The City of Gold

The world swims back into focus through a haze of pain. Your head throbs, a relentless drumbeat echoing in your skull. As the agony subsides, unfamiliar voices penetrate the fog. They speak of illness, of a cub, and you realize with a jolt that the voices are not speaking English. Panic flares as you recognize the high-pitched, childish tone of your own voice.

Cracking open your eyes, the scene before you is jarringly alien: an ancient stone room, soft furs, and two strikingly handsome men with animal ears. One claims to be your father. Your reflection in a basin of water confirms the impossible – a child with fuchsia eyes and fox ears stares back. You are no longer in your old life; you are in the world of the web novel you just finished reading, in the body of the villainess.