Centuries later, Elias sat in a glass-walled office, staring at a digital grid on his screen. It was a life calendar , a grid of squares where each box represented one week of a 80-year life. Half the squares were already crossed out.
Flavius felt the familiar sting of pride flicker and then fade. The silk of his tunic felt smoother, the air crisper, and the faces of his family in the distance more precious because he knew this moment, and his very life, was fleeting. The Modern Reflection Memento Mori
The city of Rome was a sea of crimson and gold. General Flavius, standing atop a chariot drawn by four white stallions, basked in the roar of the masses. He had conquered distant lands, and today, he was more than a man—he was a god. Centuries later, Elias sat in a glass-walled office,