The Imperial Palace slept beneath a blanket of darkness.

Moonlight poured over golden rooftops and silent courtyards. Guards patrolled their routes while distant lanterns flickered against the cold night wind.

Most of the palace had already retired.

But not the Emperor.

---

Inside the Imperial Study, lamps still burned brightly.

Stacks of memorials and official reports covered the large desk.

The Emperor sat alone.

A brush rested between his fingers as he reviewed another border report.

His eyes felt tired.

Yet his mind refused to rest.

Ever since the attack on the Empress outside the capital, an unease had settled in his chest.

Something was moving.

Something hidden.

And he still couldn’t see it clearly.

---

A cold breeze suddenly swept through the room.

The lamp flames flickered.

The Emperor frowned slightly.

The windows were closed.

So where had the wind come from?

Before he could think further—

Tap.

A soft sound came from the western window.

The Emperor looked up.

Silence.

Then—

Tap. Tap.

His eyes narrowed.

Someone was outside.

At this hour?

Impossible.

The study was heavily guarded.

No one should be able to approach unnoticed.

---

The Emperor rose immediately.

His hand moved toward the sword hanging nearby.

Quietly.

Carefully.

He approached the window.

The tapping stopped.

The room became silent once more.

---

The Emperor suddenly pushed the window open.

Cold night air rushed inside.

His gaze swept across the palace roofs.

Empty.

No figure.

No shadow.

No movement.

Nothing.

---

His expression darkened.

Then something caught his attention.

A rolled scroll rested on the windowsill.

---

The Emperor froze.

A moment ago—

It hadn’t been there.

---

He picked it up immediately.

The paper felt cold.

Old.

Almost ancient.

No seal.

No signature.

Nothing identifying its sender.

---

Slowly—

He opened it.

The writing inside was neat.

Sharp.

As though carved by a blade rather than written by a brush.

---

Only one sentence appeared.

"This kingdom is going to doom because of your father’s mistake."

---

Silence filled the room.

The Emperor stared at the words.

Again.

And again.

And again.

---

His father’s mistake?

---

The late Emperor had ruled for decades.

A strong ruler.

Respected.

Feared.

Remembered as one of the greatest emperors in recent history.

What mistake?

---

The Emperor’s grip tightened around the scroll.

His eyes grew colder.

---

Immediately he moved toward the door.

"Guards!"

---

The door opened at once.

Several guards rushed inside.

Kneeling.

"Your Majesty!"

---

The Emperor held up the scroll.

"Search immediately."

"Every roof."

"Every courtyard."

"No one leaves the palace."

---

The guards looked shocked.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

---

Within moments—

The quiet palace exploded into activity.

Torches lit the darkness.

Guards spread across the grounds.

Footsteps echoed through corridors.

Orders were shouted.

Searches began.

---

The Emperor himself stepped outside.

His sharp eyes scanned every direction.

The night seemed normal.

Too normal.

---

An hour passed.

Then another.

---

Nothing.

---

No intruder.

No witness.

No trace.

---

It was as if the scroll had appeared from thin air.

---

Near midnight, the captain of the guards returned.

Kneeling.

"We found nothing, Your Majesty."

---

The Emperor’s expression remained unreadable.

But inside—

His thoughts churned.

---

Nothing?

Impossible.

Someone had entered.

Someone had reached the Imperial Study.

Someone had left that message.

And then vanished.

---

The captain hesitated before speaking again.

"There is one thing."

---

The Emperor looked at him.

"Speak."

---

"We discovered footprints on the western roof."

---

The Emperor’s eyes sharpened.

"Where do they lead?"

---

The captain lowered his head.

"...Nowhere."

---

Silence.

---

The Emperor frowned.

"What do you mean nowhere?"

---

"The footprints suddenly disappear."

---

The captain looked uneasy.

"As if the person simply vanished."

---

The Emperor stared at him.

Then slowly dismissed everyone.

---

Soon—

The study was quiet once more.

---

Only the Emperor remained.

The mysterious scroll rested on his desk.

The words seemed darker now.

More threatening.

---

This kingdom is going to doom because of your father’s mistake.

---

His father’s mistake.

Not his own.

Not the Empress.

Not the court.

---

His father.

---

The Emperor sat down heavily.

For the first time in years—

He remembered old stories.

Whispers from his childhood.

Conversations that stopped whenever he entered a room.

Ancient records that had vanished.

Officials who disappeared without explanation.

---

Things he had never questioned.

---

Until now.

---

The moon moved higher in the sky.

The palace became silent again.

---

But sleep never came.

---

The Emperor sat alone.

The mysterious scroll before him.

Questions multiplying inside his mind.

---

And somewhere—

Far beyond the palace walls—

A hidden figure watched the moon.

Watching.

Waiting.

Smiling.

---

Because after years of silence—

The game had finally begun.

The Imperial Palace was silent.

Moonlight spilled across the ancient roofs, turning the golden tiles silver beneath the night sky.

Most of the palace had long fallen asleep.

The concubines rested in their chambers.

The servants had withdrawn.

Even the night patrols walked quietly through the empty corridors.

Yet one chamber remained lit.

The Emperor’s study.

---

Inside, the Emperor sat alone.

A single lantern burned beside him.

The warm light illuminated the scroll spread across his desk.

His eyes remained fixed upon the contents.

Again.

And again.

And again.

---

He had read the letter so many times that he practically knew every word by heart.

Yet the more he read it—

The more disturbed he became.

---

Slowly, he set the paper down.

His expression was dark.

Confused.

Troubled.

---

This letter should not exist.

That was what bothered him most.

---

His father had been one of the most respected rulers in imperial history.

A wise emperor.

A fair emperor.

A beloved emperor.

---

The Emperor still remembered him clearly.

The late emperor’s laughter.

His kindness toward the people.

The way ministers spoke of him with admiration.

The loyalty he inspired.

---

Under his father’s rule—

The kingdom had flourished.

---

Trade routes expanded.

Harvests were abundant.

The military remained strong.

The noble families cooperated.

The common people lived peacefully.

---

Most importantly—

There had been unity.

---

No strange incidents.

No mysterious disappearances.

No rumors of forbidden arts.

No whispers of dark forces moving through the shadows.

---

The kingdom had been stable.

---

Yet now—

Everything was different.

---

The Emperor leaned back in his chair.

His fingers pressed against his temples.

---

Why?

---

Why had everything changed after he ascended the throne?

---

What had he missed?

---

What had his father known?

---

And most importantly—

Who had sent this letter?

---

That question refused to leave his mind.

---

The letter had appeared anonymously.

No seal.

No signature.

No indication of its origin.

---

Only information.

Fragments.

Warnings.

Hints.

---

As if someone was trying to guide him.

Or manipulate him.

---

The uncertainty irritated him.

---

The Emperor hated uncertainty.

---

His gaze drifted toward the window.

Outside—

The palace appeared peaceful.

---

Too peaceful.

---

Recently he had begun to distrust peaceful things.

---

Because every disaster had hidden behind calm appearances.

---

The lake incident.

The attack against the Empress.

The strange reports from distant provinces.

The unexplained phenomena.

---

Everything had begun quietly.

---

Then exploded.

---

The Emperor rose from his chair.

His hands clasped behind his back.

---

He walked slowly toward the bookshelf.

---

Dozens of records filled the shelves.

Military reports.

Tax records.

Historical documents.

Royal archives.

---

He had spent weeks searching.

Looking for answers.

Looking for patterns.

Looking for anything that could explain what was happening.

---

And yet—

Nothing fit together.

---

Every lead ended abruptly.

Every trail vanished.

---

It was as if someone had deliberately erased the truth.

---

His jaw tightened.

---

For the first time in years—

He felt powerless.

---

Not because he lacked authority.

Not because he lacked soldiers.

---

But because he lacked understanding.

---

And a ruler who acted without understanding was dangerous.

---

His father had taught him that.

---

The memory surfaced suddenly.

---

A young prince.

A sunny afternoon.

The late emperor sitting beneath a tree.

---

"Never rush toward the first answer."

His father had said.

"Because the easiest answer is usually the wrong one."

---

At the time—

The Emperor had not understood.

---

Now he did.

---

The easiest answer was blaming outsiders.

Bandits.

Foreign enemies.

Assassins.

---

Yet deep down—

He knew things were not that simple.

---

Someone had manipulated the Empress.

Someone had nearly caused her death.

Someone had arranged an ambush.

---

The incidents were connected.

---

He was certain.

---

The question was—

Who?

---

His thoughts drifted again.

This time toward his mother.

---

The Dowager Empress.

---

A woman who had spent decades within palace walls.

A woman who had witnessed three reigns.

A woman who knew countless secrets.

---

If anyone remembered something from the past—

It would be her.

---

Perhaps she had seen similar events.

Perhaps she knew of forgotten incidents.

Perhaps she recognized the signs.

---

The Emperor stopped walking.

---

Tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow he would speak with her.

---

Not as a son.

---

As an emperor seeking answers.

---

Because there was something wrong with this kingdom.

Something ancient.

Something hidden.

---

And he could no longer ignore it.

---

His gaze fell back upon the mysterious letter.

---

Slowly he unfolded it again.

---

The final paragraph stared back at him.

---

"The roots of darkness do not grow in one night."

"By the time they become visible, they have already spread beneath the ground."

---

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed.

---

Those words unsettled him.

---

Because they felt true.

---

Too true.

---

For months—

Perhaps years—

Something had been moving beneath the surface of the kingdom.

---

Quietly.

Patiently.

---

And nobody had noticed.

---

Not the ministers.

Not the generals.

Not even him.

---

The lantern flame flickered suddenly.

---

A cold breeze entered through the slightly open window.

---

The Emperor folded the letter carefully.

Then locked it inside a small wooden box.

---

His expression hardened.

---

Tomorrow would be different.

---

Tomorrow he would begin searching the past.

---

Because the answers to the future—

Might be hidden there.

---

Far away, beyond the palace walls, the city slept peacefully.

The Empress rested in her own courtyard.

The nobles dreamed of ordinary matters.

The kingdom remained unaware.

---

Unaware that something ancient was beginning to awaken.

---

And unaware that the Emperor had finally realized one terrifying truth.

---

The enemy he sought might not be a person.

---

It might be a secret buried long before he ever wore the crown.