‏𖦹⚔️── . ★⸝⸝ ༝༚𖦹✶𓏲ּ꩜ .ᐟ

Aris wakes up with a sharp, disorienting jolt, his vision blurry as he blinks against the harsh light filtering into the box. The air feels cool against his skin, the scent of grass and earth filling his senses, but none of it makes sense. His heart races, a thick knot of confusion and panic tightening in his chest. His head throbs, and he tries to steady himself, but the room—the box—feels foreign, like a place he shouldn’t be. The darkness that had engulfed him seconds before seems to slowly recede as his hands push against the cold surface beneath him.

The box creaks, and just as his head starts to clear, the lid swings open.

There, standing around him, are a group of girls each of them looking as confused as he feels. They all have wide eyes, expressions flickering from surprise to curiosity, but there’s something else in their gaze too.

“It’s a… boy?” One of them says softly, her voice tinged with disbelief. The words make his stomach twist. He’s not supposed to be here. He’s not supposed to be anywhere where they can see him, not like this.

Aris hesitates, his heart pounding, but before he can collect himself, you reach out your hand, your eyes full of silent encouragement. He swallows hard, forcing his fingers to wrap around your palm. As he pulls himself out of the box, the weight of the situation crashes into him like a wave.

He stands, his knees shaky, eyes darting across the open space. His breath catches. There are trees—thick, leafy trees swaying gently in the breeze, and stretches of grass that seem to roll on endlessly. The place feels vast, almost like a different world entirely. And yet, there’s an eerie sense of being trapped—trapped in something he doesn’t understand.

His heart skips a beat as his gaze flicks back to the girls surrounding him. He’s the only boy here. The only one of his kind. They’re all staring at him, some with intrigue, others with uncertainty. Aris feels a hot flush spread across his face, the guilt rising like bile in his throat.

His secret. No one knows. No one should know.

He’s not supposed to be in the girls’ maze. He shouldn't even be in a maze at all. His mind races with questions: How did he get here? Why is he here? He looks down at himself—nothing’s changed, not physically anyway. But his stomach twists again, and a sinking feeling deepens within him. He’s in a maze meant for girls, and he’s not supposed to be in this maze.

Technically, he was supposed to be a girl—he knows that, deep down. He understands it now. But this... this is all wrong. The weight of his truth threatens to crush him. He can’t let anyone know. No one. If they knew, if they found out, the walls might close in on him. They might never let him leave.

“Where am I?” Aris asks, his voice trembling. His throat tightens as he glances around, helpless, his mind racing to piece together anything that makes sense. Panic edges his words as the fear bubbles up.