Chapter 3: The Fall into the Unknown

The world was nothing but a blur of twisting colors and fragmented light. He tumbled through the endless void, weightless yet heavy, like gravity itself couldn't decide what to do with him.

Wind? No—space itself rushed past him, bending and warping like a broken mirror. His body twisted unnaturally, every nerve screaming as he fell through something beyond time, beyond reality.

Then—impact.

A blinding explosion of force crashed against his chest, as if he had slammed into a thousand invisible walls at once. His vision blurred. His breath caught in his throat. And suddenly—

Silence.

He opened his eyes.

A sky. A real sky. Not the endless black of space, nor the shifting colors of the void—a sky filled with twin suns, burning in hues of violet and crimson.

He lay sprawled across the ground, his body aching. Beneath him, grass—soft but glowing faintly blue, like bioluminescent waves. A warm breeze brushed against his face, carrying a scent that was both familiar and alien.

He was alive.

And he was somewhere new.

Slowly, he pushed himself up, scanning his surroundings. The landscape stretched infinitely—rolling hills of silver mist, towering crystalline trees that shimmered under the twin suns. The air felt thick, heavy with something unseen.

And then—he wasn't alone.

A presence. Watching.

His body tensed as he turned his gaze forward.

At the edge of a floating river stood a woman—or at least, something that resembled one.

Her figure was elegant, tall, and almost ethereal. Her skin was dark like obsidian, but faintly translucent, with streaks of silver coursing through her veins like living stardust. Her eyes—deep violet, almost burning with an inner fire.

She tilted her head, studying him with quiet intensity.

"You fell from the sky," she said, her voice smooth yet carrying an unnatural resonance.

He blinked. "Yeah… I guess I did."

Silence stretched between them.

Then, she stepped forward. "That means one of two things. Either you are a lost soul, wandering without purpose… or you are something far more dangerous."

Her gaze sharpened.

"So tell me, traveler—which one are you?"