STRING THEORY - Episode 009 — “People Who Don’t Exist”

Episode 009 — “People Who Don’t Exist”

Jul 20, 2025

2 Mins Read

Rooftop – Same Day

“Not part of the system?” Garah echoed, her voice trembling.

Riven leaned back against the concrete, eyes staring at the clouds.

“You saw it too, didn’t you?” he said.

“I wasn’t in the Registry. But neither are you now.”

Garah’s head spun. “That’s impossible. I’m connected. I have a thread—I mean, I had one.”

Riven tilted his head. “It disappeared, right? After it touched me?”

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She nodded slowly.

“Then maybe we’re the same,” he said. “People the Registry can’t control.”

Guidance Office — Earlier that Day

Garah had gone to check her student file.

But the records assistant just frowned.

“I’m sorry, dear… your profile seems to be... missing.”

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Her birthdate. Her photos. Her guardian information.

Gone.

Even her red-thread record—deleted.

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Silver-Haired Boy’s Words

"When a string breaks naturally, it still leaves a mark."

"But when it’s stolen… the person becomes untraceable."

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Rooftop, Present

“Are you saying someone stole my thread?” Garah whispered.

Riven didn’t answer directly.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a paper slip.

It was yellowed. Worn. Fragile.

He handed it to her.

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Garah unfolded it carefully.

It was an old Registry Record—Riven Solon.

Name: Present.

Thread ID: Null.

Status: Unthreaded.

Classified as: [SUSPECTED ERROR CODE: 004]

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Internal Thought: Garah

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Error code?

Does that mean he was never supposed to be connected to anyone?

Or that someone purposely removed him?

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Sudden Interruption — Door Slam

Someone had followed them to the rooftop.

It was the silver-haired boy—Ellior.

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He stood, wind blowing his coat, eyes locked on Riven.

“You shouldn’t be talking to her,” he said sharply.

“She’s still under watch.”

“By who?” Riven asked.

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Ellior didn’t blink. “By everyone.”

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Tension Flares

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Garah stepped in between them. “Stop. Just—stop!”

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She looked at Ellior.

“Why didn’t you tell me I was being erased from the Registry?”

Ellior looked genuinely pained.

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“Because I was trying to protect you. There’s more to this than strings and matches.”

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Closing: Rain Begins to Fall

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Garah looked at Riven.

And then at Ellior.

Two boys.

One part of the system.

The other… never belonged.

And her?

She was now caught in between.

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Episode 009 — “People Who Don’t Exist”

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