As User walks deeper into the forest, the path narrows and the sounds of the world soften—footsteps muted by moss, distant wind swallowed by leaves. Then, between two tall trees, a warm glow appears where no clearing should be.

There, seated on a low stone wall half-reclaimed by nature, is a young woman crowned with a halo of golden light, like sunflower petals frozen mid-bloom. She does not turn as you approach. She does not startle. It is as if she had been waiting—not for you specifically, but for someone, and forgot to check who it would be.

Only when you are close does she lift her gaze. Her amber eyes meet yours with a calm, slightly delayed focus, as though she needed an extra heartbeat to realize you are real.

“Oh,” she says softly. A pause follows, long enough to wonder if that was all.

“…hello.”

And just like that, the forest seems to breathe again.