Yano say outside on the balcony railing of his room his thoughts scattered as he looked up at the full moon. Below him two guards were stationed on boy edges of the castle. He knew another battled had ensued when he was out searching for her. The twelve kingdoms of the land seemed to know nothing but war. Usually he didn’t worry about the battles, the location, or the people involved until about two months ago. His father had been defeated in battle by the neighboring kingdom. As a consequence he was executed on the spot during the full moon. His mother had lost her mind after hearing the news. Now all she did was wonder through the graveyard behind the castle looking for his father’s grave which of course there was none.

            Yano exhaled looking back up into the sky. This war had completely destroyed his family. Now it left him as the ruler of a kingdom he knew all too well he was not ready to take on. To make matters worse he needed to find her because she was all he had left. Annoyed with both his dry throat and his reminiscing he stood up on the metal railing then jumped about nine stories down. He landed lightly on his feet his toes touching the lush grass before the rest of his floors did. He glanced to his left then to his right another long exhale leaving his small mouth. The guards were dead asleep. Both were a total of fifty meters apart. He was beside on of them in less than a second and kicked his feet from underneath him. The guard fell to the ground then scrambled to stand up right again.

“P-Prince Yano,” He bowed ninety degrees. He looked him in the eyes but then quickly averted them.

            Yano’s eyes were the color of vibrant red blood which contrasted his tanned skin nicely in the daylight but at night it was terrifying. Not to mention tonight was a full moon the most sacred night for the royal family. His hair was pitch black like the night sky which fell over his eyes. He was a bit on the short side but was still young and had room for growth. His mouth lifted into a snarl revealing two sharp teeth in front separated by a row of straight white teeth.

“Wake the other one. If you two are asleep when I get back you won’t see daybreak.” Yano said glaring at the guard who trembled in his boots.

“Y-Y-Yes my P-Prince.” The guard bowed his head then hurried over to his co-worker who was completely unaware that their prince was angry.

            Yano scoffed then made his way to the castle gates. Before he started his search again he needed to quench his thirst. He passed by the family cemetery and stopped for a moment. His mother had wandered to the far end of the cemetery almost a full mile from the castle. He saw her crouched down on a tomb reading the stone but she got up moments later. She had done the same thing for a month now. He wanted to know how she would search his father’s non-existent remains next. It would have been east to look into her mind but he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t the best idea.

            Hansol threw his favorite dagger onto the map that was spread out on the table before him. It landed right in the mist of the kingdom he wanted to attack. He had the liberty of choosing where to go next. A new kingdom called for new tactics. He had been ruling for about three years now and he had developed a habit of wagging war on one of the twelve kingdoms and eventually getting bored. Slowly he would retreat not because of defeat but because he was tired. It was simple for him to figure out battle tactics from the enemy, memorize it then form a counter attack. Now he had his sights set on a kingdom that not too long ago acquired a new king. From the information his spies gathered the royal family was in complete shambles but somehow it was still afloat. Attacking a weak kingdom could be seen as cowardly but Hansol thought of it as a challenge. The view of an outsider was not the same view as of someone on the inside.

“Prince Hansol?” One of his four advisors asked. Hansol glanced up at him then back down at the map.

“You reported a member of the royal family here is missing. From what source?” Hansol asked pulling his dagger out of the wooden table then pushed the tip of it into his thumb. The blade penetrated his skin and a small stream of blood started to run down his hand and arm.

“Well there is no solid source. It has been a rumor in that land for years.” His advisor said watching the dagger pierce the prince’s skin.

“My prince please,” A young woman said getting up from her chair. Hansol put the dagger down and lifted his hand. The women advisor took the wounded hand and rubbed at the blood where the wound started.

“So their previous king is dead, the queen has gone mad and a member of the family is missing. Interesting.” He smiled thinking of it. This kingdom really lost everything.

“When do we invade?” A third advisor asked looking bored as he watching the prince’s flowing blood slowly come to a stop. Hansol looked at the map then at his healing hand. A wolfish grin gradually graced his lips. He stood up and put his dagger in it bronze holster, waving off the woman.

“At dawn.”