1 Chapter One

"Wake up, you blubbering fool."

The sharp scent of alcohol pulled me out of the darkness.

"Am I dead, doctor?" I reached up to rub the bump on my head.

There was no bump.

I opened my eyes, the blinding morning light.

"Oh heavens," I moaned. "Close the curtains..."

The chair under me was kicked, and I crashed to the floor. Pain shot up my back, and the room finally came into focus.

Men. Men sitting at tables and drinking wine. I suppressed a scream.

"What is this?" I said wearily. "What are you wearing? Is this a cosplay event?" The man, who seemed to be the storekeeper looked at me like I was a drunk fool.

"Pay up. You owe us three coins," he demanded.

"Where the hell am I?" I shouted. "Are you holding me hostage or something?"

The man unsheathed a knife from his waist.

"Pay three coins, or pay with your life."

"Alright! Alright, fine." I reached for my purse, which was gone. In its place, was the same clothing style of clothing everyone was wearing. I fumbled around the clothing looking for coins. The shopkeeper reached into a pocket on my robe and pulled out four coins. "Hey! You said three coins!"

"I'm adding a coin for wasting my time."

I opened my mouth to argue but stopped when I saw the blade still held in his hand. He grabbed my arm, and I was practically thrown out the door.

My heart stopped.

Hundreds of people milled around the streets, buying from vendors and eating street food. All of them cosplaying as peasants.

Holy moly.

What am I doing here?

I tapped an old lady on her shoulder.

"Hey, do you know where we are? Is this some sort of convention?" The lady looked at me like I was crazy, then kept walking. Panic set in, and sweat began to bead on my forehead.

It's fine. I dreaming right now, and I'll wake up any second now. My eyes fell on a stick on the ground. Exactly what I was looking for. I picked up the stick, then slammed it into my forehead.

Stars exploded in my vision. Then, there was nothing.

*

I groaned, a wave of pain crashing through my body.

I opened my eyes to find a boy glaring at me.

"Meilan, you messed up real bad this time."

Meilan?

"Who's Meilan?" I asked.

The boy huffed, annoyed.

"I'm not in the mood for your antics."

I gripped my chest, trying to silence the roar in my ears.

"I'm not joking. Who are you, and where are we?"

Tears began to well in my eyes, and I took in shaky breaths. This is all just a horrible dream, and I'll wake up the next morning in the hospital with my family around me.

The boy narrowed his eyes, still unbelieving.

"Physician," He called.

An old man entered the room, a wooden box in one hand.

"Would you like me to check on Lady Meilan?"

"Yes. She claims to be suffering some amnesia."

The physician placed a cloth on my wrist and pressed two fingers on the cloth.

I held my breath, waiting for the physician to speak.

"Yes, it is possible she might've gained some amnesia."

The boy's cold demeanor melted slightly.

"Meilan. Cut it out. It's not funny," he snapped.

"You know whats not funny? The fact I've hit my head twice today, and now some weird kid is yelling at me."

The doors banged open, and two more people strode in.

"Mother, Father, greetings." the boy said, bowing low.

The couple glared at me.

"Meilan! Do you have any idea the rukus you caused this time?" The lady scolded. "The Liang Clan is becoming a laughing-stock thanks to you!"

I've never heard her voice before... and yet...

I grabbed my head as pain exploded through my head.

I bit back a scream as memories flashed through my mind. Memories that weren't mine.