Hinesia leaned back in her chair. Her eyes were narrowing slightly at both versions of Aurelia.
"Let me make it simple. I'm not here to flatter your crown or play diplomat in a sinking empire. I'm here to clean up your mess and I'll need authority to do that."
"Authority? You stand in my palace, in front of my throne, and demand control of the Imperial Guard?"
"Demand is such a strong word, Dark Aurelia. Let's call it... strategic delegation. You can't fight the Faceless with your knights and officers. They're dying faster than they can reload their rifles. I want command over the Imperial Guard and temporary jurisdiction over every unit still active in the field."
The dark twin's smirk vanished.
"You want to control them?"
"Yes. All of them."
The Outer Aurelia looked uneasy.
"You're asking for the backbone of the Empire, Princess."
"No. I'm offering to temporarily become it."
The silence following that was deafening.
"And in return? What do you get from this little coup?"
"Simple, real Empress. I get to fight the Faceless King myself."
That made both Aurelias stiffen.
"You're insane. Even Fluviums can't kill the King. He's not a creature. Even in the main storyline, he wasn't killed."
"Maybe but someone has to try. And unlike your Imperial tacticians, I'm not afraid of dying."
Aurelia opened her mouth to respond, but Hinesia raised a hand to cut her off.
"Before you reject my proposal, consider this. The Faceless are evolving. Within two weeks, this empire will fall. Within a month, Europe will. Verdamona isn't here to save the empire like she did because she's under my control. You know that as well as I do that the storyline has gone to shit. Your Empire will actually fall."
Dark Aurelia said nothing. She didn't need to. The tremor in her lip said enough.
"Let's assume I'm entertained by your theatrics. Why should I accept this deal? You think you can waltz in here, tell me how to rule, and I'll just—"
"Because you want to die."
Dark Aurelia froze. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.
"You want to die, but you don't even know why. You're exhausted, aren't you? Centuries of ruling, watching empires rise and fall like waves, always rebuilding, always pretending it matters. You've already reached the end, but you can't let go because she's still here—" she flicked her gaze to the Outer Aurelia— "clinging to ideals you don't believe in anymore."
Dark Aurelia's eyes trembled, but she hid it behind a smirk.
"You talk like you understand eternity."
"I do, actually. I've seen it tear people apart."
She summoned her System Inventory in form of hieroglyphs and took out a white faceless mask. She placed it gently on the table between them.
Aurelia's breath hitched. "Is that.."
"Faceless Identity, a five-star relic Made by an Alteration Fluxer sometime around the Stone Age. He caught a Faceless. Don't ask me how. Some say it begged him for death. But it couldn't die. So he did the next best thing. He carved off its face."
Dark Aurelia's expression was unreadable, but her pupils dilated slightly.
"He used its skin to craft this mask. This is a cursed relic that uses the Faceless' power to shapeshift. Whoever wears it can change not just their form, but their Xana signature with 99.99% accuracy. Even the best Fluxers themselves couldn't distinguish them."
Aurelia stared at the mask as though it might start whispering.
"You're saying this thing lets someone become anyone?"
"Anyone. Even someone who doesn't exist."
Then she leaned forward, eyes locking on Dark Aurelia's.
"You want to die, don't you? But you don't want oblivion. You just want to stop being the Empress. You want to walk through the streets of your empire without everyone kneeling. You want to eat, to rest, to live as a person, not a monument. I can give you that."
The mask pulsed faintly, as if reacting to her words. Dark Aurelia stared at it for a long time, her face flickering between disbelief and yearning.
"You're lying."
"I don't lie. It's bad for diplomacy."
She glanced at golden Aurelia.
"You said you wanted to make the people live normal lives. And you," she turned to Dark Aurelia, "are tired of being the one who makes that possible. So here's the deal."
Her tone shifted back to a serious tone.
"I have two objectives. First, you grant me full military command of the Imperial Guard and joint control over all active units. I'll use my authority to restructure command, seal off the infected areas, and solve this issue. Second, the House of Augustus forms an alliance with the Houses of Rameses and Argemenes. We pool our resources, our technology, and our manpower. Rome will survive not as an empire, but as a coalition."
She let that sink in.
"And in return. I'll help you both. You," she nodded at Dark Aurelia, "will get your freedom. You will have your own body, separate from hers. You'll live whatever life you want, wherever you want. And you," she nodded to the Outer Aurelia, "will get help managing the Empire. My brother is better at diplomacy and logistics than I am. He'll assist you directly. You'll have a Rameses brain in your council."
It was quiet again. Only the slow drip of tea filled the silence. Dark Aurelia finally scoffed, though the sound was weaker than before.
"You expect us to believe this? We already have a method to separate ourselves. We don't need your relic."
"You mean the Erethis Chalice. The one that drains a life for every split soul. You'd kill half of yourself trying. Remember, more people have been saved than the original storyline because of Verdamona. Also, Outer Aurelia's action of bringing refugees to the palace has saved more lives. The Erethis Chalice does not have enough souls to do its job."
That made Dark Aurelia's smirk falter.
"Oh yes, I know. Because I'm an Outer, too."
Both Aurelias froze.
"You... what?"
"You didn't really know? Are you two that stupid? Would I say all that if I wasn't an Outer?"
She tapped the mask with one polished fingernail.
"I have the Faceless Identity right here. I'll give it to you. But let's be honest. You don't have enough Pearlesia to pull it from the banners, do you?"
The moment she said it, both Aurelias gasped. Hinesia smirked, enjoying their shock.
"Yeah. I figured. You must have spent it all rerolling banners, hoping for divine intervention. Typical."
Dark Aurelia's eyes trembled, her lips parting slightly.
"How do you know about that?"
"I am that smart. You crave escape but I crave purpose. We can help each other. So here's the deal, Empresses. Give me command and I'll give you freedom and Italy a fighting chance."
Hinesia turned toward the door but stopped halfway.
"Oh, and don't take too long deciding. The Faceless don't wait for politics."
And with that, she walked out, leaving behind the two Aurelias, staring at the mask between them as if it were both their salvation and their curse.