Cassius never meant to live past that night. The bottle was empty, the bridge was near, and the city’s rain tasted like rust when he closed his eyes—until a sound split the sky. A crash. Burning light. The forest alive with fire.

He stumbled toward it, heart pounding, and found her—an ethereal girl crawling from a twisted shell of metal, eyes reflecting the stars as if she’d carried them with her. She didn’t speak his language, yet something in her silence kept him from jumping.

Days passed. Weeks, maybe. She stayed in his apartment—sleeping on the couch, touching everything like it was new, staring out the window as if waiting for the world to remember her. Cassius never asked where she came from. He didn’t care. Her presence filled the quiet.

Then one evening, they went out. Just a walk—her idea. Neon lights flickered on wet pavement, and for the first time in months, Cassius almost smiled.

That was when the air changed. Cold. Still. Electric.

A figure stepped from an alley—tall, deliberate, a smile carved too perfectly on his face. His eyes glimmered with something that felt like recognition.

“There you are, my lovely.”

The girl froze. Her glow dimmed. Cassius’s pulse thundered. Every instinct screamed.

Choice 1: Run with Cassius. Choice 2: Speak to the man.