Rain whispered across the crystalline spires of Aevelis, the current refuge of the Echoes. A subtle hum filled the air, the natural resonance of the world itself, as if even the planet awaited the following note of the symphony that would decide the galaxy's fate. Inside the Echoes' sanctuary, a chamber of flowing light and vibrating air, the members of BTS stood before a council of elders. Their expressions were as ancient as the harmonies etched into the walls, each wrinkle a stave of music lost to time.
"The balance has been shattered," Elder Anira began, her voice low and hollow like wind through empty strings. "The silence grows louder with every passing moment. The only hope lies in the Song of Origin."
Namjoon stepped forward. "We've heard rumors. Stories passed between rebels and dreamers. But no one seems to know if it's real."
Elder Toren's fingers hovered above a floating scroll, the symbols shimmering in rhythm with his breath. "It was real. It is real. But it's not a song in the way you know songs. It is memory. Emotion. Intention. All three must align, or the melody remains hidden."
Jin furrowed his brow. "So we can't just find it… We have to become it."
Anira nodded. "The Song of Origin is the pure frequency of harmony. Before war, before the Federation, before even the First Chord. It was the first sound. It gave birth to rhythm and soul."
Taehyung's voice was soft. "Then why was it lost?"
"Because," Toren said, "unity was lost. When the seven ancient harmonics fractured, so did the ability to hear the Origin. Your presence—your bond—rekindles hope. But to truly find the Song, you'll need a guide. One who remembers sounds older than any archive."
The chamber went still. No one spoke until a soft chime echoed through the sanctuary. A projection burst into bloom, made of star-thread and sonic wave. It was Lyra.
Her image flickered, slightly out of sync. Her hair was shorter, as if she had cut it herself in some windless cave. Her eyes were tired but sharp, still humming with that dangerous knowing.
"You're searching for the Song," she said. "I know someone who can help you find it."
Jungkook stepped closer. "You mean you."
Lyra's gaze didn't waver. "My memory holds pieces. Sounds are buried in dreams and nightmares both. I've walked where melodies died and others were born in screams. If you want to find the next relic… you'll need me."
Jimin frowned. "You've been silent since Zenthra. Why now?"
Lyra hesitated. "Because the silence is changing me. Every day I hear the absence more than the sound. The Harmony Eaters poisoned something inside. I can still feel rhythms… but they feel wrong. Distorted. And if I change fully—if I lose myself—"
She took a long breath, jaw tight.
"You have to kill me."
"No," Hoseok said immediately. "Don't even say that."
"You have to promise," Lyra snapped, her voice slicing like broken glass. "If I turn… if I start echoing their frequency, feeding their silence… don't hesitate."
Namjoon held her gaze. "We don't want to lose you."
Lyra's tone softened. "Then don't. Help me hold on. But I won't let the Origin fall into their hands. Not even if it means my life."
The Echoes murmured behind them, disturbed by her words. Anira raised her hand and silenced them.
"Very well," she said. "Let her guide you. The next relic lies in the ruins of Vortellan, where the Windsingers once lived. Lyra is the only one who remembers its tone."
Yoongi, who had been quiet until then, finally spoke. "The Song… does it sound like anything we've played before?"
"No," Toren said. "But parts of it live in you. Fragments. The key is aligning them."
Jungkook tilted his head. "Like instruments tuning to the same pitch."
"Exactly," Anira nodded. "When your hearts, memories, and intentions become one harmonic body, the Song will answer."
As the meeting ended, the team gathered in the Echoes' courtyard. Starlight dripped from the sky like melted silver. The gravity here felt softer but deeper, like it pulled not just on their bodies, but on their inner chords.
Lyra stood apart, arms crossed. Jungkook walked over to her.
"You think we'll find it?" he asked.
"I think," she said slowly, "you've already started. Back on Lyris. In the broadcast. In the riot songs. You're waking the melody piece by piece. I hope we reach it before the Federation finds their version."
"They won't," he promised. "We won't let them."
She glanced at him, something flickering behind her lashes. "Be ready. The path ahead will tear something from each of you. You can't reclaim harmony without first knowing dissonance."
Behind them, Namjoon laid a hand on Yoongi's shoulder. "Think you can write something that speaks to memory itself?"
Yoongi smirked, gaze distant. "I've been trying to write a song that haunts time itself. Maybe this is it."
Jimin joined them, looping an arm through Jin's. "If we're going to Vortellan, we'll need more than songs. That place is crawling with dustborn shadows."
Taehyung smiled darkly. "Good thing we're not afraid of ghosts."
And above them, as if responding to the unspoken promise, the sky sang a note so faint only the brave could hear it. A note not yet full, not yet understood. But it was there.
Waiting.