Young Santhan approached the ruined palace, sword in hand.

Expecting the monstrous reptilian creature he had been tasked to slay, his eyes settled on a much stranger being as he burst onto the terrace:

The beautiful princess Amalla, dressed in a pink cotton gown and mouth dripping scarlet, grinned madly before him!

“Draw your sword, Warrior!” The princess-that-never-was spoke with laughter in their voice, pale hand upon the parapet.

“Let’s see if one mere mortal can best billions of years of solitary agony, passion, and rage!”

~Sammicakes