Disclaimer: I do not own Hero: 108.

AN: I'm really really sorry for how late this is, but life has recently been crazy and I'm trying to finish another story of mine (different fandom, unfortunately) so I can focus on this one 100%.

Again, huge huge thanks to Pinki! Yeah...the deaths sort of...happen. I never really have a plan, and it sort of comes along. Thank you so much for your kind comment! I hope that the story doesn't let you down :)

Edit: So, as it turns out (kindly pointed out by Guest), I forgot to post a chapter between chapters 29 and 30 (now 29 and 31). I've inserted the chapter there, so chapter March - September 2030 will now make more sense. I'm sorry for anyone who thought this was going to be a new chapter, and sorry again for the mistake.

June 2031 - September 2031:

Wei looked at the reports. From what he could see, Highroller was to get out of prison next month. He had mixed feelings about him - while he certainly blamed Highroller for causing his family's death back all those years ago (had it really been over two decades?), he couldn't blame Highroller for acting like that or being exiled just because his family couldn't accept any criticism.

There was knock on his door, and he looked up. "Come in!"

Lin Chung opened the door, looking in cautiously. "Emperor?"

"Ah, Lin Chung." Wei put down the reports he was reading. "How can I help you?"

His First General sent him a small but worried smile. "Highroller."

"Ah." Wei beckoned him in. "Close the door behind you." As soon as Lin Chung took a seat in front of him, Wei immediately asked. "How's the experiment going?"

"Surprisingly well." Lin Chung said. "He still doesn't suspect a thing."

"And the results?"

"Beyond what any of our own tacticians can come up with. However, the casualties are still something we have to look out for."

"Do you think he's ready?"

"Yes." Lin Chung answered readily. "Prison has made him less…arrogant and impulsive. He'll listen, I think, as long as we reward him in the end instead of locking him back up the moment we're done with him."

"And what of the people?"

Here Lin Chung hesitated. "They might not take it very well. After all, it was he who started the Civil War, although the other Warlords were the ones to end it. I talked to some of the animal kings, such as Bearstomp, and they're willing to give him a shot, but don't want anything to do with him."

"I see." Wei sighed. "And of Big Green?"

Lin Chung shook his head. "Many of us were made orphans due to the war, Emperor. None of us will take kindly to having Highroller in such a trusted position so quickly."

"And?"

"I believe we should get him started slowly. See through patrols and what he can do to improve them. Afterwards, we will start to rise him up to taking charge of the borders. Regardless of how young we were when the war started, Emperor, we aren't above reason. If he works, we'll work with him civilly at the very least."

"That I am relieved to hear." Wei exhaled. He looked at his First General, who looked back at him. "And what role did Highroller play in your parents' death?"

Lin Chung flinched.

Wei instantly realised his mistake. "Not that you have to answer, I was merely curious."

His First General traced a pattern on his thigh absent-mindedly, looking at Wei. "I'd prefer not to talk about it."

"Well," Wei rolled his shoulders back, trying to hide his discomfort. "I suppose you need to tell the rest of Big Green?"

"Yes." Lin Chung nodded, and rose. "By your leave, Emperor?"

"Of course." Wei smiled at him and watched as he left. He knew that many of Big Green had difficult pasts, but he was only privy to few of them - Master Chou and Lady Green, mainly. Both were nobles, and their families well-known and high up in the noble hierarchy, which meant their stories were widely gossiped about in the Imperial Court.

He sighed, looking at the reports. He had work to do.

"Hello, Lin Chung." Lady Green greeted, smiling at the First General.

"Lady Green." Lin Chung returned the gesture. "How are you doing?"

"Good." Lady Green replied. "As well as can do, I suppose."

"You and Llewelyn are alright?"

"Yes." Lady Green nodded. "Financially, with our share of Vincent's life insurance and my pension, we have enough to get Llewelyn through to his university years."

"That's good." Lin Chung smiled.

"You know, I thought you would've been more happy about Manchuria's total surrender." Lady Green said.

Lin Chung looked at her, confused. "I don't understand."

Lady Green smiled. "With Manchuria now becoming a part of Hidden Kingdom, its borders are now Hidden Kingdom's. With this, you are one step closer to getting to Arymia, where Liliac is."

Lin Chung paused with the thought, looking at Lady Green. "I am, aren't I?"

Lady Green laughed, hooking his arm with hers, but before she could say anything, Apetrully's voice blared through the speakers.

"Rattle Diva is hosting another concert in East Citadel. Everyone is required to attend."

Lin Chung shot the speaker an amused look. "And, as always, we cannot be late."

Lady Green laughed again before starting to lead them towards the performing hall."Let's go. I believe we now have a concert to attend to?"

Highroller looked up as a light appeared. Lin Chung came into the cells, holding a candle but with none of the challenging games or candy he had frequently brought with him in the last few months. Highroller gulped. Was this it? Had the jury changed their mind and sentenced him to death?

"Hello, Highroller." Lin Chung smiled pleasantly.

"Lin Chung." Highroller returned. Considering he was now the First General's prisoner, he couldn't exactly nickname the sharpshooter 'pentagon head' anymore. Though, to be honest, Lin Chung's face had elongated elegantly, adding to his already intimidating features.

Lin Chung produced a ring of keys from his robes, and unlocked the door.

Highroller froze. What was this? Some kind of cruel trick? He had heard the jury. He was to be sentenced to life in prison. Why was Lin Chung unlocking the door?

Seeming to notice his discomfort, Lin Chung explained. "This is not some kind of trick." He opened the door. "The jury has shortened your sentence in exchange for something."

Oh, Highroller knew that there would be a catch. "What?" Great, now nervousness was making him snap at the man releasing him.

Lin Chung took no notice. "You will help strengthen our defence."

"What?" Highroller asked, more confused this time. Defence? Was this man out of his mind? Sure, he was for challenging Twin Masters, but him? A convicted Warlord? He knew it. Hidden Kingdom must've gone to ruins.

The First General let out a ghost of a smile. "The games I've been giving you - they're part of our defence and patrols, Highroller, constructed by Woo. I won't tell you which are false and which are real, but you have greatly helped patch up holes in our defence."

"And…you want me to continue doing that?" Highroller asked, arms crossed.

Lin Chung shrugged. "To be honest, I'm fine either way. You can get out of prison sooner and earn your position in the Imperial Court, or you can stay for another ten to twenty years before walking away a free man."

Highroller hesitated. "And if I want to earn my position back in Court? The people will see me the fool as they always have."

"Not necessarily." Lin Chung corrected. "Most will, at the beginning, but if you work hard, you will earn back their trust." He beckoned to Highroller. "Shall we?"

Highroller hesitated again, and looked at the small black room that had been his prison for the past 13 years. Anything was better than sitting in solitude and waiting eagerly for the First General's presence.

"Fine." He stood up and obediently followed Lin Chung. As soon as they went back to the corridor, Highroller instantly noticed the brightness and squinted for several seconds, eyes adjusting to the brightness. There were distrustful glares towards him, but they vanished as soon as they saw Lin Chung. East Citadel had changed massively, inside at least. He wondered if he could get away, but quickly dismissed the thought as soon as Lin Chung spoke.

"If you do anything, I will disarm you and you will be going back to that prison with no chance of parole."

Highroller crossed his arms, hiding how shaken he was. "That's what they said the last time."

"Yes, except that this time, Woo and I won't spend as much effort trying to get you on parole." Lin Chung replied calmly. He led Highroller to the Throne Room, where Wei was standing by his throne, talking to Woo anxiously. On spotting Highroller, Wei's eyes narrowed while Woo gulped.

"Highroller." The Emperor said.

"Emperor." Highroller responded. He sent a quick glance to Lin Chung, expecting him to join Wei, but he stayed where he was.

"Has Lin Chung filled you in?"

"Mostly." Highroller responded.

"Good. Note that Lin Chung is risking his head for you, so don't mess up." The Emperor waved a dismissive hand. "Go to your quarters. You begin your job tomorrow."

Highroller felt the familiar rage surge through him of how quickly the Emperor dismissed him, but Lin Chung quickly herded him out of the room after bowing to the Emperor.

"Highroller, you are on parole and the last thing you want is Wei getting angry at you."

The Warlord sulked. "Fine." He crossed his arms. "Where am I staying?"

"In the room next to mine." Lin Chung replied easily. At the surprised look, he elaborated. "No one trusts you - I'm having a hard time too, considering all you've put us through. People don't want to be near you, which is why near my quarters, you're the furthest away from anyone and the closest to me."

"Oh." Highroller looked up at Lin Chung. "So what do I do?"

"Be up by nine tomorrow." Lin Chung stopped at a door and opened it. "Clothes are already in the wardrobe. If they don't fit, we'll find new ones tomorrow. You'll have breakfast at nine thirty and then we set you your first task. Under close watch, of course."

"Of course." Highroller repeated sarcastically. He looked at the room, noting how extravagant it was for someone the likes of him. He looked at the First General. Lin Chung had changed, that was for certain. There was a certain weight on him - the weight of the world almost, much like in the past; but it was heavier now, hidden behind formal robes and the more intimidating appearance. For some reason, he felt a surge of gratefulness well up inside him remembering Wei's words about how Lin Chung was sticking his neck out for him.

He swallowed as Lin Chung turned to leave. "Thanks." Highroller cleared this throat. "For this. I won't let you down."

It was the stupidest and cheesiest thing he ever said, yet he felt pleased when he saw the briefest flash of a smile slip across Lin Chung's face. Lin Chung nodded at him and then left.

Highroller woke up the next day, looking at the clock on his wall. Two peacocks, one who had their eyes closed while the other was openly glaring at him. "Eight-thirty."

The Warlord swallowed nervously as he went to rummage around in the clothing, pulling some out and going behind the curtains to change. He emerged, and tried to make himself look presentable in the small toilet beside the room. He emerged and looked at the clock just as it ticked nine.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door.

Highroller opened it, revealing Lin Chung already up, dressed in rather rough clothing with his hair in a long queue. "Ah good. You're up."

"Yeah." Highroller nodded. "Peacocks."

"Of course." Lin Chung smiled at the Peacocks, who returned the smiles before they returned to glaring at Highroller. "Let's go before breakfast runs out."

From there, Lin Chung led Highroller down a series of dizzying turns, almost like a labyrinth. They finally stopped outside an open door that smelled of fresh bread and entered. Lin Chung collected some fresh bread, honey and eggs, offering it to Highroller as they sat down.

Highroller began to tuck in, overjoyed at the first proper meal he had in 13 years. He looked up after a while to see Lin Chung looking at him with passive eyes. "What?"

Lin Chung shook his head. "Now, after you're finished, we need to get to the library. You'll be under watch from Kowloon while I deal with matters of my own."

Highroller had heard of the hot-tempered warrior from Chameleon Queen. He rubbed his hand over his mouth, frowning as Lin Chung offered him a napkin. He took it anyway before clearing his throat, "Can't you stay?"

Lin Chung tilted his head. "Sorry, but no. There are pressing matters that I have to attend to. I won't take long - I'll be back in time for lunch. Dinner at the very latest."

"But Kowloon…" Highroller faltered. He heard the gossip - the man was now Lin Chung's Second-in-Command. While Kowloon had apparently slowed down and was thinking of retirement from active field duty, he was still formidable and held a grudge.

Lin Chung's eyes softened. "Don't worry, Highroller. Kowloon is headstrong at times, but his heart is in the right place. As long as you do your work and do nothing to provoke him, he'll leave you alone."

Highroller nodded nervously.

"If anything happens," Lin Chung said, "Tell me. I'll deal with it. Don't do anything back."

"No one will believe me." Highroller dismissed.

"I will." Lin Chung promised.

And looking into those onyx eyes, Highroller found that, perhaps for the first time in his life, he trusted the man.

As soon as he was certain that Highroller was safely in the library and Kowloon was watching over him with hawk eyes, he immediately turned and left to the stables. He quickly found Horse King, who had finished his breakfast and was ready to go. Lin Chung smiled at the horse as he pulled himself onto the horse.

Horses, especially Horse King, loathed the restricting leather of the saddle, and Lin Chung had ridden Horse King long enough that he knew how to do it without a saddle. He checked to make sure his weapon and bag was on him, and then slowly led Horse King out of the stables. Once they had reached the edge of Capital and entered woodland, Lin Chung had Horse King go full speed while pressing himself down onto Horse King's back.

They continued on for about an hour or two before they reached their destination and Lin Chung alighted. He looked at the village. It was quiet. Too quiet. He drew his weapon, signalling for Horse King to stay where he was, before approaching. Keeping his footsteps and breathing quiet, he approached the main house in the village.

He carefully opened the door, ignoring the creak that came from it, eyes alert and searching. He entered the house, looking around. Furniture was overturned and there was scratches on the walls. He entered what must've been the main bedroom, and immediately turned away.

Dead bodies lay there, eyes wide and unseeing while their mouths opened in soundless screams.

Something spiralled in him and he grimaced as a wave of familiar protective energy, though angry and aggressive in it's response, rolled over him. He hadn't thought much of it before, but the Harmonic Energy seemed to be more...chaotic as of late, and Lin Chung sincerely hoped that it wasn't going to result in his downfall. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Control. Control.

Suddenly, he heard a clanging from the kitchen, and immediately turned. He hid behind the door, waiting as he heard heavy footsteps in his direction. With little hesitation, he waited until a man approached, walking into the room.

Wen Yuan was surprisingly tall, with a willowy build that spoke of speed and grace over brute force. Definitely a student of Tien Kwan. His shoulder-length hair was tied in a messy ponytail at the back of his head, and his slanted eyes were narrowed as he bared shockingly sharp teeth. He was wearing fine robes, those afforded by nobles, with his hand clutching his sword.

Lin Chung evened his breathing, and waited as Wen Yuan walked into the room. As he turned to look in the wardrobe, Lin Chung immediately leapt upwards with a quiet 'swoosh' of his robes, sticking to the corner of the ceiling, between the wall and the door. Wen Yuan instantly turned to look at the door. Lin Chung's heart pounded - Wen Yuan was faster than he had thought.

The First General immediately dropped to his feet and moved to the living room, only to find a blade at his neck. He closed his eyes. Dammit.

Lorelei Green grinned as she sheathed her double blades. She had practiced with the Captain of the Guards in her province, and was delighted to once again beat him. After all, she had a reputation to uphold. The Greens were well-known for not only their military position as Second Generals, but also in their use of the double blades.

Technically, Lorelei wasn't supposed to be allowed to use double blades, but her father had been strict in tradition and less so in gender discrimination, so he had taught his young daughter what he knew. Her mother had thrown an absolute fit, but there was nothing she could do. Her father married into the family, and his parents had been fairly laid-back - not too high up as nobles, but not exactly middle-class either.

A small wiry boy came running up to her as she approached her little hut. "Miss Lorelei!"

"Hello, Adrien." Lorelei grinned at the boy. "Letter for me?"

"Yep!" The boy grinned widely as he handed her a letter. He still had a satchel close to bursting with envelopes, so Lorelei must've been one of his first few stops. "It has the imperial seal on it!"

"Hm." Lorelei mused even as she accepted it. "Thank you, Adrien."

"Anytime, miss!" Adrien yelled back as he ran away to his next stop.

Lorelei sat down at her table and opened the letter, frowning in confusion. But her expression slowly turned into one of glee as she continued reading. Ha! Seems like her cousins have been busy. Well, might as well take Lady Green up on her invitation. She immediately turned and headed for her bedroom, preparing for a week-long trip.

"So you're Lin Chung." Wen Yuan's tone was curious. "The man Tien Kwan would never shut up about."

"I could say the same thing." Lin Chung replied, voice low and careful.

Wen Yuan snorted. "Of course." He flicked Lin Chung's hair with his blade, and turned around, drawing the flat of his blade against Lin Chung's cheek. "Hm. Not bad. I have to admit, you're better than I thought you were. I almost didn't hear you."

"The robes." Lin Chung exhaled.

"Yes." Yuan nodded. "You should be more subtle in clothing choice."

Lin Chung resisted the urge to tell the man that the clothes he was wearing were the least subtle he could find, and instead retorted. "Like you?"

Yuan barked a laugh. "Lin Chung, I'm fairly certain I'm not the one being held at the end of a blade here."

"You are arrogant." Lin Chung noted.

"No." Yuan shook his head. "You are, for thinking you could get the drop on me. I was Tien Kwan's student as well, remember? What he taught you, he taught me."

"I am aware." Lin Chung tightened the grip on his sword.

"Ah ah ah." Yuan tutted. "Drop it."

Lin Chung looked at the blade before dropping his own weapon. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why not?" Yuan asked nonchalantly.

"You killed people."

"People die all the time. I merely quickened their passageway to the Spirit World."

Lin Chung inhaled sharply. This man was dangerous - far more than the Manchurian First General, specifically due to the fact that he was calm and would not be so easily distracted. "So what do you want?"

"Leave me alone." Wen Yuan said in a sing-song voice.

"I can't." Lin Chung said.

"Oh, but you will." Wen Yuan said. "If you want Tien Kwan's faith in you to be preserved."

"Tien Kwan will condemn your ways." Lin Chung replied evenly.

"Sure." Wen Yuan shrugged. "For other people. But I was the son he never had, Lin. Do you really think that he'll find fault with me? I just happened to pass by the villages and killed the villagers, who were already on the brink of death."

"The children? Women?" Lin Chung snarled.

"Yes." Wen Yuan shrugged. He smiled with blank eyes. "Now, I'm going to leave. And you're going to let me leave unless you want that horse of yours to die."

Lin Chung scowled, but nodded. "Very well."

He couldn't risk Horse King's death. Not only would it mean a loss of a beloved ally, it would also result in the Horses possibly attacking him or, worse, Wen Yuan, in a fight they couldn't win but would still fight in.

After ten minutes, Lin Chung grabbed his sword and walked outside. Horse King was there, looking rattled.

"Come on, Horse King. Let's go."

AN: New characters are introduced:

Lorelei Green - Lady Green's cousin, whose family was stationed further in the South. She lives alone due to her parents having passed away a few years prior, presumably at the beginning of the Civil War.

Wen Yuan - an orphan adopted by Tien Kwan when he was younger; while he was a talented prodigy, he rarely worked hard to gain his power, and slowly grew more aggressive due to Tien Kwan's protection over him. Eventually, he left Tien Kwan a couple of years before Tien Kwan met Lin Chung; Wen Yuan's relationship with Tien Kwan is inspired by Tai Lung and Master Shifu.