Chapter Text
The screams finally stopped. The pale moonlight filtered through the stained ornamental windows, spilling its light over the pool of blood slowly gathering together, the origin being the several severed heads clustering around the place.
Golden hair shone in the night, the azure of his eyes unnervingly calm. The Roan Kingdom had changed hands, a new king had risen.
A mad king.
The news had taken the whole kingdom in storm. Rumors circulated, first disbelieving. They were, however, quickly convinced when a blade was drawn squarely into Duke Orsena's --- the arrogant noble on a mission to 'convince' the new king --- chest, killing him immediately, did the population started believing it.
And with it came panic. In a few hours time, the city's streets were deserted, the Imperial Guards that were supposed to assure their safety patrolling the streets, anyone daring enough to step out of their abode promptly taken care of.
Their new king demanded lockdown of all activities in the city and everyone had to obey.
The nobles outside Huiss City started meetings, several of them, trying to piece together why that Prince would suddenly go crazy and murder the entirety of the Royal Family, most of the maids and guards hadn't been spared either.
They came up with plans, and after perfecting it thoroughly, decided to take back the Capital first, investigating the cause after.
But oh they had been wrong. He didn't give them the chance to even reach Huiss, coming right out to meet them.
It was a gruesome sight, watching the bodies pilling up with flashes of a cold sword light, illuminating the dark night. At that moment, he was the devil incarnate, azure eyes cold and unforgiving.
At least to Einer's eyes, that was so. The arrogant noble had been spoiled all his life, knowing no boundaries. He had foolishly requested to be let on the envoy departing for the capital, already seeing himself watch the so called tyrant lose his head.
His mind was blank, watching with shaky eyes as the nobles who had all joined this procession wilted down one after the other, while the private armies they had raised were being slaughtered by the Imperial Guards, disregarding their own injuries. It was a mess, a night bathed in blood and Einer, without surprises, found himself soon quickly losing life.
The Tyrant glanced at him then, as he was dying, and he saw it. A flicker, and the golden hair turned brown, the dazzling azure eyes lost their color to settle into a deep amber.
He isn't a Crossman---?!
That was his last thought before his consciousness faded. Funny thing, the Tyrant just looked away, fiddling with the necklace around his neck with a calm demeanor, however soon ripping it off when its disguise uses didn't flick back to life. He didn't need it anymore.
The Tyrant settled his gaze over the dead bodies piled around, the screams of terror of the private guards soon melted into the night. Behind him came a set of steady footsteps, soon ceased and a thud as the Imperial Guards' Captain knelt at his master's feet.
"Your Majesty, all of them had been taken care of." The Captain's gaze didn't flick upward, keeping his head lowered. If one looked closely enough, his eyes were blank, with not an ounce of stir, akin a puppet brought to life.
A soft hum acknowledged his words, the Tyrant's vision taking in the uniformed Imperial Guards standing in rows across the wide plains, standing between the corpses of those they were fighting moments ago.
All of their eyes were as dead as their Captain's.
"Let's go back." The Tyrant's voice fell, mellow and soothing, like a whisper of love and affection and everything bright. Pity it came from the one hated and feared as a mad king.
The army rode back to the Capital and soon news about the Rebels' --- as was dubbed by the hopeful people --- tragic demise, their bodies left to rot in the wild.
There were a lot of smart nobles in the Roan Kingdom. There were those would could appease the King when it mattered, those who could skillfully take sides and benefit from it to the maximum and then there were those who were average but with a strong intuition.
Deruth Henituse was one of those. He already had some insights into an upcoming war, was starting out to begin preparations, even speculating when it would reach the Roan Kingdom.
What he didn't, and couldn't possibly, predict was the descent into madness of that Prince whom he had a high regard of. That Prince, whose personality was slimy yet clearly genuinely cared for the people had turned into the feared and hated Tyrant, the warm Crown Prince unable to be discerned anymore.
When he first learnt the news, Deruth thought his information channels had gone wayward, who knew his channels couldn't comprehend the situation either. The disbelief had turned into puzzlement, caution and a hint of unease.
It was even more ridiculous as the previous King's birthday celebration was just a two days away, and yet the man himself had been killed by the son he neglected.
The plan to have his eldest son go to the Capital for the celebration was hastily cancelled and Cale was called back to the territory, fortunate his entourage hadn't departed from the Puzzle City, making it just a simple turn back order for him to come back to Rain City.
Deruth still harbored a lingering fear, he couldn't accept the thought of losing his eldest son.
Fortunately. Truly fortunate.
Deruth sighed, setting down the newest report about Huiss City's total lockdown and information cutoff. Now, no one knew what was going on in the Capital.
Even the spies from the various kingdoms on the Western Continent were uprooted, Huiss City truly was in the absolute dark.
And quietly, the mad king started another massacre. A pity no one outside the city would know.