Into the Array C5
Please pardon any grammar mistakes.
Sorry that Yao have not appear yet.
And please enjoy.
'Achoo'
Ivan snickered silently as the carriage is full of sniffling with a few sneezes here and there. He was right to say that those soldiers sleeping on the cold table in that cold night will definitely fall sick in the morning.
'Ahhh, my neck, it hurts' Wu complained aloud. 'Help me. Shui, help me massage my neck!'
'You're so troublesome.'
Ivan smiled at the scene, these are the side that the soldiers will never show to the people they serve. He turned back outside the window, the carriage have started moving again, and Ivan knows that this time round, it's going to be a long ride with no stops, but he also knows that by midday, he will reach the long awaited palace.
Ivan sigh as he look out into the dark, the sunlight have barely created any dent into the bed of sleepy clouds in the sky, it's a god forsaken hour to wake up to for him, but for many of the citizens in this city, work have already started. He sniffed a little against the morning cold, pondering on yesterday night's conversation and decided that he should let go of all his bias the moment he stepped into the palace, only then he can truly paint a portrait that tells the truth. After all, that is the only reason for setting him at ease when he agreed to this mission; to see the truth behind the royal family of Han.
Ivan turned back to look at Man Man, wondering if he still remember the whole lot of stuff he told him yesterday about the family.
'It's a pity this foreigner over here did not join us for a drink.' Wu suddenly exclaimed. 'We could have seen with our own eyes the drinking prowess of your people'
'Yeah! We could have seen if the legends is true. That people from your country never get drunk.' Man Man added excitedly.
Ivan's eyes widened a little. Apparently not, he thought. 'Hehe, we do, we do get drunk.' he reassured humbly. 'We're humans.'
'Ah come on, join us the next time.' Da Lao urged.
'There wouldn't be a next time, Da Lao. Our next stop is for the palace,.' Shui corrected him, still massaging Wu's neck.
'Well, I could always have a drink or two with you guys in the palace.' Ivan suggested, these soldiers are great fun to hang out with to be honest, and he would love to have a proper drink or two with them. And maybe humbly show them how people from his country drink, Ivan is sure that he will not disappoint.
'Nah, you better focus. These portraits that you will be drawing is for the celebration that follows after the coronation. They are very important.' Man Man told Ivan.
Ivan looked back at him and smiled.
He leaned his head to the side of the carriage and waited. The morning cold evaporated immediately once the sun chase the moon away, and it started getting warmer till Ivan can feel sweat forming in every nook and cranny of his body. The carriage had been moving at full speed for some time now, and the chatter amongst the soldiers soon died down in exchange for snoring here and there. The heat emitted from the outside is nothing like the summer back home, it is really hot here in Han.
Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, when they got big enough, they trailed his face and drip all the way down to his chin and the tip of his nose. The heat made him lethargic and he soon fell asleep despite the bumpy ride. But the heat also have a way to make people hallucinate, and Ivan soon find himself drifting between the borders of consciousness.
He recalled the dreadful demon masks he have seen illustrated in books talking about Han's royal family. He recalled that momentary fear he felt when he flipped to that particular page, it have all the masks that the 9th prince ever worn to the battlefield.
And then the next moment he saw it, he saw a demon adorning a myriad manifesting face sitting on a monstrous looking beast a distance away, behind him is an army of creatures being held back only by its leader. A huge phoenix with fiery wings flew across the skies, leaving its phoenix fire burning through the lands in its wake, the fire devoured hungrily, spitting soot that turned the blue above grey.
Ivan turned to his own back and saw an army, their faces are all blurred, but Ivan knows that they are angry, they are all geared up for war. He looked at himself and find that he is sitting on a horse. He's a commander, when is he a commander of a great army?
That demon up front changes its face, it turned blood red with multiple fangs protruding out of its mouth now. It was black with yellow protruding eyes and brows before. It charges towards him. What should he do now? But his body seems to know the answer, it moved on its own, and his mind unwillingly charged along.
Swords and gears, blood and guts all mashed together in a deafening roar. Ivan saw the demon coming for him, but he was so scared that he backed away the moment that demon neared. That face is hideous, it deserve to die, Ivan finds himself thinking.
But the demon with its ugly face started begging Ivan amidst the battlefield.
'Please, Please. Get this demon off me. It's stuck to my face. Help me.' the monster cried, with his palms hovering on its face. The colours spiralled out of control with its emotions; red to blue, blue to yellow, yellow to green.
But still Ivan backed away.
And still that monster neared begging.
Ivan is too afraid of that mask.
'GO AWAY.' he shouted, opening his eyes to find a shocked Da Lao standing in front of him.
'Woah, are you crazy?' Da Lao said, knitting his brows. 'This old man's heart can't take any surprises, young man!' he continued, pressing his palm on his chest.
'W-what happened.' Ivan asked anxiously, looking around to find that the carriage have stopped, but the heat still left him lightheaded.
He looked down at his trembling hands. 'It's a dream.' Ivan muttered breathlessly. 'It's just a dream, but it was so... horrifying..' Yet he can no longer remember what causes him such fear.
A heavy tap brought Ivan back to his senses, he looked up to find Da Lao's mouth moving , seemingly saying something.
'What?' Ivan said.
'I said, for like the fourth time. We have reached the gates of the palace, we have to get off now.' Da Lao replied in annoyance.
Ivan watch him get down, and follow suit. He tried hard to recollect the faces of that demon, but he realise that like the heat that allows him see those monsters, his recollections are all evaporated away with the cooling wind outside.
The glaring sun momentarily blinded his eyes, but when they finally adjusted. He realise that the palace of Han is no palace, it resembled more like a city. It have walls that extended to both side of the horizon where the naked eyes can no longer see, it's accompanied by large body of waters that separate the palace wall from the outside, rendering it hard for people to even touch the wall, not to say climb over. In front of them is a huge metal gates with doors that no human beings can possibly push, at the top is a huge tiled roof where the side curves ups at the end, an obvious architecture style that grace the eastern lands. Gigantic life-like animal sculptures guard by the side, scrutinizing every person that passes through them with their glittering eyes. He have heard so much, but no description can ever replicate what he have seen.
'This.. this is the palace?' Ivan asked, grabbing the nearest soldier beside him.
'Yeah.' Shui turned back to look at him. 'Hurry, the eunuch have already been sent to announce our arrival.'
Ivan nodded, following after in awed.