[ System]

Where the hell am I?

In the vast expanse of the void, where no light or sound could be transmitted, one soul had been wondering for an eternity, drifting silently forever. That is, until now…

Some mysterious force pulled and pushed at the soul, sending it speeding through the void endlessly, unable to do anything, was even human anymore? What was he and why was he so out of control and so lost? The soul was slowly fading away before without a clue of what was around and now all this new information it had to process suddenly after god knows how much time, it wanted to fade away as soon as possible, so he would not have to deal with this crap.

Eventually, the soul came to a halt in front of what felt like a golden star, so bright, the soul was concerned it could be burned by the light and its power, suddenly it felt the power reduce and the aura of the light stopped supressing him.

"So, it seems you have some will and strength to you, even after all that time in the valley…"

The soul did not understand what was going on, much less why it was there. To be honest, it was having a world war mentally trying to figure out who or what it was. It had a feeling before that something was wrong and it should be here, that it was missing something, but now it was as if the soul remained as the last page in a book that could still be comprehended and understood. The rest of the pages were either damaged by the elements or the ink began to fade away.

"You should not exist, but you survived the valley somehow. You are a unique thing. For my entertainment, you will serve me in another world. Good luck my puppet, go and bring me joy…" the golden star cackled as it sent an energy beam into the soul, slowly glowing as radiant as a golden flower blooming in spring, a c***k appeared in space and the soul soared through, vanishing away onto a new life and story, but at the mercy of a powerful being.

Kros Empire – Capital

In the palace throne sat an anxious Emperor, surrounded by his knights guarding him standing as still as statues, ready at a moment notice if anything were to harm their Emperor. He was worried about his Empress and the child, the first born between him and his Empress. He was worried about the Empress help and wellbeing but was pathologically terrified on how to raise a child. He remembered how his own father would beat him senseless in training in hopes of stilling manhood and strength into him. The method was cruel, but for the royals and nobles of this world it was a normal thing. He was just hoping to be better than the last generation. Soon word came of a successful birth of a baby boy. A boy was born and with that a successor of the Empire. The delight on the Emperors face was not going away soon. That was until he was rushed to the mother's side by the doctors.

'God what the hell! How am I alive? Argh, why does everything hurt so much, this pain… I don't think I can keep myself awake…'

As his consciousness began to fade, the last things he saw was a shadowing figuring running towards him at quite a pace, the warm embrace of the dark shadow next to him, holding him with small tears running down her face. He did not understand what all this meant, other than the words [System failed to boot up, soul of host has been tampered, system will put host in comatose state till host soul is repaired]

As the Emperor bolted into the room, he saw the last moments of his sons cries as they slowly passed away with, the child closing his eyes and unable to awake. The Empress unable able to answer the shocked husband of hers, as she was grieving herself, holding tight on her baby boy.

The Emperor was informed that since the child was born, it was crying far more than usual, that was until they noticed the boys' body was changing, as bones were cracking and repairing themselves at an alarming rate. Unable to do anything, they called for other physicians for aid before informing His Highness. They came to the conclusion the child would pass away soon from the pain or the constant breaking and repairing of his bones. In the end the emperor decided to separate the child from the Empress and pronounce the child having passed away in his sleep. For his empire and his people, he had to do this and then take the big leap after that.

Unable to part from her child, the Empress tried everything in her power to resist the Royal Guards that came for the child, asking her knights to protect her as she escaped with her baby. However, her plans failed as her knights believed the rumours that the child bled eyes of blood and they turned completely black and destroyed the mind of the Empress leading to her 'hysterical rage' and that it was possessing her. The rumours only reached the ears of the servants and knights, never reaching someone of importance that could reprimand them for such thoughts, but that one rumour was enough to make the entire palace staff to hate that child. Hopeless and alone, the Empress whispered some words to her son before passing him over. She blamed herself, thinking she did something that cause harm to the child for it to suffer as such, but the truth was far from it…

The child was passed over the Emperors family butler in hopes he would be able to send the child to a remote region and await death. He did not want to know what would happen to the child as the guilt was already too much for him but kept reminding himself it was for the people and empire. For the Empire and its glory. That is why he took that bigger leap and called for some people to his study to plan for what was next.

Time passed quickly and 6 months had passed since the Kros princes' birth and today was the day he would be sent to the remote regions of the empire, to be more exact, the most southernly region of the empire, the Plano Ranges. It was a vast expanse of land surround by mountains on both sides and a dense forest in the middle leading endlessly along side the mountain ranges into the horizon. The land was very fertile and was known to produce some great quality produce. However, the biggest issue was the region was littered with monsters. Beasts that could wipe out tens of thousands of knights without lifting a finger. Therefore, it was not advised to live in Plano Ranges, but there was a small city that was able to survive and somewhat thrive in the region, becoming a haven for adventurers and warriors to trial themselves against the dangers.

The Royal Butler had organised carriages to transport the child to the Plano Ranges, sending along a small team of staff that would remain by his side and look after the child. It took quite some time to organise staff to go with the child, as many believed him to be cursed or a demon and would reject any mention of going to the Plano Ranges. In the end, the Royal butler chose some staff members that were currently training and sent along his son to be the Princes butler. Originally, he did not wish to send his own family, but nobody would accept the job of being by the prince's side, therefore his youngest child had volunteered himself before the Emperor, so he would not be stopped and would have the support of his Majesty.

The journey was quiet and safe for the most part. At times they would be attacked by small raiding parties of bandits, but they would be killed off quickly by the few knights that were sent along as protection. Time passed quickly and 3 months into the journey towards Plano Ranges, a large group of soldiers appeared. They wore knights armour that had been stripped and fixed battle after battle for a long time, going through quite a lot of battles, however reality was much worse, in fact that was just a way to make the enemy feel they might break through against trashy armour. Sad truth was, the moment the knights guarding the prince saw the large group bandits in damaged knights armour, they rode out of there as quickly as possible. Even the driver of the carriage escaped. Only the Butler and 3 other servants remained inside the carriage. Scared out of their mind, not knowing how to survive this ordeal, the young butler steps out and yells out to the bandits.

"Why have you come? We have nothing to give other than a few bits here and there".

"Ohh is that so… well you might as well give us those 'few bits here and there' and you can add the interest on top of that as well" said a burly sounding man under the knight's mask as he rode forward a little towards the carriage.

"interest?"

"Yeah, look just leave and go home. Everything here is ours, so get lost."

After hearing the threating tone of the bandit, the young butler prepared himself for battle, in his mind he had already decided that he would not let harm come to the Prince. Even if he never woke up, he would remain by his side. He could not understand why he felt like this, he wanted to run home to his mother's embrace, to be in the comfort of his home and safe, but this Prince, he could not leave. NO MATTER WHAT!

The young butler drew his blade, standing alone, he stared down the burly bandit,

"My name is Alfred, the youngest son of the Royal servants' household of Aleister and you have stopped the carriage of His Majesty B- "

"Shut the f**k up! Did I ask for your life story? That demon kids' fate has been decided and you will not be able to stop us. You are a small bug remember that you cannot do anything for this demon prince so leave and go home. We were told not to harm you."

After hearing the words of the burly bandit, Alfred hesitated for a moment before asking if the others would be spared like him. All that he got back was a grin from the bandit. Alfred understood immediately. If it were not for his family household being the royal butlers of the Kros Royal family for generations, he would not have learnt the disgusting truth about nobles and their behaviour towards others. In general, he learnt how cruel this world was at an early stage. In this world, s*****y was very common, having been established so long ago, that things like r**e, a*******n, k********g, murder was just a common occurrence among the populous. He new that the other three servants, two of whom were female, would go through be played with and killed afterwards. Leaving them to such a fate would go against his very being.

Alfred suddenly dropped his centre point of gravity and dashed forward to attack the bandits infront of him, with his blade to his right side, he slashed and stabbed through the enemies. Alfred was not the strongest warrior, even during his days at the knight school, he was known to be far weaker compared to his elder brothers and sisters. This would lead to him being bullied and outcasted by the other kids his year. Unable to understand why nobody liked him, he was falsely told that his own siblings had warned everyone to stay away. In fact, the mysterious friend was right, but it was a warning for others not to harm their little brother.  The thought that his family despised him for no apparent reason became his determination and he would end up entering the royal knight competition. Alfred would face all his family and came close to winning the tournament, however he retired before the last fight and his eldest brother won the tournament. Many believed from the strength shown from such a young age, that against his elder brother he would win, but the sudden retirement cause many to be outraged at the decision. To quell the anger of the people, the elder brother stated he would stop developing his strength as a knight. The people were at first quite shocked by that statement, even his own family were angry with this son of theirs, but Alfred agreed instantly. Everyone was shocked by and more so when Alfred said he would be leaving for some years to travel.

Unknown to his family, the young Alfred was chosen by the mysterious friend to be his new disciple. What that man noticed was not the strength Alfred had worked so hard to improve, but his agility, speed, reaction time, understanding and reading the opponents movements. All these abilities and skills from a young man. He decided Alfred would be his next disciple and informed his last disciple, John Aleister, Alfreds eldest brother about his plans before meeting with Alfred. He cleared up the misgivings he had and told him it was a test to see what type of person he would become and if he would use his god given talents for the right reason or let the despair settle in from the anguish he suffered, forever living as a walking nightmare. John never wanted his youngest to be so abandoned by the family, rather he wanted him to be loved unconditionally. To be ignorant of the suffering and misery in the world. That was John's hope for his youngest sibling, to live without care or worry. 

Alfred would go to live for a long time with his Master, learning everything he could as he thought any day, he would be asked to leave so he worked as hard as possible every day, making sure not to miss any instructions from his master. Over the years, he turned into a weapon, a blade that would not rust or break, that would shine as bright as the sun and blend into the night seamlessly. He was a terrifying existence. Those years of torturous training and studying were a difficult period for Alfred. He had experienced beatings and punishment to the point he could not walk for weeks without assistance, even going to the bathroom, he had to be accompanied for quite some time until he would be healed enough to support himself again. Many would have been broken if they were in his position, but he grew from that and got stronger. His mentality was not weak, and that was his key factor for surviving his masters training from hell.

That very same existence was slaughtering the bandits, within minutes reducing the number of opponents with every swing of his blade. An unbelievable power lurked deep in him. As Alfred was making his way through the enemies, his sense told him danger was approaching his back, unable to turn quick to dodge or parry, Alfred was finally hit by the enemies. The bandits slightly grinned. That successful attack meant the crazy butler was not invincible, lifting the spirits of the remaining bandits, they all attacked at once, hoping to get him while he was somewhat dazed. As they moved to attack, the bandits further back randomly fell. The other were preoccupied with attacking the butler immediately that they failed to notice the party of adventurers hiding behind them in the forest.

They had been stalking out the two parties for quite some time, trying to figure out how the situation developed to the current point. As they hid themselves among the dense forest trees and overgrown bush shrubs, their eyes were glued to the young peerless swordsman cutting down the other party alone. There was no signs of fear, anger or manipulation. They could not believe someone so young was so calm in the face of adversity, but after watching that very man s*******r through every single person they thought would overpower him, he would remain untouched and unfazed. He was a terrifying existence.

They were thinking of helping, they felt the young kid had it under control, so they were going to leave once the fight came closer to its end. Unfortunately, the bandits noticed them and some of them started to head over towards them blades drawn. Immediately the group of adventurers went on the offensive, not wanting to be slaughtered, they did not hold back from the beginning. Their attacks were very precise and calculated, unlike most adventurer groups, they were veterans that had fought all types of monsters and beasts with plenty of battle scars on their damaged bodies. With the assistance of the adventurers, Alfred was able to swiftly charge through the 'bandits' until the talkative 'bandit' remained. He knew the torture and interrogation would come next. He was prepared; however, that face… that stupid face of the kid… no, that monster sliced through all his brothers like it was nothing. He never felt like he was surrounded, rather it was him on the hunt. Before Alfred began to question the remaining enemy, he approached the adventurers that became involved in the fight.

"Thank you for your assistance. I apologise, but I am lacking in funds to provide for you generous act, please for give me" as Alfred lowered his head in respect. The adventurers were shocked, they did not expect this guy to apologise or bow over a reward. They could not give a damn about that; they were more worried about pissing the kid off. The entire time they were watching the fight from the forest they figured out they together and alone were no match against him.

"Please stop, we should be sorry for not stepping in sooner kid. As your seniors we should have stepped up to help. My name is Zio, all of us here are a part of the adventurer team Withering Rose." With a bright smile on his slightly wrinkled faced, Zio stepped forward to meet Alfred's gaze.

"…That's a really depressing name."

"…"

They all just stood there silently. It was not the first time someone had said that, but nobody ever said it to their face. They never had the gall. But just as one of the members was about to reply, another member started laughing hysterically. For a while everyone was looking at him thinking 'what the f**k bro? did you have a mental breakdown after so much time over that…'. After some time had passed, he finally calmed down. In a solemn voice he explained.

"Your right it is a depressing name. We understand that and we are fine with it. Our first name was Blossoming Rose when we first started and over the years as we built our groups strength, we changed our name to reflect that. Now after so many adventures and journeys to reflect on for a lifetime, we changed our name to our current stage in our journey as a group."

"… Still depressing"

"…hahaha yes you can say it is. Just at point in our journey now kiddo. My name is Roth, and from what it seems your short some people to manage the carriage, could we possibly hop on till the next town."

Alfred thought about the request for a bit before responding a sharp "No". As Alfred was dealing with the adventurer groups request to travel together and cleaning the numerous bodies littered everywhere, a maid was cradling the prince, while gently humming a lullaby to sooth the child. That maid and her younger sister were the only staff members to remain, as the others had escaped during the fight. She had originally ran away at the beginning, but stopped after a couple of steps. The sudden stop, caused her little sister to lose her balance, tripping and flying forward only stopping after a couple meters. What stopped her was the child left alone, abandoned by his family. She had experienced being abandoned by her family and understand the pain, but she had her little sister Agatha by her side and she never had time to cry as she had to protect her, but something told her she had to protect that child as her own child. To be by his side.

"SISTER LIZ!! SNAP OUT OF IT!". Her little sisters desperate pleas snapped her out of it and she noticed the tears and snot covered face of Agatha. She was trembling and her eyes shaking, the small time her elder sister stood still as a marble statue felt like an eternity. Suddenly, Liz grabbed Agatha and led her back into the carriage and told her to stand guard by the door, while she grabbed the prince. Agatha didn't understand why they came back for the devilish prince, but once her sister said that she wished the child to experience love and care. It didn't take long for Agatha to realise her sisters meaning of wanting a family. He was abandoned like them, alone unlike her who had her sister, he would be alone. After some time, the fight had come to an end and they noticed Alfred cleaning up with the help of some adventurers, they calmed down and waited for word from Alfred on what to do next, the prince began to move restlessly in Liz lap, crying as he finally awoke. Both Liz and Agatha were shocked. It had been nearly a year and he finally woke now. As they tried to calm the prince, the mind of the little child was finally able to process what was happening around him. His first thoughts were 'Where the f**k am I?'.