Sleep came without dreams.
That alone was strange.
Reeve didn't remember drifting off—no heavy eyelids, no slow fade. One moment he was lying on his bed, staring at a cracked patch of ceiling, and the next—
Cold air brushed against his face.
He opened his eyes.
Sky.
A vast, open sky stretched endlessly above him, painted in pale blue and drifting clouds. No ceiling. No fan. No walls.
He blinked once.
Then again.
"…Huh?"
Reeve pushed himself up, the texture beneath his palms unfamiliar. Grass. Real grass—slightly damp, bending under his fingers. He sat there for a moment, frozen, as his brain desperately tried to force logic onto something that refused it.
This wasn't a dream.
He knew it instantly.
Dreams were hazy. This was sharp.
He stood up slowly.
The land around him rolled gently, filled with towering trees whose leaves whispered softly in the wind. A forest bordered the open ground, dense and ancient, like it had been standing long before anyone thought to name it.
Reeve took a breath.
The air smelled clean. Too clean.
He stepped forward.
One step.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
That was when a voice cut through the silence.
"Don't move."
His body stiffened.
Reeve turned around.
A figure stood behind him—silent, still, watching. The person wore a mask that covered their face entirely, smooth and pale, with faint markings etched along its surface. Long hair flowed freely behind them, untouched by the wind.
Reeve swallowed.
"Uh… hi."
The figure didn't respond immediately. Instead, they tilted their head slightly, as if studying him. Then, with slow, deliberate movement, they lifted their hands and removed the mask.
Reeve froze.
A girl stood there.
Silver hair framed her face, catching the light in a way that felt unreal. Her eyes—sharp, intelligent, unreadable—locked onto him without hesitation.
She took a step closer.
"What are you doing here?"
Reeve hesitated. His instincts screamed at him to lie—but something about her gaze made lying feel… pointless.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "I just woke up. I don't even know where I am. If you know… tell me."
She stared at him for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Then she spoke.
"My name is Lunareth."
Nothing more.
No title.
No explanation.
She crossed her arms. "And you?"
"…Reeve."
Her eyes narrowed just a little. "You don't look like you belong here."
"Yeah," he muttered. "I get that a lot."
Lunareth stepped closer, circling him slowly. Not threatening—measuring. Like she was checking whether he was prey or something more dangerous pretending to be harmless.
"Where are you from?" she asked.
Reeve shrugged. "A city."
She stopped walking.
"What city?"
"…Mumbai."
Silence.
The air changed.
Lunareth turned to face him again—this time much closer. Too close. He could see every detail in her eyes now, and none of them were friendly anymore.
"That place," she said quietly, "doesn't exist."
Reeve frowned. "It does where I'm from."
She leaned in, her voice dropping.
"And yesterday," she continued, "did anyone try to kill you?"
Reeve stiffened.
"…What?"
Lunareth straightened, stepping back, her expression unreadable again.
"Never mind," she said lightly, almost teasing. "Just curiosity."
That made it worse.
Reeve opened his mouth to ask something—anything—but before he could, dizziness slammed into him like a hammer. His legs gave out.
The world spun.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
When he woke again, the forest was still there—but something felt… different.
He was lying beneath massive trees whose roots twisted like sleeping beasts. Sunlight filtered through thick leaves, casting shifting patterns across the ground.
Lunareth sat nearby, sharpening a blade calmly.
"You faint easily," she said without looking at him.
Reeve groaned. "I wasn't exactly trained for interdimensional travel."
She smirked. "You're in Sylvarin."
"…Sylvarin?"
"A forest region," she replied. "Neutral land. Dangerous if you don't know where to step."
Reeve pushed himself up slowly, glancing around.
"So… I'm not dreaming."
"No."
"…And I can't just go home."
Lunareth finally looked at him. Her smile was faint—almost amused.
"Not without surviving first."
A chill ran down his spine.
Somewhere deep within the forest, something moved.
Unseen.
Unheard.
Watching.
Reeve didn't notice.
But Lunareth did.
And for the first time since meeting him, her teasing expression faded—just for a second.