It was the birds that woke her first.
Not the distant hum of traffic or the faint buzz of her phone. These were sharp, melodic cries—wild and echoing—mixed with rustling leaves and the soft murmur of wind. Lena stirred, eyes fluttering open.
But the ceiling wasn't there.
Instead, *a vast violet sky* stretched above her, streaked with silver clouds and two glowing moons. She sat up with a jolt, heart hammering. Beneath her, soft moss cushioned her bare legs. Her satin bedsheet was gone—replaced by earth, roots, and a distant scent of smoke.
She was in a *forest*. But not like any she'd ever seen in a perfume ad or fashion shoot. The trees were impossibly tall, their bark shimmering faintly with shades of deep blue and amethyst. The leaves above whispered—not in the wind, but like they were speaking to each other.
She scrambled to her feet.
"No," she whispered, spinning in place. "This isn't… where is this?"
She wore the same silver dress from the night before, now dusted with dirt and torn at the hem. Her bare feet were stained green. And in the air, there was something unnatural—*a quiet hum*, like the whole world was alive and watching.
Then she noticed something else.
*Footprints. Not hers. Large, bare, fresh. Leading away.*
Lena's breath hitched. Her instinct told her to run. But run where? She had no phone, no signal, no idea how she got here. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep.
She reached out, touching the bark of a tree. It pulsed beneath her fingers, warm.
"What kind of dream is this?" she asked.
Something answered.
A low, distant growl. Not quite animal. Not quite human.
Lena froze.
From deep within the forest, shadows began to move.
And someone… or something… was coming.
---
Her heels sunk into the mossy earth, the hem of her designer dress dragging through fallen leaves. Her phone had no signal. The path back to the manor blurred behind her like a memory unraveling.
And then, the wind stopped.
Silence.
No birds. No crickets. Not even her breath.
That's when she felt it — a presence. Behind her. Heavy. Ancient.
Slowly, she turned.
A tall figure stood between the trees. Not fully shadow, not fully man. Its eyes glowed faint silver, like the moon bleeding through smoke. Antlers rose from its head like twisted branches, and its body seemed cloaked in dark mist.
Lena's voice caught in her throat.
It didn't speak. Not aloud. But something echoed in her mind — a whisper not made of sound.
*"You don't belong here… yet you were brought."*
She stumbled back, her back hitting a tree, heart pounding.
"W-what are you?" she gasped.
The being tilted its head.
*"A question even you can't answer… Lena Maren."*
She froze. It knew her name.
Her lips trembled. "This… is a dream. A hallucination."
The creature took one slow step forward. Its presence pressed on her like gravity.
*"Then why are you awake?"*
And in that moment — she knew.
This world wasn't just strange.
It was real.
And she was no longer just a girl.