When I exited the clearing, I was met with the strangest, most exquisite sight I had ever seen. At first, I thought the light beyond the river was coming from a hut, but then I realised the light was, in fact, a figure. A girl kneeling on the forest floor beyond the river. At least, that was where I thought she was. But no, she was sitting on top of the water, her red and white robe spread out and floating delicately on the water’s surface.

The expression she wore mirrored the surprise of my own.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Was she a ghost? Despite the white glow, I was certain she was, in fact, corporeal. I blinked, and suddenly, she was gone from the river, peering around a nearby tree like a kid playing hide-and-seek. The river was still rippling, the only indication that she had, in fact, been sitting on its surface only moments before.

Watching her long white hair flowing in the windless night brought me back to my original conclusion: She must be a ghost. She watched me carefully, and I decided to sit along the river bank and watch her back. I didn’t want the moment to end, for whatever dream I was having to disappear into the night. That, and I still wasn’t sure what exactly I was looking at.

She stepped, not glided, I noted, out from behind the tree and walked towards the river. When she reached it, she carried on walking. Each delicate step like a skipped stone on the river’s surface.

As she drew closer, I realised her white hair wasn't at all indicative of her age, and she appeared to be as curious of me as I was of her. It was plain to see in her big, bright blue eyes.

Soon, she was standing only a couple of feet in front of me. I stood up just as she sat down, and when I sat, she stood.

I stood up again.

“Are you a ghost?”

“A what, sorry?” she asked in a voice as clear as day. So much threw me off in that moment.

“A-Are you a ghost? You know… Dead. A spirit?”

“...No?”

She offered no further explanation, and I was too confused to say anything else.

“What’s your name?” I finally asked, cringing before the words even fully left my lips.

“Tsukiko,” she answered simply. “You’re somewhat…shorter than I expected. I wasn’t sure it was you,” she said after another awkward silence.

“What?” was apparently all I could manage to say.

She took a step forward, engulfing me in a powerful, radiant warmth. I noticed her feet were bare. She cocked her head as she peered at me. She grabbed my hand, turning my wrist upwards. The leaf tattoo glowed with a pulsating light. She must be connected to the crystal in the Luna cave I had found earlier. Had I set her free?

“It's you alright,” her soft voice broke me out of my reverie, and I became aware of how close she was. Instinctively, I took a step back, and she smiled and rose into the air.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said before floating higher and higher and finally disappearing in a flurry of pure white feathers that rained down around me. I didn’t remember seeing any wings.

I reached out to grab one of the feathers, a smile spreading across my face.

She’s perfect. And she will bring me all the fame I’ve ever dreamed of.