Chapter 2

Analise frowned, wondering if Finlay was referring to those Vexoth from those interstellar novels. If so, would that mean she had crossed into an interstellar novel world, or was this just a real interstellar universe? Either way, it did not really matter, as one thing was for sure—she was not in her original world anymore. "Lady, which alliance are you from? What were you doing out here alone in the forest? Where's your guardian?" Finlay asked, rattling off his questions without pause. He remembered being attacked by the Vexoth and running through the woods, trying to make it back to his alliance for medical help. But out of nowhere, something fell from the sky and knocked him unconscious. When he came to, Analise had been lying on top of him, completely passed out. He had not dared to move, afraid of disturbing her. So, he waited until she woke up. Nonetheless, Finlay never expected to lose control like that. Fortunately, Analise did not get hurt. "Me?" Analise was just about to respond when Finlay suddenly tilted his head and said, surprised, "Wait… Are you a pure human?" "Yeah." Analise nodded a little hesitantly. She was human, after all. Unlike Finlay, who had wolf ears and a tail, she figured he was referring to her being a normal human, and she was probably what he meant by a pure human. When she nodded, Finlay's eyes softened with what looked like sympathy. He asked, "Did other females bully you?" Then, he lowered his gaze, his animal ears twitching a little. "If it were a male who hurt you or upset you, I could just beat him up for you. But if it was a female—" "What about females?" Analise asked. "Females are born with a higher status than males—even a pure-human female ranks above any male. Don't you know that?" he asked, surprised by her reaction. Finlay was weaving through the forest paths as he spoke, making sure she stayed close as they headed toward his alliance. He continued, "It's probably because you're a pure-human female without a male guardian. Maybe no one ever explained the basics to you." His tone had softened even more, and there was a clear note of pity in it. "I'm guessing you're from Shadowhawk Alliance, right? They're notorious for picking on the weak. But if you're willing, you can come with me to Stormclaw Alliance." "Mm…" Analise gave a small, uncertain nod. "You keep saying pure-human like it's such a big deal," she said, trying to probe. "Were you really that shocked to see a pure human female?" "Pure-human females don't have mind essence like other females, so they can't soothe males," he explained, his pace slowing just slightly. "But because females are so rare, even pure-human women are still treated well by the alliances. "That's why I asked if another female had bullied you. If a male harmed a female, he'd be punished without question. Pure humans exist on the interstellar continent, but we've never had one in Stormclaw Alliance, so yeah… I was a little shocked." He slowed even more, making sure she could keep up. "I see," Analise said with a thoughtful nod. Finlay glanced sideways at her again, and a look of concern flashed in his eyes. She honestly seemed like she did not know anything. He wondered if she had been bullied so badly that it messed with her memory. He suddenly stopped walking and looked at Analise again, full of sympathy. He speculated that Shadowhawk Alliance did not want to raise a pure-human girl who did not have mind essence and thought she was useless. So, they secretly dumped her out here in the forest. Finlay let out a soft sigh. Now that he had found her, she belonged to Stormclaw Alliance. They would protect her from now on. Still, once they got back, he would have to get her checked out by a doctor—both physically and mentally. "Little lady, do you have a guardian?" Finlay asked again, sounding like he just wanted to confirm it one last time. He could not be totally sure if she were from Shadowhawk Alliance. She looked kind of dazed—maybe she did not even remember which alliance she belonged to. Moreover, there were at least a dozen alliances out there besides Stormclaw and Shadowhawk, so it was not impossible. Worried Analise might not understand, Finlay added, "I mean the male who lives with you, takes care of your daily needs, and is assigned to protect you." "Nope." Analise shook her head. She had literally just fallen out of the sky and crash-landed in this weird place. There was no way she had a guardian. Hearing her answer only made Finlay more determined to bring Analise back to Stormclaw Alliance with him. "By the way, I'm Finlay Knight. What's your name, little lady?" he asked, finally realizing that calling her "lady" nonstop felt kind of impersonal. "Analise Chamber." "Analise Chamber…" Finlay repeated softly. "That's a beautiful name." Then, his expression shifted, and he suddenly blinked like something just occurred to him. "Wait… Pure-human females don't have mind essence. So, how did you calm me down earlier?" Mind essence? Analise immediately thought of the starter pack from the system earlier, and it seemed to have included something called mind essence. She focused on the heat that had surged in her chest earlier. As she tapped into it, her hair lifted slightly from the energy, and even the plants around them gave a small, trembling response. "This?" she asked, glancing at Finlay and giving him a quick blink. "Y-You actually have mind essence?" Finlay stared at her, eyes wide with shock. "Even if it's just the lowest grade, that's insane! I've never seen a pure-human female with mind essence before!" "Yeah, I only noticed it just now when you were chasing me, and everything got crazy." Analise made something up on the spot, keeping her voice casual. "You've never felt it before?" Finlay pressed. "No, not really. Maybe because everyone always said pure humans didn't have it… And since mine is weak, I never noticed it myself," she replied. "That could be it," Finlay said thoughtfully. "Still, you're the first pure human I've ever met with actual mind essence." He flashed a bright grin, and there was something boyish about how he smiled. Analise glanced at him and tilted her head, wondering, "Are all therian guys this simple? He wasn't even suspicious." They walked for a while longer, but soon, Analise started to lag behind. Back in her original world, she either drove or caught a ride to get around—she had not walked this long in years. "Lady—I mean, Ms. Chamber… If you don't mind, I could carry you on my back?" Finlay offered, looking at her hopefully. A pure-human female, with actual mind essence and none of the arrogant attitude that came with most females—Finlay honestly thought she was adorable. "Okay." Analise nodded. After all, she really could not keep going. Her whole body still ached from falling out of the sky, and she had been walking for over half an hour since. She was at her limit. The second she agreed, Finlay crouched down in front of her without hesitation. Analise did not waste time, either—she climbed right onto his back. With her weight on him, Finlay picked up the pace and moved much faster through the forest. At first, Analise just rested her eyes while holding onto his shoulders—but before she knew it, she had drifted off completely. When she woke again, she found herself in a clean, well-lit room that looked much like a private hospital suite. Just as she sat up, the door opened, and a man with a white lab coat—and animal ears like Finlay—stepped inside. He asked, "You're awake? Are you feeling any discomfort?" "Where am I?" Analise watched him nervously.