Falling felt nothing like falling.
Ember expected panic. She expected the rush of air, the spinning sky, the sharp certainty of impact.
Instead, everything went silent. Felt
Weightless.
She floated through darkness that hummed faintly, through soft shadows that held her adrift.
No gravity or sound. No sense of direction. Just a gentle pull somewhere, deep in her chest she didn't understand.
Then a tiny glow broke through the dark.
White-green light swallowed her, and suddenly she was no longer floating — she was dropping.
Ember crashed hard into a bed of leaves. The leaves cushioned her fall just enough to keep her alive but not enough to keep her from hurting.
She groaned loudly, rolling onto her back and staring up.
Branches arched overhead, dark as the sky. Only a faint green glow pulsed through the canopy, lighting the area just enough for her to see her fingers clearly.
Her head throbbed. The alcohol. The crying. Everything that had happened in the past few hours. And now… this.
"What the hell…" she breathed, pushing herself upright.
The forest around her was weird.
Silent, as the air hummed faintly.
Alive — it felt too alive.
The trees were massive, with ebony bark lined with faint silver cracks that glowed softly. Strange flowers grew in clusters around the roots, their petals shimmering with pale, eerie colors that didn't belong on Earth. Even the moss beneath her hand was unnervingly warm.
She stood slowly, turning in a small circle.
"Where am I?" she whispered.
No wind. No rustling. The quietness was loud.
And yet… something felt off.
Even with its unnatural beauty, something underneath it all felt wrong.
like the air tasted different.
Ember's throat tightened. Her pulse hammered too fast.
"Okay, Ember," she muttered to herself, "maybe it's a hallucination. Maybe you hit your head. Maybe—"
A soft crunch of leaves behind her froze her in place.
She didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
The sound came again.
Slow. Deliberate.
Someone was walking toward her.
Ember spun around—
And nearly forgot how to speak.
A man stood between two glowing roots, half-cast in green light.
He was… beautiful.
Sharp jaw, soft mouth, high cheekbones. His skin held a faint silvery sheen, as if touched by moonlight. His hair fell loosely around his face, deep black with strands that reflected green. And his eyes… they glowed softly like emeralds catching fire.
He looked Ethereal. Impossible.
And definitely not human.
Ember took a step back. "Who— who are you?"
He blinked slowly, tilting his head just a fraction.
His voice was soft but carried an echo.
"You are loud."
Ember blinked. "Loud?! Are you kidding me?!"
He studied her like something strange washed up on a shore. His eyes dragged from her face to her clothes to the trembling, dirt-streaked hands at her sides.
"You do not belong in these woods," he said. "You are not one of us. How did you get here?" His brows pinched as he flared his nostrils. "You smell wrong."
Ember's mouth dropped open.
"Smell?.. SMELL!!!! Well, excuse me for falling through a glowing cosmic hole after having the worst night of my freaking life!"
He arched his brow.
"What are you," he murmured.
"What I—? I'm me!"
He shook his head. "You smell of..." He frowned more. "But you are definitely… not Fae."
"Fae?" Ember echoed. "As in… fairy?"
His eyes narrowed sharply. "Do not call us that."
"Okay— okay, sorry, jeez," Ember muttered, rubbing her forehead. "This is too much."
He continued staring at her with an unnerving stillness.
No breathing movement.
Just this unnatural observation.
Then, after a long moment, he said:
"You should not be here. This forest is sick. Even WE do not walk it at night."
Ember swallowed. "Then… why are YOU here?"
His jaw tightened. "I heard a disturbance. I thought it was an elfling. Instead, I found you."
Ember didn't know what to say.
He stepped closer, moving like water, smooth and graceful.
"And you will tell me who you are," he continued.
"What?"
"You weren't here and now you are," he said. "This is not natural."
She stared at him.
"So I didn't hallucinate that?"
"What?"
"Great," Ember muttered. "Perfect. Love that for me."
His lips twitched.
"What's your name?" she asked quietly.
He hesitated before answering.
"…Ashthorne. I'm the keeper of the borders of this forest. And we need to leave."
"Of course you have an intimidating magical name," Ember whispered.
Then, "I'm Ember."
His expression flickered strangely at her name.
Then it vanished.
"Ember," he repeated softly, testing the sound.
Finally he straightened, gaze cutting toward the glowing canopy.
"As I said, we should not stay here," he said. "The forest is unwell. The creatures that live in sick magic become unpredictable."
He looked back at her.
"And if you stay loud, they will hear you."
Ember's heart clenched hard in her chest.
"Please… help me," she whispered grabbing his arm. "Please. I don't know where I am."
Ashthorne watched her for several seconds, unreadable.
Then he said quietly:
"I do not know what you are… but I will collect this favor."
Ember stared at him, fear crawling up her spine.
Her life had already fallen apart.
Her world had already shattered.
And now, this world was trying to kill her too.