The Ways of Nature

NOTE: This is a reminder that this does NOT comply with history, or even the game for that matter.

The child hobbled her way through the abandoned city that was ridden with filth. She and her siblings had been wandering for days and had been attacked by thieves looking for any sort of essentials that the chaos had taken away from them. The thieves took their food by force and the eldest had fended them off as best as she could with the small knife that was given to them, but for that the thieves then attacked and killed the girl. The other girl could do nothing but take off with what little food there was and had to leave her injured brother behind. She didn't look back as not to see what the thieves would do with the boy.

Zuo Ci sat patiently on his perch and watched the girl make her way through the city. He wanted to help the girl but knew that he couldn't, he was waiting for something to happen. Nature's ways were fairly cruel in some instances but they always turned out for the better in the end. Zuo Ci thought this was a beautiful process: when one dies, their spirit ascends to the heavens while their body feeds the earth that the rest of life on the planet gets sustenance from. Though most cursed death, it is necessary for nature to continue on.

The girl finally arrived at a section of the city that was populated with a military force. Zuo Ci looked up to the sky and spoke,

"This could get interesting, I wonder what it is you plan to do."

The girl forced with all of her might into the gate of a small camp. "What is that?" said a nearby officer to himself. When he realized it was a girl he ran over to her just in time to catch her from falling.

"Get a medic quick!" yelled the officer. The girl was holding on to her life by a hair. "It's okay, you'll be just fine." Said the officer with comforting words that seemed to be the contrary to his overall appearance: he was an old, built officer that wielded a large rod of some sort and his scars told that he had more than his fair share of battles.

Despite his frightening appearance he comforted the girl to the best of his ability. The girl then reached into her bag with a shaking hand and pulled out a small box. "I… I ca-…" She tried to say.

"You… you what?" asked the officer. The girl placed the small box in his hand.

"Please…" she said weakly but never finished her sentence. The girl's eyes faded away and her body became limp. The officer bowed his head and then closed her eyes and he carried her back to camp. He examined the box and placed it in his pocket.

Zuo Ci then witnessed the spirits of the girl's two siblings skip hand-and-hand through the clouds and bring the little girl's spirit with them back to the heavens.

"The ways of nature are so wonderful." He said to himself.

"Huang Gai," said a man that Zuo Ci recognized to be the eldest son of Sun Jian, Sun Ce. "What… who is that?" he asked.

"I don't know," replied Huang Gai, "But she gave me this" and Huang Gai gave Sun Ce the box.

"Have you opened it?" he asked.

"No," Gai replied, "I didn't know if it was the right time, the girl just passed away."

"Oh," said Ce, his excited expression falling to a sorrowful face. He took the box and opened it. His expression then lifted to one of surprise. "Look!" he yelled, "Is this what I think it is?"

Huang Gai then examined it; it was the Imperial Seal. "I think we should show our lord." He proposed.

Zuo Ci lifted himself up with his wings and soared over the town, "Well I guess fate has given me another apprentice, I will meet with this one soon. In the meantime I have more to do." He said to himself as he headed north.

"Father look what we've found!" said Sun Ce eagerly as he and Huang Gai walked over to Sun Jian. Sun Ce showed him the seal.

"It's the Imperial Seal my lord." Said Huang Gai, "They say whoever possesses it has the right to be on the Imperial Throne." Sun Jian looked disgusted,

"That's all just idiotic superstition," he said, "I'd never do that!"

Zhou Yu then stepped in, "Yes my lord but the people believe that it is true," he said.

"Ah, yes," Sun Jian agreed, "it could be a powerful tool." And he began to ponder on the thought.

Xiahou Dun rolled to the left to evade another blow by Guan Yu, he sprang back up to his feet and countered the bearded warrior's attack only to have his assault blocked as well. The two became stuck in a deadlock for some time, neither of them willing to give up. They finally broke the lock and readied themselves for another attack, but neither of them tried. Both were too tired to carry on for the time and they decided to call it quits.

Cao Cao walked slowly up to the both of them clapping his hands, "Well done, you both have improved since the last time I saw you two fight." He said, "It almost looked like you wanted to kill Guan Yu, Xiahou Dun." Dun just cracked his neck and pretended not to hear his cousin.

"We are moving out tomorrow to attack Yuan Shao," Cao said, "That means you as well, Guan Yu." Guan Yu bowed his head,

"Yes lord Cao Cao."

Xiahou Dun let out a "Hmpf" under his breath in disgust at bringing Yu to the battle, but no one seemed to notice.

While Dun was walking back to his quarters something caught his eye, he looked to his left, which was hard to do as his left eye was covered with an eye patch from the previous battle with Lu Bu. He saw a strange bird sitting on a tree branch. If it was any other bird he would have kept going, but something drew him to the bird.

It cooed at him playfully and Dun walked up to it a little more. He reached up to touch it and to his surprise, it wasn't flying away. He stroked it once and the bird snapped around and bit his finger and flew off.

"Ah, damnit!" yelled Dun, the bird seemed to be laughing at him. Dun sucked his finger to try to get rid of the pain and he heard a voice.

"Curiosity is a virtue at times but you must be careful my friend." Dun whipped around to see an old man on a tree branch; the branch seemed to not know he was sitting there, as it did not bend at all.

"You!" Dun said pointing his sword at the man, "You were the one in my dream!"

"Ah yes I was." Said the man.

"Wait," Dun said turning around, "If you were in my dream before than that means I'm dreaming now. But how? I feel so awake and I don't remember falling asleep."

The old man was laughing hysterically, "You don't have to trouble yourself trying to remember when you last fell asleep, you are wide awake." Dun looked at the man like he had just insulted him.

"Who are you then? This time tell me! And don't give me that genie horsecrap from before." The man continued laughing but not as hard this time.

"Now that you truly seek my name out of curiosity and that you cannot kill me for I am out of your reach, I will tell you. See? Curiosity can be a virtue at times."

"Just tell me!" barked Dun. The man looked like he had been insulted as well,

"You will also learn that patience is a virtue that is always beneficial." He jumped off from his branch and bowed, "My name is Zuo Ci, I have come here to help you do what must be done."

"What do you mean?" Dun asked,

"You are meant to do great things but it is unclear whether you will live up to those things," Zuo Ci said, "I am here to make sure that you do."

Great, some maniac gypsy trying to squeeze some gold off of me for telling me my future. Dun thought, Zuo Ci started laughing again.

"Haha, that is one that never gets old, huh?"

"What? What are you talking about? Did you just…" Dun stopped and tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Yes I can read your mind to an extent that is." Said Zuo Ci.

"Alright old man," said Dun, "What is it you want me to do?"

"You are a man of war right"

"…Yes."

"You know the chaos of battle but do not know the subtlety of peace." Dun stared at him in wonder of where he was going with what he said.

"You are not in touch with your sensitive feelings." Dun then took several steps back,

"Ho-ho, uh I don't think so, I'm not into that kinda stuff! I prefer women sorry!" Zuo Ci went into a fit of laughter that took several minutes for him to overcome.

"Oh, you are too good my friend," he took a few deep breaths, "in this next battle you will kill hundreds."

As is expected. Thought Dun, Zuo Ci looked at him like he had just disrupted him, then Dun remembered that he knew what he was thinking.

Zuo Ci cleared his throat, "As well as killing hundreds, you must find a violet and bring it back to me."

Dun was confused more than before, "A… flower?"

"Precisely."

"Why?" Zuo Ci held up a finger,

"Ah, you will know when you finish the task." Ci turned around, "until then I wish you luck." And he walked into the woods and disappeared.

"Wait!" called Dun, he chased after him in the forest but saw nothing but the bird from before fly over his head cooing excitedly. Dun watched as it faded from view.

He bent down and plucked a dandelion from the ground, "A flower?" he asked to no one, and he smelled it but found that it had no scent. He through the weed down and shook his head laughing all the while. "Alright, I'll do it. I don't see the use for it though." He said to himself. He made his way back to the main headquarters of the camp to pack for war.