Shina Ken had waited three months—three long, torturous months for this one day. One single day when she could finally sleep without an alarm, wake up late, stretch lazily under her cheap bedsheet, and whisper to herself, "Today, I live like a queen."
The queen part didn't last long. By noon, she had spilled tea on her one decent dress, missed two buses, and somehow ended up at the city zoo with a half-melted popsicle and a toddler kicking her ankles in line. Still, she smiled. The breeze was nice. The air even smelled faintly of freedom.
After endless days of tapping numbers in a gray cubicle, staring at spreadsheets that drained her soul, this zoo felt like treasure.
"Alright, bring on the tigers," she muttered, rubbing her hands together as she squeezed through the crowd.
The tiger enclosure was massive, with thick glass walls and a wooden fence. People pressed themselves close, shouting, "Look! It's coming closer!" Phones flashed, excitement buzzed. Shina tried to peek through shoulders taller than her but all she saw were sweaty backs and waving arms.
"Move, move!" she whispered to no one in particular. When she finally got a glimpse, her sandal slipped on spilled juice. The ground seemed to vanish under her. There was a sharp yelp, a gasp from the crowd, and then—
Nothing.
No pain. No impact. No shattered bones.
The only thing she felt was a sharp tug, as if someone had yanked her entire body through a tight hole. Her surroundings twisted in a whirl of white and gray. Seconds later she was flat on her back, blinking up at wooden bars.
"Huh…?"
The smell hit her first. Smoke, sweat, and something metallic, like blood. The sky above wasn't blue it was orange, thick with dust. She sat up slowly and froze. Around her were cages. Dozens of them. Inside, people—men, women, children were shaking, crying, chained to iron poles.
Her pulse raced.
What kind of twisted zoo was this?
She crawled to the bars and gripped them hard, peering out. Not far away, humans with tails, animal ears, and strange markings on their skin shouted to one another. They wore leather armor and carried whips. A few hauled cages toward massive wagons, laughing at the prisoners inside.
Panic spread through her, cold and suffocating.
"Is this a reenactment? A movie set?" she whispered, breath hitching. "Or… did I die?"
Before she could think further, the ground trembled. People screamed as a large wooden bridge ahead creaked and split apart. Cages toppled one after another, crashing into the dark chasm below. The noise was deafening, a mix of wood snapping, people yelling, chains rattling.
Her cage began to tilt. Shina grabbed the bars, heart pounding. "Please don't—please—!"
The hinge snapped. The world flipped.
Then, just when the fall ripped a scream from her lungs, something massive stopped the cage midair.
A striped paw, large enough to crush her whole cage, gripped the edge. A tiger—no, a monster of a tiger stood on the cliff, muscles rippling beneath golden fur. Its eyes glowed amber in the dim light.
She fell silent, mouth hanging open.
The tiger lifted her cage effortlessly and placed it on the solid ground. Then its deep voice vibrated through the air.
"Get on my back."
Shina blinked. "Excuse me?"
The beast huffed. "Before I change my mind and grab you by my mouth."
"Wait, wait—you're talking?"
Golden eyes narrowed. "Would you rather be biten?"
She didn't need more convincing. Trembling, she climbed onto the tiger's back. Its fur was warm, surprisingly soft beneath her palms. The ground shook again, but this time with the powerful leaps of the tiger sprinting through the forest. Trees blurred into streaks of green. Wind whipped her hair wildly as she clung to its neck.
She could barely breathe. The speed was impossible, each jump covered what should have been dozens of meters. Above, the clouds seemed to split open, revealing a kingdom bathed in golden light.
When they crossed the city gates, people in vivid robes stopped what they were doing. Every head bowed. Streets lined themselves with silence.
"What's going on…" Shina murmured, tightening her grip as the tiger strode forward on cobblestone paths that sparkled faintly in the sun.
They arrived at a magnificent palace perched on a hill in a matter of seconds. Silently, huge gates opened. The tiger came to a halt in a fountain-lined marble courtyard. Then it shimmered... changed in front of her eyes.
The tiger's body bent and stretched until a tall man stood where the beast had been. His hair was silver-gold, his eyes the same bright amber as before. Muscles curved beneath his skin with feline grace.
He turned to her. "You should be safe now."
"You just—you were—oh my God," she stammered, backing up, her legs shaking. The man's expression didn't change.
Before she could form another question, a figure burst from the palace doors. An elderly priest, his robe dragging across the stone, nearly tripped in his rush.
"Princess! You're safe!" he shouted, tears welling. "Why did you run away again? You almost gave everyone a heart attack!"
Shina blinked. "...What is this geezer saying?"
The old man didn't seem to hear her confusion. He clapped his hands, summoning maids who looked half delighted, half horrified. "Quickly! Prepare her chamber! She must be washed and dressed for the ceremony!"
"Wait, wait!" Shina tried to step back, but a swarm of attendants surrounded her.
Before she could resist, they whisked her into a vast, gold-walled room filled with steam and rose petals. Someone yanked off her jacket. Another dumped a bucket of warm, scented water over her head. She sputtered, shivering and protesting, "Hey! Hey! I didn't ask for a bath—stop touching my hair—!"
Nobody listened.
They worked fast, faster than any salon she'd ever seen. Within minutes, they dressed her in layers of soft white fabric, embroidered with silver threads. Pearls gleamed around her neck. A thin crown rested in her wet hair.
She stared at her reflection in the polished mirror. The girl looking back wasn't her, a stranger with gentle curls and eyes too wide, too stunned, sat in her place.
"What on earth…" she whispered. "Why am I dreaming?"
Before she could look for answers, someone took her by the arm and led her outside. A white carriage awaited at the gates, its design more like a moving jewel box than a vehicle. Horses with translucent manes pawed the ground impatiently.
"Please board, Your Highness," said one of the guards.
"Board? Where am I going now?" she asked, voice barely steady.
"To the ceremony, of course," the priest replied cheerfully, as if it were obvious.
"But I didn't agree! I—"
The guards didn't wait. The door clicked shut, the carriage lurched forward, and Shina found herself rolling down a winding mountain road while clutching the edge of her gown.
Inside, everything was silent except her racing pulse. Outside the window, forests stretched endlessly, fading into mist. Eventually, the road opened up to a valley—and beyond it rose a castle unlike anything she had imagined.
Its black towers pierced the clouds. Lightning flickered across the sky above it, though the air was dry and still. The castle stood on a high cliff, enormous and somber, its many bridges and battlements layered like the jaws of a giant beast.
The carriage slowed.
Shina leaned forward, pressing her face to the glass. Her voice came out small and trembling.
"You've got to be kidding me."
She swallowed hard as the carriage climbed higher toward the looming fortress.
If this was a dream, it was one she wasn't sure she wanted to wake up from or survive long enough to see how it ended.