Then he heard it: a whisper, layered beneath the reverb. Not a sample. Not a glitch. A voice . His dead father’s voice, humming a lullaby Leo hadn't heard since he was six.

He should have deleted it. But obsession is a stronger drug than fear.

His studio was a cave of cables and dust. He loaded the crack into his aging DAW, wired his old Telecaster directly into the interface, and held his breath.