Beauty in Her Death
Chapter I - The Bloodening
Verse II - Secret Passage
Disclaimer: All characters belong to the game Dynasty Warriors by Tecmo-Koei or the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. All other unrecognisable characters and places were created by me or inspired by other members who have given me the permission to use their characters from other websites created by Koei or about the franchise of the game. In Author's Notes, I will only mention the names of characters and places created by other members and I will also name the member.
Author's Notes: In this chapter, there are no characters or areas created by any other than me.
Story:
His treks in the forests and the woods around their home were long and tiring but he never bore from riding his horse between the trees or climbing the trees and jumping into the streams because he enjoyed the taste of danger. But this was far exceeding his limit. His treks now were leading him through a dark secret passage. He had to make his way without the use of light. He had to feel his way around. He had the chain his father gave him around his neck, and the keys and dagger attached to his belt. But he couldn't make it knowing that his father was going to be killed - or dead. He heard a chilling scream behind him and he knew it was that of his father. He smiled with the hope that his father was still alive. His energy still burned for much longer, but it did not aid the fact that he was trekking beneath the real world. He was under the soil. He could imagine if the soil collapsed above him and his family and buried them for many generations or dug up a thousand year later. He didn't want to think these things but they couldn't escape his head. How long would this journey take them? He could hear the muffled groans of his sister, who was clinging on to his shirt to find her way around as well. He couldn't feel both her hands, so he was sure she was guiding their mother too.
He cracked his fingers between his hands and paused. He was exhausted. It had only been two minutes here, but still, he couldn't stand this. He took a deep breath and then heaved. He continued to walk without speaking a word. His sister hushed her mother who was about to begin cursing herself. Eventually, he made his way through the tunnel for one half of an hour until he hit a wall. A small fraction of light shone onto the wall and blinded him. He span around and widened his eyes but finally realised that the tunnel had made a turn. He could hear the sounds of something rushing or somebody hushing as loudly as he could. He made his way towards the light. It was that moment that he realised that they were nearly out. He gave a breath of relief and rested his hand against the wall. He took a deep sigh and then, recovering a fracture of his breath continued to waltz speedily towards the light. And then it him! No one was shuffling around or hushing loudly. He could see as the noise closened towards him that, in fact, the rushing and shuffling was the sounds of water crushing against a lake below. He was on the other side of the forest where the waters belonged. He couldn't believe his amazement as he stared in fear and wonder of the waterfall that covered the exit to his escape. His awe was one that would never be destroyed by another sight. But another sound would.
"It's blocking our way out," his sister broke the silence with a truth that should've remained inaudible.
But he couldn't deny it himself. She was right. There was no way out. If they attempted to jump through the waterfall their bones would be crushed like a fist smashing against a wingless fly or an ant. He groaned to himself before remembering the words of his father. He must place the key inside the wall and escape from there. Perhaps his father had created a special mechanical system which made a slope or a staircase appear and avoid the water. His baby brother began to cry again. He proceded to silence the child like he had done with him previously. Before he could complete his procedure he paused. Once again, he gawped with the sight of the beautiful waters flooding the lake below. As soon as he had caught as much amazement as he could, he dashed to the wall and drew his belt. He sought desperately for a slot on the wall to place the key into but he couldn't find it. In the corner of his eye, he spotted a slot which accepted the key perfectly. He held the key and took a deep breath of air. He then twisted the key to the right and forced the key to complete a successful 360 degrees circle. He stared solemny into the key before pulling it out. For the first time since his father had given it to him, he looked at the key observantly. He noticed that it was nothing out of the ordinary. Just a rusty bronze key which opens things. He looked at the other keys and stared at them. He noticed that they too, were of the exact same appearance as the other key - even the rust was at the same place of each and every key. He then realised that the creator of the keys, presumably his father, created the keys to look like nothing out of the ordinary. He smiled at his father's ingenious. Little did he notice, his sister and mother prepared to make their way down the staircase.
He frowned in amazement. There it was - a staircase, shifting from the walls from the top to the bottom. A platform above their head had opened to make a pathway leading to the grounds beyond the lake so the water could avoid damage any one crossing the staircase above the grounds; grounds which he had never stepped foot on or even knew existed. Flowers budded from every area around for miles. He witnessed the amazement that shined beyond his imagination, the flames that ignited the passion in his heart. He gave a mischevious smile. Before his sister could make a move, he plugged the key from the wall and peered over the edge of the staircase. He could see a thirty metre fall which would probably break all of his bones. He took a step down the stairs and maintained his balance as he continued his way down the case. After about thirty paces, he realised it was as simple as walking down a normal set of stairs. He didn't have to worry about balance. He turned around to see his sister stepping each step carefully; their mother was simply strolling down them without worrying of the dangers before her. She took no notice that one wrong step - one twist of the ankle - would lead to her falling down or off the staircase and plummeting to her doom. He prayed to himself, hoping his father would survive or if not, his mother could recover from her state of shock. He knew that this journey would be a long and difficult one but one he would have to make.
End Notes: That is the final section of Verse II: Secret Passage.
Recap: The oldest son passed through the passage using his hands as his only guide, not knowing where he was going. Eventually he found an escape which was blocked by the existance of a waterfall. Using his key, he opened a secret staircase and began his journey into a world he had never been to.
Questions: Where will they go? Will they be able to escape to safety or are they facing an inevitable destiny of failure? Who was the intruder? Will he find what he was looking for? Is the father dead? Will the intruder find the family?
Conclusion: The eldest son leads his mother, sister and baby brother to safety through the secret passage. The fate of his father and the intruder still remains unknown.
