The holographic light rippled across the Flavian Amphitheatre. The chatter of the crowd died down and all at once, the massive colosseum went still. Every hologram screen from the colossal one hanging above the center to the smaller ones floating on the entrances brightened, shifting from gold to white.
Empress Aurelia Aurea Augustus was seen on the screens.
The woman who ruled the modern Roman Empire and arguably, one of the most beloved figures in all of Masquerade of Dreams: Shattered, was visible in front of the entire world.
She was seated upon her radiant throne, draped in a sleeveless Roman robe. Her hair was long, cascading in soft curly ginger waves over her shoulders. A golden diadem rested upon her head. Her eyes were the color of molten amber.
For a moment, even Hinesia stopped glaring at me.
The Empress rose and the holograms followed her movement, projecting her figure above the arena. When she spoke, her voice carried that strange, almost ethereal reverb that only someone born to rule could possess.
"Citizens of Rome and to the hearts beyond our borders, I welcome you to the Duel of Champions!"
A roar erupted through the stands, shaking the foundations of the ancient stone. Her thick accent was what made a lot of players like her.
"Today, we honor not merely the spirit of battle but the soul of unity. Across continents, languages and Houses, you have all gathered not as nobles or commoners, not as Fluxers or humans, but as dreamers and gladiators."
The crowd grew silent again, listening like children before a goddess.
"The Duel of Champions began long before this modern age. It was not always about victory. In the beginning, it was about meaning and those who stood when others fell. This four year championship was meant to be fought not to conquer, but to protect."
The amphitheater's holograms shifted, showing scenes of past champions, holding weapons drenched in blood and Xana.
"This year, we remind ourselves that the truest strength is not measured by power, but by perseverance. For every flame burns bright, yet it is the ember that lasts through the night."
She raised her hand and the hologram zoomed out, showing the entirety of the Roman skyline.
"To all participants whether noble or commoner, whether born of wealth or will, fight with honor. For as long as your hearts burn for your purpose, you are already champions. May the stars watch you. May Rome remember you. Let the summer of champions begin!"
The crowd went wild. The applause was thunderous, echoing so hard I could feel it vibrate through my body. Drones above us shot beams of gold light into the sky. The orchestra below struck an imperial march in full grandeur.
Damn. She's even more majestic in real life.
Hinesia leaned back in her seat, her arms crossed. I could practically feel the ice radiating from her side of the chair. Does she have the ice element?
"You're quiet."
"Am I?"
"Yeah. You seem... distracted?"
"Maybe I'm admiring how beautiful she is."
She said in a tone so neutral it could melt stone.
"Oh. Yeah, she's something else. Aurelia's one of the most important NPCs — I mean, people — in MoDS. She actually becomes vital later on in the Duel storyline. If she dies, Rome collapses into chaos."
Hinesia didn't respond.
"She's kind of the 'glue' of this arc. In the main quest, she's the one who convinces the Houses to cooperate. Without her, the Ceresei would have completely taken over. Plus, the fandom really loves her because—"
"You seem to know a lot about her."
"Well, yeah, she's an important character."
"And you… like her?"
I frowned. "I mean, yeah, but everyone liked her. She's the Empress. What's not to like?"
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"Right. You're definitely not mad."
"I'm not mad," she replied immediately.
"I see."
She sighed sharply and looked back at the hologram. Her fingers drummed against her armrest.
"She talks well. And, she looks good doing it. You like women like that, huh?"
"What does that even mean?"
"Nothing."
"It doesn't sound like nothing."
"Then stop listening."
"Okay. I'll stop."
Five seconds later—
"She is pretty though," I said without thinking.
Hinesia turned to me with a smile so sharp that I almost winced.
"Keep talking, Phaser. Please."
"Nope. Shutting up now."
I felt the atmosphere shift before anyone even realized what was happening. The orchestra below stopped mid-melody, the last note echoing like a warning bell through the Flavian Amphitheatre. Then the Empress spoke again.
"Before the Duel begins, Rome must first cleanse itself."
The central platform of the arena began to rise from the sand. Chains rattled, echoing across the amphitheater. Twenty-seven people were shackled, blindfolded and bound by glowing manacles that shimmered in sickly golden light. Their clothes were tattered but even from up here, I recognized the distinct and layered designs.
Ceresei uniforms.
Every Outer in the world would have recognized that look instantly.
Beside me, Hinesia leaned forward slightly, her earlier fury forgotten for now. Her eyes narrowed, that eerie calmness washing over her face again.
"Phaser. Those are Ceresei, aren't they?"
"Yeah. They're not supposed to appear this early."
The Empress raised her hand and spoke.
"These twenty-seven stand guilty of treason. They are colluding with foreign forces of attempting to corrupt our cities and poison the Roman Empire."
A murmur went through the crowd. Some gasped, others booed, but most were… excited.
"Their punishment, shall be a gift to you, my people. For Rome's justice must also entertain."
A cold smile touched her lips.
"Release the Class Five Fluviums."
The ground beneath the prisoners split open and from below, the air turned frosty and sharp enough to make everyone's breath visible. Massive shadows rose, shaking the amphitheater. Then came the clicking. Out of the rising frost mist crawled six enormous beetle-like monstrosities, each the size of a heavy truck. They were creatures with blue-white chitin shimmering with ice and mandibles glowing faintly with condensed frost. The crowd gasped, then cheered wildly as the beasts screamed.
"Class Five Frost Beetles. This woman's insane. Those things aren't even supposed to be released without control protocols. She's turning them loose on the prisoners."
Hinesia was as shocked as I was.
"Yeah. She's… actually doing it."
The Empress raised her arm high, then snapped her fingers once.
The cages shattered.
The Frost Beetles roared and charged. The prisoners screamed. Some tried to run, some tried to channel Flux but the suppression cuffs glowed brighter and stopped them mid-movement.
Then came the crunch.
The sound was... indescribable. There was a frozen spray of red mist. The crowd, instead of recoiling, roared louder.
"Gloria Roma! Gloria Roma!"
They were cheering. They were actually cheering.
Some were even recording . Kids were smiling and the spectators in the VIP section were clapping. I stared at it all in stunned disbelief. Hinesia's expression hardened.
"They're… enjoying this."
"Yeah. Because to them, this is history. But to us…"
"It's a warning, Phaser."
Exactly. Because this scene it didn't happen in the original MoDS timeline. I wasn't looking at Empress Aurelia the NPC character anymore.
I was looking at an Outer.
No one in the base storyline would have known about the Ceresei this early. They didn't appear publicly until the second month of the Duel of Champions. Even the developers said in interviews that Aurelia didn't learn about them until the midpoint of the second quest. But here she was not just knowing about them but executing them publicly.
This wasn't part of the game.
And if she knew who they were before the reveal, that meant she was one of us, one of the Outers.
I leaned back in my seat slowly, my eyes fixed on her glowing hologram as she watched the slaughter unfold with perfect, serene detachment. The Frost Beetles tore through the last of the prisoners, and the audience's cheers slowly turned to madness. Aurelia smiled sadistically.
"Rome is eternal. So long as I draw breath, no corruption, mortal or divine, will taint its light again."
The crowd screamed her name like worship.
And there I was, just sitting there like an idiot, watching the woman who was supposed to be a background monarch casually rewrite an entire plot arc.
I exhaled slowly.
"Henny."
She glanced at me, her eyes still fixed on the carnage.
"What?"
"We're screwed."
"What do you mean?"
"If she's doing this now, it means she knows about the Outers. And if she's killing Ceresei members in public…"
Hinesia finished the sentence quietly.
"Then she'll kill us too if we try anything strange in Rome."
I nodded slowly. "Exactly."
For a moment, neither of us said anything. The sounds of the Frost Beetles crunching through the last few prisoners echoed like the soundtrack to our impending doom. Then Hinesia finally sighed, leaned back in her seat, and muttered:
"Well… at least the show's good."
"You scare me sometimes."
"Good."
Just like that, the Empress turned away as she left the stage, leaving behind a crowd in ecstasy, a bloodstained arena, and Outers worldwide talking about the Empress being an Outer.