Her legs trembled beneath her as she stared at the walls once more. The golden food door had vanished, leaving her hungrier, weaker, and more frightened than before.
But the other doors shimmered at her, beckoning like predators disguised as gifts.
She wiped her mouth with a trembling hand. "It can't all be the same. One of them has to be real. One of them…"
Her eyes fixed on a door the color of midnight velvet, rimmed with silver light. Something about it radiated wealth, luxury. Against her better judgment, she stumbled toward it and pressed her palm against its cool surface.
The same thing happened again. The moment it opened, all other doors disappeared, leaving her trapped with her choice.
The chamber beyond was filled with treasures. Piles of gold coins glimmered under torchlight, jewels sparkled in heaps, and crowns, swords, and goblets lay scattered like abandoned relics of kings.
Her breath caught. She dropped to her knees, scooping up handfuls of glittering gems. They were cold, heavy, real. The sharp edges pressed into her palms, cutting her slightly. She laughed through her exhaustion.
"If I can take these back… I could live like a queen."
The thought gave her hope, and hope gave her strength. She filled her pockets until they bulged, even slipped a ring onto her thin finger. It was far too large, sliding down to her knuckle, but she clutched it as though it proved she existed, as though it made her someone more than a starving girl trapped in a nightmare.
But when she turned back toward the door, her heart dropped.
The ring vanished from her hand. The weight of coins fell from her pockets into nothingness. She gasped, clawing at her clothes, but everything she'd taken was gone.
"No!" Her voice cracked into a sob.
The treasure behind her had turned to dust. The torches flickered out one by one until only darkness remained.
When she stumbled back into the chamber, the treasure door was gone too, erased from the wall.
Her knees buckled. She pressed her palms against the cold floor, tears streaming down her face. "It's all lies. All of it."
But the shimmering doors pulsed again. Each one was different—some glowing faintly, some swirling with color, some throbbing like veins. They didn't care for her despair. They only waited.
She forced herself to her feet. Her stomach twisted painfully. Her throat burned. "Fine," she spat hoarsely. "If it's a game, then I'll play until I win."
The next door she opened led to a room lined with mirrors.
She gasped. The reflections staring back at her weren't her broken, filthy self. In the glass, she was radiant. Her hair gleamed, her skin glowed, her ragged clothes had been replaced by gowns of silk. She was beautiful—powerful—adored.
Voices echoed around her. "Look at you… worthy… destined…"
She stumbled closer, pressing her palm to the cool surface of the mirror. For a heartbeat, she believed it. She believed she could be that person.
But when she turned away, the image cracked. Her reflection split into a thousand jagged pieces, then collapsed into dust.
The mirrors dissolved.
She screamed at the empty walls.
One by one, she tested more doors. Perfumes that vanished into stench. Music that faded into silence. Clothes that turned to rags in her hands. Each time, the prize dissolved the moment she stepped away, leaving her hungrier, thirstier, weaker.
Hours—or days, she no longer knew—passed like that. Time had no meaning in the chamber. Only choices, only illusions.
She tried to cheat.
Once, she scratched her fingernails into the wall to mark which door she had opened, but the marks bled away like water. Another time, she tried to pry two doors open at once, forcing her body between them, but the walls shook violently, throwing her to the ground. Her shoulder throbbed from the impact.
The rules were clear: one choice at a time, and each would betray her.
By now, her lips were cracked, her tongue dry. She could barely lift her head. Even the shimmering lights of the doors burned her eyes.
Whispers began to stir around her. At first, she thought they were echoes of her own voice. But as they grew sharper, she realized they weren't hers.
"Only one path is true…""The others are lies…""You waste your strength… choose wisely… or you'll never leave…"
She pressed her hands against her ears, shaking her head violently. "Stop it! Stop!"
But the whispers seeped into her mind, circling like vultures. She didn't know if they came from the doors, the chamber itself, or her starving imagination.
Her vision swam. She crawled on her hands and knees now, too weak to stand. Her body begged for food, for water, for rest. But none of the doors offered what would last.
Her hand brushed against another surface, another door glowing faintly. She stared at it through bleary eyes.
A bitter laugh escaped her throat. "What's next? More lies? More… tricks?"
Still, she reached for it. Because what else could she do but choose again?