5:59 a.m.
The first sound was the soft hiss of curtains moving. The dawn wind whispered through the windows of the imperial bedchamber, brushing against the thin white veil that hung over Aurelia Aurea Augustus's sleeping form.
Her eyes opened.
The color of molten sunlight flickered in her irises before fading into a dull, sleepless hue. The Empress of the Roman Empire, the last living Augustus, lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling above her.
"It is already morning, huh.."
The silk sheets shifted as she pushed them aside. The temperature in the chamber was cold enough that her breath showed. A thin robe, thrown loosely across her shoulders, did nothing to warm her as she walked barefoot across the floor. She moved toward the tall windows and pulled them open. Below her, Rome was still half asleep. Aurelia sighed, resting her forehead against the cool frame.
That was when the voice spoke.
"It's time."
Aurelia closed her eyes. "You're early."
"You're late."
The Empress didn't flinch. "I suppose seven still means seven, then."
"Of course. You always knew how this day would unfold."
"I know, Dark Aurelia. But knowing doesn't make it easier."
"It shouldn't."
She turned from the window and crossed to her dresser. Her Inventory opened, shimmering in the air like a transparent curtain of symbols and icons. Aurelia reached in and pulled out a compact pair of binoculars.
The holographic glow vanished.
Outside, streaks of red were bleeding through the pale sky. She raised the binoculars and focused on the western district.
"Here it comes."
At exactly 6:00 a.m., the sky cracked.
A ripple of crimson light rolled across the clouds. Then, without transition, the world dimmed. An eclipse emerged. Rome drowned in blood-colored shadow.
The Fluve Field manifested over the city like an invisible sea turned inside out. It appeared as an immense aurora of sickly, translucent red that spread like fog. It was beautiful and revolting at once..Aurelia didn't move. She just watched.
"They're coming."
The Faceless, creatures that Thales and Verdamona faced kk the desert spawned from the shimmer of the Field. Their heads were smooth and eyeless. Their white skin stretched too tight, and their mouths opened wider than their skulls should allow. The first screams rose moments later.
Aurelia watched them through the lenses. People kept running through the cobblestone streets, some collapsing mid-sprint as the Field's power began eating their skin away in translucent flakes.
"Fluvium Class Three to Five. That is... higher than I expected."
"Oh, they're quite elegant, aren't they?" Dark Aurelia cooed. "Just like in the game. Except you can smell it now."
Aurelia's fingers tightened around the binoculars. "It's different in real life."
"That's what makes it beautiful."
"No. That's what makes it horrifying."
But she didn't look away. Buildings were already collapsing. The Faceless were swarming the bridges like an army of insects. From the colosseum came a burst of dark Xana that shattered the upper tier into dust.
40,000 people would die in the first hour.
She knew the number. She had seen the statistics in the game but hearing and seeing it was different.
"Their deaths will fuel the chalice. You know the price. You agreed to it."
Aurelia lowered the binoculars slowly, her hands trembling. "I didn't agree to enjoy it."
"But you didn't refuse, either."
"Because if I do nothing, more die later. Because the Empire won't survive another Cycle. Because—"
"Because you wanted to see it happen."
"Stop it."
"You wanted to feel what it was like."
"Enough."
The Empress slammed the binoculars against the window frame, cracking one lens. Her reflection stared back at her in the glass. She saw her eyes and behind them was the faint shimmer of another face layered in shadow.
"Why are you even still here?"
Dark Aurelia chuckled. "Because you're still pretending you're different from me."
Aurelia turned away from the window, pacing.
"If you want to die so badly, then die. I'm not dying with you."
"Then at least I'll leave someone to rule in my place."
"Rule? You call this ruling? You killed yourself in MoDS because you couldn't handle the consequences. Don't act like it was noble."
"You already know the answer."
"Then tell me! If being blessed by the Goddess of Combat is that bad, why reincarnate? Why come back again and again, dragging me into this mess? You think I wanted to be transmigrated into your body?"
"..."
"You're very lucky. You had a chance to live many years. I had stage four cancer back in my world. I was going to die anyways so I played MoDS. Do you know how I felt when I was transmigrated? I was happy! I was the famous Empress of the Roman Empire, Aurelia Aurea Augustus. I was technically immortal since I can reincarnate!"
"Florence—"
"And then you came into my head telling me how worthless I am and that I shouldn't be here. But I thought we would at least be together, sharing a body. Now you want me to die with you because you're tired of life? Why drag me into your bullshit?!"
"..."
"I had a chance to finally live and enjoy my life. When I came here on February, I had to deal with stuff about ruling an empire. If it wasn't for you, the Empire would have gone to shit! There's a reason why the Goddess of Combat made us coexist in the same body. Other Outers don't have this but I do!"
Dark Aurelia couldn't say a thing.
"Stop telling me your bullshit by saying I know the answer. Why are you doing this? Why are you deciding to die?!"
For a moment, silence. Then, quietly, Dark Aurelia gave her answer.
"Because I'm tired."
Aurelia froze.
"I'm tired of life. Of cycles. Of fighting for a House that died sixteen years ago with everyone else in the House of Augustus. There's no one left but me! I destroyed my family with my Flux! What's the point of ruling ghosts?"
Aurelia exhaled shakily and turned back to the window. Parts of the city below was burning now. She watched as a building dome collapsed under a Faceless swarm, raining sparks into the now crimson Tiber.
"Then I'll finish it, Dark Aurelia. If you want oblivion, I'll give it to you. Just stop talking in my head. You'll die like you want to. Let's see if that brings you anything."
"Thank you."
For the first time, the voice sounded… calmer. Aurelia didn't reply. She stood in silence, staring at the dying sky. The wind howled through the broken window. The smell of blood reached even this high. The Empress of Rome closed her eyes and whispered, almost to herself.
"Let it burn. I hope you like this sight, Dark Aurelia."