The world didn't just catch fire. It fucking exploded.
Within the hour, the Imperial Palace was in a state of controlled pandemonium. Two simultaneous, earth-shattering events had occurred, ripping the political landscape to shreds.
First, the demonic prisoner, Lin Feng, had staged a spectacular and bloody escape. He had torn through the Black Cells, grievously wounding a dozen elite guards, and blasted his way out of the palace grounds, vanishing into the capital's sprawling underbelly. He was now the empire's most wanted fugitive, a rabid dog I had personally unleashed. My 'failure' to contain him was noted, but my father's decree had given me sole custody, so the blame fell squarely on my shoulders—exactly as I had planned. It made me look fallible, but also underscored the immense danger of the conspiracy I was "investigating."
Second, and far more consequentially, my second brother Valerius had made his move. Flanked by loyal ministers and backed by the irrefutable evidence of the First Emperor's ancestral armor now gleaming on his body, he presented the last will of Queen Elara Ravencrest to an emergency session of the Imperial Council.
The will was a bombshell.
It stated that the Queen, a priestess of the old faith, had foreseen a "time of corruption" and had decreed that should a "child of shadow" ever be born into the royal line, the succession should pass not to the eldest, but to the "most righteous and pious" of the true-born sons.
It was vague, archaic, and legally dubious. But in a world of omens and destiny, it was a weapon of immense power.
Valerius, his face grim and righteous, declared that the "child of shadow" was not one of his brothers, but the demonic intruder, Lin Feng—the Emperor's unacknowledged, bastard son. He claimed our father's sin had tainted the primary bloodline, and that he, by finding the will and the armor, had been chosen by the ancestors and the heavens to correct the course of the dynasty.
He didn't claim the throne directly. He was too clever for that. He simply declared himself the "Protector of the Bloodline's Purity," a new, undefined role that placed him in direct, righteous opposition to the Emperor's perceived failure. The world's 'Corrective Force' had given him the perfect casus belli.
The council was thrown into chaos. Factions began to form instantly. The traditionalists, led by my eldest brother, the Crown Prince, were outraged. The religious and opportunistic factions, seeing a chance to gain favor, began to rally behind Valerius.
And into this chaos, Seraphina Vane played her hand.
She and her father, Duke Vane, one of the most powerful military leaders in the empire, publicly declared their full and unwavering support for Prince Valerius's cause. Seraphina herself gave a stirring speech, her voice ringing with conviction, praising Valerius's piety and courage. She positioned herself not just as an ally, but as the moral and strategic core of his new faction.
Her system's quest log, which I was still secretly monitoring, updated in real-time.
[QUEST OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: Publicly declare support for Prince Valerius.]
[FAVORABILITY WITH 'PROTAGONIST DESIGNATE - VALERIUS' HAS INCREASED TO: 60 (Trusted Ally).]
[NEW OBJECTIVE: Solidify the alliance. Accept his proposal of betrothal.]
It was a masterstroke. In one move, she had abandoned our "partnership" and embedded herself at the very heart of the new power structure. She was playing the long game, positioning herself to be the empress of the world's new, legitimate hero.
The palace was now a three-way warzone.
Faction 1: The Establishment. The Emperor and the Crown Prince, trying to maintain control and order, their authority challenged for the first time in decades.
Faction 2: The Righteous Rebellion. Prince Valerius and his supporters, backed by the Vane family and the world's 'Corrective Force', claiming the moral high ground.
Faction 3: Me. The Wild Card. The disgraced Fourth Prince, the spymaster who had "failed" to contain the demonic threat, the villain operating from the shadows. I had no public allies, no grand cause. I had only my own power, my secrets, and a dungeon that was now, conspicuously, empty.
It was perfect. While they fought each other in the light, I would grow in the dark.
I found my sister, Lyra, in her garden pavilion, the scene of our last confrontation. She was staring into the koi pond, her expression a mask of cold, calculating fury.
"He's gone," she said, without turning to look at me. "Lin Feng. You let him go." It wasn't a question.
"He escaped," I corrected her, my voice neutral. "His power was greater than our estimates."
She turned, her eyes boring into me. The homicidal intent was still there, a simmering fire. "And Valerius. This move with the Queen's will. The Vanes backing him. This was not in the script. This did not happen last time."
"The past is no longer a reliable guide, little sister," I said. "Too many players have knocked over the board."
"Seraphina," she spat, the name a curse. "She is the variable. She moves with a foresight that rivals my own. Who is she?"
"She is our rival," I said, offering a piece of the truth. "She wants the throne as much as we do. It seems she has chosen her horse in this race. Valerius."
Lyra was silent for a moment, her brilliant mind processing the new, chaotic landscape. Her own plans, centered entirely around Lin Feng, were in ashes. Her chosen hero was a fugitive. A new power bloc had formed that excluded her. She was, for the first time since her regression, politically isolated.
And that was when I made my move.
"The board is reset," I said, my voice low and persuasive. "Valerius has legitimacy and military backing. Father and the Crown Prince have tradition. We, Lyra… we have nothing. We are two disgraced princes, a fool and a schemer, caught in the crossfire."
I stepped closer to her. "Unless… we form an alliance of our own."
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "An alliance? With you? The brother who has sabotaged my every move?"
"The brother who knows the truth!" I countered, my voice a sharp whisper. "You and I are the only ones who understand the true nature of the players. You know what Lin Feng is. I know what you are. Valerius and his new fiancée are playing checkers. We, little sister, are playing a different game entirely."
I was offering her a lifeline. She was isolated, her primary asset gone. An alliance with me, the mysterious and newly powerful wild card, was her only logical move.
"What do you propose?" she asked, her voice cold, but the flicker of interest in her eyes was unmistakable.
"A truce," I said. "We work together. We share information. We use my… unique methods… and your knowledge of the future to dismantle Valerius's faction from the inside out. We will let him and Father wear each other down, and when they are both weakened, we will be the ones to seize the throne."
It was a tempting offer. A pact between two monsters.
"And when it is all over?" she asked, her eyes searching mine for the catch. "Who takes the throne then?"
I smiled. "We will decide that when we are the only two left standing. The stronger will rule. A simple, honest contest."
She stared at me for a long time, the silence stretching. I could see the war in her mind. Her hatred for me versus the cold, pragmatic logic of survival.
Finally, she gave a slow, deliberate nod. "A truce. For now."
I had done it. I had neutralized her immediate threat and turned my nemesis into my temporary, unwilling ally. The three-way war now had a secret fourth faction: us.
But as I walked away from her pavilion, savoring my victory in this new, complex game, a system notification appeared. The data-siphon on Seraphina was still active, and it had just picked up her first, official command to her new fiancé, Prince Valerius. It was a twist that showed the terrifying, ruthless efficiency of her mind.
[NEW QUEST ISSUED FROM SERAPHINA VANE'S SYSTEM - Passed to Prince Valerius]
[QUEST: SEVER THE HEAD OF THE SNAKE]
[Description: The escaped prisoner, Lin Feng, is a demonic entity that threatens the stability of the realm. Princess Lyra Ravencrest has a documented, obsessive connection to this fugitive. She is a potential traitor and a political liability to your righteous cause.]
[Objective: Fabricate evidence linking Princess Lyra directly to the prisoner's escape. Accuse her of treason. Use the authority of your new 'Protector of the Bloodline's Purity' title to have her arrested and publicly executed.]