I didn’t choose this timeline. But I do wonder—out of all the eras and all the nations—I was born into this one: the empire’s twilight. A collapsing system disguised as freedom. A nation addicted to spectacle. A generation handed chaos and told to “be grateful.” Maybe I’m here because I’m meant to see it, survive it, or rebuild after it. Because someone has to remember the truth when the empire forgets itself.