Crown Prince Finn had never imagined he would ever be reduced to such a wretched state.
For nearly the entire stretch from the square to the Black Tortoise Gate, he had been swept along by the fleeing crowd.
His guards formed a ring around him, swords drawn, watching warily for any enemy who might rush out.
The emperor's carriage was not far away, but Finn had no mind to spare for the old man's safety. All he could think about was what had just happened in the sky.
That fellow claiming to be an envoy of the Goddess of Night had suddenly appeared and exposed His Excellency the Envoy, who then seemed to have lost completely in their ensuing clash.
"Damn it, how did this happen...?"
Finn leaned against the wall beside the Black Tortoise Gate, gasping for breath, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
His hands trembled slightly-not from fear, but from the desperate madness burning inside him now that he had been cornered.
His Excellency the Envoy had lost, and Finn's connection to him had already been exposed.
So once order returned to the Imperial Capital, all that awaited him was deposition, imprisonment, or even execution.
It seemed he had no way out.
"No, that's impossible! I saw it in that prophetic dream! I will take that throne!"
Finn snapped his head up, a vicious gleam flashing in his eyes.
He raised his right hand, palm upward. Golden magic power gathered in his palm, then became a dazzling pillar of light that shot into the heavens.
The pillar burst in the night sky, forming a huge sword-and-axe emblem. Even those in the wooded mountains outside the Imperial Capital could clearly see the signal.
"Finn! What do you think you're doing?!"
The emperor's voice came from the direction of