The red-haired girl squinted at me like I'd asked her to solve a riddle using noodles and string.
"Define human?" she repeated, lowering her spear just slightly. "Is that some weird dialect?"
I rubbed my head. The ground was still spinning, and my elbow hurt like hell. "No, I just… I'm not entirely sure what's going on. Or where I am. Or who you are."
She blinked. "Okay, definitely a Gate-drop. You're fresh."
"I mean, I did fall through a door in the middle of a void, so yeah, fresh sounds about right."
That got her attention. She lowered the spear completely and stepped closer.
"You're serious? A real white void drop? No memory tampering? No rune burns? Nothing?"
"I have no idea what any of that means."
She let out a low whistle and crouched beside me. Her eyes, which were sharp and surprisingly clear, scanned my face like she was checking for signs of possession.
"You don't have distortion marks. That's good. I'm Elira. Sentinel Cadet, Tier Three."
"Kaito," I said slowly. "Former student, Tier… uh, none."
She snorted. "That's the dumbest title I've heard all week."
"I get that a lot."
Elira helped me to my feet, which was both generous and deeply necessary since my legs still felt like noodles. Around us, the forest hummed with quiet energy — trees with pale blue leaves, small floating lights bobbing like fireflies. It wasn't loud, just… alive. In a weird, magical, Studio-Ghibli kind of way.
"What is this place?" I asked, brushing dirt from my pants.
"You're standing in the Outskirts of Caelum Hollow," she said, motioning at the winding path behind her. "One of the less suicidal zones, lucky for you."
"Less suicidal?"
"There are zones where people show up inside lava pits or man-eating fog." She smiled way too casually. "You lucked out."
I felt my stomach flip. "Right. Cool. Sounds great."
She glanced around, scanning the treetops, then tilted her head. "You're the only one that came through?"
I nodded. "As far as I know, yeah."
"Huh." She chewed her lip. "Weird. Usually the Gate only opens when someone's summoned."
"Wait—summoned? Like magic-circle, chant-some-Latin stuff?"
"Pretty much," she said. "But you're not giving 'hero' vibes."
I blinked. "Thanks. I think."
Elira turned, motioning for me to follow. "Come on. The Outpost's half a klick from here. We'll get you registered, maybe figure out what the stars you actually are."
I hesitated. "And if I'm not supposed to be here?"
She stopped, just for a second.
Then, without turning around, she said, "Then you better hope no one else finds you before we do."
And just like that, she started walking again.
I followed.
Because what else can you do when the sky breaks, a girl calls you a mistake, and the only friendly face you find is someone carrying a spear?