Within the Imperial Capital, corruption ran rampant. Crime was ignored in exchange for personal gain. Innocent people suffered to satisfy the twisted and depraved needs of the pompous and the vile. And those who committed these heinous acts justified them through Social Darwinism: the strong thrive, and must keep the weak in check.

These people, these demons abandoned their humanity in exchange for their own satisfaction.

At least, that was he type of rhetoric used by those who chose to stand against these injustices...

However, the Empire soon saw what true abandonment of humanity looked like.

It started in the Capital, with the papers making headlines about the attacks. At first, everyone had thought that some new, unknown type of Danger Beast had managed to get into the Capital.

The condition of the corpses varied, but there was always two identifying features: First was two small marks on the body, usually on the neck, but marks on other places were not uncommon. The second was that the victims were drained of their blood completely.

Investigation determined that these were bite marks, which is why rumor spread of a Danger Beast or multiple Danger Beasts loose inside the Capital.

However, upon further investigation, it was revealed that these attacks were committed by a person, or a group of people.

Upon this discovery, the Empire began intensive investigations into individuals suspected to be a part of these murders. The blame was first shifted, of course, to Night Raid, as the attacks fit the assassins' method of killing: they were always at night, and the first victims were of high ranks, in both society and the military. One of these murders even occurred in the Imperial Palace itself.

This shift in blame did not last long, however, as there were suddenly bodies of middle class and poor people in dark alleys and the streets. Now there was a dilemma, as Night Raid has never gone after people of lower standing.

Now it could be anyone. And this paranoia is what led to mobs in the streets of villages and cities in the Empire. These mobs would end up killing hundreds of suspected individuals through lynchings and various other forms of vigilante justice. Somewhat thankfully, Empire managed to put these mobs and vigilante movements down swiftly and, as per usual, brutally.

There were also the mysterious disappearances of various individuals. People of the Empire would suddenly vanish in the dead of night, and cadavers were reportedly stolen from the morgues.

These attacks have only been happening for a month, but that was all it took to drive the Empire's people to be afraid to walk the streets at night.

As for who's behind these attacks, they remain uncaught and unidentified. There is only one lead that the Empire's authorities have found, which was only provided because the murderers were so confident that they would not be found that they left a clue.

General Esdeath, the Empire's most renowned and brutal general, had little interest in these attacks. In her mind, the attackers proved they strong, and the victims were too weak to fight them, thus the victims deserved to die. However, she was summoned one day to see if she could make sense of a clue left behind by the killers. When she arrived, she asked to see this clue.

And there, on the wall above the corpse, she saw it. A single word written in blood.

Nosferatu