The crowd's roar from the arena below thundered through the Rameses section but Hinesia didn't flinch. She sat elegantly on the seat, her long legs crossed. A pair of golden bangles clinked lightly on her wrist as she sipped from her iced coffee. Her eyes lazily followed the ongoing duel between two young Nobles who were clearly trying to kill each other for family pride.
Her seat was marked with the gilded sigil of the Egyptian Empire—an eagle spreading its wings over an eye—and around her, several guards stood at a respectful distance. Yet for all that imperial formality, she was alone in the Rameses section.
Or so it seemed. Without even turning her head, she spoke softly.
"Are you going to sit, or just stand behind me like an awkward shadow?"
There was a moment's pause, then the faint rustle of cloth. A man sighed and took the seat beside her. He was cloaked entirely in black. It was not ordinary black, either. It was the kind of deep, shifting darkness that seemed to absorb light. The hood cast his face into absolute obscurity. To anyone else, he would have been invisible even in broad daylight, but not to her. His voice was low, refined and touched with a strange calm, like someone who had seen centuries.
"How did you even sense me? Most people would not notice me even if I stood right in front of them. I spent years perfecting Occultare."
Hinesia smiled faintly, swirling the ice in her cup.
"I'm from the House of Rameses. We practiced the Xana Arts before Ceresei even existed. Your Occultare has a faint distortion at the shoulder region. You hide your presence well, but not the air displacement."
He chuckled under his breath. "Good to hear that from the infamous Princess Hinesia Rameses. You've lived up to your reputation."
"Infamous? I prefer influential."
He didn't respond, though she could tell from the slight movement beneath his hood that he was smiling. Hinesia leaned forward, retrieved a sleek black suitcase beside her chair, and placed it between them.
"Let's get to business before the next match starts. You're not the only one with limited time, Zero Ecliptarch."
The man's fingers brushed against the suitcase's biometric lock. The moment it clicked open, a soft blue light spilled out. Inside were several crystal drives and small data prisms and floating holograms projected from them. The man's posture shifted slightly as he skimmed through the images.
"This is everything from the destroyed research facility in Siberia."
"Yes. Every file, decrypted and organized. You'll find everything there. Thankfully, the director of that facility was a very important figure in Russia. I suppose you already did your research, didn't you?"
He gave a low whistle.
"We did, but I didn't think anyone outside Ceresei could recover this much. Even the intelligence units of most Houses would failed to locate a single shard. Now then, what does the Eidolon Saint want in return?"
"Three things. First, Ceresei will maintain a strong alliance with us. No underhanded politics, no subtle infiltration of our ranks. When the world tilts, I want the Egyptian Empire to stand beside you, not beneath you. Do you agree?"
He nodded once. "Reasonable. And the second?"
"When you take over the Russian government, you'll maintain friendly ties with us. Trade, research, security with no shadow operations or hidden spies in our ministries. I'm aware of how you work."
There was a slight smirk beneath the hood.
"You're well-informed."
"I make it my business to be."
"And the third condition?"
"Ceresei will not harm me or my family in any way. Not directly, indirectly, not through manipulation, assassination, or political coercion."
He paused, considering the third choice.
"A curious demand."
"Not really. You and I both know what Ceresei is capable of. I'm not naive. You're planning to reset the world's hierarchy. Fine. Do what you must. But if you touch Rameses, we'll burn your operations from orbit."
His cloak shifted, perhaps an amused shrug.
"That borders on insubordination, Princess."
Hinesia gave a small, graceful laugh.
"Call it precaution. I'm doing what's best for my people."
"You're bold, for someone who isn't the heir."
"I am supposed to be the pillar of the bloodline. I don't need a crown to have power. Have you accepted all the conditions?"
Silence lingered between them for a moment, broken only by the crowd's roar as one of the fighters in the arena fell to his knees.
Finally, the man agreed.
"Ceresei accepts your terms."
"Good. Then we're partners."
He began to stand, the cloak folding around him. She couldn't sense him anymore even though he was behind her. He had already fixed his mistake in seconds.
"Anything else, Princess, before I vanish into legend again?"
She crossed one leg over the other.
"Yes, actually. If you're planning an attack on Rome today, put it on hold. The Empress has eyes everywhere now. She's paranoid and after what happened last month, she has every right to be. You'll lose more than you gain."
He paused mid-step. "Why warn me?"
"Because Ceresei is necessary. Chaos balances the scales of civilization. And besides, I'd hate to lose an interesting conversation partner before the next act begins."
The man gave a quiet chuckle. "I owe you a debt, then."
The air shimmered faintly and the cloaked figure simply vanished. Hinesia exhaled softly and leaned back against her seat. She took out her sleek smartphone from her bag. She scrolled through her contacts, found "Tall Idiot Sweetie" (her private label for Phaser), and tapped the call button.
After a few rings, his voice came through.
"That was fast. Did something happen?"
"Relax, I'm still alive. Hey listen. He's not an Outer."
There was a pause. "You're sure?"
"Positive. I used the Three Questions Enchantment you gave me. He passed, which means he's not like them."
Phaser exhaled softly on the other end, relief clearly audible even through the faint background chatter of the VIP section he was sitting in.
"That's a relief. If he was one of them, things would've gone downhill fast. He'd have had information about MoDS and probably caused more chaos than help."
"Exactly. Thankfully, he's rational. And he accepted all terms. When Ceresei finally decides to appear in full force, the Egyptian Empire will be safe, unlike the story's original outcome."
Phaser chuckled. "Yeah, the Zero Ecliptarch breaking his word would have meant an apocalypse and a half."
"Pretty much. He won't break it. He's getting too much from us. He can't afford to lose that kind of ally."
Phaser hummed thoughtfully. "Still… I'm curious. How strong is he?"
Hinesia looked out across the arena for a moment before answering.
"Stronger than anything I've seen in a long time. He hides it so well you'd think he's harmless, but no. Not even my father, not even the best Fluxers of the world could do more than injure him. He hides his Xana signature like it's part of his soul. When I pointed out a flaw in his Occultare, he fixed it in seconds. Seconds, Phaser."
There was a low whistle from the other end.
"Guess I'll pass on annoying him, then."
"Smart choice. But you'll be happy to know something else. He's actually shorter than you."
That earned her a quiet laugh. "Shorter than me? Huh. So the Zero Ecliptarch doesn't loom as much as I imagined."
"Barely comes up to your chin, actually. But don't worry, he makes up for it in creepiness."
"I'll take that as a win."
Before Hinesia could make another witty remark, she heard Phaser's voice soften on the other end.
"Hey, careful with that— no, not that one— okay, fine, you can have the last piece."
There was a giggle, unmistakably a child's.
"Who's that?"
She already knew the answer but she was feigning ignorance with that gentle hint of jealousy only she could pull off. Phaser's tone changed completely. Gone was the dry, calculating man she was used to. His voice was gentle.
"It's September. She's eating all the sweets from the snack tray. I told her she'd spoil her dinner, but, well—"
A small, triumphant voice came through faintly. "I won't spoil it! I'm big now! Hey brother, give it back! I was eating it!"
Hinesia actually smiled despite herself. "I can hear her. She's adorable."
"Yeah, she is. She's sitting on my lap watching the tournament. I think she's cheering for the guy with the silver armor. Check the arena."
"I'm looking."
She followed his words and turned her gaze toward the massive screens showing the next duel. The announcer's voice boomed, echoing over the amphitheatre.
"Entering now… Thales Erdict!"
The crowd erupted.
The platinum-haired warrior strode into the arena with golden armor. Hinesia's lips curved upward.
"Well, well. This is going to be good."
"Perfect. Let's see how strong he's gotten since last month."
On the other end, she could hear him talking gently again with the same low, patient voice she never heard directed at anyone else.
"Hey, September look, that's my friend Thales. Remember the guy I told you about?"
"The one who is as strong as you?"
"Yeah, that one."
Hinesia leaned her cheek against her hand, listening with a small, almost imperceptible sigh. There was something so disarmingly gentle about him when he spoke to children.
"You know, you sound awfully happy with her around."
"Of course I am. She reminds me that not everything has to be heavy, you know?"
"Yeah. Lucky kid."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Just... I'll see you soon."
"Yeah. I'll call you after the next match. Don't get in trouble."
"I'll try. But you know me."
"Exactly why I said that."
Hinesia lowered her phone after she hang up, staring at her reflection on the dark screen for a long moment. Then she sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair.
"Great. Now I'm jealous of a five-year-old. Fantastic. At least I'm better."
Somewhere in the distance, the crowd roared again as Thales' blade lit up the arena with dazzling blue light but Hinesia barely looked. Her thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in the quiet space between jealousy and fondness. And as the noise around her swelled, she just muttered.
"Honestly, what kind of Radiance Princess gets jealous of a child calling her fiancé 'big brother'…"