The splash of blood was hot and wet, and the screams that followed were the birthing cries of a new empire. Such things always required blood.

A lone horseman stopped beside General Kao-Tsung. He wasn’t worried. There was only one man that his guards would let into his presence without warning- the Emperor. It looked like he had entered into the fighting but emerged unscathed. His eyes still held that faraway look as if the future was coming into focus. A future that the aging general was helping create this very moment.

The Emperor turned to him.

“We stand upon the foothills of a dream- the final city is falling as we speak. Joss continues to shine in our favor. Of course, this would not have been possible without you either. Your strategies were indispensable and no one could stand against them. Truly, the war gods blessed you.”

Together, they watched the battlefield below where the defenders tried valiantly to recover lost ground. By nightfall, the last border of the Empire had been established.