In the quiet of the woods, a young shapeshifter—small, lonely, and eager for connection—watches human children from a distance. When one child, Gloreth, wanders away from the group, the creature reveals herself, nervously shifting into a more human-like form. She doesn’t want to scare her. She just wants a friend.

At first, Gloreth isn’t afraid. She and the creature—Nimona—laugh, play, and form a brief but real bond. But when the villagers arrive and see the shapeshifter, fear takes hold. They scream, panic, and call her a monster. Gloreth, influenced by their fear, picks up a sword.

Nimona pleads, tears in her eyes. "I'm still me," she says.

But Gloreth, now changed by the pressure of the crowd, points her blade at Nimona and utters the words that will haunt her for centuries:

"Go back to the shadows, from whence you came."

Rejected. Heartbroken. Betrayed. Nimona vanishes into the darkness—no longer a child looking for a friend, but a creature marked by humanity's fear.