The cold vacuum of space was, well, very cold. At least, that’s what I initially felt as I blasted Caesar and myself into space.
I immediately started to black out as soon as the asphyxiation began, watching Caesar float helplessly and in a panic as he died too. Terror filled his eyes as he clawed at his neck. There was no power on the earth that could defy the cold, unfeeling reality of space.
The Orb of Morpheus glowed on Caesar’s hip as he died, its power starting to fade as the seconds in Caesar’s life counted down to zero. Amidst the chaos of my tired mind, I realized that space would be the perfect place to dump the dream orb, as no one would ever be able to retrieve it. Ever.
Though my choice to lightning-launch us to space was lethal for me too, it was well worth the cost. Antiquitus would finally have rest, as I would soon.
My body, having been up for ten days, decided to finally give up. The smothering cold of space was the final pulling of the plug.
Caesar died first. The panic in his eyes turned to sheer hatred as he looked at me one last time, before finally devolving into loss. Though I couldn’t hear what he muttered, his trembling lips looked like they whispered Julia as his life was taken away.
Whatever he said, I’m sure I would be able to ask him in the Underworld which we were both being forced into. At least this time, I was not afraid to die.
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live,” Marcus Aurelius had told me so many times before. And finally, despite starting off as a nobody, I had become a somebody. I defeated a menacing dragon, became a gladiator, fell in love and became a father, defeated hell so that I could save the world.
In the end, I had become a man of consequence.
The struggle had been worth it. Somewhere deep within me, I gained wisdom experience for the realization, but I was too cold and close to death to read it.
And so, for the second time in Antiquitus, my heart stopped as I drifted in the quiet nothingness of space, beholding the galaxy of stars before me. But this time, instead of the red text telling me I was entering the Underworld, the red light took on a different form. At first I thought it was just the stars flickering as my life gave way. But those stars started bleeding red, and they moved. At first they looked like a tidal wave of burning stars without form, drawing near to me. As they got closer, they took on the shape of what looked like an arm, and then, a hand. The bleeding-red hand of stars closed around me, surrounding me in a glorious display of red stars. The other stars in the far distance seemed to be moving now, and there was a slight tug on my dying flesh. Caesar’s corpse started to drift further and further away.
As my consciousness faded to black, the last thing I saw was the red stars directly in front of me forming into two very large eyes. My mind was far from contemplating what I was seeing, but one thing was absolutely clear as I died. Those intelligent eyes squinted, as if finding something darkly humorous.
And with those red eyes watching me, I died.
Rest finally had its way with me, and I was her most eager customer. For ten long, excruciating days, I had fought a civil war. I had achieved tremendous power and performed the impossible. And now, in death, I could rest forever. I would still have to fight my way to Elysium after waking up in the Underworld, but even that was far more preferable then the trembling, incoherent mess I had become after my encounter with Tanit.
Camilla, Marcus Aurelius, Decimus, Bulla Felix, and hopefully Gaius would be waiting for me there.
There must have been a slow processing speed of my death, for my entrance to the Underworld felt like it was taking forever. Eventually though, a bright light formed in the darkness, most likely the fires of the first ring of hell.
Please, I prayed somewhere in the darkness of my soul as I waited to enter the Underworld, whichever god is protecting Cleopatra, please protect her.
But as the light grew brighter, it took on a vastly different shape. The light took on a soft, heavenly glow, more of a yellow and warm candle than the searing fire of the Underworld. Everything was a blur at first and very disorienting. Time seemed to skip around like a broken record player. Several times as the light took on more and more shapes, and angels moved about in front of me. They had very beautiful eyes, dark with eyeliner. They hummed as they worked, the melody a pleasing song to my soul. I was still too much of a tired mess to understand who they were or what they were humming, but it was the most lovely thing I had ever heard.
Was I in Elysium already? That would be much preferred, rather than having to wait in line a hundred years with Julius Caesar to chat with Charon.
The beautiful angels disappeared, and my mind succumbed again to rest.
Much, much later, my mind felt like it was truly waking up. The biggest indication was the freight train of pain that slammed into my brain. My mind ached in every way imaginable, as did the rest of my body. It felt like I had been working out for two weeks straight, with zero rest in between sets and now just experiencing the lactic acid and soreness all at once. If I couldn’t see the luxurious room forming around me, I could have sworn that I was burning to death.
Is this hell? I thought, surprised to hear my inner voice after what felt like an eternity in limbo. Am I dead?
The blurry room had taken on more shape as my senses returned to me. A golden light from the morning sun illuminated the details of the room. I was laying in white linen sheets, on a dark wooden bed frame that looked exquisitely carved and decorated with scenes of Hercules and other men of repute. Hanging on the wall was my obsidian black armor set, completely restored as if it hadn’t suffered a fall from the heavens, glowing with enchantments. On one side were my golden-red Pilum of Mars and Achilles’ Spear, while the other sported my Gladius of Julius and my Praetorian Flameblade. My Tome of Infinite Tomes lay on the dark dresser beneath it, along with the rest of my gear and a couple of freshly brewed health potions.
I was in my old room, in Domitian’s Palace.
And there, standing at the foot of my bed, was a large man wearing a white toga.
“Jesus?” I said, trying to understand the tall and strong man who was preparing some sort of steaming drink.
“Who?” a familiar voice said. The man turned to look at me with a cup in his hands. “If you are referring to King Arthur’s god, then no, I am not him. But, I am your friend.”
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His deep voice and friendly smile became immediately clear.
“Titus!” I said, my voice sounding like gravel as I spoke.
Titus smiled, handing me a cup of what smelled like fresh brewed coffee. “I figured you might want some of this when you awoke.”
“I can’t believe it,” I said, shaking my head as I took the hot cup of coffee. My body felt weak and deflated. I was definitely going to need a lot of coffee. “I’m alive. How?”
Titus frowned. “You don’t remember?”
I shook my head, sipping slowly on the drink. Heat and caffeine flushed through me the moment it trickled down my throat. “All I remember was a bunch of red stars coming together at the end as I died in outer space.”
System Message: “You know, it’s polite to say thank you when someone saves your life.”
The red letter notification completely took me aback. Titus didn’t appear surprised as it appeared before me.
And then, it all clicked.
“You saved me once I killed Caesar?”
System Message: “Oh good, I was beginning to worry that your intelligence would have dropped after the severe brain damage you took from not sleeping. I am pleased to see that I for once was incorrect.”
I was too happy to be alive to care about the System’s malevolent sense of humor.
I lived!
System Message: “Don’t be too cocky now. I only saved you because I technically owed you from your Underworld quest. A promise made, a promise kept.”
The old quest from forever ago appeared, along with a bounty of rewards.
Quest Completed: Maximus’s Inferno
“Well well, Emperor Maximus, you actually did it. Not only did you descend into the depths of Tartarus and defeat Death himself, but you also won a civil war against Julius Caesar. Sole ruler of Rome, savior of the realm, and wielder of the most excessive tactics in history. Raising dead armies, flooding volcanoes, and hurling Caesar into the cosmos—truly, you’ve redefined overkill.
“Enjoy the throne while you can, Majesty.”
Rewards:
* Your Pathetic Life: You’re welcome for saving you from sub zero space. I technically owed you.
* Item: Cloak of Morpheus (Dei)
* Description: This ethereal cloak shimmers like a mirage, its fabric constantly shifting between deep indigo and soft silver hues, as though woven from the night sky itself. Crafted by Morpheus, the god of dreams, the cloak grants dominion over the boundary between waking life and the dream realm. Wearing it fills you with an almost intoxicating sense of power, as whispers of ancient dreams and forgotten memories hum faintly around you.
* Armor Rating: 50
* Durability: Forever
* Effect: Activate to enter the dream realm for up to 10 minutes, becoming intangible and immune to physical attacks while in this state. Can interact with dream constructs and influence the dreams of others. Cooldown: 1 hour.
* Weight: 1.2 kg
* Worth: Priceless
* Item: Persephone’s Bloom (Dei)
* Description: A mesmerizing flower that seems to shimmer between two states—its petals radiate vibrant golden hues of life, while its core emanates a soft, silvery glow reminiscent of moonlit shadows. The bloom is eternally fresh, exuding a delicate fragrance that brings to mind both springtime meadows and the solemn silence of the underworld. Gifted by Persephone, the goddess of life and death, it embodies the duality of creation and destruction.
* Durability: One Use
* Effect: Fully heals the user or a chosen ally of any mortal wound, illness, or affliction, even those deemed incurable or caused by divine means.
* Weight: 0.1 kg
* Worth: Priceless
* Sole Emperor of Rome
* Stamina (+1,000): lvl 21 (60/220)
* Stamina is now 250/250
* Strength (+508,110): lvl 323 (3,040/3,240)
* Intelligence (+50): lvl 10 (0/110)
* Wisdom (+10): lvl 5 (10/60)
* Wealth: Imperial Treasury
* Title: Hero of Rome, Imperator Augustus Maximus, Jupiter’s Champion, Pluto’s Phoenix, Maximus the Great, Gladiator Champion, Cyclops Slayer, Mercator, Dungeon Diver, Conqueror of Cetus, Minotaur Menace, Tyrannicida, Giant Bane
* Glory (+2,047,480): 2,058,290
* Level (+246): 329 (1660/3310)
* Skill Points (+246): 246
The insane amount of power and glory revived me. Whatever I was wrapped in completely busted to shreds as my muscles grew in tremendous size from increasing my strength. Even the coffee mug I was drinking from shattered at my excessive grip strength. The flood of stamina felt like an injection of caffeine straight into my heart, totally eliminating any fatigue.
Titus opened his eyes wide in surprise, looking away while he grabbed some towels to wipe the coffee off the bed and to cover me.
“You took down an army,” Titus said, handing me my gear one at a time as I stood up on completely restored legs. “I could see it, though I was under Caesar’s control. You looked like a god.”
“I felt like it,” I said, strapping on my new Cloak of Morpheus that shimmered like a dream. The leveling up made me feel like I had weeks of rest, completely restored.
Thoughts of rest brought up a sudden panic.
“Wait, Titus, how much time has gone by?”
Titus picked up the last shards of my mug. “Three days. Why?”
Three days.
“Have they found Cleopatra and Sporus?”
The confusion on his face answered for me. “We have been searching everywhere for them.”
A sudden spike of fear jolted my heart. Three days without food and water would lead to certain death.
I didn’t waste any time explaining as I summoned my Pilum of Mars and activated my Lightning Pilum ability from the clear morning sky, while simultaneously grabbing two of the health potions on the table nearby and my Praetorian Flameblade. In a heartbeat, I shot off to the Carthaginian Dungeon.