Iniya_feb_03_2023_360p.mkv

As the 4-minute clip neared its end, Iniya leaned into the frame, her face filling the screen in a mosaic of beige and brown pixels. She whispered something meant only for the microphone: "Don't ever let us forget why we started this, okay?" The screen went black.

Karthik didn’t remember recording it. February 3rd had been a Tuesday, a blur of rain and office deadlines. But there it was. He double-clicked. The media player struggled for a second before a grainy, pixelated world flickered to life. Iniya_Feb_03_2023_360p.mkv

"The rain," Recorded-Karthik says. "The whole city is underwater." As the 4-minute clip neared its end, Iniya