“Time to head back.” I yawned and waved my hand toward the open closet.

  The day’s festivities had wrung every drop of energy out of me. Celebrating Micah’s marriage and ascension to a royal title was more exhausting than my Chaos training. Still, regardless of anything else, I wasn’t about to miss my own brother’s wedding.

  My hand moved lazily through the flurry of views in a well-practiced motion.

  ?A few months back, I would’ve left the portal ajar while going about my business. But as of late, I found it far too reckless. There was that in the Humton Forest, and I did not want it to get out.

  ?“Nice,” I murmured, feeling pleased with myself when the familiar image of the darkened field appeared in under a minute.

  ?I stepped through, leaving Princess Evelyn’s office, which had become one of my cornerstone teleportation locations.

  ?However, Apophis provided no praise for my speed.

  ?He remained utterly silent. The snake was invisible, cloaked by the Pull-Tab Necklace, but I could sense his unnatural stillness.

  ?~Master, I feel that thing’s presence again.

  ?The words slid into my mind like ice-cold water down my spine. My hair stood on end, and my body went rigid.

  ?My gaze sharpened. Moonlight spilled across the clearing and the twisted trees on the periphery, their long fingers clawing at the air. The air was cool and crisp, pronouncing the unease beneath my skin ever more.

  ?By “that thing,” Apophis meant the creature from the corrupted phoenix egg—the shadow that had slipped across the road like spilled ink when I had gone to see my grandmother at the start of the Round. That was not my last sight of it; it had visited me on one other occasion, but it had remained in the shadows and darted away when I caught sight of it.

  ?Surely it’ll keep its distance again. Right?

  ?~Master! It’s coming!

  ?Damn it.

  ?There wasn’t even a chance to think.

  ?[ Activated: Hindsight Reflex – Level 3 ]

  ?My body lurched forward on instinct, my white leather shoes skidding across dirt and rocks. I felt a rush of movement—air bending, an eerie coolness—something enormous and unnatural passed beneath me.

  ?However, I didn’t have time to stabilize and understand what just happened.

  ?[ Activated: A Fool's Escape: Level 2 ]

  ?My left hand reached for the doorway, and I felt a surge of Chaos being summoned. The view of Evelyn’s office flickered away, replaced by a bright light that my body lunged toward, like a moth to a lantern. I reached out, and to my horror, my right hand slammed the door shut behind me.

  ?I fell backward to the ground, and for a moment, I lay there in silence, staring at the closed door. My heart was racing against my chest.

  ?My gaze moved around me; however, the shadow hadn’t followed me in. Or at least I didn’t see it. There was only my own shadow beneath me.

  ?I squinted against the harsh light. The afternoon sun blazed down from a flawless blue sky, its rays far too bright. My eyes watered from the glare.

  ?Is it gone?

  ?My thoughts were met with almost gentle silence. Petals rustled against one another, and sunlight spilled warmly across my back. It was a strange sort of serenity that set every instinct I had on edge.

  ?I pushed myself upright, brushing dust from my navy coat, and froze. A row of trees stood before me, their pink, fluffy crowns swaying like spun sugar in the breeze.

  ?Where am I?

  ?Even if I had teleported to the other side of the globe, I knew my realm did not have such foliage. Nor horses with horns sticking out of their heads.

  ?“System?” I called out quietly. “Are you there?”

  ?However, not even a snide remark came.

  ?My pulse quickened.

  ?~This isn’t your realm, Apophis hissed at last, confirming what I already feared. Each System is confined to its own world and Game. Yours cannot reach across realms to respond. Still… I must say, your reflexes were impressive. Choosing this place of all realms… curious, but clever.

  ?Damn it.

  ?His praise barely registered. My escape had been pure reflex, as a result of my acquired skills not strategy.

  ?What would happen if I, a Player, suddenly left my realm? Left the Game, Adovoria’s Fall mid-loop?

  ?My stomach churned. I felt sick.

  ?I yanked the door open and channeled Chaos through the ring, trying to call forth my realm. But I felt a strange weight, as if I were attempting to light a soaked piece of lumber.

  ?The view refused to shift. Beyond the doorway stood only a flight of old stone stairs, spiraling upward.

  ?“Why isn’t it working?” I muttered.

  ?~Master, it’s no use. Apophis hissed. This realm is under review by the Agency of Order and Game Development. You won’t be able to make use of Chaos at this moment. Not that this place has an ounce of dead mana anyhow… So you should conserve what’s left in your ring.

  ?What?

  ?I extended my hand and tried to sense any corruption around me. There was always some in my realm. I was well attuned to it by now. A minuscule amount existed in everything from the food to the clothes to the roads.

  ?However, here, it was as if I was breathing clear air for the first time.

  ?The cleanliness was not reassuring.

  ?“Do they know I’m here?” I whispered. “That Agency?”

  ?I had gone somewhere I was not supposed to go. And I had no idea what the repercussions were in having trespassed.

  ?Apophis snickered.

  ?~Those overworked bureaucrats hardly notice the goings on of the realms they’re assigned. Though this being the realm you chose… And shutting the door behind you. Hmm, it is a bit troublesome.

  ?I tore my eyes from the door and looked up. The sky was impossibly blue, the horizon lined with endless cotton-pink trees, swaying in slow, synchronized rhythm. The peace of it all felt wrong. Manufactured.

  ?“Apophis,” I murmured, crouching low behind a flowering bush as two teenagers in identical blue uniforms walked by, chatting and laughing. “Where in all the realms are we… and how are we supposed to get back?”

  ?

  * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

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  ?

  “Hey, you, you’re in charge of…” the man paused to look at the clipboard in his hand. “TXKR2378QQ? Right?”

  ?Hey you?

  ?Yohan sighed internally.

  ?I’ve only been working at the Agency of Order and Game Development for two hundred thousand years, give or take.

  ?Not that he knew this guy’s name either.

  ?Yohan took in the man’s appearance.

  ?Just another young supervisor with a red tie and a gold tie clip who would eventually be promoted up—give it two or three hundred years. Yohan had seen many like him come and go.

  ?Meanwhile, Yohan remained in his originally assigned role as a regular rank-and-file Agent.

  ?Not that he really cared. A job was a job. And he’d been doing his for so long now that changing to anything else, even if it was a promotion with better perks, would have been annoying. More responsibilities for a meager pay bump? No thank you.

  ?“Yes… I’m in charge of it. What of it?” Yohan asked, turning his swivel chair to look at the man properly.

  ?He had a feeling this conversation might take a while, and he didn’t care to strain his neck needlessly.

  ?“Wow. You don’t even need to check? You knew the ID from memory?”

  ?Yohan’s eyes narrowed.

  ?Is he complimenting me? Or being sarcastic?

  ?Yohan could never tell.

  ?He sighed. “Yes, I remember the ID. What did you come by regarding it?

  ?“There’s been a number of complaints from Players regarding that realm,” the supervisor tapped his clipboard.

  ?“Have these complaints been formally submitted using the proper green form, as is required per H-217 Section B-12?” Yohan inquired.

  ?“Ah, well, no, they have not—“

  ?Yohan stared at the supervisor.

  ?“But some of these complaints have been rather concerning. Once you read them—“

  ?“I am aware of the complaints,” Yohan swiveled in his chair and resumed typing on the keyboard with its boxy-yellowed keys. “There was nothing unusual to warrant concern and action.”

  ?“Well, that is not your decision,” the supervisor stated, making Yohan roll his eyes.

  ?Here we go…

  ?“And I have concerns regarding the latest Player,” the supervisor continued. “It’s far too unusual a circumstance, and I believe additional review is necessary. I’ve read the restricted file and....” His words trailed off.

  ?“It is unusual,” Yohan agreed. A resident NPC becoming a Player was indeed highly unusual. But it wasn’t the first of its kind. “And thus I monitored their first six playthroughs in full.”

  ?“S-six?” The supervisor stammered.

  ?“Yes, and in full detail,” Yohan replied in a flat voice. "I monitored every action they took during those six playthroughs."

  ?He understood the supervisor’s shock.

  ?Adovoria’s Fall was notorious. It was the number one-ranked game in terms of difficulty, with the most failures to date. And the average Round lasted three years.

  ?To watch six rounds in full was an extraordinary commitment by the agency’s standards.

  ?“Such dedication. I didn’t realize you were already on top of it!” The supervisor brightened.

  ?The fact that Yohan watched the first six playthroughs was the truth. What he omitted was that the Player in question lasted only an hour or a day or two each loop. Which would have been evident if the supervisor did any basic level of calculations, but Yohan doubted he’d bother. Floor 11 was responsible for developing and reviewing several thousand Games.

  ?And even if this supervisor ever grasped the peculiarity in timelines, it wouldn’t have mattered. The conclusion would have been the same.

  ?The Player in question was an idiot of no consequence.

  ?That was the verdict that Yohan came upon, having monitored Luca Frey closely during those six loops.

  ?It made Yohan wonder if limiting his functions to 40% of those of a normal Player—a requirement per Z-9887 Section Q-1 as a means to avoid the disaster the last recorded time an NPC was turned into a Player—was even necessary.

  ?But even if he was a fool now, Yohan was certain Luca would improve over enough loops, as the System of that Game was so desperate to believe. However, there was no need to keep further tabs. Not until Luca progressed at least a couple of dozen loops at his turtle-like pace.

  ?“Ah, wait… But such monitoring. Is it not against the rules?” The supervisor’s voice gained a tinge of fear.

  ?Yohan signed internally and swiveled back toward the man, who looked as if he were afraid of being sacked. It was understandable. The agency's rules stated that the supervisor in charge of their floor would be held accountable for any issues that violated the outlined rules. And extreme monitoring violated Games' typical privacy guidelines.

  ?However, don’t you know? No, you must know. That Floor 11 is notorious for quick promotions? On any other floor, you’d have to wait twice or thrice the usual number of years.

  ?“It is not against the rules,” Yohan stated.

  ?He knew every rule by heart, having read and memorized every volume. And he remained up to date on every new edition and the latest edits. It was also the reason he knew he’d never be promoted; he was too valuable where he was. Floor 11 had an impeccable record because of Yohan and, thus, in an ironic twist, faced the least scrutiny. It was the floor that managers sent their favorite people to, so they could be quickly promoted.

  ?Not that Yohan cared about the blatant nepotism. It was why he could spend most of his working hours playing solitaire on his computer, a digital card game that he helped speed-approve through, taking a mere two hundred and three years.

  ?“Per Z-9887 Section F-5, any time an NPC is made into a Player, the usual regulations regarding privacy are redacted for the safety of that realm and those beyond it,” Yohan recited the rule. “And as part of Section F-6, continuous monitoring of a Player’s activities is required for the first couple of rounds, and intermittent check-ins after that are also permitted."

  ?“Ah, so there were such rules!” the supervisor exclaimed, visibly relieved.

  ?Then, in a burst of misguided enthusiasm, he reached over and slapped Yohan’s back. “Keep up the good work! At this rate, a promotion’s right around the corner!”

  Yohan closed his eyes and sighed. “Please don’t.”

  ?“What was that?” The man inquired, tilting his head. His smile faltered, confusion on his face.

  ?“It’s not so praise-worthy to warrant a promotion,” Yohan replied evenly. “I’m simply doing my job.”

  ?“Ah—And a splendid job you are doing…” The supervisor fumbled with his clipboard. “Yohan!”

  ?He flipped through the papers, eyebrows rising. “You’ve been working as an Agent for two hundred thou—”

  ?“Sir, she’s here.” A woman interrupted, speaking in a hushed voice. “I have someone stalling her from leaving.”

  ?The supervisor’s eyes lit up as though she’d just announced the arrival of his favorite celebrity.

  ?And, in a way, the closest thing to a celebrity had appeared at the Agency of Game Development and Order: a Divinarch. Yohan stood up and looked in the direction of the commotion.

  ?“Finally,” the supervisor breathed. “Floor Ten managed to stall her for fifty-two years. I was afraid she’d slip away before blessing us with her presence.”

  ?“We’ll keep her occupied for at least seventy,” the woman promised, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I have a hidden card up my sleeve.”

  ?She then produced a literal playing card. Or rather, a deck of cards.

  ?“My colleague on Floor 4 managed to stall her for forty years with these and was promoted to an Architect shortly thereafter."

  ?“Good… good… excellent.” The supervisor’s grin was half-mad, half-proud.

  ?Yohan glanced between them and sighed inwardly.

  ?To any outsider, it would’ve sounded like they were discussing the capture of some poor woman lost in the bureaucratic labyrinth of the Agency of Game Development and Order. And perhaps, to some extent, that’s how they saw it, too.

  ?But Yohan knew better. After two hundred thousand years of service, he knew full well that the woman was no damsel in distress. To begin with, she was a powerful and ancient Divinarch; as of a thousand years ago, she had risen a tier above a Celestial. And if anything, she allowed herself to be delayed, wasting decades at each floor for reasons known only to herself.

  ?Still, there was a pattern. This particular Divinarch’s lengthy visits always preceded one other visitor: an ex-colleague of Yohan’s who had once quit in a spectacular fit of rage that included tossing a cactus at a bald supervisor’s head. And like a ghost haunting them all, that ex-colleague continued to remain a cosmic nuisance ever since.

  I wonder which realm he’s filling a complaint against this time.

  ?“Well, I’ll be off to submit a report about these grievances.” The supervisor straightened his tie and tucked the clipboard under his arm. “Great job, again, Yohan!”

  ?He called me by my name. Twice. Don’t tell me he’ll try to get me a promotion after all.

  ?Yohan released a sigh.

  ?Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’ll turn it down. Unless someone higher up turns it down first.

  ?Yohan swiveled back in his chair, picked up the application for the new Celestial, and began entering the information into the computer—slowly, methodically, one letter at a time, using only his index finger. He wasn’t in a hurry. Working faster only meant the tall pile on his desk would grow taller that much sooner.

  ?Name (how to refer to you): Alice

  ?User name: N/A

  ?Birth name (full name): Alice Crest

  ?Years as a Player: 0

  ?Original birth realm (ID code): TXKE2276AP

  ?Yohan paused his typing as he read through the rest of the document first.

  ?Why do I always get the peculiar cases?

  ?The thought wasn’t a question so much as a complaint. Most long-time employees at the agency knew that Yohan understood the rules better than anyone, which meant he was inevitably assigned every odd, headache-inducing application that no one else wanted to touch. And so, in quiet rebellion, he worked at his own deliberate pace.

  ?But no one ever seemed to mind it.

  ?As far as the process went, there were several paths to becoming a Celestial. Alice Crest’s, however, was anything but ordinary. For one, she had never been a Player at all. She was the summoner of a Player.

  ?By all accounts, she shouldn’t have existed past the Game’s completion. When the Player fulfilled the winning conditions and departed the realm, Alice’s life normally would have ended as well. Yet somehow, Alice found a loophole to continue out her life. Moreover, she even managed to escape her soul’s disintegration with her application to ascend as a Celestial of her own realm.

  ?Yohan knew all of this because, apart from being the reviewer and approver of her Celestial application, he’d been the assigned Game Developer of Finding Love in Ethereal Academy.

  ?Still… nothing she did technically broke the rules.

  ?The approval was inevitable, but Yohan didn’t hurry and continued to type out the information one letter at a time into the computer.

  ?He stood up and glanced around. The coast was clear of any supervisors and cosmic auditors alike—all were too busy trying to curry favor with the Divinarch.

  ?Yohan minimized the TXKE2276AP file and returned to playing solitaire.

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