Author's note: This story is not set in an AU. By that I mean that these events take place, from the Claymore perspective, before the Northern Campaign and after Clare discovers from Riful the identity of Isley. All the Claymores that (canon-wise) were killed in the Northern Campaign are NOT dead. The only major Claymores that will not appear in the story are those of Teresa's time (excluding Irene).

All Chinese characters are HISTORICAL, as in; they once walked our real world as real people. Their powers and abilities are based on what they can do in the game Dynasty Warriors 6. No background reading on anything is required; however, it can certainly enrich a couple of aspects in my story. Furthermore, historical events and some details will be inaccurate (that's an understatement).

If some of the details in the novel become a bit confusing, just refer to their character profiles. I am hoping that this will be the most epic/violent/bizarre/crack/fun/sexual/wild fanfic I've written to date. I believe the effort I've put into the narrative will speak for how much I want this to succeed.

Prologue: The Middle Kingdom's Unsung History

It is the northern winter of 208 CE. The Han Dynasty, once the most majestic lineage of the Sons of Heaven, has collapsed, plunging imperial China into political turmoil, civil war, famine… and despair. Amidst the chaos of the disintegrating nation, a mighty warlord emerges: Cao Cao, ruler of the Wei Kingdom.

This ambitious man's mysterious vision is unstoppable, indomitable… grand. After taking the Emperor into custody and being promoted to Imperial Chancellor, he subdues the North, bringing it under his rule. His forces now amass against the Kingdom of Wu, which opposes him across the southern Yangtze River, with a navy led by the stoic General of Valour, Zhou Tai. Allied with Wu is Liu Bei, a wanderer whom Cao Cao once called a hero and now sees as a threat. Liu Bei has no Kingdom to call his own, but enjoys a devoted following of many talented warriors and strategists… prime amongst them, Yue Ying, the wise and beautiful wife of Zhuge Liang, China's foremost strategist. With the scene set for the Battle of Chi Bi, the three powers gather their strength for what history will call the Three Kingdoms era.

But history is filled with unsung heroes and villains.

As the navies of Wu and Wei smash against one another at the Red Cliffs, a foreign man of pale complexion and blond hair stands upon the precipice, his hand on the shoulder of a young brunette with the eyes of an archdemon. And with a light gesture of his fingers, monsters descend upon the armies of China. They tear apart soldiers and feast on their innards, their bodies impervious to normal weapons. A small group of such creatures can decimate entire battalions. The Wei forces are annihilated, the allied troops scatter, and amidst thousands of Chinese corpses, a new age of bloodshed begins in the world.

Within days, the Middle Kingdom is under threat from a mysterious invader.

But this is merely a setback for the wheels of the eons. Two weeks earlier, a man in black robes made a long, exhausting journey to Xuchang, the capital of the Wei Kingdom. He came to the Court with nothing; nothing except a tributary gift: a silver-eyed woman, who held the key to defeating these foreign demons…

*

Xuchang Palace

The hooded, cloaked man was out of place, out of touch. He was stared at even by the most diffident of courtiers, by the most demure of palace servants. Only his golden, disgusting eyes were discernable underneath his swathing black robes… or rags. It was hard to tell. His short, scrawny figure was a literal stain amidst the splendour of the palace. The swathe of ebony cloth covered even his mouth as he shuffled towards his ultimate destination.

But even more jarring was the woman who flanked him, like a devoted daughter watching over her feeble, crippled father. The silver armour that partially encased her two-piece uniform glimmered luminously, reflecting off the decadent pillars of the palace and the vast hall that extended itself away from them. Her cape hung loosely behind her hourglass figure as her metal greaves – a design unknown to Chinese artisans – tapped purposefully on the palace floor. She was tall, slender, and beautiful, her long hair sharp and straight, but curving slightly at the bangs. A perpetual, half-smile lingered on her face as the palace concubines stared at her in curious amazement.

His name was Ermita; hers was Galatea.

She walked in silence beside him as they approached the Imperial Court of Wei – composed of twenty uniformed advisors and officers who stood in two neat lines beyond the long, generous rug, standing at attention to a man sitting on a comfortable throne of office.

He was of unimpressive height, of an unintimidating build. Yet his aura was colossal, almost choking with regal intensity. He wore an elegant cape of raven and imperial purple embroidered with two beautiful, ascending phoenixes. His mantle was supported by a raised, neck-surrounding collar that doubled as an ornate, black and gold breastplate. His long, brocaded coat was of the darkest blue and lustrous yellow, save for the light, plaid silver armour that fitted snugly beneath it. It was held in place by a partial vest of dull chrome with four black and gold straps and a silver hanging chain, accompanied by a blue, oval jewel at its centre. His trousers were also patterned, although of the richest night as well, and the ends of his shoes were raised upwards, as was the custom of officials of high rank in this nation. Save for his face, his entire body was outfitted: he had even donned his hands with a pair of black gloves.

Judging from his visage, he should have been in his late thirties. His eyes were narrow, shrewd, powerful, and his nose straight and penetrating. His cheekbones were elevated, his lips tightly pursed. On his head was the small, unobtrusive crown of a king. The manner in which his jet-black hair and goatee was arranged gave him the impression of a stern, scholarly demon.

Beside him stood a taller man in scaled armour and a general's coat. A careful patch now covered what was once his left eye, and his weathered face looked equally cautious. "Foreigners? Who let you into the palace?"

"I was previously notified of these curiously garbed visitors," said the seated man, his deep voice quiet. "I understand that they claim to be bearing an important message."

"Then, state your purpose," ordered the standing ward, raising his nose at Ermita and Galatea. "You stand before the Imperial Chancellor himself, the custodian of His Imperial Highness. Kneel before His Excellency, Lord Cao Cao."

Ermita paused, as if deliberating on how to reply.

"Kneel!" barked the one-eyed commander.

"Leave them be, cousin. Do not expect too much from them." The Imperial Chancellor raised a finger, his cunning, goateed face staring down with finality at the pale, scrawny man who resembled an ugly rat. "I am a patient one, even towards outsiders. Yet my right-hand, Xiahou Dun, is justified in demanding your cooperation. State your purpose. Now."

"Officials of the Wei State. We bring good wishes… and a warning… from the land of the Isles," responded Ermita slowly, in Common tongue, as if reciting a scripted monograph. "We have come with an urgent message for the King of Wei. One that may mean the salvation of this empire."

The Court erupted in a cacophony of bewildered laughing and hisses. The blonde woman merely smiled to herself.

"What can animals that habituate outside of the Middle Kingdom offer the people of the Han?" snorted one of the councillors, whose name was Xun You.

Ermita hesitated. "Our… Organization's experiments in creating a perfected soldier have, to our shame, failed. The energy we call Yoki has torn a rift through the very bedrock of the Isles themselves. The monsters we commissioned our soldiers to fight have never enjoyed such unlimited power, such an endless wellspring of energy. We can no longer control their numbers. They have overrun our realm, crossing the seas, into worlds across all the Ten Directions. Therefore, we have reason to believe that even your Middle Kingdom is now under imminent attack from the creatures known as Yoma and Awakened Beings. I suspect… that were it not for an unidentified traitor within our own ranks, the gateways to other worlds beyond the Continent and the Isles would not have been opened and accessed by the more intelligent Awakened Beings.

"You now face inhuman foes, unchecked foes that have grown so powerful that they have conquered many nations, many Continents. Already our own Isles have been sundered, and all neighbouring worlds have been traversed and put to the sword. There are none who are safe from these marauders."

"Your nation has been destroyed by the animals that inhabit it? How laughable. And now you wish for our glorious armies to do your fighting for you?" snorted Xiahou Dun, shaking his head. "Sheer arrogance."

Ermita shook his head. "No. Our message is far more serious. Hardly anything remains of our once-thriving civilization, and now our victorious enemies and their progeny pour across… well, everywhere imaginable. And due to your nation's considerable size and population, they are most likely coming here. The more flesh they can detect, the more they are tempted to invade, you see."

The Court broke into almost hysterical shrieks of indignation denunciation again. "Yoma?! Awakened Beings?! What manner of twisted jest is this?!" Xun You pointed a thin, angry finger at Ermita. "You bring this silver-eyed witch to the capital, refuse to kneel before the Imperial Chancellor himself, and then babble this nonsense – you deserve nothing less than imprisonment!"

"Our Central Army is supreme in the north, and soon, we shall swallow up Wu as well," snarled Interior Minister Jia Xu. "We will crush their fleet at Chi Bi, and then the path to southern China will be open. And you have the gall to tell us that we are the ones in danger?"

Cao Cao's severe brow furrowed. He raised his hand, pointing with deliberation at Ermita. "Continue, foreigner."

Ermita nodded. "Having lost our centre of command, how our silver-eyed warriors choose to protect the Chinese people will be their own choice. They are commonly known as Claymores. On the whole, we are relocating as many as possible into your nation as we speak. But as we aware of your Kingdom's military supremacy, I have brought with me our current ace. For the sake of the nation's stability, we suggest that she serve as your personal bodyguard."

Breathless murmurs arose amongst the ministers in the hall. A multitude of suspicious eyes fell upon the pale, light-haired woman who stood beside the man in black. Ermita pressed on, ignoring the stares. "Her name is God-Eye Galatea. Number Three amongst her kin, she is the most capable amongst our entire troop count. Now, Galatea," he muttered, "Greet the Imperial Chancellor."

The woman's eyes met Cao Cao's. For a moment, they paused, drinking in the gaze of the other, nonchalant chrome meeting intense, ambitious chestnut.

"My bodyguard, eh?" he murmured. Certainly in ancient times of yore, past ministers, kings and Emperors had recruited Huns and warriors of other ethnicities to fight as their personal protectors. And certainly, he did miss the late Dian Wei. But was it… prudent for this fair-haired, silver-eyed woman to be entrusted with such an important post so immediately? Ermita had shocked and offended the entire Court, and he expected them to accept his words at face value – for the sake of survival?

"Well, what say you, foreign lady?" he asked, resting his chin on his gloved hand. "Do you acquiesce?" His eyes scrutinized Galatea's again, and she did the same. Her reply was not immediate, and to his surprise, he found that he did not mind.

"She is your only hope for survival, Imperial Chancellor," broke in Ermita thickly.

"I do not care," snapped Cao Cao suddenly, stunning the man in black. "Be silent. I asked the lady, not you."

Galatea cocked her head, fixing her eyes on him. "As warriors of the Organization, our duty is to protect all humans, wherever they may be," she said quietly, giving a charming, sarcastic smile, like an unpretentious but mischievous young girl.

Cao Cao nodded in approval. For now, he would play along. It seemed that there was more to this woman than met the eye, and that was enough. He gestured outwards, sweeping out a gloved hand. "I will take heed of your warning. Ambassador Ermita – I accept your tributary gift, this warrior from the Isles. I bid you a safe and pleasant journey home. But, Galatea: remain in my chambers tonight. I have business with you."

"Yes, Imperial Chancellor," came her drawl, her voice dripping with feigned sycophancy.

Satisfied, Ermita bowed low, and at a nod from Xiahou Dun, began to back away slowly. Soon he would be escorted out, never to return. Cao Cao looked at Xiahou Dun, and he nodded. Certainly, it would help to find out more about this land that these apparent monsters hailed from. And why at this crucial juncture? Who… what… could have brought these strange women and these so-called Yoma into China? It seemed almost like some wild attempt by the astrologers and warlocks of Wu to halt his armies' relentless advance.

I've never believed in the supernatural. Heaven favours those with ambition and wisdom, not magic tricks. Cao Cao snuck a glance at Galatea, but to his chagrin, she was watching him too, with a much more relaxed smile on her face.

How puzzling, that she should have arrived in China at this time. She was very beautiful, and she seemed no fool. He wanted to converse with this woman alone.

History is always full of unsung heroes… and heroines. I want to give them all their allotted due. And if, by some extraordinary chance, this woman is destined to be part of our nation's history… then I want to give her that chance.

And with this meeting, the true Romance of the Three Kingdoms begins.