Tyrant of the Ruined Sun

Especially when it was paired with his handsome face and charming smile, as he blissfully walked from one stall to the other in the crowded market, tasting different foods that intrigued him and handing money to struggling merchants without taking anything in return, all the while giving playful winks to all the beautiful ladies that glanced at him flirtatiously, enjoying their swooning expressions afterward.

Today was his last day in the capital before he has to depart to the northern frontier to take his post, so he decided to spend his last day of freedom in complete leisure as he willfully roams the capital, doing whatever he pleased without a single care.

But while he was in the midst of his quest of pleasure he unintentionally bumped into a masked and robed woman who was holding a plethora of men\'s clothes as well as a brand new lute, spilling them on the ground like loose sand.

Feeling guilty over this, he quickly bent down to help the woman, before the pedestrians trampled all over her belongings, all the while sincerely apologizing "I\'m so sorry, I wasn\'t paying attention."

"Please don\'t apologize, I wasn\'t paying attention either." The woman warmly replied just as they finished gathering all her scattered belongings. But before Hasdrubal could return her things to her, he abruptly paused as he stared wide eyed at her like a deer in headlights.

Despite wearing a large, loose cloak and a mask covering her entire face except for her bluish grey eyes, it did little to hide her ravishing beauty and voluptuous body from Hasdrubal\'s experienced gaze, as he starred at her in a foolish daze.

A daze only broken when she confusedly said "Sir?" While still stretching out her hands to take back her items.

Quickly wiping away his earlier smitten expression and replacing it with his most dashing smile, he replied "My deepest apologies my lady, I was momentarily stunned by your blinding beauty."

Rolling her eyes at his words, whilst losing her earlier good of impression of the man before her, she indifferently said "Thank you." As she reached out her arms to reclaim her things.

But before she could, Hasdrubal quickly dodged while saying "I can\'t possibly allow a beauty such as yourself to carry so many items alone."

"I can manage." She responded coldly, as she once again tried to take her stuff. But the thick skinned Hasdrubal merely sidestepped her once again as he mischievously laughed, before turning around and sauntering in the opposite direction.

Realizing that she can\'t easily rid herself of this insufferable man, she decided to humor him for now, as she didn\'t sense any malice from him.

And so they began walking side by side, as a comfortable silence was created between them, before Hasdrubal suddenly asked "So, what might your name be, my lady?"

"...It\'s Marianne. And I\'m not a lady." She apathetically responded after a momentary hesitation.

"Just Marianne?" He asked, completely disregarding her second statement.

"Yes." She curtly replied.

"...Well it\'s a pleasure meeting you Marianne, I\'m Hasdrubal." He replied with a sly grin.

"Just Hasdrubal?" She asked, while looking at him from her periphery.

"Yep." He replied with the same playful smirk. And for the first time since they met, the corners of her lips tugged slightly upwards forming a small smile upon her disfigured features.

Despite not seeing this on account of her mask, he still sensed her sudden change of mood, and quickly capitalized on this by quickly asking every question that popped up in his mind without holding back, and soon enough she also began to ask questions of her own, while even using the same playful and teasing tone as him.

For anyone who only saw them today for the first time, they would naturally think that they\'ve been friends for years.

But as all things are, their conversation also came to an end when they finally reached the inn she was staying in. Turning toward him she took her belongings from him, while sincerely thanking him, but as she was doing so, she noticed a sudden and unexpected change in her new friend.

His playful and teasing smile were now long gone, replaced by a dreadfully solemn expression as he stared fixatedly at the large sign above the massive inn with the drawing of a blooming Hyacinth flower under a bright full moon.

"Are you alright?" She cautiously asked, finally breaking him out of his trance.

"Are you sure you\'re staying here?" He asked gravely instead, not answering her question.

Momentarily doubting herself due to his intense reaction, she turned around to make sure she wasn\'t mistaken, before turning back around and nodding her head, while saying "Yes. Is there something wrong with this place?"

But once again instead of answering, he says "My lady, I want you to be honest with me. Who..." But before he could finish his statement, a shadow as swift as the untamed wind, and as menacing as the reaper himself materialized behind him, before placing the cold edge of his dagger on his neck.

"Brother, what are you doing?!" Anastasia exclaimed as she rushed towards them, afraid her overprotective brother would misunderstand something and harm her new friend.

But contrary to her expectations, and for the first time since she could remember he yelled at her, while still keeping his full attention at Hasdrubal "Ani, stay back!" Causing her to flinch in fright.

And before she could say anything else, he menacingly said in his raspy, nails on chalkboard voice "My sister may not be able to sense it, but don\'t think you can fool me. You\'re at least a fifth or sixth rank martial artist, am I right?"

"Seventh." Hasdrubal confidently corrected.

Shocked by his honesty, Leonid further pressed his knife onto his skin, as he asks in a tone promising to introduce him to death\'s cold embrace "Who are you?"

Completely unaffected by his threatening words, Hasdrubal slightly turned his head to gaze at his chilling heterochromatic eyes, as he spoke in tone rivaling the mercilessness of his own, only more primal and brutal, like a snarling beast "No matter how you look at it, isn\'t a bit too rude to ask for a man\'s name before declaring your own, Leonid Koschei."

Stunned that the he recognized him, Leonid became even more certain that the man before him was sent by the Luminous Empire to capture or kill him by leveraging his own sister against him.

Although he didn\'t know how they managed to track him down so quickly, he didn\'t care to investigate any further by mincing words with this man that he has already deemed as an enemy he will not spare.

But before they could come to blows, Anastasia\'s enraged voice ringed in both of their ears, saying "Enough! Both of you! Enough!"

Instantly freezing like disobedient children before their mother, they simultaneously looked at the fuming Anastasia as she said in tone that demanded answers "Who are you? And how did you recognize us?"

Feeling a sudden twinge in his heart when he saw her boring into him with glaring eyes filled with fury and mistrust, he quickly straightened his posture and saluted by banging his right hand over his heart, and said with unwavering military discipline "General of the northern armies and High Commander of all the northern garrisons of the mighty Eclipse Empire, Hasdrubal Tistra at you service Lady Anastasia Koschei.

And I only recognized you due to your brother\'s distinct eyes and voice. They\'re very easily discernable after all."

Stunned by this unexpected revelation they stare gawk eyed at Hasdrubal for a few minutes, before Leonid coldly says "Prove it."

Without batting an eye, Hasdrubal slowly reaches into his pocket and removes a small, not very eye catching badge with his name on it, along with the Imperial Seal, which instantly evaporated the last semblances of doubt in their mind, because not even a suicidal maniac would dare fabricate the Imperial Seal of the Eclipse Empire, especially not the current emperor\'s one, since not even the combined weight of the severed heads of three generations of your family and everyone you\'ve ever met would cover the cost of your offense!

Quickly moving his dagger away from Hasdrubal\'s neck, Leonid immediately began to apologize for his offence, which Hasdrubal merely shrugged off, not taking any of his earlier actions to heart.

"I\'ve answered your questions, now you answer mine.

Why are you staying in this inn instead of going to the palace?" Hasdrubal questioned, since he knew that Leonid would\'ve been treated as an honored guest had he gone directly to the palace, since he\'d been personally invited by his imperial majesty after expending quite a bit of effort and resources from the Shade Corps.

An awkward silence settled between the two siblings upon hearing his words, before Leonid decided to answer truthfully "We were investigating the truth behind the rumors about his majesty."

Understanding the meaning behind his words, Hasdrubal\'s eyes darken till it resembled a beast\'s open maw, ready to devour all who stood before it, as he grimly asked "You dare judge his imperial majesty, after all that he\'s done for you?"

"No one knows the weight of the grace he has bestowed upon me, by reuniting me with my sister, more than myself." Leonid snapped back, before calmly continuing "And the value of that grace will forever be more than my life ever will, but it will never equate to a single hair atop my sister\'s head.

So I needed to make sure that the rumors regarding his madness, ruthlessness and malice were not true, to give my sister a chance to escape if the time ever called for it."

An amused chuckle escaped Hasdrubal\'s lips upon hearing his words, as he thought \'Trying to escape the lion\'s den after voluntarily walking in? How utterly foolish!\'

"What\'s so funny?" Leonid asks with narrowed eyes.

"I\'m sorry, I didn\'t mean to laugh, but considering how much his majesty praised you, I\'m surprised that you still haven\'t noticed where you\'re standing." Hasdrubal replied with a playful smile.

Hearing Hasdrubal\'s words, the two siblings immediately and unconsciously began to scan their surroundings, just to find nothing more than a few venders selling their wares, a couple beggars asking for money from the passing people, and even a young girl no older than six or seven years old playing with her smiling mother.

Nothing abnormal what so ever.

But they knew that Hasdrubal\'s words weren\'t spoken idly, and so Anastasia asked "What do you mean?"

Hearing her question, Hasdrubal points at the massive sign above the inn and asks "What do you know about the Hyacinth Moon inn?"

Perplexed by his question Anastasia answers "It\'s a massive enterprise in the Eclipse Empire whose owner is unknown, but many suspect it to be the ancient Altin family, who helped build the empire many millennia ago.

It also has many fingers in many pies, especially with it\'s very successful inn business, since at least one inn is present in almost every single city in the empire."

Nodding to her answer, Hasdrubal says with a cunning smile "Correct. But here\'s what not many people know about the Hyacinth Moon. It\'s real owner is the imperial family and it\'s nothing more than a front for the operations of the Shade Corps, his majesty\'s personal army of spies and assassins."

Shocked by this declaration, the siblings\' eyes once again dart around their surroundings, only to see the once mundane sight they witnessed not a few minutes ago changed completely, as the once miserable beggars asking for food, or the energetic merchants who were hawking their wares, even the playful girl who was joyfully playing with her mother were now looking at them with piercing eyes, like hawks eyeing their ignorant prey, which sent a ghostly chill up their spines, as they finally understood futility of their previous actions, and what type of monstrous den they had foolishly stumbled into!