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He shouts.

The army in Sui's dream pauses for an instant...

Then, they rush towards him, like a river that his words had frozen for an instant.

What's going on?

M-Mr. Shuo...

You're Ling's Candleholder? Where is she?

As he speaks, a claw the size of a mountain is brought down upon Shuo.

Shuo swings his fist. Heaven and earth tremble.

Its attack foiled, the Sui beast turns its attention to the other side, at the enormous weapon that has just been assembled, not even taking the time to lick its bleeding wounds.

We can't stop It...

Half the Imperial Guard have fallen, along with the Yumen troops that had been deployed to the Tomb of Sui...

We have mobilized every soldier in the four cities around Baizao. We can only hope, before It destroys the next city...

Where is Wang... where is he?!

What use is there in looking for him?

Ling took the others into a dream to protect them when Sui awoke. You led the army to fight Sui... who else could have awakened It, other than the great offender?

The... offender...

<i>Dage!</i>

Ling?!

You should not be here! Or has the dream already...?

Who could see... a gulper of cups...

Become now...

Ling's eyes are closed. The dream has yet to end.

Even in the dream, however, she and the other siblings in it can feel Its presence, so very near now.

It has come to this...

...A fight to the death, it is.

Shuo is awake. He draws his sword, which has not yet tasted blood.

In the dream, Ling points her lantern at the body of the bestial Sui.

The bestial Sui turns around, towards the beings born of Itself—

Yet just before everyone on the battlefield—every human and every beast—could plunge into the coming slaughter, a bloody, black figure appears behind the bestial Sui.

Caught you.

You—

Through dreams in dreams infinite, all of me and all of us are here. There is nowhere for you to go.

You wouldn't dare! Kill me, and you will be destroyed, as will all your family—

Wang does not answer. He lunges forward with his sword and impales the throat of his own reflection, which he had pursued through dreams far too numerous to count.

Strange scenes from countless dreams gush from the wound.

Mountains, Feranmuts, armies... white dreams boil and roil between heaven and earth, and a white mist, fever-hot like fresh blood, wraps around the army and proxy outside the dreams, even the Feranmut.

Only when the white figure falls to the ground do the others see that two bodies lie upon the ground, all life gone from them.

One was Wang. The other was exactly like Wang, but not even death could wipe the malice from his face—no one knew who he was.

Ling?!

As the two bodies fall, Ling and her siblings in the dream vanish into nothingness.

Ling!

The bestial Sui wails with the last proxy.

You're still trying to daunt me with illusions... it will not succeed.

'Who could see a gulper of cups, become now a sorrowful drunk?'

Ling would never say that, not even with the end upon us.

...How many of your stones sacrificed, this time?

Go on, count.

You may think that I don't have many stones left, but how much is left of your memories?

Not much.

But perhaps you have forgotten something.

Did you really think a few fragments, split from a mere one-twelfth, could possibly stand against me—the whole that was born alongside this entire land?

Remember?

Your last failure was the same as this.

<p=1>Year 962</>

This is as far as we can go, Your Imperial Majesty.

You are the only one in all of Yan who may enter the room beyond this door.

It is but a door. There is no need to be so fearful.

It conceals Yan's greatest secret, and its greatest asset, Your Imperial Majesty...

...Is that so?

The seventeen-year-old True Lung walks down the last few steps.

He looks back at the three Grand Ministers behind him, who are still bowing deeply. He frowns and pushes the door open.

He has heard about what lies behind the door. The legends and stories of this ancient nation that have been passed down through the centuries—

'The Earth's blessings have granted this stone to its people; the Heaven's blessings shall bring an end to Sui.'

Some say that the prosperity of Yan comes from it. Others say the True Lung's authority is merely borrowed from it.

But no one has seen it with their own eyes in nearly a century.

The ascending True Lung is filled with excitement, his fingertips trembling.

Everything in the land of Yan shall obey him, for the prosperity of Yan—

...So will one small crystal.

He pushes the door open.

As ambitious as he is, he could not help but stop before the massive space and blinding light.

It is not the first Originium itself, but man-made additions upon it, the limiters and guidance that generations after generations of Tianshis have placed upon it over the centuries.

<i>At the new capital of Baizao, a tomb was built to hold the vessel of Sui, and the consciousness of Sui was suppressed by the power of calamity. Yet the Emperor was not at ease, and so he sought counsel from the Tianshi Bureaus in hopes of keeping the peace for eternity hence.</i>

<i>Then the Emperor discovered the means to harness the power of calamity, but it would take the lives of a hundred Tianshis and ten thousand soldiers to form the blade and slay the beast. Even if complete success were achieved, Baizao would not be spared.</i>

<i>And the Emperor said, 'It is shameful to bring harm to the people for one's own purposes. I shall give up myself, and my descendants shall do the same, and not demand the sacrifice of the people.'</i>

<i>The True Lung passed the next year, and by it the enchantment was complete. The crown prince grieved and named it 'Bu Fan'.</i>

...<i>Bu Fan,</i> 'No Rebellion'. Sounds like 'No Return' too.

My ancestor sacrificed himself and made the reigning True Lung the subject of future human sacrifice. Henceforth, the True Lungs that came after him gave their lives to harness the power of this Originium.

I would not have known it was so massive if I did not see it for myself...

Yet it's no more than a tiny crystal compared to all of Yan and Yan's future.

Yan could have done much more with this object.

How much energy have we spent on suppressing the sleeping beast? With such energy, how many armies could we have raised, how many machines could we have built?

How could I tolerate such... inaction?

The True Lung lingers before the facility for a while. He has gotten used to the scorching light, and even starts to feel... boring.

A smile comes to his face as he remembers the reverence on his three Grand Ministers' faces. How will he deride their timidity when he leaves the room without being rude?

He recalls the 'rule' that kept the ministers out, for him to face this structure alone.

The rule that inextricably links it to his life.

He could not help but laugh.

The True Lung's authority over all under heaven, tied to a tiny crystal like this?

I am still inexperienced. I will be relying on the three of you for many things.

Yan has been peaceful and prosperous for centuries. Why is it that there are still rebellions?

Is there still land where the blessings of Yan do not touch? Or seditious subjects who will not submit to imperial rule?

Silence.

I will decide myself, then, as you do not answer.

The blessings of Yan shall touch every corner, so that not a single person shall worry for food or shelter. The teachings for Yan shall reach every heart, so that not a single rebellious thought will enter the mind of a single man.

We shall vanquish the northern traitors and build the nomadic city of Baizao. Both are the foremost priority, and neither shall be delayed.

You shall summon the Six Ministries, discuss the specifics, and deliver a proposal by the end of the month.

Dismissed.

The trio on the other side of the curtain bow in assent and leave.

A little later...

Ah, you have arrived.