The clock on the wall reads 11:47 PM. The office is empty, the hum of the fluorescent lights the only sound. Your fingers ache from typing.

This is it. This is everything you worked for.

You close your eyes, just for a moment.

Just to rest them.

You dream of palaces and princes. Of magic and meaning. Of a life that isn't this.

And somewhere, far away, something hears you.

The first thing you notice is the quiet.

Not the hum of lights, not the distant traffic, not the murmur of coworkers. True silence. The kind that presses against your ears.

The second thing is the softness beneath you. You're not in your desk chair. You're in a bed. A ridiculously large bed, draped in silk and velvet, the kind you've only ever seen in movies.

You open your eyes.

High ceilings stretch above you, painted with constellations you've never seen. Sunlight spills through tall windows, catching gold dust in the air. The room is vast, beautiful, and utterly foreign.

You blink.

Once.

Twice.

On the third blink—

⤷ ゛𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 ˎˊ˗ : Hello, Player! (˶ˆᗜˆ˵) Welcome to "Road to Royalty." We heard your prayers and have decided to select YOU for our immersive experience!

⤷ ゛𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 ˎˊ˗ : Sadly, our character selection is still in beta so we selected for you! You are Y/N, youngest daughter of the Verilth family, and you have the difficulty of 6 black hearts. (╥﹏╥)

⤷ ゛𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 ˎˊ˗ : We do have character customization! Please customize your character, once you're done say "Play". (˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) If you wish to summon me again please call out my name "System Window"!

A translucent interface hovers in front of your vision, soft blue light shimmering with an almost playful energy. Beside it, another window flickers to life—dense text about the game's mechanics, the routes, the character you're apparently meant to play.

You've read this before. You've played this game.

But you've never been inside it.