Leo jolted his eyes open. He gasped for air as if he had been drowning. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. He sat up quickly, pressing his hand to his chest to try and calm himself down.
"Am I dead?" he whispered.
He touched his arms, his legs, and his face. He wasn't injured. There were no scars, no blood, and no broken bones. "Was that a dream?" he asked himself.
He looked around the room, and his heart sank. This was nothing like the modern world he knew. The curtains were made of heavy silk, and the ornaments were strange and ancient. Everything looked like a set from a historical movie.
"Am I in heaven?" he wondered. The last thing he remembered was the screeching tires and the car accident. Waking up here felt surreal.
"P-prince Lian?"
A voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Leo turned his head and saw a woman in her late sixties. Her hair was grey, and she was wearing a traditional maid's outfit.
"Prince Lian?" Leo repeated. His voice sounded different—higher and softer.
The woman rushed toward him, her face full of joy. "You are finally awake!"
But her excitement died as soon as she saw him closely. She reached out to touch his face. "Prince Lian, you are so pale. I will get the doctor right now."
Leo pulled back, his confusion growing. "Did you just call me a prince?"
"Yes, I did," she responded immediately, looking worried.
"You have it all wrong, ma'am," Leo said firmly. "I am not a prince. I need you to tell me how I got here and where my car is."
The maid looked at him blankly. "Oh, I see," she said, letting out a nervous laugh to ease the tension. "Your fall must have caused a great concussion. But don't worry, you will be fine in no time." She turned to leave the room.
"Is this a dream? Am I in a coma?" Leo muttered to himself.
He instinctively searched the bed for his phone, but there was nothing but silk sheets and pillows. He stood up, his legs feeling weak and shaky. He bit his fingertips, trying to remember. The accident was severe, he thought. I must be in a hospital back home, dreaming all of this because I'm in a coma.
"If I pinch myself, I should wake up," he whispered.
He pinched the soft skin of his arm. It hurt like crazy. He winced, but the room stayed the same. He pinched himself again, harder this time, but he was still there. His heart started to race as real panic set in. This wasn't a dream.
"Prince Lian!"
A chorus of voices screamed his name, making him jump. Six different maids burst into the room.
"You are finally awake!" they cried happily. They crowded around his bed, each carrying a different tray filled with strange, steaming meals.
"My Prince, calm yourself. You are safe," the older maid said with a smile. She placed the tray of food on a low table.
"You haven't been awake for three days. I brought your favorite meal," she added, showing her teeth in a wide, happy grin as she lifted the lid.
Leo tilted his head, staring at the strange food. "Is this some kind of joke?"
The maids began to murmur to each other. They looked at him with confused, worried eyes.
"Prince Lian—"
"Enough!" Leo yelled. The sound of his own soft, high voice made him even angrier. "Stop calling me that! That is not my name. My name is Leo, okay?"
He shoved his hair back from his forehead. It felt too long and too silk-like. "I don't know what kind of cruel joke this is, but it has to stop. I need to go home. Right now!"
He tried to stomp toward the door, but his legs were like jelly. Before he could take three steps, the maids rushed forward. They grabbed his arms and shoulders.
"Prince Lian, you are still very unwell! We can't let you leave like this!" one of the maids cried.
"Let go of me!" Leo snarled. He tried to shake them off. In his old body, he could have tossed these girls across the room. But now? He couldn't even break free from their grip. He felt pathetic. "This is ridiculous! Get your hands off me!"
"What is happening here?"
An older woman, Matron Liu, entered the room with a man carrying a wooden medical box.
"Matron Liu, you are finally here!" a maid said, her voice shaking with concern. "Prince Lian is acting... weird. He's saying strange things."
"Let go of him at once," Matron Liu commanded. The maids stepped back immediately, though they still looked ready to jump if Leo fell.
"Doctor, he just woke up. Please, check him," Matron Liu requested.
"Don't come any closer to me!" Leo shouted. He backed away until his hit the bedframe. He was panting, his heart racing. "You all don't understand. You're mistaking me for someone else! I am not Prince Lian. My name is Leo! I shouldn't be here!"
The room went silent. They all stared at him as if he were a patient in a mental ward. The doctor sighed and stepped forward slowly, as if he were approaching a scared animal.
"I understand, My Prince," the doctor said in a calm, annoying voice. "You are confused. That fall gave you a severe concussion. Once I examine you, everything will be fine."
"Are you out of your mind?!" Leo's voice cracked. "I told you, I'm fine! You've got the wrong guy!"
No one answered him. They just looked at him with pity. Leo felt like he was losing his mind. He grabbed a lock of his long, pale hair and stared at it.
"Is this... is this transmigration shit?" he whispered to himself, his panic turning into a cold realization. "Is this what Sarah is always talking about in those stupid books? Because it feels like I'm stuck in one right now."
"Doctor, you must do your work," Matron Liu said, her voice turning cold and urgent. "General Huo will be here soon. Prince Lian needs to act normal before he arrives."
Leo's eyes darted to the doctor, who was reaching into his wooden box. The man pulled out a long, wicked-looking needle.
"Hey! What are you doing with that? Get that shit away from me!" Leo yelled. He scrambled backward, his heart thundering against his ribs.
"This won't hurt, My Prince," the doctor said, his face a mask of calm. "You will be back to normal in no time. This is just to help you rest."
"Don't come any closer!" Leo warned, his voice cracking. He looked for an exit, but he was backed into a corner.
The doctor didn't listen. He gave a small signal to the maids. Before Leo could react, they swarmed him. No matter how much he thrashed or tried to use his strength, his new body was too weak. They held his arms and legs down, pinning him to the bed.
"Let go! I said let—!"
The needle sank into his arm. A sharp, burning sting flared through his veins. Leo let out a low, guttural growl of pain, his teeth bared in rage.
But the drug was fast. Almost instantly, his limbs felt like lead. The room began to spin, the faces of the maids blurring into terrifying white masks.
"Please... listen to me," Leo whispered, his voice slurring until it was barely a breath. "I don't belong... here. I need... to go home..."
Darkness rushed in from the edges of his vision, swallowing the room and the faces of his captors until there was nothing left but silence.