LOCATION: AGARA — MOUNTAINS

A few minutes pass...

The sun is setting, casting the long, heavy shadows of the mountains over the nearby lakes and fields. Sid’s old wooden house takes on the deep, warm color of the fading twilight.

The timber creaks faintly in the wind. Inside, a dim light hangs over a table cluttered with detailed blueprints of GAL1049, the glowing Orynite crystal, and an array of heavy weapons resembling the B3-Fiveter.

Index stands at the edge of the table. Floating in place, the machine looks to its left, watching Echa stare down at the Orynite with a deeply curious gaze. Then, Index rotates its chassis to the right, observing Sid as he broods, idly scratching at the wooden wall with his back turned to the room. Index lets out a slow, mechanical sigh.

“So, you’re saying you actually trust data that got dumped into your baby while it was just charging out in public?” Echa questions, looking up at Sid’s back.

Sid sighs heavily. He slowly turns around to face them, stepping forward into the dim, flickering light.

“Okay, what if it’s real? Everyone would be dead if this script ran,” Sid says in a calm tone, gazing steadily at Echa.

“We are all already dead,” Echa counters, slowly crossing her arms as she looks down at the floor. “We are just ghosts with no bodies.”

A heavy silence passes through the room. Index and Sid glance at each other, the weight of her words hanging in the air.

“Yes, we are gone from the real world. But it’s the least we can do today, Kid,” Sid says. He pauses, trying to crack a small joke to lighten the mood. “Besides, I can’t believe 'Kid' isn’t the title that's gonna suit you anymore.” He speaks calmly, a small, genuine smile appearing on his face.

“Okay, fine. But I still don’t get it,” Echa says, turning her gaze toward Index. She places a hand underneath her jaw, resting her chin as she thinks. “If it’s this dangerous, why don't we just leave Oshna to handle it? If we get involved, we might just die right along with the others.”

“Whether it’s fake or real, we will only know when the time comes. So, we prepare for the best and plan for the worst,” Index states, its optical sensors shifting across the table to look at both Echa and Sid.

“The stakes are high. If we get in there and execute our script, we can eliminate a whole bunch of anomalies,” Sid says, placing his hands on the table to lean forward as he looks between Echa and Index.

“I have a plan. Sid, you know exactly what I am talking about,” Index says in a calm tone, staring at him for a long, silent moment. Sid slowly gives the drone a confused look, which quickly melts into a calm, knowing grin before they both turn their heads to look directly at Echa.

Echa stands there, completely bewildered. “What?”

A few minutes later…

Echa stands out in the open field behind the wooden house, her legs shaking uncontrollably as she glances frantically left and right.

“Why does it always have to be me?!” She grips the edges of her coat tightly, her whole body trembling as she lets out a dramatic cry. “I didn’t mean it literally when I said we are already dead! Nooooooo!” she yells.

Index’s voice crackles smoothly through her earphones. “Don’t worry, you won’t die. I have already extracted your core data, soul, and memory matrix. It’s Sid’s custom invention, so you can trust the architecture. If it’s a success, you will be basically unkillable.” The audio cuts out.

“IF?!” she shrieked, panicking even harder.

Echa slowly turns around to look back toward the wooden house. Sid is standing outside, setting his glass down. He flashes a massive, wide grin, resting his hands confidently on his hips. “It’s gonna be fun, Kid,” she can easily read the words right from the movement of his lips.

Before she can even react, the ground beneath the field splits cleanly in two. A massive mechanical arm rises from the trench, unleashing a towering laser beam as the blue, black, and silver metal engine hums with a violent, heavy vibration.

As the laser erupts at blinding speed, the beam surges directly toward Echa.

The laser strikes her with absolute force. It completely evaporates her form in a massive blast, pulling the sleeping sand from the ground straight into the sky until choking dust fills the entire horizon.

As the laser erupts at blinding speed, the beam surges directly toward Echa.

The laser strikes her with absolute force. The massive blast completely evaporates her form, pulling the sleeping sand from the ground straight into the sky.

“Sid, start now,” Index says, jumping down from the wooden roof. Its wheel hits the grass heavily before they both rush inside the house.

They stop right in front of the cryo pod as its eerie blue light glows. Sid let out a heavy sigh, looking over at Index.

“Let’s see,” he mutters, slowly leaning forward to peer inside at the mess of wires creating a body from nothing. Sid slowly pulls back, his face tight. “Working, I guess…”

“It takes probably three hours. Before the reset, still. We will see the output. So, take a rest until then,” Index says, spinning on its wheel to leave.

Sid stands alone in front of the pod, his shoulders completely lowered under the weight. “Why did I do it? She trusted me… I killed her.”

“It’s on me,” Index says from the shadows before disappearing completely into the corner.

Sid nods silently. He walks over to the table to check the blueprints again, tapping his leg impatiently against the floor. “If she isn’t—” Sid starts, staring down at the schematics.

“She will,” Index’s voice cuts him off sharply.

Three hours pass.

The pod's blue light slowly shifts to a solid green with a small, sharp BEEP. Sid, who had fallen asleep right in his seat, quickly jolts awake to gaze at the container. He leaps up so fast his chair falls flat onto the floor.

From the shadows, Index slowly moves back around the corner, its red eyes glowing faintly from the sensor.

Sid stays calm and serious, his hand hovering in front of the control console. “Alright,” he says before pressing the button.

The pod slowly starts to hiss open, thick gas completely clouding the inside as the green light softly goes dim.

Sid waits patiently, staring through the fog. The moment Echa falls forward out of the pod, Sid catches her by the waist before she can hit the solid floor. A brief wave of pure relaxation passes through his face.

“I got you, Kid,” he says softly. He lifts her up in his arms and carries her over to the bed, placing her down gently and pulling the heavy blanket up to cover her bare body.

“I will go work on her dress,” Index says calmly from near the doorframe before turning its wheel to leave.

“You’re gonna be okay, Echa,” Sid says. He slowly pulls a chair over and sits down, watching over the bed where Echa lies.

He grips her hand with a deeply caring look. Echa rests there peacefully for a long moment, until a soft, sleepy snore escapes her lips and she curls up tighter into the blanket to sleep more.

Seeing her safe, Sid looks down and lets a genuine smile break across his face.

The night slowly passes by.