It was the perfect epic novel. Just like those in Greek poems and Roman tragedies that talk about fallen empires, greedy emperors and just rulers, guided by the power of the gods. It was like those stories, except for the fact that it wasn’t just a story. It was more than a magical tale that was told over and over to those children who loved listening to them and were enchanted by the way a simple incident could elicit a whirlwind turn of events. This wasn’t one of those heroic tales of our childhood. This was real life.

And in her case, she was a real girl.

The introduction made our story sound like it happened several years ago but this happened, well in a year we know as the present year. Just this year, it occurred. A war between empires of the same country. I guess when it came to power, people could be moved towards violence and hostility, even towards those whom we deem as our own people, walk on the land that we walk on, breathe the air we breathe. War on their own kind. There were two powerful empires, one was just and peaceful while the other was corrupt and violent. The emperors were equally powerful and brainy when it came to governing over their empires.

The Nabi Empire, or better known as the Butterfly Empire was governed by Empress Sandara Park, the beautiful young heiress of the Nabi wealth that was left by a good and gallant emperor who died in battle. Sandara was only 26 when the empire fell into her hands but she knew how to control her people and so far she had done a good job. The Nabi Empire was known far and wide for its abundance in natural resources and jewelries as well as its tranquility and order. The crime rate in this part of the country was very low, the environment was so beautiful you could almost call it perfect. There were two parts in the empire, the city side and the provincial side. The provincial side was like the Garden of Eden, bountiful with plants and flowers, the landforms and waterforms pretty as a picture. You would mistake it for a painting if you had seen it yourself. Humble province folk going about with their work, farming and plowing the fields that were as golden as Empress Sandara’s hanbok and butterfly haircomb and fishermen fishing in the crystal blue lake that was even more blue than the sky. In the province, pollution did not exist. The air was almost always cool and always blew their way. There was never a hot moment in the province.

The city was just as captivating. It was much more advanced and busier, though with all the establishments, buildings, and products of high-end technology coming up but other than that, the city and province were equal in terms of beauty. Think of the city as Tokyo and New York with all the lights and all the skyscrapers. In the day it was busy and at night it was full of life. People walked around, drove around in their expensive cars hitting the hottest nightspots. Beautiful and branded clothes, shoes, jewelries, restaurants. It was well developed and as mentioned, crime rates were low though there were still some petty thieves and murderers roaming around, searching for victims in the bustling city. Nobody said the city was perfect, but it was almost there.

The other empire, the Kamagui Empire or the Raven Empire, ruled by the ruthless barbarian Emperor Kangta. Emperor Kangta was a man that had a history of violence, being the commander of several armies that traveled far and wide in search of cities to conquer and riches to bring home. An experienced man, he had fought and won several battles but no battle would be greater and no victory would be sweeter than if he won Empress Sandara’s empire, it being the richest and most prosperous. The city that he ruled over, however, was the opposite of the Butterfly Empire. The Kamagui Empire was just as rich, yes but it stank of evil and was infested with all sorts of negativity. It was worthy of a dystopian story with all the corrupt officials, brutal criminals, bizzare crimes, misuse of , drugs, organized mafias and the like. Anything that you could find in a nitty gritty dirty city, you found in the Kamagui Empire. It wasn’t as clean as the Butterfly Empire, with all the rotting buildings and graffiti. It was your idea of a bad environment, the kind of place you wouldn’t raise a family in.

As described, the place was swarming with criminals and all kinds of injustice. You found it in every corner! One time there was a man being murdered the next you’s find a guy taking home two es, both of which were underage. The apartments-that were old and dirty-you thought were houses were actually meth labs and hostels. The thing with the place was it was so mysterious and so shady that you wouldn’t know what you would run into. It was always full of surprises. Bad surprises. As you know, the infrastructures were old and rotting. The government (which was run by the Emperor, having only politicians as puppets) promised that they would replace these buildings but it had already been 6 years since that promise was made and there were still no changes. People kept on waiting and waiting until they got tired of hoping and just opted to live with the crap that was in the city. They had to face the facts. The politicians promising these things were only toys being used by the corrupt Emperor in order to get money and make himself rich. Power and fortune blinded him so.

Since the Emperor was all about money and killing other people to get their money, he had ties with the Korean Mafia. The Korean Mafia was a group that specialized in organized crimes and hired murders. The Emperor-who was supposed to be maintaining the order in his empire-was also among those who were causing chaos. Whenever he felt that someone was on the rise and about to become richer than him, he would hire his Mafia friends to hunt that man down and kill him, get his riches. The Emperor engaged in all sorts of improper behavior. Not only was killing and stealing his hobby, so was engaging in with different women, getting drunk, gambling and hiring his Korean Mafia to get drugs for him where they would all have a grand drugged-out party. All of this was done without the citizens’ knowledge and without his wife knowing. His wife discovered that he was having an affair and being the docile, afraid woman that she was, she took her own life instead of confronting her husband, believing that she was the problem. She was never.

Emperor Kangta was greatly devastated with the death of his wife but in a matter of time, he moved on and continued to bask in his evil glory. He commanded high fees and taxes, money that the politicians just collected and passed on to him. The city was getting poorer and poorer but he was getting richer and richer. A great hypocrite he was though, he persecuted the criminals in the city severely, giving them the death penalty whereas he was a criminal himself. No criminal in the city, save for the Korean Mafia, was safe from the claws of the Emperor. No one was spared.

Unlike Empress Sandara who didn’t have an heir or an heiress, yet; Emperor Kangta had one son and that one son meant the world to him. He was the Emperor’s weakness, the one thing that when taken away from him would make him crumble onto the ground. His son was known as the Raven Prince, named after the kingdom and because of his hair. The young man’s most distinct feature was his hair that was as dark as the ravens flying around in their empire’s dark, cloudy sky. Ever since he was a kid, Emperor Kangta trained this boy and showed him the ways of battle and supremacy. Being an expert fighter himself, the boy he believed needed no special trainer. He taught his son how to box, how to kick, how to hunt, how to hold swords and guns, and how to kill, making him the fiercest prince in the country. Now that he was 17 years old, Emperor Kangta saw him as poised to lead an army and take over his thrown when he dies. A young Bonaparte, he once called his son. And it was true. Not only was the Raven Prince skilled and intelligent, he was also handsome and had the ability to captivate women.

One evening as father and son were talking, the Raven Prince brought up one of his great adventures, spying on the Empress’ headquarters.

“Dad, might I bring something up.” the Raven Prince took a sip of his scotch. Emperor Kangta raised an eyebrow and paid attention to his son.

“What is it?”

“I went over to the other empire.” Raven Prince said. Emperor Kangta sharpened his ears upon hearing ‘the other empire’. He knew what his son meant by this.

“What did you see?”

“I went to the Temple of the Empress. I got on their roof and did some hardcore spying. I saw the heart of the temple. She had a Pearl in a glass case. It was a really precious looking Pearl, it didn’t look like any ordinary Pearl to me.”

“Describe it, son! Describe it even more!” Emperor Kangta began to grin and could feel himself drooling with greed and yearning for the prized Pearl.

“It was big an shiny. It was very, very white and sparkled a lot. I think I saw some waves and splashes of colors on it. It glowed. It kept on glowing and it lit up the room. It was so bright.” Raven Prince said in awe. Emperor Kangta looked at his son and gave him a grin.

“That Pearl. Do you think it’s powerful?” asked Kangta.

“Definitely! With its majesty? Of course I believe it’s powerful!”

“It sure sounds powerful judging by the way you described it. Where do we find this Pearl?”

“In the Temple of the Empress. The heart of the temple. That’s where it lies.”

“The Heart of the Temple, you say?” Emperor Kangta smirked and an evil look came across his face. His plans to steal the Pearl were coming together.

But what was this “Pearl” and what was its significance to the Butterfly Empire? It was believed that long ago, back when it was Sandara’s great-great grandfather who ruled the land, the gods looked down on his and on the Raven Empire’s emperor.They saw that the Butterfly Empire emperor was a just ruler and rewarded and punished accordingly while corruption and crime reigned supreme in the Raven Empire. In order to reward the Butterfly Empire’s then-emperor, they gave him the Pearl of Power. The Pearl of Power was one of the most precious gifts the gods could give their cities’ rulers. The Pearl was capable of providing the city of whoever emperor had it in his hands with everlasting power and fruitfulness. That wasn’t the only reward the gods gave the Emperor. They made sure that all those in his lineage would be blessed by his royal and noble blood, thus making him produce a generation of noble, kind-hearted, rightful rulers, Empress Sandara being one of them. In order to punish the Raven Empire, the gods put a curse upon them, making sure that their city remained the foul, disorderly mess that it started out to be and never to prosper. That’s why the Raven Empire had been wanting to get their hands on the Pearl and conquer the Butterfly Empire for years but with the gods on the latter empire’s side, that seemed impossible.

Back in the palace, Emperor Kangta and the Raven Prince continued to discuss the Pearl and how they were going to get it. It was their chance! The son knew the whereabouts of the Pearl and they knew they couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to get rich and powerful easy.

“We shall rally up the army tomorrow morning!” the Raven Prince instructed like a true military genius. “In the morning they aren’t as alert as when in the afternoon. That should provide us with an easy entrance. We can breeze our way through her sleepy goons and get that Pearl.”

“Spoken like a true strategist.” Emperor Kangta praised his son. “Tomorrow morning it is then. And since you know where this magical jewel is hidden, please do not hesitate to lead the way. I, your father and emperor of this city, am putting you in command of this heist.”

“Call up the Mafia, too. I think we’re going to have some royal blood on our hands.” the Raven Prince smirked. Emperor Kangta liked his son’s plan and was proud that his one and only child turned out to be just as diabolical as he was when he was 17. The Raven Prince, clad in a black polo, black slacks and a black coat, stood up and poured himself another glass of wine. With his back turned against his father, he looked out the window and eyed their city. Surely, it was a pity to see that they weren’t faring as well as their neighboring empire but the Raven Prince was sure it was going to change pretty soon. He didn’t spy on their Pearl for nothing.

“Father, I have one question though.” he spoke up. Emperor Kangta looked behind him and saw his son contemplating with what would be his 3rd glass of red wine in his hand.

“Anything, dear boy.” he said. The Raven Prince turned around to face him, his eyes as dark as the bird of his title and his smile oozing with wickedness. His hair was a slight mess but was still fairly in place. The young prince’s pale skin radiated in the dark and the piercing eyes, stared right through his father as if trying to hypnotize the emperor’s soul with his pupils. The Raven Prince was terrifyingly handsome. Evil had never looked this good.

“What do we do with Empress Sandara Park? How do we dispose of her?”

“Simple, my child. I am an emperor who has been ruling for years now and I have conquered so many lands. Now, if you think that I got to where I am today without turning the tides red, then you got it all wrong. You can’t become a great emperor without killing a few people. You have to kill someone.”

“So shall we say, murder Empress Sandara?” The Raven Prince said with gallance. “In a barbaric manner?”
“We do not do the murders, my child. That is why we have the Korean Mafia.”

“I think it would take away the suspense aspect of it. See, you said think barbaric and if you want the animal in me out, I’m prepared to go all out! Torture. Torture would do perfectly for her before death.”

“You are bright. You are violent. You can become emperor!” Emperor Kangta cheered on his son.

“That is deep into my knowledge now, father.” the Raven Prince said. “So it shall be! Tomorrow morning, we rally the troops up and take the Butterfly Empire by strom.”

“Let us toast to that!” Emperor Kangta invited his son to toast their glasses of wine. Of coures, the Raven Prince was more than happy and honored to share this moment with his father.

[THE FOLLOWING MORNING]

6:00 am. That was the exact time. The army of Emperor Kangta was already in order, armed and dangerous with the lust for power and blood. With their guns, swords, bombs, bayonets, rifles, and grenades; they were just about as ready as they were dangerous. Old and new weapons alike were theirs. Breaking into the Temple of the Empress and killing everyone in sight before finally sneaking into the Heart of the Temple and finally stealing the Pearl, getting all the power that they had always wanted.

The soldiers were lined up, standing as still and as sturdy as trees. They were all so stiff, as if they weren’t breathing! The Emperor stood still as his son carried out the commands, walking from left to right, eyeing every soldier and trying to check if he was prepared or not.

“Listen men, today we attack the Temple of the Empress. We burst in, kill everyone and make our way to the Heart. The Heart is where the Pearl of the Gods is hidden. Once there, we get it and bag it. As for the Empress…” a nasty smirk came across the Raven Prince’s face. “We kidnap her.” Emperor Kangta grinned evilly from behind his son.

“I want everyone to take part in this. We all kill, we all win.” the Raven Prince looked at each and every one of them again, “Understood?”

“YES SIR!” they said in unison. The Raven Prince drew his sword and looked up at the mountains, the sun, the sky. With determination and rage in his heart, he made the first step towards the march to the Temple. They reached the boundary that separated their city from the other empire. From where they were, they could see that the neighboring empire was indeed a picture of immense beauty. The first thing they saw was the Temple and its beauty, the structure alone, was enough to make them stare.

The Temple of the Empress was much like the Forbidden City in China except for the fact that this was just a temple and not a city. Only the Empress as well as her subjects, her servants, and her guards were allowed in the Temple. Intruders were subjected to punishment under the hands of the guards. The Temple was vast and beautiful, sturdy posts and walls as well as intricate designs all over that gave it an old-fashioned feel. Everything that the Empress needed and wanted was given to her in the temple by her loyal servants. Her subjects made sure that all the things that she needed to attend to were taken care of and they were also responsible for the organization of Empress Sandara’s things and schedules. They made sure everything went smoothly. The guards were always there, standing guard and making sure that the Temple as well as the inhabitants were safe.But the one thing that they were really guarding and were keeping an eye on was the Pearl. The Pearl of the Gods may be the most valuable thing that ever existed in the Temple, more than all the jewelries and riches stored in the palace. It held the beauty of their kingdom in its round shape. It was something they couldn’t afford to lose.

When Emperor Kangta, the Raven Prince, and his troops were already near the Temple, the Raven Prince stopped them and began to strategize.

“Two in front, three at the back. I want the strongest, most alert men to do this!” the Raven Prince eyed them all. He saw 5 men who looked burly and ready for a fight and picked them. “You! The five of you come forward! Take responsibility for this! Assume your positions and radio us in when you are ready!” They tweaked their radio systems just to make sure they worked. You see this was no ordinary empire and they were no ordinary soldiers. Just because there’s an emperor and temples and gods in this story doesn’t mean it’s old fashioned. Remember, it is set in the present times so they used high-tech as well as traditional warfare weapons. The 5 chosen soldiers made their way down as Emperor, Prince, and the other men waited for their signals.

Mornings in the temple were usually calm. Birds flying by in the blue sky, the sound of dew drops and the smell of the flowers. Everything in the city was this perfect in the morning, thanks to the Pearl of the Gods. And that was the aim of Emperor Kangta. To get that Pearl!

The two soldiers positioned themselves in front while the three others went way back. The two soldiers were seen by Empress Sandara’s loyal guards and stopped them.

“Who are you and what do you think you’re doing tresspassing here?” the guard asked sternly. Without warning, the two men sprayed mace on the guards’ eyes and shot them dead.

Meanwhile, the Raven Prince was still waiting for a signal when he finally got one. One of the two guards said that it was okay to enter as they had taken down Sandara’s faithful soldiers.

“You hear that men? Let us charge!” the Raven Prince led the batallion towards the Temple and altogether, they broke into the most noble place in the Butterfly Empire. The servants and subjects heard this sound and called for more guards.

“Soldiers! Soldiers! There are intruders!” A great battle began on the wide space that welcomed them when they entered. Empress Sandara’s forces were no match for the army that was led by the evil Emperor and his equally evil son. They were all shot, stabbed, and sliced to death. The subjects and servants hid in the rooms and other unseen places, fearing for their lives. The Raven Forces burst into every room, trying to see if Sandara’s subjects and servants were hiding. Some rooms were empty but most of them were occupied and needed to be emptied by the forces. Whenever they saw people hiding, they either bombed the room or stabbed/shot each and every single one to death. No one was spared.

Empress Sandara’s bravest subejct and messenger Hero Jaejoong managed to walk away unharmed and secretly escaped the very wide and now bloody Reception room. He made his way to Empress Sandara’s headquarters to let her know about the ruckus that the Raven Forces were causing.

“Your highness!” Jaejoong entered her room. Empress Sandara was busy thinking of a plan to save the city and the Pearl as she also heard the commotion. Her adviser were trying his hardest to help her calm down.

“Jaejoong! I have been looking for you! Are you alright?” Sandara dusted his suit.

“Yes. I am fine. The Raven Forces have penetrated into our empire!” a look of shock came on Sandara’s face. She knew something had to do be done about the Pearl. Jaejoong took a deep breath, “And they killed everyone in the Temple.” Sandara went weak in the knees and tried to compose herself.

“We have to do something! We have to save the Pearl and the city! Call the army!” Hero Jaejoong was about to leave the study when he heard mighty footsteps coming their way. He ran to them swiftly yet silently to warn them.

“Empress! Your honor! They are coming our way! Quick! We must hide!”

“To the ground room!” The adviser guided Hero Jaejoong and the Empress to the lowest and most hidden room in the Temple. This was were the servants usually hid during times of invasion, invasions that they were prepared for. The three of them were in this small, underground room and were trying their hardest not to make noise nor breathe. They heard the door swing open and heavy footsteps were heard from above. Empress Sandara felt her heart beat and her head hurt because of the tension.

“We have to save the Pearl.” she whispered. Jaejoong nodded.

“But how?”

“I shall make a sacrifice. I will go after them. You two rescue the Pearl and get out of here!” the adviser said.

“But-” a look of sadness came upon Sandara’s face. Her adviser was perhaps her dearest friend who taught her so many things and helped her become the Empress she was now.

“Go. Call the army! Call for help! I shall go.” the adviser stood up and opened the door that was below. Just when all of the Raven Forces had exited, the Raven Prince heard something come up from behind him.

“Your highness!” called the adviser. The Raven Prince turned around and saw him, his crippled, old, yet wisened state standing before him.

“Glad you recognized my position, old man. What is it that you want?”

“Leave our kingdom. Leave us in peace. Please. Take all the riches in this Temple. Spare our lives and the Empress.” the adviser pleaded with the arrogant young prince. He smirked and pulled out his gun, pointing it at the old man.

“Not a chance! All the riches here in your ty temple don’t mean to us! We have more than what you have! But you have something we don’t. The Pearl!”

“Leave the Pearl alone!” said the old man.

“Where is the Pearl?” asked the Raven Prince, threatening to pull the trigger and shoot the poor old man dead.

“Even if you take my life, I will not hand over to you what the gods have given us!”

“You talk too much .” the Raven Prince smirked with a cocky sound in his voice. “I hate that!” Without warning, he fired the trigger and killed the old man on the spot. Not looking back, the Raven Prince left the room in search of the Pearl.

Meanwhile, Empress Sandara and Hero Jaejoong were scurrying to safety, obscured from the enemy’s view. They managed to reach the Heart of the Temple and just when they were about to get the Pearl, an arrow hit Jaejoong on the shoulder.

“JAEJOONG!” Sandara shrieked. Jaejoong fell to the floor, obviously in pain. His forearm bled and Sandara tended to him, tearing a piece of her dress to curb the bleeding.

“I’m okay. I’ll be okay!” Jaejoong reassured her. “Save yourself, dear Empress.” Jaejoong rested in the corner. Sensing that danger was in the room, she took the sword that was on the wall, the very sword that her father used in battle on the night he died, and held it firmly in her frail hands. The silence in the room was so deafening that she found it hard to focus. Jaejoong was observing the place when he noticed a man at the window holding a bayonet aimed at Sandara.

“SANDARA! WATCH OUT!” Sandara saw the bayonet and rolled out of the way. It tore another part of her dress but it didn’t hit her. She knew that it was coming from above so she called to challenge it. The guards-who switched positioned the minute the sensed that they were in front of her-attacked her from behind. One put his hand over and carried her. The heavy sword that was in her hand fell to the floor and when Jaejoong saw this, he tried to help but his injury prevented him from doing so. He was just losing so much blood that he passed out. Sandara, with a muffled voice, tried to call for help but the guards beat her up until she passed out and carried her away. One guard remained to get the Pearl. The Pearl was in a beautiful glass case, preserved and taken care of like it was some rare relic. He lifted the case and using his gloved hands, took the Pearl and placed it in his huge satchel. The guard radioed the Raven Prince in.

“Sir, I got the Pearl and they got the Empress.” Emperor Kangta smiled at this news.

“Call the Mafia. We’ve got more work to do.” said the Emperor. He, his son and their troops overlooked the destroyed Temple of the Empress with contentment and yearning in their hearts.

“And this is only the beginning…”