"That idea seems increasingly alluring," Prince Raijun remarked. "I, for one, find it hard to imagine that all four of them had a massive shift in priorities simultaneously. It is much more likely that there is a common causal factor between them."
"We agree," The advisors nodded. "That is our analysis on the matter as well. We believe that there is a common cause behind their aggressive shift towards you."
Prince Raijun nodded, narrowing his eyes. "I just am unable to imagine who or what it could be; these are truly mind-boggling events."
"There are some possibilities, but there is one that stands at the top of the list..." One of his advisors signaled to an assistant, who promptly supplied Prince Raijun with a report document.
"What is this...?"
"Something you haven't heard about yet. We saw fit to hand it to you ourselves to minimize an information leak," His advisors explained.
Prince Raijun raised an eyebrow as he went through it.
His eyes widened. "Father...has awoken once more?"
"His Majesty, Second Emperor Rael Di Kandria, has awakened from his Eternal Dream sleep, perhaps for the final time," The advisors solemnly informed him.
The atmosphere was severe.
Second Emperor Rael Di Kandria was the man who elevated Kandria to a powerhouse Sage-level nation.
He was known as the Emperor of Harmony in the political sphere.
The reason for that was because, across all of Panama, he alone was the one and only ruler in the history of the Age of Martial Art to have averted a civil war.
One of the most universal political phenomena during the early half of the Age of Martial Art was civil war.
On one side of the civil wars were the ruling political establishment that had been in power since long before the age of Martial Art. These included royalty, aristocracy, and monarchies.
On the other side were the younger and newer Martial Artists of the new age who broke free of the control of the existing political establishment. These were younger Apprentices, Squires, and even some Seniors.
Every nation experienced this power struggle. It was the defining hallmark of the earliest phase of the Age of Martial Art, which itself was an era marked by the beginning of the first Martial Squire leading a revolution.
The Britannian Empire had a civil war that led to the old monarchy falling, replaced by a Martialocracy. The Sekigahara Confederate was a state where Martial Artists grouped together, selectively breeding with each other to create their own bloodlines, resulting in clans that swept the militaries of the aristocratic clans that previously ruled the Sekigahara plains. The clash between the Martial faction and the dictator of Gorteau resulted in a tie and a compromise, causing a democracy to emerge.
Yet, the Kandrian Empire was the only nation in history that had never experienced a civil war.
It had come close.
While the first Emperor Ra had not tried oppressing Martial Art and even signed the Kandrian Martial Pact and the Covenant, he did expect loyalty from Martial Artists. He refused to give up the right to conscript them for war.
This led to immense friction between him and the young Martial Union.
In fact, it was bound to lead the war.
Yet before he could pull the trigger, he was assassinated.
First Prince Rael overcame the allied resistance of his siblings and became Emperor, becoming Emperor Rael. He immediately formed agreements with the Martial Union with a compromise on both sides, conceding to a highly conditional and limited defensive conscription in the event of an all-out invasion.
His political acumen made for a brilliant lobbying effort that appeased the Martial Union despite extracting several concessions. His expertise in law and administration created a system of governance that worked around the Martial Union and slotted perfectly into the power system of Kandria, seamlessly harnessing its power. His diplomatic and militaristic acuity empowered Kandria's influence and control over its domain of power, becoming a true powerhouse on the international platform.
He was widely regarded as the man who saved all of Kandria from destruction and elevated it to power and dominance, earning the respect and admiration of all his subjects.
His name invoked silence.
While the advisors were firmly a part of Prince Raijun's faction, they would be lying if they did not have an immensely favorable opinion of the Emperor of Kandria.
Prince Raijun's eyes sharpened. "Tsk, he should have stayed asleep. Better yet, he should have died."
None of his advisors commented on that remark.
"Still, Father has woken up, hm?" Prince Raijun read through the report. "This may indeed be the last time he wakes up."
The Eternal Dream disease was often thought of as a curse. While there was a medical community, this world was still one filled with much superstition. One would progressively fall into sleep for longer and longer periods until they eventually slept forever before dying in their eternal sleep.
Was that not a curse?
"Once he goes into eternal sleep, he will probably still not be pronounced dead," Prince Raijun tutted. "Courtesy of my power-hungry grandfather, Emperor Ra. What a foolish system. However, the moment he dies, I will do everything in my power to commence the Crowning Ceremony and crown myself as the third Emperor of Kandria."
Prince Raijun furrowed his eyebrows as he considered the cards that he was dealt.
"I hope the old man just accepts his fate humbly," Prince Raijun snorted. "His time has passed. I doubt that he's responsible for my four suicidal siblings going all out against me."
"Don't be too certain, Your Highness," One of his advisors cautioned him. "Even if he isn't responsible for it, we can be sure that he will take action once more now that he has awakened. He is not a man who will sit tightly as he watches his children trigger yet another civil war that may bring about ruin to Kandria."
"Hmph," Prince Raijun snorted, yet a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes.
"I just hope nothing happens."
