Chapter 7: Four Destinies Entwine by the River: Encounter with the Golden Moon
Afternoon
Flora stood outside of Zhuge Liang's tent, patiently waiting for him to finish packing. She allowed herself a quiet, exhausted sigh. It had been a terribly strenuous week, perhaps the most laborious of her life. Thanks to the turbulent journey that the Organization had subjected her to, she almost expected to be shipwrecked in some other realm, with no recourse back home, to the Continent of the Isles. Thank the gods, if they existed, that her meagre navigational tools had not failed! But to which Awakened Being had the Yoki rift belonged to? Why was the Organization still keeping secret the source of the destruction that sundered the Isles, and forced it to initiate the diaspora of its surviving warriors? Indeed, it all felt rather suspicious, and suspicion was something she hated harbouring in her heart.
But ignorance was not bliss. And presently, she was ignorant of many things.
The Sleeping Dragon finally stepped outside, interrupting her thoughts, and she turned to bow in thanks. "I am most relieved that the human-demon ceremony was a success."
"It is I who should be expressing my gratitude," replied Zhuge Liang quietly. "I understand how frustrated you must feel towards me for insisting that I perform the ritual. I request your forgiveness, in time."
"I will not question your wisdom nor your discretion," said Flora, "but I confess that I am cautious of a further attack by the Yoma. And should other stronger beasts injure your soldiers and compatriots, will you resort to the same solution of Yoma-human fusion? Surely this will not be wise in the long-term."
Zhuge Liang's face darkened. "You are correct. I pray that no more of our warriors or allies must undergo the same treatment."
"The forces of Wei seemed to have pulled back for now – what do you intend to do, Master Zhuge?"
"I do not know how many of Cao Cao's soldiers survived. It is apparent that we also have suffered losses Sun Quan was not expecting. I expect the Wu Court to be in panic. Still, Wei will be incapable of mustering a major attack for several weeks, although its dominance will remain largely unshaken. We must now move against the Yoma invaders, before we face another threat from the north again."
"But we are few in number, and you yourself told me that Wu will not lend Lord Liu Bei troops – "
"Indeed I did. But with our reinforcements, we will no longer need Wu." Zhuge Liang smiled past Flora, and she turned, surprised. "See? They have already arrived."
By the river, a regal young woman was approaching them, and from the way she looked at Zhuge Liang, Flora understood that she shared a special relationship with him. She was not of the ethnicity that characterized the peoples of this land; from her deep red hair, she might have belonged to one of the nation's minor tribes. Her clothes were also a rarity amongst the Chinese Flora had seen so far, with high-heeled, black and green boots that covered her shapely legs up to her knees. The one-piece chemise and miniskirt that hugged her body tightly was of an intricate white, green, black and gold arrangement, and the raised collar that embraced her neck gave her the impression of a princess from colder regions. A red dot had been applied in the centre of her forehead, just above her eyebrows. Behind her stood a battalion of volunteer soldiers, all clad in emerald green armour.
Flora could not help breathing a sigh of awe, for she was beautiful.
The stately lady first approached Zhuge Liang and bowed rigidly, as if to refrain from embracing him in front of the soldiers. "My husband," she whispered, her voice reverent. Then she turned to Flora, her voice cultured and erudite. "Welcome to our weary nation, noble foreigner. I am Huang Yue Ying, wife of Lord Zhuge Liang and the Grand General of Lord Liu Bei's army. I cannot begin to express how grateful we are for your timely assistance during such dark times." She gave another generous bow, and Flora hastily stepped forward to guide her back up. "I have been notified of your assistance in saving our Wu allies last night," she said, smiling somewhat at Flora's touch. "I hope that you will agree to stay by our side, in our struggle to restore peace to our weary nation."
Flora nodded, slightly flustered at her earnest praise. "If it is in my permission to ask, what is your next objective, Grand General?"
"We shall begin our expedition into Western China," replied Yue Ying. "Prior to the Battle of the Red Cliffs, we received reports from Wu scouts that Jing Province and Yi Province were under siege from the same kind of monsters that attacked Wu's fleet. We must drive out these invaders from the two provinces and establish the Kingdom of Shu in their place. We set off from Moling tomorrow, and Lord Liu Bei's forces will follow us shortly afterwards. For this purpose, an elite platoon of warriors who will spearhead the attack on Yi, and aid us in our expedition to take Chengdu itself. They are our anti-Yoma division, and their leader goes by the name of Miria. You may be familiar with her? She is currently awaiting our orders at Moling, too."
Flora blinked in surprise. "Number Six? Then she must be with… "
"Yes," smiled Yue Ying. "Her friends – I believe their names were Clare, Helen and Deneve? I am hopeful that you will join us too, Miss Flora. Please fight by our side, against the Yoma that have attacked Sichuan." She paused. "We currently have no centre, no true home. Lord Liu Bei's dream is to establish a state that owes its loyalty to the Han, to the dynasty that has held the world together in harmony and prosperity for four hundred years. For that, we must go on the offensive against the invaders."
She glanced at Zhuge Liang, and he nodded encouragingly. "My husband has advised that we fulfil a twofold objective by destroying the Yoma in Yi and Jing, whilst establishing a stronghold large enough to stand against Wu and Wei. This is the Longzhong Stratagem, and the key to our survival." Yue Ying scooped up Flora's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "What say you, noble foreigner? Already, I sense a noble spirit of camaraderie in you. I request your help, not as a military commander, but as a sister who wishes to become your comrade and friend."
Flora looked into Yue Ying's mature, almond eyes, mulling over the Grand General's revelations.
To help Lady Zhuge repel the Yoma from the western regions entirely? This could mark an important stage in our struggle, may put us one step ahead of the Yoma. Yet I am reluctant to part with Cynthia at this juncture. I suppose as long as Wu remains allied with Liu Bei… we should have no problems.
She nodded, bowing politely again. "Very well, Lady Zhuge," she agreed. "It is my duty to eradicate these creatures for you. They should never have set foot in this realm, and I am beginning to suspect that this ignominy was not entirely unintentional. Allow me to pay my farewells to Miss Cynthia. And then, I will follow you wherever you wish to lead me."
Yue Ying took Flora by the shoulders and hand and directed her to meet her wise eyes, smiling broadly. "Again, I thank you," she gushed. "I believe that our people have been blessed with a historic opportunity to restore a long-gone peace.
"And I am glad that you have agreed to share in it."
*
Night. Fourth Bank Encampment
It was strange, and somewhat appealing, to have a foreigner in their midst. She was young, beautiful and blonde, and she may have become the centre of attention had she not hid herself in Zhou Tai's barracks all day. She did not want battalion after battalion of men gawping at her blonde hair and at her silver eyes.
With the blanket of night now having lulled the weary Wu soldiers to slumber, Cynthia found the courage to venture out of her benefactor's tent. Having stripped off her shoulderplates and greaves, she stood by the bank of the Yangtze, watching the moon's reflection in the still waters. Playing with her left hairtail, her thoughts were preoccupied with her final conversation with Flora in the late afternoon. Her senior was now to march west alongside Grand General Yue Ying, to purge that region of the Isles' Yoma. She had asked Cynthia if she would not consider coming with them.
"I must remain with Master Zhou Tai," Cynthia had replied reluctantly. "He needs my help. And I believe I owe it to him."
"Very well, then. Goodbye, Miss Cynthia. I pray that we can destroy all the Continent's Yoma as soon as possible, so we will meet again in due time."
But before Flora had moved to follow Yue Ying, she turned around and cautioned: "Beware not only of the Yoma that have trespassed into this land, but of our Organization as well."
The Organization. Why did Miss Flora mention them? What have they got to do with this? thought Cynthia, bewildered.
"My Lady."
She turned around at Zhou Tai's voice. He had donned his ebony armour and black mantle once again, although he still carried his sinister helm in his right arm, allowing his long black hair to drape down his shoulders and back. "Master Zhou, you're awake," she whispered, keeping her voice to a minimum.
"So it is true," he said, standing beside her by the quiet river. "I have struggled to sleep for several hours now, but my body refuses to settle. It feels disconcerting to not require rest. And I thought I would desire an evening meal, but it is so late into the night and my stomach does not even ache."
He glanced at her uncomfortably, as if he was about to say something embarrassing. "Please, call me Tai, Lady Cynthia." She blinked at his sudden entreaty, and he gave a slight smile. "Only my peers and subordinates must address me with the honorific of Master. I do not remember recruiting you into my division."
She shuffled her bare feet bashfully. "In that case, call me Cynthia, too."
He nodded in reply.
She laughed softly. "You're not as… uptight… as the other officers I tried to talk to. You don't… say as much, but you're less formal than they are anyway."
"I was born into a pirate's family. I am not of noble origin. Formalities are a necessary evil in the officer's life, but I have always disliked them." He glanced at her. "And what of you? What is it like… in your homeland?"
"We are an island nation. There isn't anything extraordinary about us. I wouldn't know if there was. The life I know is only that of the hunt against Yoma. This… is my first time I've ever set foot beyond the Continent." She looked down. "I must seem a bit ignorant of things, yes?"
He smiled. "Do not say that. Your Chinese is excellent. I am ashamed that I cannot reciprocate and speak your tongue."
She blushed, suppressing a giggle. "Thank you. I was told to prepare well for this mission."
The night felt warmer in his company, and she hated bringing up the subject again. "I'm happy that you've taken all this business about… Master Zhuge's ritual so calmly," she began. "As a… man, you're at a really high risk of… Awakening. I hope you understand that you'll need to train hard – "
"I understand. Everything you asserted… it is becoming realized in Wu, and probably elsewhere. This great danger, and this great power…" He looked down, into the river's reflection of his new silver eyes. They glimmered like metal; like the dull metal of his sword. "I believe I have recovered from my initial shock to your words. I somewhat look forward to… testing this power, to see how I may serve my King with it. I would like to think that Duskstrike also thirsts for a new challenge, something that will complement its strength in battle."
"You're… not afraid anymore?" she mumbled, sidling closer.
"No. But I am still confused. That is why I came searching for you." He looked down at her, and she turned to face him. "Please… do not tell my men. Do not tell them of my condition. At least, keep it a secret from them for as long as possible. I…" He lowered his head, his eyes darkening. "I do not wish to be shunned by them."
Cynthia started at his vulnerable words, and nodded frantically. "I promise," she assented. "But should you release your powers beyond control, even I can't…"
"That is why I ask one more thing of you," he continued. "Teach me your ways. Show me the path that you walk." He took her hand, and she blushed again. "I wish for the Yoma blood within me to be more of a blessing than a bane. I will not Awaken. I will learn from you, and control the demon within me. It is the only path I can take now. And once I have mastered this volatile power, I will use it to defeat the Yoma, Liu Bei, and eventually, Cao Cao himself."
She nodded sadly, letting his tattered black cape envelop her. What choice did she have? She rested her head against his dark, dented breastplate, their bodies gently touching. "Are you sure you don't need more sleep first?" she mumbled, as his grip on her hand tightened.
"No. Let us go into the nearby forest. I must begin training, as soon as possible. Let me learn your ways, the ways of your kind. For now I am one of them."