When she opened her eyes, the sky was wrong.
Two suns floated above a horizon of silver clouds, and the forest around her shimmered with faint blue mist. Trees towered like pillars, their leaves glowing faintly from within, casting waves of color with every breeze.
Aiko sat up slowly, clutching her yukata. Her phone was cracked, the screen dead. The world was silent except for the call of distant creatures—soft, flute-like, haunting.
"Am I… dead?" she whispered.
No answer came, except for the rustle of leaves.
She tried walking. The grass beneath her feet was soft, glowing faintly under her touch. The air smelled sweet, like fresh rain mixed with plum blossoms.
Then came the voice.
"Oi! What are you doing in the Beastkin Woods, human?"
Aiko froze. Out from behind a tree stepped a tall figure—a man, but not quite human. His silver hair fell past his shoulders, wolf ears flicked above his head, and a long tail swayed lazily behind him. He wore leather armor and a blue scarf, his yellow eyes sharp as blades.
"Wh—what?" Aiko stammered in Japanese.
He frowned. "What tongue is that?"
When she didn't answer, he sighed, sheathing the short blade he carried. "You must've hit your head. No one sane walks this far into the woods without a weapon."
"I… I don't know where I am," Aiko said softly.
The beastman tilted his head, watching her closely. "Your scent isn't from any city I know. Come. The forest spirits hunt at dusk."
Still trembling, Aiko followed him through the forest.
The Beastman Village
The village appeared between the trees like something out of a painting—wooden huts with smoke curling from chimneys, strings of bones and feathers hanging as charms, and bridges made from vines and woven roots.
Children with fox tails and cat ears chased each other through puddles, while older beastmen sharpened spears or roasted meat over open flame.
Every face turned when Aiko entered.
The air grew thick with whispers.
"What is that cloth?"
"Why does she smell like flowers?"
"She bows like an elf…"
Rai—the wolf-man—grunted. "Found her wandering. She doesn't speak properly, but she's harmless."
An elder approached—an old beastwoman with fur like silver thread and eyes full of warmth and power. She wore beads carved from bone and wood.
"Human child," she said in a deep, melodic voice. "What is your name?"
Aiko hesitated, then placed her hands together and bowed deeply. "Tanaka Aiko desu."
The elder blinked. "You… show respect with movement, not words. Curious."
Rai rolled his eyes. "She bows at everything."
A few beastmen chuckled. The elder silenced them with a glance. "You may stay, child. Until the moons turn twice. Then you will decide—go to the human kingdoms, or find your own way."
Aiko nodded gratefully. "Thank you… thank you so much."
That night, as she sat beside a campfire, the stars above shimmered in colors she had never seen before. She looked up at them and whispered,
"I don't know where I am… but maybe this is where I start over."