The Capital of the Crusz Empire has always been fairly peaceful. Sure there were crimes here and there but the presence of Adjudicators in the knights had always lowered the crime rate. The Capital was famous for its lavish housing, amazing cityscapes and beautiful and grand sceneries. 

The East was ruled over by The Golden Tiger or House Ramirez, The Grand Duchy closest to the Imperial Family and is responsible for single handedly managing up most of the Empire's trade and is also one of the key political advisors of the Empire. 

The North was ruled over by the Silver Wolf or House Azarolla, The Duchy that guards the Empire from the Northern Outlands that contains beasts and demons. They act as the sword that drives the nation by producing the most outstanding swordsmen and swordswomen in the Empire.

The South is presided over by the strongest March of the Empire, House Caruso, The Blue Eagle. They hold connections and trade with the foreign country of Areem, The States Coalition. They also boast the largest production of jewelry and the largest mining operation of gemstones in the Empire.

If the three regions had something that held them special, the West was no laughing matter.

Ruled over by The Bronze Ox or the Ducal House Bay. It's also dubbed as the Empire's Wall.

Its borders lay directly connected to the opposing Kingdom of Delha. Thus this region has been in a constant state of war. Endless bloodshed happens every second and while the other four regions live in bliss, a second of ignorance in this hellscape will be your last. 

Duke Bay had managed to keep this war against the Kingdom locked to his region for years and has been home to the most trained Adjudicators in the Empire. 

The West had been bathed in blood for more than a dozen years now ever since the Delha Kingdom made its move against the people of Crusz. 

In the midst of this battle a camp of the Kingdom's soldiers stood alive and well within the Empire's borders. Tents were strewn about and a large campfire directly at its center. Soldiers huddled and gathered up, making strategies for the next day, or telling stories to pass the time.

A group of the Kingdom's knights rounded around a small fire by the edges of the camp. They were supposed to be guarding the perimeter but instead they decided to slack off and take a break.

"Hey new kid!" One of the older men called to a young boy. "You wanna come listen to some old men's rambling?"

The boy knight shrugged and sat down on a log as he and the four other knights around him tended to the crackling flame. "What's this about?" The boy asked.

"Ever heard of the tale of the Red Prince?" The old man snickered. "They say that on the battlefield, somewhere along this large ass borderline, a sixteen year old kid is fighting."

"Huh?" The boy knight laughed, after all, he himself had to be 17 before he was even thought of as capable enough in joining his country's army. "Is the Empire really that desperate for soldiers?" The kid cackled but the veteran men around him shook their heads.

"You best not underestimate him, boy." One of the men warned. "He has killed far more soldiers than all of us here combined."

The young knight closed his lips.

"He was nicknamed the Red Prince by our knights because his hair was a deep red in color, add to that the fact that he's always showering in blood." The older soldier explained. "And you know where the Prince part came from?"

"Where?"

"He's the Crown Prince of the Empire and he's here for revenge!" The playful knight smiled as he jumpscared the young knight. 

"Hahahaha!" The other soldiers bellowed in laughter. "What he means kid, is that Prince in particular has a sort of special contempt in his heart against us in the Kingdom. So if you ever meet him. Just run."

"How could a child like that even be capable of killing that many people, a normal person wouldn't be able to do it unless they're an..." The young knight trailed off.

"You got it right, the kid's an Adjudicator." The gentle knight whispered quietly, the crackling of the flames seemingly began to get louder. "He's a terrifying one too."

"You've seen it?" The other men jumped in surprise at his statement.

"Barely, I only saw the fight from afar." His voice was creepy and dark. "But he ripped out his enemies' hearts and squeezed them in his hands and bathed in it till it drenched him red." The gentle knight's word left everyone silent.

"Disgusting." The young knight of the Kingdom backed away in repulse. "Is he a psychopath?"

"Don't worry so much about it kid." He chuckled, stood up, and patted the boy's back. "He's way at the other side, you don't have to- aheugh-" The gentle old man was cut off as a sword pierced through his back and came out the other side.

"Callus!!!" The playful knight screamed in anguish, his rage consumed him, and he charged straight towards the perpetrator before his head was promptly severed with one clean strike.

The other two old soldiers shivered in fear as they saw the one responsible for the death of their comrades. A young boy, wearing light armor, striking red hair, covered in blood, and the Imperial Crest on his uniform. 

The Red Prince.

"IT'S HIM SOUND THE ALA-" One more head fell to the dirt.

"AHEEE!!!" The other old man couldn't hide his fear, he ran away pissing his pants but before he could get far, the blood from one of his fellow soldiers' bodies hovered upwards as if it were a tentacle of an octopus and darted towards the coward and stabbed him in the back. "Gah!"

Then right after, the blood around the Red Prince began to flow as well, and like a hundred little needles they hardened, and pierced themselves into the runaway soldier turning him into a pin cushion.

The young knight was left in shambles. He turned towards the light of the camp and screamed for help "A MONSTER! SOMEBODY!" It wasn't long before the young knight's head joined the rest.

Soon much to anyone's disbelief, an entire camp of the Kingdom was absolutely destroyed in one night, as the result of one boy's anger,

The Red Prince, Benjamin O'Neal. 

He returned to his own camp that day covered in blood. Like per usual, no one dared to question it nor speak to him about it. Even as a young child, the Crown Prince already demanded respect and fear among his subjects.

"Clean my robe, I'll be taking a bath." He spoke to his maid as he entered his personal tent and began to undress. The maid took the Prince's bloody clothes and handed him a change and a robe. "Thanks, you may now leave."

Once she had left the tent, the young Prince fell flat on his bed.

"Red Prince." He spoke the words that the Kingdom knights had called him. Contrary to how people view him as a cold, ruthless, cruel, but dignified warrior and Prince. The fact of the matter is, he just found it difficult to properly show his emotion. "That's such a cringey name." He covered his face with his hands in slight embarrassment.

"Of all the things, why did it have to be the Red Prince?" He cringed and stared at the top of his tent as it creased and moved with the outdoor wind.

"I am tired." He groaned and shoved his head on a pillow. 

"Prince?" A voice called from the outside, likely his maid coming over to lay a message.

"Yes?" His voice shifted back to its serious tone in an instant.

"The general has come to see you regarding the shipment of weaponry." The maid said.

"Tell him to come in." Benjamin rolled his eyes as he prepared himself for politics. If only his sister was still here, she'd probably be better at than he is.

It happened a long time ago. Back when the Crown Prince was four and was only second in line to the throne.

He had an amazing sister who was 2 years older than him. She had already known how to read and write, and her conversational skills were exceptional. She even began combat training quite early on. 

She was a prodigy and the entire palace treasured her and believed in her future as the next Empress, and of course the young Prince wasn't an exception to this belief. He would jump and hug his sister whenever they met and she would happily engage in his childish activities.

They played cards, dolls, ran around the garden, and even went on trips together. The Prince loved his sister dearly and so did she love the Prince back.

His highness, their father would always tell him to not bother his sister while she's studying but he couldn't help but want to play with her more. The Crown Princess was after all everyone's favorite and the entire nation couldn't wait for her rise to the throne.

But everything great is always cut short.

On one such trip, Prince Benjamin had asked his sister to join him on a ride around a forest. And in this instance... 

Tragedy struck. 

The carriage they were riding flipped over and crashed into the trees. Their knights scrambled to get them out of the cart as quickly as possible but then the entire area was surrounded by Delhan scum.

The knights fell one by one trying to keep the two children safe as they ran away. Ben could still feel his sister's small hands as she dragged him through the woods in search of a hiding spot. 

They hid behind a rock but it wasn't long before the assassins found them. "Ben, stay quiet." His sister's words rang like needles through his brain. "Live. Survive. Okay?"

"I know you're there behind that rock." The assassin laughed, his voice was slurry, raspy and cold. Ben would soon never forget the sound of this man's way of speech.

His sister kissed his forehead before jumping out of the rock and confronting them. He couldn't speak as he heard his sister's anguish and screams from the other side of the rock. He cried silently and was terrified to look behind him, fearing what he would see would ruin the image of his sister for him forever.

The forest fell silent and soon after a while, he turned and realized no one was there. Not his sister, not the assassin. He ran back towards the carriage and found their knights bleeding to death.

In a moment of panic he tried to push the blood pouring back in. "Please don't die, please don't die." He cried as the knights patted his head trying to comfort him. 

"Your Royal Highness, please...just run away."

"I'm not gonna let another person die!" He yelled.

"Here's the Prince!" An assassin came out of the woods. It wasn't the same person who took his sister, however, it was someone different.

The killer lunged at him with a sword and the bloody knight embraced the child and tried to block the blow by turning his body to cover the Prince but before the sword struck the knight, the killer had already been stabbed by a red blade.

They couldn't believe it. The Prince had awakened his latent magical talent at the age of four.

In trying to protect his knights...He learned to control blood.

Help soon came and the knight who tried to protect him didn't die, and the casualties weren't that many, however, the Empire still experienced the greatest loss it had ever gotten in centuries.

The Crown Princess's body was found in the forest, her dress torn to pieces and her body charred to a crisp. She was burnt alive after having horrible things done to her.

The Kingdom had successfully taken the life of what could've been the greatest ruler the Empire would've had.

Ben's fist slammed into the table.

"E-excuse, Your Royal Highness, did I anger you?" The general panicked at the Prince's sudden anger.

"Pay no mind, I just had an awful memory flash through my mind." He grit his teeth and his nails dug into his palm. 

"Your Royal Highness, we had also received a request from His Majesty, the Emperor, for you to return home." The general gulped.

"Tell Father that I won't." He snapped back. "I will make every Delhan suffer, especially that scum that did those horrible things to my sister."

"But Your Royal Highness, His Majesty, the Emperor, states it's of urgent business." The General reasoned.

"What would be more important than destroying Delha?"

"There's been a commotion in the city, and former Head Royal Guard Roselia had deduced it's because of an Adjudicator. A powerful one at that."

"Can't Duchess Roselia handle that on her own?" The Prince rolled his eyes and slammed his hand into the table. "Don't ask me to do things when there are other people who are available to do it themselves!"

"But Your Royal Highness -"

"Speak any longer and your tongue shall be cut off." The boy coldly spoke. "You may be a General but you are as replaceable as the rest."

He walked away from the table and opened the exit of his tent. "Now leave while your head is still above your shoulders."

The General stumbled down the chair and ran out faster than a fearful beast. 

Ben went back to sit down on his bed. "A rogue Adjudicator huh? It's the Underworld again I presume." He closed his eyes as he tried to sleep while talking. "I wonder why they suddenly became more wicked recently?"

He didn't answer his question nor did he seek the answer to it. He simply closed his eyes until he dozed off. 

For him, nothing mattered until his sister had been avenged. He would do whatever is necessary to destroy the Delha Kingdom.

And that man. He will make that man suffer a hundred times more than what he did to her. 

He will make that man experience agony and misery, until they cry for the devil to take them.