Vaan sat in his palace in the Kingdom of Gold, personally overseeing reports of a minor rebellion stirring in the southeastern village of Serana.
Outside, the soldiers were preparing for a swift campaign. Inside, Vaan convened a meeting with the heads of local security.
At that moment, he had no idea the south had already caught fire—quietly.
---
That very night, far from the palace, on the borderlands of the Kingdom of Peace, the isolated nation of Wei moved.
A secretive southern realm, known for its cunning warfare and fluid, elusive army—Wei had waited for the perfect moment.
With Vaan's forces concentrated in the north and west, Wei struck.
They crossed the border like a shadow and invaded the royal palace of Lorien with surgical precision.
Queen Nerine had been attending civil meetings in the capital, unguarded, unexpecting.
They seized the palace by night. The guards hadn't even risen from their beds when it was over.
She was taken—silently.
And left behind, in the grand hall, was a single message.
Written in an ancient tongue:
> "The white rose is always plucked first."
---
At dawn, the news reached Vaan.
At first, he didn't believe it.
Then he read the note.
He turned toward Seth and Kaiden. The silence between them was heavier than steel.
Then, suddenly—
Vaan crushed the goblet in his hand, shards cutting deep into his palm as blood dripped down his wrist.
His voice tore through the room:
> "They took her... and with her, they took the last piece of my heart."
Seth stepped forward, cautiously:
> "We can act wisely—plan our response—"
But Vaan cut him off.
His voice was fire, pure and untamed:
> "No.
I will not plan.
I will not rule.
I will burn the south to its roots—
City by city.
Not a single tree shall stand.
Not a soul shall walk away."
---
That night, the sun vanished from the emperor's eyes.
Whatever mercy, discipline, or reason had lived in him—was drowned in fury.
He moved at once:
– Summoned every elite mercenary under his banner
– Deployed Kaiden and the Shadow Battalion
– Locked the borders of the Kingdom of Gold
– And sent emergency orders to Leyla to guard Raen, the imperial heir
Then, as he fastened his black armor, he whispered to himself:
> "If she doesn't return to me alive...
I'll bury their kingdom with her."
---
The next day, the first official decree since Vaan's coronation was issued across the empire:
> "Supreme War State declared.
The Kingdom of Wei shall bleed for the Queen's life.
A crown for a crown.
A kingdom for a drop of her blood."