Chapter 53: An Arrogant Child's Promise

Cao Cao's study

It was long past midnight, but the King of Wei felt neither tired nor drowsy. He had personally remained to organize the troops' deployment after his most recent conference with his advisors. He rubbed his forehead patiently, staring at the map of central China on his table. He had planned for the subjugation force to be commanded by a trinity of his best commanders: Galatea, Sima Yi, and the Grand General of Wei, Cao Ren. Each would be placed at key positions along the Wei River, defending against the Shu-Wu assaults from the elevated plateaus. Cao Ren would hold the first perimeter of defence whilst Sima Yi directed the offensive against the Shu main camp. If the enemy still managed to break though, the Queen would be awaiting them at Wu Zhang Fortress, the final bastion that protected the northern routes.

It was to be a decisive battle, one that would decide the fate of the Central Plains. His numerical superiority over Liu Bei and Sun Quan was unquestionable, but no chances could be taken. If the allied forces somehow managed to destroy the massive Wei army and kill Galatea, only Cao Cao himself would remain to defend Xuchang and Luoyang. Of course, defeat was still unlikely. He had a million elite troops in reserve, not to mention fresh convoys of the Central Plains Guardians, Imperial Lancers, and his dreaded Royal Guard. Were the capital cities to be in danger of falling, such desperate times would require him to summon all his generals, Zhang Liao and Xu Huang among them, to deal a crushing blow to Shu and Wu regardless of the human cost.

"But if I fail then, the Mandate of Heaven will no longer belong to me," he muttered to himself.

The snarky voice of Nu Wa jolted him out of his thoughts. "That's right. I will no longer bless you with China's mantle of leadership. But it was you who demanded that I refrain from interfering. What's more amazing is that you asked me not to protect you, even if your very life was threatened."

"Why have you come at this time?" he asked quietly, his interlinked hands propping up his head. He looked up at the Empress of Heaven, whose radiant figure had appeared before him. She sat on the edge of his table, her buttocks pressing against the wood, teasing him with the smile of a haughty mistress. He glared at her halo, at her headdress, at her beautiful face. "Damn you, for not coming to Galatea's coronation."

"You really have married her, and rejected everything your other consorts could offer you." She lifted up her heeled, shapely legs slightly, giving Cao Cao a long, generous glimpse. "Jealousy is a woman's prerogative, little brother."

He bristled. "I don't have time for your games. I have an imminent battle to prevail in – a battle that could spell me ultimate victory against Shu and Wu."

"I'm here to warn you of Isley, boy. He has revealed himself at last. The Shu forces had initially pre-empted your investigation into his activities. Several weeks ago, they broke away from the main body of troops at Jieting and engaged in a skirmish in Kumtag Desert. They then attempted to scour the Dunhuang region of all Awakened Beings. But…" she paused. "They were suddenly defeated by Isley and his army of Strossi, tremendously powerful demons that – "

He snorted fearlessly and derisively. "Central China is sovereign Wei territory. It was foolish of the Shu forces to split their numbers now, especially when their Kingdoms' future depends on this one confrontation at Wu Zhang."

"Perhaps. But Isley is now moving towards Wu Zhang. He will certainly attempt to destroy you as well as Liu Bei. Now is the best time to move against the centaur fiend, little brother. Now is the time to conduct peace overtures to Shu, and launch an allied attack on the Mogao Caves and counter Isley's assault. Crush him and Priscilla, and bring an end to all this," she urged.

"Peace overtures? Now? On the eve of battle?" He looked at her in disbelief. "You are insane, Elder Sister."

She gave him a sharp stare. "If you ally with Shu now, you can defeat Isley in one battle. Or are you simply relishing the chance to kill more of my creations?"

"So your heart bleeds for the human beings that oppose me – I care not. I am dreadfully close to annihilating Shu and Wu, and I will not relinquish this chance to crush Liu Bei and Sun Quan under me." He shook his head. "Do not forget that Isley's destruction does not mean final victory. I must complete the task of uniting the entire land under the silver-eyed warriors. To annex the entirety of China under these foreign women will be the surest path to ensuring Lu Bu cannot Awaken, either. Their leadership… my leadership… is the only way through which the realm can survive the coming onslaught you speak of."

The brilliant divinity's face soured. "So this is the choice you would take over my counsel? A choice of death and bloodshed?"

"A united campaign against Isley requires a united land. A hurried and rushed alliance cannot achieve the same things as an enduring, calculating heart. So patience. For as you correctly observed, I do not wish for your assistance."

His face turned thoughtful. "I will fulfill the promise I made you so many years ago through my own effort and power."

"Your promise?" Nu Wa paused, her indignation dissipating momentarily. She broke off to reflect on her infinite memories, the endless recollections of her ancient, eternal life. "How could I forget? It was that day when we first met by chance, when you hadn't even lived beyond seven years. This little boy stood before me, the godhead of the universe, promising to win me a new world that would be greater than Heaven itself." She smirked in remembrance. "You were one arrogant kid. And you still are."

"I didn't ask you to start reminiscing about the past," muttered Cao Cao, closing his eyes. "I wish to look forward to the future. Inconveniently, I am not like Elder Sister; I will die someday. I do not have time to reflect so pensively on what has gone by."

She smiled down at him, her legs swinging delicately back and forth. "You are a cold mortal, Mengde. Surely it doesn't hurt… to recall the union we created that day?

"The union… that we still share now?"

*

Luoyang. 162 C.E.

You were only a short, small-boned lad, but already your eyes shone with a demonic determination.

I remember visiting the capital that day, to ascertain the smooth coronation of the new Emperor. The Han Dynasty was already in fragmentation, and I planned to confer my favour upon a new leader, a younger faction that might bring order to the world I had created so many millennia ago. I was long disenchanted with humankind, and I saw my role of bestowing the Mandate of Heaven as nothing more than a chore to undertake every generation. But I was soon to be proved wrong, and by a mortal, of all beings.

That day, I hung back in the courtyard, unwilling to allow any lowly mortal to detect my divine aura. In any case, most of the men that milled around the palace would not be able to see me. I did not let them; I kept my presence shrouded from their earthly minds.

Then, I saw you.

You stood alone in the courtyard, watching the other children of the ministers and aristocrats amuse themselves. Your hands hung by your side and your face was stern and unhappy. But your back was straight, and your chin lifted proudly, as if you took dignity in staying away from the common folk. And as I looked at you curiously from behind, I foresaw a future for you that transcended that of a mere official or nobleman.

To my shock, your voice suddenly broke into my thoughts. "Where are you hiding?" you asked. "I know you're there. But I cannot see you."

I gaped at you in astonishment. "You can sense me here, kid?" I dispelled my concealed aura, allowing my full figure to be seen by your young eyes. That was our very first exchange, and you seemed completely unfazed. That is, until you turned around. You glanced up at me for the first time, and you looked astonished.

"You are lovely," you blurted, "are you a goddess?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Flatterer," I grumbled. Still, I lowered myself on one knee to meet your eyes. "Well… I cannot lie, can I? Have you heard of the legends of creation, of how the universe came to exist?"

"Yes. The Creator, Nu Wa, made the world because she was lonely." You suddenly sneered. "Poor woman. That eternity would pain her so that she would make us, just to keep her amused. I bet she's still hurting… because this world is cruel because humans live in it."

Your words struck home, but I couldn't let that show, of course. I flicked back my long hair, and my nimbus shone proudly. "You stand before that very goddess now. You'd do well to hold back that boastful, naïve tongue of yours, little boy."

Your rather narrow eyes widened, but not in embarrassment. "Then the legends really are true," you breathed. You stepped forward, so that your small body was little more than several inches from mine. "Nu Wa… the goddess of creation… stands here before me?" Then you grinned, and uttered something that outraged and charmed me at the same time. "You are stunning… Elder Sister. May I love you?"

I blinked, concealing my fascination. The words "Elder Sister" had a certain ring to it, one that you seemed to intend only for me. And I enjoyed that somewhat. "You presume to call me by something as intimate as Elder Sister? You're not one to hold back, are you?" I glanced to one side. "And if I assent to your infatuation, does that not make me suspicious?"

You blinked, as if it did not matter. "What is Elder Sister doing in Luoyang?" you questioned.

I decided to humour you. "Should I not be asking you that… little brother? Where are all your friends?"

"I have no friends." I fell silent in surprise, but you grinned with the indifference of a murderous demon. "Father is inside the palace. He is kneeling before the new Emperor. But the Emperor is weak. All the Emperors are getting weaker and weaker." Your eyes glinted, and your voice rose in intensity. "These grown-ups are all idiots. They are old, useless. Everything they do is a failure, but they never want to admit it. They must all be done away with… something in this lame country must change."

I stared at you in captivation. I remember thinking to myself: who was this arrogant, intelligent, and unbelievably longsighted youth, who hardly blinked at the fact that he was conversing with me on such… casual terms? "Shouldn't kids like you be running around and playing with girls?" I mocked. I poked your shoulder with a gloved finger. "You're one creepy boy, to be obsessed with world domination while only seven years old."

"I don't need girls," you bragged, your voice full of craftiness. "I met you today. That is enough." You cocked your head slyly. "But how do you know my age?"

"I am the goddess of creation, little brother. I know everything, so to speak." I paused. "But there is one thing that I cannot decide… one thing that I do not know. And that is your name."

You hesitated, as if ascertaining my intentions, before answering me.

"Cao. Of the noble Cao House."

You suddenly reached for my hand, and I almost froze, astounded by your audaciousness. Your small hand gripped my slender fingers tightly as you continued to seethe with passion. "One day, I will become the most powerful man in the world. And when that day comes, I will give you a present to prove my love."

"Oh? And what might that lovely gift be?" I wondered, not bothering to restrain my amusement any longer.

"I will give you the world you want, and the world I want… a world free from these stupid, imbecilic and worthless grown-ups. I will give you a new world greater than Heaven itself!"

*

"I have never forgotten those words. And I admit that my heart soars every time you tell me that you're still working towards that ambition." Nu Wa lowered her head as she continued to sit on the table's edge. She brushed back her pearly hair as it draped down her slender shoulders. "But ever since you embarked on your journey, you have been murdering my creations. I've lost count of how many human beings you've killed, and you don't regret it, either. And now… you intend to do more of the same at Wu Zhang. You know well it will be the bloodiest battle in the history of our land. Are you not afraid of the weight of your sin becoming unsupportable?"

She shifted closer as Cao Cao rose from his chair and moved to stand in front of her. She stared up at him closely. "Are you not afraid… of death?"

"So that is your true intention. You are worried for the lives of the people I shall cut away, and for my own wellbeing." His voice was insistent, almost angry. "I am not afraid to die… because I am not afraid to kill."

She grimaced in painful recollection. "Many years ago, you were severely wounded during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. As I healed you, I asked you how it felt to kill so many of your own kind. You claimed that it felt… good. I froze, unwilling to believe you could ever intend such viciousness. But before I reproached you, you gripped me tightly, and threw yourself into my arms. My heart, frozen in the ice of eternity, finally melted, and I cuddled you, holding you close to my bosom. I offered as much comfort and tenderness as my cynical disposition would permit me. But even then, you refused to cry. As early as then, you already had no more tears left for this beautiful world." She pursed her lips sadly. "You are not the child who declared his love for me so fearlessly anymore. After all these years, your compassion for humanity and for yourself has almost dried up."

"Get to the point."

"My point is that your choices are foolish. Staying so close to the woman you love…" She drew closer, and her lips brushed by his ear. "Especially that Galatea. You've made her Queen, to keep her closer to you? Stupid lad. You should keep your distance from the people you don't wish to lose. All these years, why else do you think I came to you only when I deemed it absolutely necessary?"

"Is this your ridiculous reason for abandoning me to a decade of loneliness and pining? And the nerve you had to suddenly visit me that night in Luoyang. It's carved into my memories, like every moment we ever spent together." Cao Cao's voice lowered further into a deep growl. "Do not mock me, Elder Sister. You may fear for me foolishly, but you will not belittle the choices I have made."

"Oh. Have I hurt my widdle bwuther's pwiiiide?" she whispered, her gloved fingers brushing his chin daintily.

He tolerated her taunting for only a few seconds before he grabbed her slender wrists violently, trapping her in his grip. She did not resist, and her fearless expression did not change even when he forced himself between her legs in a display of dominance, pushing her back. The momentum of her voluptuous derrière swept aside his maps and parchments, scattering them across the floor. They stared at each other for several tense seconds, and Nu Wa licked her lips smugly, goading him on, daring him to partake in the ultimate deed of waywardness. Human and heavenly body pressed against the other firmly.

A breathless, laboured stillness impregnated the cool air of the study.

"Every day you abandon me, you lose me a little more," he growled, his grip tightening on the goddess. "I may be always a child in your eyes. But I am not a child. Know the difference. Do not look down on my will, my will to power and to love."

"I'm not looking down on you, silly boy," chided Nu Wa. "No. You are the only human being I do not dismiss."

At her short, curt response, he faltered. She did not move an inch. Her legs remained wrapped around him, and her back was still pushed onto the table. She gazed back compassionately at him as his eyes hesitated. She waited in silence for his answer.

It finally came when he gently relaxed his grasp on her frail-looking wrists. He took hold of her curvaceous waist and lightly eased her back into a more comfortable position. His gloved hands found her face and began to stroke it repentantly. He breathed heavily, regaining his temper. His dark eyes glinted. "My apologies… Elder Sister. I should not have threatened you."

"Do not misunderstand. I did not resist because I did not want to. I could banish you to the darkest Hell with a snap of my fingers… if I wished."

To his surprise, her glowing eyes fluttered close as his thumb gently trailed along her luscious lips. "You're a big boy now," she whispered fondly, unhurriedly caressing his pollex with her mouth. "Despite all the people you've killed and the atrocities you've committed in the name of power…" She smiled guiltily at him. "I cannot help but be proud of you, little brother."

"Promise me," he murmured. "Promise that your Mandate belongs to me. Surely your care is not something entirely irrational. Surely you can see something in me that is redeemable – that of my vision."

She shook her head sadly. "You know I cannot take sides."

"I understand." He came upon her and lightly kissed her on the nose. His voice was now an affectionate whisper, and the ambience between man and divinity had settled into something that was tranquilly intimate.

He suddenly smiled gloatingly. "Hm. What would you do if I, in a fit of frustration and anger, tore at your garments here and now, and forced myself on your shining body?" he asked titillatingly.

She rose to the occasion. She smirked at him; her derrière still planted firmly on his table as she crossed her long legs at the ankles. She leaned forward, her headdress and brassiere tinkling. "Nothing."

He let out a low chuckle and released her. "You have always enjoyed spurring me on with such provocation."

"Sorry, kid. It gets terribly addictive."

The Hero of Chaos nodded in indulgence, before turning away at last. He swept his dark cape outwards. "Duty calls. I shall begin my final preparations for this battle, Elder Sister. I will destroy Shu, and Wu with it. I will take each and every silver-eyed warrior under my wing. I will dispose of Isley and Priscilla, and seal away Lu Bu forever. And then, I will kneel before you once more, and give you the gift that I promised you. A new nation, greater than Heaven itself."

She smiled as she gazed at his back. They understood each other perfectly now. And that was enough for her to keep her faith in him.

"I will always support you, little brother. I will sustain your ambition for all my eternal life… and unto your very last breath."