I woke up to sunlight sneaking through the tall curtains. The air was still heavy with that lingering scent of jasmine and iron. It took me a second to remember where I was.
The room was quiet, except for the sound of soft breathing next to me. When I turned my head, she was there, asleep, her naked body tangled in the sheets like a work of art drawn by a chaotic hand. Her dark curly hair was messy. Her face half-buried in the pillow and her expression was calm for once.
Hinesia Ahmose Rameses, First Princess of the House of Rameses was right on my bed.
"Another night, huh…"
It was… unexpected, the way she'd turned out. I didn't plan to get close to her but she was relentless. Every conversation we had ended up feeling like a duel and when she wasn't arguing with me, she was usually trying to test me physically and emotionally. Whatever it was, she liked seeing how far she could push before I broke.
So far, I hadn't.
I looked up at the ceiling again and sighed, then reached out and summoned the Masquerade Tablet. The surface shimmered into existence above my palm. It was a rectangular pane of shifting black and silver with faint blue veins pulsing under it.
8:40 A.M.
The home screen floated briefly before expanding into the Outerchat App, and the moment it loaded, chaos filled the air.
[GLOBAL] "Anyone else prepping for the Dawn of Champions? Starts at noon, Flavian Amphitheatre!"
[GLOBAL] "Noon WHERE? It's already past midnight here!"
[GLOBAL] "Bro, this time zone thing is killing me. I'm not seeing people fighting who are at daylight when I'm still half asleep."
I smirked faintly. Honestly, it reminded me of the lobby chats in MoDS when I was still a player. The Dawn of Champions is the first global duel quest of the open-world phase and it started today.
Before I could scroll further, I felt warmth press against my back. A teasing voice brushed past my ear, which was not exactly uncomfortable to listen to.
"Still staring at glowing screens first thing in the morning?".
Two hands slipped over my shoulders, one tracing the side of my neck. She bit me lightly there. It was not enough to hurt, just enough to make a point. I turned the screen slightly, showing her the flood of messages.
"Outerchat is still losing its mind. The summer quest announcement dropped an hour ago."
She glanced at it and scoffed.
"Of course they are. Ever since that stupid chat got enabled, they've been acting like kids with a new toy. Half of them don't even talk about the game anymore. They just gossip."
I chuckled. "You're one of them, remember?"
"I don't gossip, sweetie. I observe."
"That's what everyone who gossips says."
She laughed quietly and rested her chin on my shoulder.
"So, what's the plan, Phaser? What's next for your little faction?"
"I need to make the Null Handmaidens a name everyone remembers. But at the same time, I can't skip the duels. The Dawn of Champions will set reputation for everyone. If I don't show up, people will assume I'm done for."
She made a soft humming sound, her fingers trailing along one of the thorned line tattoos wrapping my arm.
"Mhm… you got hotter after that mutation, you know."
"Hotter?"
"Yeah. Danger looks good on you."
Her words made me exhale through my nose, somewhere between amusement and disbelief. That was Hinesia in a nutshell. She's all confidence and chaos, like she was born in the middle of a storm and never stopped dancing in it. I couldn't decide if I liked her or if she terrified me. Maybe both. She didn't care about control. She cared about power and freedom and yet, despite all her arrogance, she was still here, lying against me like she belonged there.
"You're dangerous, you know that right?"
She smiled against my neck. "You didn't notice, sweetie?"
That's what mornings had become lately. They made me question whether I was still in control or just pretending to be.
"Oh, by the way, Xaessia and Verdamona went back to the Argemenes estate to train. They said they will be skipping the Duel of Champions."
That statement alone was apparently enough to trigger a full-scale, princess-grade meltdown. Hinesia's tone went from sleepy to serious. She propped herself up on one elbow.
"Wait, what do you mean they won't participate? Do you realize what that means, Phaser?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. The main story is supposed to feature Thales and Verdamona as the duo team. But look, Thales is entering solo this time, and Mona—"
The second I said it, I knew. The air around us increased by five degrees.
"Mona?"
I turned my head to look at her, already feeling my life flash before my eyes. Shit...
"She told me to call her that."
Her lips curved in the kind of smile that only spelled danger. Without a word, she lunged forward, hooked an arm around my neck, and started choking me out.
"Why does she get a nickname and not me, huh?!"
"Because she asked!"
"Oh, really? Then call me something too!"
"Okay okay! Uh... Henny?"
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
She froze. Slowly, she loosened her arm and looked at me, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Henny?"
"Yeah, you know… short, cute, easy to say—"
"CUTE?!"
Before I could explain that it wasn't supposed to sound like a farm animal's name, she tackled me again and resumed her strangling.
"DO I LOOK LIKE A CHICKEN TO YOU?!"
I tried to talk but all that came out was a strangled wheeze that probably translated to help. She finally let go and stood up from the bed, fuming, muttering curses that I'm pretty sure would have melted glass if spoken louder. She stormed into the bathroom with a dramatic slam of the door, shouting;
"I'm mad at you! Don't talk to me!"
I lay there, staring at the ceiling. My neck is currently burning and my lungs are on fire, wondering how exactly my life ended up like this.
Why is she like this?
Honestly, Hinesia Ahmose Rameses is one of the most confusing women I have ever met and that's saying a lot considering I've dealt with her sisters, my sister, Verdamona and my own Handmaidens. On paper, she is the first princess of the House of Rameses. And yet, behind all that arrogance and teasing, she had rare moments where she seemed softer than her personality.
Not that I'd ever say that out loud.
I sighed again and summoned my Masquerade Tablet. Might as well distract myself before she comes out throwing shampoo bottles at me.
The Global Chat was a mess, as always. Thousands of Outers from all over Altera Earth were talking at once. The messages were flying faster than my brain could process. Everyone was hyped about the Duel of Champions. Some were arguing about time zones again, others were trying to flex their gold and Pearlesia and a few were already forming betting pools on who would win.
My notifications were blowing up too. People were sending me requests, private messages and group invitations. Ever since the First Act ended, my name had been thrown around the Outer communities like I was some kind of celebrity as Outer_110,635. Not that I minded, but it did get annoying when I couldn't even open a menu without someone pinging me about "team collaborations."
I scrolled lazily through the chat until I heard the sound of running water stop. The door cracked open and Hinesia stepped out, a towel wrapped around her body with steam curling behind her. She glanced at me once and huffed dramatically, pretending she wasn't still fuming.
"Still ignoring me?"
"You called me Henny."
"Yeah, that was a mistake. Sorry."
She folded her arms. "Apology denied."
"Come on Hinesia—"
"Oh, now you remember my full name, huh? Maybe I should start calling you Phaserino or Phasie."
I winced. "Please don't."
She smirked triumphantly and walked past me. For a moment, I caught myself watching her then quickly looked away.
It was weird, honestly. We had shared the same bed countless times, crossed every line imaginable, and yet she still managed to throw me off balance like it was our first day meeting.
She was chaos in a pretty wrapper. She's a literal walking contradiction. She's brilliant, a strategist a MoDS veteran and yet, the same woman who would choke me for saying the wrong nickname.
I watched her pick out clothes from her wardrobe and mutter under her breath.
"Next time you call me a chicken name, Phaser, I swear I'll—"
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't burn the furniture again. The hotel servants were traumatized last time."
That earned me another glare and maybe a smirk.
"Keep talking and I'll make sure you're the furniture."
"Wouldn't be the worst fate, considering how much you abuse me."
She blinked at me, then narrowed her eyes with that half-smile that meant trouble.
"Careful, Phaser. I might just take that as consent."
"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"
"You really did."
The room went quiet after that. I could hear the sound of her getting dressed and me pretending to focus on the Global Chat, though my mind kept drifting.
Xaessia and Verdamona training at the Argemenes estate… yeah, it was probably the best move they could make. The duels would test their combat coordination, but the Argemenes estate? That place broke and rebuilt people. It would push them far beyond what the tournament could offer.
Besides, if Verdamona is really the protagonist of the original MoDS storyline, she would need that kind of training. And Xaessia... well, that dynamic needed time to form naturally. But if I'm being honest, the thought of them training together made me smile. Maybe, for once, the story wouldn't go exactly how it was supposed to. Maybe the Outers could change things.
Then again, maybe I was just overthinking while trying not to get strangled again.
Either way, I had a tournament to prepare for and a princess to keep from committing murder over a nickname.
"Hey, Hinesia," I said, glancing up at her. "You done being mad?"
She paused, fixing her earrings in the mirror, then gave me a sideways glance.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you promise never to call me a chicken name again."
I raised a hand solemnly. "Scout's honor."
She smirked. "Good."
"So, can I call you Nesie instead?"
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Okay, never mind."
Somewhere, I swear I heard the Goddesses laughing.