The cool night autumn breeze brushed gently against Yun's fair skin as he casually strolled through the dirt paved streets of his hometown. Where he was often greeted by warm smiles and friendly nods, he was shown instead a certain deafening silence. It was strange; he thought to himself, that the streets would be so barren at such an hour. Seemingly commonplace, everyone would normally find themselves relaxed under the shining light of the stars spread delicately along the sky.
Eventually Yun came across an old man who rocked continuously back and forth in his chair. The antiquated scent of oak revealed that it had to be no less than a century old. It creaked loudly with each movement and appeared brittle as though it would soon break. Yun respectfully nodded in the old man's direction and continued walking. He was suddenly interrupted by a voice, one that was stern and raspy, a voice that could only belong to an old man.
"Huh?" The startled boy blankly responded as he turned around to face him once again. The man's wrinkly eyes squinted indignantly as his hawk-like gaze bore through the boy's skin.
"I said where are you going!?"
"N-Nowhere I guess…" Yun laughed nervously "I was just enjoying the night, sorry if I disturbed you"
Yun bowed his head apologetically. In truth, he wasn't really sure why this old man was getting so worked up over such a minor issue. He thought about running away, but he'd have to cross him again in order to get home – something he considered too shameful to bear.
"At this very moment, two fates are clashing with one another in an on-going battle of historical legacy!" The old man mysteriously alluded.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do you see?" The old man proceeded to point his index finger upwards towards the clusters of stars that inhabit the space above the earth's lands.
"I see stars, I see the moon…" Yun craned his neck to take in the soothing wonder of a world blanketed by darkness.
He watched inquiringly as the man bent forward in his chair to grasp a sizeable clump of dirt. He shuffled the dirt about from one palm to the next. Then before long, the man extended the molded clump of dirt towards Yun. The boy gave the old man a quizzical look and thought he had lost his mind.
"What do you see in my hand?"
"Well…it's just dirt" Just what exactly was this man driving at?
"Right! These are the remains of the universe's legacy, which we ourselves are but a microcosmic part. Though everything we may do will eventually be forgotten when we cease to exist, our memories will be carried by the next generation"
"I see! So you're saying if I'm not around to carry on the legacy of others then their achievements in life will mean nothing when they die?"
"Perhaps you are wiser than I first took you for. Though for now there is somewhere you must be"
The old man chuckled softly to himself as he retreated into the confines of his modest little home on the street side. The young boy tapped the tip of his chin with a finger and pondered the meaning of the old man's last statement. He continued along the same road as previous though the gears in his mind turned more and more. Determined to shed light upon shrouded darkness, he searched from within himself to find the answers and solve this mysterious riddle. Time passed as a sequence of mere moments as Yun remained ever so perplexed.
"Though for now there is somewhere you must be…"
"At this very moment, two fates are clashing with one another in an on-going battle of historical legacy…"
A strong gust of wind picked up suddenly and blew in his way, it forcefully pushed the strands of his long, jet black hair sporadically in its path. He winced in discomfort and ducked his head down. He noticed that, clung desperately to his right leg, was a page of the local newspaper; it flapped loudly in protest. When Yun scanned the contents of the paper, he came across an ad for the Dynasty Duels Junior National Championship and suddenly he paused.
"That's right!"Yun made the sudden realization. Was this supposed to be the answer to the old man's riddle? No, perhaps it was matter of convenience. However, he began to wonder. Carried by the flow of curiosity, he chose to head to the town square where the event would be shown and find out once and for all.
As he crossed the border separating dirt road and layered cobblestone, immediately the buzz of an eager crowd reminded Yun that he had arrived at the town square. People of the town gathered in lively conversation as they marked their grounds with a blanket or a row of chairs for those who lived wealthier than others. Hundreds of people waited, they directed their attention to the massive screen that towered mightily over them all. It stood as the center for the town's entertainment.
The people here were simple though Yun respected this aspect of his neighbours. Their only escape from a world of labour came in the form of a massive screen mounted to a steel frame. However, for the moment it appeared the event had yet to begin…
"Exciting isn't it?" A soft voice proclaimed. A man no older than twenty years stood at Yun's side. Followed closely behind, he noted two rather large men with great, thick, dark beards stood on either side.
The way they seemed to simultaneously surround each other suggested they could have been very close friends. Though the first had a very long and elegant beard while the other sported a shorter, more rugged one, they maintained a regal presence that Yun was both awed and intimidated by.
"It will certainly be interesting" The boy nodded in agreement.
"The outcome of this duel will be entirely dependent on the tactics of the contestants" The man with the long beard suggested.
"Tactics?!" The man with the rugged beard scoffed. "It's the strongest one that always wins the fight!"
"What do you think?" The young man immediately turned to Yun.
"I think it will come down to the one who is more determined to win…" Yun's statement earned the silent approval of the three men who stood before him.
"It's starting!" Someone yelled from within the gathering crowd.
An overhead shot of a gigantic domed stadium appeared on the screen as people gasped in these moments of anticipation for the main event to start. People dressed in high-end fashion crowded like a herd of animals only a few steps outside the door. Along the perimeter, security guards blocked the entrances tightly, film crews swarmed in aggressively to get the best shots. Helicopters circled the sky like birds eyeing prey from afar.
Inside the arena too, every seat was filled. The flash of camera fire went off continuously. The people grew increasingly impatient yet never more excited to witness this undoubtedly remarkable spectacle before them. Without warning, all of the stadium lights are killed – everyone is left in the dark. Trepidation seeped into the souls of the game's onlookers as they are left with only the option to wait for what is next to come.
A single spotlight shines down at the very centre of attention. A large, rectangular, metallic surface rose through an opening in the floor. The announcer for the event, dressed to the nines in a jewel encrusted suit takes to the microphone in his hand. Rays of light reflected off his suit coloured the room in dazzling shades of red, blue, and green in such a manner beyond anything young Yun has ever imagined. Mouths are left agape while the dazzling light lured the people into euphoria.
"Ladies and gentlemen! All Dynasty Duel fans from around the country! It's time to get the final matchup of this tournament underway!"
The crowd rejoiced equally fervently as it was just introduced. All of the ceiling lights switched on as the stadium shone in an extravagant array. A current of passion and energy surged through Yun's very veins and his heart raced joyfully to the sounds of trumpets setting the stage for the grand duel.
"Who will reign supreme over the 150 middle school participants picked nationwide!? Now here come our contestants!" The announcer hyped up the crowd, they returned with ear deafening shouts.
Contestant number one approached the stage to a chorus of cheers. From head to toe, he was covered in a shiny metallic suit glazed an icy blue. At an instant, the media surrounded the stage as they aim to capture his every moment. His glare, equally as menacing as his ruthless grin, was directed to where his opponent would soon appear. Gripped firmly to his dual blades, he was certainly prepared to fight.
"Representing North China, contestant Cao Pi!"
His name brought about a large chorus of cheers from the audience. Even the people around Yun marvelled in the way which he occupied the center of attention. For him to have climbed to such heights in the dueling world, no doubt one's name would quickly be known.
Contestant number two then ascended the stage. He also wore a shiny metallic suit though his was tinged a bright red with a ferocious tiger embroiled onto the back. While his suit was the red to Cao Pi's blue, his eyes burned like a fire to Cao Pi's frozen expression. Pride, anger, and determination, he seemed to be the epitome of all of these. He grasped his tonfas confidently in each hand; he too was prepared to battle for the rights of a champion.
"Representing South China, contestant Sun Ce!" Once again, the audience payed the duelists their due respect.
The announcer gleefully gestured to the metallic suits which both duelists were wearing to address the audience and the viewer's accordingly.
"For those who are unfamiliar, each contestant is wearing a specialty battle suit that allows us to monitor their heart rates. Their suits are also connected to the metallic duel field below where the fight will be held. During the duel, every hit will be administered to our duelists through electrical currents that will travel through their bodies. The intensity of the current is dependent on the severity of the damage. If they're hit hard enough, or they are hit too often, the intensity of the electrical currents will knock them unconscious. In other words, the duelist who remains conscious wins!"
The audience cheered, some chanted the name Cao Pi and others chanted the name Sun Ce. Blue and red flags were waved competitively in the stands to motivate their fellow duelists to compete at the highest morale. Yun noted the fighting spirits of both duelists were at an all-time high with the fight nearing its starting point. It would certainly make for a competitive match between two clearly high rated duelists.
"Brother..." The man with the long beard turned to the young man beside Yun. "Who do you think will win?"
"Cao Pi is very good at using his ice elemental combo to immobilize his opponents and dealing damage while they are unable to defend. Sun Ce uses his relentless fire attacks to overwhelm his enemies with power…"
"Fire vs Ice, Sun Ce will win without a doubt" The man with the rugged beard confidently proclaimed.
"No, it won't be as simple as that…" Yun bluntly objected.
Cao Pi and Sun Ce stood on opposite ends of the duel ring. They entered their battle positions, poised to jump to the offensive the second the starting gong is hit. The moment has finally arrived, who was going to come out on top of the entire nation? The answer would soon be determined.
GONG!
Cao Pi and Sun Ce took to the initiative with a full frontal charge. Now within striking distance, Ce lunged forward. His tonfas, imbued with flames of passion, torpedoed towards his opponent at breakneck speeds.
"Blazing charge!" Ce yelled with enthusiasm. His body and his fiery tonfas moved as one.
Pi sensed the sudden charge and switched to a defensive position, thereby blocking the attack. Ce's initial movement had failed to take the advantage and subsequently forced him to recover his ground. He was then hit with several rapid slashes to the midsection and barrelled to the floor of the duel field. Upon his descent, Ce groaned in pain as the electrical currents coursed through his every limb.
"Aerial Charge Attack!" Pi soared into the air above Ce's sprawled body and moved in for the aerial charge attack. The pointed edge of his dual blades glistened in the stage light as they reached their downward momentum. Ce's eyes began to bulge out of his skull in knowing there is no way he could avoid Cao Pi's attack. The blade struck roughly on his chest, the electrocution intensified.
"Sun Ce is definitely in pain after that gruesome aerial charge attack! How will he respond?!" The ecstatic voice of the announcer loudly rang through the arena much to the crowd's delight.
"Did you really believe you could defeat ME?!" Cao Pi taunted his pained opponent. The arrogant grin on his face reinforced the lopsided flow of this match.
"Just you watch Cao Pi, I will defeat you!" Ce immediately scrambled to his feet. "Take this!"
Despite the early disadvantage, the fire still lingered in his eyes and victory remained on his mind. Yun couldn't help but feel as though the winner had not yet been decided. Ce rushed towards Pi once again. This time, he took to the air for his own aerial attack. Pi stood his ground at eyed Ce's movements carefully at a defensive position.
"Slashwave!" A blazing blue stream blasted from within Ce's fiery tonfas. It travelled diagonally into the path of Pi's ready blades to block the attack.
"Hmph! As expected of an amateur." Cao Pi muttered to himself. "In the face of the great me, your attacks are worthless!"
"Are you sure about that?" Ce replied with a satisfied grin as he landed perfectly behind his opponents back.
"What?!"
"You fell for my trap!"
He had used the slashwave to divert Cao Pi's defences to a frontal attack in order to prepare for a second, more powerful, attack combo behind where he would be exposed. A very solid plan, Yun thought to himself, which could possibly turn the tides of the duel in mere seconds! Now Sun Ce had a perfect opportunity to inflict damage.
"Tiger Stun Combo!" He led in for the counterattack, yet he swung wildly at nothing. Cao Pi appeared several feet away where he formerly stood.
It was performed so gracefully as if it were the work of a magician. Sun Ce did not understand how Cao Pi managed to avoid his sure-kill combo. Cao Pi was left unharmed; he chuckled evilly at the fright of his opponent. He watched the confidence drain from Ce's eyes as he transitioned from his predator's stance to the defensive instincts of small-fry prey.
"You're a hundred years too early to be facing me! EX: Azure Ice Storm!"
Cao Pi's blades, infused with the power of ice, covered Ce from head to toe in the frozen substance. With his remains being nothing but an ice block, Cao Pi moved for the finishing blow.
"Taste the bitterness of defeat. Become a stepping stone I walk on to the path of greatness, Musou Ranbu! GLACIER PIERCE!"
Cao Pi slammed the point of his swords into the ground to summon a large shard of ice that impaled Ce's body with the terrifying force of the coldest arctic winter. He then detached his other sword to slice a devastating cut through the midsection of the ice block. The electrical shock persisted within Ce's fragile body until his eyes fluttered to a close under the burden of insurmountable pain. The crowd chanted Cao Pi's name so it could echo throughout the stadium and everyone would remember the boy who easily won.
"The winner of the Dynasty Duels Junior National Championship is Cao Pi!" The announcer handed a large golden trophy to the winner.
Cao Pi posed with the trophy high above his head. He basked in the pride of being the nation's number one. The media surrounded him excitedly to get a few words from the newest champion. Meanwhile Zhao Yun and the others prepared to part ways as the people of the town moved to gather their belongings and head home.
"I can't believe Sun Ce actually lost!" The man with the rugged beard spoke in mild disappointment.
"It was a very exciting match nonetheless!" Yun replied.
"However, you could say it was Cao Pi's tactics that ensured his victory!" The long bearded man playfully reminded his friend with a hearty laugh in reference to their previous conversation.
"Grr, if that was me, the fight would have ended in my victory in only half the time!" His face turned shamefully red amidst the light teasing from the other bearded man of the group.
"By the way!" The young, beardless man turned to Yun with an outstretched hand. "I don't believe you have introduced yourself…"
"Ah! My name is Zhao Yun."
"It's been a pleasure Zhao Yun. I'm Liu Bei, these are my sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei" The young man gestured to the man with the long beard and the man with the rugged beard respectively. "I hope we meet again soon"
The two young men shook hands and bid each other farewell. There was something about those three which had intrigued Yun, in such a way he had never felt about anyone else before. He had a distinct feeling they would eventually cross paths once again – and he looked forward to when that time would come.