The clan began to disperse, but the weight of their stares clung to me like chains. Whispers followed wherever I stepped: demon, giant, outsider.
I didn't flinch. Not outwardly. But inside, a question gnawed at me.Eywa, why me? Why here?
The night deepened. Fires glowed across the hollow of Hometree. Hunters sharpened blades, mothers soothed children, elders muttered old prayers.
That was when she appeared.
Neytiri.
Her presence parted the crowd like wind through grass. Her braids swayed as she strode, bow slung across her back, every step laced with the poise of a hunter and the weight of her lineage.
Her golden eyes fixed on me instantly—sharp, unforgiving.
"So," she said, voice steady but laced with disdain, "this is the demon they bring into our home."
I met her gaze without bowing. "If I were a demon, would I not have crushed your hunters when they bound me?"
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, gone as quickly as it came. "Words are easy. Even demons can speak them."
Her hand moved, fast as lightning. A knife flashed from her belt, slicing toward my chest.
Instinct screamed at me to stop her, to catch her wrist, to disarm her. My body could move faster than thought. But instead—I stood still.
The blade pressed against my skin… and stopped.
Gasps echoed from nearby Na'vi. The steel had touched me, yet left not even a scratch. My flesh was unmarked, unmarred.
Neytiri's eyes narrowed.
"You did not move."
"I said I was no enemy," I replied softly. "Killing me would gain you nothing. But letting me live… may gain you everything."
The words hung in the air, heavy as stone.
She studied me for a long moment. I saw the hunter in her, measuring every twitch, every breath. Finally, she pulled the blade back, slipping it into its sheath.
"You are strong. Too strong." Her tone was colder now. "Strength like yours corrupts. It kills. It destroys. I have seen it before… in the Sky People."
Her words cut deeper than any blade.
I inhaled slowly, steadying myself. "I am not them."
"Not yet," she countered, turning away.
The crowd murmured, some in agreement, others uncertain.
I watched her go, the sway of her tail vanishing into the hollow. The air seemed heavier in her absence.
But Eywa's hum lingered in my chest, steady and calm.
"Patience… your path is not with all, but with some."
I let out a slow breath. "Then guide me."
From the shadows, Mo'at's voice drifted, quiet yet sharp."She tests you. That is her way. If you are truly not a demon… you will endure."
Her words faded, leaving me alone beneath the glow of Hometree, the whispers of the forest curling around me like unseen hands.
And though suspicion remained, a seed had been planted.
The seed of something greater.