By the time I reach the room, I’m done.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiDtbArg6U
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYKeDjaDGT
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GxGl1bAUk
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYEnVLBUr5
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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.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNPjAto8jZ
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1aeaM9Kft
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I was in my house.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjdJE1yfH0L
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGcUKaA0A3
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqCMZf8pr4
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Totally normal Tuesday.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTjInMhrx6D
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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.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyr9RmXHZRe
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Then it hits me.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJwU0jAiaD
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The Game of Fate.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT0cpdk0gi
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnMXRwWHbj
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFTo4ijwZC
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1823 BCE.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbtJduemCJ
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…BCE.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvpNWHVfrP
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My mouth goes dry.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AxVwBQi5b
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTMVl66wZt
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWslX4oiWKi
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfDbbg6HAh
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cqxgOiul5
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDKAwkBfNi
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ3iFUqVmj6
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnE5SKyEgU6
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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.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvQwTjk7sZx
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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:122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB74GqvfBeE
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‘Please help.’122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9sSW7S98Tq
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUxekImF3L
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggFTGAYXnI
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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.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3saAeMNYeZ
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3idWG7pA7M
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFag9NduIs
122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUgvmgjSOd
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—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.122Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYr29fCc4nr
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection118ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6MpHqWiNz 尼

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