Light and Shadow

Prologue - Separation and Longing

Cao Cao laid silently on his side in bed. He cursed at himself for his foolishness as he gazed at the doorway that led to his bedchambers and out into the middle of the room. He was weighed down by grief. His limbs felt heavy, his movements were sluggish, he would spontaneously burst into tears, and he found it difficult to be around others. This was all due to the sorrow that weighed heavily on his heart. It had been three weeks now since what transpired between him and his most trusted vassal, Xun Yu, and the event lingered on his mind and tormented him constantly. Xun Yu... You were the one person that I thought I could trust wholeheartedly.

Xun Yu's face of disappointment occupied his thoughts, haunting him, along with the weighted words and tears that accompanied it. I can't believe it has come to this. Cao Cao thought as Xun Yu's words lingered on his conscience. They echoed in his mind, tormenting him and augmenting his grief. For twenty years I have served you. We set out to restore the Han together, but, with each passing day, you continue to stray further from that path. You grow more powerful, holding many titles, but is that not enough? You think only of the Emperor. Is that what you seek next? Xun Yu's words stung, wounding him more than anyone else ever had before, and cutting him deeper than any blade.

Tears trickled down the man's face. Damn it, Xun Yu. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I have lost sight of our goal, of your dream. Can you ever forgive me? He wept silently, full of regret for how his relationship with the man was unraveling. He deeply cherished Xun Yu and his relationship with him, and he was the one person who Cao Cao believed he could place unconditional trust in. Why did it come to this? Cao Cao thought. I never thought that you, of all people, would misunderstand me. I am simply doing what needs to be done to unite this war-torn land. Surely you can see that. Sleep slowly began to overtake him, and he hoped that he could escape the unbearable pain that he felt in his dreams.

As he closed his eyes, he was visited by a strange dream. The dream began with him lying in bed, similar to how he currently was. Fresh tears inundated his face, and it appeared as though he was in deep mourning for something or someone. He wore a white paofu and his long black hair was disheveled.

"Wenruo, why did you leave me?" Cao Cao whispered quietly to himself, his voice trembling with anguish and pain.

A bright light shone in through the doorway of the room, bathing everything in the light of the rising sun. In the doorway stood Xun Yu's silhouette. Cao Cao sat up in bed as feelings of bewilderment, disbelief, and hope flooded his mind. He watched as the silhouette bowed to him for a few moments before turning and walking away, leaving Cao Cao alone as he gazed upon the door's entrance with a look of disbelief and confusion.

"Xun Yu, where are you going?" Cao Cao asked weakly.

The warm light faded with Xun Yu, leaving Cao Cao enveloped by the cold darkness of the room. A voice faintly echoed as if it was being reflected toward him through a funnel from a great distance. As he listened intently, focusing on deciphering the strange echoes, the words that the voice spoke gradually came into focus.

"...For twenty years I have served him. We set out together with the same desire; however, I fear that he has lost sight of that goal. Today, I am filled with immense disappointment, and tomorrow will be no different. It brings me great sorrow to see what he has become, and I fear that he will only stray further from that path with his next step. I fear that my life's work has been for nothing. I can no longer advise him in good conscience. I suppose my usefulness to him is at an end..."

Cao Cao heard the sound of rustling, as if someone was rummaging through a desk full of papers and wooden scrolls. The sound of rustling suddenly stopped, and the sound of a cork being pulled out of small porcelain bottle could be heard. Silence washed over the room for a few moments before the sound of painful coughing could be heard, along with the sound of a small bottle clattering onto the floor.

Cao Cao opened his eyes and woke up from the strange dream. He sat up in bed. A cold sweat coated him, and he recalled the contents of his dream. He immediately got up, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of urgency, and he rushed out of the room to find Xiahou Dun. He did not care what time it was or that it was relatively late at night, he needed answers and reassurance. None of that was real. It can't be real. Xun Yu wouldn't... Would he?

Cao Cao rushed out of the palace and in the direction of the barracks, which were located a little over three kilometers away from the palace. He desperately hoped to find Xiahou Dun there. When he approached the building and entered, Xiahou Dun was sitting at a small square-shaped table and sharpening his blade. He ceased sharpening his blade and looked up upon hearing someone enter the room and was surprised when he saw that his cousin was standing there with a frightened look on his face and covered in sweat.

"Mengde, what's wrong?" Xiahou Dun inquired, placing his sword down on top of the table.

"It's Xun Yu. I need to know if he's okay." Cao Cao replied, his voice filled with fear and desperation.