[Completed] The Royal Guard of the Empire has faithfully served Byzantia for nearly three centuries now. Hand picked from foreign lands, these guardsmen hold no political ties, carry no agendas, and bare no creeds except to those who sit upon the Onyx Throne. They are vanguards, protectors, loyalists. They are Vangen. Change has come to the Empire. An Empress sits upon the throne now, destroying any who would rebel against her with both fire and iron. To the east, her loyal Vangen work to quash the newest rebellion, until a letter arrives one day, marked with the Empresses seal. The contents within bare only dread and disturbance for the Guardsmen. The Black Ministry, the former Emperor's cabal of Sorcerers, have turned against the Empress. The Vangen's return is bittersweet. The city they once called home is now a battlefield, every street a choke-point. Every home a possible nesting ground for rebels. The Royal Guard will have to fight tooth and nail to put down the Ministry and protect the Empress, but the deeper they go, the harder the lines begin to blur. In a world where good and evil does not exist, where then does a man's loyalty lie? (Comments and Feedback are always appreciated)

[NOTE: This book has only been left up because it's a piece of history. Please read 'The Exiled King'] It's never easy when you find yourself inheriting magical powers you thought were only legends. 'Guardians' are gifted with special powers to protect their world, and when demons invaded, they were the ones to fight the demons. And now, 50 years later, an old enemy is rallying up another army to destroy the world. Lirya, the daughter of a noble family in the human kingdom, suddenly has her world thrown into chaos as she learns about the guardian powers. Now she and her companions face the daunting challenge of learning what their powers are and how they can be used to save the world. *THIS BOOK HAS BEEN REWRITTEN! FOR A BETTER, MORE POLISHED VERSION, READ 'THE EXILED KING' (Can be found on my profile) [Previously Five Kingdoms] *Disclaimer: The art used in the cover is not mine! I grabbed it off the internet and added a bunch of effects and text to make the cover... all credit goes to the original artists (Whoever they may be)* Won 3rd place in the Gemstone Awards 2020 - 21/07/2020 Rankings: # 31 - war [Out of 81.4K stories] (15/07/2021) *Used to be 1st in the #fivekingdoms tag, with book 2 'Shattered Kingdoms' coming second.