Bloody Cross

When the former General heard these words, his frown deepened. "You don't think this is too far, Old Man Agnes?"

A rage prickled the old Patriarch's brow. "It isn't your place to question the matters of the Agnes Clan!" This roar was filled with such a deep anger that Patriarch Garis said no more. There was simply no point. He had clearly already made up his mind.

The servant stepped forward, untying the ropes from Ryu's wrist and being perfectly prepared to have no choice but to carry the young heir's body away. But, before he could, a bloodied hand connected to a contorted wrist of blood and mangled meat pushed his hand away.

Under the astonished gazes of those present, Ryu slowly stood. His legs wobbled beneath him, nearly collapsing more times than they cared to count, but in the end, he raised up to his full height.

An ugly bruise of purples, greens and blacks covered his chest, making it obvious at a glance that several of his ribs were broken. His back was so mangled that pieces of whole flesh fell from his exertion, leaving a path of meat chunks behind him.

His lips formed a thin line, but his jaw somehow remained relaxed. His eyes remained closed without a hint of tears or quivering. Even his steps were far steadier than they should have been. A deep pride and disdain for the world followed his slow pace. He didn't sweep his head left or right, he simply followed a singular straight line. However, this straight line wasn't to the dungeon as his grandfather said, instead, it was very clearly toward the outside of the Clan.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Patriarch Agnes roared.

Ryu's steps paused. Pressing his thumb firmly against the side of his pointing finger, he caused his nail to protrude as far out as it would go. Without a hint of hesitation, he stabbed this thumb over his heart, drawing a cross upward before crossing back once more to form a bloody X.

There were no more words needed. The reddening then subsequent blackening of Patriarch Agnes' face was all that was needed to understand the gravity of what Ryu had just done.

In the martial world, there was no fiercer symbol than this bloody cross. It signified the cutting of ties to the deepest level.

Without a look back, his steps continued forward, crossing a sea of spectators unable to withstand his steady steps. Still, his grandfather's rage reached a fever pitch. The eyes of those spectating could only widen as a sword appeared in his hand.

"YOU UNFILIAL … DIE!"

"You fool!" The former General stepped forward, slapping Old Man Agnes' attack away. "Do you even understand what it means now that he's cut off ties from the Agnes Clan?! He's solely a member a of the Tor Clan now! Do you think the Imperial Censors could allow you to trample on that truth?!"

Before Old Man Agnes could even understand the gravity of his own actions, Ryu's back view had disappeared from the eyes of many. The events of today… It was impossible for them to remain hidden.

**

"Your Majesty, this has gone too far!" The Imperial Court had once more descended into chaos. The last time it suffered such a tsunami of complaints was just after Ryu's birth, and now, ironically, just eleven years later, it was facing another dispute surrounding the very same young man.

King Tor sat on his throne with yet another deep frown on his face. As much as he'd like to summon Ryu here to explain himself, the boy had slipped into a coma the moment he closed his courtyard door. He spoke to no one, he made no sounds, and in the end, it was just a few hours later that the news spread like wildfire.

To think that not only had he cut off all ties to the Agnes Clan, he had made his way back to the Palace by walking the streets of the of the capital city. A matter that would have already been terrible became even worse by the news of a bloodied, half-naked Prince bleeding through the streets of Tor City!

"Shouldn't you look into why the Prince is in a coma before your start complaining about his actions?!" A Minister who stood in a minority faction retorted. He and his colleagues had long been dissatisfied with the way the Tor Imperial Court functioned. The Prince comes back to the Palace half dead and your first reaction is to scold him for cutting ties to the Clan that likely did this to him?!

"You naïve fool!" The other Ministers pounced on this man like a fresh piece of meat. "How many miles are there between the Agnes Clan grounds and the Royal Palace? Over a dozen! You expect me to believe that a critically injured blind boy without an ounce of cultivation made his way such a distance alone?!"

Imperial Censor Orson sneered. "This is obviously another temper tantrum being thrown by the Fourth Prince! He doesn't understand matters of importance and can only act like a selfish and petulant child! He'd rather see the Tor Clan burn to the ground than face the fact he simply isn't as good as his elder brothers."

This matter of the Agnes Clan was no joke. In fact, it was quite serious. This meeting was called immediately after everything was brought to light.

What was the purpose of the King marrying the young mistresses of the pillar Clans? Was the purpose not to solidify ties for future generations? If a Prince unceremoniously cut off ties with the Clan his mother had married into the Royal Clan to connect them with, then what was the point?! Ryu's actions could cut off an entire generation's worth of carefully planned politics.

Although they didn't say the words aloud, many Ministers couldn't help but look forward with an 'I told you so' expression. If they had killed Ryu at birth, how could this mess have happened?

Seeing his moment to shine, Imperial Censor Brigg's round belly rippled, swooping in at the key moment once more.

"I believe that with these events, we're justified in accepting the proposal of the Lantes and Viri Kingdoms, Your Majesty… We've given the Fourth Prince enough leeway and he's responded by slapping our faces. There's no need to stall the very first Co-Kingdom Coronation Game for his sake."

Imperial Censor Digby sighed, his old frame shaking while a flash of killing intent emitted from Imperial Censor Orson. A moment of silence washed over the court as they all looked toward the King.