The crowd pressed in on all sides, a wall of moving bodies that threatened to swallow her whole. A young girl ran through it, every step a struggle against exhaustion. Behind her, the sound of shuffling feet and the swish of black robes announced her pursuers. Their faces were hidden, their intentions clear. Her chest burned with each labored breath, her limbs ached from fatigue, and blood from cuts and bruises streaked her skin, yet still she ran. She could not stop. She had no choice but to keep moving.
The streets twisted and turned in confusing patterns, each corner a cruel trap that offered fleeting hope before it vanished. Panic clawed at her throat, making her breath ragged and uneven. Her mind raced, spinning with thoughts that collided violently with one another. She stumbled over uneven cobblestones, nearly falling, but her legs forced her onward. Every instinct screamed to survive, to escape the black-robed figures that were closing in. Finally, she found herself cornered, the walls of the narrow alley pressing in on her like the world itself had conspired to trap her.
"You have caused enough trouble young lady. This is where it ends", said one of them as he stepped forward. The knife in his hand caught the faint light, sending a glint across the alley.
Her mind screamed, a thousand chaotic thoughts colliding. This can't be real, am I going to die here? She tried to recoil, but there was nowhere to go. Her chest heaved, her pulse thundered in her ears, and fear threatened to paralyze her entirely. Every part of her body urged her to fight, but exhaustion clung to her like a suffocating blanket.
Then a trembling voice broke through the terror. "Lady Alteraz, you are awake". Her eyes flickered open, the room around her hazy and unfamiliar. A pounding headache throbbed behind her temples, making her wince. The figure leaning over her was unfamiliar, yet there was an urgency in their voice she could not ignore.
"Who are you people? Where am I? What have you done to me?" she demanded, her voice trembling with equal parts fear and anger.
"Young miss, it is me Atila", the maid said nervously, wringing her hands.
"I do not know you", Alteraz said sharply, her eyes narrowing. Her body remained tense, ready to lash out at any sudden movement.
Panic flitted across Atila's face. She quickly instructed the other maids to fetch the head physician.
When he arrived, the physician spoke gently, trying to coax answers without alarming her further.
"Do you remember who you are young miss?"
"No, but who are you? And why am I here?"
Her voice quivered, panic coiling tight around her chest like a vice. From what I remember I was stabbed? Or have I been kidnapped? Sold to some tycoons? Or have I lost my mind completely? Her thoughts churned violently, a storm she could not escape.
Without warning, she leaped from the bed and ran for the door. Her world blurred as she sprinted, each step fueled by adrenaline and terror. She shoved past startled maids, knocked over a small table, and ignored the sting of bloodied cuts. She could not stop. She could not think. She could only run.
Never a single day of peace!, she shouted inwardly. Her life had always been a series of misfortunes, and now this new horror threatened to consume her. The others, maids and guards alike, chased after her, calling out in frantic voices, but she did not care. Survival mattered more than explanations or reassurances.
As she rounded a corner, she collided with a group of maids carrying a large glass case. The case slipped from their grasp, crashing to the ground with a deafening shatter. Shards of glass sprayed like deadly rain, cutting into her arms and legs. She fell hard, clutching her head, staring for a long moment at a shard that reflected a face she did not recognize. Her eyes widened in shock. The face staring back at her was bruised and wild-eyed, and for a moment, she could not breathe. Every instinct screamed that this should not be her. This body… it was not hers. How had she ended up in someone else's life?
What is happening?
The palace guards, the maid named Atila, and the physician rushed to her side. Their faces were masks of concern, yet she saw only confusion reflected in their eyes. They reached for her, hands trembling. Alteraz reacted instinctively, lifting the shard of glass toward them as if it were a weapon.
"Stay back. Do not come near me!", she shouted, her voice trembling with rage.
Panic rippled through the room. "Lady Alteraz, it is me, Atila, your maid. Do you not remember me?" they called, their voices soft but urgent.
"My lady, please, drop the glass", the guards pleaded.
"Alteraz? What kind of shitty name is this? I am not Alteraz. What have you done to me!?" she yelled, stepping back as her grip on the shard tightened.
Seeing a guard move to grab the shard, she raised it to her own neck, a silent threat of the danger she could unleash. Her mind raced. Since these people are doing so much for me, who is this Alteraz? Why does it matter?
"Take another step and I will slash this open!", she warned, her voice cold and unyielding.
Better to die than be used as a plaything for these twisted people, she thought. Every fiber of her being screamed that she was in danger, that her life was not her own.
Then a calm voice cut through her panic. "My lady, calm yourself. Grandmaster Zhangxuan is on his way. Do you remember him?"
The name stopped her mid-breath. Zhangxuan... Something tugged faintly at her memory. A shadow of recognition, almost forgotten, lingered in her mind.
"You called me Alteraz, correct? What is my full name?" she asked, her voice trembling with urgency.
Atila replied quickly, almost breathless. "Alteraz… Alteraz Montemari Contese de Florencia"
The name hit her like a physical blow. Her mind reeled. "And the one who is coming?"
"My lady, it is your master, Dane Zhangxuan de Florencia", the maid said gently.
Alteraz's knees buckled. The shard of glass fell from her hand as she sank to the floor. Dizziness clouded her vision, and the room seemed to tilt around her. She pressed her hands to her temples, trying to steady her racing mind.
Am I going insane? Her thoughts screamed. Alteraz… that name from the book… and Dane Zhangxuan. This cannot be real. It is impossible.
Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar palace walls, the glittering chandeliers, the polished floors, the anxious faces of the maids and guards. All of it shimmered in a strange, unreal light. Am I inside that story?
The thought twisted her stomach with fear. Every instinct screamed to run, fight, or escape. Yet beneath the panic, a small spark of curiosity flared. Could this really be the world she had only read about, the world from the novel?
Her heart pounded violently as fragments of memory from the book surged through her mind. Alteraz, a minor character and the scheming disciple of the head of House De Florencia. Is she supposed to be me?, And Dane Zhangxuan, he's my master? The names felt strange on her tongue, yet carried an undeniable weight.
Every part of her screamed panic, but a strange, dark wonder curled inside her chest. This world, vivid and terrifyingly real, was hers now. Whether she wanted it or not.
The palace guards and maids hovered anxiously around her, voices trembling with concern. Alteraz slowly lifted her gaze, meeting Atila's eyes, and for a single heartbeat, time seemed to pause.
Somewhere in the shadowed halls of the palace, the name Dane Zhangxuan echoed faintly, like a promise or a warning.
If this is real, nothing will ever be the same again.
Her hands trembled, but for the first time, a thought crept into her mind that she could not ignore. I need to survive, no matter what it takes.
A shiver ran down her spine, a mixture of fear and anticipation. The truth settled around her like a cold, heavy cloak. She was no longer a spectator in a story. She was living it. And then it hit her. This is the world of that novel, the one she had always loved and despised as well. The one that has a heroine who is indulgent and heedless, and had taken for granted every opportunity that the current Alteraz had longed for in her past life. The story had yet to include the female lead, and now she had the chance to change her fate. A thrill, sharp and intoxicating, coursed through her. This life, finally, could be her redemption.