An Invitation To War

Richard didn’t know how long he’d stood there, but he was suddenly struck by the thought that he should leave. Before heading out from the family tombs, he swept across the name of each and every enemy in his heart; since he was starting to awaken his truename, it was time to demand some interest.

He walked out of the study, having a servant deliver new clothes before looking in the mirror. This skin-tight outfit was cut by a master’s hand, possessing almost no unnecessary decorations but so well-fitting it outlined his perfect figure. He took an ivory comb from the servant’s hands, carefully grooming his hair until not a single strand was out of place. He then hung Extinction at his waist, instructing, “Have Fuschia wait for me at the teleportation gate.”

Fuschia could instantly tell something was different about him when they met, although she couldn’t clearly tell what that was. “Where are we going?” she asked.

“To take a look at the...