The flames had not gone out in the capital for three days.
Smoke painted the sky black as soldiers marched over shattered stone roads, their boots crushing bones and banners alike. Bodies of nobles, peasants, rebels, and royals all burned the same. Eden Jin stood in the ruins, hidden beneath a soldier's bloodied armor, staring at what used to be the imperial palace.
The throne was gone. Her name was forgotten. But her war was just beginning.
A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Private! What's your unit?" barked a commander.
Eden lowered her head. Her voice, calm and low:
"Seventh line. Reinforcements from the Eastern Border."
The man grunted. "Another one, huh? Good. You'll need a sword. Or a shovel. Your pick."
Eden's hands itched for the blade at her side, but she bowed. "Sword, sir."
He nodded and moved on, unaware that the girl before him was not a recruit...
But the last surviving daughter of General Jin — the strategist who once nearly took the empire for himself.
She wasn't here to fight for the empire.
She was here to finish what her father started.
---
Later that night, Eden sat by the fire with other soldiers. They joked about women, wine, and the next battle. She watched quietly, noting their ranks, scars, fears. Information was power. And she would need all of it.
"Hey, quiet one," a soldier nudged her. "You got a name?"
She looked up, eyes cold.
"Jin," she said simply.
"Family name?" he asked.
She smiled without warmth.
"It's the only name you'll remember."