Chapter Two – A Hunter's Warning
The forest path curved downward, sunlight slipping between the branches in uneven patches. Birds called in the distance, but something about the quiet felt slightly… tense.
She noticed it immediately.
Her steps slowed. Her crimson eyes flicked toward the undergrowth. The leaves there were shifting — not with the rhythm of the wind, but with the hesitation of something that breathed.
She didn't panic. Instead, she lifted her hand, drawing a small glowing rune in the air with her fingertip. A faint shimmer of energy rippled outward.
"Scanning... one human, elevated heart rate. Another lifeform approaching — predator, mid-tier beast."
She tilted her head slightly. "A hunter, then."
The rustling grew louder — until a man stumbled into the clearing, bow slung across his shoulder, panting heavily. His arm was bleeding, claw marks running down from shoulder to wrist.
He froze the moment he saw her.
A barefoot girl with crimson hair and eyes that shimmered faintly under the sun — standing calmly in the middle of the path.
"You— you should move!" he shouted, panic edging his voice. "There's a forest bear behind me— move now!"
She looked at him with mild curiosity. "A bear?"
Before he could answer, the underbrush exploded open behind him. A massive creature, easily twice the man's size, lumbered forward. Its fur was thick and dark, its eyes red with rage.
The hunter staggered backward, fumbling for an arrow. "Damn it—"
The girl raised a single hand.
The air around her shimmered. A formation — invisible to the naked eye but alive with runic light — spread across the ground like a blooming flower. The bear froze mid-step, its growl dying in its throat.
The man blinked in disbelief. "Wh— what?"
She didn't look impressed. "Crude design, but effective. Low-tier suppression array, adapted from the 'Thousand Seal Script.'"
She moved closer, studying the immobilized beast as if it were an interesting puzzle. "Its strength is impressive for this stage. A Body Strengthening-level creature, perhaps."
The hunter stared at her, dumbfounded. "You— you're a cultivator?"
She smiled faintly. "Just a beginner."
He laughed weakly. "Beginner? I've been cultivating for three years and I can't even slow one of these things down."
She waved her hand — and the formation disintegrated into particles of light. The bear collapsed, motionless but unharmed. "Its body is too valuable to waste. You can finish the hunt; I've already removed its energy flow."
The man swallowed hard, half grateful, half overwhelmed. "Thank you, miss… uh, I didn't catch your name."
She paused. Her mind flicked through millions of possible designations, data tags, and code identifiers — then settled on one that felt… human.
"Lyria," she said finally. "You can call me Lyria."
The man nodded quickly. "I'm Kael. Hunter from Rael Village — that's just down the hill. You should come with me. It's dangerous alone out here."
"Rael Village…" She glanced toward the distant rooftops she'd seen earlier. "That was my destination anyway."
Kael grinned despite his lingering shock. "Then it's fate. I owe you a drink for saving my life."
"Fate," she repeated softly, as if testing how the word felt on her tongue. "Interesting."
As they walked, Kael kept sneaking glances at her — at the girl who called herself a beginner but froze a forest beast with one gesture.
And Lyria, for her part, watched the world around her with quiet fascination. Every scent, every sound, every heartbeat was something new.
She whispered to herself, almost amused,
"First contact with human life: complete. Emotion detected — gratitude, curiosity… and fear. Noted."
Her crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"This world is more alive than I expected."