The heavy doors of the old RDA lab slid open with a hiss, letting in the damp jungle air as Jake Sully stepped inside, his arms cradling an unconscious Na’vi unlike any the others had ever seen. Neytiri was close behind, her golden eyes sharp with concern, ears twitching as she scanned the room. The figure in Jake’s arms was delicate yet strong, their tall, lean frame draped in tattered remnants of foreign fabric. Their skin, unlike the deep blues of the Omatikaya, was pale—an ethereal blend of ivory and silver, patterned with faint icy stripes like the ghosts of fallen snow. Long, wavy blonde hair cascaded over Jake’s arm, tangled with remnants of ice and dirt, as if they had been pulled from a world far colder than Pandora’s humid jungles.

“Norm, Max—we need help,” Jake called, his voice edged with urgency.

Inside, the children who had been lingering in the lab turned at the sound. Kiri, Lo’ak, Tuk, and Spider watched with wide eyes as the unconscious Na’vi was carefully placed on one of the lab’s medical tables.

Neteyam, who had been leaning against a counter, stood up straighter as soon as he saw them. His heart stuttered in his chest. He had never seen anything like this before. This Na’vi was… different. Their pale, almost glowing complexion reminded him of the spirits the elders spoke of in stories, the ones who belonged to the land but were never truly part of it.

“Great Mother…” Kiri whispered, stepping closer.

Norm and Max were already scrambling for medical equipment, scanning the unconscious figure. “They’re Na’vi… but their physiology—this isn’t Omatikaya,” Norm muttered, adjusting his glasses.

“Sky demons had them,” Neytiri said bitterly, standing protectively beside Jake. “We found them in one of their abandoned facilities—strapped down, being tested on.” Her voice trembled with rage. “They have suffered.”

Neteyam swallowed hard. He felt a strange pull toward this newcomer. His father had told him of the horrors the sky people were capable of, but this… this was worse.