“Ha… ha…”
Her breath came in ragged gasps between her runs.
The city blurred around her.
Lights streaked across glass buildings.
Digital advertisements flickered above the streets, their colours bleeding together in her peripheral vision.
Somewhere behind her, a driverless vehicle passed, its quiet hum fading into the distance.
She didn’t look at any of it.
She couldn’t.
Her bare feet struck the pavement again and again.
Cold.
Painful.
She kept running.
Blue strands of hair whipped across her face, sticking to her damp skin.
She shoved them aside without slowing down.
“I won’t let them catch me again…”
The words barely left her lips.
Again.
Her chest tightened.
“Not after what I’d seen…”
A sound came from behind her.
Her steps faltered.
She looked over her shoulder.
Nothing.
The street behind her was empty.
For a second, she stood there, breathing hard.
Then—
A faint metallic click.
She froze for a second; her eyes widened as she couldn’t determine which direction it came from.
This is the worst.
She turned and ran.
Faster.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she cut through another street, nearly slipping on the pavement.
They were close.
She knew they were.
She didn’t need to see them.
She had learned that much already.
A sharp pain shot through the back of her head.
She stumbled.
“Ah—!”
She caught herself with both hands before hitting the ground.
She sucked in a breath and looked down.
Blood.
A lot of it.
She reached up and felt the back of her head.
Her eyes widened.
Her jaw clenched.
Not now.
She pushed herself up.
One step.
Then another.
A shadow appeared ahead of her.
She stopped.
Someone stood in the middle of the street.
Tall.
Dark clothes.
A mask covered most of his face.
Her stomach dropped.
She turned around.
Another figure stood behind her.
No.
Her breathing stopped.
They had cornered her.
She started backing away slowly.
“Stay back.”
Neither moved.
The man in front of her tilted his head slightly, as if studying her.
Then he stepped closer.
She turned and ran.
A hand caught her arm.
She twisted sharply, driving her elbow toward his face.
He moved faster.
His grip shifted, catching her wrist before the blow could land.
She swung with her other arm.
He caught that one too.
“Let go!”
She struggled violently, twisting her body and trying to wrench herself free.
But her vision was getting worse.
She felt dizzy from the loss of blood.
The man’s face wasn’t clear.
Her movements became slower, less precise.
She tried to pull one hand free.
Nothing.
He was stronger.
Much stronger.
Her legs weakened beneath her as she fought against his grip.
Then something pressed against her neck.
A sharp sting.
“Ah..” a slight murmur of pain escaped her lips.
Her body went rigid.
She looked up.
The man’s face was only inches away.
She tried to focus.
The features wouldn’t stay still.
With the last of her strength, she raised one trembling hand and reached for his face.
Her fingertips brushed his cheek before her nails sank into his skin.
He flinched.
Everything was becoming blurred.
No.
She couldn’t pass out.
Not here.
Not now.
She was that close to the main street.
Despite the haze clouding her vision, she glared at him, fury burning through the last scraps of consciousness she had left.
She struggled to keep her eyes open.
She dug them in harder, dragging them just enough to break the skin.
Tiny beads of blood welled beneath her fingertips.
“I will find you,” she spat, her voice weak but laced with venom.
Her nails pressed deeper into his cheek.
“I swear I will find you…
and when I do, I will tear your skin from your bones.”
Her strength finally gave out, her fingers slipping from his face.
He studied her for seconds before tracing his cheek with his hand; a chilling smile formed on his lips.
The man raised a small device near his mouth.
A faint light blinked.
His voice came through differently this time.
Flat.
Distorted.
Not quite human.
“I’ve recovered the subject.”
A brief silence followed.
Then a voice answered through the device.
She couldn’t make out the words.
She tried to memorise his face.
The dark eyes behind the mask.
But no matter how hard she stared, she couldn’t make out his features.
The edges of everything were dissolving.
Her knees weakened.
The ground seemed to sway beneath her.
She heard the distorted voice again.
“Proceed.”
Her eyelids grew heavier.
She fought to keep them open.
But the darkness won.
The woman opened her eyes, blinking slowly in a strange chamber.
She rubbed her eyes, trying to see more clearly.
Her fingers brushed against the soft fabric of the mattress beneath her.
Her brow furrowed.
Panic started at the sight of the room.
The chamber was vast beyond anything she had ever imagined, with a high vaulted ceiling disappearing into the shadows above.
Delicate glass lanterns hung from it like suspended stars, casting a soft golden glow across the pale stone walls.
At the centre of the room stood an immense bed, framed by slender pillars that twisted upward like ancient tree branches.
Intricate carvings of curling vines and delicate leaves wound around the columns as though the wood had naturally grown into the shape of the bed.
Sheer fabrics in warm sand tones descended from the ceiling, their translucent folds drifting gently in the breeze and catching the golden light like threads of silk.
The last traces of sleepiness vanished, her mouth slightly agape as her gaze drifted toward the ceiling.
It was a breathtaking work of art, framed by layers of intricate golden moulding that shimmered beneath the warm light.
At its centre hung a magnificent golden sun, its countless rays spreading outward in delicate, curling patterns.
Fine celestial lines surrounded it, forming an ancient map of stars and constellations that seemed to stretch endlessly across the ceiling.
Beneath the radiant sun stood a majestic black lion, his enormous mane flowing like dark flames.
Thin golden patterns were woven through his fur, catching the light whenever the flames of the lamps flickered below.
On either side of him rested two lionesses, equally regal, their bodies adorned with subtle golden markings resembling the vines and leaves winding around them.
At their feet lay four young cubs, nestled close to their parents.
They were smaller and less imposing, yet each bore the same delicate golden markings, as though carrying the first signs of the royal bloodline.
Black vines curled outward from beneath the family, spreading across the ceiling in elegant, symmetrical patterns.
Their leaves intertwined with tiny golden stars, crescent moons, and delicate celestial symbols.
The entire scene was framed within a vast golden arch, making the lion family appear almost like the guardians of the sun itself.
She remained mesmerised by it for a moment before feeling a shift on the mattress beside her.
Her fingers curled into the sheets, her heartbeat pounding so hard it felt as though it might jump out of her chest.
She slowly turned her head.
A strange man lay beside her, his steady breathing close enough for her to hear.
Just as panic seized her and she tried to get off the bed, he rolled over, pinning her beneath him and looking directly into her eyes.
His fingers dug painfully into one of her wrists.
His gaze lingered coldly.
“Choose your words wisely.
I shall decide what becomes of you when you have finished.”
He regarded her in silence, his expression giving nothing away.
“You stand in the private chambers of the King, upon his bed, without invitation.”
“That is not a mistake one makes by accident.”
He rose slowly.
“Now tell me, who are you?
And why should I spare you the consequences of this intrusion?”
She immediately covered her eyes with her hands, too embarrassed to look at him.
“I-I’m so sorry.
I didn’t mean to—” she stammered, trying to move away while still keeping her eyes covered.
“I-I mean… I don’t know h-how I got here.”
She stopped herself, realising that she was only making things worse.
She bit her lower lip nervously, unsure what else to say.
“Could you… please cover yourself?”
The man’s grip loosened slightly as she scrambled to hide her face.
He watched her for a moment.
“Interesting,” he murmured, watching her cower like a frightened kitten.
His voice was low, still rough from sleep, but beneath it was an unmistakable authority.
“You have trespassed into the private chambers of the King, yet you appear more concerned by my appearance than by the consequences of your intrusion.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Tell me who you are.”
A brief silence followed.
“And, more importantly, tell me how you came to be here.”
The question seemed so absurd that her fear suddenly gave way to confusion.
She lowered her hands and blinked.
“What?
Why are you talking like that?”
Then she finally looked at him properly.
She froze.
“Wait…”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“Why do you look like that?”
She glanced around the room, as though expecting someone to reveal the hidden cameras at any moment.
“Is this some kind of TV show?
One of those with hidden cameras?”
Then her expression changed from suspicion to pure fascination.
“Wow…”
Her attention locked onto his pointed ears.
“How did you make your ears look like that?”
She leaned forward, studying them with genuine amazement.
“They look so real…”
She hesitated before adding, utterly bewildered,
“They don’t even look fake.”
He said nothing.
Before her fingers could reach his ear, his hand closed around her wrist, stopping her effortlessly.
“TV shows?
Hidden cameras?”
He studied her for a moment.
“What manner of nonsense are you speaking?”
He released her wrist but did not move away.
His gaze remained steady.
“You enter the King’s chambers without permission, speak in riddles I cannot understand, and now presume to lay your hands upon me.”
His tone never rose.
“You will answer my questions.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Which kingdom do you belong to?”
Brief silence settled between them.
“And what language are you speaking?”