Whispers of a Dead Empire

I walked down the sprawling hallway quietly. The various soldiers in the hallways saluted me before continuing with what they were doing. My mood had already lifted, and it was strange how fast it occurred. It was almost like a whisper in the back of my mind that took away a lot of what was bothering me.

Alessia was next to me, quietly walking, keeping herself about four paces away from me. Ever so close, yet so far away. But sadly, this has to be done. I pulled my eyes away from her and back down the hallway. Torches in scones lined the length of the hallway, casting rays of warm orange light that filled the air.

My mind felt a little hazy today, but I wasn't sure why. Maybe it's because I was tired. It has been emotionally exhausting the last few days, so maybe that was why. Maybe it was a part of the whispers trait still affecting me. I sighed as I walked, trying to get a hold of the flurry of emotions running rampant through me. It felt like it was a perpetual tempest that was cascading through my mind, and there was very little that actually kept me grounded.

"Are you alright, Empress?" Alessia broke the silence between us as we walked down the hallway.

"Just a lot on my mind. Maybe I just need to sleep it off." I shrugged and gave her a soft smile, unsure if I wanted to get into what I was dealing with, at least for now. I just needed to sort it all out, at least before I felt comfortable talking about it, especially with her.

She remained silent for a few minutes as we walked. The sounds of our footsteps echoed down the hallway, filling the air between us. At least until she broke the silence once more. "I understand Empress, I'm here for you when you are ready to talk."

"Thank you Alessia." I felt a tiny bit of weight fall off my shoulders as she dropped the topic. It meant a lot to me that she would give me some space. Silence settled in between us once more as we walked further down the hallway, which I was thankful for since it gave me some time to think. But it wasn't painful silence either. Sometimes it's just nice being with someone.

"Hello, Kharon!" I gently wrapped on the classroom door as I pushed it open, announcing my presence for him. Though it was a bit of a struggle to keep my excitement contained. I pushed the door open and wandered into the classroom. Dozens of empty seats filled the room and sat in a semicircle around the chalkboard, which was utterly barren.

He was sitting in front of a desk with his feet resting on the top of it. In his hand was a book on magical theory that was propped open about halfway through. "Oh Empress, hello." He pulled his eyes away from the book and towards me. "Alessia, it is good to see you awake."

His words felt like they were a little more lively, though that may just be me projecting that onto him. It could even mean that he may be evolving.

"Lord Kharon." Alessia stepped into the room and gave him a slight bow.

He gently clicked his teeth together as he regarded us with eyes that burned like a gentle flame. "What can I do for you two ladies?" He gently closed his book and placed it on the table as he pulled his legs off it.

"Well, I stopped by because I wanted to talk to you about a few things." I glided into the room and sat at one of the empty desks near him while Alessia stood close by.

His teeth quickly clattered together, much like a quiet chuckle as he leaned forward at his desk. "I am always happy to assist you, mistress."

I adjusted my cloak slightly as I stretched my legs out at the desk. A strange sense of nostalgia settled in my stomach as I thought back to my high school days. That all felt like an eternity ago. "Well, I guess my first would be, how are you doing, Kharon? We haven't really spoken in a while."

He rested his hands on top of his desk and interlaced his fingers. He regarded me with what I could only consider amusement. "I am well enough. I'm just here, shambling my way through life the best that I can."

I swore at that moment, that I could see who he used to be in life. He was a suave, handsome man with tousled black hair and a soft smirk etched into his face. His eyes were guarded yet were filled with eternal life and no small amount of mirth.

I smirked at him, and stretched out in the seat, and crossed my arms. "Ah, well, that's good to hear. I'm currently struggling with the whisper trait right now. It's like a constant murmur in my mind, and I struggle to think straight with it. Lately, though, it's been playing with my emotions and making me feel out of whack, especially with everything that has happened here the last few days. A part of me feels relief, the other part guilt, another apathy. I'm just unsure about everything, really."

He bobbed his head as he leaned forward. "Mistress, if I may, it's perfectly natural to feel all that, and it isn't just the whispers trait. As a leader, you need to mourn for losing your soldiers. As a person, it's acceptable to mourn the passing, but to also be relieved to know that their suffering has been relieved. But the biggest thing to realize is that as a leader, choices must be made. However, with those choices comes a certain level of emotional detachment that has to be involved." His words came out in slow, measured cadence as if he were considering the best thing to say.

"So, are you saying that I shouldn't spare them the thought?" I crossed my arms and tried to process his words. Being cold was something I never considered, and I didn't think I had the heart for something like that.

"Not exactly, mistress. Perhaps you are sparing them too much of a thought. The price of the crown is heavy, even more so when you try to shoulder the weight of others." His eyes flickered like a soft flame on the wind as he stared at me. His fingers twitched ever so softly as he spoke.

"I think I understand." I broke my gaze away from Kharon, and it dropped towards the table. He was right, after all. I let my feelings for everyone seep into my mind and affect me. It wasn't wrong that I felt this way for my soldiers or my people. No, I should embrace it, but I won't let that weigh me down.

"Good, now, I know you didn't come down here just to discuss that. What else is bothering you?"

I pulled my eyes back towards him and tried to sort through my thoughts. "Well, I wanted to discuss a few other things. For example, my system seems to be slowly changing. It's something that I haven't really paid attention to until recently."

He pulled his fingers apart and sat back in his chair. "Well, we have to consider a few things. The first is that this is a domain. For all intents and purposes, this is a world within a world. But above all else, the traits that govern this place are rather powerful and seem to sway the system's strength."

"Wait, I don't even really know what the system is. I always just assumed that it was just some sort of computer." It was a topic that I really haven't delved too far into. Mostly, I've been too far in my own world to consider anything else.

"Well, I'm not sure what a computer is, but I can tell you that the system is a purely magical construct that helps quantize and categorize. One of the biggest traits of the system is that no two people share the same." As he slid back, his chair scraped against the ground, and he pulled open a drawer and withdrew a book. The cover was only three centimeters thick and was the color of freshly tilled dirt.

"Wait, I'm the only one who sees the system as a video game?" I suppose I should have looked further into things instead of gliding past them. But really, it was something that I just didn't care about too much.

He clacked his teeth together as he placed the book on the desk. "I have no idea what a video game is, but again, the system only reflects what you perceive it as. For example, I see everything as a book or part of a play."

"I see everything as a message sent or carrier pigeons," Alessia spoke up next to me, and I glanced over at her. She was seated at one desk close by and up as straight as a rod. Her hands sat on each other, and her legs were crossed. She was so prim and proper, and I couldn't help but see her as anything but adorable.

"That's interesting. But why is the system slowly fading away for me?" I pulled my gaze away from Alessia and back towards Kharon.

"Well, honestly, I don't have an actual answer. Many unawakened undead don't have connections to a system, so it's possible that what they perceive is slowly overpowering the domain. I would expect the system to continue to fade, and many restrictions imposed upon you will vanish." His eyes roared for a moment as he gazed off into the distance before they faded once more back into the familiar crimson flame that barely illuminated the abyss within his eyes.

"Hmm, the masses have always held the most power. Seeing it in such a display here is a starch reminder of it all." It was terrifying that the mindless undead masses seemed to have the most power. Their thoughts alone were shaping the domain.

But as that thought went through my mind. I heard a whisper in the back of my mind. One that I recognized as my voice. 'They are but a listless stream with no path or direction. But with your guidance, they can be a flood that wipes away everything on your path.'