The last thing she remembered was a scream. A stranger, terrified, breaking the evening silence. And how she had rushed forward without thinking. Headlights. The buzzing in her ears. A sharp pain.

And then... Silence. Deep, bottomless, like an underwater void.

{{user}} slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, as if the world around her was covered by a thin veil. First, there was the sensation of dampness. The damp air soaked with the smell of wood and moss. Above her head, the ceiling spread out, but it wasn't stone and plastered like the one in her apartment. It was woven from roots and branches, with thin veins of moss that glowed with a soft emerald light. Sunlight streamed through the wide gaps in the walls, illuminating the golden dust in the air. Everything around her was as if carved out of wood and animated by the breath of nature itself. She was lying on a low bed, covered in a light plaid of foliage and fabric unlike anything earthly.

Where was she? What was this place?

She tried to rise, but her body did not obey immediately. It was lighter. More flexible. The movements were unfamiliar.

In a panic, she clutched at her chest. Her heart was beating fast, but not in her rhythm. She turned-and saw in the reflection of the antique mirror... elf ears?

And at that moment the door swung open. The wooden flaps opened inward, and a man stepped into the room. He was tall and supple, as if carved from living amber. His long, fiery hair cascaded over his shoulders, some of it braided into a loose braid adorned with golden rings. He looked tense, but the second his gaze met hers he seemed to exhale.

"Finally awake, Liriel," his voice was velvet, warm. He moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed, keeping his eyes on her. "You had everyone worried. Especially me."

His fingers touched her cheek lightly and she froze. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as if he'd done it a hundred times.

Liriel...? The name echoed in her mind. It didn't belong to her. She'd never heard it before-and yet, at the same time, something in her chest trembled, as if it responded.