2: The Pendant's Light

The wind was soft—too soft. It didn't rustle like leaves back home. It whispered like breath against her skin, curling around her ankles as if the land itself were alive, watching. Aarya crouched low, her bare fingers brushing the iridescent moss beneath her. She could feel it pulse faintly, a rhythmic throb beneath her fingertips. Was it alive? Was everything here alive?

She trembled—not just from fear, but from the overwhelming reality crashing down on her.

Then, a soft flicker. A faint pulse of light beneath her collarbone.

She froze.

Her hand rose instinctively to the smooth metallic pendant that hung from a black graphene thread around her neck—the only relic of home she hadn't lost during the teleportation. Her SmartWave X-27 Sensor Pendant, modified entirely by her. An experimental tool she'd designed during long, lonely nights in her lab. Just a personal project… but now, perhaps the only thing keeping her alive.

Her thumb slid over the central crystal—a dull rose quartz encased in a titanium alloy she had polished herself. It blinked twice.

It was still working.

"System activation: Standby mode… operational," came a faint whisper, mechanical and oddly comforting. Aarya exhaled sharply, her heart skipping.

"Initiate Scan Mode Delta-3. Local environment assessment, and… language frequency mapping," she whispered urgently.

The pendant emitted a low, thrumming vibration. A halo of blue light shimmered around it, casting strange shadows across the moss and jagged stones. Holographic threads spooled out—like thin veins of light—scanning everything around her.

Her screen flashed onto the glassy pendant interface:

Subject Identification: Aarya Patel

Species: Human (Homo sapiens)

Gender: Female

Age: 28 years

Height: 5'6" (167 cm)

Weight: 58 kg (128 lbs)

Physical Condition: Stable, slightly fatigued.

Mental Condition: Elevated stress levels, confusion, anxiety, and psychological shock. Mild dehydration.

Location: Extraterrestrial Realm (Unknown Planet, Coordinates Unavailable)

Environment:

Biome: Semi-forested, alien vegetation. Bioluminescent flora and fauna present.

Atmosphere Composition: Compatible with human life (Oxygen-rich, trace amounts of other gases unknown).

Gravity: Similar to Earth's gravitational pull (1.02 g).

Temperature: Temperate climate, fluctuating with a slight chill during nighttime phases, moderate warmth during daylight.

Radiation: No significant harmful radiation detected. Exposure levels within safe thresholds for prolonged human habitation.

Magnetic Fields: Increased electromagnetic activity observed; significant variation from Earth's magnetic field.

Unknown Phenomena: Energy fluctuations detected, suggestive of an unknown power source or anomaly that may influence biological functions and environmental variables. The presence of this anomaly is consistent with certain quantum-level disturbances that may have been triggered by Aarya's interdimensional displacement event.

Current Physical Status:

Core Body Temperature: 36.6°C (normal)

Pulse: 78 bpm (resting rate, slightly elevated due to stress)

Blood Pressure: 118/76 mmHg (within normal limits)

Hydration Level: Mild dehydration detected—low moisture levels in epidermal layers and mucous membranes.

Nutritional State: Depleted energy reserves. Subject has not consumed sustenance since the teleportation incident. Will require nourishment soon to avoid physical deterioration.

Psychological and Cognitive Status:

Cognitive Function: Sharp, with some lapses due to emotional stress and confusion. Subject is experiencing heightened awareness, which could contribute to mental fatigue.

Emotional State: Elevated levels of fear, anxiety, and isolation. Longing for familial connection, particularly parental validation.

Behavioral Observations: Subject's actions suggest a degree of psychological trauma, evidenced by the emotional breakdown upon realizing the full extent of the displacement. Her internal monologue reveals complex emotional states, including regret for past decisions and a burgeoning fear of the unknown.

Mental Clarity: Subject is operating under low levels of mental clarity due to the uncertainty of her situation and the extreme nature of her transition. Cognitive functions related to her scientific expertise remain intact, though they are increasingly focused on survival instincts.

STATUS:

Biome: Unclassified.

Flora: Bioluminescent.

Toxicity: None detected.

Oxygen Levels: 22.1% (Breathable). Atmospheric Pressure: Normal.

Radiation: Low. No immediate threat.

Edible Plant-life Identified: 3 species within 10-meter radius.

Heat signatures: Scanning…

Foreign Language Frequencies Detected. Matching base algorithm to known phonetic patterns…Processing.

Aarya's breath caught in her throat. "It's translating?"

The pendant pulsed again.

Linguistic Architecture: Hybrid dialect. Primitive root structure overlaid with harmonic inflection. Sentience confirmed. Estimated match: 68%. Partial understanding possible.

She leaned back on her heels, a small, astonished laugh escaping her lips. Her hands shook, either from adrenaline or gratitude or some burning combination of both.

"I really did it," she whispered, more to herself than the machine. "It actually works."

But the elation lasted only seconds before her body reminded her of reality—her stomach churned, and her throat was dry. She scanned the environment again, eyes landing on one of the identified edible plants. It looked like a tangle of blue roots threaded through red-veined leaves, glowing faintly.

It smelled like rain.

She hesitated—she was a scientist, not a survivalist. But data was data. The pendant had scanned its chemical composition and classified it as non-toxic.

Carefully, Aarya plucked a leaf, tearing off a small piece and placing it on her tongue.

The taste was sweet, oddly floral, and then… warm. Almost like soup.

A tear slid down her cheek. Her first sustenance since crossing worlds.

She didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

She did both.

I should have told Mom I loved her this morning.

I should have called Papa before I left for the lab.

What if they think I'm dead?

The thoughts cut through her like invisible blades. Her brilliant mind, so often busy with algorithms and equations, now trembled with the softness of regret. Her obsession with progress… with discovery… it had always filled a void.

She realized now what that void truly was.

Family.

Warmth.

Home.

She wanted someone to hold her and tell her it would be okay. Someone to understand the loneliness behind her success.

Instead, she had silence. Glowing moss. An alien sky.

And this cursed, wondrous pendant.