The first thing she felt was cold.
Her skin pressed against a stone floor, damp and unfamiliar. She opened her eyes, expecting sunlight, expecting the pale ceiling of her small room, expecting… something ordinary. Instead, she found herself lying inside a vast, circular hall.
The walls shimmered like liquid crystal, endless in height, and from them sprouted countless doors. They hovered as if suspended in air, no hinges, no frames—just shapes carved from light and color. Some were green as emeralds, others red as spilled wine, some flickered like dying flames. They shifted subtly, never still, as if alive and waiting.
The girl pulled herself up, her limbs trembling. Her stomach growled so loudly it echoed through the chamber. A bitter taste coated her mouth. She was filthy, clothes torn and clinging to her with sweat and dust. She could not even recall how long it had been since she last ate.
"Where… am I?" Her voice cracked, swallowed instantly by the silence.
The silence frightened her most of all. No wind, no echoes, no heartbeat but her own.
She turned in a slow circle, her eyes darting between the endless doors. She could not count them all. A thousand? A million? Each one promised something, but what?
Her body demanded food. She clutched her stomach and forced her legs to move. One door glowed brighter than the others—warm, golden, like sunlight spilling into darkness. It seemed to call her, whispering promises she couldn't resist.
Her fingers trembled as she touched it. The surface was smooth, warm against her skin. She pushed.
The instant it opened, every other door vanished.
The chamber collapsed into a single path, forcing her forward. She froze, terrified. The walls where countless doors had shimmered only moments ago were now blank, solid stone. She turned back, but there was no way to retreat. Only this one door.
Her breath shook in her throat. But her hunger won the battle over fear. She stepped inside.
The room beyond took her breath away.
A long wooden table stretched before her, covered in food. Roasted meats still steaming, bread golden and soft, fruits glistening with juice. The air was heavy with rich scents—herbs, spices, sweetness. She nearly wept.
She didn't hesitate. She rushed to the table and tore into the feast. The bread melted on her tongue, warm and soft. The fruit burst with flavor, juice running down her chin. She devoured it, stuffing handfuls into her mouth, moaning as the gnawing in her belly eased.
It was real. Every bite, every swallow—real.
For the first time since she woke, she smiled. Tears streaked her dirty face. "Thank you… thank you…" she whispered to no one.
But as she ate, something gnawed at the back of her mind. Why would such a banquet exist in this place? Who had prepared it? What did it mean that all the other doors had disappeared?
The fear she'd buried beneath hunger returned, growing heavier with every bite.
Finally, her stomach was full. She sat back, wiping her mouth with the back of her arm, and let out a shaky laugh. "Maybe… maybe it's not so bad after all."
But when she stood and walked back toward the door, she froze.
The food inside her stomach was gone.
It didn't digest. It didn't remain. One moment she was full, the next her belly was hollow, clawing at her with sharper hunger than before. Her legs nearly gave out.
She clutched her stomach, gasping. "No… no, no, no—"
She turned back to the table. The feast was still there. She rushed to it, desperate to eat again, to fill herself again. But as soon as her fingers touched the bread, the food rotted to ash beneath her hands. Meat blackened, fruit shriveled, bread crumbled into dust.
Her scream broke the silence.
She staggered backward, shaking her head in disbelief. Panic clawed her throat. The air grew colder, heavier.
When she stumbled back through the doorway, the sight chilled her blood.
The door was no longer where she entered. It had shifted, melted into the wall like it had never been. She spun, searching—everywhere she looked, there were doors again, countless and shimmering, mocking her. But the golden door of food was gone.
She realized then that nothing in this place was meant to last. Not even the comfort she had stolen.
Her stomach twisted with pain. Her lips cracked as thirst returned, sharper than before. Her arms trembled from weakness. She pressed her forehead to the cold wall and whispered, "What… what do you want from me?"
The doors gave no answer. They only pulsed with silent invitation, daring her to choose again.