By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsBH2bu6fa
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVWFZnqK8e
Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FPgXf0uOe
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The servants bow and slip out quietly, the door closing behind them with a click that sounds a little too final.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEV3ENjMtvP
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquQMe1Vici
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My knees hit the floor first, then my hands. The silky fabric of the dress pools around me like spilled moonlight. My heart’s doing drum solos in my chest, and I’m pretty sure I forgot how to breathe somewhere between “Your Highness” and “Princess Ariana.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIG1r5dwRL
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYIgpQNJmXx
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEAC7B3569
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0kABDGVDEX
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I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgkl5aA6Ye
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQbEsN8Iuv
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I press my palms against the cold marble and let out a shaky laugh. “Maybe this is, like, an ARG. Super realistic VR thing. Yeah. Sure. Except I didn’t sign up. And the Wi-Fi sucks.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt2QHVYaxca
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzJsgG0XPe
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7v0nZG5TV1
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugsiF4Ra0V
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAOpDRHdq6
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrszEhVGIy
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaBtBPcx6l
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GhaABz9sE
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I glance around the room again — the carved wooden furniture, the golden oil lamps, the faint smell of smoke and honey in the air.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbgpcNs2LT
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfJn8Qb6op
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjgdQ4o9yS0
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I stare out the window. The city beyond the palace stretches out under a dusky orange sky, all stone and torches and distant market sounds.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhFyIpVpiw
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06VODDWbvA
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For a long moment, I just sit there, stunned. Then, because my brain can’t handle the weight of that sentence, I snort.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMW5HrVDU9h
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BVRKApwPm
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I drop back onto the bed, arms spread wide, staring at the ceiling painted with stars that probably don’t even exist yet in my real world.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15kQJg3HDH
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And somewhere far off, maybe deep inside my skull, I swear I can still hear that faint, static voice from the game’s page:183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Uw7Sgb0cj
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‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSzJzri8OB
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFAdGUJ4pz
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvCiRZuDQB
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“If this is a dream, I’ll wake up. If it’s not, I’ll deal with it after eight hours of denial.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk66nHuYgp9
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdTdFqQNNw
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqomt0W5PNC
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—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVavkWbKDDs
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbT7Xk7ZaT 尼

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