By the time I reach the room, I’m done.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAoYmufkBp1
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyf99mQwPLR
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyu3papScO
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2lhxHN13Q
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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.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIbKvJPS4o
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9jV6u0oSQZ
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I was in my house.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcl9iwnZjYm
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMyQQaKdOo
I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CrHs0vpWK
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjA61NRdLi
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Totally normal Tuesday.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNdIofH4dXb
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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.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfNlYpXG1P8
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Then it hits me.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmxq2Lt5Rd
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The Game of Fate.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHgAr1NIDdo
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7x2DjpB59
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyvzHUhVwu
My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9wEjIYP6CJ
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1823 BCE.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNv4AQd4at
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…BCE.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX1LURi4LSe
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My mouth goes dry.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRcM8mCQGKR
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiXD18CKbVI
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJv5PUiHx3
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGLBowk3fb
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZCyESSbig
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFQ905urHAB
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxdMdbucqT
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0aFTIUlqJ
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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.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTP5SxIfOnD
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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:9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuFwyKsDkkw
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXF8nNrr4Qf
‘Please help.’9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxWXhX8Wbn
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9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KNdBM5Doh
I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVapDPIYCG
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3obReTTXz
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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.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeMouTW6Zp
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXszBHLfKlL
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFzK6YdNEH
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQw4pHAI85D
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—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuMNoHzNHk
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDGoY1j1uxk
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection5ＰＥＮＡＮＡByYw3Vmb7Y 尼

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