The great ornamental door opened, revealing the Throne Room. Two men and a woman entered it. Inside, it was completely empty of people, except for a tired-looking old man sitting at a small chair beside the Throne. He looked up and smiled at the three people.

“Remarkable, so you are the first to arrive, exactly as I expected. Will you ever fail when it counts my son? Is it really your destiny, as foretold when you were born, that you should lead this Empire to greater glory than could ever be imagined?”

The old man rose from his chair spreading his arms as if expecting something. The man in the middle, who he walked towards, nonchalantly sidestepped and ignored him. Instead, he headed towards the empty Throne, gently putting a hand on it, looking at it with such longing that one could hardly believe it was right next to him.

“Destiny? I spit on such concepts. This is why your name will rot and die just like you as the years go by, Father. Like so many others before you, your greatest achievement will have been winning the Great Race. I don't need a destiny. I am the best. I know what needs to be done, and I will do it.”

The old man, former Emperor, was unsure of how to reply. He didn't remember his son being that disrespectful. Oh that was it. He wasn't anything anymore, was he? Now, he was just an old fart that relinquished his power. He wasn't worthy of respect from someone with such pride or ambition, maybe he should just fade into the background and listen to the ambitions of the next generation.

“Heh, do it, you say. But we are just the first to arrive. Your father wasn't the first to arrive, you know. We don't even know who is coming for us at this point. Overconfidence much? Arrogant words won't keep a sword from piercing your heart or cutting your neck.”

The woman spoke to him as an equal, but the man showed no signs of irritation. She was someone he had recognized as good enough to be one of his closest companion. He chuckled.

“Yeah. You're right. Phillip was a joke, who simply couldn't anticipate a simple trap left by us at his first stop, at least his death was quick and painless. Richard... He tried to be cute and thought holding my mother's city of birth hostage would be good enough to make me do a mistake. I can kind of respect the guts to do that, but in the end, I don't have an ounce of regret making his death be an excruciating nightmare. Either Alexander or Charles will probably present a greater challenge. But still... They never beat me. Well they might have won here and there, but neither of them have ever truly beat me down and made me feel defeated. They know it too. How could I ever lose? I am just better than them.”

The last of the three who had entered the room, an elderly grizzled man, didn't look impressed by the man's words. He demonstrated his disapproval with his words.

“What about the third candidate through that route? Your little sister. Lia, wasn't it? Can you really afford to discount her like that? What if she ends up being the one to come for this Throne? What do you know about her? Do you have anything prepared?”

The woman scoffed.

“Really? Come on, Gregory. She was in the worst position. There was no way she could have beaten Charles' weapons or Alexander's strategies, let alone both. It would be a waste of time to even consider making plans for the possibility that she was coming. Don't you think so, Frederick?”

The man's eyes suddenly turned grim. For the first time in his life, Frederick felt a sudden uneasiness. Hearing someone else other than him dismiss his little sister in such a way somehow filled him with dread.

“No. Marine, you're not wrong, you shouldn't be wrong. And yet...”

He looked at Gregory, his Shadow. The man who had taught him the sword. The man who had once served as his uncle's Sword, then granted mercy by his father due to his legendary swordsmanship. A man who he kept around mostly for his counsel and experience. Never once had he given Frederick a false word or wrong advice.

“Remember how we got to this point, my boy.”

He had spared no effort. From a very young age, he studied all of his siblings, learned their pattern of actions, what they were good at, what they were bad at. No, not all of them. Merely the ones he grew with and others who he considered a potential threat. Who was the sole exception among the five who competed with him for the throne? Lia. She was still so young when he left the Golden Cage. What did he know about her? Nothing at all. Did he even take a minimum of interest on her? No. She was the wild card. Through his own carelessness he might have created the greatest threat to his victory. No. He had always known that. From the very beginning, he knew: The greatest threat was himself.

“Fuck. I need emergency information. The fact that I've always regarded her as the smallest threat might even end up making her the biggest one. Even if her chances are only one in a thousand, I have to prepare.”

The Golden Cage. Even if it was called as such, looked more like a fortress than anything else. On the outside, it had absolutely no decorations, a very plain-looking building to the side of the Imperial Palace, accessible only through a single bridge, protected by some of the best warriors the Empire had to offer, as well as some of the most advanced defense systems there was.

Built many generations ago by an Emperor who wished to somewhat limit the bloodshed caused by suspicions of usurpation and maintained by a council of people independent of the Emperor, it was a building that symbolized many things.

From their birth, the children of the Emperor had everything they would ever want or need: Education, food, entertainment, training. It was a life of unparalleled affluence, which could only be sustained by the Emperor's might. Yet at some point in their lives, they all would have to go through a choice.

They could live their entire lives trapped in the Golden Cage. Their every need catered to, without ever needing to worry about anything, but likewise unable to ever achieve anything. They were even denied the privilege of having children, in order to not muddle up any succession in later generations. Any communication they had with the outside would be heavily monitored or sometimes even blocked. The Golden Cage was there as much to protect children of former Emperors from their more ambitious siblings as it was there to secure even more the position of the Emperor by limiting any would-be usurpers.

The Children of the Emperor had two choices if they wished to leave the extremely controlling ambient of the Golden Cage: They could enter the Great Race to attempt to succeed the current Emperor when he decides to step down. Doing so puts their very lives at risk as very few winners of the Great Race ever granted mercy to their defeated siblings. Once in that position, they could only fight for the top. It was a choice which only the most ambitious could ever consider. Their second choice was to give up permanently their name, station in life, everything. If they wished to leave the Golden Cage, the only thing they could take out of it were their accumulated experiences and knowledge, as well as a small fortune. Then, they would be forever stricken from the Imperial Family Tree, free to live the rest of their lives as a civilian, with absolutely no claims to the Throne.

The Golden Cage symbolized the Empire's harsh and rigid structure, which engulfed even those at the very top. If all they wanted was to indulge their desires, the children of the Emperor would have to live a meaningless life, devoid of achievement or opportunity. If they instead wished to take in their grasp the duty of governing the Empire, they would find themselves thrown in the bloodiest of arenas: War, and only through wining it could they attain a life of relative freedom along with opulence. If they rejected either, they could join the masses and try to live their life on their own, without even the status of a noble. Some would crash and burn, quickly going through their initial fortune trying to maintain the same lifestyle they had within the Golden Cage. They were never accepted back. Others found a good life through hard work and smart use of the fortune given to them, becoming rich and successful in their own right. Even if they wished for it, they would never be accepted back. One legend told of a man who, not wanting to antagonize a younger, rash and ambitious sibling, left the Golden Cage to become one of the greatest Knights in the Empire, eventually becoming that sibling's Sword and helping him achieve victory in the Great Race.

Standing in front of that building, Frederick had a mixture of nostalgia and anger. Inside is where he lived a good portion of his life, when he was weak and not really in control of his fate. He really disliked going there, but it was necessary.

“I'm sorry, but even if you are a prince participating in the Great Race, without the the council's permission, none may enter the Golden Cage.”

The guards regarded him with suspicion, of course. There were more than a few Emperor who, gripped by paranoia, wished to attack the Golden Cage to kill some of its residents. Needless to say that all of them were met with resounding failures. All but one of them went on to be considered failures, weak Emperors by most metrics. It wasn't just that trying to destroy it was against tradition, to attack the Golden Cage was viewed as a very bad omen. Personally, Frederick didn't believe in that, but he saw no need to attack it. Why should he fear his coward siblings, uncles and aunts who refused to even try their luck at the world by themselves, to say nothing of not trying to participate in the Great Race? They were not a threat. The reason he was there was for some precious information.

“I don't want to enter. I just want to have a conversation with my brother, Justinian. Call for him.”

The guard looked irritated. That was new. But he should have known. It was Imperative that the operations of the Golden Cage remained separated from the Emperor's authority and will. That included the guards, who were actively encouraged to not show any deference towards the Imperial Family.

“I understand, just remember that it is within his right to refuse it. Wait here.”

That really was weird. Apart from family and close friends, it was the first time he had been directly addressed by someone. Perhaps he should abolish that stupid tradition of never directly addressing member of the Imperial Family as a way to show respect. Time went on. Frederick waited and waited, and his patience eventually started to wane. Did they even talk to Justinian? Or was he being ignored... Justinian. Of the siblings Frederick grew up with, he was the only one who Frederick could never claim to have beaten, because they had never done anything competitive together. Finally, after hours of waiting, a small door in the Golden Cage's huge gate opened. The one who stepped out was someone Frederick knew.

“Oh, Frederick! Is that you? Long time no see, man! Back already? Did you win the Great Race?”

That dopey smile of his didn't change at all, the bastard. The first few years after he left the Golden Cage, Frederick had always been somewhat nervous. He could never be sure of what Justinian was thinking. He never liked Justinian's expressions. Time went by and he proved to just be one of the many other cowards.

“Bastard! Do you think it's funny to keep me waiting more than three hours?”

Unfortunately, there was very little he could do to show his displeasure besides with words. It had been quite some time since he's needed anything more than a stern tone to get people to follow his orders. It was slightly irritating.

“Oh, it's been more than three hours since you asked for me? Dear me, you're right! I'm so sorry! I was just enjoying so much a few tabletop games with the little ones that I lost track of the time. I'm truly so sorry. You wanted to ask me about something, right? Ask away.”

Asshole. Was he even being honest, with that stupid smile on his face? Also, little ones? Damn that geezer, all he was good for was pumping out children. Even after all six slots on the race were filled... Did he have no regard whatsoever for them? Whatever. He would do what he came here for.

“Lia.” Justinian's eyes changed at the mention of that name. So he really knew something about her. “What is she like? I've good reason to believe you had quite the good relationship with her. Come on, for old time's sake. It's not like you have any interest in who wins, right?”

Justinian chuckled. That irritated Frederick much more than it should have, but he showed nothing.

“Why would I spill out any information on my cute favorite little sister? So you haven't won the Great Race, have you? Have you just arrived at the capital?”

Quick to get what's going on... Just like always. Maybe he had always realized Frederick's fierce nature, which is why he never accepted any challenges or issued his own.

“Yes, only I have just realized that I never knew anything about one of my possible opponents. But you do, and having you tell me about her would be quite helpful. You know. I don't win by fate, by a miracle or by luck. I win because I'm good, I properly prepare and have the will for it. Unlike you! Coward little bird that you are, staying in your little cage!”

Justinian laughed. He laughed heartily and openly.

“Ha! You? Are you nervous? Are you, of all people, afraid? When you don't even know if she is even still alive?” Was he being taunted? By that spineless coward who never even left the palace? How could... Unless. Of course! “Now that's rich. Are you going to soil yourself if she actually does show up?”

Frederick was angry... He was angrier than ever before. Much angrier than when he was a kid and had to go and beat someone at a game again because Justinian had taught them a bit about it.

“You piece of shit! Is that amusing to you?” He wanted to grab Justinian by the scruff so bad, but all the guards were watching. It would be ridiculous if he ended up losing his life over such a petty reason. “She's your little fucking pawn, is she? Of course you won't tell me anything... Don't worry, I'll smash her. You just wait and rot in your little cage. The next time we see each other, it will be me dragging her corpse along to show that you have failed.”

A fire was rekindled inside him. He wouldn't lose. He never lost, to anyone. Justinian, for his part, stood there smiling. After his brother was gone, he smiled softly.

“Whatever, you never beat anyone I guided on your first try. Unfortunately for you, the Great Race only gives you one single try, little brother.”

He walked back into the Golden Cage, looking satisfied.

Frederick was completely fired up when he stepped into the External Monitoring room. Marine quickly turned to him.

“You're back! We have almost finished setting up the city's defenses against human siege...”

But before she could end speaking, Frederick interrupted her with a gesture.

“Forget the external defenses! Open the gate, prepare defensive positions on the streets! Get to your respective squads! Are you not the greatest warriors this Empire has ever seen?” A booming yes answered him. “Of course you are! No petty tricks! No grand schemes! Just as I've taught you all! Just as we did in Ardenne! Show me your might and your judgment! And together, we will crush anyone who stands in my way! Be it my foolish trickster of a little brother or the stupid genius who relies too much on his creations! Turn off all jamming and order connections to be restored all over the Empire! I want this message broadcast to any rivals I may have left: Come! I will crush you!” The cheering was deafening. He then spoke softly to himself. “Even Justinian's little pet.”