Epilogue
The escape of Emperor Damian had severely weakened the influence and power of House Myerson. Devagus no longer possessed the tool that was once used to coerce the regional warlords into submission. However, it was far from over for House Myerson. Taking advantage of the chaos that ensued from the absence of a monarch, Devagus usurped the throne and declared himself Emperor of Marchosias.
“Since time immemorial, dynasties have experienced their periods of prosperity and decline. The dynastic cycle, the system put in place by the Gods, demands the rise and fall of dynasties. After three centuries of rule, House Heinrich has lost its Mandate of Heaven and is no longer blessed by the Gods. Corruption has run rampant as officials indulge in treacherous behaviors. The Heinrich Era is approaching its end as the Empire is torn apart by the warlords in their attempts to become the next ruler of the Empire. Thankfully, late Chancellor Devon and current Chancellor Devagus have displayed their loyalty to the throne by restoring order to the Imperial Court. House Heinrich recognizes that the favour of the Gods now lie with House Myerson. Therefore, in accordance with the will of Heaven, House Heinrich shall abide by the wishes of Heaven and abdicate in favour of the Patriarch of House Myerson. From this day on, the Empire shall be known as Marchosias, marking the beginning of the Myerson Era."While House Myerson was busy scheming to consolidate their power in the Imperial Court, Luoyang had long become the power base for the loyalists of House Heinrich. Valin had defeated Percival, secured Stronghold Pegasus and conquered the inner cities of Luoyang. After becoming the new Marquis of Luoyang, Valin proceeded to use his authority to root out the supporters of House Myerson and expel them from the province. This proved to be the right decision when Emperor Damian and his consort fled from Ifeland. Escorted by Donovan and his knights, they managed to make their way to Luoyang to rendezvous with Valin without encountering many obstacles.
In retaliation to Devagus's illegitimate ascension to emperorship, the Coalition, supported by Valin, mobilized their armies and invaded Ifeland. Although it initially appeared that House Myerson had the upperhand due to its numerical advantage, the invasion ended with a clear victory for the Coalition and resulted in the ousting of Emperor Devagus. Besides Darilyn who later became Antonidas's wife, every other member of House Myerson was systemically exterminated for treason while the loyalists reclaimed Ifeland. Although the objective of the invasion had been fulfilled, there were consequences that came along with the success.
The Coalition was originally formed to campaign for the ousting of Devon. When Devon passed away, it extended to removing Devagus from power. Now that Devagus had been ousted and most of the members of House Myerson had been executed, there was no longer a common goal for the warlords. The internal conflicts between the warlords soon led to the dissolution of the Coalition as they began to wage war against one another. As a result, House Champlin proceeded to annex the lands of House Langlois while House Miranti proceeded to annex the lands of House Stewart.
As of currently, there are a total of five kingdoms residing in a single empire. Only time will tell which kingdom shall prevail and which kingdom shall fall. This is the beginning of the second civil war. This is the beginning of … the Shattered Empires.