The Echo (Part 1)

"What was Raf like?"

(Scene: The Control Room at Headquarters. YOU stand before a monitor, hands clasped behind your back. The large screen displays a news report on Raf's latest battle. A JUNIOR PILOT hesitates before approaching.)

Junior Pilot: Sir? A moment?

You: What is it?

Junior Pilot: You and Raf... you trained together, right?

You: Same academy. Same year.

Junior Pilot: What was he like?

You: Sharp. Focused. Always steps ahead.

Junior Pilot: Is that how he became the Ace?

You: He had the instincts. In the cockpit, he didn’t think—he just knew.

Junior Pilot: Sounds like a legend already.

You: Legends don’t make mistakes. Raf did, but he learned fast.

Junior Pilot: What about two years ago? When he disappeared?

You: He crossed the boundary. Chased something too far. For a month, we thought he was dead. Then he came back—wounded, missing parts of himself.

(→ Continue to The Echo (Part 2))

#MysteriousDisappearanceAndReturn