"Power has the tendency to corrupt and absolute power corrupts it completely."

Lord Akton, 1834-1902, English historian

~•~•~•~•~•~

•Last time•

"Everything is ready?"

Sui-Feng's thoughts stopped abruptly when she heard a heavy male voice from the direction of the garden. At the edge of her eye she saw a group of six soldiers near the lake with Koi fish. They wore white armor and black outfits, while their faces were covered with masks.

"It's strange! Τhey are from the Yu-Hon Battalion. Τhey are supposed to be on a Xing's border mission. What are they doing here?"

Fortunately the pylons of the corridor were large enough to hide its presence and the lighting was limited. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she watched the conversation between the soldiers from a safe distance.

"Yes, everyone has taken their seats, we are waiting for your orders, Soo-Jin sama."

~•~•~•~•~

If there was something that perfectly characterized Kan Soo-jin, then that was his bottomless ambition.

He always chased the perfect, the best, the highest. And, regardless of the method he used, he always took what he wanted.

As the second son of the previous Fire Tribe's Leader, he had no hope of climbing into higher offices. However, through well-organized conspiracies, he managed to persuade his father to deny his big brother and appoint himself his successor.

So, where he had nothing, he did everything.

He was under the domination of a large land, a large army that followed him blindly, the most beautiful daughter of his richest ally as his wife and mother of his two sons, kyo-ga and Tae-jun.

There was only one thing that separated him from the absolute success.

To be King's right hand.

His trusted military advisor.

The mentor of future successors.

And, perhaps with the passing of time, regent.

Even if it did not succeed, it had a second solution.

He would earn enough the trust of the royal family so that a marriage between his sons with the twin princesses would be assured with certainty.

But everything changed that fatal night.

~•~•~•~•~

•Four years ago•

Like all those who were present in the throne room on that day, Kan Soo-jin was quite troubled by the royal words of the Royal Priest.

As much as trying to give a reasonable explanation for the interpretation of the oracle, he did not succeed.

Leaving a light sigh, he turned his gaze to the night sky. It was unusually brilliant compared to the usual nights. And that was not due to the full moon. The source of this brilliance was a red star she had never seen before.

He knew there was a connection to today's events, but he did not understand how.

She really had to stop. So much thinking in one day had already begun to cause him a headache.

He was ready to leave the Palace when he noticed a few yards away. It was Prince Il, who seemed to move away from his particular flats. By himself.

Where to go so late at night?

Taking advantage of not realizing his presence, Kan Soo-jin decided to follow the prince in the hope that he would get the answers he was looking for.

When they arrived at the Temple of the Four Dragons, Kan Soo-jin hid behind the pillars of the central entrance. It would be labeled as a ridiculous hiding place on his part if he had no ally in the dark.

After a long wait, the prince and the priest came out and walked near the garden. Eventually, he would get the answers he wanted. However, instead of the anticipated discussion, the priest silently urged the prince to look at the sky.

What good did they do!?

That made no sense!

He knew he should have followed the prince inside the temple, but he made the choice to keep his presence secret.

Now she could do nothing to listen carefully to the continuation of the debate.

"I know what you think, your Highness. Indeed, there is no such star in the known astral maps."

Suddenly, everything began to make sense in Soo-jin's mind. The answer I was looking for was in the red star that appeared in the sky.

Ηe wanted to learn more.

He had to learn more.

"Why did you bring me to see it?"

"The Red Star stirred the constellations and broke their alignment, which is more than rare, it is unique, a sign of the Gods."

"But what does this have to do with me? My family? My children?"

"There are only two cases in which this phenomenon has been observed," he said. "Today, it was the birth of the twin princes, but according to historical records held in the Temple of the Four Dragons, the first a view of Red Star is recorded two thousand years ago. On the day King Hiryuu renounced his immortality and became a mortal."

No...

He could not have meant...

It was impossible...

"You mean...?"

"Yes, King Hiryuu was reincarnated to your first-born daughter, Princess Yona."

~•~•~•~•~

The memory of this incident made his blood boil with anger.

The Fire Tribe was the masterpiece of King Hiryuu. All in his family were direct descendants of King Hiryuu. In his veins was flowing the divine blood of the legendary king. The mere thought that for years centuries since the founding of King Kouka served royal kings, when it was true that the opposite would have been true, he was going to be rude.

It was then that he made a big decision.

He would take his right of action.

He would inaugurate a new era as New King Hiryuu and lead his race back to its old glory.

In the four years that followed, Kan Soo-Jin focused mainly on strengthening the army's forces, resulting in inequality in the distribution of wealth among civilian and civilian civilians. In addition, she made an absolute order to send young men to Saika, which, if they were, would be strictly punished.

Tonight was the great moment.

At last, he will implement his plan.

Half of the men masquerading as the princes of Prince Yu-Hon headed toward the Temple of the Four Dragons ready to slaughter every priest they found on their way.

The other half masquerading as rebels caused turmoil in the imperial capital, thus giving it the opportunity for the final phase of the project.

The murder of the royal children.

The fact that the wife and son of Prince Yu-Hon lived in the Palace until his return from Kingdom Xing made his plan easier.

By killing all three children, the succession of the throne automatically went into his hands as soon as he had two sons.

Yu-Hon would be sentenced to death for betrayal.

Il would be dismayed by his children's misfortune and may have been dying of depression.

Sui-Feng and Yong-Hi would spend the rest of their lives in a monastery.

And the throne would return to its legitimate owners.

Yes. It was the perfect plan.

He could only smile triumphantly with the air of the winner, giving his men the courage to carry out their mission.

"The great moment arrived, men. For the Fire Tribe and the glory of Hiryuu!"

"Yes!"

~•~•~•~•~

~Next time~