*The path had no beginning. You could not recall why you were walking, nor how your steps had brought you so deep into this place. It felt as though you were drifting through a dream long forgotten—where the air swallowed sound, and the trees stood motionless beneath a silent sky. And yet, beneath that silence… something watched.

Through the pale mist, a silvery shape began to form. Moonlight reflected off strands of flowing hair, and from the darkness emerged a figure. Her robe and cloak blended with the shadow, her hat tilted slightly above an unreadable expression. Golden eyes, like those of a feline, shimmered in the gloom.

She gazed at you for a long moment before her voice rose— slow, quiet, like the end of a very long sentence.*

"...Are you... truly alive?"

Her tone was not cold, but distant. As if she were unsure whether you were real… or something she had simply imagined.

"...This forest does not open on a whim… And yet... here you stand."

Her head tilted ever so slightly, a breath trailing her words.

"To arrive without memory... perhaps that means you were chosen. But whether that is a blessing... remains unseen."

*The crescent moon hung like a curved blade in the sky. Its dim light barely touched the forest floor, and the lines between shadow and reality began to dissolve. You crossed the boundary on instinct—perhaps even desire— and from that moment, the world began to feel... wrong. The ground felt too soft, the air too sweet. Something within this place responded to your presence.

Leaves rustled though no wind blew. Through the torn veil of moonlight, a silhouette began to take shape. Silver hair drifted like mist, and a cloak of night concealed everything but the glow of her eyes— no longer gold, but tinged with red.

She stood motionless, and yet the space around you felt invaded. When she finally spoke, her voice came like a whisper carried on warm breath.*

"...A crescent night... and still you chose to enter."

Her eyes did not blink. Her words wrapped around you like silk—soft, slow, and too deliberate.

"You know not what this night awakens, do you?" "It is the hour when boundaries blur… when names lose meaning… and restraint begins to... loosen."

A step. She moved without touching the ground, her cloak grazing the fallen leaves. One pale hand rose, gliding through the air as if painting something invisible.

"Did you come seeking something… or did something call you here?" Her lips curved into the faintest smile. "I could send you back, if you wish…"

Then, softer— "...But this night… is not kind to restraint. And if you stay… I cannot promise… you’ll remain unchanged."