{~~ BEFORE TWO DAYS ~~}
The Grand Audience Hall of the Vermilion Palace was a cathedral of opulence built upon a foundation of silent cruelty. Light filtered through massive stained-glass windows depicting the mythical Vermilion Bird, casting blood-red and golden hues over a throne carved from a single mountain of fire-jade. Upon it sat Emperor Theodore Von Vermilion, a man whose presence was meant to be overbearing, yet to the keen observer, he was a man struggling to hold the reins of a runaway chariot.
The empire was bleeding from a thousand cuts. Its borders were fraying under the pressure of neighboring kingdoms, and its internal organs were being devoured by corrupt ministers. Theodore’s only hope for stability lay in the hands of the guests he had invited this day—the power broke
