Prologue

"What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass."

-William Lamb, 2nd Viscount of Melbourne (1779-1848)

He couldn't stand it. Lord Shoukou, now demoted and confined in the bowels of the basement of the castle, otherwise known as the dungeon, clutched the withered piece of straw that filled his bed mat and squeezed. Anyone next to him might have noticed the single drop of blood that spilled over the top of his fist.

The Queen's First Decree was to abolish the practice of prostration. How ridiculous. If people are not ruled by fear then they will start having minds of their own and start to think the kingdom was theirs. Were the gods blind to let her be queen? Was Kei forever damned to have only useless Empresses?

It wasn't fair. The Will of the Heavens, or Tentei, did not exist. If it did, The Queen would have struck him down on the steps of his palace. To leave him alive was a grave mistake for the young monarch. To show him mercy was unacceptable to the people he tyrranized, and unbearable to even himself for the atrocities he committed. To behead him as was his just due, was to fall in line with the 'laws' that govern their world. How silly that a monarch should be chosen by a holy animal, the kirin; part horse, part deer and all benevolence- it was all bullshit.

Lord Shoukou knew it was a mistake to let Seikishi rule. He would topple the Heavens themselves to make everyone see it. What should have been his, what could have been his, and in his mind's eye, what was his due, was abruptly taken by an upstart red-headded girl. He would sell his soul to the devil to take the throne. His throne.

The Queen had not yet sentenced him. He still had time. Lord Shoukou thoughtfully twisted the ancient ring around his forefinger, around and around. The bood red jewel glimmered in the dungeon's torchlight. What did he have to fear now? If the gods were against him, he would perish. If the Queen was to show her power to her newfound people, he would die. The way before him was only death, as it ever had been since he started his war on Heaven. If the devil wanted his soul, why not?

He whispered the ancient incantation, barely audible to anyone guarding him. The blood red ruby began to glow faintly at first, and then shined. It felt hot, scorching a mark on his finger in the shape of a tiny star. He hissed at the pain. Then he heard it. The faint whisper like the voice of a serpent with a forked tongue. It was a voice he had heard once before, when he first found the ring in a little box among his family's many treasured possessions.

Does thou seekest the assistance of my Master? it hissed.

"Yes," replied Shoukou.

And what dost thou offer for my Master's aid?

"My soul, and the souls of thousands once I am on the throne." Lord Shoukou's gaze darkened in a cruel scowl. He dared defy the Heavens once. He would dare it again and again as long as he was alive.