Fire swept throughout the lands like water coming upon shore, in a violent wave, vessels and soldiers had descended upon the surface of the small planet of Chaoxian, home of the Kiyo people. They had arrived in mass, beyond numeration or computation. They marched, slaughtered, and brought destruction to all lands that they had come across, only preserving what was absolutely necessary for them to utilize in the future, to pull from the resources of their desolation, so that they could perpetuate further desecration.

In the wake of this chaos, a man kneels in his home, as is customary in the sector. Seats are reserved for one man and one man only, the man that all men kneel to. He clothed himself in brown cloth, stripped straight from an animal. White fur protruded from the wrists and hood of his attire, as it was made clear, he was accustomed to more cold environments. Footsteps could be heard approaching ever so clearly, so much so that the youth knew who came without even looking. A much older, seasoned man had came into the room. He clothed himself in a vibrant silk of colorful yellows, blues, and greens. Upon his head he wore a black cap, to help to conceal from the fact that his hairline had been receding for some time now. While the two hailed from different worlds, they looked remarkably the same, human in appearance.

He kneeled across from the man, a table dividing them. His eyes stared at the young one for a while before he spoke. " Have you been keeping up with the curriculum I have set out for you, Zihan? " He asked, raising an eyebrow at the man, to which he nodded.

" I have taken great joy in the books that you have gifted me...and I have learned a great many of things from them. "

The young man's eyes hovered down to the table, back to the divide between them. Even if he were to be showered in an abundance of gifts, praise, and admiration, there would always be a table to separate the two men. They were not the same, and yet, were placed in close proximity to each other due to circumstance, seemingly beyond the control of both parties in question. " The Arangi have managed to make unprecedented gains on Chaoxian, we are to be dispatched to discuss negotiations with them...they have a political asset hostage, and it is integral we retrieve her...alive " The man explained, placing his hands into his sleeves, he could already sense that Zihan would pester him for more information, he had known him for a while, it was to be expected.

" General, these are a foreign people...we do not know their desires or ambitions..." Zihan began, he was about to continue, however, he was quickly met with with a response.

" It is precisely why we must find out through peaceful negotiations...I would think that you over all people would be open minded to new perspectives...you would not be here today in my home had it not been for my mercy..." The general spoke, his tone becoming more stern and angry as he went on.

Zihan turned his head down, he knew he could argue for centuries, but the general was stubborn. He was like a reinforced wall, in which every word brought forth towards him was deflected and rendered null and void, so much so that it would be better to avoid attacking the wall to begin with. " We will be accompanied by a...local stateswoman...she has displayed a great deal of interest in these negotiations and wishes to attend them so that she may document them...you are to treat her with respect...even if she is a rather unique character..." The general sighed, it was almost with great reluctance that he had agreed to do such a thing, and knew Zihan would merely make a fuss if he didn't bring it up beforehand.

He rose upwards and prompted Zihan to follow him. The youth got up from his kneeled stance and walked beside the older man, making their way outside of his house, where they were immediately met with the sight of a group of soldiers, ready to take them to their next location. Being a general, he was under heavy guard, being so close to him, Zihan had grown accustomed to the royal treatment, although, it was not always that way. A soldier approached them and immediately gave a salute. " General Heng, where are you off to today? " The soldier asked, taking a few steps back and turning to the side as he gave the two some room to move.

The soldiers had adorned themselves in silver armor made from an advanced alloy. They had green and blue accents running in streaks throughout their clothing. They wore small sashes upon their waist, displaying intricate and colorful tapestries, a testament to the wealth of their people. Zihan could not help but feel out of place in his wool coat, but he had gotten accustomed to alienation, even if they appeared the same and bled the same, he was not like the people in front of him, a fact that he had accepted very easily. Heng turned to face the soldier as a vehicle pulled up to their driveway, a hovering transport of sorts, levitating off the ground indefinitely. " We will be heading a few miles to the government building, afterwards we will be traveling to Chaoxian to help bring an end to this Kiyo Crisis..." He explained, walking towards the metallic vessel as he entered in the backseat alongside Zihan, a chauffeur driving them to their destination.

Zihan looked out the window, watching as their transport traversed the areas. He always took a bit of time to admire the sites of the city, knowing that one day he may never see them again. He never truly considered it his home, but to say the city had not grown on him was an understatement. " Why must we intervene on Chaoxian? We don't own those lands..." He said, staring into the distance, placing a hand on the edge of his window.

Heng simply chuckled and smiled, the question to him, was extremely trivial and one that Zihan probably already knew the answer to, just an answer he did not feel was good enough for himself. " We live upon the planet Zhin, and our people are the people of Zhin, however, our influence stretches far beyond our borders...Chaoxian and their people, the Kiyo are our vassals...they have become subservient to us so that we may protect them...it has been this way for a while, and I assume it will continue to be this way until one or the other dissipates..." He responded, a sly smile present upon his face as he spoke.

He did not turn his head as he spoke, the ordeal was trivial to him. Zihan once more was going to respond, but kept himself quiet as they approached their destination. It would be improper for him to drag out conversation when a guest was to come so soon. He turned over to see the stateswoman walk down the stairs of her quaint building. She had dressed herself in bright, green robes with incredibly large arm sleeves, one could do so much as to breathe to close to them and they would flap about like a swarm of scared pigeons. She wore a pink sash across her waist, however, it was loose, and looked like it could fall off at any moment. In her hand, she carried a small paper fan, oddly enough, one that did not retract, but was instead supported by a slim wooden beam. Despite her raggedy appearance, she carried herself confidently, smiling at the chauffeur as he exited the vehicle to open her door. She entered the transport, initially situating herself to the far left seat, only to scotch herself to the seat besides Zihan, who could only wonder how such a person with as little manners as her could keep a prestigious job. " I am honored to attend this delegation...my fingers are primed and ready to dedicate every intimate detail to word! " She said excitedly, her broad smile somehow getting even wider as she let out a giggle sometime after.

She turned away from the others as she stuffed her fan into her long sleeves. Heng had peered behind him to speak to her. " I do not know how things will go...but regardless, it will be something to be remembered " He said with a playful smile, turning away from her as they began to drive off towards a shuttle so that they could reach their new destination...Chaoxian.

A man had sat himself down in a Chaoxian fort, his soldiers patrolling the area. He glanced towards the distance to see the devastation his people had brought upon the planet. He gave no expression, simply gazing out blankly. He had adorned himself in green and white robes, his shoulders were accented with a light blue robe placed over them. His face was concealed by a metallic band wrapped around it, several small optics peering out from it. His hair was shaved at the front, and tied in a bun at the center of his head. A man had approached him, but he need not say or report to him, for he had already known what was coming. The delegation was to arrive, but they knew not of what awaited them, their fate was predestined. Due to this, he did not listen to a word that the man uttered.

A trio of foreigners had approached him soon after, and began to introduce themselves. He had anticipated that the Zhin would arrive, but there was a man amongst them that did not resemble the Zhin. He did not adorn himself in their dress nor their hairstyle conventions, he was a black sheep amongst them. He allowed noise to enter his ears once more as they spoke, intrigued now. " General Heng of Zhin " The tallest foreigner said, followed by the female foreigner.

" Stateswoman Cuifen of Zhin "

The woman had spoke, and the last of them had given himself some pause before introducing  himself. " Soldier of First Rank, Zihan of- "

The man raised a finger at Zihan, almost to prompt him to change his answer from what he knew he was going to say then and there. " Zihan of Nuzhen, home of the Jyn people..." He answered, performing a customary half bow soon after.

The man took off his band, to reveal his face. The delegation could not help but look in a disturbed fear. He appeared human, but it was almost as if something was...off. His skin was unnaturally pale, his eyes had no sclera in them. Zihan was once told a man's eyes were the gateway to his soul, but he saw nothing behind them. Around his body were light blue accents, as if a cold front had stricken his entire being. " I am Daimyo Fudo Ezume of Riben. Home of the Aranagi People. You may simply call me Ezume for the rest of your stay here, I will not be keeping you for long, so formalities will not be necessary..." He said, placing his visor back upon his head, sitting in a relaxed stance.

The General walked forwards, he was worried by the words of the man in front of him, but was not about to let them deter him from trying to end things peacefully. " What are your terms for the release of Princess Gi? " He asked, placing his arms in his sleeves.

The Daimyo shook his head. " What difference would it make if she was in your hands right now? " He asked, looking up at Heng.

The General paused for a bit, before composing himself. " What is it your people want then? "

The Daimyo looked up at Heng plainly. " My people live to deprive life from other beings...destruction is their virtue and dogma. I have invited you here to explain to you that there will be no peace as long as my soldiers draw breath. " The Aranagi replied, getting up his seated position.

Soldiers began to approach the room, as if on cue. " Princess Gi is a few miles south of this encampment...she was merely a means to an end..." He stated, beginning to walk away.

The soldiers of the encampment adorned themselves in silver armor, their entire bodies were concealed by it. Even their faces were covered, with metallic molds portraying horrific expressions upon their being. They unsheathed swords from their beings like it was a second nature to them, not thinking upon it, but doing it on instinct and nothing else. " I'm going to make you eat your words, Heng..." Zihan said, getting into a fighting stance, as the stateswoman closed in between him and the General.

The General got into a fighting stance as well, remaining close to Zihan. The battle had only begun...