The forest was quiet that day
A six year old girl named Mira had been walking home from school along the narrow cobblestone path when she saw it. a streak of darkness cutting across the sky. Not light, not fire something deeper and darker. It didn't glow like a meteor. It swallowed the stars around it.
Then it fell.
A low, distant rumbling sound rolled through the trees, followed by a soft impact that barely disturbed the air.
Mira froze.
"Okay," she muttered to herself, gripping the strap of her backpack. "That was not normal."
She should've gone home. Any reasonable person would have. But her curiosity tugged harder than fear, pulling her feet off the path and into the woods.
Branches scratched at her sleeves as she pushed forward, guided by something she couldn't quite explain. The deeper she went, the darker it became until even the sunlight seemed to hesitate at the edge of where she stood.
Then she saw it.
In a small clearing, nestled in a shallow crater, hovered a sphere of pure shadow. It pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat, its surface rippling as if it wasn't entirely solid.
Mira's breath caught. "What is that?"
She stepped closer.
The air felt strangely cool, but not cold. Quiet, but not empty. As if the darkness itself was alive, watching her.
"Hello?" she called softly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the sphere flickered.
A thin crack of dim light appeared across its surface not bright, but just enough to outline its shape. The pulsing grew faster, almost nervous.
Mira hesitated, then crouched down a few feet away. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said, her voice gentler now. "I just saw your fall."
The crack widened.
The sphere slowly unfolded, peeling back in soft, flowing strands of shadow that dissolved into the air.
And inside a small figure lay curled on the ground.
He looked like a boy, about her age. But something was off. His skin shimmered faintly, like darkness given form, and his eyes when they opened glowed with a dim, silvery light.
They locked onto hers instantly.
Mira's heart pounded. She should run. Every instinct told her this wasn't normal.
But he didn't look dangerous.
He looked… lost.
"Hey," she said quietly, inching a little closer. "Are you okay?"
The boy didn't answer. His gaze flickered around the clearing, confused, overwhelmed. Shadows around him stretched and shifted, reacting to his movements like they were part of him.
"I… don't think you're from around here," Mira added, attempting a small smile.
The boy tilted his head, studying her. His voice, when it came, was soft and uncertain like he was learning how to speak.
"Where is this?"
Mira swallowed.
"Earth," she said. "You're on Earth."
The word seemed to settle over him, unfamiliar but important.
He looked down at his hands, watching as faint wisps of shadow curled around his fingers.
"…I'm… alone," he whispered.
Something in the way he said it made Mira's chest tighten.
She shook her head immediately. "No, you're not."
He looked up again.
Mira stood, offering her hand.
"You've got me now. I am Mira By the way"