Time Is An Illusion

The runaway

Crawling around on your hands and knees with a broken arm and legs is surprisingly hard. Not to mention, it hurts like crazy, especially since I can barely breathe. I crawl around the front of the palace and see… Everything is on fire.

The sky is this horrible, angry red, filled with ash. The mountains, once covered in snow and a magical forest, are now just charred ruins. The forest that kept us hidden, kept us safe from the outside world—it’s all burning away. Generations of work, our beautiful city, gone in flames.

The whole city is on fire. 40.5 million people—moms, dads, kids—either dead or suddenly homeless. This isn't an assassination; it's a massacre.

Who would do this?

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1788

"I don't want to be here!" I scream, wriggling as doctors and nurses try to hold me down. My mom dragged me to the hospital because she's “worried” about me. Yeah, right. The truth is, she's scared of my magic. She thinks it's too “powerful.”

They're trying to stick needles in me, and I'm not having it. I thrash around, trying to yank out the tubes they've stuck in my arms. But one of the doctors is quick, and before I know it, there's a sharp prick, and everything goes black.

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Now

I wake up with my face smashed into dirt and blood. My adrenaline's wearing off, and now I can feel it—my legs are on fire, covered in burns up to my thighs. Both legs are broken, and so is my left arm. Everything hurts so bad, I can’t even think straight.

When my eyes finally adjust, I see I’m trapped in some kind of metal box. It’s rocking, and I can hear the ocean, so I think I’m on a boat. Great. I hate boats. They make me want to hurl.

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1788

I’m running, running through this sea of flowers that smells so sweet it’s almost sickly. The trees around me are so tall, they make me feel like a tiny bug.

I shouldn't be here, though. I should still be in that stupid hospital garden, sitting in my wheelchair, trying to heal after surgery. My legs feel all wobbly, and before I know it, I trip and go crashing down.

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Now

I can’t believe this is happening. I’m still stuck in this metal box, barely able to move, and in so much pain I could scream. It’s been at least two days—maybe more, I can’t tell. It feels like forever. The voices outside are muffled, but I can pick out bits and pieces. Five or six men, bragging about how they destroyed my whole city like it's something to be proud of. They keep saying I’m going to be their little "weapon.” Ha! Not likely.

I could never do what they do—killing innocent people for fun. But right now, I’m too weak to fight back. No food, no water, broken limbs, burns all over. All I can do is close my eyes and try to sleep, praying for this nightmare to end.

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1788

I hear shouting behind me. The hospital staff must have figured out I’m not in the garden anymore. My heart’s pounding as I keep running, but my legs give out again. I tumble down a riverbank I’ve been following, and the next thing I know, I’m in the water. It’s so deep, and the current is dragging me under. I can’t swim!

Panic claws at me, but before I can scream, my head smashed against a rock. Everything goes black.

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Now

I wake up, and the box is getting tossed around. Panic starts bubbling up inside me. I don’t know where I am or what’s going on. “What’s happening!?” My voice bounces off the metal walls, making it sound even scarier in here.

The men outside are shouting, and I can barely understand them. The box keeps jerking around, and I’m being thrown all over the place like I’m just some useless rag doll. I try to make sense of it, but the more they push and shove, the more disoriented I get.

The box suddenly tips over, and I slide against the cold metal. I’m tumbling inside this tiny space, and it feels like the whole world is spinning out of control.

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1788

Someone grabs the back of my shirt. It’s one of the hospital security guards, pulling me out of the river. I’m shivering so hard it feels like I’ve been dipped in ice water. I try to fight back, but they carry me toward the hospital. I feel a sharp sting in my arm. My vision goes blurry, then everything goes dark.

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Now

There’s a hole in the box! That idiot must’ve broken it when he was tossing it around. I force myself to make a small spell circle, even though it hurts so much I could cry. A tiny rock shoots out of the ground, knocking the box off the cart.

I claw at the hole and squeeze through, running as fast as my broken body will let me. The wilderness around me is thick, but I don’t care—I just keep running. But then I notice something weird—it’s getting harder to move my legs. It’s like I’m getting heavier.

I look down, and my legs are turning to stone! Panic sets in as the stone creeps up my body, freezing me in place. The pain is unbearable, but there’s nothing I can do. My whole body turns to stone, and I can’t move at all.

As I stand there, trapped in this statue, memories flood my mind. My short, crazy life flashes before my eyes. Even though this is the end, it makes me realise how precious life is. I wish my story could remind people to be strong, to fight even when it seems hopeless, and to cherish every moment they have.