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Chapter 8 - Episode 8: “The Layer Beneath”

[Scene: Early Morning – School Courtyard. Smoke still lingers from the black light explosion. Fire alarms scream in the distance.]

Naizaka: [breathing heavily] "That blast… it came from inside. From the sealed wing."

Yuki (worried): "We need to go. Now."

Naizaka: "No. If I run now… I'll never remember the truth."

[Footsteps echo. Mio appears from the mist.]

Mio: "You were supposed to stay out of this."

Naizaka: "You knew this would happen."

Mio: "And I tried to protect you. But it's too late now."

[Flashback: 10 years ago – Laboratory hallway, blurred. A younger Mio screams as guards drag her away. A doctor speaks softly to Naizaka, who stares with wide, glowing eyes.]

Doctor: "You'll forget… until we need you again."

[Scene: Present – Inside the sealed wing. They push through a cracked doorway. The inside is frozen in time—dusty chairs, rusted restraints, and a glowing staircase leading down.]

Yuki: "This… is under our school?"

Mio: "Welcome to Layer Zero."

Naizaka (touches wall): "This place… it feels alive."

[Scene: Underground corridor – They descend. Lights flicker on as they pass.]

Aoi (emerging from shadows): "Finally joined the party."

Naizaka: "You knew the way."

Aoi: "I was raised here. And now it's calling us back."

Yuki: "Why now? What woke it up?"

Aoi: "You did, Naizaka. The moment your powers returned."

[Scene: Central chamber – A round room with ancient markings on the floor. Glass tanks line the walls, each with faint silhouettes of children inside.]

Naizaka (shaken): "Are those...?"

Mio: "Prototypes. Failed experiments."

Yuki: [shivering] "This can't be real."

Aoi: "It's more real than anything above."

[Suddenly, a holographic panel activates. A female AI voice echoes.]

AI: "Welcome back, Subject N-01. Memory restoration: 78% complete."

Naizaka (staggering): "N-01… that's me?"

Mio (softly): "You were the first to survive full enhancement. You weren't supposed to live."

Naizaka (angrily): "Then why erase it all? Why send me to a normal school?!"

Aoi: "Because you were unstable. But now... you're waking up."

[Scene: Aboveground – Toma, Sena, and Riko watch emergency crews around the school.]

Toma: "Where's Yuki?"

Sena: "She followed Naizaka."

Riko (nervous): "Something's wrong. This isn't just a fire."

[They sneak past a distracted guard toward the sealed building.]

[Scene: Back in Layer Zero – The energy in the room hums louder. Naizaka suddenly drops to his knees.]

Naizaka (in pain): "Something's… inside my head."

Mio (rushing): "It's the memory lock. It's breaking."

[A vision bursts in Naizaka's mind: flashes of childhood training, Aoi bleeding in his arms, and a girl—blonde, crying—who looks like Yuki… but not Yuki.]

[Back to reality. Naizaka breathes hard.]

Naizaka: "She was here. Yuki… she was here too, in the past."

Yuki (shocked): "What?! I don't remember anything like that!"

Aoi: "Because your powers were suppressed. But they're starting to awaken. Your touch opened the gate."

[Scene: Sudden quake. The ground shakes, cracks splitting through the floor.]

Mio: "The facility's core is unstable!"

Aoi: "It's the memories. They're trying to restore themselves. Too fast."

Naizaka: "Then we stop it."

Mio: "You're the only one who can."

[He places his hand on the glowing circle in the floor. Light swirls around him, flashing images from every life he forgot. Screams. Laughter. Fights. Peace.]

AI Voice: "Final memory lock… disengaged."

Naizaka (quietly): "I remember… everything."

[Lights flicker. The chamber glows bright white—and then silence.]

To Be Continued…

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