14 january morning 8:00

  Morning light filtered through the hospital curtains as Suzie slowly opened her eyes. For a few seconds, she didn't remember anything. Then the images rushed back—the dark street, the roar of a tiger, the scream, the blood.

  Her leg throbbed in pain. She tried to move it and winced. Thick white bandages wrapped around her calf.

  "You're awake," the nurse said gently. "I'll inform the police."

  Suzie's heart skipped a beat. Police.

  Within minutes, a tall officer entered her room, his expression serious but not unkind.

  "Miss Suzie," he said, pulling a chair closer. "We need your statement about last night's incident. Also… we need you to identify someone."

  Someone.

  She knew who it was.

  "I'll come," she replied softly. "But… please don't inform my parents."

  The officer studied her for a moment, then nodded.

  ---

  At 9:00 AM, Suzie stepped into the police station for the first time in her life. The air smelled of old paper and strong tea. Her hands trembled slightly as she texted her mother:

  I'm at my friend's house. I'll come home later.

  A lie. But she had no choice.

  Inside, she saw him.

  Knight.

  He was sitting calmly on a metal chair, his wrists cuffed. He is wearing clothes now—plain, borrowed from someone at the station—but his eyes were the same. Deep. Unfamiliar. Lost.

  "I killed the man," Knight was saying firmly. "But this is not my city. I cannot find Nandline on your map."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The officers exchanged looks.

  "Nandline?" one of them muttered. "Where is that?"

  "It is located south of Mandia," Knight replied, confused. "Why does your map not show it?"

  The officers sighed. One tapped his forehead in a silent gesture.

  Crazy.

  They turned to Suzie.

  "Miss Suzie, did this man kill the victim?"

  Her mind raced. She remembered clearly—the tiger. The transformation. The blood.

  "No," she said firmly. "He didn't kill him. A tiger did."

  The room fell silent.

  "A tiger?" the officer repeated.

  "Yes," she continued, forcing confidence into her voice. "The tiger attacked me. He came to save me."

  Knight looked at her in surprise.

  "But I did kill him," Knight insisted. "When I was in tiger form."

  The officers stared at him.

  "Tiger form?" one whispered.

  Suzie swallowed. "He's confused. Maybe he's in shock."

  One officer leaned back in his chair. "We think he may have some mental issues."

  Suzie's heart tightened. Mental issues? Or something far beyond their understanding?

  "I'll take responsibility for him," she said suddenly. "He saved my life. Please… release him."

  After a long discussion, they finally uncuffed him.

  "Fine," the officer said. "But if anything happens, we'll call you."

  Suzie nodded.

  And just like that, she walked out of the police station with a man who claimed to be a knight from a country that didn't exist.

  ---

  They walked in silence until they reached a small roadside coffee shop. Suzie sat opposite him. He looked calm, almost royal, even in ordinary clothes.

  "How did you change your form yesterday?" she asked quietly.

  Knight looked at her as if she had asked something obvious.

  "It is common for all knights in my country."

  "What is the name of your country?"

  "Nandline. Located south of Mandia."

  Suzie's thoughts spun. He really believes this.

  But then… what she had seen last night was real.

  "How long will you remain in this human form?" she asked carefully.

  "Until I get hungry."

  Her breath hitched. "What happens when you get hungry?"

  "I change into the form of the majority blood flowing in my bloodstream."

  She blinked. "Majority blood?"

  "Yes. Yesterday, tiger blood was dominant."

  "Did you hunt a tiger "

  "Yes" replied knight

  Suzie's medical instincts flared. Majority blood? Transformation based on biological dominance? Impossible. Yet she had seen it.

  "Don't tell anyone this secret," she whispered.

  He nodded solemnly.

  The waiter approached. "Madam, what would you like?"

  "One coffee," she said.

  She looked at Knight, confused.

  "Can you drink coffee?"

  "While I am in human form, I can eat anything that form eats," he replied calmly. "Yesterday, I was a tiger. So I hunted. I killed to save you… and to feed my hunger."

  His voice carried no pride. No regret. Just fact.

  It was 11:30 AM.

  Suzie's mind was racing faster than her heartbeat.

  If this is real… I need proof.

  She stood up suddenly.

  "Come with me."

  ---

  She took him to her friend Marie's clinic. Marie was a veterinary doctor—an expert in animal biology.

  Perfect.

  Inside the clinic, Suzie turned to Knight.

  "Wait in the washroom until I call you."

  He obeyed without question.

  Marie looked surprised. "Suzie? What's going on?"

  "I need a small favor," Suzie said quickly. "For lab testing."

  "Human or animal?"

  Suzie hesitated. "Animal."

  Marie raised an eyebrow but handed her a syringe.

  Marie carefully bought a packet of blood—of a husky,

  She walked to the washroom door.

  He was inside.

  She handed the small packet through the gap.

  "Drink this," she whispered.

  He looked at it.

  "blood," he said calmly.

  "Yes."

  He drank it without hesitation.

  Suzie quickly locked the door from outside.

  Her heart pounded violently.

  If he was telling the truth…

  He would not remain human for long.

  And inside that locked washroom, something began to move.