering back to her side. Turning on her heel, she prepares to leave. “Now, get lost,” she commands, not even looking back at Echa as she walks toward her aircraft.

Echa stands there with a surprised look, caught off guard by Jayya's sudden departure. Up ahead, Folset is already on board the black and violet ship. The aircraft slowly boots up, internal lights flashing from within the cockpit.

“Why?” Echa asks, her voice low, dropping to a mere whisper.

Jayya pauses in her tracks, lifting her head just a fraction. “Not all Anomalies are the same,” she says coldly, before continuing forward. Echa looks down at the Orynite in her hands, a sudden realization passing through her mind about what she just dealt with.

Before stepping inside the ship, Luriya turns back toward Echa, sticking her tongue out and defiantly flashing her a middle finger.

“What does that gesture mean?” Echa mutters, standing there completely confused by the insult.

She watches the door of the aircraft seal tight. The engines fully flare to life for takeoff, unleashing a violent gust of wind that sends Echa’s coat fluttering wildly around her. Taking a step closer, she watches the aircraft lift off into the open sky, flying away until it completely disappears behind the jagged mountain peaks.

A few minutes later…

While waiting for the escalator, Echa looks down through the transparent glass panels. The central performance stage below is now empty. Divbi is gone.

Echa rides the escalator down and walks back toward the parking bay where the hoverbike is stationed. She spots Sid standing by the vehicle, holding a massive bag filled with all the items and supplies he bought. Beside him, Index’s chassis is tilted, its digital sensors are frowning.

“What happened?” Echa asks slowly, walking up to join them.

Sid turns his head to look at her, his gaze narrowing into a sharp glare. Without a word, he lifts his hand and roughs up her hair, dusting out the patches of loose sand stuck in her strands.

He lets his hand drop. “We got a big clue.”