What… is this?

  As I gnced around the room, I eechless. My brain scrambled to catch up with what I was seeing. There, standing proudly on a mannequin, was a dress. But not just any dress.

  My dress.

  The ohe wish spell had created.

  “How… is this possible?” I asked as I moved toward the dress, the soft cliy heels on the polished floor the only sound in the room.

  I really do like high heels now, do I?

  The fabric shimmered uhe warm light, its icy blue silk catg every glimmer as if it had been plucked straight from the depths of a frost-covered sn cave. The embroidery mirrored the dress patterns I remembered.

  Lo scurried behind me, her holo-tablet clutched in both hands as she gnced down at its glowing s. “Let me see…” she muttered, scrolling furiously as I reached out to touch the dress.

  My fingers brushed against the fabrid I let out a relieved breath. It felt… different. More fake and less magical than the one in-game.

  This is the reality; game is just that. A game.

  The bodice was soft yet structured, and the skirt—well, it wasn’t really a skirt. It was one of those clever fake ones, like the oennis pyers wear, blending funality with elegance.

  I really o learn the right terms for clothes, I thought, rolling my eyes at myself. Skorts? Overys? Whatever. It’s geous, and I’d better not trip wearing it.

  “It’s a job, Mister Riker ordered for you yesterday after watg the video of yours,” Lo expined, her eyes darting nervously to her tablet. “His note is… uh…” She hesitated, gng up at me uainly.

  I raised an eyebrow, a small smile pying on my lips. “Go on,” I prompted.

  Lo nodded, straightening her posture as if preparing for a performance. In an exaggerated imitation of Riker’s over-the-top tone, she recited, “Miss Charlie, you are as dazzling as you are unstoppable. Take this gift, wear it with pride, and show the world the force of nature that you truly are!”

  “Ugh…” I groaned, shaking my head as a relut giggle escaped. “Now I actually have to try hard,” I joked, rolling my eyes. “Alright, fine. I’ll wear it. Something else?”

  “Yes, Miss Charlie,” Lo said, her voice steadying. “What on do you want? All of them are dulled, of course, but they still hurt.”

  “Lo…” I said with a pyful sigh, tilting my head. “Of course I know that.” I paused, sidering for a moment, befrinning. “You know what? Get me a rapier and a dagger. If they want a show, let’s give it to them. But I’ll need a shot of whiskey.” Sorry, Adam.

  Lo nodded, her fingers flying over her tablet as I moved toward the dress. The fabric gleamed uhe lights, dario try it on. With a deep breath, I began unbuttoning my top.

  Why ’t it be as easy as in the game?

  “Uh… Miss!” Lo squeaked, her cheeks turning a vivid shade of red as she hurriedly averted her gaze. “I… I’ll go get the ons and a drink!”

  She bolted from the room, her embarrassment practically trailing behind her like a cloud.

  The stogs were a nightmare to get into. Whoever thought adding diamonds—no matter how stupidly beautiful—to fabric that stretches was a good idea clearly never had to actually wear them. Every time I tried to pull them up, a diamond caught, scratched, or otherwise spired to make my life miserable.

  “Why do people do this?” I muttered to myself, wrestling with the delicate fabric. “What kind of sadist is sparkly leg traps?!”

  Oh wait, it was me who wished it!

  Stupid past Charlie!

  After what felt like ay of tugging and maneuvering, I finally got them on, wobbling slightly as I adjusted the fit. I’m a genius. A genius who now uands why people pay others to dress them.

  “You are absolutely stunning, Miss Charlie,” Jerry said, his voice warm and almost admiring.

  “What do you need?” I asked suspiciously, tying strings at the back while gng in the mirror. The tiara even matched the in-game one—except it wasn’t magically glued to my head like in the game. “Oh, wait. I’m stupid!” I excimed, spotting a fastening string tucked discreetly along the band. “There’s a string!” I tied it, seg the tiara in pce as I muttered, “Game logic makes real life feel unnecessarily plicated.”

  “I don’t need… anything?” Jerry’s voice sounded genuinely fused.

  “That was a joke, Jerry,” I replied, smoothing out the skirt as I stepped baire the dress. “Don’t worry about it. My jokes are terrible. reat. It depends who you ask.”

  Just as I finished adjusting the dress, there was a light knock at the door. “Yes! e in!” I called, still fidgeting with the tiara food measure.

  Lo walked iantly, her eyes squeezed shut like she was brag for an explosion. In one hand, she clutched her ever-present tablet; iher, she held a rapier and a dagger. “Here,” she said, extending the ons awkwardly in my general dire.

  “Lo, I’m done,” I said, taking the ons and giving her an amused look.

  Her eyes fluttered open, taking me in. She froze, her mouth opening slightly as if to say something but deg against it.

  “You okay there?” I asked, testing the bance of the rapier.

  “You look…” She paused, visibly flustered before managing, “You look perfect, Lady Charlie.”

  “Well, thank you,” I said, twirling the dagger lightly in my hand. “Now let’s hope I fight as well as I look.”

  As we left the room, Lo turo me, her shoulders slightly hunched. “I failed you, Lady Charlie. I couldn’t get whiskey. We could stop by the bar, maybe?” she asked, her tone cautious, as though unsure if she was crossing some invisible line.

  “At a bar? Of course, what an excellent idea!” I said, my grin widening.

  Lo blinked, clearly uaiher I was serious or setting her up for some kind of scolding. “Lady, if what I said is improper—” she began, her words rushing out, but I stopped her with a dismissive haure.

  “Not at all!” I said, my grin turning pyful. “I meant it, because I like pubs, especially Patrick’s. Great atmosphere, terrible darts pyers. What’s not to love?”

  Lo only nodded, her expression a mix of surprise and relief as she turo lead the way down the hall.

  The corridors were an industrial maze, winding and narrow, with walls that gleamed like brushed steel. Overhead, holo-dispys flickered to life, throwing colorful ads onto every avaible surface.

  Finally, we emerged into a massive open space that looked like that cavern with a stupid dragon. The room was vast—easily rge enough to hold thousands of people—with high ceilings. Steel-like beams crisscrossed above, supp holo-lights that bathed the spa… Ads for Riker’s products.

  Of course he does that.

  The bar dominated one side of the room, a long, polished ter that was like liquid e.

  Despite the room’s being weird, the atmosphere felt strangely weling. Not like Patrick’s, but… Fihe hum of versation and occasional bursts of ughter gave it a lively energy. The king of gsses and the faint notes of upbeat music drifting from hidden speakers added the very needed energy.

  “Well,” I said, taking it all in with a cautious smile. “If they want to host a rime-fight club, this would be the perfect pce.”

  Lo bli me again, unsure whether I was joking.

  “Let’s find that whiskey,” I added, nudgioward the bar with a wink.

  Behind the ter stood a droid, its v4 design unmistakable. Great. Just great. “They’ll repce us all one day,” I muttered under my breath, half expeg the droid to chime in with a rebuttal.

  Instead, it tilted its head slightly, its syic voice precise. “What er wants?”

  “Irish whiskey for me, and…” I trailed off, gng at Lo, who looked more unfortable by the sed.

  “Nothing for me,” she said quickly, shaking her head as though the idea of might summon trouble.

  The droid’s luminous eyes flickered momentarily, and then it replied, “Sadly, the iory is not stocked with any whisky made in Irend. Error. I ot serve nothing.”

  I pihe bridge of my nose, exhaling i. “Just get me something simir. Fast.” I turo Lo, raising an eyebrow. “We o hurry, right?”

  She checked her tablet, fingers flig across the s with practiced precision. “We… don’t have to rush. Mister Riker postpo,” she said, hesitating slightly.

  “Oh?” I leaned casually against the ter, intrigued. “And why would Riker, of all people, dey his grand spectacle?”

  Lo winced, clearly torween professionalism and reying the absurdity of the situation. “Uh… it seems the… What? Uhm…portal wasn’t looking great.” She g her tablet again for firmation. “They’re remaking it. ETA is about ten minutes, maybe less.”

  I couldn’t suppress the snort that escaped me. “The portal wasn’t looking great?”

  Lo smiled faintly, though she tried to hide it. “It’s Riker,” she said simply, as though that expined everything.

  “Right,” I said with a sigh, turning back to the droid. Its meical limbs moved with uny precision as it prepared my drink.

  The droid pced a gss of amber liquid on the ter, its voice devoid of aion. “Closest match to request: bourbon from Kentucky. Enjoy.”

  Jerry is so much better.

  I lifted the gss, examining the light catg in the liquid before taking a sip. Smooth, warm, but not quite the bite of Irish whiskey. “Close enough,” I muttered, pushing off the ter. “Let’s get moving before Riker decides he needs a new coat to match the portal.”

  Lo fell in step beside me, her tablet clutched tightly in her hands. “Do you really think they’ll repce us all?” she asked suddenly, gng nervously at the droid as we walked away.

  Not if I do something about it.

  “Repce us?” I said, swirling the bourbon in my gss. “Nah. We’re too uable. Besides…” I smirked, tilting my gss toward her. “ you imagine a droid trying to match Riker’s wardrobe? Total system meltdown.”

  She ughed softly, and for the first time, it didn’t seem so nervous.

  We reached the backstage just as Riker strode onto the main stage, his blinding coat practically glowing uhe lights. The first notes of Rimelion’s theme pyed, a sweeping orchestral piece that sent a shiver down my spine.

  Wait… this was the first time people were hearing it, right? Maybe it had been teased in a promo somewhere, but here, in this moment, was the first time people heard it fully.

  A legendary time indeed.

  His voied from the sound system, anding, effortlessly overp the swelling music. I glimpsed the audience—rows upon rows of faces, a sea of eager eyes. Thousands of people packed into the arena.

  No, not thousands—tens of thousands. Thirty thousand, maybe more.

  And millions oream.

  “I…” My throat tightehe weight of the moment pressing down on me. “Damn.” My voice hitched, barely audible over the thunderous appuse. In one swift motion, I dowhe rest of my drink, the liquid burning its way down but doing little to dull the sudden spike of nerves. “This will be hard.”

  From the er of the backstage, the bandit leader emerged, his presenehow both anding and awkward. His gaze darted toward me, his attempt at a fident grin failing miserably. “Worry not… uh, beautiful Sword Queen. We… uh… we don’t have a script, obviously. How good is your improv?”

  I smirked, the alcohol finally blunting the edge of my fear—not enough to make it vanish, but enough to keep it manageable. “I live by it,” I said, my grin widening.

  The leader visibly rexed, though his posture remaiiff. Behind him, the rest of his bandit crew trickled in, eae awkwardly trying to greet me with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

  “Hi, uh, Lady Sword Queen.”

  “Great to meet you, m’dy.”

  One of them even managed a nervous bow, his hat slipping off. It was almost charming, in a chaotic sort of way.

  “I have an idea…” the leader said suddenly, his face lighting up with a spark of inspiration. He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a spiratorial tone. “Wait for my signal before you enter, okay? We’ll py it by ear, but the signal is ‘get him, boys.’ Got it?”

  I raised an eyebrow but nodded, my grin turning mischievous. “Got it. ‘Get him, boys.’ Simple enough.”

  He nodded, his fidence bolstered by my agreement, then turo his crew. They all shuffled closer, muttering among themselves as they worked out whatever theatrics they were pnning.

  Meanwhile, I gnced back at the stage, where Riker’s voice soared over the r crowd. The energy out there was electric, a tangible pulse of excitement that seeped even into the backstage.

  This was going to be chaotic.

  And I was ready for it.