Looks like it's just me now. Honestly, it feels a bit lonely, but I'm not worried. I mean, come on, I'm a strong, independent cutie who's been through way worse! If I can take down a dragon, I'm totally fine—nothing life throws at me is too big. I've got this in the bag! Who knows, maybe I'll end up looking like a total badass by the end of the day.I can already picture it: a princess totally lost in the woods, trying to find her way home, and running into all sorts of trouble along the way. It's going to be hilarious and adventurous! Hmm... maybe I'll write a novel about it when I get back? Sounds like a fun project!"Oh, look what we have here," an unfamiliar voice called from behind me, making me jump a little.Out of nowhere, a group of six guys appeared, looking like they walked straight out of an anime about sketchy mercenaries or bandits. Seriously, their outfits screamed "I've been wandering the woods for a week with no showers." Leather armor, dirty clothes, random weapons like axes and falchions. They were like a walking cliche of every bad group you've ever imagined in a fantasy novel."Are you lost, Miss?" one of them asked, his smile all crooked teeth and creepy vibes.Okay, okay. Maybe I was overreacting. It's not like they were shouting about being villains... yet."Yes, could you direct me to the nearest village?" I asked, trying to sound polite, though inside I was ready to pull off a magical attack that would send them to the moon.They all exchanged looks like they were speaking in a secret telepathic language. Is that a spell I don't know about? How long have I been stuck in that weird seal thing?"You sound like a noble, but where's your entourage?" another guy asked, looking me up and down like I was a confused puppy."Right? I'm so noble," I muttered under my breath. "But yeah, I'm just a wandering princess, no biggie.""Indeed, if you could return me to the nearest village, I'll be so generous in my reward," I said, throwing on a smile that screamed "I've got treasure and a heart of gold" without saying it out loud.They glanced at each other again, like they were deciding whether I was worth robbing or just an easy target."Sure, Miss, follow us," the same guy said, turning his back like he didn't just size me up for a potential ransom."We'll protect you, Miss!" another one chimed in, sounding way too chipper for the situation. "You're in good hands! You know, we'll form a protective circle or whatever."I just nodded and threw up a totally normal invisible barrier, just in case they decided to change their minds mid-walk.We trudged on for a while before arriving at a village. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was definitely a step up from hanging out in the woods with six potential troublemakers."Here we are, Miss!" one of them announced, pointing proudly at the village."Thanks! You're all so helpful," I said, handing each of them a different colored gem like I was some kind of mystical gem dealer. They stared at them, their eyes wide in surprise.I just nodded and walked away, eager to explore this new place, which was packed with people! Oh my gods, it's been so long since I saw a crowd of living, breathing humans. I couldn't even contain my excitement.But then, as I walked away, I had to stop and blink a few times. Wait, did they actually just... point me to a village? Like, that was it? I expected a grand adventure, or at least some resistance, but nope, here I am, casually handed a map to the next village like I'm some lost tourist. Huh. Guess not everything's as dramatic as I imagined.The village was... well, let's just say it was the kind of place where you could hear a pin drop. Or maybe the wind howling, which, now that I think about it, was really all I could hear. It had that vibe of a ghost town that was just barely hanging on.There were plenty of stores, though—like, too many stores for a place this empty. You could tell these places had been set up to be bustling marketplaces, but today? Today, it looked like all the villagers had collectively decided to take a day off.I wandered past a shop selling dusty fruits, Honestly, the stores seemed like they were ready for a festival that never came. You know, the kind of place you'd expect to be packed with vibrant stalls, the smell of street food, and people haggling for trinkets. But nope, this place? Super quiet.It felt like one of those towns where you'd walk in, and everyone would just stare at you like you were a visitor from another dimension—and, well, considering my look, I guess I kind of was. Maybe this was the festival season—except the festival was apparently "nobody shows up."Later, I wandered into a clothing store where an elderly woman gave me a smile that almost seemed genuine. Almost. It was the kind of smile where you can tell she's thinking, "I'm either about to offer you a deal of a lifetime or hide your body in the backroom.""Can I help you, dear?" she asked, her voice sweet, but her eyes? Uh, not so sweet. They had that "I'm sizing you up for something suspicious" look.I glanced at myself in the mirror and immediately wished I hadn't. Oh. My. Gods. I looked like I'd just crawled out of a mud puddle and then got attacked by a wild raccoon. My hair was a mess, clothes were half-ripped, and I was covered in god knows what. If it weren't for my really fabulous silver hair, I'd be begging for food on the street."Uh, I'll take something that fits," I said, trying to avoid her gaze like I was hiding a criminal record."Of course, dear. Follow me," she said, like she was leading me into a new chapter of my life... or into some kind of trap. Either way, I was committed now.The lady was pulling clothes off the racks like she was planning my future wardrobe. She didn't even ask what I liked. Like, I'm cool with that because I've always wanted a personal stylist, but it was a little too efficient. What if she was secretly plotting to make me wear the ugliest outfit ever as a joke?She handed me some clothes that looked vaguely decent, and I was like, Okay, but do I actually have a choice?Then came the offer."You know, dear," she said in her sugary sweet voice, "I've got a spare room upstairs if you'd like to freshen up. You're welcome to shower there before you change."Wait. Hold up. She's offering me her private shower?Okay, now most people would be suspicious. But I was like, You know what? I'm covered in dirt, and if she's not offering me a free body wash to tie me up in a basement somewhere, I'm going to take it.So, without even blinking, I said, "That sounds amazing." Who turns down free showers, right?She led me upstairs to the back room, and suddenly I was in the most unexpectedly lovely bathroom I'd ever seen. It was like she'd been waiting for someone like me to wander in off the street covered in mud. I don't know if I should've felt lucky or concerned, but I wasn't about to ask too many questions. I was just happy to be clean.I hopped in, scrubbed off a year's worth of forest grime, and changed into the clothes she'd given me. Honestly? Not bad. The outfit was cute, actually! Super stylish. I didn't even know commoners wore stuff this nice. My old clothes couldn't even compete.When I finished, I reappeared downstairs, feeling like a new person. And you know what? I didn't question it. The old lady was so nice! I mean, too nice. I should probably start getting suspicious, but in the moment, I was too busy appreciating the fact that I wasn't a walking dirt pile anymore.I thanked her, walked out of the store, and immediately thought, "Well, that was super random. And probably a little weird. But I look good."The village was still weird, though. Like, really weird.-I wandered around the village some more, trying to get a feel for the place. It was small—like, really small. I mean, I could probably see the entire village in a few minutes if I just stood in the middle and spun in circles. As I turned another corner, I found myself right back in front of the same clothing store. The lady was standing outside, almost like she'd been waiting for me. And, oh boy, it seemed like she had a bone to pick.She spotted me and, with the kind of precision that can only be achieved by someone who's definitely been waiting for you to screw up, called out, "Miss! You forgot to pay for the clothes!"I froze. My brain short-circuited. I felt the heat of a full-on embarrassment explosion coming. My face was a mix of "Oh no" and "I'm gonna crawl under a rock and live there forever.""Wait, what?" I said, wide-eyed, feeling the sinking feeling in my stomach. "I—uh—I didn't... wait, what do you mean?"She crossed her arms, clearly not amused. "The clothes, Miss. You didn't pay for them."At that moment, I felt like I could've been struck by lightning and it would've been a more pleasant experience than realizing I just walked out of a store without paying. I might have blacked out for a second out of sheer embarrassment. "Oh my gods, I'm so sorry! I totally spaced out!"I scrambled to find the money in my pockets, but then I remembered. I had no idea what currency they used. My money was all in some weird, mystical, sparkly form from the other world. I'm pretty sure the lady didn't want to accept gold coins that had a questionable glow to them."Okay, so, uh, can I just... Pay you later?" I asked, hoping she'd think I was charmingly confused instead of a total kleptomaniac.She sighed, her patience worn thin, but she didn't seem too mad. I guess she did offer me a shower without making me sign a weird contract, so maybe she wasn't a complete villain."Fine. You can pay in the morning. But don't make a habit of it," she grumbled."Thanks! You're a lifesaver!" I said, practically bouncing in place, relieved to have avoided being kicked out of the village for being a criminal."Don't mention it, dear," she replied, giving me a look that said, "You better come back with money tomorrow, or else."Once we'd settled that little situation, I decided to ask her about the nearest inn, mostly so I could not sleep outside and possibly get eaten by a wild animal. But, because my brain couldn't stop, I had a question that had been bugging me for a while."By the way," I started, trying to sound casual like I wasn't about to face a crushing reality, "what's the date today?"She raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting the question, but answered, "It's the fifth day of the third month. Why?"I nodded. That seemed pretty normal. And then... my brain caught up with the rest of me. I blinked at her, my heart doing a little flip-flop of panic."Wait, did you say the third month? Of what year?""341st year, of course," she said, giving me a 'what kind of question is that' look."That can't be right, what year is it in the Magic Tower calendar?" I asked, still hoping there was some sort of cosmic mix-up happening that might give me a way out of this."Oh, it's 2199 in the Magic Tower calendar," she replied, sounding like she was talking about the weather.Wait, what?"You aren't from around here, are you, Miss?" she continued, nodding like she'd just cracked the case wide open.I blinked at her, trying to do some quick mental math. Last I checked, the Magic Tower calendar was at year 799, so if it was 2199 now, that meant... Wait, it's been 1400 years since I last checked? My brain short-circuited."We don't use the Magic Tower calendar anymore, especially here in the Voltx Kingdom. Good thing I know about it, though. A lot of young folks don't."I stared at her. "The what?"She sighed like I was the last person to get it. "The Voltx Kingdom. After the Coalition took down the Magic Tower, they built their kingdom here. It's right on the border between us and the Theodoreford Empire. A lot of tension, you know?""Wait, what? The Coalition overthrew the Magic Tower?" I asked, still processing."Yeah, the commoners had enough, so they took it down. Big deal, you know? They weren't too happy with the whole 'magic experiments on non-magic people' thing. Now, we have this place, and the Empire's all over there." She waved vaguely in a direction, like it was no biggie."So, that means... the Empire's still around, right?""Yep, but the relationship's super tense with the Voltx Kingdom," she added, almost like it was common knowledge. "You're weird if you don't know that the year 341 marks the founding of the Voltx Kingdom. The Empire's not too happy about the whole 'losing their tower and land to a bunch of peasants' thing."I stood there, still blinking. A thousand years, and the Empire's just chilling on the other side of the border, while these guys built an entire kingdom here? Guess that explains the whole year thing.I just sighed and gave up. "Right. Well, that clears up nothing."She gave me a puzzled look. "You okay, miss?"I waved her off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... time travel stuff."She looked at me weirdly, and I get it—if I were her, I'd be weirded out too. I walked in the direction of the inn she told me about in a daze.I checked into the inn after swapping some of the treasure for actual, non-glittery money. When I asked around, people gave me the same blank stares and shrugged like I'd just asked them to explain the meaning of life. So, that was helpful.Now, I'm lying in a twin bed, surrounded by old furniture that smells like it's been through more adventures than I can count, trying to process everything I've just learned.That means they all died, right? The thought hit me like a sudden punch to the gut, and I could feel it, sharp and raw, like my heart was shattering all over again. It was as if every memory, every moment with them, was slipping through my fingers, and there was nothing I could do to hold on. I didn't even get to say goodbye. My chest tightened painfully, and I just... I couldn't breathe. How could they all be gone? How could I be so far from everything, so alone? My heart wasn't just aching—it was breaking. And I had no idea how to fix it.I sighed, dramatically enough to make a drama queen proud. It was dumb to think I'd just pop back to the moment I vanished, right? The only time frozen was when I was stuck in that stupid seal.I tried distracting myself by pulling in some mana from the air, but, honestly? It felt... off. It was like trying to grab smoke with my hands. Thin, weak, and just not having it. Definitely not like the stuff inside the seal.Did the quality of mana change too? Or was the mana in the seal just special? Who knows.I let the silence settle around me, but all it did was make me think about my time in the seal, which was not something I wanted to be reminded of—especially after the big lizard ditched me.The Dragon and I? We fought all the time. And argued. Mostly, he yelled at me, but that was just his thing. The guy was a grumpy teacher who didn't know how to give a compliment without it being a backhanded insult. "Hey, you didn't set yourself on fire this time. Progress!" I would've liked a little praise, but no. That was too much to ask.I spent what felt like forever trying to get good at magic. I was awful at it, and maybe, just maybe, he was secretly relieved it was me stuck there and not one of my brothers.If it had been Tristan or Calvin, they would've breezed through it. Those two—they were magic prodigies. The kind of talents that come around once every hundred years, or so they say. I could practically hear their laughter in my head, hear them teasing me as they mastered everything effortlessly. Tristan with his quiet confidence, always a step ahead, and Calvin, who made everything look like a game. He never took anything too seriously, but somehow, he was always the one who figured things out. Meanwhile, I was over here, fumbling through spells that ended up looking more like fireworks than fireballs, wondering how I ended up so far behind.Maybe if Dad had been there, things would've been different. He was so good with magic engineering. He'd probably have built something incredible, something that would've made everyone stop and stare. He could've figured it out faster how to break the seal. And me? Here I am, thinking about everything that happened, feeling more useless than I've ever felt.The "what ifs" started running in circles in my head, drowning out everything else until I felt something warm slip down my cheek. If only I had been stronger—if I had been better, maybe I could've broken the seal faster. Maybe I wouldn't have been stuck there for so long, only to finally get out and find myself already alone, without the people I loved and had longed to see. But I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't good enough. I didn't want to cry, didn't want to feel like I was falling apart, but it came anyway, uninvited, a painful reminder that no matter how hard I tried, it wasn't enough.I wiped the tear away quickly, trying to pull myself together, trying to convince myself that I was tougher than this, that crying in bed wasn't something I'd do. After all, it's just crying, not like I'm auditioning for a role in a soap opera, right? But the "maybes" kept flooding in, relentless and heavy. Maybe if one of them had been in that seal, it wouldn't have taken so long to break. Maybe if things had been different—if we hadn't been so far apart, if I hadn't been the one to get stuck, maybe everything would've turned out okay.But here I am, lying in this empty bed, alone with my thoughts, surrounded by nothing but silence and unanswered questions. The kind of silence you only get when you're the only one in the room and you're trying to act like you have it all together, but really, you're just a mess under the covers. "I'm okay, I'm fine, genchana, genchana, teng neng neng neng neng," I muttered to myself, trying to cheer myself up, but it didn't work. I guess joking isn't gonna work this time.I tried to force myself to be strong, but the more I said everything would be fine, the louder the silence grew. It was like I could hear every single "what if" echoing around the room. All I could do was cling to the memories of when things felt possible, when I wasn't alone in this, when I had them... when I wasn't trapped in this overwhelming silence.And the worst part? It hurt more with every passing moment. You'd think by now I'd have figured out how to laugh it off, how to find some kind of light in all this darkness. But nope, still not there. Still just me, my thoughts, and an empty bed—basically the least fun sleepover ever. If there was a prize for the most awkward alone time, I'd totally win. Maybe I should start a new hobby—like talking to the wall, or learning how to make friends with the ceiling. That's where I'm at right now.