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Sheng China wrote:

Just from seeing the sitting posture of the Argentian Emperor and hearing the irritation in his voice is enough to throw ice water over Zixin's heart and nerves as he felt the anxiety flood through him. The moment the cruel machine eye snaps open, Zixin falls to one knee and bows his head in submission.

"The weather is scorching and I was just..." He tries to explain before being cut off.

"I did not forget, your maje..." Zixin immediately silences himself when Deraj's angry tone cuts through. Hearing the word 'failed' stabbed at him strikes directly at his heart and he feels like the wind is being knocked out of him. Despite wishing to state his case and defend himself, Zixin lowers his head as Deraj reprimands him.

It is only the Emperor's last insistence that Zixin's head shoots up from submission, "What do you mean by that? A trainer?" Zixin demands standing to his feet. "Are you saying I need a handler?" He petulantly lashes out.

"Indeed I am." Deraj cheerily announces before shifting his voice to a more serious tone. "In fact I am not just saying it, I am ordering. What's more is that I have already done it."

In the very corner of the room that Zixin is in, light and what seems like the fabric of reality starts to shimmer and wave. The shimmer cascades to the floor and reveals a person tucked away and leaning on the wall. The person is tall, thin, and wearing sleek black suit. They pluck a small device off the wall that the cloak had originated from and slip it into the inner breast pocket. Their face is completely obscured by a cloth mask over their mouth and nose while a black visor covers their eyes. All that can be seen of the person is their coiffed black hair.

"Young Prince," Deraj purrs, "May I introduce you to Wan Jin-ho, Praefectus Viperia. My most elite commander of the Viperia."

Wan Jin-ho walks out from the corner to stand in the room proper. Pulling up his visor and resting on top of his head, Jin-ho reveals his green light ringed cybernetic eyes to Zixin and Zhensu. The moved visor also reveals a yellow lit nodule impended into his temple. Pulling the mask down shows more of his face. The stern young face is marked on the left side with what appears to be a seam that runs from behind his ear and along his cheek bone before cutting down to his jaw where it joins another set of seams that travel down the left side of his neck and disappear under his shirt collar.

The mysterious man bows his head to Zixin and then Zhensu. Turning to the screen to face the Emperor, Jin-ho lowers himself to one knee and bows his head. With a small smirk pulling at his lips, Deraj continues, "Wan Jin-ho was recovered from a POW camp in the aftermath of failed Choson black ops mission. He was badly injured and near death. We rescued him. Fixed him. Improved him. And he has been with us ever since. Not ashamed to say he has saved my life on more than one occasion." He chuckles lightly, "For which I am very thankful." He directs at Jin-ho who bows his head lower and slams his fist to his chest in salute.

Smirking at Jin-ho for his reaction, the Emperor continues, "Wan Jin-ho has advanced knowledge in the workings of the Sheng Empire thanks to his years as a spy for the Choson. His skill in subterfuge is rivaled by few. His discipline and command of others is...inspiring." He emphasizes with an almost sadistic grin.

"Most important of all, Jin-ho has my trust." Deraj braces his hands on the arms of his chair and stands to his feet which makes him dominate over the view being projected to Zixin. Standing displays the Emperor's long shimmering black scaled floor length coat and its inner lining of glittered dark purple. He smooths his black dress inside the coat before he begins to pace. "And he has my trust to keep you in line and move this charade along." The camera follows as Deraj walks through the dimly lit room before coming upon a large table. A wave of his hand brings the table top to life and reveals an image of the Arabian Peninsula. Several dots and indicators flash and move along the earth image as Deraj braces against the table. His gold nail guards click against the glass top. "In addition to managing you, Jin-ho will manage the Viperia in Arabia going forward. Fast tracking the campaign. He will be your aide de camp on your coming military excursion. His word will carry my authority and will. So be sure to do just as he says."

Deraj returns his attention to the camera with a solid unflinching glare, emphasized by the glowing white ring of light in his right eye. "Do you understand?" He sternly asks with little room for argument.