Annie : Hi again! It's good to see new reviews from everyone! Thank you so much! And I hope this chapter flows smoothly... I really had not planned this at all, it was just made from the spot. XD So like me to be so unorganized!

Chapter Thirty-Four : Unexpected Help

"Ah, what the hell's wrong with you, Hua?" Zhang He shouted. But the younger girl didn't even appear to have heard him. She went on, breaking anything she could get her hands on. And everything. She didn't even seem to feel pain – her hands were pouring out blood, and yet she continued to smash and destroy things, her usually-empty eyes aflame with pain and anger.

He watched helplessly – he could only remember one other time that the Ice Princess had been like this, and at least at that time he was able to keep her under control because she was weaker. But now, he had a feeling that she would not hesitate to break him as well if he tried to stop her. The only other time that Hua had been like this was when her mother had died. Little Hua had woken up silently the next morning, only to destroy her entire room with nothing but her two hands. He had calmed her down by pressing down on her pressure point, but this grown-up Hua was much stronger. He could only hope that she would calm down by herself. And frankly, he was getting rather scared.

The sound of breaking wood stopped abruptly. For the first time, Hua looked at He and her eyes could've killed anyone. He quickly avoided her gaze.

"Get… Out…" She said through gritted teeth. "Before… I break you as well…"

He didn't need telling twice. He immediately stood and hurried out of the room. He shut the door behind him and heard glass shattering noise. Zhang He looked at the door one last time worriedly before turning and running off to get some help.

The mirror shattered.

No, it still wasn't enough. I had buried them all underneath that tree. I tried so hard to continue my life where I had left off. I tried so hard. But someone just couldn't leave my life alone, could they? They loved to interfere, make me suffer more than anyone else.

I hate you all. I hate everything. Why me? What did I do that was so bad, that I had to pay this much? I wish everything would just die, just go away and let me be. I thought I could cope. No, I couldn't. Now I knew that I couldn't. I hate you, I hate everything.

"This is what I meant by 'make the right choice'."

I looked up to find that old man, back to torment me once again. He was the source of all my problems, all my sufferings. If only I could just end him, then maybe… Maybe everything will be alright…

He laughed. "You're a mess, child. You are not thinking straight. I'm not the source of all these problems. You are."

"Shut… Up… Get out of my life!"

"No, no, I don't think so. You'll need me to help you with your last battle."

I grabbed a heavy vase and hurled it at him. "Leave me alone!" The vase shattered in mid-air.

"This is not where you should be. If you stay here, you bring a dark future upon the entire land."

I couldn't find anything else to throw at him. I stumbled backwards and collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "Why me, Zuo Ci? I haven't done anything so bad to deserve this. Why are you doing this?"

He stepped closer and crouched down next to me. I saw his eyes through my teary ones and they were surprisingly gentle. Almost too gentle. "This is not a punishment. It was just… Bad luck, child. For him to have chosen you, it was all coincident."

"Who?" I whispered. "Who's he?"

Zuo Ci's face was grim. "He who could change the history. He, if given the chance, could unite the lands and begin an age of darkness. People would suffer, even the innocent ones. I cannot let that happen."

"Tell me his name. I will kill him." Because if what this old man was saying was true, then all the source of my problems were because of him.

I wanted to scream in annoyance like a little child when I saw Zuo Ci shake his head. "Child, you cannot kill him. The land needs him. He is fated to rule the lands."

"Then why? You just said that he would begin an age of darkness! If he's fated to rule the lands, then what? What am I in this?"

"You're the catalyst. You're the small, yet powerful wheel that starts the bigger wheel turning. If this man is to rule the lands before his destined time, no one would be able to stop him. Besides, this man is still a man. He is only a puppet to something that controls us all… Well, almost all of us." He sounded amused, stroking his beard softly.

I hated everything. It was obvious now that even fate hated me. Bad luck? Coincident? No, it was all fate's play, I was just a pawn in its disgusting game. And the worst thing was, that I couldn't do anything about it. Except to admit defeat. There was no way to win.

"Why do you think like that, child?" He read my mind again. "Of course you can fight against fate. You've already fought against fate and won. Several times, too. Don't you remember?"

I shook my head, bemused. I had no idea what he was talking about. I have never fought against fate, I haven't done anything to change the course of fate. What was he referring to?

"That night, the night you lost your mother." I tensed up immediately as I recalled the painful memory again. "You weren't supposed to interfere, child. You were supposed to have lost both of your parents that day. But fate didn't think that a little girl like yourself would have enough courage, enough thought to sacrifice yourself. That changed the course of fate utterly. And fate does not like losing. But you've won again, against fate."

"What are you talking about?" I barely managed to whisper, my head clouding in questions and confusion, but also at the same time going clearer with understanding. Slowly, very slowly, I thought I began to understand what he was saying. "When?"

The old man smiled warmly. "Fate also overlooked your strong-will. It expected you to follow your heart, to stay with the man you loved. But once again, you thwarted fate. It's furious now. However, because of your choice you've made against fate, your life thread has been tangled completely. That was what I had meant by 'choices'. Should you succumb to fate now, everyone you love, everything you hold dear would be consumed by fate's dark fury. You have… One last battle to fight with fate."

"And… You say… You're here to help me?" I sounded hopeful now. No matter how unlikely it sounded, my brain was telling me that it was the only explanation for all the bad things that had happened in my life. So I believed Zuo Ci now. He was my ally, he was the one who could help me through this… Right?

"I have my limits, child. But yes, I will."

"Then tell me… What's this man's name… The one who will bring darkness to all the lands if I was to stay?" My voice was shaking, and I had a horrible feeling that I already knew the answer. I could almost be certain of the man who could unite the lands using me. It could only be…

"You're correct, child," he replied quietly. "But do not think of killing him, for if you do, you'd be tangling the thread of fate for the entire lands."

I understood that. But I still had more questions… Especially this one question that had been burning to get out of my mouth for a while now. "And… what did it do to… Sun Ce?" My voice cracked in pain and anger. "Did it…?"

He shook his head. "No. It was his time, child. His life thread was only that long. No one can fight against death."

I nodded my head to show that I understood, no matter how much I was being tormented inside. Death was equal; everyone knew that. "And why had you told me that I was useless? Why had you sent me to Wu with my memories erased?"

"Ah," he looked at me a little sadly now. "That was really because I wanted you to learn that all people were equal. If everyone could just open their eyes, see their enemies from their perspectives, then perhaps there needn't be war after all. I had your memories erased, to ensure your safety and to make sure that you were seeing everything from their perspective. And also because," he paused, closing his eyes as if in thought. "Fate had begun to act. I had limited time and had no other way to get your eyes open. Do you understand?"

I did. "Yes. The marriage. That was all fate's intervention. Now I understand." I dried my face. "People I met in Wu… Wait, but they had used me. They wanted me dead!" Like Xun. They were only using me.

"Tell me honestly, child. To you, which comes first, your duty or your feelings? You, who have torn your heart apart, just to return to your kingdom and crush fate once again? Child, the bonds you've created between those people and you, are not weak. Believe me."

"… Then what should I do now? Help me."

"What do you want to do? Tell me your thoughts."

"But you can just read them. What should I do?"

He smiled again. "Your mind is very confused. I cannot tell what you want to do. It will clear your mind up if you organize your thoughts and say them out loud."

Organize them? What did I want to do? I wanted to see my family, relatives and friends in the capital. I wanted to slice the man who is forcing me to make this choice. I wanted to wipe that smug smile off Zhuge Liang's face. I wanted Jiang Wei back in Tian Shui. I wanted Ce back in this world… But that wasn't possible. I wanted to rescue Shang Xiang. I missed everyone in Wu, especially him. I wanted to… I wanted to…

"I need to leave Wei," my voice sounded strained, extremely sad. "If I'm the reason of the land's coming chaos, then I have to leave here. I'll go to Wu. I need to be with people there, I need to say my last farewell to the Little Conqueror… After that… I don't know…"

"That's alright for now, child." Zuo Ci stood up and pulled me up to my feet as well. "Don't cry anymore. Child, take heart. May luck go with you on your final battle against fate."

I smiled, careful not to spill any more tears. "I'm not expecting much luck – after all, so far, it always had been against me. But thank you. Now I know what I need to do."

The old man smiled and nodded. And then, he disappeared just as quickly as he'd appeared. I stared at the empty space for a while before stepping towards the balcony, towards my last battle with my toughest nemesis.

Annie : I think we're slowly heading towards the end! And then I can start on another story! But I just love this character, Hua, so maybe I should use her character in a different story.

I hope this chapter wasn't too boring. It's long compared to some other chapters, but I couldn't finish it nicely. But I thought it sorta made sense...