Ep 2: The Price of a Memory
1089 Words
The golden light inside Lyra’s visitor badge pulsed once.
Then again.
The entire Archive fell silent.
Even the alarm seemed to fade into the background.
Every employee in the corridor stopped moving.
Dozens of eyes turned toward Lyra.
Some looked frightened.
Others looked confused.
A few… looked hopeful.
Lyra instinctively grabbed the badge hanging around her neck.
It was warm.
Too warm.
“What is this?” she asked, her voice shaking.
No one answered.
Director Evelyn stepped forward slowly.
“Mr. Rowan.”
Kael didn’t take his eyes off the glowing badge.
“Yes, Director?”
“Escort Miss Carter to Observation Room Four.”
Lyra frowned.
“Observation?”
“I thought this was a job interview.”
“It still is.”
Evelyn’s expression remained calm, but something in her eyes had changed.
She wasn’t looking at a job applicant anymore.
She was looking at a mystery.
“I’m afraid the interview has become… more complicated.”
Before Lyra could protest, the alarm stopped.
A mechanical voice echoed through the building.
Security Alert Resolved.
Unauthorized extraction no longer in progress.
Employees slowly returned to work.
The strange tension dissolved, but whispers followed Lyra as she walked through the hallway with Kael.
“Did you see the badge?”
“It hasn’t glowed gold in years.”
“Could it really be—”
Their voices faded as the elevator doors closed.
⸻
For several moments, neither Lyra nor Kael spoke.
The silence wasn’t awkward.
It felt… careful.
Kael leaned against the polished wall, arms folded.
His calm expression had returned, but Lyra noticed the faint crease between his brows.
He was thinking.
Hard.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Does this happen often?”
“No.”
“So… visitors don’t usually make your security system panic?”
A corner of Kael’s mouth lifted.
“Definitely not.”
She smiled despite herself.
It was the first time she’d seen even the smallest hint of warmth from him.
“I’m glad I could make a memorable first impression.”
“You already have.”
The words slipped out before Kael could stop them.
He looked away almost immediately.
“I’m sorry.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay.”
Lyra wasn’t sure why, but hearing him say those words made her chest ache again.
As if she’d heard them before.
Somewhere.
Somewhen.
The elevator chimed softly.
The doors opened.
⸻
Observation Room Four looked more like a comfortable study than a medical facility.
Tall bookshelves lined one wall.
A fireplace crackled quietly despite the warm weather.
Large windows overlooked a peaceful indoor garden filled with white flowers.
“This doesn’t look like an observation room.”
Kael smiled faintly.
“Director Evelyn believes people tell the truth more easily when they feel safe.”
“And does it work?”
“Usually.”
He gestured toward a sofa.
“Please.”
Lyra sat down.
Moments later, an older man entered carrying a leather notebook.
His silver hair was neatly combed, and round spectacles rested on the bridge of his nose.
He offered a gentle smile.
“Good afternoon.”
“My name is Dr. Elias Bennett.”
“I’m the Archive’s resident memory psychologist.”
Lyra blinked.
“Memory psychologist?”
“I help people understand memories they’ve lost.”
She let out a nervous laugh.
“I don’t think I’ve lost any.”
Dr. Bennett looked at her kindly.
“Most people who have… say exactly that.”
⸻
The doctor sat opposite her.
“I’d like to ask a few simple questions.”
Lyra nodded.
“Have you ever forgotten an important event?”
“No.”
“A person?”
She hesitated.
“I don’t think so.”
“A place that felt familiar despite never visiting?”
She remembered the hallway upstairs.
The endless shelves.
The strange feeling when she met Kael.
“…Maybe.”
Dr. Bennett made a small note.
“Have you ever dreamed of someone whose face you couldn’t remember?”
Lyra’s heart skipped.
“How did you know that?”
Instead of answering, he asked another question.
“The dream involves rain, doesn’t it?”
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the sofa.
“And a train station.”
She stared at him.
“What is happening?”
Dr. Bennett slowly closed his notebook.
“I was afraid of that.”
Kael looked up.
“You’ve seen this before?”
“Only once.”
The room became very quiet.
Dr. Bennett took a deep breath.
“There are dreams.”
“And then there are memory echoes.”
Lyra frowned.
“What’s the difference?”
“A dream is created by your mind.”
“A memory echo…”
He looked directly into her eyes.
“…is created by a memory that no longer belongs to you.”
The words hung in the air.
Lyra shook her head.
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
He stood and walked toward one of the bookshelves.
From a locked cabinet, he removed a small wooden box.
Inside were three crystal vials.
One blue.
One crimson.
One gold.
He carefully picked up the blue vial.
“This memory belonged to a violinist.”
He handed it to Lyra.
“It contains the day she performed her first concert.”
Lyra hesitated.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Just hold it.”
She wrapped her fingers around the cool glass.
Nothing happened.
Dr. Bennett nodded.
“As expected.”
He replaced it with the crimson vial.
“This one contains the memory of surviving a house fire.”
Lyra touched it.
Again…
Nothing.
Finally, he lifted the golden vial.
His expression grew serious.
“This memory belongs to a father.”
“It contains the moment his daughter called him ‘Dad’ for the first time.”
Kael shifted uneasily.
“Doctor…”
“We don’t know if that’s wise.”
“I need to be certain.”
Dr. Bennett gently placed the golden vial into Lyra’s hands.
The moment her fingers touched the glass—
The light inside exploded.
Golden threads burst from the vial and wrapped around her wrist like living ribbons.
Lyra gasped.
The room disappeared.
⸻
End of Episode 2 – Part 1 of 3
In Part 2, Lyra experiences her first true memory echo—not her own memory, but someone else’s. What she sees will reveal the first hidden rule of the Archive… and make Kael question everything he believes.
- Writer
