--Profus City, The Empire of Arcadina--

.

It was the beginning of Autumn, and the sun was still as brilliant as a bright lantern, casting hues of vivid glows on those beneath it.

The gently cold winds gave a short contract to the sun's warmth, as it ensured that many already wore sweaters or autumn jackets while going about their day.

The city was bustling and loud, with people on the streets moving back and forth nonstop.

Their footsteps were uneven and chaotic, and their voices were loud as well.

"15% Off! 15% Off!

Buy your Baymardian mirrors for 15% off!"

"We have Winter coats here for 10% off!

Buy your winter coats now before they return to their original prices later."

"You're looking for watches?

Say no more!

This right here is the latest set of watches that just arrived this week."

"Yes! We have what you're looking for, madam.

We have the Queen-sized mattresses here!"

....

The whole place was busy, as the city itself had transformed quite a bit over time.

A chubby, well-rounded man stood on his balcony, listening to the yells and exclamations of those within the market square.

His estate was nowhere near the Market Square, but the boisterous noise from the square could be heard right from his balcony.

Of course, he couldn't hear their conversations.

All he could hear were high pitches from far away.

He had been out of Profus city for just 8 months, now that he was back, he almost didn't recognize the place.

What the hell was going on?

What he hated the most was change... In other words, power shifts.

Baron Cain held his balcony railings coldly.

He blamed Alec Barn for everything!

One had to know that on Alec's journey to Baymard, he stopped here.

Now, Profus City was 2 months away from Baymard and 2 months and a few days away from the Capital city on horseback.

It was the midpoint between the two destinations.

In fact, Profus city was seen as one of the first cities one would reach, indicating that they had just left the central regions and entered the western regions of Arcadina.

Of course, if one used another route, maybe to the North-Western parts and so on... They would find another city that marked entry into the western regions.

So there were other cities lined up around the perimeters of the Western Region that indicated that one had just left the Central, North or South regions of Arcadina.

Some left the South to go to the West, and some let the North.

All in all, many cities and towns had been marked as the entry points into the western territories.

And Profus city was one of those cities.

.

Anyway, Alec had literally stopped by, seized his men, took some of his weapons and gold and headed out.

Now, because of the threat that Alec left, he knew that once the bastard returned, he would be killed.

So Cain fled all that time and hid in the home of one of his lackeys, 2 cities away from the Capital city.

If Alec wanted to find him, the last place he would think of was anywhere near the Capital.

So he wasn't worried about being found out yet.

That said, he stayed there and was shocked when he got news of Alec's execution.

But the thing that didn't make sense was the timing it all.

There was no way that Alec would've been able to travel from Baymard to the Capital city that fast, unless he could magically appear and disappear.

In the end, he finally believed that the person he saw back then wasn't Alec... but Alec's stand-in.

Dammit!

To think that a mere stand-in had oppressed him.

The bastard, Alec Barn, had never left the Capital at all!

He had confirmed this again and was very sure of his results.

So after making sure that he was alive, he finally took 1 month, 3 weeks and 2 days to get back here.

But now, the power has shifted.

.

At present, even though he borrowed knights from his lackeys, it still wasn't enough.

Why?

Because the brat that he didn't put in his eyes, had used this time to change things.

Heh.

That brat inherited the title of City lord after his father died 6 years ago.

But all this time, Cain had been suppressing him within the city.

But who would've known that the best had just been buying his time, waiting for the right opportunity?

That's right!

The 20-something-year-old brat used this time to bring his forces into the city, gain supporters, even went as far as befriending those within the neighbouring towns and cities that Baron Cain had also suppressed during his tyranny

F***!

It was as if the death of Alec had made everything go wrong!

Since then, nothing had been going his way.

On his way back to Profus city, he found that one of his secret hideouts didn't seem to be so secret anymore.

Judging by the amount of blood and destruction, Cain was sure that his men were either dead or had fled.

Who could have caused this?

What he didn't know was that months before he arrived at the hideout... out of boredom, his men tried to rob Death and his entourage when they were heading to the Capital to help William clean things up.

And the results were as such.

Death played with them in their own territory, making the regret ever stopping him.

But, all this was still a mystery to Cain.

Now, he had just one more hideout far in the East.

Damn. It would take at least 7 months for his secret letter to reach them and another 7 for them to get here.

One shouldn't also forget the time it would take for them to prepare and set out.

So was he going to wait for a year more to begin his plans?

No! He couldn't.

The more he waited, the stronger his enemies.

He had waited almost all his life to separate the western regions from the rest of Arcadina and turn it into an independent empire.

And now that Alec was dead, how could he miss such an opportunity?

If he didn't act fast, things would get even more out of hand.

All the people he oppressed were teaming up and lurking around him in the shadows.

So the moment they confirmed that he didn't have as much power as they thought he did, then they would act!

Sh**!

He was in trouble.

Countless thoughts flashed through his head as he struggled to come up with a solution for the matter.

And soon, his eyes lit up.

He had been putting off the invitation he received because accepting it would be too risky.

But now, it seemed like he had no other choice.

It was time to join the 'Brotherhood.'