Cool wind hit my face, and for the first time since stepping into that lab, I could finally breathe.

  I was free.

  …Now what?

  I had no plan. No money. No idea where I was. Just me, and the hope that Nicholas wouldn't send a tracking drone after me.

  I wandered through the familiar streets, my long turquoise-blue hair flowing behind me, catching a few strange looks. Maybe it was the hair. Maybe it was the fact that I was barefoot, wearing nothing but a white shirt and blue pants Ymir had given me that day. Either way, I stood out, and that wasn’t good.

  Then I saw him. What kind of coincidence is this?

  Ymir.

  He was walking out of a shop, holding a small bag, when his eyes landed on me. His eyes narrowed slightly, and my heart beated in relief. He remembers me, Right?!

  "Huh," Ymir muttered. "You kinda look like someone I know."

  …What?

  “Yeah, weird. Even your clothes kinda look like mine.” Ymir rubbed his chin, then shook his head. “Must be a coincidence.”

  A COINCIDENCE?!

  I just stood there, brain processing. What was I supposed to say to that?!

  "Uh, You sure? Y’know, maybe take a closer look?"

  Ymir just shrugged. "Nah, I’ve got a good memory. If I knew you, I’d remember. Anyway, sorry to disturb you, see ya!"

  And with that, he just walked away.

  I stood there, absolutely dumbfounded, my soul leaving my body.

  WHAT DO YOU MEAN "SEE YA"?

  My whole existence just got dismissed. Wow..

  I stood there, staring at Ymir’s back as he casually walked away, completely unfazed.

  My brain, which had been running on pure panic and confusion, suddenly had a moment of absolute genius or so-

  Wait… If Ymir, someone I definitely met in that so-called dream, doesn’t remember me here, and the people here are acting like I’m just some random guy… then that means…

  My eyes widened. This isn’t a dream..

  Holy crap..This is all real.

  Nicholas was real. Mim, Remy, the lab-all real and their behaviour in that dream is more of a weird thing..

  I actually escaped from some weird scientist, ran through a giant facility barefoot, and slammed into a wall in front of witnesses.

  …

  Yeah, nope.

  I immediately decided this was just an extra long nightmare. Some ultra-detailed stress dream that my brain cooked up for absolutely no reason. Yep. That made way more sense.

  nodding to myself. "Yep, totally a nightmare."

  Standing in the middle of nowhere near the SJA building, getting side-eyes from people passing by.

  I took a cautious step forward and immediately realized another problem-people.

  So. Many. People.

  And their thoughts were LOUD.

  "Is that guy barefoot??"

  "Woah, Her hair is so long, has she ever cut it?"

  "Oh, he's kinda pretty."

  "they look like they escaped from somewhere... should I call security?"

  I froze, wondering how and why I could hear their thoughts, trying to block it but the more I walked, the worse it got. People were literally stopping to stare at me, whispering and wondering if I was some lost celebrity or a lunatic on the loose.

  I passed a guy who was about to take a sip of his coffee, and for some reason, I accidentally heard his thoughts crystal clear.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "If I don’t drink coffee, I’ll die. This is the only thing keeping me alive. This is my life source. My reason for existing. My-"

  I accidentally made eye contact.

  His soul left his body. He choked mid-sip, eyes going wide like I had just read his diary out loud. Coffee spilled down his shirt.

  I walked away as fast as I could, trying not to look at anyone. My head hurt from hearing too many thoughts at once. People kept staring, whispering, wondering if I was someone famous or just crazy.

  I ended up in a small park. It was quieter here. Kids were playing on the swings, running around, laughing. Finally, some peace..

  But I accidentally made eye contact with a group of kids.

  They all froze. Their eyes got big;

  "WHOOOOAAA!"

  Before I could move, they ran straight at me.

  "Your hair is so long!"

  "Are you an angel??"

  "You look so cool ma’am!"

  "are you glowing or is it the sunlight?"

  "Ow, okay! "

  “ Can I touch your hair?!”

  "Do you know Santa??"

  I just stood there, completely lost, I couldn't even get proper words out of my mouth.

  "Uhm..”

  One little girl gasped. "Are you a prince?"

  "I… I don’t know?" I said, confused.

  Another kid’s eyes went wide. "You look like a prince!"

  "What? in what way-"

  A boy patted my arm, very serious. "It’s okay. Maybe you were a prince, but something happened, and now you forgot everything."

  "That’s so sad," a little girl sniffled.

  "Wait, I didn’t-"

  "It’s okay!" another kid said. "We’ll help you remember!"

  And just like that, they all sat around me, coming up with crazy stories about my "past life." One kid even started braiding my hair.

  …This was still a weird dream, probably. But at least it was kind of funny and comforting.

  I sat there, still processing how my entire life got hijacked by a bunch of kids with overactive imaginations. At this point, what am I supposed to do? Tell them they are wrong? That I was actually some guy who just escaped from a lab and had no clue how I got here?

  …Actually, that sounded way worse.

  an idea hit me. A stupid, ridiculous, completely unnecessary idea, but also might be the best idea I’d had all day. If these kids wanted to believe I was a prince… why not?

  I gasped dramatically, putting a hand over my heart. "Wait… you’re right."

  The kids leaned in, eyes wide. "Really??"

  I nodded, lowering my voice like I was telling them a great secret. "I…uhm.. I think I am a prince! But … I’m undercover…?" I sounded very unsure.

  A collective gasp. One kid nearly fell over.

  "UNDERCOVER?!"

  "Shhh!" I put a finger to my lips. "Not so loud! They might hear you.."

  "Who?!" the little girl braiding my hair whispered.

  I pretended to look around, as if checking for someone. "The ones who are after me. They don’t want me to remember who I am. If they find out I’m here, they might take me away."

  The kids all turned serious real fast. One little boy clenched his fists. "No way! We won’t let them take you!"

  "Yeah!" another girl joined in. "We’ll keep you safe!"

  A third kid put a hand on my shoulder. "Don’t worry, Your Majesty. We’re really good at hiding people. We played hide-and-seek for three hours last weekend, and my cousin still hasn’t found me."

  .. I don't know if that's impressive or deeply concerning.

  "Thank you," I said. "But if I’m going to stay safe, I need to blend in."

  The kids immediately nodded. "Yeah! You can’t go around looking like a prince!"

  "Exactly!! " I agreed. "I need a disguise."

  The kids immediately got to work. One of them handed me a pair of cheap sunglasses they pulled out of their pocket. Another one gave me a baseball cap with a cartoon frog on it. A third draped their tiny jacket over my shoulders like a royal cloak.

  "There! Now you’re totally normal!"

  I looked like a disaster. I don't know if I'll stand out more or less.. But honestly.. It was kind of perfect.

  "Thank you, my loyal subjects," I said, making them giggle. "I knew I could count on you."

  One kid suddenly gasped. "Wait! Do you have a secret prince name?!

  oh. I didn’t think that far ahead.

  I panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

  "Uh… Solarphel. Prince Solarphel."

  "Prince Solarphel!! That’s the coolest name ever!!"

  One kid saluted. "Don’t worry, Prince Solarphel! We’ll protect your identity!"

  Another kid looked around suspiciously. "We have to make sure they don’t find you."

  I had no idea who they were, but now the kids were hyping each other up, coming up with an entire strategy to keep me safe.

  "We should have code names too!"

  "We need an emergency escape plan!"

  "One of us should be a double agent!"

  At this point, I had officially lost control of the situation, but honestly? I wasn’t even mad.

  Because for the first time since I got here, I actually felt… kind of safe.

  Maybe this whole universe-thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  From a distance, a lone figure watched Solarphel, draped in a child’s tiny jacket and oversized sunglasses, playing the role of a "hidden prince" with ease, surrounded by his new loyal subjects.

  A quiet chuckle. Even without knowing, he still fit the part.

  Good.

  For now, he was safe.

  No need to interfere. Not yet.