Prelude #1

Summer 1980, main headquarters of the blood martial sect

In a large hall seated on a throne sat an elderly woman, small and fragile yet gave off an aura filled with strength.

She sat there in silence for a moment looking around the empty hallway filled with bloodstains, bloody weapons scattered everywhere, marks of blood and dirt on the ground as if the dead bodies there previously had just been dragged out of the room to be destroyed.

Playing with her long grey hair with a look of nostalgia she turned to her attendant and gave out an exhausted sigh. "Don't you wish to leave? You have served me well over the years, the least I can do is let you escape."

Outside far away sounds of clashing swords, heroic shouts, voices screaming in pain and panic, others laughed with insanity.

"Blood sect dogs! Today is the day you finally get your retribution. Aaaah!"

"Hahaha shut up you martial alliance scum! You bunch of hypocrites come! This daddy will take you down with me….ack…hahahahaha got you."

"Crazy beasts! Die!"

"I'm injured, help me get away quickly brothers…aaah! Ack.. no please sto…."

"Hahahahaha that's the expression you should have, not so cocky no….ugh"

The attendant listened to the noise outside indifferently before kneeling. "This one is an orphan of war, if you hadn't picked me up I would have long been dead. Lord are you truly going to give up?"

The elderly lady rolled up the sleeve on one of her arms showing a horrible sight of numerous scars and burn marks from years of battles. "To be honest I quite envy them being so full of vitality but I am already long worn out. This is just an arm so try to imagine the rest of my body. I have long hid myself behind a mask and pretended to be strong and live up to my name I was given but this is the end of my path."

The attendant put on a pained expression. "This one will have to go before you then."

The old lady smiled sadly beneath her blood red mask but was filled with gratitude. "I can't force you then so be it. I have lived a long life but have a truly been living all this time? Looking back I truly have become the walking dead since back then. Much like many others I myself was a victim of the cruelty of this world, the indifference of the righteous sects and the noble and imperial families but most of all the primary source of my misfortune was this very place I sit now."

The attendant listened patiently as if hearing about their masters story for the first time.

After all nobody truly knew their masters true face, her story or her final goal and yet many still followed her.

The old lady began to tell her tale as if she was talking about someone else. "There was once a young girl like many others, she grew up with a loving family and they were descendants of a noble family who was once famous for being the first to become silkworm breeders and produced many famous clothing for the imperial family. Sadly this family had long declined and became the leaders of a village, this is where the girl grew up. The family could still survive thanks to their families passed down skills but they lacked connections and the opportunity to rise again. Yet the young girl was still happy."

The sounds of fighting were slowly approaching but the old lady did not show any anticipation or unease. "One day rogue martial artists appeared in the village. One by one she lost her loved ones due to the cruelty of the martial artists. Almost like an infection the name blood sect began to spread in the village, the first to join was a hunter who lived in a house near the outskirts of the forest… either you joined and took part in the cruelty becoming one of them or you became a victim. Our family did have some martial artist body guards but they could not hold off the growing number of enemies. Imagine the people you supported one day cast their greedy gazes onto you as if they wanted to drink and bath in your blood. The peaceful village was replaced with madness. First the younger brother went missing, the retainers and guards began to flee or betray. Second a clash of those who remained sane against those who had been corrupted. Then finally her parents gave her to her nanny and her daughter to escape while they made one final stand to let her escape. On the way out the nanny lost her daughter because she was caught by the blood sect… yet she still kept the girl safe escaping into the forest heading towards the nearby city. On the way she hid the child and ran away luring a pack of wolves with her. The girl truly lost everything…."

"From then on she became a lifeless doll who desired revenge. Sigh… revenge was the only thing to keep her from being truly dead was that very need to avenge her parents but she despaired her weakness. She arrived at the city to get help but was shunned with indifference, thugs took her by force… she was sold as a slave to a noble family. Beaten and tortured daily until one day the family had become a target of revenge of a woman who was a blood sect inner member. Seriously how funny. She took in the slave, taught her how to be strong and raised her… but like most things in the world the time between them was short."