Ariel beheaded the Emperor.

But he wasn't done yet as he set his sight on the crown prince, who had just witnessed his father's death. His face, a mask of fear and desperation, his knees trembling as he fell on his butt, and his hands bloodied by the pool of blood that covered the ground. He didn't give the impression of a monarch as he pleaded for his life.

"Spare me!! I swear on the dead empress's grave to never speak about the existence of a Miracle worker in the Empire." The dirtied crown prince pleaded.

"…." Ariel gave no response as he walked toward the crown prince with heavy pants and staggering footsteps. Even for Ariel, the strongest man in the Empire, fighting and winning against the top fighters in the Empire as he had done was an extremely heavy task. It wouldn't be surprising if he collapsed out of exhaustion.

"If you still have a shred of loyalty toward the Empire, lower your sword!" The crown prince shouted as his fear was slowly turning into anger, it was the emotional complexity of the royal family. They believed themselves to be higher beings, begging was an extremely shameful act for them even when their lives were at stake.

Still unresponsive, the berserk Ariel stood before the crown prince and raised his sword.

If he could just kill this one, Yeshu would be able to escape to the Wild without interference, even if a hellish life awaited him it was a whole lot better than being crucified by the Empire.

Just as Ariel was about to cut him down, a jet-like spear struck him by the side leaving a stinging pain that seared throughout his abdomen and stopped him in his tracks.

"Arggh!" Ariel groaned in pain as he lost his balance and fell to his knee.

Surprised, both he and the crown prince directed their sight toward the owner of the spear.

Gold long hair, black large eyes, a hairy jaw, and deep red lips. His shining silver armor was engraved with fine red details and its pauldron had a cape around it, which showcased a souring red dragon. He held a curved, single-edged blade in his left hand and left his right empty. This distinct figure was known to many as a hero and to some, a villain. His name?

Knight Commander Idvil, the western dragon who commanded the twelve legions of the Capital's walls.

He had heard of the crisis, so he gathered and led 300 soldiers and two lieutenant captains of the royal guards to the Palace.

Idvil was someone only a level below Ariel, but even that small gap was as wide as the distance between heaven and earth. He respected and acknowledged their skill difference and brought with him the necessary force required to bring the wall, known as Ariel down. But this decision was unnecessary as Ariel was already exhausted. He and the Captain lieutenant were more than enough.m

Idvil moved his eyes around the room and absorbed it all. Upon seeing the decapitated emperor he knew what he had to do.

"Emperor Darius T. Simon III, give us your command, my sovereign." He directed this question to the crown prince.

"Se-Seize this man." Stammering, the crown prince- no, the Emperor commanded.

"Wise choice, my sovereign." Idvil smiled while he lowered his torso, positioned his right leg ahead of his left, and leaned his body to the side. He also placed his blade at his back. This was the unique battle-ready stance that he had developed through countless battles.

Just as he was about to lunge forward, Ariel….dropped to the floor. The spear embedded in him was the final straw, he lost consciousness.

Ariel, the strongest man in the Empire was imprisoned.

....

The unexpected revolt of Ariel caused a lot of problems for the Empire. They lost the Empire's strongest and most influential nobles not during a war but during a ceremony hosted by the Emperor himself, not only did it undermine the Empire's authority, but it also left the noble's territory undefended and uncared for.

The Knights and royal guards Ariel killed were also some of the best in the Empire. The way he had killed the royal guards he once commanded showed that Ariel held no loyalty towards the Empire in the first place.

The Emperor being killed without formally announcing his successor was the biggest problem as it left the West without a formal ruler. Even with the crown prince Dirius clearly being the new Emperor, it was hundred percent certain that those hungry for the throne.

This was just part of the problems a single man had created.

"Your Highness, we cannot kill Ariel right now." Advisor Thophel said.

Thophel, an advisor to the late Emperor who played a significant role in Ethar's conquest of the West. During Ariel's rampage, he was out settling a dispute with the local western tribes situated on the far side of the western border on behalf of the former Emperor. He heard the shocking news upon his arrival and without delay went to the side of Emperor Darius.

He was now walking down the palace hall with both the Emperor and Knight Commander Idvil. They were about to meet with the few nobles left and the Kings or princes of the West whose Kingdoms and Principalities served the Empire.

"Do not worry. I am well aware that his existence is the only thing keeping those hungry for the throne at bay. He will pay for his crimes after we resolve all this." The Emperor responded.

Emperor Darius didn't have to do much work to conceal the identity of the revolter as the ones who had set seen Ariel wield his sword against the Empire were either dead or loyal to him. To effectively use Ariel's reputation and stall for time, he had to be kept alive.

"My sovereign, the expedition to the outer parts of the Wild, we should postpone that. We can't waste talented knights in this situation where we need to scrounge up as many soldiers as we can." Idvil advised.

"No, we cannot do that. That expedition may just be the very solution to our problems." the Emperor responded as he hastened his footsteps.

Surprised at his words, both Advisor Thophel and Idvil stopped walking and pondered on what the Emperor meant by his words. They were the sharpest minds of the Empire so they naturally came to a conclusion within seconds.

"Did Your Highness find Mapmaker M?!" they shouted in surprise.

Mapmaker M was a rumored individual who was said to have found a road route that could connect both continents while avoiding the major dangers of the wild. Finding him meant monopolizing any future trade and communication between the kingdoms of the two continents. It would lead to immeasurable wealth like no other and power comparable to that of an Emperor.

Nobody had found him in seven years so people just treated it as a baseless rumor.

The Emperor simply smiled in response to their surprised expressions as he pushed open the door to the Palace hall.

What welcomed him was a room of kings, princes, nobles, generals, sword masters, and other powerful figures of the West. They were people who couldn't even look into the eyes of Emperor Ethar in the past but now, they had grown balls to the extent openly glaring at Emperor Darius.

This meeting would later lead to decade long war known as the "Maravi War".

.....

A few days later, the expedition team was deployed. Their sole mission was to find and secure MM(Mapfinder M) based on the information the Emperor had given them. They were permitted to use force if necessary.

This expedition was of utmost importance, especially after the recent meeting where almost half the Kingdoms under the Empire's rule declared their clear hostility towards the Emperor, they were complying for now but war was surely inevitable. Emperor Darius had to do everything to prepare for that time and gather competent allies. Securing the route was crucial to this. If all when as planned he could even end the war before it even started.

The news that lead to the Empire's current problems, news about the existence of a Miracle Worker was known only by the Emperor and he decided to keep it that way. He believed in the punishment of God but he decided to make securing his Empire and rule over the West his priority. This decision would later come to bite him in the ass.

...

"You, wake him up."

"No, you do it."

"Should we just kill him?"

"Or leave him to the monsters."

The only sounds he heard were faint murmurs. The only thing he saw was darkness. The only thing he felt was a timid heat. The only thing he smelt was indistinct. The only taste in his mouth was his tasteless spit.

It was scary, he didn't want to feel this way. So he fought hard, hard to hear clearly, hard to see light, hard to feel the real sun, hard to smell something, hard to taste food and he barely succeeded.

With his fingers twitching, his eyes slowly but surely opening, he finally came to. With all his five senses active he saw the white sandy desert that stretched as far as his eyes could see, he felt the scorching hot sun burning his skin, he smelt the vanilla-like scent that pleased him and he tasted...his tasteless spit.

Anyhow, apart from that last disappointment, the world he woke up to was beautiful, he felt the urge to make this place his own.

He was admiring this world until he laid his eyes on another disappointment, humans, clad in plate armor with unblemished skin were 16 individuals who appeared scared of him, the mysterious boy who they found in their supply carriage.

This 'him' was Yeshu, the miracle worker who ended up in the Wild without any knowledge about his family's current situation.