The Imperial Palace was a grand structure at the heart of the capitol. It sat on a hill overlooking the sprawling city around it that led up to a massive wall separating the Inner District from it. Further out, the massive defensive wall of the Inner District could clearly be seen all the way from the palace.
Brilliant gardens were in many of the outer courtyards draped in purple, white, and back decorations. Precious herb gardens were heavily defended by acolytes of the Alchemy Guild deeper in the outer courtyards. Massive walkways lined by pristine white pillars allowed sunlight and moonlight to spill onto the paths entering into the palace.
It was an awesome sight for any newcomer and a welcome respite for the nobility that had to visit the imperial court. Once one passed such pretty decorations, the true palace awaited with maze-like corridors lined in violet and black carpets. Plants brought a variety of greens, whites, and other colors on potted pedestals along the edges.
The whole palace felt alive to the people walking and working within it. Far below those grandiose areas, however, was what all places of power held, the dungeons.
Even here, however, the impression of imperial power was not spared. Formations of humbling power reduced even a Diamond Tier World Realm to a mortal within its confines. Chains and collars existed to produce a similar effect but required at least an Iron Tier to make them work for any length of time where the dungeon was fed World Stones to function.
There was, thankfully, not much use for the imperial dungeons over the millenia. There had been war prisoners of a certain rank, but overall, the Empire had never had a person of such august rank qualify to be locked up in the last 10,000 years that it became a mark of pride how loyal people were to the Emperor.
Sadly, there was a prisoner there now.
A beautiful young woman with back length violet hair whistled a somber tune to pass the time in her cell. Her once solemn air of authority had been completely shed for irreverence. Jia Teng had actually enjoyed her time in the dungeons.
Her normal life was full of travel and constant paperwork followed by short bursts of action. For a cultivator passing 200 years old, she enjoyed action far more than paperwork. Being freed from it was a liberating experience she did not realize she needed. The lack of company was not solely due to the faith in the formations, but because there was a real chance a guard would set her free.
The 3rd Princess role was adored by the masses and the guards often rose from common origins. The few royal guards were the only nobles that worked that way. It was also because the guards were all at peak Soul Realm at best in the dungeons thus there was little they could do to stop her if she wanted to leave when the formations were shut down.
Jia would never do that. She had known the consequences of her actions before taking the first step, but she would not change the past. A youth with dark green eyes flashed in her mind and she smiled.
"You should be in the Ruins by now. Don't disappoint me young man." Sylvia had uncovered a lot about his time in the Frey Clan that gave real hope. He had an impressive mind and a hard work ethic without the arrogance cultivators seem to pick up with alarming easiness. She knew fools that had gone far on their cultivation journey as well, but karma could often catch them up.
Jia suddenly tensed as she felt the restrictions on her slightly loosen but then the playful attitude evaporated as a strong pressure filled the dungeons. She was at the Iron Tier regardless of restrictions, so there was only 1 person in the Empire that could make her feel pressure.
She took a knee in her simple clothes given to all dungeon prisoners. White shirt with cloth pants and slippers made it so nothing could be hidden from the guards. Footsteps echoed in the chamber, but she did not look up until the feeling of pressure stopped in front of her cell. She did not raise her head until she heard a familiar tired sigh.
"Why did you do it my former sister?" Jia looked up into the youthful face of a man who clearly resembled her. His faint violet hair matched well with his bright blue eyes. Unlike normal, there was only a look of exhaustion on his face. Jia was about to quip when she realized they were not alone.
There was a lavender colored man right behind the Emperor that made her heart freeze. This was not just any demon but a peak Gold Tier World Realm. The emblem of 2 blades crossed over each other in black stood out on the light blue robes on him and his bright yellow eyes seemed to pierce her soul. A royal envoy of Darkmoor!
"I had to protect the honor of the Empire, my Emperor." She meant every word and strangely the demon smiled at her words. "I also uncovered far more corruption than we realized in the Southern District. I had to address the massive injustice put upon the Frey Clan in more ways than one."
The blue eyes flashed in frustration at her official tone but the Emperor said nothing and looked to the envoy. Clearly, this visit was at Darkmoor's request. What had prompted their involvement? Jia waited but the next words nearly made her fall over.
"Altair put in an official complaint about the…modification…of their 2nd Prince. Normally, given a broken treaty, this would not be an issue, but the fact he has sired offspring that are competent cultivators triggered our intervention." Jia felt her blood go cold. They could not possibly be serious! The girls were barely property to Altair and only 1 of the boys was useful to the Kingdom of Altair. The youngest one could not possibly be of interest to anyone save Jia, herself.
"The Reagent, due to the passing of his Majesty and the First Prince of Altair due to–accidental–hunting incidents needs legitimate heirs." Jia nearly jumped to her feet to scream but refrained as she saw the Emperor frown deeply. Clearly, they were on the same side here.
"As I explained before coming here, they are citizens of my Empire. I will surrender them unless they wish to go." The demon smirked at what was clearly a message meant for Jia but she narrowed her eyes. Why had they come here? What reason could they come here for?
"I read the reports. The Frey Clan, until recently, treated 3 of them as less than gnats from what I gathered. The 1 exception was due to his mother's decent alchemical ability and some rather harsh secrets. Is that how you treat your citizens, junior?" Jia saw a vein pulse on the Emperor's forehead but she was truly confused as to why the demon had come here. What was the reason for involving her?
"Senior, may this junior ask why involve this criminal in your conversation?" Jia was never one to mince words and jumped to the heart of her curiosity. Her direct question made the Emperor stare at her but the demon smiled. He then strode forward and looked at her and she felt the real pressure of this expert.
Same tier are not always equals in cultivation. Techniques for foundation building and elemental tempering can produce vastly different qualities. Even though the Emperor was a mid-Gold Tier, the demon envoy made the Emperor feel like nothing. The Darkmoor Kingdom had the best techniques not only for demons, but humans as well. Their experts were not to be trifled with by anyone in the Lotus Empire.
"You are involved, dear junior, because based on your reports, we will likely have to disappoint the Altarans at this time." Jia was even more confused now. Darkmoor, despite being ruled by demons, valued honor highly. It was one of the few points at which even the Saint Kingdom could not fault them. If Darkmoor made an agreement, they would honor it faultlessly.
It did make one paranoid, however, looking for any clauses in a contract with them as if someone missed covering a possible loophole, the demons would find a way to abuse it. The conflicts internal to the Darkmoor Kingdom, for instance, were encouraged to promote strength, but if a power violated the code of honor the royal clan held dear, a ruthless expedition would set forth to settle things quickly.
The peace between the Lotus Empire and the Kingdom of Altair was due to the betrayal of official rules of war that all powers under the demons must adhere to. Altair had annexed a slice of the Empire but rather than build it up, they razed it to the ground and used the citizens that could not escape as entertainment.
What a power did with war prisoners was their business, but common citizens are to be nurtured by the power ruling over them. Darkmoor kept a close eye on heavy conflicts and always quickly acted if someone went too far. Altair had been deeply displeased with their intervention, but the Lotus Empire breathed a sigh of relief.
Thus, as Jia was stared at by the envoy, she felt true fear in her soul for the first time. An envoy of Darkmoor would not willingly break a contract with their subordinates without a very good reason or accepted alternative. She was unsure why they were so deeply involved until she recalled the earlier conversation.
The Kingdom of Altair was in a precarious situation. The King and his chosen heir were dead without any further heirs aside from the 2nd Prince currently held hostage by the Frey Clan. According to the oaths of loyalty, the Darkmoor royal clan would be obligated to indeed return existing heirs to their respective powers, but they were not prisoners of the Lotus Empire! It was a loophole!
"How may I serve the Kingdom?" Jia knelt to the envoy and asked the question the demon had been waiting for. The whole farce of a conversation was to lead her to volunteer. The demons could not force her to do anything, even as a criminal, due to how subordinate powers are in charge of punishing her, not Darkmoor directly.
"You are worthy of your title, 3rd Princess. Altair has become something of an embarrassment and we would like to deliver a message that they can no longer have their way." The envoy then channeled his Qi into the cage and it clicked as it unlocked. The flood of Qi into her body felt wonderful but she did not move. An approving grunt came from the demon.
"To preserve honor, a sacrifice must be given. The Altarans want their heirs that rightfully belong to the Lotus Empire. Thus, something else must be offered." The demon stood over her but Jia did not move. She knew what was coming. Only a single regret passed through her mind and she did not wait.
"May I ask for 1 indulgence before the end?" Jia's tone was steady and the demon stayed silent. No promises, but he was going to listen. "My best person, Silvia, should be assigned to her royal highness. That is my only request."
"Stubborn fool!" The mumbled words warmed her heart from her Emperor but the demon's flow of Qi fluttered briefly at her request.
"Truly, you are far more honorable than that pathetic Kingdom combined. May you have a better journey in your next life." Jia closed her eyes and awaited the end. A sudden sharp strike to her stomach felt cold before all the Qi in her body exploded outward. Pain ripped across her body as she realized how this was going to happen.
Her dantian had been destroyed, so her cultivation was falling apart. Her 2 centuries of life began to ravage her body as it became so heavy and every joint flared like a sun in pain. Breathing became so laborious that she was unsure if she could even stay conscious but something kept her awake as all of the Qi finally left her body.
A severely wrinkled, curve backed, and frail looking woman now lay on the bottom of the dungeon cell where the proud princess had once been. The demon then bowed with deep respect to her before he turned from the cage.
"She only has a few days left, that is the only mercy I grant you." The Emperor weakly nodded as the demon then moved off. Once they were alone, he gently sat down and embraced the woman that had been his only solace on many days of difficult decisions. His wives were mostly political with a few loved ones mixed in, but no one knew the true horror of the height of the Altaran War like Jia did.
"You were supposed to watch over my children yourself. Damn you for leaving me behind like all the others!" Tears flowed down his face. These would be the last tears he could shed for his family from before he became Emperor. Jia was the last one alive.
Far away, inside the Ruins of the Lotus Academy, Lind Frey felt the token in his pouch suddenly change. It lost all luster it once held and seemed to lose a vitality he had barely noticed before. A sudden pain in his heart was inexplicable but he put aside as there were still 2 weeks to go.