The Divine Legionnaires saluted once more, and those nearest to the doors opened them with haste. The palace was exactly as Gaius had last seen it before heading to conquer the north. Countless works of art, prizes of war and loyal servants no matter where he looked. The palace was completely off limits to any uninvited player, under suspicion of assassins or spies. It was of course rather foolish to fear being killed given how much more powerful Gaius was compared to the average player, yet there were still those who could challenge him. He was at the top for now, but it all could change very quickly. He would not give the enemy a chance to take a move.

As Gaius lead the way, aside with Brunus, Minerva still followed while the other legionnaires stood by their posts. Even at his own home, already filled with guards, it was necessary to keep at least one guard nearby. Should they ever need to discuss something privately they needed only to switch to English. Crossing the vast halls, sustained by pillars designed after the classic age.

“That was kind of anti-climactic…” Brunus said, “I expected some grand speech about how great the empire is and all.”

“Why would I need to state the obvious?” Asked Gaius. He knew how arrogant and condescending it had come out as, but it was still the truth. He gave great speeches in the past, doing so again wasn’t a problem, but there was no need for it. The empire was all-powerful, dominant and glorious, with a speech from him or not.

“Right then…” Brunus said, yawning and blinking in succession, “You can have your fun ruling, but I just noticed how tired I am…” he stretched his arms, “These trips across the continent take far too long, couldn’t we have fast traveled there?”

“No.” Gaius said, “I had to deploy a legion I could count on to keep the peace in the conquered Lupus territories. After all, not only could a legate take advantage of the disgruntled population to mount an insurrection, but the local legions were growing too friendly with the Lupus, to the point that, as we had confirmed, they were recruiting locals into their efforts. It was best to use men who still viewed the Lupus as enemies.”

“But did we even need a legion to conquer the wolfpacks?” He asked, lighting his hand in a flicker of lightning, “You just used that master Obliteration Spell to kill most of them anyway…”

“One thing is to defeat them, the other is to subdue them. Had you accompanied me in more of my campaigns you would understand the difference better.”

“Ahh, whatever…” Brunus waved his brother’s banter off, “Anyway, I’m heading off, got to sleep...”

It was possible to use an in-game function to force your real body to sleep while still logged in the game. Most users disliked doing so as it not only broke one of the few barriers they could use to tell the game and reality apart, but it also caused a lot of dizziness. Gaius often used the function to carry out night attacks during important wars, and he could vouch that those were not just rumors. Checking his heartbeat was his only way of knowing which it was, as Impera did not allow the player’s hearts to beat at all to offer yet another too to recognize which reality they were on. He instinctively pressed his palm over the chest, not a beat to feel or hear.

“Alright…” Brunus called on his console command, summoning a Menu Screen of Impera. Among the many options, he clicked on log out. Before he pressed the confirm button, he pushed the screen aside, “I almost forgot… “ he opened his arms and looked at his elder brother, “A good night hug!” he said cheerfully.

It was an embarrassing sight for Gaius. He shook his head, “Brunus… Don’t you try this again…”

“Dammit Gaius, is a hug too much to ask for? Come on, dude!”

It was no secret to anyone who knew him Gaius didn’t like to be over-emotional or show any signs of caring towards others. He had lived a life of few friends and was mostly happy being excluded from friendship circles while he read his books, played strategy games and studied on the histories of the past. His brother Brunus was the only true friends he ever had, and even still a hug was too much, even at that important of a day. He shook his head once more, and Brunus would not need a third rejection to get the message.

“Ahh, I’m too tired to insist…” He pushed the screen back to his front, “I’ll actually be taking a break for a while, so I guess I’ll see you in a few days.”

“See you,” Gaius said coldly.

Brunus clicked the confirmation button, and before he let it go, he smiled, “Oh, and try to be a bit nicer! You could use it!”

Gaius scoffed at his remark, turning back and crossing his arms.

“Love you, bro!”

Brunus let go and was instantly disconnected. His body vanished in a flash of light and without anything else, he was gone and back to the real world. Gaius was now the only player in the palace. His home never felt the same when that was the case.

“… That guy…” Gaius whispered. He had always been berated to act more nicely by his brother, who was always keen on trying to be a good person. His brother would never have considered playing such a violent and serious game and Impera was Gaius not doing so himself. Of all realities he could have gone to, he chose to stay by his elder brother’s side, and for it, Gaius loved Brunus, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“… Let’s go, Minerva.” He said, walking away.

Minerva followed with a confident “Yes, Princeps.”

Gaius climbed the next set of stairs, getting to the second level of the palace. While most roman domestic buildings were mostly terrestrial, Gaius would not defy the convenience of a layered house simply for aesthetic reasons. Pragmatism, after all, was one of the Roman virtues he most agreed with.

“Were there any reports of revolts, disasters or any kind of problems in the provinces?”

“No, I had a quick report given to me by Apollo before we set out to Rome. For now, the empire is at peace.”

“Peace…”

It was not a word the emperor heard very often. They were always at any point in time at war with someone, putting down rebellions or doing both at the same time. The emperor had no friends, nor did it look for them. In many ways, Gaius ran the state much like he did his personal life. Everything of value must be taken by force, and there are no true allies but those who see you as a tool for their grandeur. At any time, there is always one could do to further their purpose and empower themselves. It was difficult to believe there truly wasn’t anything, either internal or external the emperor could focus on.

“Tell me about the remaining Divine Legionnaires.” Gaius said, “Have you had any problem recently as their Legate?”

Minerva hesitated for a moment, “Nothing major, beyond some mild inconveniences not worth your time.”

“Inconveniences?”

Were there anything at all Gaius could attend to, even things of minor importance, now was the time to nail them down, “What exactly do you speak of?”

Minerva, who walked behind Gaius bowed slightly with her head, “I apologize if it might come as condescending or in anyway questioning your grand design… But I must say some of the Divine Legionnaires you created are quite… Difficult to work with.”

And with that, Gaius instantly understood what she was on about. Her companions, brother, and sisters of the Divine Legion were uniquely built each by Gaius to serve different purposes, yet their personalities were bound to clash with one another. Various names popped on his head over possible candidates to Minerva’s disapproval, with two standing above all others.

“Is this about your sisters?”

“Y-yes, Princeps…” she said, as if making a huge bet, “I will not name them for their own sake, but I must say I often find myself at odds, and even outright disagreeing with them during our tasks. They still obey given my post, yet it would seem they don’t yet recognize me as their Legate yet.”

In truth, Gaius never really planned his custom NPCs to end up forming such a high-ranking task force. At the beginning of the game, when he did not take things quite as seriously, he had made some particularly colorful characters simply out of enjoyment, basing them on famous figures of Roman History. It was all in good fun until the World Conquest really got going. AT the height of those wars, it was doubtful any of them would come out alive, but through sheer effort, they still managed to survive, even if just barely a hundred. By that point, the unit should have been renamed to Divine Century if anything. The times of troubles filtered most of them into an early grave, yet there were still survivors of the early days. Minerva was such a one, among others.

“I know who you speak off.” Gaius asserted, “I know those two think and act very distinctly from you, but that is not to say they are at fault for who they are. If anything, I should apologize to you for making them that way and then be ordering you to lead them.”

“Please, do not apologize Princeps.” She said, stopping and getting on one knee, “It is an utmost honor to serve in my post, and I will endure anything to see my duties performed as well as my predecessor had.”

“Good.” Gaius said, “You wouldn’t like your job to fall to any of them, would you now?”

“Err… N-No, Princeps, I would not…”

I had been long since he had joked with an NPC before. Usually, it would only be commands and requests of reports on topics of administration or warfare. There was a soft spot in his heart when it came to the Divine Legion on the other hand. He would give in to pretending they were real in their case. Was he too stern on it, he would quickly find himself unable to talk with anyone anymore.

“Beyond them, you mean to say there is nothing at all to attend to?”

“Indeed.” She affirmed, “Everything else regarding the empire’s bureaucracy is on capable hands for the time being.”

“I see.”

After a long way, they reached the Imperial Bedchambers hall. The door laid at the end, encrusted with the Purple Eagle, the personal emblem of the emperor. At the height of wars, it would be guarded 24/7 with troops, but given the Divine Legion’s reduced number and extensive size of the empire, there were better things they could be used for. He only needed the strongest of the Divine Legionnaires to be there for him always, and even then, it was rather overkill. It was the extra pair of eyes which was truly valuable.

Gaius opened the door, re-entering his own chambers after a very long time in the front lines. He had been subjugating tribe after tribe of monsters for several weeks by then, a minute process which consumed far more of his strength than he had noticed on the field. His muscles were stretched and could use some recovery.

His bedroom, much like the palace was the same as before. A large banner of the Roman Empire flew above his bed, while many objects of Roman culture decorated the rest of the room. Among his many personal belongings was his bust of Augustus, his favorite Roman Emperor of all time, and who he had named his in-game character out of. His personal goal in Impera was to be seen by the NPCs as greatly as the actual Romans saw Augustus in his prime. Another objective he could proudly say to have accomplished.

The flags and trophies of many defeated nations were hanged in the walls as reminders of his achievements in the game. There were times players would ask them back after their territories were fully integrated, but Gaius wouldn’t give in. The past was an important thing to remember, and their defeats were part of it.

“Excuse me, Princeps, but may I ask something?” Minerva asked.

Gaius, who was lost in his own thoughts was remembered of his NPC’s presence. Minerva was standing nearby the door, awaiting a response.

“What is it?”

“If it is not too intimate a topic to intrude on…” He lowered her voice, “… May I see your face?”

A strange request, to say the least. Was it truly out of curiosity, or was there a hidden motive? Gaius never ever took off his helmet, be it in peace or war. All it would take was one arrow, one obliteration spell or a quick sword to end it all. Dying in Impera was extremally humiliating, and the stronger a player was, the bigger was his loss in experience and power. The fact he had remained alive for so long was one of the reasons he was the strongest there was.

“No.” Gaius said, “You know I can’t take any risks.”

Minerva nodded, “Understood, I apologize for suggesting you should risk your personal safety.”

“If you wish to know what I look like, simply imagine Brunus, but with a manlier face.”

“Oh…” Minerva gasped, “I suspected that as brothers you would be quite similar.” She saluted, “Thank you for indulging my request.”

“Of course.” Gaius stretched his neck, cracking a few bones. There were not real, yet the feeling they made was just as good, “I relieve you of your guard duty, for now, you may return to overseeing the Divine Legion.”

“… Princeps?” Minerva asked, “You mean to be left unguarded?”

Gaius had seen this coming. Minerva would not give in to an order she saw as foolish, even if uttered by himself.

“Yes, that’s what I want” he nodded, “I need some time to reflect on the future of the empire.”

Minerva looked down, reflecting on the topic herself, “I see… It’s only prudent to do so.” She stepped up, “However, before I depart, I would like to ask …”

“Go ahead.”

“I know well this is none of my business, but if I may know, how long Will Lord Brunus stay in the Unconquered Lands?”

Gaius did not expect her to ask such a thing. The concept of the Unconquered Lands was a core pillar of the faith of Sol Invictus, the unifying religion of the empire. To explain how players could simply vanish out of thin air, it was said that instead of the real world, the players went back to a heavenly place, a different dimension from that of Impera. Of course, every nation had its own way to explain the phenomenon to the NPCs, but now that the Empire was all there was, the Unconquered Lands was by far the most dominant of the sects. In all aspects, players were viewed as gods by the NPCs, and it was easy to understand why. They appeared and disappeared out of thin air at will, they were far more capable of learning new abilities and only accounted for 1% of the world’s population. It’s only sensible Minerva might have felt curious to when one of her own gods would return.

“He told me he will be back soon, no need to worry.”

Minerva sighed, audible enough for Gaius to listen even with both weary heavy helmets, “I understand… Thank you for answering my question, Princeps… However, if I may ask one more thing…”

Her tone lowered, for a moment she did not seem as stern as she was meant to be.

“Now that the World Conquest has been completed, will you return to the Unconquered Lands and to the side of Sol Invictus?”

It was a related, yet once more completely unexpected question. Since when did Minerva concern herself with their personal lives? It was possible something in her programming had gone wrong, yet it had been a long while since the game had shown any kind of AI errors like such. Either way, it was difficult to answer. Gaius was just as, if not more tired than his brother and planned on taking a nice and long sleep in real life, but now a lingering sense of duty, a willingness to stay came forth from inside. Was he feeling pity for an NPC? Was he caring for what a piece of coding would feel if he left her? As he debated the issue in his mind, the shocking truth was that he was indeed. Recalling his previous talk with Brunus, he was likely influenced by his ways.

“I might.” Was his reply.

Minerva stood in silence, grasping onto her spear ever tighter, her blond ponytail who always flew elegantly on her back twisted slightly with her head, “… Then, may I ask when you will return?”

Finally getting a better grasp of the intention behind Minerva’s words, Gaius understood that she was fearing to be left without any of her masters around. She had after all been specifically made to only be loyal to Gaius and Brunus, so it would make sense for her to feel like that. It was the first time Gaius had seen this part of their programming manifest in such a negative way in an NPC’s personality. Something was strange in her behavior. Regarding when he would return, it was not easy to respond. In truth, the more he reflected the clearer it became wars and conflicts were not the only things which had become tiresome for the emperor. For all his talk of destroying his enemies, doing so would be very time consuming and would offer little satisfaction beyond maintaining the status quo. It was a good one yet the effort it was going to take would be massive. At times like these Gaius pondered if he should not be playing one of those erotic virtual reality games where the players could simply live a life full of sexual pleasures and simply get all their worries out of their minds. Impera had implemented many of the same mechanics with prostitutes and concubines, yet Gaius had never taken any of those yet, focused on the war effort like he was. Now that he would spend most of his time in Rome anyway, perhaps he could start entertaining that idea better.

“… Princeps?” Minerva pulled Gaius from his inner deviation with a worried call out. Her important question was unanswered, and it visibly put her in a nervous mood.

“Ahh… It’s… I don’t know how long it would take…” he said, the words coming out of his mind with little care to how they might be interpreted, “I might take a break from Impera for a while like Brunus is doing…”

Minerva took in his words, “I see…” she said. She would not speak for what increasingly felt like an eternity. Was she thinking of something difficult? Or was there simply an error in her scripts like he first imagined?

“… If that must be, then I shall await in the palace until your return.”

She walked out of the room, glancing back at Gaius for a second before closing the door behind her. It likely wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. No matter, he shouldn’t be too worried about what an NPC feels, either way, Divine Legionnaire or not.

He sat on his bed, casually looking over the mirror on the wall. Looking at it, he couldn’t help but think he looked like an evil emperor in a shitty fiction. The one truly terrible man that does evil every day. The dark lord that must be taken down in the name of justice and all there is good. The malevolent force of darkness that would one day destroy the world. The one who the hero would one day defeat and bring triumph to the forces of good. He laughed softly at the idea. Playing the villain had, after all, always been a far more intriguing prospect for him. In works of fictions, he often found himself rooting for the bad guy. He always looked like the one who wanted to change the world and act on his own views.

There was no good, or bad to Gaius, only those with power and the ones without it. If you had power, in whatever form it was, you decided what was good or not. That was the reality as he saw it. Even if he did live in such a performance, he still wouldn’t see himself as bad at all. The hero in his story would simply have been one of the countless rebel leaders he had killed in the past, or many enemies he destroyed. If there ever was such a hero, he was long since dead.

The idea was an interesting prospect. Was he really a villain, what would he do now that he had won? No matter the story, the villain almost never won, and even if they did, the narrative would have been cut short right after he had been triumphant. Furthermore, what did the actual Emperor of the past do once they had achieved greatness? As many examples popped up, the generic answer could be compiled into not much. Everyone had a limited time to work with, and they couldn’t possibly be able, willing and lucky enough to do everything. In their lifetimes, they either died right after their apex or slowly withered away into obscurity as their prime distanced from them.

Was this what he wanted? To simply be a figurehead of his past self, a shadow that only lingered as a product of circumstance? Given the complexity and reality of Impera, to have achieved such greatness Gaius could be compared to many great generals and politicians of the past. His effort in achieving his goals was, after all, the same one that drove each of them.

It could be time to leave Impera and try new things. He knew well he couldn’t simply ignore his real life, and it was about time to get it back on track while he was still at the prime of his youth. Who knows, he might ever write a book about his experiencing in leading the World Conquest. So much drama, violence, and characters were into it that it could make for an entertaining read for someone interested, much like reading about Caesar’s campaign in Gaul or Trajan’s Dacian Wars.

Gaius got up from his bed, walking over to his window. The Eternal City shined in a bright orange as the shades of a dawning sun reflected upon it. Its limits extended as far as the eye could see. The Imperial walls standing mighty and visible from afar. Out of all Virtual Reality games, at the end of the day, Gaius was happy he had chosen Impera. Not only was he able to make a full career out of playing it, but it became his second life. On it, he lived the life of a conquering Roman Emperor, fulfilling his ambition to the absolute maximum. Were this a real world, he would be remembered as a legend. No, something far more than that.

The civilians walked the streets, calmly living their simulated lives. Some players conversed in some corners, probably discussing new tactics to become either stronger or richer. So many different races littered the streets it truly felt like the capital of the world. The greatest city to have ever been, and ever will be in Impera. It was a sign, a reflection, and model of what the empire stood for. One capital city, one empire, one religion, and one emperor. Brunus had asked himself before, but what exactly was he to do now? All enemies had been vanquished, all powers obtained. All territories and peoples conquered, and all ambitions fulfilled. Was a life of constant struggle to keep it all in place truly worth it? After all, how much longer would he play this game for? There is no fun to be had in the traditional sense, and Gaius had no friends he could count to assist in circumventing that problem. Was this what it be to be alone? To have everything, yet to feel nothing? The more he reflected on it, the more he was convinced he needed to head to a brothel.

Gaius’ eyelids got heavier. His shoulders lowered, and head inclined. He had been awake for 20 hours straight, and it showed. Whatever would fix his mood, a good night of real life sleep was needed.

He called onto the menu screen. He couldn’t resist taking one final look at the World Map. Calling on the Map function, a large screen depicting the vast continent of Impera appeared. It was entirely painted in dark red. Every single place, to the smallest of villages, tiniest of islands and most remote of mountains until the great capital itself. When he first launched this, all he saw was a mess of kingdoms, principalities, duchies, and every one of them at war with their neighbors. Back then the population of the game world was far lower, and the citizens lived in far greater poverty. Those days were over, and the empire, the World Empire was now all there was.

His ego satisfied, Gaius closed the map and clicked on the log out screen, but then, something claimed his attention. The UI had a reflective property to it that displayed what laid behind Gaius in the bedroom. There was something that should not be there.

He turned back to confirm, and it was true. The bust of Augustus had a strange item laying on top of it. A green accessory made from leaves. As he approached for inspection he understood what it was. A Laurel Wreath, a decorative military, and cultural headdress awarded to Roman’s of great merit and importance in the past, but most importantly, not an item Gaius possessed. He had different versions of the item in earlier years but abandoned its use once he learned that a helmet was far more important to have. This Laurel Wreath in the other hand was quite sleek and elegant, a true work of art which looked as real as anything could.

Had an assassin put this there to provoke a reaction from him? Was it a present from Minerva or someone else? If it was none of the above, where had an item like that come from? In search of an answer, Gaius dragged his menu screen toward the bust and switched to the function that analyzed in-game items. To further his confusion, the game did not recognize any items there beyond the bust itself.

“What the…” he murmured. It was getting very suspicious. Gaius had never heard of any magic that could trick a user’s own item detection mechanic. The magic spells focused on mind illusions, of which he was a master of never had any such spells. Was it an error? And if it was, is it on the game or just the item, or function?

The suspense was getting out of hand. Gaius grasped onto the item, confirming that it was indeed there. Its green leaves rested upon the stone statue as if it was made to be there. He couldn’t deny it was nicely made. He thought about putting it on, but it would require him to take off the helmet.

He hesitated, yet a new thought arose. If he equipped the item, it was possible the game would then recognize it, and then he would know exactly what it was and who it belonged to. He got his helmet off, getting the Laurel Wreath out from the bust and putting it on top of his short, dark brown hairs. It was very comfortable and much lighter than he first assumed. They rested on each of his ears, circling around the head as a tiara would. Nothing strange came out of it, it was an item which the game failed to identify, even equipped.

He looked into his mirror, a few meters to his right. Upon closer reflection, he might need to cut his short beard a little, as it looked less and less roman as it grew. His purple eyes overflew with the patrician aura he had envisioned when creating his avatar. It was basically just a copy of his real body, save the eye color. By then, he had run enough of a risk. He put back his helmet, on top of the Laurel Wreath. As the leaves were light and frail, there was no problem in fitting it back on.

He dismissed the item mostly. It wasn’t the first time he found items around who players or NPCs might have dropped, or the game spontaneously spawned.

Gaius blinked heavily, his exhausted state more apparent than ever. His real body must have been hungry and thirsty as well. He called back on the Menu Screen and now clicked the logout button with no interruptions or second thoughts. Awaiting his transition back to reality, he wondered what kind of sandwich he would make, and what beer to drink. Leaning his head up, he took one final look at his room before leaving.

“… Hmm?” Gaius murmured.

The log out hadn’t worked. He was still in his Imperial Bedchambers, still immersed in Impera’s game world. He clicked the button again. Another time, and one more after that. None of them produced a different outcome. The disappearing light that called him back to his home never came. It was beyond concerning, but Gaius wouldn’t let it get to his head. Was the game malfunctioning, he had only to wait or contact another player who could help him.

Something else was wrong. The air he breathed was thicker than usual. Polluted and disgusting. He coffed, walking away a few paces. In coincidence, the sound of something burning reached his ears. Was somewhere ablaze, the smokes it produces could have been the source of the foul smell.

He walked to each corner, confirming the scent was present all around. It did not smell of carbon or burned materials, it was simply a corrupted essence, a shallow air devoid of anything pleasant to it. Although the flames still burned somewhere, he distanced the connection between the two.

Where were the fires coming from? When he glanced out of the window, the city was exactly as he last saw it. By then the sun had already dawned and most citizens went back to their homes. No players were abusing Obliteration spells nor had a single street torch been knocked over a pile of wheat. There was no fire, yet he still heard it clearly. It came from all directions, as if surrounding him.

A terrible scream echoed behind Gaius. It wailed in agony as it sent a shiver down his spine. He jumped away from it, turning back with a hand on his hilt.

“W-Who’s there?”

His room was empty, not a soul beyond him on it., only the dark void of his creation and wish. It sounded as if a child was under attack. He would not doubt his ear as the shout was heard with absolute certainty. Perhaps a small kid had found its way into the palace, but even that was even harder to accept. It would take an extreme effort for the most capable and experienced players to even think of attempting to infiltrate the Imperial Palace. The Divine Legion patrolled it always, and even an entire army of tens of thousands would be repelled with easy by their combined might.

Had someone taken pity on a street beggar? There were some individuals among his created NPCs that might have possibly allowed it, but they would have asked for his permission first. In the end, It simply did not make sense.

The scream echoed again, deep within his head. It started a headache, increasing in intensity as time passed. Realizing the sounds were coming from his own mind, he pondered the possibility of having fallen for some Illusion Spell. There were none in the entire archetype that would force a user to hallucinate on a kid’s screams as far as he knew, and Gaius had mastered all the spells of the type. This was something else, and it rocked the emperor to the core.

Gaius set back on his bed, grasping on his head, wishing for the hallucinations to cease. They would not, and the harder he wished them to be gone, the more they entrenched themselves. His muscles fainted, and in an instant moving an inch of his body became a monumental task.

“My… Arghh… What is…”

His heart pounded within him, the beat sounded with such intensity it clouded the fires and screams for a moment. It accelerated, pumping back and up nonstop. It was impossible, his heart couldn’t possibly be beating at all. He was still in Impera, the one thing Gaius was still sure about.

Something was terribly wrong. Gaius panicked and called onto the menu screen once more. It did not appear. With that, the last bases of his reasoning were thrown into question as well. At that moment, nothing was certain, and everything was beyond reason.

He looked in his hand and only saw a blurry image. His eyes squinted, and now he saw as clearly as if underwater in a polluted river. His stomach was empty, lungs shrieking and body decaying. No matter what he did, there was only discomfort, confusion and dread to find.

He fell on his bed, unable to move, think or feel out of pure volition. It was a strangely familiar stance. Far gone his ability to shout for help or look for it on his own, Gaius waited for what was to come.

Footsteps ranged from beyond the door. Someone was walking to his chambers, but by then Gaius knew he, she or it wouldn’t arrive in time. He let out a final breath, closing his eyes and letting the pit of the unknowing consume him. That was his last day, and first.