Emperor's Reckoning

Tuey stood in front of the palace where the two guards were before they joined in the fray below. Her glance was at the black knight who was kowtowing tightly against the floor despite the roar of battle happening below. She took a gulp before she walked up the stairs and approached him. She felt worried against him even though she knew the latter was not in mortal danger.

She gulped before she walks past him and looked at the front before her body felt an enormous shock that stilled her tail for a second. There was a chariot that was being carried by four magnificent stallions with their majestic mane fluttering. Her instinct told her that they were dangerous but the eyes that were on the animal were nothing to be afraid of.

Though she was very interested in them, there was nothing more interesting than the young man who closed his eyes on somebody else's throne. The red carpet might be spiteful, the chandelier might be gone, the wall was cracking and nothing but cobwebs could be seen on the ceiling, his bearing alone made all of them insignificant.

Tuey squinted her eyes against the young man on the throne as she thought (W-why? I mean How?! how can he sleep at a time like this?!).

"But still, I can't believe that in under a week, he already attacked two behemoths," muttered Tuey as she smiled wryly.

"Hmm??"

She could feel something light fell on top of her tilting head before she grabbed it. (Feather?) thought Tuey before she immediately darted her glance from it to the source that was above her. Her eyes immediately opened wide before she unintentionally let out a shriek. Her butt fell with a thud as she looked up and gulped her saliva.

"W-what is that?"

Another feather fell as it danced around in the ways that the wind told it against.

"Angel..?" thought Tuey.

She shook her head before she darted her glance back to Lyon (Older brother, you must have something to do with it, right? It must be right, otherwise why would you stay here?).

"But still," Tuey looked at the magnificent chariot with a gleam of hope. (I hope I can ride it one day, it must be nice to ride something that luxurious once in a while, but whose chariot is this though?).

Looking back at the black knight who was kowtowing without even moving an inch she contemplated before asking, "Mr black knight, why don't you get up?"

The black knight, of course, couldn't answer her question and could only grit his teeth. He already gave up trying to get up. His position as the commander of the empire was nothing but a joke in front of the young man that was sitting on the throne of his emperor. He was not deaf and he could hear the roaring battle below. The rise of the demi-human had started and he was doing nothing but kissing his knees and forehead against the floor. His men needed him and he couldn't be there for them.

Tuey smiled wryly, "I have a huge feeling that you are kowtowing against older brother, but really you should give up, he doesn't care. He is asleep."

(What!) the black knight was screaming inside his brain as he couldn't believe what the little demi-human just said. The pressure that he currently feeling was coming out from a young man that was sleeping.

"Stop messing with me!" shouted the black knight before he stood up.

"Ah? Why are you shouting?!" reprimanded Tuey.

"H-huh?" the eyebrows under the helmet rose in surprise before the eyes looked down at the floor. He was clenching and opening his hand to make sure that the pressure he felt was totally gone.

"Why don't you answer my question?"

Reich didn't care what the little lady said as the bizarre view was presented in his vision. He knew the throne room was lackluster, but he didn't remember the old emperor having a chariot and four grand stallions that were towering high.

He gulped before he noticed that a thing was floating above his head. It was covered by feathers and the outline made it shaped like a crystal. (What the hell is that?)

"Hoaam..."

Lyon suddenly yawned before he opened half of his eyes before he rubbed them.

"Oh you finally awake older brother," said Tuey with a smile on her face.

Lyon furrowed his eyebrows (Man, my sleep didn't even last ten minutes). He squinted his eyes as he looked at the one talking to him, "A talking dog?"

"How mean!!" Tuey pouted as she crossed her arms and put her face away with a snort.

Lyon smirked with a nod, he knew exactly who he was talking to.

"Where is His Majesty?" asked Reich.

Lyon shrugged his shoulder before pointing at the thing that was floating above.

"What did you do?!" asked Reich frantically.

Lyon crossed his leg, "He said that you know his situation, Little Yoji's situation."

"Kh!" Reich clenched his hands and didn't deny what he just said.

"Do you know why he was waiting for me? Do you know how did your emperor survive and didn't succumb to insanity after such fate?" asked Lyon before he accidentally broke one of the armrests on the throne with his grip.

"His loyalty..." Lyon muttered before he closed his eyes slowly took a glance against the thing that was floating and covered by thousands of feathers. (I might have forgotten you Little Yoji, but you didn't forget me nor the Tetragram Chariot).

"Do you know the difference between a loyal man and a slave man?" asked Lyon as he approached one of the stallions and daringly rubbed its head whilst combing the mane.

Reich was taken back by the sudden question but with so much thing going on around him, it was hard to think of an answer.

Tuey contemplated before she offered her opinion, "Will?"

Lyon smiled and nodded, "Will! A person who serves because they wanted to and a person who serves because they need to live."

Lyon looked at the black Mytrhil helmet before he asked, "Are you loyal or are you a slave?"

"What are you talking about older brother? Of course, he is loyal, I mean, he even got out of his way to pick you up, right? Mr. black knight?... Mr?" her voice turned low at the last word as she saw how the helmet was facing down.

"Who are you loyal to? Who are you a slave to?" asked Lyon.

(W-why... why can't I answer such a simple question! It's loyal it's LOYALTY!) screamed Reich in his mind yet the word stuck on his throat and refused to go out.

"Aaargh!" he shouted before running away from the throne room under Tuey's surprised eyes. "I thought he was the silent type, but he screamed a lot in the end," the latter said.

The black knight jumped from the gate before shouting, "Stop it this instance!"

"Fat chance!" shouted Malik as they met midair before making quick contact with their fist.

"Malik! What are you doing?! You are destroying the empire!" shouted Reich.

"No, I'm changing it, into something that the emperor always wanted it to be," said Malik.

"But the law!"

"Fuck the law!" shouted Malik before both of them clashed.

The battle was enough to make the innocent bystander scared, now two giants were going at it too.

The two of them grabbed each other's hands as they glared at each other. None of the knights dared to assist the black knight and none of the demi-human dared to assist the ex-commander. They had no place in such a fight.

"Open your eyes, Reich!"

"Ghhhaaa!"

The two of them were pushed to several steps from each other before they furrowed their eyebrows.

A huge shadow crept up from the port before swallowing the battle to a stop. The prince who was lying on the broken road forced out a smile with blood kept pouring out of his mouth.

Malik let go of his stance before crossing his arms with a smile on his face, "Here comes the big fish."

"Ah, older brother look!" said Tuey as she pointed out at the sea.

"Hmm?" Lyon came over before he stood before the opened gate.

Hundreds of ship that was twice as big as the one Reich brought to The Andro Kingdom was sailing on the sea against the Cefralin Empire. One special ship was bigger than the others and humans could be seen standing from the deck.

Lyon smirked before he crossed his arm, "I didn't think that there would be this many, a quite spectacular thing for your comeback don't you think?"

The four stallions neighed at the same time before they raised their hind legs in excitement. The Tetragram Chariot finally felt a battle was approaching, not children's quarrel like the one on the road.

A batch of feathers suddenly fell and dropped to the floor, revealing a smooth right foot.