Sweat clung to her skin like dew on glass. Her nightshirt stuck to her back. For a few seconds, she only stared at the ceiling, her pupils wide and heart hammering against her ribs, as if she expected the ceiling itself to collapse and swallow her.
"Ego… requiescere amplius debeo," she muttered in a low voice.
But rest was something the gods had stopped giving her months ago. She turned her head toward the floating tablet that materialized at her bedside. The display flickered, adjusting its hue to the room's dim lighting.
It was 5:59 A.M, one minute before dawn. Aurelia Aurea Augustus sighed quietly.
Ever since she arrived in Altera Earth on February 14th, she had awakened at precisely 5:57 A.M. every single day. No matter what time she went to bed, no matter the exhaustion from training or late-night war council meetings, her eyes always opened at that same cursed minute as if the sunrise itself whispered her name. The sun was climbing over the horizon now, slicing a golden line through the blinds and staining her olive skin with molten light. She sat upright on the bed, rubbing her temple with a frustrated groan.
That was when the voice spoke in her head.
"You should get used to waking up like this, you know."
"Shut up."
"Rude. You shouldn't even be talking. I'm the one doing you a favor by existing in there."
Aurelia glared at nothing in particular.
"I took over your body when I was transmigrated by the Flux Goddesses. That's not a favor."
A low chuckle echoed through her mind.
"Florence Patience Heart, the Goddesses have made a mistake."
"Don't say my full name like that. You sound like my executioner."
"Oh, please. If I wanted to execute you, I wouldn't be sharing your dreams. You know what this means. We're integrated. You and me will never separate."
Aurelia groaned, dragging her hands down her face.
"Aurelia Aurea Augustus," she said, emphasizing every syllable with disdain. "You have my body, my name, and my mornings. The least you could do is let me breathe. You, my dear 'Dark Aurelia,' can enjoy the backseat for a while."
That title made the voice gasp in shock.
"Dark Aurelia?"
"Mhm. I'll be Aurelia. You'll be Dark Aurelia. It suits you, doesn't it? Brooding, moody, and eternally complaining."
Dark Aurelia's fists clenched against the sheets.
"Get out of my body, Florence."
"Can't, unfortunately. The Flux Goddesses bound us when they threw me here. And since now I follow the Goddess of Combat, you should probably stop whining and learn to coexist."
"Coexist? That's what parasites say before they eat their host."
"Oh, dramatic. I like that. Keep it up for the crowd later."
Aurelia walked to the wardrobe. The room was like a Roman palace with, polished white marble, golden inlays.md a single wall of glass revealing the awakening skyline of the palace. The city stretched beneath her in geometric precision. As she reached for her robe, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.
She stopped. The reflection that stared back wasn't entirely hers.
Her copper irises glowed faintly with twin white rings circling their centers. Her long and slightly curled ginger hair, shimmered with streaks of sunlit copper. Her skin had deepened into a flawless olive hue, the kind that seemed sculpted by dawn itself.
Dark Aurelia sighed wistfully inside her mind.
"Honestly, you should be thanking me. You look divine. I am sure your real self wasn't this beautiful."
Aurelia touched the glass, frowning. "You really think transmigration is luck?"
"Well for you, yes. You got promoted from a dying human world to this. You got stuck with me, so… you tell me."
Aurelia let out a breath that sounded more like defeat than annoyance.
"So, today's the start. It's July 3rd, the day the Duel of Champions begins. Two and a half months of 'summer blood sport for honor and merit.' Sounds poetic until you see the death toll."
"Oh, don't be so gloomy, Florence. It's tradition. Besides, it's where legends are made. And this time, you are one of them."
Aurelia rolled her eyes. "You mean we're one of them."
"A difference in semantics, but sure..."
Aurelia grabbed a comb and began straightening her hair.
"You can take over during the speech. I'll handle the rest."
There was a long pause before Dark Aurelia answered.
"You would actually let me take control? Most Outers would rather met me rot in their subconscious pit than share control with their original owner of their body."
Aurelia's lips curved slightly. "I'm not evil. And I can't afford to be. If I am—"
"—You'll try to kill me?"
"No. You'll try to kill me and we'll both die. Balance, Dark Aurelia. It's all about balance."
For once, Dark Aurelia didn't respond. It took a few seconds for her to sigh deeply.
"Fine. I'll do the speech. We'll make it work, Aurelia."
Aurelia gave a faint, humorless laugh. "Good. At least I don't have to feel left out in my own body."
The Duel of Champions had begun.
And for the first time since her transmigration, Aurelia Aurea Augustus and the Outer who stole her fate were in perfect, dangerous sync.