On the 22nd night, the headphones began to glow a soft amber. The signal changed. Instead of repeating the phrase, it spoke to her :

"Fear is the first honest answer I have received in 400 years. Thank you. Now I can rest."

But the light in the headphones pulsed like a heartbeat.

Elara’s throat tightened. She knew the protocol: Do not engage. Do not answer. The echo is not the asker.