Before Ariana stood six humans.

  All of them were already adults, appearing to be in their early twenties. Three men and three women. Healthy bodies, well-proportioned, without signs of illness or fragility. One of the women had blonde hair and light-colored eyes; another had softer, more delicate features; the third seemed ordinary at first glance. Among the men, one held a serious posture and a sculpted physique, another had darker skin and carried a more relaxed, easygoing aura, while the last did not stand out as much as the others.

  The six remained motionless, naked before Ariana, their gazes empty—as if suspended between nonexistence and awakening.

  Ariana slowly walked around them, analyzing every detail with care.

  “Everything seems to be in order…” she murmured.

  Creating humans had not been difficult conceptually. Unlike her other creations, she had not needed to imagine something new. Throughout her previous life, she had been surrounded by people. She knew their bodies, their limitations, their needs.

  They stood still, as if in a trance, still waiting for the first true spark of existence. Even so, Ariana could feel it—complete. Healthy. Functioning exactly as they should.

  Now came the important part.

  Adaptation.

  In her view, Arcadia offered everything they needed. There was abundant food, enough space to explore, forests, rivers, fertile lands where they could build shelter and learn to survive. It was not a hostile world—at least, not immediately.

  When she created them, Ariana had granted them the essential: survival instinct. Enough for them to learn, to make mistakes, and not die before understanding the world around them.

  Ariana cast one last look at them before shooting into the sky. From above, she snapped her fingers.

  The effect was immediate.

  As if something within them had been unlocked, the humans awakened almost simultaneously. Empty stares gave way to confusion. They looked at each other, then around themselves, not understanding where they were—or what they were feeling.

  Ariana remained distant.

  She intended to observe humans more closely than any of her previous creations. They were the ones who stirred her curiosity the most… and perhaps her expectation. For a brief moment, she thought that if she created more of them in the future, she might not feel so alone.

  Still, she chose not to intervene.

  For now, she would only observe.

  Below, the six humans examined themselves. Hands. Arms. Their own bodies. They touched their skin as if to confirm that they were real.

  “What… what are we?” one of the young men asked, his voice low as he stared at his own hand.

  “My head feels kind of foggy…” one of the girls murmured, pressing her fingers to her temples.

  Their minds were clouded. There was information there—plenty of it—ready to be used, but without context. They knew how to speak. They knew how to communicate, to express themselves, to form complex sentences. They possessed the full vocabulary Ariana had granted them—the same one she carried herself.

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  And yet, nothing made sense.

  The young man spoke again, brow furrowed.

  “It’s all so strange…” he said slowly. “It’s like I know what I’m doing here… and at the same time I don’t.”

  Above them, invisible to their eyes, Ariana watched in silence.

  Seeing them standing there, completely naked, began to make her slightly uncomfortable.

  “Maybe I should have given them clothes… at least something basic,” she thought.

  The realization of her oversight came quickly.

  With a subtle snap of her fingers, Ariana caused a small pile of simple leather scraps to appear several meters away.

  “I hope they find it…” she murmured, unwilling to make it too obvious. She did not want it to seem like she was guiding every detail.

  Down below, one of the young men began pacing in circles, restless. His face was faintly flushed, although he did not know exactly why. He only felt an odd discomfort—a vague instinctual desire to cover himself.

  Ariana let out a quiet laugh.

  She knew very well what that was.

  Shame.

  The young man continued walking until his eyes noticed something unusual on the ground. He paused, then approached the leather pile.

  He crouched down, touched the material, tested its resistance, and almost without thinking picked up a larger piece, tying it around his waist.

  “Hey, come here!” he called, still half confused. “I found something… I think we can use this for now.”

  The others approached.

  Ariana watched with relief as each of them grabbed a piece and improvised the best they could. The women tied leather around their waists and over their chests, while the men covered only their lower bodies. Nothing elaborate. Nothing elegant.

  But it worked.

  They had no tools, nor practical knowledge to create anything better. Perhaps that was not their priority at the moment. They were alive. Confused. Disoriented.

  Detailed clothing could wait.

  From above, Ariana crossed her arms, satisfied.

  At least they wouldn’t freeze on their first day.

  After improvising their clothing, the group stood in silence for a few moments, as if the simple act of covering themselves had drained the little stability they had gained. A gentle wind swept across the open plain, subtly moving the leather tied around their bodies while the sun slowly rose in the sky. None of them knew what to do exactly, but they were beginning to realize that standing still would not ease the strange sensation growing within them.

  It was one of the girls who first raised a hand to her throat. Her fingers pressed lightly against her skin as she swallowed dryly, confused by the discomfort.

  “I’m feeling something strange here…” she said softly, her voice slightly hoarse. “My mouth is dry.”

  Another young man ran his tongue over his lips and frowned, as if the realization had just activated inside him.

  “Me too… it’s uncomfortable.”

  Ariana watched from above, attentive. There it was. The first real impulse that didn’t come from curiosity or mere awakening—but from necessity.

  Thirst.

  It wasn’t urgent yet, but it was real. Their bodies were beginning to demand something that could not be ignored. She had positioned a river at a reasonable distance for exactly this reason—not to guide them like an invisible hand, but to ensure the world wouldn’t be hostile at the outset.

  The serious-looking young man lifted his gaze and scanned the horizon, as though some piece of knowledge were trying to assemble itself inside him.

  “I think I know what it is,” he said slowly, choosing his words carefully. “Water. We need to find water.”

  It was strange to them. They didn’t know where the knowledge came from, yet it was there—clear enough to follow. The blonde nodded, still feeling her throat burn slightly, while the dark-skinned young man closed his eyes briefly, as if trying to hear something beyond the wind.

  “Over there,” he murmured, pointing in a nearly instinctive direction.

  They began walking together, still awkward but united by the same necessity. The sound came shortly after—first distant and almost imperceptible, then clearer. The steady murmur of water flowing over stone.

  When they crossed a small rise, the river finally appeared before them, reflecting the sunlight in a calm, almost inviting way. All of them stopped. Something inside them relaxed at once.

  The serious young man knelt first, still cautious, and brought his hands near the surface. The water was cold. Real. He lifted it to his lips and drank carefully. His eyes closed for a moment, relief immediate.

  “That’s it…” he murmured.

  One by one, the others did the same. They drank with restrained haste, still trying to understand what their bodies and minds were doing almost on their own.

  Ariana crossed her arms, silently watching.

  She had not needed to intervene.

  The instinct she had granted them was enough to guide them to the basics.

  It was not only satisfying.

  It was a quiet relief to realize that Arcadia did not reject them.