The solemn air of the camp remained saturated with the silent rage and eerie, quiet murmuring of my seething warriors long into the night and well into the twilight hours of the day, as they suffocated the soothing evening breeze with it's gentle, seducing lullaby of wistful sleep with their incessant chatter, that began to mimic the chaotic chittering of bugs and birds; which even managed to mask the four hauntingly harrow, torturous piggish squeals that erupted mysteriously in the dead of night and ended shortly afterwards.

And all the while, I lounged on a chair in my rebuilt private tent, staring unflinchingly onto the crudely altered map I had hanging above my desk, as my fingers idly raked their way through Bellerophon's rapidly thickening ashen mane, much to the growing beasts obvious pleasure, as evidenced by the constant echo of his content purrs through out the night.

All the while, as my mind turned simple brushes of blank ink upon white parchment into thousands of warring men, conniving sovereigns and caravans of gold and supply across the global stage, I subtly maintained a carefully controlled pulse, awash with my my divine power, allowing my Eve to train peacefully on the bed behind me.

But eventually, even she could no longer handle the smothering sensations that was her ancestor's training regiment for her chosen descendants, as she then came to my side with soundless motions and calmly asked "Was that the real you?"

"What?" I ask, genuinely not catching all her words, as I was slow suddenly escaping my emersion within the confines of my swirling thoughts.

"The you who so brutally executed that disrespectful man with torturous savagery and brutal pragmatism, that he was left without even his voice at the end of his life. Was that the real you?" She repeated, as her slender fingers almost absent mindedly played with the hem of her deep purple, silken sleek dress.

I stared momentarily into her beautiful eyes, that shone all the clearer to me tonight, and said "Yes."

"I see." Was all she said for a moment, her unseeing eyes fixed upon me as though she wanted to pear through the curtained darkness of her ancestor and into my very soul.

"Does that disappoint you? Does it upset you? Does it scare you?" I asked with a small smile a moment later, as an annoyed Bell, who seemed to be sorely miffed at being awoken by our unending prattle, retrieved his head from my lap and made his way to his favoured sleeping spot at the foot of my bed.

The answer to my questions in the meantime, came in the form of a frown marring her beautiful face, as she slowly came to a sitting position horizontally across my lap, and said carefully wrapping her arms around my neck "I thought you said that you knew me better than all others."

"Indeed." I smilingly replied, as I slowly unhooked one of her hands from my neck, and gently brought it up to my lips, before I gently placed a peck upon her pale knuckles.

We then remained in this new silence for a moment, the tyrant in my mind happily purring in content, as my nostrils were utterly filled by her lavender scent, but despite this my eyes kept wandering away from her beloved form, as my head would constantly gravitate back to my map, and it's many scribbled notes and lines.

"You're worried." She did not ask, but stated. "Tell me."

I did not answer immediately, momentarily finding myself struggling with the how, before I then blurted out "...Southern reinforcements."

"What?" She asked, not understanding my meaning.

"It's what those prisoners said." I reminded her. "The four great clans of the Murathicus Middle lands are waiting for 'southern reinforcements'."

She paused for a moment, and then replied with furrowed brows "And is the impending arrival of those foes a good enough reason to cause you so much grief and worry?" She asked as she ran her palm across my cheek. "Could they be more fearsome than foes you've already defeated? More than the Iron Wall? More than the War Dragon?"

I couldn't help the smile now forcing my lips to stretch, as I calmly began "I've already told you that in my past life, my standing was far weaker than it was now, whether it be political, economical, personal and all the rest. I also told you that I did not even attempt to expand my territory south of the Hadrians, even decades from now, when I had finally reunited my lands and reclaimed my throne, correct?"

"You did." She nodded.

"But what I didn't tell you at the time was why I had rushed to expend so much valuable time and resources subduing this wild land, when they could have arguably been used on more potent adversaries. I didn't tell you at the time that from these same lands you and are now standing in, a fifth great empire of the world would rise." I slowly explained.

Eve did not speak for a moment, but I could feel her body slightly stiffen in my arms, as her eyes slightly widened, before she then asked a couple of seconds later, her composure now returned to her "So now you worry that your actions have changed the future, which you once knew, to such an extent, that it has somehow caused this fifth great empire you dread so much to prematurely rise?"

"The abruptness at which their hostilities ended, the degree in which they are now coordinating, it's too suspicious." I replied.

Eve suddenly took a deep breath, as though utilizing that lungful of air as reigns and leashes to steady her stampeding mind, and said "Let us consider for a moment that what you're suspecting is indeed true; will they really pose the same dangerous threat to you as they did in the past? In fact, I don't even think they would be qualifies to be called the fifth empire anymore, considering that so much of their land is already under your control or is actively being invaded as we speak, with the only hope of simply preserving their current meagre holdings is by striping their lands clean of every last soldiers and scrap of wealth they could possibly muster to simply halt your current progress for the time being, for is you marshal your full strength against them, I could not envision them ever managing to stand before you anymore."

"Your eyes are still unaccustomed to the view of emperors my love." I soothingly said, as I softly brushed aside a strand of hair dangling precariously over her face. "Your sight does not penetrate far enough into the truth of thing yet."

"What do you mean?" She frowningly asked.

"I do not fear their rising due to their strength of arms, I wouldn't even fear them if they had all their lands and riches unspoiled by my armies." I said with a confidence that caused her to unconsciously tighten her hold over me, before I grimly revealed. "No, what I am most alarmed about is the economical Armageddon they would curse upon me."

"Much of my nation's wealth is due to the necessity for eastern and western merchants to reach the opposing lands of the continent, they would need to pass through my territory sooner or later, even if they choose to suffer the trials of the Jurren de Yachi and Stenna mountains. This brings tremendous revenue to my people, but now imagine that if another, possibly more lucrative and speedy trade route suddenly opened before these men of gold and travel, when they..."

"They could sail around the continent, supplying themselves on Murathicus ports now that they are no longer isolationists, completely circumnavigating the empire, starving you of one of your most vital economical arteries!" Eve suddenly interrupted me and said aloud, finally elevating her gaze to the same height as I for a moment.

"Exactly." I affirmed, half amused, half gravely.

"So what do you plan to do?" She asked, her tone losing all other emotion in it, becoming cold, sharp and precise; like a hidden blade itching to slowly slot in between your ribs and puncture your heart.

"To strangle it in the cradle." I ruthlessly declared.

"How?" She asked.

"They want to unite all their strength before they face me in combat, I plan to ruin and capitalize on this wise if not overly cautious strategy of theirs." I said.

"Divide and conquer." She muttered.

"Something similar." I vaguely, but smilingly nodded.

She stared at me then, with an expression on her face that I hadn't yet seen from her in this lifetime, as she said "How can I help?"

A laugh escapes me then, one not of derisive mockery, but of joyful reminiscence, for she has ever been the loveable hypocrite.

Always, she was hesitant to allow me to help her, but she was forever fast to offer; no, to enforce her help to me when she deemed it necessary.

So joyful I was, that I didn't even register my own movements to capture her lips in a seething kiss, much to her surprise.

"Don't think this will distract me from my earlier words." She sternly said when I finally released her, trying to hide the subtle shade of colour now quickly invading her fair cheeks.

"I wouldn't dream of it love." I assuringly replied with a roguish smile. "In fact, I have a perfect task to entrust you with."