(The camera opens on a dimly lit backstage area. The setting is sparse, with a single chair in the center of the frame. A single lightbulb flickers overhead, casting long, distorted shadows. A low, unsettling hum fills the air, almost like a faint, off-key lullaby. Laylah walks into the frame, her face unreadable, her eyes hollow. She doesn’t speak at first, but simply stares into the lens, a faint, chilling smile playing on her lips. She slowly sits down in the chair, her body still and composed.)
"They came for me. Two of them. The lost child... and the giant. They thought they could silence me, didn’t they? They thought that if they just put their hands on me, they could extinguish the fire that burns in the heart of this place. But they are so, so wrong. They don’t understand. This isn't just about me. It’s never been about me."
(Laylah slowly leans forward, the lightbulb flickering faster as she speaks. Her voice is a low, hypnotic whisper, but every word is crystal clear.)
"The fire… it doesn't belong to me. It burns in all of us. It burns in Avelina, who found her way back to the light. It burns in every lost soul who has found a home in the darkness. You can try to put it out, Roxanne. You can try to put it out, Raquel. But all you’re doing is adding fuel to the flame. You can hit me with your power, Raquel, but power means nothing when the people you’re fighting for are nothing more than puppets on a string. You can use your tricks, Roxanne, but your tricks are no match for a power you don’t even know exists."
(Laylah chuckles, a cold, empty sound that sends a shiver down the spine.)
"You tried to end Avelina. You tried to end this. But you only made us stronger. You only made us see the weakness in all of you. We are not just an alliance. We are a promise. We are a new world order. We are the people that will burn it all down to build a new one. And now… we’re coming for you."
(Laylah leans back in her chair, her smile widening into a sinister grin as she stares into the camera. She doesn't break eye contact, even as the humming gets louder and louder, until it's the only sound you can hear. The screen goes black with sadistic laughter in the background.)