Chapter 8: The emperor, the Box, and a few more surprises

I was sitting at the mahogany desk in our dark-shaded living room, arms crossed in front of me, staring at the Box. Every time I looked at it, I was overcome with a strange feeling: I never knew how it worked, but this lack of knowledge troubled me the least. Some illegal, truly weird and pretty ancient chrono-technology. Usually, I myself look into it and turn the handle, I see my yesterday there, and at first, I used it a few times when I was tormented by grief or trying to solve a puzzle, but unreliable technology quickly bored me. The main thing is what we figured out when Theo looked into the Box.

Of course, it wasn't exactly Theo. It was another iteration of Theo.

Funny, but despite the vividness of all my memories—I remember events from three hundred years ago as if they were my vacations from a few years ago—I don't remember our names in any of the reincarnations—only the present ones. No matter how hard I try, the names of our past selves slip through my fingers like warm sand on Zios, evaporating like a morning dream. I can look them up in outside sources, but even then, I can't remember them.

It's only natural. The Empire was not known for preserving history, and I seem to be both a mockery of the Empire and its quintessence at once. Propaganda replaced memory, distorted facts, carefully edited the past. But the real history still existed. And I knew that somewhere in the forbidden archives, there was what interested me, and perhaps Osmond's finding would bring me closer to it.

But first—an important task—to get my Emperor back.

The Box. As soon as the Emperor starts turning the handle and the slides come into view from within, he always sees something that convinces him to believe in my common sense when I start telling my story. Although he refuses to describe what exactly it is—perhaps this emperor will finally reveal this secret to me?—the main thing is that it just must work.

I finally saw Theo on the threshold. He entered, still in his military uniform, and the first thing that struck me was how worn out he looked. A dark mark of dust stained his collar, his half-unbuttoned jacket wrinkled as if it had been grabbed by the sleeves. His hair was messy, his movements slow and heavy, and dark circles had settled under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for several nights in a row. His gaze slid across the room.

I sighed, feeling the tension grow.

"We need to talk," I said immediately, not giving him time for unnecessary questions.

He sighed.

"Mira, not now."

"Now."

I could see that he didn't want to, that he was irritated, that his thoughts were occupied with other things. Yet he sat down across from me, albeit reluctantly.

"You need to know something. Promise you will just listen. To put it simply, first."

I took a deep calm breath.

"This isn't the first time we've ended up ruling the empire. We are reincarnations of eternal rulers. That's... briefly, but before answering, let me show you something."

Theo looked so beaten, as if on top of his misfortunes and suspicions, a crazy lover had been added. A lover? I still hoped for being his lover, not just his odd Consort.

"What's this?" he finally asked when I opened the Box before him.

"Look."

He reluctantly raised his gaze and stared inside. I held my breath. And nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Theo sighed, sharply closing the Box.

"Is this another one of your games?" his voice was icy.

"You don't see it?"

"I don't see anything, just vague and foggy pictures of some corridors. What the hell am I supposed to see in this toy that beats the damn rebellion in our streets with urgency?"

My heart chilled. This was impossible. Past Theos always saw something. Always.

Theo glanced at me, clearly squeezing out the last bit of patience, but didn't get a chance to say anything—there was a knock on the door, and without waiting for a response, Uncle Orion entered. He looked a little better than Theo, although considering his age, his face had sagged more from lack of rest.

"Urgent report, Your Grace," he said, and his usually calm, measured voice was tense.

Theo clenched his jaw, slid a glance over me as if questioning whether I would run away, and without saying another word, walked to his office.

I was left alone.

I knew this conversation wouldn't be easy, that he, tired and irritated, would hardly believe me right away. But I had few options. The Box hadn't worked—it was the first time in all seven lives I've had it. Let's recall how I managed before the Box—I wasn't very successful, but somehow I managed to convince him. Well, almost. But I had more time then.

I walked over to the window and closed my eyes for a moment.

In all my past lives, there was one thing in common—dreams. They were never enough to make anyone suspect the truth, but they always appeared the same. Other planets. Unfamiliar landscapes that later turned out to be terrifyingly familiar. A feeling of loss and déjà vu.

If Theo also saw them...

When Theo finally returned, he flung his watch on the table, unbuttoned the top button, and stared at me expectantly.

"Anything else?" he threw shortly.

I took a breath.

"Do you have dreams, do you see dreams at night?"

Theo glanced at me.

"What dreams, Mira?"

"Not ordinary ones. Other places. Other planets."

He frowned.

"Mira, have you lost your mind?"

"Just tell me," I tried to speak calmly, though the tension tightened my chest. "Have you dreamed anything like that?"

Theo sighed, rubbed his face with his hand, and sharply reclined in his chair.

"I sleep four hours a day, and half of them I'm woken up by sirens," he said dryly. "If I saw anything in my sleep, I don't remember."

But I choked on my question, "But have you had odd dreams before coming here to rule this foolish place?" because just then, an explosion rang outside the window, and glass shattered.

Immediately after that, an alarm signal blared from inside the Tower. I saw drones appearing in the sky outside. They were being shot down right in front of the windows, and explosions lit up the dark sky. I had a terrible feeling of déjà vu—before the shields… It had happened a lot.

We ran into the corridor and descended a few floors to the hall next to the Council chambers. There, Amalia was already in full uniform and weaponry, Orion, Lucian, Victoria in a fur cloak thrown over her woolen pajamas, and more security officers.

While everyone was assessing the situation, Victoria approached me, and before I could say anything, she leaned over and whispered quietly:

"I'm your true friend, no matter how you think otherwise."

Was this about the fact that she accidentally exposed me in front of Theo regarding last night? Or something else? She subtly handed me a small pouch and disappeared into the crowd. I put it in my pocket; it was light, silky, and rustled slightly under my fingers.

So, the miner rebels might have breached the shields to let Their drones through.

It was reported that a rebel cell was uncovered in the observatory. Theo didn't hesitate.

"Destroy it to the ground."

I froze.

"Theo, wait…"

But he wasn't listening anymore. I wanted to object, to scream, to explain that there might be Osmond's artefact there, but for the first time in a long while, I was too afraid to argue with him.

Then he went to hold council again. Closed doors. Amalia, Lucian, Uncle Orion. I waited.

When he came out, his face was even more severe. He said to me, without even looking:

"Pack up. We're flying to Orbiskarne. Now."

Orbiskarne. The mines. Damn, this looks like some kind of trap.

The communication running through the narrow channels of the empire, like a thin thread that can be snapped at any moment. Everything transmitted through it moves at the speed of light, but behind that speed stand numerous threats. The Empire only relies on a few proven paths—each of them, though seemingly reliable at first glance, is actually an open artery for Them, and technically, they can intercept any transmission. Of course, they are watching.

Important matters that require complete trust are better left for personal meetings. Personal meetings—in this world, the most unpredictable and at the same time reliable. Therefore, from one side, Theo's desire to fly to the miner planet personally is understandable, but from the other, where are the guarantees that at this time it's acceptable with the level of danger? But I'm definitely not getting any explanations now.

And about the observatory… I can only hope for Amalia. As I was returning to the stairs with Theo and the guards, I managed to catch a glimpse of her and look into her eyes for half a second when her slender silhouette in the captain's uniform didn't hide behind the backs of the security guards.

"By the way, Octavian will be flying there too," Theo threw as he was already at the door.

I froze. Octavian. Theo's brother.

That was the last thing I needed.