Rome was... loud.
Not in the usual way with cars honking and tourists shouting but in a way that made the air feel alive. The streets sang with a rhythm that could only belong to a civilization that never died. Marble glowed under the night, banners of crimson and gold fluttered across the piazza, and somewhere in the distance, a choir raised their voices in hymn to the Six Goddesses. And here I was, sitting in an open-air restaurant with Hinesia, eating pasta like some man who didn't have assassins, Outers, and divine conspiracies on his calendar the day after tomorrow.
She twirled her fork through the plate, smiling lazily.
"Hard to believe this place survived the three world wars, huh? You'd think someone would have nuked Rome in the process."
I smirked. "Yeah. Guess history's got its favorites."
The waiter bowed and poured us red wine before leaving again. Hinesia leaned back in her seat, her white dress flowing like mist. Her hair caught the light in a way that made half the restaurant turn their heads. She loved attention. I let her have it. After all, we didn't other try to hide our identities here. They knew Hinesia but I wasn't that popular because I'm an Argemenes, a House hidden from the world.
"Alright, Mr. Tactical Genius. You've been researching about this world's Roman Empire the entire morning. Impress me."
I took a sip of wine, letting the flavor linger. "You really want the whole briefing?"
"If I'm stuck in an alternate world, I might as well know who's running it. After all, Egypt is massive too."
"Fine."
The Roman Empire of Altera Earth wasn't some relic frozen in history. It evolved, like everything touched by Flux. The maps I studied earlier glowed vividly in my mind. The Roman Empire stretched wide and low, wrapping around the southern belly of Europe.
Italy was its heart, of course. The capital was Rome, the Eternal City. Greece stood as its mind, the seat of philosophy, education, and the oldest Flux academies in the world. That's where the third Flux University after Reversa and Alexandria. Below Romania, everything was red on the map.
Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro & Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia & Slovenia, Romania and Italy are all part of the Empire. They call themselves the "Subsolar States," also known as The Consulary Provinces.
Unlike the old days, they didn't worship Jupiter or Mars. That era died with the Olympians in my world. Here, in Altera Earth, they followed the Seven Goddesses, the same deities who created Flux and altered the world. Their temples were everywhere, some destroyed due to the world ears or time.
"They rule differently unlike other empires. Every Subsolar State has a Consul, chosen through combat and merit. The Senate still exists, but it's mostly decorative. Real power lies in the Flux Legion, the military order that defends and governs the empire."
Hinesia hummed. "So... a mix between dictatorship and divine anarchy."
"Pretty much. The Consul reports directly to the Empress."
The pasta was long gone by the time I started talking again. The plates were pushed to the edge of the table, the wine halfway done, and the night sky was visible. Hinesia had that look again — the one that meant she was about to bait me into lecturing. And, of course, I took the bait.
"You know the Roman Empire's power isn't really in the Senate or even the Consuls. It all funnels up to one person. The Imperatrix Solaria Aurea."
Hinesia blinked, her fork hovering midair. "The Eternal Empress?"
"Exactly. She's the Ruler of the House of Augustus as you already know, is the strongest Combat Flux. And she's not just political royalty. She's something closer to divine."
Hinesia raised an eyebrow. "Divine, as in... God-touched like you?"
"Yes, but she's more than that. Her blood is said to glow. Literally. It's called Luminal Blood."
She let out a low whistle. "So... walking god-empress. No pressure."
"Pretty much. They say she's the strongest Combat Fluxer the House of Augustus has ever produced. Her Xana signature is so powerful that she's the only one who can forge the imperial seal, that golden insignia stamped on every decree, coin, or scroll. Without her radiance, the document doesn't exist legally. And it's not symbolism. That 'seal' is an actual light imprint tied to her Xana signature."
Hinesia's eyes widened slightly. "So, even counterfeiting her is impossible."
"Exactly. Because even the best Flux manipulator can't replicate her wavelength. The Aurea signature burns through illusions. It's like trying to fake the sun."
"Okay, but what's the catch? No one that powerful just stays around forever. The game doesn't exactly reveal all its lore you know."
I chuckled softly. "You're right. She doesn't. The Imperatrix undergoes something called the Rebirth Cycle. Every few centuries, her physical form dies but her spirit, or whatever divine essence she carries, migrates into a chosen successor. It's called the Rite of Luminal Succession. The empire gathers potential vessels like women born under certain Flux conditions, usually during solar eclipses or within temples, and the light of the Goddess of Combat chooses one. When the transfer happens, the new Imperatrix wakes up with the full memories, instincts, and will of the previous lives."
Hinesia's gaze turned sharp. "So she's... technically the same person, over and over again?"
"Yeah," I said quietly. "Same soul, new vessel. That's why they call her Eternal."
She frowned slightly. "Creepy. And kind of tragic."
"It is. She's basically a monarch trapped in an infinite loop. Always reborn, always ruling, always bearing the weight of centuries of empire. It's similar to our integration."
The church bells rang again.
Hinesia tilted her head. "So that's why the empire's so stable. Even if leaders change, the Empress never really does."
"Exactly. The Roman Empire doesn't rely on politics. It relies on living myth. The people worship her as a goddess incarnate, not a ruler. To them, she is the Sun, closest to the Goddess of Combat. Otherwise believe she's an avatar of the Goddess herself."
Hinesia took another slow sip of wine. "The Living Sun. That's poetic."
"It's also terrifying because she controls every major Flux conduit across the Subsolar States. The Flux Legions answer only to her. The Consuls, no matter how strong, kneel before her radiant decree. If she wanted, she could ignite the entire Mediterranean and erase half of Europe before anyone blinked."
Hinesia stared at me, her lips parting slightly. "And you're saying she's still... alive?"
"Alive, ruling, and glowing somewhere inside the Solar Citadel. That's the imperial palace. It's said the palace shines so brightly at dawn that you can't look at it directly."
"You've got a type, Phaser."
I laughed. "Hey, you're one to talk."
She chuckled softly, setting her glass down. "So let me guess. You already calculated how to get into her palace, didn't you?"
I didn't answer immediately. I just smiled.
"You did. You absolute menace."
"It's called preparation. If she ever decides we're anomalies, we'll need a way out. And if I'm right, her palace isn't just her home. And you already know that two of the six open world quests happen in the Roman Empire."
Her eyes flicked toward the skyline. "You really don't know how to rest, do you?"
"I'm resting right now."
"Sure, explaining how to befriend an immortal sun goddess."
"You started it. You suggested us to do the six world quests. It was just a plan for me but you made it a reality."
"Yeah. And I'll probably regret it later."