Markus rode on top of his horse onto a hill. From there he could see the dust cloud coming from Rufus's army. From the hill, he also saw the capital city that was ruined. He was biting his nails as he watched as to what to do next.

"I know what I want but I have no idea how to go about doing it. Shit, this is frustrating," Markus thought to himself.

Markus kept looking around the world. He hated everything. He felt constant pain and suffering from being irritated by everything around him.

"Rufus will take the capital soon. The capital is anyways destroyed already. If I just go blindly killing and destroying I will just run it trouble and I will be killed sooner or later. Fuck that fish Whiro. He could have given me some advice and not just left like that," Markus thought and looked at the scenery.

Markus heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and let blood come out of his wound. The blood formed a long rod and was about to pierce the person behind him. Markus stopped the attack realizing it was August. Markus was surprised realizing that August was alive since he thought he was dead.

"What are you doing here?" Markus asked annoyed.

August looked terrified. August felt a tremendous and strong divine aura and pressure coming from the prince.

"You…you have a divine power now?" August said confused and terrified.

"Stop stating the obvious. What are you doing here?" Markus asked.

August looked at Markus with a stern face.

"I am your servant. I will serve you till the day I die," August said.

Markus looked confused and sighed out of frustration.

"You serve a prince. I am no prince anymore. You see the capital. I am the prince of air at most," Markus said.

August didn't change his gaze.

"I serve you. Not a prince," said August.

"Just stop spouting stupid things. Go live the rest of your life with Stefan. My goal is something you don't want to help me with. If you would be anyone else I would have killed you already, but killing you now won't matter in the end. Everything has its end, all in good time" Markus said trying to get rid of August.

August clenched his fist.

"Stefan is dead. The people killed him. He had many stab wounds on his body. If I would have gone to my house instead, he would be alive," August said with sad eyes.

Markus didn't seem surprised. He had predicted what had happened to him. He didn't care much.

"I bet you knew he would die in the riots. You knew immediately and you decided not to say anything to me because you needed me. You needed my power to save Emilia. RIGHT!" August yelled.

"Yes, I knew."

Markus looked at August.

"You are not mad at me. You do not want to kill me for deceiving you?"

"I put my loyalty to you before him. It was my choice also. A choice that will haunt me and curse me for the rest of my life. The only thing I have left now is my loyalty. Let me have it. It is the only thing left for me. If I don't have it I truly have nothing," August explained his reasoning.

Markus still had the same uninterested gaze.

"My goals are very different from what they used to be. I am basically completely mad right now. All I see is an imperfect world that irritates me. That makes me want to just wipe it all away. Wipe it clean from every man to every child," Markus explained.

"I do not care. I do not care what you do or make me do," August said.

"I will use you however I like. You will be a sacrificial pawn to me, and I will let you die if it is to further my goal."

"I do not care."

Markus realized that he could not persuade August. August was dead set on staying by his side. He gave in and called back his blood.

"Fine. Your choice."

August walked forward and went to stand beside Markus. He also saw that Rufus's army was close by.

"Are you planning on stopping Rufus now? Is he your enemy?" August asked.

"No. I have no chance against him and his army. You may be the only person willing to follow me. Many people are not as stupidly loyal as you and are not as mad as me right now. I have to move a piece and that piece will move two other pieces and so on. I have to be the catalyst, but I can not hope to clean the table by myself. I have to deceive people and create openings for me now," Markus said.

Markus had a premonition. He looked at the capital and the royal palace.

"August. Do you think there is still something in the royal treasury?" Markus asked.

August looked confused. Markus smiled and had finally gotten a plan.

"I am not sure. Most likely it should still be in the underground vaults. What do you plan on doing with it"

"Well, war is the ultimate equalizer. It wipes away everything and people usually don't need much reason for war. The only thing holding back people from starting wars is the resources and what is the most needed resource in a war is gold.

"The nobles of the eastern regions are supposedly alive and they have a reason to start a war, but they have no resources. Let us go give them the resources," Markus said and smiled.