How quickly forgotten.

How quickly remembered.

INnoVation stood before the gates of Glostalea, his army behind him. This was the site of heroism, of despair, of legend, of history, and Mount Mvp cast a shadow on the capital in the morning sun. This was the very last step in INnoVation's campaign against the forces of ByuL, against whom many of his kin had fallen. The zerg leader was the one general that had halted the march of his mechanical army, and the tattered capital, nearing the end of its reign, would be his last defense.

"The Machine", as he was known, was not chosen. He was not baptized the savior of his race. And yet he was the last terran to control Glostalea before his ignominious defeat during the blizzard of yesteryear.

That, of course, was the Great Rebellion. INnoVation had just fulfilled his ambition to control the capital, but he had not the time to celebrate before he was recalled into action immediately. It was a gathering of the world's greatest generals, and INnoVation was chief among the terran.

The scepter preyed upon their deepest desires, and brother turned against brother in order to become the one true king. As INnoVation stormed into the keep, he trampled upon the hapless HyuN before locking into a stalemate against a familiar foe. It was the terran TaeJa, in the sunset of his military career.

They kept their distance and traded blows, but were chanced upon by the castle guards. Neither man noticed as the snipers readied their guns and fired, but it was INnoVation's back that was turned. Three rounds interrupted the duel, and INnoVation cried in agony, the first time anyone had ever seen him so unmistakably disturbed.

He was irate and slew the men where they stood, but TaeJa knew that this fight was his for the taking. He probed with patience and took his time, observing his opponent's blooming wounds. INnoVation pressed on, but he could not last much longer with a bullet in his back. His resentment grew with the pool of blood at his feet, and he collapsed with a view of the castle obstructed by the flight of other usurpers.

He awoke in a hospital bed a few weeks later, the world changed without him. His apprentice, Dream, had taken over his role as SKT's terran commander. His nemesis, Life, possessed the scepter of power as well as the capital. His rival, Maru, was now the leader of terran. Nothing was the same.

His failure during the Great Rebellion weighed heavily upon him, and his assignments in the new order reflected his loss in stature. He was no longer at the vanguard of the most important campaigns. Instead, he settled petty disputes against the lower clans of Prime and Samsung. His record was spotless and his power evident, yet others continued to rise in his stead. INnoVation seethed with envy, but he was resigned to mopping up insignificant bogs in the outskirts of Spostalea. He spent months in those dire marshes, and it wasn't until a fortuitous conflict arose that he regained the trust of the elders.

Across the world, one of their overseas interests in Ayem was being threatened by foreigners. With their numbers committed elsewhere, INnoVation was fielded for what would become the turning point in his year. Despite his obvious talents, he had always struggled when sent to battle across the sea, but with domestic opportunities few, this was INnoVation's only chance to prove his worth once more. He settled the dispute without much fuss and claimed his first international victory.

Upon his return he appeared refreshed, and he climbed back up the ranks with a string of authoritative expeditions. The maturation of technology favored the terran campaign, yet no terran could best the likes of ByuL, Rogue, Classic or herO. They had shuffled their decks more than once—first to TaeJa, then to Maru, then to Dream, and then even to GuMiho—but with perseverance, INnoVation's name was once more on top. He strode directly towards the capital, and now he was back to where it all began.

INnoVation stood before the gates of Glostalea, his prize before him. This would be the site of his heroism, of ByuL's despair, the sequel of his legend, the closing chapter in the history of a great city. Mount Mvp cast a shadow upon him, and he understood the challenge. This would be the end of his campaign, regardless of the result.

Yet ByuL left him little time to contemplate the significance of the moment, when his supply lines were raided by a murder of mutalisks. Without turrets in place and with his army beside him, he turned his back upon the gate and withdrew. His men scrambled to repair the damage, and the Machine was visibly vexed. ByuL would not wait for him to rally his troops, however, and another early attack followed. This time, the terran army was prepared, and held the rush before immediately counterattacking. Finally, INnoVation entered the city gates, and his army set up their bunkers within view of NesTea's Stronghold.

His advantage clear, INnoVation grew overconfident. Instead of sieging from a distance, he chose to deploy his infantry and invade what was left of Fruitdealer Market. He was unaware, however, that much had changed since his last visit, and that the area had been remodeled into a fractured canyon. His forces were repeatedly trapped in unfamiliar channels, and with a whimper his first assault was routed. Still, he held a secure position, and he finally entrenched himself for a war of attrition. Camped in Minchul Square, INnoVation watched as waves of zerg smashed into the mechanical meat grinder. Perhaps fatigued from a year of war, ByuL showed none of the craft and creativity that had butchered the best that terran had to offer. Instead he hemorrhaged his command until his army seized control of the majority of urban Glostalea.

Engagements occurred well into the afternoon, and the sun struck Mount Mvp with an ominous glow. INnoVation knew that ByuL's energy had to have been spent and that the specter of another grand defeat had robbed him of his determination. The district just below the hallowed mountain was ByuL's last stronghold, and INnoVation had camped just across it.

ByuL was pinned against the monument of his former lord and he recalled his days as a page in the Greatest One's army. His divine resoluteness resembled the mountain's own, and the broken zerg commander resolved to perish under a worthy sword. He marshaled all that was left of his swarm, directed them through the hidden back streets of the city, and prepared for the terminal charge.

Only to realize that it was too late.

ByuL's desperate attack proved unwise, and the remnants of his forces joined the dust of growing ruin. He had decided to fall with his creatures and to finally end his tortured existence, but those most loyal to him compelled him to escape.

"There is still so much you have to accomplish!"

"You're the only one that can save us."

"It is not your time."

The zerg commander was tired, too tired. Yet he understood the responsibility that his powdering bones had to carry, and he was forced to retreat on the very last ultralisk in his army. The narrow alleyways of the Gangnam district masked his escape, but the battered walls that offered him shadows soon became his coffin. His scattered footsteps startled a mine that had lain dormant since the start of the battle and it fired into the building beside him. Although he had avoided the explosion, he and his beast were thrown into a cul de sac and disappeared under the crumbling ramparts. His forces fled, leaving his grave unmarked and his final hurdle again unconquered. There was no moment of silence for the year's glorious loser, the gears of terran cheering into the city.

INnoVation walked into the central plaza undisputed, a year after he had first fulfilled his dream of becoming its ruler. As his nerves discharged and his hands stopped shaking, he surveyed his conquest only to realize he had won an empty state. Glostalea was no longer the pinnacle of civilization or the light of a nation, but a shell ready to be abandoned. The penalties of war; the dues of time; the price of greatness. His triumph was bittersweet, mired in low definition. This was the fruit of his labor, but not the city he had known. This was the end of an era.

As he subjected himself to the rinds of his nostalgia, one of his lieutenants approached him with a message, breaking his distaste. "It's General Dream, sir. He's left to chase after Classic. He said there was a scepter."

INnoVation looked puzzled. He had warned the younger general about his overeager quest for revenge, and that it had begun to consume him. Dream had idolized INnoVation upon joining the SKT clan, and he had developed into the land's most feared raider under his tutelage. Yet INnoVation could do little to soothe him after his failure in Spostalea and Classic's betrayal. Dream shut everyone out during his recovery, and while other terrans grew in stature as the year wore on, Dream eschewed the fashionable army of mech against zerg and forced his aggressive strategies. And now the young man was off to fight for a scepter he was not prepared to win.

At that moment, INnoVation finally accepted that he had been an inadequate mentor; that he had taught Dream how to fight but not how to lead. Still, he had grown weary of his ward even though he knew that he had to swallow his frustration for the good of terran and SKT. He was conflicted. He remembered every time he had held Dream in his arms after defeat, and he remembered the magnificent scepter that he had been so close to claiming.

"Sir, your orders? The city is burning." And he remembered where he was standing.

He held the capital in his arms, but everyone else had left. A more important prize lay in store to the West, as the city would mean nothing without the palace. His protege, Dream, had gone to pursue the tormentor Classic, but the older terran knew that a greater ambition had covered the young man in blisters. He tried—in vain, as it was obvious to everyone—to assuage the bullets from last year's rebellion. Yet he was just like any other man, overcome by the pangs of vengeance. He rationalized—a lie, as it was obvious to everyone—that his was a mission of peace and unification: first, to mend the bonds of his quarreled clanmates; and second, to fly one flag over castle and capital, to bring order to a chaotic land. Yet could a man of such preternatural talents watch as others contested the singular symbol of power in the world?

He gathered his remaining forces and razed the city behind him. Not out of madness, but out of need. He understood that the metropolis had lost its influence and that a new kingdom required a worthy imperial seat. Thus, he marched west, the embers of an ancient city granting him passage in the night, the final Lord of Glostalea.

"I am the capital, and I will be king."

The brightest lantern on the continent flickered and expired forever.