Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

The sound of those two words, Sapphire Swallow, ticklishly caressed a long numb part of my mind, guiding me to rediscover an old memory of mine, one that brought with it the first genuine smile upon my lips that wasn't tarnished by overwhelming insanity and unceasing bloodlust. It was a smile of complete and absolute fondness.

And this alone stalled the air once again in the throne hall, as all who saw this became utterly confused by the sudden transformation within me, causing a great many of them to quietly decide to dig up all the information they can on this previously unheard of trading company, whose mere mention was enough to bring such a smile on my previously terrifying face.

Unfortunately for them, it was not the trading company itself that delighted me so, but it was the mere reminiscence of the one who told me about it that sent me blissfully traversing my way down the lost path of memories that those words unearthed within me. And even though I no longer remembered the exact context of which these two words were spoken, I could never forget the voice of who did.

'Eve, my love...' I thought in amused remembrance 'It seems your foes have found their way to me first in this life. But worry not, I will deal with them for both our sakes before they can stain your precious hands with their meaningless blood.'

And with that thought, the once extinct madness and insatiable bloodthirst I had been emitting reemerged as a sudden typhoon in the clear azure skies, as I reached for Dark Majesty, my ever present companion that rested on my hip.

Everyone tensed as they readied themselves for the coming onslaught, even the woman scrambled to mobilize her power as small wisps of razor sharp wind blades began forming around her small and fair hands, yet before any of us could do anything, the moment my fingers brushed the cold surface of Dark Majesty, Eve's proud voice once again echoed in my mind, silencing even the joyously malevolent roars of the mad tyrant, saying 'I am no charity case for you to pity and aid. I can take care of my own problems, and you better not touch even a hair on my prey's head.'

She said those words to me whenever I tried to eliminate her enemies for her. She was far too proud to let such a thing slide.

'You damn stubborn woman. Even now when you're not even here before me, you still refuse to let me slaughter our enemies that you have marked.' I thought in feigned annoyance meant to hide my happiness, as I argued with the imaginary Eve in my mind.

'Exactly. I destroyed their organization before and I can do it again. Hmph.' She finished with a defiant, yet undeniably adorable snort, that melted the last semblances of resistance I still harbored in my heart.

Smiling helplessly, I exasperatedly thought 'In the name of all the Gods! I can't even win against this woman when she's just a figment of my own imagination! Honestly this is pathetic.'

Sighing, I remove my hand from Dark Majesty's hilt and look the woman in the eyes, as I sincerely say "You have my condolences." Before making my way up to the throne.

Taking my seat, I turn to find the three remaining emissaries still there, gawking at me with stupid expressions.

Incensed by this, I ask with the returned edge of murderous insanity in my dark tone "You're still here?"

Hearing this, the three practically fled from the hall, thanking the gods for their mercy in having survived that absolutely mad demon, whose mood kept randomly switching polarity every few seconds.

Seeing them leave, I turn my murderous gaze back to the gathered men as I ominously ask "Now then gentlemen, would someone like to explain to me how this mess came to pass?"

A sudden and momentary lull came to pass over the hall for a split second, where non dared to move or even breathe, before the twin figures of Isaac and Darius stepped to the forefront and bowed, saying "It was our fault your majesty. We failed you and the empire."

The assembled generals and ministers all looked upon this scene in one of two ways. The ambitious who wished to replace these two unbudging bastions of the empire cheered inwardly with blazing eyes, and those who held no such desires paled knowing the devastating collateral damage that was to come from the felling of these two old and loyal pillars of the empire.

"Indeed you did." I replied coldly, not mincing my words, before asking more specifically "Care to enlighten us how in the name of all the Gods did Zadkiel and the Mercenary King manage to pull off such a feet under the nose of Shade Corps?"

"I... I have no idea." Isaac quietly replied.

"Perfect." I furiously spat out, before turning to Darius and asking "And you Darius. Any thoughts how this happened, when you assured us in the council time and time again that you had the majority of the nobles, especially those in the east under your control and that you even have some of them working as our eyes and ears in the noble circles in the east?"

"I also don't know my liege." Darius responded in the same tone as Isaac.

I said nothing in return, but the rough sound of my fist smashing on the hard armrest of the throne was answer enough.

"We will accept any punishment you see fitting, sire." The said simultaneously.

A collective breath of surprise was sucked in by the men, as they understood the weight of the spoken words. Darius and Isaac were greatly respected and admired men of the state who had served under three separate Eclipse Emperors, and even though I tried to be more moderate than in my past life also became known for my ruthless and often times merciless punishments.

Which only served to further terrorize the ones who craved stability and further excite the hungry, such as Rhett Rukmini, who always dreamed of the day he could finally surpass Darius.

Everyone held their breathe in suspense for my coming words, and I didn't disappoint as I venomously spat "You will obviously be punished." Which caused everyone's hearts to drop to their knees, before I continued calmly, finally giving them some relief "But not right now."

Seeing them looking at me with bewildered eyes, I explain "Your punishments will be postponed until after this crisis is delt with. And depending on your performance will the severity of said punishments be decided. Am I clear?"

Knowing that this is a lifeline I had thrown them, both men quickly grabbed hold and determinedly replied "Understood, my liege. We will not fail again."

The gathered men were no fools, and they quickly surmised that what just transpired before them was a subtle yet powerful play of politics meant to oppose the hidden foes of Darius and Isaac from leaping onto the now weakened Grand Vizier and Grand Chamberlin, while also showcasing that I still held confidence and appreciation in the two men's abilities regardless of what happened. Much to the ire of individuals like Rhett, who felt their long awaited chance slip through their hands. But I didn't care, and if anything I welcomed.

The first reason being that competition is a good thing, and men like Rhett could only ever show the true extent of their skills and talents when they were facing against greater challenges. The second is that despite the two men being technically rivals for nearly two centuries now, they never truly despised each other and their feud always carried an underlying sense of mutual respect and honor that restrained their duels solely to the professional world, with no reliance on any shady or underhanded tactics.

Nodding at having delt with the first issue that needed handling, I instruct the two men to rise and retake their seats, before stealing my gaze at the military officers and announcing "Now then, shall we begin the real meeting."

"Yes, sire." They collectively roared in response.

"I will not sugarcoat my words. We are currently in a disaster that could very well lead to the ruin of our nation." The men all silently nodded their heads in agreement, before I continued "But this disaster stems mostly from one man, and that man is the War Dragon Maximillian and his game."

I momentarily paused to increase the effect of my coming words "But that is also our greatest blessing."

The more seasoned warriors before quickly caught on to what I meant, but those who weren't as experienced still held confused expressions, so I explained "As you've heard from the emissary just a few moments ago, Maximillian has come here to play his infamous war games. Because of that the battle's location, troops count and level, and even the conditions of the entire war can be determined in a much cleaner and more efficient manner than if we were to fight like a normal civil war."

Darius then suddenly chimed in saying "Ah, I see. You plan to set one of the rules to be a single battle and the victor takes all."

"Exactly." I affirm confidently, before further commenting "One battle, one victory and the Maximillian would be forced to back down from the war. And without him the rebellion is as good as over."

"But my lord, what if lord Maximillian refuses said condition?" Horus carefully asked.

"He won't refuse." I assured.

"Indeed. Lord Maximillian is known for always allowing his foes the curtesy of a single rule." Darius added.

Horus and many others quietly breathed out a sigh of relief, before another fear far more difficult to dislodge took it's place. 'Can his majesty actually win?'