It is quite contradictory, the nature of kingship, wouldn’t you say so? It is not few those who, being kings or queens, are admonished for their tyranny, cruelty or ruthlessness once their rule is ended and their subjects are freed from the binding known as fear. On the other hand, nothing but praise and admiration is reserved for those who are seen to be virtuous, generous or merciful in the eyes of their subjects. A benevolent and just king is much preferred to a capricious tyrant, no matter where we go, or who we ask.

Why is it then, that the road seems so much easier for those tyrants compared to those who are just? The king who allows himself the option of silencing or even killing those who would defy their will find it much easier to make that will a reality. Many merciful kings have lost their thrones to enemies or former friends to whom they showed mercy. On the other hand, the living have never lost anything to the truly dead. Does that mean that simple cruelty is the one sure path to the Throne? I say it is not! For there is also no shortage of scoundrels and evil men who vied for the Throne to satisfy their greed and evil desires, but ended up broken, bloodied and dying at its feet, looking up to a better man than they sitting on the throne.

The Throne does not yield to the strongest most cunning, most cruel or just man, dear sister. it yields to the one who fervently, in the depths of their heart, truly desires to sit upon it the most. Then, armed with that sincerest of wishes, that burning and unbeatable passion and will, that person will walk whatever road, pass whatever obstacle, do any action necessary. All of it done to obtain the throne. The merciful man who wishes for the throne might find it necessary to temper his benevolence, granting him the power to destroy an enemy who, while breathing, would never allow him on the Throne. The greedy and rapacious man might find it necessary to abstain from fulfilling some of his desires in order to not offend a valuable ally, who could be the guide to the easiest and safest road to the Throne.

I know of your gentle, just and caring nature, dear sister, and I am not telling you to kill that part of yourself. I am quite sure that it has led you to rule your city in a fair, even-handed manner, resulting in a prosperous, happy and strong place. I also know that it has brought you many wonderful, loyal as well as steadfast retainers, who assist in the administration and defense of such a prosperous place. Know that I am sure this is all in defiance of this dark and horror-filled world that we live in. Know that I know your nature is the catalyst, nay, the very foundation of the prosperity and happiness enjoyed by the city you were given to govern.

That is why I beseech you to hear this advice: The Throne is not fair or unfair, the Throne does not respond to righteousness, nor does it reject wickedness, the Throne does not favor cruelty, but it does not reward generosity either. It does not weight your heart, nor does it ask for you to dispose of your heart. It merely awaits the one who has pushed all other contenders aside and is able to sit on it unopposed. Do not throw away your benevolent nature, for it will surely become a beacon of hope for all! Let it be your greatest strength, but do not let it transform into something that would chain and weigh you down, robbing you of your place on the Throne.

Remember, always, that in the Great Race, there is only one ultimate prize: The Throne. If you truly believe in yourself, in your righteousness, in the good that you would bring to the world, should you be Empress, then throw aside any hesitation that you might have, now and in the future, and pay whatever price must be paid.

The Throne will provide ample power along with opportunity to atone for whatever wrongs you may have committed on the journey to obtain it. So do not be afraid. I know that our brothers who have decided to participate, each and every one of them, seek the Throne to fulfill personal desires, you know that as well. Letting any one of them obtain the Throne would be a tragedy of the highest order.

My poor dear sister, who does not seek the Throne to satisfy her greed, but to bring happiness to the many who would otherwise surely be exploited and harmed. My poor dear sister, who does not seek to dispossess the corrupted nobility of their rightful station, but instead wishes to teach them restraint and a righteous way in which, letting those below grow, they are merely elevated to greater heights, instead of suffocated. My poor dear sister, who wishes for freedom more than anyone, but who also understands more than anyone, that those born into a higher station in life should be a paragon of virtue if we are to have a good world. The darkness outside of the walls can only be kept back by light within, not more darkness.

Our brothers can only lead to ruin. Know that I pray for your success, and know that once you take the Throne, I will always be there, in the gilded cage which you so boldly flew from on that fateful day when you announced your intention to fight for the throne. Ten years ago, is it? I am sure you have grown into a fine woman, with a beauty befitting of your heart. You were sixteen then, if I remember correctly. Even though I warned you that leaving that cage would be so dangerous, you did it for the sake of being someone that does more than just read, write or talk about things. You told me you would risk it all in the future for that possibility. Right then, you didn’t mind the violent end you would suffer should you fail in the Great Race. I am sure that you still don’t fear that possibility, but something else has changed, hasn’t it? Before you wouldn’t have minded losing, but now I know that you couldn’t tolerate it, not because of yourself, but because of others.

You’ve seen firsthand the ruination brought upon all when those overcome with greed rule over others. You’ve told me of the difficulties you encountered when trying to curb the excesses of those who are below you, but nevertheless hold considerable power. You’ve told me of your great, hard-fought successes. All of that was because of your nature. So, as I remind you of this, let me remind you once more of the most important thing: None of that will be of avail to the Empire if you fail in the Great Race.

Do it! Win it all and sit on the Throne. Not for yourself, as I know you value your own desires far less than any one person should, but for this great but darkened Empire and its people, who surely are not worthy of you, but nevertheless need your light and your guidance. Good luck.

From your humble brother, Justinian Freiburg.

A woman stood in a balcony, holding a piece of paper that contained a letter from the only sibling she ever thought of as a friend. The smile she had as she read it was quite bittersweet.

“Prosperous? O dear brother, you were always so flattering.”

She spoke softly to herself, as she looked at the scenery she could see from the balcony. A peaceful sight could be seen beyond a small village, just the right amount of vegetation divided the beach and village, giving the impression that the former was somewhere else: A different world, in which you could step into and leave behind all your worries. Oh, how much she had wished to be able to set her bare feet on that sand, relax and let her weariness be taken away by the receding waves. But it was not possible. She couldn’t keep herself from sighing.

“Hah. If before it wasn’t the time to dwell on these feelings, then I guess now is the time to bury them.”

She flipped a small switch on the wall, causing the image before her to flicker. The false image disappeared, leaving the truth in its place. If closely looked at, it wouldn’t be that hard to conclude that the location was the same, even if it showed a completely different reality. Gone was the beach, not because it wasn’t there, but because in front of it, in place of any kind of vegetation, was a massive wall made of steel along with its sentry towers. The small and pleasantly arranged houses that made up the small village were square buildings of various sizes, all of them arranged in the most efficient manner. Lia Freiburg did not rule over any kind of idyllic paradise, as she would have liked, but rather she commanded a besieged and oppressive hell.

Eager to escape the sheltered and boring life she had known in the place known as the Golden Cage, as soon as she turned sixteen Lia announced to her father, the Emperor, her intention of participating in the ritual of succession known as the Great Race.

“I am not sure if I should admire your courage or be disappointed by your foolishness, daughter of mine. It has been two generations since there was a sixth candidate for this Throne upon which I sit. No emperor who has ever sat on this Throne has ever ruled the place which I am about to send you to. If the Golden Cage is that small for you, would you not consider marriage as an option? Well, I suppose you would be trading a Cage for another, as many restriction would still apply, but it would be a change in scenery with greater meaning.”

Even after a decade, those words still ignited a flash of irritation inside of Lia.

“Your highness, I beg of you to think higher of your progeny. Even if I am not a man, I can think of no better way to make you proud of me than to show my ability, not only bringing the light of the empire to its darkest corners, but then bringing that light back the capital once you have thought your time was over. I will not leave the protection of your shadow merely to the seek protection under the shadow of another man, whom I would call husband. I promise you this: Once your time is over the Empire will have an Emperor Consort.”

Those were bold words then. They would still be bold words, and Lia had every intention of making them come true.

She turned away from the balcony, approaching the automatic door, she let it slide open and the entered once again the small fortress that resided in the heart of the city of Nessa. Once inside, she was flanked by the two people whom she trusted the most in this world: Lieutenant Franz Mann and Chelsea Williams.

“Are you prepared now, princess?”

Franz asked with concern on his face.

“There is still some time before the announcement of abdication, although the departure is right after, I am sure that everything will be ready on time.”

Chelsea said coolly.

The endlessly worrying Franz and the unshakable Chelsea, these were the two pillars that would help Lia to the Throne, she knew it. Walking with them beside her was reassuring.

“How are preparations for departure? Are we on schedule?”

“About that, Princess, won’t you recon-“

“Going even faster than anticipated, the last I report I received spoke of all the major buildings already having been rigged with explosives. At this point, the demolitionists should be working on the exits to the mining and industry zones. Well, I guess they are also residential now.”

Lia nodded, satisfied at the answer.

“That’s good. Leaving without any loose ends is for the best.”

Franz remained unconvinced. He spoke respectfully but firmly.

“Princess! Won’t you even consider keeping Nessa open as a way-station? Think of how much easier it would be for the people.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes, visibly tired of trying to convince Franz. About to open her mouth, she realized that Lia was about to explain it and so kept quiet.

“Franz, you know better than anyone else, except maybe for the Colonel, that this place’s defenses can’t be manned considering the amount of people I am taking as my entourage. Soldiers, technicians and administrators, many people are needed to keep a place of this size running. You know we won’t have enough to spare to defend this place and we can’t afford to have Nessa become a nest for the Infected. That becomes even more important if you consider it connects directly to every other district in the region. You know very well that these last few years I’ve worked to expand the outer districts so nobody would have to be sacrificed. The outer districts will still be connected through the outer ring.”

Lia remained unwavering as she spoke of her decision. Franz obstinately kept a worried expression, but seemed to finally relent in such a way that he voiced no more dissent.

“I still have to change. Come on, you two!”

So she picked up the pace.

“Ah, wait! As I’ve said, there is no hurry!”

But Lia had suddenly gotten into a playful mood and accelerated her pace. Her Companions soon picked up speed, but that seemed to be taken as a challenge by Lia and she ran even faster. Soon they were much faster than any regular human could run, which was prone to cause accidents. Huffing in front of Lia’s room, they let out laughs in between good gulps of air.

“Did you see him? Boom! Into the wall, I tell you the knights are useless off their mounts. Ah!”

Something spooked Chelsea as she finished her phrase. Lia paid it no mind.

“Poor Franz, maybe we should- Ah!”

She was spooked by a hand on her shoulder and grave voice that followed.

“Something like this won’t do, Princess.”

The tall man quickly took hold of Lia’s arm and pulled it up to his face so he could take a better look.

“Matarazzo, please!”

The man pointed to quite a big scratch that could be seen along Lia’s arm. Although the extremely small amount of blood flowing from the wound was unusual enough, something else about it was worth attention: Beneath the skin, Lia’s arm was made of some kind of alloy. Like any member of the military or upper strata of the Empire, Lia had many robotic enhancements.

“Even if it does not affect the Princess, it will not do for her to have a scar before the Great Race has even started! Good thing this humble servant has not packed all of the restoratives yet.”

With all the care any one person is able to muster, Matarazzo, the chamberlain, delicately applied an oily substance on the scratch, soon showing effect. Lia had to keep herself from giggling due to the cool, oily and tickly sensation on her skin.

“Finally! How cruel of you two! To not even help me up. Oh, hello there Matarazzo. What?”

The chamberlain acquired a dangerous glint to his eye.

“What? Why are you standing there looking like a fool? You have ruined your cheek, you doofus! Put this on it!”

Franz laughed weakly.

“Come on, you know with my enhancements it shouldn’t take that too long to…”

He was interrupted by a poultice being pressed against his face.

“It will not do for the Princess’ Sword to have a scar, big or small, on his face.”

“Ugh fine, I just hate this weird oily sensation.”

“Is this some kind of grumbling I hear?”

“No sir, I am quietly taking care of my face.”

Chelsea couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by laughter once again.

“Ahaha! You’re always such a pushover in these situations, Franz. Uh, what?”

The chamberlain scrutinized her as much as he could with only his eyes.

“Hmm, you’re quite the careful one, aren’t you, miss Chelsea? As expected of the Princess’ Shadow.”

“Of course! I will always give my best for her.”

As Lia walked on the mostly empty streets, it finally dawned on her that this was the end of that city. It made her sad, even if it was the start of something even better. It wasn’t even a pretty city: All of its buildings were quite angular and function was not just its primary concern, but its sole concern. Like most cities in the Empire, Nessa was planned in a top-down fashion, a necessity to keep everyone inside of its walls and outside the claws of the Infected. Unlike other cities, however, Nessa was located in a particularly isolated region. Some claim it was founded many years ago due to the vanity of an Emperor who wished for a resort city that would entertain his court, however it soon became clear that not only was the sea not an effective barrier against the infected, but that claiming the sea inside any kind of safe area from the Infected was an impossibility.

For many years after this first failure, the city was abandoned and became a nest of the Infected. It was reclaimed to satisfy the vanity of another Emperor, who wished to show his power and expand the Empire beyond any other Emperor before him. With the settlers this time having more practical ends in mind, prospections were made for any kind of useful resources in the area. Not only was a huge deposit of iron found, but also a small amount of other important minerals were found.

Thus began Nessa, the mining city. That, however, did little to better the lives of the brave souls who decided to settle there. Its isolated status remained a reality and while the Emperor wished to make use of the resources found there, no nobles were willing to move to such a backwater so far from everywhere else, thus making the city’s administration perpetually dysfunctional.

Out of options, a later Emperor decided to make it into the sixth Princely City: A territory to be ruled by any of the Emperor’s children who wished to participate in the Great Race, which defined succession in the Empire. Having their own territories, princes would not only learn to rule, but also amass the material means to seize power once the Emperor either died or abdicated. Using everything they had, six different princes would depart from six different cities, heading to the capital in order to claim the Throne as their own.

Unsurprisingly, Nessa’s sheer distance and geography made it a poor choice for any princes vying for the Throne and after an astounding number of failures, where princes either arrived at the capital too late or too depleted to effectively fight for the Throne, it was deemed as cursed and from then on, very few Great Races had more than five candidates.

In a strange way, this turned to a huge advantage for Lia, as once she got over the hurdle of convincing other nobles or even her father to invest on such an isolated city as well as fixing its horrid administration she had no problems implementing what policies she wanted. None of her five brothers saw her as a threat for a myriad of reasons, and would gladly take from each other and give it to her as it meant weakening what they perceived as an actual threat, while strengthening a threat that was nonexistent to begin with.

“This is a strong city, with strong people, that has served me well. I promise to not only restore it, but to bring it to greatness once I am secure on the Throne.”

Her two Companions nodded.

“It will be a reality.”

As they spoke those words, she found herself in front of one of the city wall’s many elevators.

“Shall we check on the situation on the wall?”

As with any other city in the Empire, Nessa, as well as its five outer districts, was covered by a huge, smooth steel wall, with its lowest height being twenty meters, some points being up to thirty five meters tall. As with contemporary walls, it had no spikes, barbed wire or anything else of the sort, as that was likely to provide some kind of hold for the Infected to grab onto. Instead, it relied almost entirely in its slipperiness to keep the Infected out. Thus, keeping the outer part of the wall clean and smooth was just as important and dangerous, perhaps even more so, as the act of guarding the wall itself.

“How goes the situation at the wall, Lieutenant Shields? Give me a rough report.”

Franz addressed his fellow soldier.

“Not very good I am afraid. Even though these last few weeks proactive killings have been ramped up, per the Princess’ orders, the number of Infected seems to rise by the hour and they grow more aggressive by the minute. We’ve had a couple of crazy Leapers almost get to the top of the wall and last night there was even an attempt at a pyramid climb, which we took care of, obviously. I don’t think we will be able to have a peaceful departure.”

“That is quite a shame. Uh? Princess, what are you doing?”

Lia was in front of the weapons rack, along with Chelsea, taking and putting back a few different sniper rifles. Chelsea smiled as she inspected a particular one and gave it to the princess.

“Ah, yes, this one is good, I’m sure you can take care of many of them with this one. Why not start with that one?”

She pointed quite far, at a particular Infected that had just exited the woods and entered the field before the city’s walls.

“Isn’t that a Leaper?”

AT first glance, it looked merely like a mostly naked disfigured person, but it moved like no person ever would, with strange leaps and bounds that used all four of its limbs.

“It doesn’t seem to be heading to any of the gates… Uh oh, I have a bad feeling, we have to kill it.”

Lia smiled.

“Don’t worry, I got this.”

It moved at an incredible pace towards one of the lower points of the wall, some twenty two meters high, and soon stopped, assuming a strange pose.

“Oh, that’s a little bit earlier than a thought. But…”

Shields couldn’t hide his panic.

“It must be killed now! It will clear the…”

The huge leap cut his words, and before he could say anything else, the loud bang of the sniper rifle could be heard. The Infected collapsed lifeless as soon as it hit the ground.

“Bloody hell, great shot.”

“Please, arrange for that corpse to be disposed of, Lieutenant Shields. I will make use of the next hour to look for more high priority targets and then head to the Royal station to wait for my father’s announcement and our departure.”

Lia spoke nonchalantly and turned around smiling, looking for another target. Chelsea had a cold smile for Shields.

“I will consider that a lesson learned, try not to panic next time things depend on Lia.”

Shields lowered his head, ashamed.

“Aye, will do, Lady Williams.”

A slight frown flashed on Chelsea’s face.

“You still dislike to be called that? Hah, some people just can’t get over things.”

“Shut up Franz.”

Lia ignored them, pointing at something emerging from the woods.

“Oh, that right there looks worrying.”

Little over an hour later, the three were at the Royal Station, at that moment the only building in the city that hadn’t been evacuated yet.

“I have to admit, that was kind of scary…”

Chelsea wore a rare worried expression.

“I didn’t think there were actually infected like that. Batteries were actually real… I could see that thing breaching a steel gate, given enough time.”

Lia added with a pensive expression.

“You know, it doesn’t make much sense, but it’s almost like they were sort of organized you know? All of this… It’s like they know what’s going on, and that not only is the city vulnerable right now, but about to be abandoned. It’s like… They know and are acting on it.”

Hearing Franz say that made Chelsea’s expression change to one of incredulity.

“Surely you don’t really think that makes sense?”

“If they were actually capable of such intelligence, they would just keep destroying rail tracks and weaken the Empire immensely. I mean, there is no way the Empire has enough manpower to protect all of it.”

Lia added.

“Yeah, you’re right, Princess. Maybe I am just being unnecessarily worried like always.”

The Royal Station was among the biggest buildings of Nessa, second only to the huge fortress at its center. Inside it was the terminus of the Sea Railroad, as well as huge loading and unloading platforms for goods of various sizes, but only one platform for embarking or disembarking people. The Station that was usually so full of Transport-Tank-Class Trains was now almost completely empty.

The station that had always seen some kind logistical activity take place inside of it for the past few years was now almost eerily quiet, with its only sounds being some human movement and hushed conversations. Lia and her Companions made their way to the only place with people. A hastily set up “Cinema” next to the embarking platform. With a few hundred chairs arranged in neat rows facing a screen, in the middle of them was a small platform with three chairs on it. The big screen had a still image that was merely a white background with a few words written on it: “The Emperor shall address all of us soon.”

Much more impressive was the Mobile-Fortress-Class Train sitting on the platform next to it: Unbreakable. It was the fruit of Lia’s vision, a modified version based on an older project by Charles, Lia’s genius brother. Each car had at least one retractable low caliber cannon, two mounted machine guns, as well as different doors that could be opened or sealed through a segmented system that could function even if the main and reserve Command Car were compromised. Two medium caliber cannons that were powerful enough that firing them at the wrong time without the proper preparation could overturn the Unbreakable. It held enough stock of food, as well as the capacity of production, such that it could feed its entire crew of hundreds of people for months without needing to restock. It had eight guns for every ranger it would house, thousands of bullets for each. Four blades and two mounts for every knight. Eight cores for every soldier, keeping their weapons always ready for action. The Unbreakable was undeniably a grand machine of war.

“Ah the Princess has arrived, if it pleases her, there were special seats prepared for her and her Sword and Shadow.”

Matarazzo was there to welcome them and guide them to the small platform.

“It is almost time.”

Lia nodded as she sat down.

And flawlessly hid her boredom as she waited for the Announcement of the Emperor’s abdication.

Hear me, subjects of this glorious Empire! My time as Emperor is nearly at an end, for I am no longer the man I once was. As time, that most inexorable of forces, saps more of my vitality, strength and ability, I feel that the time has come to pass on the mantle to someone more capable than I am, someone who will keep alive the great works of our ancestors, who built and protected this Great Empire.

Who shall succeed me? Of my eighteen children, six have answered the call to try and fulfill their destiny as blood of the Emperor. They are the six who passed the first hurdle: To wish for this Throne and all that it entails, its duties, its power, its responsibilities, its privileges, its burdens and its honor. I am sure that every single one of them, who are all watching this know are sure of the righteousness of their path and armed with a unique vision to strengthen this Empire even more.

These convictions, these strengths, this vision that they have for this Empire, they are all reflected in the cities they were given to govern, in the power they have accumulated and the entourage they have prepared for the voyage they are about to embark on. A period of conflict, where all of these will clash against each other and this harsh world that exists shall follow and I am sure that some of you, loyal subjects of this Empire, may be apprehensive. Do not be be!

Quell you fears and insecurities! The conflict caused by the Great Race is as the searing heat of the greatest furnace or the undying energy at the heart of the mightiest of cores: It is necessary to create the very best equipment this Empire has to offer. The greatest armor, able to protect humanity and preserve it from the fierce and horrific enemies that besiege us, it cannot be molded without the banging of mighty hammers. The sharpest blade, able to cut down even the whole of the endless horde of the Infected that menaces us cannot be forged without fires as hot as hell itself! This city’s prosperity and defenses are powered by a great core, which heart burns brightly and hot as the sun itself!

This process! This conflict! This breakdown and reconstruction! It is the final act of forging these six courageous pieces of rock into an indestructible blade that will protect this Empire for many years to come, until the moment that they realize that they, like me, the previous Emperors and every other blade, grows too rusty and a new process of forging begins anew.

Many centuries ago, humanity lived in simple peace and prosperity, but with no real fire to temper them, they became brittle and were nearly swallowed by a catastrophe created of their own carelessness. Thus, the great shield that is this Empire had to be born!

I speak of this with conviction to these six of my children! Do not fear the heat! Do not flinch or stop! Do not bend, for even if you break, know that you have become one more link in this great chain mail that keeps all of humanity alive. It is only through the brutal and unrelenting clash of you all that the mightiest blade will be revealed, as it always should be. Prove it to me! Prove it to yourself! Prove it to all! You need not say anything. Merely show that you are the mightiest blade, the most suitable blade to protect the Empire! Or die trying.

Frederick, my second son. Who is stronger than you are? Until now I have never seen any claim to that backed up by actions. Will any of your brothers prove to be the one who finally accomplishes that? I cannot see you allowing it. May that strength prove an inspiration to your followers, that you lead an army worthy of the prowess which you possess. Find it within yourself, that unrelenting power which allows one to smash all opposition and obstacles in one’s path. Take it! Grasp it! Victory is in your hands in the form of the city of Alleeria, home of the only Knight’s Academy outside of this capital, which I rule, and which, if you find it within yourself to take it, will soon be yours.

Phillip, my third son. Who is more charming than you are? Given the opportunity, you could talk a fish into flying or a bird into swimming. Will any of your brothers be the one that convinces the heavens to choose them, not you? I cannot see you letting that happen. May that ability give you the best and most competent entourage of all, that you lead an army capable of helping you to the top. Assemble something that can weather anything that comes your way, a great Emperor is his court. Take it! Grasp it! I’ve given for you to charm the entire city of Messina, grand commercial center of this Empire, second in riches only to this capital, which I rule, and which, if you find the voice to speak to it, will soon be yours.

Alexander, my fifth son. Who reads and navigates the battlefield better than you? I have seen none who were able to outmaneuver you more than once. Will any of your brothers, who you know so well, be able to show you something beyond your expectations? I cannot see you unable to deal with that. May your soldiers’ trust allow you to turn them into the unbeatable army that I know you are capable of commanding, that you shatter all before you. Channel it, that ability within you that allows you to predict and nullify anything that your rivals may attempt. Take it! Grasp it! To test and hone your abilities, I’ve given you the Fortress-City of Thelema, the experience of its officers second only to those who reside in this capital, which I rule, and which, if you do not make any mistakes, will soon be yours.

Charles, my sixth son. Who is wiser than you are? I have yet to see a work of intelligence that you cannot improve. Will any of your brothers be able to create something superior to what you can? I cannot see you failing to answer that. May your genius give birth to an unstoppable weapon, so that victory will not slip from your hands, even if you hold them wide open. Put it to work, that inspiration which allows you to create those things which are superior to everything else. Take it! Grasp it! So you could have followers capable of helping your visions come true, I’ve given you the city of Came, home to the only university outside of this capital, which I rule, and which, should you live up to the perfection you always have, will soon be yours.

Richard, my seventh son. Whose fervor rivals yours? None carries within them a greater wish to carry out the Flame’s will than you do. Will any of your brothers prove to be worthier than you are? I cannot see you not rectifying that. May your devotion create an entourage with at least half that zeal towards you, that nothing is able to break their morale. Take it! Grasp it! To find the connection you need to ignite your fire, I gave you Byzanta, the City of Temples, closer to the heavens than this capital, which I rule, and which, should you not falter, will soon be yours.

Lia, my third daughter. Who is more thorough than you are? You seem to be able to see something that nobody else can and refuse to be dissuaded. Will any of your brothers outlast your tenacity or have more comprehensive plans? I cannot see you failing to account for that. May your plans lead to you to people able to execute them deftly, that even the more serious setback disappears like smoke before you. Tap from it, that well of patience that allows you to appear weak before you leap as the most prepared predator. Take it! Grasp it! I sent you to Nessa, lone jewel in the south, and home to some of the most persistent and hardiest people in this Empire, second only to those in this capital, which I rule, and which, should your plans truly be that great, will soon be yours.

I say it once again, clash and crash, burn if you must, but do not let your fire be extinguished, for the dying embers of those who are defeated will kindle the fire that makes the mightiest of you into the Emperor that humanity needs!

The throne is now empty. Soon the Gates will open and no more long-range communication will be possible until a new Emperor takes the Throne. Run! Take the Throne, before one of your brothers takes it along with your head!

The Emperor’s image shifted into that of a countdown: 30 minutes. That was how long before the steel gates of the six Princely Cities would be allowed to be open and the trains could depart.

“Prepare for departure! Hurry now, we have a worst possible scenario: We will have to clear a path through the infected before the Unbreakable can safely depart. Move it!”

Colonel Rommel, commander of Lia’s forces, started barking orders as soon as the speech ended. The many times they drilled the departure paid off, as the non-combatants quickly made their to their designated cars, while the combatants prepared for the inevitable clash with the infected.

“I’m going to go put on my armor and take up my mount. Wish me luck against the Infected, Princess.”

Franz bowed as he spoke while showing no nervousness.

“Go, and use that luck to come back alive.”

Lia responded in kind, not letting show any of that almost overwhelming feeling of nervousness that gripped her.

Franz weaved quickly through the other people around the Unbreakable, making his way to one of the last cars, where the knight’s armory was located.

“Ah, there you are, the Princess’ Sword. We are going with light armor and hit-and-run tactics, wouldn’t want to have too many casualties on the first day of the race.”

Franz wordlessly saluted Captain Lewis, commander of the knights, and went to his locker. There, was his equipment. First, was his Armor.

“Not much of an armor, I feel.”

Lightly armored meant he wouldn’t put on any plates, greaves or gauntlets, merely the standard full-body suit that protected against most bullets, but wasn’t very useful against any well sharpened blades or the Infected’s claws and teeth. The knights wouldn’t be well protected, but on the other hand, forgoing any extra armor would mean such mobility that any knight worth their salt shouldn’t fear the Infected’s teeth or claws. A small connector hung from the suit’s nape, which Franz connected to a small, almost imperceptible socket in the back of his head.

Second, were his two Blades.

“I can only hope that I am able to match your power and kill many Infected.”

In both swords’ guard resided energy cores that powered a host of nano-bots, which enabled them to do incredible things, such as keeping the edge always sharpened to an absurd degree, or heating the blade to absurd temperatures without permanently damaging it. Those two particular Blades were commissioned by the Princess and were of the highest quality. He plugged two small connectors hanging from his wrists to the blades. He suppressed an urge to grunt as he felt the blades functions inside his mind.

Third, and lastly, was his mount.

“Come on buddy, it has begun.”

The best simile one could come up with was that of a mechanical lion, but lions didn’t have opposing thumbs or joints that could move as freely as those of the Knights’ Mounts. Its mouth also was there merely to crush enemies. Sitting on it, Franz put one of his blades in a sheath and plugged the connector hanging from the end of his back to a socket on the Mount’s back. The sensation of the mount’s limbs, as if they were his own, flooded Franz’s mind.

“Come on, let’s do this!”

Along with his colleagues, he left the car on his mount and fell into formation.

“Yes, that’s how it’s going to be, Lieutenant Baine to my left, Lieutenant Mann to my right. Come on lads, as soon as those doors open enough for the infected to slip through, we are waiting for a round of artillery and then charging. Don’t go too deep, we’ll quickly disengage.”

Captain Lewis calmly relayed instructions as the knights took their positions in front of the Unbreakable’s engine. The minutes ticked down as the Great Race’s start approached.

As the countdown approached zero, Colonel Rommel shouted.

“Will the princess not bless us, worthless as we are, with a few words?”

Lia, standing on the Unbreakable’s Main Command Car, nodded and as the countdown reached zero, took aim with the rifle in her hand, reciting a traditional war charm in the empire.

“Glory to the Empire! Purity in life to its subjects! Purity in Death to the Infected!”

She held still, until the steel gates of Nessa had opened enough to allow the hellish, moaning horde of the Infected to enter it.

“Everburning Flame!”

The firing of the bullet seemed to reverberate through the whole station. A moment later, two infected fell dead near the rails. Lia entered the Unbreakable through an open hatch with cheers drowning out moans. So began her first battle.