By the time I reach the room, I’m done.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ34IF9EBlg1
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBGKuZPL3MR
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1UzPGqdhcQ
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9T4rv7Nu4w
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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.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzyMGHwejZ
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9D0EfgM4FE
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I was in my house.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLcXnRNUJL6
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAa4N97pmw1
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTbcPpfCJM
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Totally normal Tuesday.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrLCHu1o7P
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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.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyTU9IYV7G
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Then it hits me.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxl6oIwQMe
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The Game of Fate.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5P5OrbBdN
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3VoLvINM4
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNF9iFQQut
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1823 BCE.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJB40Mofap
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…BCE.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJLFnw9Gkp
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My mouth goes dry.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoT0uWQn3o
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyvLhKi1RKu
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYWQuVl6wDK
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2VGpIcSyg
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhTAEaWoKz
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqy9gDKwjE7
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRltsI3ndbC
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CWYZVOjCI
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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.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdZl1nhSYg
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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:182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZ65K27psq
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKUROKZmRB
‘Please help.’182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPCWBwGiDS
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182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31rAooeUlV
I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfc9Lom3wY7
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNoFG0SwltA
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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.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZQbbOvWlGW
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODOl9pXquv
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5y1CIVuoml
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbJZNcimfu
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlv4VpjPHy
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMgrtKbvcx
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection178ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRk0P7HD0N 尼

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