The war room inside the August Palace was bathed in low crimson light from the holographic war table at its center. Holographic maps of Italy floated in the air, showing defense routes, blinking markers for refugee zones, and inky clusters spreading like infection stains across the peninsula.
Three commanders of the Imperial Guard—the elite trinity of Rome's military might—stood before the table. Even when not in battle, their bodies exuded controlled Xana.
"Latest reports from Naples," said Imperial Commander Lucian Tiberius Invicta, the commander of Legio Invicta. He was tall and broad-shouldered. "The Faceless are multiplying faster than before. Flux barriers can slow them down but they keep regenerating. Half our soldiers are exhausted from constant containment duty."
He dragged a holographic marker across southern Italy. Red lines pulsed.
"Rome and Florence are holding," said Commander Selene Caelestis, the commander of Legio Caelestis. Her white armor was sleek and aerodynamically designed for aerial warfare. "Our griffin riders are rotating in twelve-hour waves. Xana beams seem to disorient the Faceless mid-air though we can't kill them outright. Immobilization is the best we can manage."
"And Venice?" asked Commander Marcus Solis, commander of Legio Solis. He was the oldest of them, his golden armor like a miniature sun in the dark chamber. His troops guarded civilians and survivors.
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line.
"Holding… barely. Refugee influx has tripled since dawn. It's been fourteen days since the attack. Who knew we would get to the 3rd of September so fast?"
A flicker of anxiety passed through the room. And at the edge of the table, sitting stiffly with her hands in her lap, was Verdamona, a person who absolutely did not belong here.
She was dressed in a military uniform. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, her eyes darting between military giants and the shifting maps like a high schooler who had stumbled into a board meeting about the apocalypse. Verdamona was here because she had ideas. And since the 18th or August, she was extremely helpful.
She had been the first to suggest containment over confrontation by immobilizing the Faceless rather than trying to destroy them. She had also warned the Guard never to look back during engagements with the creatures, an insight that had saved thousands of lives after the first disastrous encounter in Rome.
And somehow, the Empress herself had decided to publicly credit her during a world broadcast. Now, Verdamona was sitting beside the Roman Empire's three most powerful military leaders.
Lucian barked an order to the holographic console, and a series of reports scrolled into view.
"Six engagements across South Italy. Legio Invicta forces are maintaining perimeter flux fields. Civilian extraction is seventy percent complete."
Marcus nodded. "Good. Prioritize southern reinforcement lines. We cannot afford another breach like in the north."
Verdamona, meanwhile, was just there. She tried not to squirm. Her foot tapped softly under the table. Selene noticed. The commander turned her sharp blue eyes on her and softened slightly.
"You look pale, Miss Regenis. Everything all right?"
"Ah—yes, ma'am. I'm just… not used to all this."
Selene chuckled, resting her gauntleted hands on the table.
"You mean standing in a war room while entire legions follow your theories?"
"Exactly that."
Lucian snorted. "You'll get used to it. We did."
Marcus gave a half-smile. "Speak for yourself."
Selene leaned closer to Verdamona.
"Listen, you shouldn't undersell yourself. You might be a university student, but your insight into the Faceless' behavioral patterns is the only reason we haven't lost half of Italy."
Verdamona looked away. "It's just… weird hearing that. I'm helping fight some kind of eldritch invasion."
"Rome has seen stranger heroes, believe me," Selene said with a grin.
The console beeped. A scout report from Venice scrolled across the display. They were video feeds of white humanoid shapes moving in unnerving sync, faceless and fluid, slipping through the streets like shadows. Verdamona's hands clenched.
"See the way they move? That's the formation I mentioned. They're reacting to visual contact. If any of your soldiers turn around during retreat, it triggers aggression."
Selene gave a sharp whistle. "Exactly as you said. You were right again."
Lucian crossed his arms. "That's still unnatural. How the hell do they know when someone's looking at them if they have no eyes?"
Verdamona hesitated. "Maybe… they don't. Maybe it's not that they see you looking at them. It's that they feel awareness itself. Like the act of acknowledging them feeds their existence."
Marcus blinked slowly. "You mean consciousness is their trigger?"
"Something like that. Maybe they're not invaders. They act like puppets. Their movements are all monotonous. It's as if there is a lewder orchestrating all of this."
A silence fell. Even the commanders, hardened veterans, had no immediate response to that. Finally, Selene spoke.
"Then your instinct was right. Avoiding eye contact, avoiding acknowledgment, that's why we've been able to hold them off."
Verdamona nodded. "I learned that the hard way."
The three commanders exchanged glances. Marcus gave a low hum of approval.
"And yet, here you are, solving the war for us. I heard you fought them for three days straight and learning their tactics the day they appeared."
Verdamona laughed nervously. "Barely. I almost died several times."
Selene smiled at her then, gently but with that fierce kind of pride reserved for soldiers who saw potential in others.
"Miss Regenis, you're doing more than you think. You might not wear armor or wield powerful Flux like us, but you've already saved tens of thousands. You belong here. The Empress was right to appoint you."
Verdamona's face flushed slightly.
"Appoint me to what, though? I don't even have a title!"
"You do now. Savior Of Rome. Sounds impressive enough for your resumé, doesn't it?"
Verdamona stared at her. Then she broke into a small, awkward laugh.
"Yeah… that's definitely going on there."
"Good girl. Now, get some food after this. You look like you've been living off espresso and panic."
"That's because I have..."
The entire room burst into quiet laughter, the tension easing for a rare moment. Even Lucian chuckled, rubbing a hand over his face. Marcus turned back to the table.
"All right, everyone. Let's keep the plan running. The Faceless may not die, but they can be stopped. Solis will continue refugee protection. Caelestis, maintain aerial overwatch. Invicta will reinforce containment zones. And Miss Regenis… you'll continue doing what you do best. Thinking."
She nodded softly. "I'll do my best."
As the commanders began issuing orders, Verdamona found herself staring at the glowing map of Italy again. And for the first time since this nightmare began, she didn't feel like a lost student anymore.