A little more than one year previously, there had been an empty, forgotten village that bore the name Sukoshi Zutsu. It was utterly unremarkable in every way, with little in the way of valuable resources, and no real strategic value to speak of. It lay near the southern edge of the Lion Clan’s western border, a border that no one had attacked in centuries for fear of the Lion armies.

The village had meant nothing.

It had been nothing.

The Khan’s will had transformed it.

Now Sukoshi Zutsu was a military stronghold whose name was known across the Empire. Despite that the Lion had retained Kaeru Toshi when the war was ended by Imperial decree, the Unicorn kept possession of Sukoshi Zutsu. To the Khan, that was sufficient. It was a sign to all that there was nothing he could not take if he wished. He had taken the Lion’s village, and they had kept Kaeru Toshi only because he had chosen to let them retain it. The Lion could not stand against him. Perhaps, had they allied with the Dragon and the Imperial legions, they might have held him in check. That was a year ago, however, and now he was even stronger than before.

Now there was nothing that could stand in his way.

“Tama,” Moto Chagatai said, turning to the leader of his scouts. “What news?”

The young Utaku bowed sharply and smiled. “The Lion continue to probe the border,” she said. “There have been a few incidents of violence, but nothing to draw attention from the rest of the Empire.”

“And the Dragon ambassador?” he asked.

“Returned safely to his own lands,” the scout said. “None other than yourself and Lord Satsu, and I are even aware he was here.”

“Excellent,” the Khan said, returning to the view before him. The lands on the horizon were not his, not yet, but one day he would conquer them, just as his ancestors had claimed everything they saw. It was his birthright. The destiny of a conqueror.

“Can you sense it?” he asked, his voice strangely hushed. “Can you feel it, on the wind?”

“What, my lord?” Tama asked.

“Fear,” Chagatai answered, taking a deep breath. “The Empire fears us. They once thought we were barbarians, but now they know the truth. They know that if the Unicorn wish to possess what they have, no force in the Empire can stop us. The Unicorn are no longer the forgotten child.”

“They should fear us, my lord,” Tama agreed. “No man in this Empire can stand against the Khan.”

“Let the Crane have their Keepers,” Chagatai said. “Let them chase enlightenment. They will find no truth in books and in meditation. Enlightenment is found in the thrill of battle, and the exultation of victory, and the death of one’s enemies. In that much, at least, the Crane are correct.” He turned back to Tama once more and smiled. “An age of enlightenment is coming.”