The throne room of Aurelia, the capital of Valesk, was carved from marble veined with gold. Pillars rose like trees toward a ceiling painted in triumphs: gods blessing rulers, angels crowning emperors. Beneath this divine canopy sat a king too tired for divinity.
King Rhael IV leaned into his throne, a subtle slouch showing decades of rule. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest as Grand Advisor Lorimund knelt before him with letter in hand.
"My liege" Lorimund started. "We have received reports from the northwestern frontier. Lord Lior Vardas, has been acussed of burning one of his own villages, Larmod, without trial or warning."
A murmur swept through the court. King Rhael raised a hand to silence them.
"On what grounds?" he asked.
"The official cause is... insubordination of the peasantry." Lorimund hesitated. "But our agents say the destruction unearthed a ruin. Very old. Imperial age."
The king's eyes narrowed. "From the Imperium?"
"Possibly. A subterranean site, untouched for millenia. Vardas has sent no request for counsel, funding, or ecclesiastical oversight. Instead, he's begun preliminary exploration under his own banners."
The king said nothing. His gaze lingered on the stained glass mural behind Lorimund, depicting the founding of the Kingdom. A great war of secession had broken up, the "Shattering Wars", the Great Imperium into a few separate and feuding kingdoms. Although ,almost, no one wanted to remember the days of the empire, its ruins had great value, both historically and for their treasures.
Ruins like these could not be left in the hands of a fading noble line.
Lorimund took a breath. "If I may suggest, sire.. Your son, Prince Kaelen. He's studied imperial archaeology. He's diplomatic, cautious, yet strong enough to hold ground should things turn... unstable."
The word hung heavy in the air.
Unstable.
Yes, that was the fear. Lior Vardas, the last son of a crumbling house, was a name that brought unease among the court's inner circle. Reclusive. Sharp-tongued. Unpredictable. And now apparently prone to fire.
"Send him" the king said finally. "Give him a legion of scribes and a small retinue. I want his judgment on the ruins and on Lord Vardas himself. I want to know if I have a mad noble among my subjects?"
He paused.
"And if the ruins prove valuable, tell Kaelen to secure them by any means."
Lorimund bowed. "As you command."
Two Weeks Later – Vardas Territory
Lior Vardas watched the dust rise on the horizon.
The royal convoy approached slowly, with the quiet arrogance only noble-blooded soldiers could manage. Thirty in total, not a threat, but not quite a courtesy visit either. Their armor bore the lion and star of the royal crest, and at their center rode a figure in crimson and silver.
The prince. The man he had killed in his previous life with no remorse, just a stone more in his way to create a true Kingdom, where no king would reign. Kaelen Aurelian.
Young, but not inexperienced. His posture was perfect, his expression neutral. He looked at Vardas like a man walking into a puzzle.
Lior waited in the courtyard. No banquet. No greeting line. Just him in black and his new steward behind him, holding a half-finished report on the scorched ruins.
Prince Kaelen dismounted with practiced ease. His eyes met Lior's without a word.
Then he spoke.
"I expected something more... welcoming."
Lior smirked.
The prince gave a slow, thoughtful nod. "Very well. Shall we discuss the matter inside?"
The fire crackled between them, casting shadows across the long table.
Kaelen read the preliminary report on the ruins with the eyes of a scholar, but his words were sharp and deliberate.
"A collapsed temple, imperial in structure. Carvings matching the Order of the Dual Dawn. Artifacts embedded in strata predating the Shattering Wars. If this is genuine, it belongs to history. Not to you."
"It belongs to whoever finds it" Lior said "And I found it. I paid for it. In ash."
Kaelen looked up. "The Crown will offer you compensation. Proper money to cover the construction of a new town and a share of the relics. That is generous."
"It is not generous" Lior replied. "It is temporary. Once the Crown owns the site, it will bury my name beneath a footstone. My family will be written out of our own discovery."
Kaelen studied him for a long moment.
And they said this man is a mad man? Ha, I would like to see those who describe him like that... He is just a greedy man nothing more nothing less. Thought Kaelen to himself.
A silence passed like a drawn blade between them.
Then Lior rose.
He moved to the fire, threw in the scroll Kaelen had offered, the Crown's proposal, and watched it burn.
"You want a decision?" Lior said without turning. "Here it is."
[System Notification]
Decision Made: "Burn the Offer"
Trait Unlocked:"The Flame Remembers": When you destroy something valuable, the world remembers. You gain increased notoriety, +1 Reputation (Defiant).
Lior turned back, eyes gleaming.
"You tell your father this: if the Crown tries to take what I found without meeting my terms, gold, full co-authorship, a share of the treasures, and be recognized by the royal family."
He paused for a moment, creating tension, just like the system likes, he thought.
"I will collapse the ruins myself. I will reduce the ruins to dust. Let the Empire's past die again. I do not care."
Kaelen stood slowly. "You'd destroy an imperial wonder."
Lior met his gaze, the firelight dancing in his eyes. "I'd destroy anything if it means my terms aren't met. Especially to you, to the Crown."
[System Notification]
Decision Made: "Defy the Crown"
Trait Unlocked: "Marked by Fire"Your defiance has drawn the attention of factions that oppose the monarchy's rule. You gain +2 Reputation (Traitor), and factions seeking to restore the Empire's former glory now view you favorably for protecting the ruins from the monarch. However, the Crown will not forget your actions. Increased surveillance and political pressure are inevitable.