The day the Roman Emperor found Jamie, she hadn't meant to break the law. Not on purpose. She'd stolen a loaf of bread from the store, hungry, desperate. She didn't even notice the tiny cameras watching, the ones that had been put up a year ago, before anyone knew how quickly things would change. The world had become different. Dangerous.
There were whispers of a figure, a presence, that judged the world's every crime. If you broke the law, no matter how small, you were punished. No one knew how the Roman Emperor had come into power, only that his judgment was swift, and his punishments brutal.
It wasn't until the sirens started wailing that Jamie even understood she was in danger. The air seemed to press against her chest, suffocating. She thought she heard a voice, but it wasn't human, not really. A thud echoed from down the alley. The shadows seemed to grow deeper. That was when she saw it—the black armored figure.
It wasn't a man. It wasn't anything she'd ever seen. His armor gleamed as if freshly forged, black and gold, an intimidating design of Roman-inspired relics. His helmet was blank, smooth, no eyes, no face. It didn't speak, but Jamie could feel the pressure of its presence. The air turned thick with dread, and her heart pounded, each beat making her feel weaker.
The Roman Emperor walked towards her, slow, deliberate. Jamie backed away, feet scrambling on the cracked concrete, but no matter how fast she moved, he closed the gap. She stumbled, her hand pressing against the cold brick of the alley wall as she slid to the ground. Panic overtook her. She tried to scream, but her voice was lost.
The figure loomed over her, still silent. And then, without a word, it raised its hand. A crack split the air, like thunder.
Jamie gasped, her body stiffening, waiting for the blow that would end her. But nothing came. The silence stretched on, longer than she thought it should. Her pulse hammered in her ears, each second dragging on. The Emperor's hand hovered, then slowly moved toward her chest.
The sharp, cold metal of his finger touched her skin. The force was unbearable, a pressure that sunk deep into her body. She gasped, breath stolen from her lungs.
"Thief," the voice finally came, deep, like a drum. "You have been judged."
Jamie wanted to scream. She wanted to beg. But the words didn't come. She had broken the law. That was it. That was all she had done. It didn't matter that she was starving. It didn't matter that she hadn't meant to hurt anyone. The law had been broken, and the Roman Emperor saw to it that no one escaped.
The air was hot now. The ground beneath her feet vibrated, as if the world itself was punishing her. The Emperor's presence became a force she couldn't escape, a force she couldn't fight. He was everywhere, and nowhere. A sound like a hammer rang out again, splitting her mind, crashing through her thoughts.
Her hands shook. Her vision wavered. There was no escape. The Roman Emperor would not leave her be. Not until the punishment was complete.
"Please..." The word was a broken sob.
The Emperor paused. He lowered his hand, and for a moment, the silence grew louder than anything she had ever known. Then, he spoke again, and his voice carried a finality that swallowed the last remnants of hope.
"You were a thief. Now, you will be made to understand the law."
Without warning, the ground cracked open beneath her, the very earth parting like a wound, dragging her into the void. She fell, but it wasn't falling. It was more like being swallowed whole. The cold consumed her, eating away at everything. She could feel herself being torn apart, each piece of her body violently unmade.
And as her world broke into pieces, the last thing she heard was the sound of the Emperor's footsteps fading away.
The streets remained quiet. The punishment was complete.