Chapter 3

3rd chapter up! *jumps for joy* but, I'm afraid that I can't jump into Zhuge Liang's scene just yet… I'm really sorry! *bows head* I promise that it'll all begin with Chapter 4. He'll meet her. Yes he will.

Silver rays from a ripe full moon brought pulsating life to the dead shadows, guiding the band of what Jiangwei initially assumed to be raiders into the dense forests of Shanggui. The ethereal light peered through the looming branches of massive trees—their leaves nearly blocking out the sky.

They struggled on, past a series of winding roads and rocky pathways that were unfamiliar to him. But he barely paid attention to where they were going as his eyes were fixed on this peculiar captain of this equally peculiar group of men. Something told him that this band of mysterious people weren't really Wei troops, but then, who else would benefit from a plan to kidnap a Shu general? And there operation was so carefully calculated too.

Jiangwei had stared at the masked warrior, saw his eyes for a second, but they instantly faded away into the evening darkness and so he quietly tried to convince his self that he was likely dreaming when he thought those eyes looked strikingly familiar.

He glanced upon the captain's comrades; their heads horrifyingly seemed to float in the darkness appearing bodiless as their black garments mixed into the night. Then he turned his gaze upon the captain again and saw nothing but the striking whiteness of his mask and the black accents that added the slightest decoration to it. And then he watched as the captain had finally sheathed his gleaming sword.

This masked warrior… he felt something strange about him. The familiar brown eyes that he had caught a glimpse of made his mind fade into a series of jumbled unclear fragments of memories even as he told himself that it couldn't possibly be that person he was thinking of. Pictures played in his mind, but they all came together in a collection of incoherent bits and pieces. It felt like attempting to distinguish the call of a single nightingale amidst a thousand more cawing all at the same time.

A cold silence lingered among them. Only the thundering hooves of the horses that beat the ground provided some considerable amount of noise.

It was then that Jiangwei felt that tugging curiosity that had been racking his head drive him to break the silence.

"You haven't answered my question," he blurted out, trying to lace his tone with some authority. "What do you want from me? Do you think if you hold me hostage, Zhuge Liang will cease his attack?" He saw the row of men sitting beside the masked warrior exchange glances.

Then, Jiangwei saw the white figure stir, and then he heard him speak.

"On the contrary, we took you because we want to help your commander win this battle." The answer came flatly simple.

"What?" He was perplexed. "Are you defectors then?"

"You can put it that way." There was casualness to the way the captain spoke. It was puzzling for Jiangwei, hearing such warmth behind a grimly menacing mask, making him was almost frightening. It made this mysterious figure dangerously unpredictable, and for a moment Jiangwei wondered why he had earlier on felt compelled to trust this man.

"I do not understand."

"Oh you will, when we get there."

"Where exactly?"

The captain looked out from the entrance of the caravan.

"We're here."

And quietly, they all got down from the caravan. Jiangwei struggled to get up with the ropes tied around him.

"Oh, sorry." The masked warrior uttered without much thought when he finally noticed and helped Jiangwei get down.

"I'll untie you," he spoke, more seriously this time "in one condition: you'll have to cooperate with me. If you don't, I swear you'll have the rest of your body looking for your head."

Jiangwei stared at the captain for a moment, doubtful about whether to trust him again or not. The captain sensed the hesitation in his captive's silence.

"Look, there's no where to run and I'm no bad guy either," he said, "I figured this would be the only way to get a Shu general like you to come with me without taking me for some spy. With Shu's small number, I bet you could use some help and likewise we need your help as well. Now please… Just trust me." There was a desperate call for help in his words despite the slight harshness to them.

"Jiangwei."

Jiangwei froze. There was a ring on how he said it. Why did he know his name? Surely, he wasn't that well-known enough.

And soon, as he stood dumbfounded there, he felt the ropes loosen like a snake uncoiling around him and felt the air around his arms and waist flow freely again. He could finally breathe easier.

"Follow me."

It was only then that Jiangwei realized that he had been standing in front of the Shanggui fort's towering walls that protected the small town within it.

They crept quietly towards the massive iron gates that guarded the entrance. Jiangwei caught sight of one of the men with them signaling to another man on the watchtower and shortly, ladders were lowered and they climbed up a couple of feet off the ground.

As Jiangwei pulled himself up the ladder, the sound of his name spoken was resonating like the deep tolls of temple bells. Jiangwei… it kept repeating itself, bouncing off the walls of his head and for a moment, his own name sounded foreign to him. He felt his consciousness go away, leaving his body moving mechanically. It was as if he was drifting afar, and he was merely watching himself from a distance climbing that ladder.

A wave of lightheadedness overcame him and he snapped back to reality as his fingers nearly slipped off the handles. The ladder swerved precariously to his weight but fortunately, it was balanced back in place by one of the captain's comrades who had supported it from below.

"Are you okay?" He heard again that voice in his head that had been haunting him. It was coming from below.

"I'm… I'm fine. I'm sorry."

"You should be. You nearly got all of us killed." But it was all in a biting jest.

They struggled up and finally arrived at the other side. The walls were structured to have a narrow roofed pathway on top of it that allowed more scope of the land and led to the either watchtowers that stood on both ends of it. They descended the stairs and stealthily passed through a couple of narrow streets and alleys to avoid the other Wei soldiers that were on patrol. Jiangwei saw far at his left a large mansion standing proudly, regally, which he guessed to be the governor's house—and probably where the mortal enemy Sima Yi was currently staying. Intricately carved statues of fierce dragons guarded the entrance to it along with another handful of Wei soldiers on patrol.

They entered a back entrance of a tavern. The captain led Jiangwei into one room and gave an order that they be completely left alone.

"Have a seat," the captain gestured to an empty chair before a small round table that held a jar of warm wine, lamp, and two drinking glasses.

Jiangwei sat down, but the masked warrior remained standing. The captain approached the table and took the jar on top of it and poured some into his glass. A clear liquid streamed from its mouth and glistened with the fire from the lamp.

Jiangwei could finally observe in full detail just what exactly did his captor look like. He saw the length of chestnut hair that flowed from behind the mask and tied up in a neat braid and wisps of it that fell over the mask. Then his eyes traced the long black cloak that draped over the masked warrior's shoulders and hung at the calf of his leg braces. Under the cloak, Jiangwei spotted the dark blue armor around the captain's torso—the design was only minimal like the wolf mask that he wore, limited to only a couple of embossed silver curlicues around it.

Jiangwei watched the masked warrior brought the glass to his lips and downed it all—unaffected by the strong amount of alcohol. Then poured another before heaving a weary sigh.

"Let's see… where do we begin…?" He spoke, as he took a few steps before leaning against the wall.

"You can start by explaining to me in detail my purpose in this little plan of yours—and, by explaining to me how you have come to know of my name. Surely, I am not that popular for my name to be known."

The masked warrior prevented laughter from escaping him.

"Funny how you haven't changed in years, Jiangwei," he said, "Still the nerd I know."

At the sound of those words, Jiangwei uncontrollably jolted to his feet, violently pushing the chair back behind him, and by impulse darted towards the masked warrior—he couldn't figure out why he had done so himself, but it seemed a force from his memory had compelled him to move. And it was memory that taunted him to tear that wall of whiteness that shielded him from finding out this man's identity—or no, he did not need to find out. He wanted to confirm his doubts that had been racking his brain from the moment thatthese 'raiders' arrived at his camp, or more accurately, from the moment he heard his name on the lips of this mysterious figure.

He needed to know. He yearned to know. Jiangwei clamped his fingers unto the captain's shoulders, and the captain merely stood there as if he were allowing Jiangwei to do just that.

"Is that you…?" Jiangwei's voice trembled. His face was pale. "Zhang Hou Yi…?"

He stared at this figure before him and he too, just stared at him as well with more calmness. Those hazel eyes Jiangwei knew so well were looking up at him with the unchanging confidence he had known so well for years.

"Bingo." The being he held muttered, and below the mask, Jiangwei saw a smirk appear on his lips.

This man… no, he wasn't a man. This was Hou Yi—his friend and his former comrade... a woman.

* * *

"What happened here?"

The moment that Zhuge Liang had arrived with his troops, he had immediately begun demanding quick answers to his multitude of questions. How many were injured? When did they arrive? And more importantly, where was Jiangwei? All of them were addressed one by one by a poor novice who was trembling with trauma for his premature exposure to such chaos that had been roused in the camp, and mostly because of the presence of a distressed Sleeping Dragon.

"There was a raid, sir. We couldn't see them from afar because they were all in black." He said gathering all the courage he had in him and tried his darn best not to shake as he spoke.

"Where is Jiangwei then?"

"He… he was kidnapped. They tied him up and took him away."

"Well, why didn't you follow them!" Liang snapped. He was no doubt displeased by this sudden attack.

"The-the raiders… they were firing explosives on their way out. Before the smoke could disperse, they were already gone. They-they had it well planned out sir." The soldier was stammering in fear despite the fact that Zhuge Liang was not even at the peak of his anger yet and still remained relatively calm and composed.

Noticing the tremor in the young man, Zhuge Liang took a slow deep breath for himself, and to hint to the boy that he was calm.

"How many casualties?" He asked finally.

"Surprisingly sir, no one got killed. They were all just slightly… injured." The soldier had begun to wonder himself at the strangeness of it.

"Injured?"

"Yes sir. It was as if the raiders had no solid intention to hurt anything or anyone in particular…"

Then those aren't simply raiders then… Zhuge Liang thought to himself.

"Has anyone else gone missing?"

"None, sir."

Then they were definitely after Jiangwei, Zhuge Liang almost whispered. To hold him hostage perhaps? A string of questions had put the machine-like mind to work as Zhuge Liang attempted to piece the puzzle together. An action as reckless as this couldn't have possibly been thought of by the extremely cautious Sima Yi—he was far too careful, never taking any risks—a trait which Zhuge Liang has exploited for several times already in the period of the war. He knew some of his opponent's weaknesses, but nevertheless had respected him for having cunningly thwarted some of his attacks with his brilliant mind.

But seeing this, it had stirred a tinge of disbelief in him.

Sima Yi had been suffering greatly form numerous criticisms under the Wei court for holding attack on the Shu army; Zhuge Liang had predicted that by now, and there was a great chance that his mortal rival would soon fold. But he never thought that Sima Yi would bring himself down this low as to pursue such carelessness, that all the same, Zhuge Liang had to admit, was done in such speed and stealth.

"General," another soldier approached the Sleeping Dragon, clutching what appeared to be a cylindrical wooden casing in his hand. "The raiders, sir. They left some sort of letter."

The soldier handed it to him and immediately Zhuge Liang took the roll of parchment out of the tube and in unfurling it, gracefully written calligraphy jumped out from the whiteness of the paper—the strokes, uniform and elegant laced with a subtle strength to how they were done, the kind that was commonly seen with those in high positions or maybe born of nobility.

The letter read:

I address this letter to the Prime Minister of Shu:

If you are reading this now, then I assume that you have already found out about the disappearance of your officer, Jiangwei. Indeed, I have him captive as your excellent deduction has most likely guessed. But, I ask no ransom but your personal appearance at the Main Gate of Shanggui Fort and an audience with you on the date you intend to attack. For whatever reason that I have captured Jiangwei, I'm afraid I can only tell you when you arrive. But allow me to share that this raid of sorts wasn't even done with Sima Yi's consent.

As a matter of fact, it is against his plans and ultimately, against him. And you can be assured that this is no trap. Prime Minister, I am not your enemy. And I'll prove that to you, again, on the day that you march forward to commence your attack. I only wish to be able to talk to you, and I would appreciate it if you could grant such simple request.

I encourage you to bring the full force of your army. I will personally be there to escort you on your arrival.

The letter ended with a stamp of deep red ink on a portion of the scroll, saying: 'Zhang'. And as Zhuge Liang absent-mindedly rolled it back again, there appeared slowly, a dim expression on his face. He had furrowed his forehead in deep thought.

This man wishes to talk to him? And for what reason? Although he fully knew that he wasn't going to get any answers at the moment, it puzzled him—the letter, and this 'Zhang' who wrote it—this was absolutely preposterous, and yet it seemed to him that perhaps the man behind this indeed had meant every word.

He claims that he is not my enemy? All the questions roused curiosity from the ever skeptic Zhuge Liang. He waved his magnificent feather fan slowly, languidly, moving it with ease as if he were fanning the embers that lit up his powerful mind; that mind that was his weapon, possessing sharpness more lethal than any blade of the fiercest warrior of Han.

And then, with all eyes of the camp on him, he took a few steps forward in a manner that emanated strength from within him, as if the very gesture he made placed his subordinates inside the unbreakable sphere of his authority.

And then he spoke, his voice was clear and commanding with an unshaken authority that it made the soldiers felt assured and protected by this confident leader before them.

"This does not stop us from our attack. We will proceed as planned. We cannot let this event tonight shake us. This only means that we are getting a step closer to the fulfillment of achieving our aspirations—the dream of the late Lord Liu Bei that he has left with us: to revive the peace that once governed the land under the name of Shu.

"We will press forward, even if the obstacles ahead are becoming bigger and greater than we could ever imagine. Because that is simply part of conquering the mountain. We cannot grow weary, and we cannot falter, because we are strong. And we will continue to prove it to the Wei army and all who seek to challenge us.

"Now, rest. Gather as much strength as you can. Rest now because tomorrow we will not stop until we tear down everything that inhibits us from gaining more and more of that peace that we yearn to have!

"And… I pray… that you will all help me with this burden that I carry with me. For it is only by your trust and cooperation that we can all endure this."

And once he ended, there was a brief somber moment of silence.

Suddenly, one of the soldiers suddenly broke into a powerful stomping of his foot, followed by another until everyone had suddenly been transformed into one living being of sound—expressing their trust and assurance that they will all be behind him—the now humbled Sleeping Dragon.

And as the cheers rang in Zhuge Liang's ears, a thin smile appeared in his face. These men that Liu Bei had rallied together… they were now relying on him to lead them to victory.

Then he thought of the letter again. Escort… did Zhang mean to help them by saying this? And Jiangwei was there. And it seemed that he would not be hurt by his captor. And this man had outright declared that he was defying Sima Yi.

Maybe… just maybe… he could perhaps trust him. And he would appear there—not necessarily for Jiangwei, but to satisfy his curiosity. Who is this Zhang? And what did he want from him that he resorted to do all this?

Okay, third chapter done! Yeah, it's a little boring, I know. But chapter 4! I swear! It all begins there. I really really promise you that, so please hold on a little longer. And do leave a review to inspire me to continue :) Thank you!

-Milk Ocean