The darkness was not cold. Warmth found her first, even though her mind was screaming for understanding, to find a way out of her mess; fate had thrown her into it.
She squirmed and her brows furrowed, she could not sense any of the forest energy around her anymore. It was not the soft forest glow, not the gentle light of magical leaves, but the sensation of thick blankets, the faint heat of a fire nearby, and the muted murmur of distant voices that filled her senses.
Her consciousness swam upward slowly, heavily, and fogged, as if someone had wrapped her mind in cotton. Each breath tasted faintly of herbs, something sweet and sharp mixed together. She shifted on her side, trying to remember where she had been and pain shot through her ribs.
Not sharp, but deep, bruised, aching.
Her eyes snapped open and her breathing grew heavy. The ceiling above her wasn't a canopy of glowing trees. It was wood. Rough-hewn beams crossed overhead, patched in places, old but sturdy. The light flickering against them came from a nearby lantern, not moonlit moss.
Her heart thudded, confused and alarmed. This wasn't the forest, nor was it the grove, it was not the ridge where they were at.
She froze, her mind racing to figure out what was going on. 'Where am I?'
She tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. Her body felt heavier than before, as if someone had drained every ounce of strength from her. Even lifting her head made her vision pulse.
She waited, breathing slowly until the dizziness faded, then took in her surroundings more carefully.
She was lying on a cushioned mat laid across wooden planks. Someone had draped a blanket over her small fox body, soft, thick, and smelling faintly of lavender. A clay bowl of steaming herbs sat near the bed, filling the air with a calming fragrance.
And the place… it was small, cozy, rustic. A single-room cabin, built with care rather than wealth. A shelf of books. A table pushed to the side, cluttered with bandages and half-used salves. A kettle simmering over a small stove.
This was someone's home; it was not hers. She had not seen anything human other than Aria so far, before her mind could wander further.
A voice spoke quietly somewhere behind her.
"You're awake."
Her ears twitched and she turned her head slowly.
Aria sat beside her.
The girl's black hair was loose now, falling over her shoulders in soft waves. Her armor was gone, replaced by a simple tunic and wrapped bandages around her left arm. Her eyes were shadowed with exhaustion but full of relief.
"You scared me," Aria said softly. "I thought you weren't going to wake up."
The words melted some of the tightness in the fox's chest, but not all. She tried to shift again, testing her limbs. They moved, stiffly and a bit painfully, but they obeyed.
Aria reached forward, hesitant.
"Wait—don't push yourself. The village healer said you overdrew your mana. And… something else happened to you out there. I don't understand it."
Neither did the fox. Flashes returned to her in a rush. The Rootmaw.
Aria's scream and the pulsing system voice. Her body moving when it shouldn't. The Core Burst and even the shard.
All tangled together in memories that felt sharp and wrong yet terrifying.
She shivered violently, and Aria's expression softened.
"Hey… it's okay. You're safe now." She gently placed a hand near the fox's paw, not touching, but close enough to offer warmth. "You're in my village. Lystern. I carried you back myself."
The fox blinked, startled despite herself.
Aria carried her here? Through the forest? Past whatever monsters lurked beyond the cliffs?
A faint tremor went through the girl's hand. She looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"I'm not very strong, but I wasn't going to leave you there. Not after what you did." Her voice wavered. "You saved me."
The fox lowered her gaze, unsure how to respond, since she was not used to anyone thanking her, even internally. She remembered the moment clearly, the desperate shove, the instinctive leap, and the Rootmaw's claw missing Aria by inches.
She hadn't done it out of heroism; to her it was just… instinct. Fear and the refusal to watch another death.
Aria continued softly, "The others didn't believe me when I said a fox fought a Rootmaw. But… the mark on your thigh… the glow… there's no mistaking it."
She reached toward the fox's fur again, but this time her hand trembled with something quieter than awe.
"Little one… You're not ordinary. Even for a seedling."
The fox stiffened slightly, not from fear, but from the memory of the system's cold voice.
[Evolution Path Unlocked...]
The air felt as though it had shifted, she did not know how to handle this but she needed to get a grip. Aria noticed her flinch and slowly withdrew her hand, giving her space.
"Sorry." She smiled awkwardly. "I'm not trying to overwhelm you. It's just… When I found you, you were unconscious. Burning hot. And for a moment, this silver light wrapped around you. I've never seen anything like it."
The fox swallowed; she knew well It wasn't magic, nor was it familiar.
And it certainly wasn't normal.
Her body ached again, but this time it wasn't injury, it was something internal, something shifting beneath her skin. A quiet thrum pulsed through her bones, the same subtle energy she'd felt before absorbing the shard.
The system stirred faintly.
[Stability: Fragile.]
[Foreign Power: Dormant.]
[Next Activation: Unknown.]
Her breath hitched when she heard it; she did not want this to happen, not here, not now. Not in a village full of strangers, when she could not even figure out what her next move should be.
Aria's expression gentled as she noticed the fox trembling again. She reached behind her and pulled a wool blanket closer.
"Little one… You really are scared, aren't you?"
The fox didn't deny it.
Aria hesitated, then spoke quietly, almost shamefully.
"You're the first thing to rely on me in a very long time." Her voice softened, vulnerable. "So… if you need time, rest, food, anything… I can give you that. Even if you don't understand me. Even if you decide to leave later."
The fox blinked slowly and her chest felt tight. Something warm boomed within her. One she hadn't felt since her old world.
A place to breathe for now.
The soft village sounds outside, children running, and wind chimes tinkling drifted through the window. A new world she didn't understand waited just beyond the door. And she was lying here in a stranger's home, in a body she didn't know, with a power she couldn't control.
But she was alive.
Safe, warm, and not alone.
For the first time since waking in this world, that was enough, she needed to survive and this was the start, this village.