The silence between them stretched, thick with tension. The woman's violet eyes locked onto his, burning with curiosity—and something deeper, something unreadable.
He exhaled slowly, still feeling the strange weight in the air, as if reality itself was pressing against him.
"I don't know what I am," he admitted. "But I'm not dangerous."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Then you are a fool."
Before he could react, she moved.
In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance between them, her presence overwhelming. A flicker of silver energy danced along her fingertips as she reached out, her hand stopping just a breath away from his chest.
"You fell from the sky," she repeated, her voice quieter now, more calculating. "No ship. No protection. And yet… you live."
He swallowed. "I don't know how."
For a moment, she simply stared, as if weighing his words against some unseen truth. Then, with a flick of her wrist, a pulse of energy surged from her fingertips, wrapping around him like unseen chains.
His muscles locked. His breath caught.
"Hey—!"
"Stay still," she commanded.
He had no choice.
A second later, his entire body lit up. Or rather—the energy inside him did. Strange, golden veins of power pulsed beneath his skin, glowing faintly like the embers of a dying star.
The woman's eyes widened.
"…Interesting."
With a simple gesture, she released him. The unseen pressure vanished, and he stumbled back, gasping.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded.
"A test," she said simply, folding her arms. "You are not normal. That much is obvious. But you are also… unfinished."
He frowned. "What does that mean?"
She studied him for a moment longer, then turned away, her long, flowing garment shimmering in the alien sunlight.
"If you wish to survive in this world, traveler, you must understand what you are," she said. "Follow me."
She began walking toward the floating river, her form flickering slightly as if she wasn't entirely bound to this reality.
He hesitated.
But then again—what choice did he have?
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, following the woman of starlight into the unknown.