DISCLAIMER: THE DYNASTY WARRIORS SERIES DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. IF IT DID, I WOULD BE THE RULER OF THE UNIVERSE. THANK YOU.
Author's Note: I KNOW BI YANG MAY NOT BE A TRUE CITY, AND I KNOW YI LING MAY NOT BE A TRUE PLACE FOR A BATTLE CAMP. PLEASE DO NOT POINT THIS OUT TO ME-FOR I UNDERSTAND THIS VERY WELL. I AM LITTLE UNFAMILIAR WITH THE BATTLE CAMP LOCATIONS AND TOWNS-IF ANYONE CAN HELP, PLEASE DO SO. I WOULD APPRECIATE THE ASSITANCE.
Shafts of sunlight were softly falling from the peaceful heavens….emitting the warmth of twilight. The beams of golden, halcyon light held enough dreams and promises to last three eternities-they seemed to be smiling upon the very world they hovered over….but they were completely aware of the situation that was about to fall upon several souls. Gentle yet strong winds were brushing the corners of the earth…speaking to each and every heart…carrying messages of the future...and prophecies that could not be detected. The winds were cool waves, pleasant waves that seemed to be harmless….but a few individuals knew that they were harbingers of the future…they were speaking of things that had not yet occurred. A few hearts tried to listen to the messages of the winds, but they refused to shed any light on the darkness of confusion-everything remained hidden, kept within the furthest reaches of obscurity….
Time would reveal all.
The realm known as Yi Ling was quiet….but the silence was anything but serene. The silence was poisonous….it was no different from the poison of a cobra. It was flowing through the golden heavens in the manner of flag-it was a signal that was speaking of the events that were about to occur. The battle camps of the Wu and Shu armies were completely drenched in this venomous, merciless silence….and no one was comfortable with it.
Many soldiers felt as if they were trapped inside of a tiger's mouth because of the silence.
Painful silence never made anyone feel comfortable.
One individual was sitting right outside of a tent….and it was a tent that belonged to the Wu army. He had just made his way out of the tent a short while ago….but he fell into another world the very second he left the tent he had been in. A tremendous load of responsibility had been placed on this one individual's heart in no more than a few minutes-and now the young one was completely lost in thought. He had the appearance of anyone in the middle of meditation-his eyes were closed, his chin was buried in his hand, and he was sitting in the position an individual would take whenever they had an extremely important issue to tackle. The messages of the winds were completely unknown to him-he tried to uncover their meaning, but all of his attempts came to nothing….
"I must make my way to the town of Bi Yang with Lord Liu Bei of the Shu army. The two of us need to make connections with the individuals that reside there. Because of this trip, I will no longer be able to stand at the head of the Wu army. I have already chosen a temporary commander for our army, though-so have no worries. I am sure that my decision will be a great one-a decision I will not regret making."
"So, who is this commander of yours, Pops?"
"It's someone you all know very well. Lu Meng is a close comrade of his."
"Ah, so you're referring to Lu Xun!"
"You're absolutely right, Quan."
"You're allowing me to lead the army in your place, my lord?"
"Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with the choice I have made, Lu Xun?"
"No sire….I just thought….you'd choose one of your own children to take your place. I-"
"First of all, all of you are my children-I love and care for each and every one of you equally. I know Ce, Quan and Shang Xiang are excellent leaders, and Zhou Yu is no different-they have already had the chances to develop their skills well. I would like everyone to have the same chances-in other words, I want everyone to be able to reach any goals they have. Lu Xun, you're still in training, and I know of the goals you hold. This is your time to shine now-I want you to make the best of the time I have given you. Huang Gai?"
"Yes, my lord?"
"You shall now protect Lu Xun the way you have always protected me. He will take my place for a few days-so you'll assist him in every issue that arrives."
"I understand, my lord, but please….be careful out there. We can not afford to lose you."
"Thank you for your concern. I can not thank you enough for the friendship you have bestowed upon me, Huang Gai. Don't worry-Liu Bei and I will return as soon as our business is completed. Lu Xun, I leave the army in your hands. I have faith in you-I know that you'll do well."
The silhouettes of twilight were slowly descending upon the world. The ground was drenched in silence….but it seemed to be trembling...the world was completely aware of what was about to occur. There were flocks of birds soaring through the skies-but even they were quiet, for they had no desire to shatter the uneasy, maddening silence. Yi Ling was only a small portion of China, but it felt as if the entire nation was bundled up into this small portion-the lethal stillness could be felt everywhere. The very meaning of time was completely altered because of this deadly silence-it was no longer kind to anyone, and it seemed to be moving at its own pace. Minutes felt like years…but hours felt like decades…..nothing seemed to be real. Time seemed to be laughing at every soul within both battle camps…it was a brutal, sadistic enemy that knew nothing of the word 'pity'. The eyes of the Wu Strategist kept themselves closed for what seemed like an eternity…ten thousand eternities, to be exact. The silence of the outside world was burning his ears, but he was successfully able to keep himself away from distractions by pushing himself into a realm he knew very well-one could say that it was his second home. It was the realm of a Strategist-a world of techniques, battle skills, the abilities and personalities of soldiers…….
The job of a Strategist was immensely difficult, especially during times of hectic chaos. The young Wu Strategist had a calm, gentle facial expression-but his mind was a thousand miles away from the world his body was in. Millions of thoughts were streaming through his mind in the form of endless waterfalls-he thought about the sizes of both armies, the preferences of every soldier, the weapons of every soldier, the supplies each army had, the strength of each soldier, the swiftness of each soldier….each and every Strategist performed their jobs the way a machine would perform-but there wasn't a single Strategist that didn't put their hearts and souls into their work. Every thought brought about colossal tidal waves of apprehension-but the anxiety was unable to penetrate any shield that bravery created. Fear was not present-the young one feared nothing. Every individual was, of course, anxious about the oncoming battle, but none of them were afraid to face any challenge. All of them were anxious…curious about the outcome of the battle…..but none of them….
Were afraid.
Minutes passed, but time was being controlled by the very snake called suspense-every minute felt like ten years. The arrival of twilight occurred after a while, but the eyes of the Strategist were still closed. The facial expression he had did not change-the warmth of his face was like a steadfast companion-it was still there, and it wasn't going to alter itself, or even leave. The battle camp of the Wu army, and the camp of the Shu army, which wasn't too far from the camp of Wu……both of them were still saturated in exasperating silence. The Shu soldiers were gathering strategies as well for the upcoming battle-no one was willing to ignite an easy, pleasant conversation yet.
Lord Liu Bei had chosen a temporary leader in the way Sun Jian had chosen his. Both commanders want to bring an opportunity to the young ones that were hidden in the shadows-Liu Bei had given his position to his trustworthy, faithful guardian, Zhao Yun. Guan Yu, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were obvious choices for the position of commander-but Liu Bei wanted to give his friend a chance to develop his own skills. Sun Jian's situation was no different-Sun Ce, Sun Quan, Zhou Yu and SunShangXiang would have been perfect choices-that was perfectly obvious to everyone, including Lu Xun. But the fatherly commander wanted to give Lu Meng's apprentice a chance to shine.
Zhao Yun was pouring his heart and soul into every strategy that rose to the surface-Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Zhuge Liang were helping out their provisional chieftain with everything they had, for they knew he wanted to bring success to the Shu army. The Wu and Shu armies had combined their forces, that was true-both Zhao Yun and Lu Xun were going to meet up with each other after the completion of the plans. They weren't going to unite their plans, for uniting different battle strategies would end up being a disaster-since each soldier obviously had their own ways, their own methods. Both armies just wanted to be aware of each other's activities-so they could have a way to back each other up if they needed to do so.
One hour passed.
An empyreal orb of silver made its descent into the heavens, which were filled with the enchantment of the night……but the beauty of the night fell upon eyes that were unable to see it. Silence was still soaring throughout each camp like a treacherous falcon…and it was baring its claws at everyone that felt it…..black rainclouds slowly drifted out of the oblivion of silence and entered the skies……
The eyes of the young Wu Strategist opened a few minutes later, and they were filled with one thing-
Illimitable determination.
