Light and Shadow

Chapter 10 - Unease

Cao Cao sat up in bed. He wearily glanced around the room for anything suspicious before taking in a deep breath and wiping the sleep from his eyes. He felt highly uneasy, and it wasn't due to the strange nightmare that he just had. Cao Cao got up from the bed and put on his indoor shoes before exiting the room and walking down several hallways until he reached a corridor on the western side of the palace that led outside. He quietly opened one of the large two meter tall wooden doors, closing it behind him, and walked along a lengthy stone path that led to the barracks. He headed in this direction because he knew that Xiahou Dun oversaw the soldiers that were guarding the palace on this night.

As he briskly walked towards the barracks and opened the wooden door, gingerly closing it behind him, he turned and bore witness to Xiahou Dun and Guo Jia playing a game of Go. At that moment, Guo Jia, another advisor that Cao Cao relied on for advice, appeared to have taken several of Xiahou Dun's black pieces as they laid on his side next to the board. Guo Jia sat there calmly with his hands in his lap, his hip length black hair was up in a casual bun, and his deep blue paofu appeared brilliant in the moonlight that filtered in from a window next to the Go board.

"Master Xiahou Dun, it has been your turn for the past fifteen minutes. I don't mean to rush you, but when will you make your move?" Guo Jia inquired, sounded somewhat humored by the sight of Xiahou Dun staring intently at the board while pondering his next move.

"I apologize for taking so long. I just want to try and impress you," Xiahou Dun stated without looking up from the board. "Maybe I will get better at this if we play more often."

Guo Jia smiled at the man's comments, and Cao Cao entered further into the room. Guo Jia turned to his right and saw that his Lord was standing there, gazing at them with a somewhat tired look in his eyes.

"Greetings Lord Cao Cao, what brings you here at this hour?" Guo Jia asked jubilantly.

"I apologize for interrupting your game, but I have this awful feeling that something bad is about to happen. I'm not entirely sure why. Would you two mind coming with me to investigate?" Cao Cao inquired.

Guo Jia and Xiahou Dun could tell that the man was deeply bothered, so they both nodded their heads in agreement; however, before the three set out, Xiahou Dun decided to wake up Xiahou Yuan, his cousin who was sleeping on a cot nearby, and told him to keep watch while they were gone. Xiahou Yuan sleepily sat up in bed and agreed to keep watch. He suspected that something serious was amiss since their Lord was with them, and he vowed that he would fight off his sleepiness until they returned. The three then exited the barracks and walked along the long stone path that led to the palace.

"We need to patrol the city. I feel as though sinister forces are at play." Cao Cao said quietly so that only Guo Jia and Xiahou Dun could hear as they entered the palace.

They walked the many corridors and hallways of the palace before arriving at the entrance and quickly exiting it. The full moon shimmered brilliantly in the sky above, bathing the ground in its soft light. A cool breeze blew, softly rustling the orange and green leaves of nearby trees and making the slightly cool night air cold. As the three exited the palace grounds, heading towards the city and market, they decided that they would split up and look for anything out of the ordinary, since they could cover more ground at a quicker rate. They agreed to return to the entrance gate in front of the palace grounds once they finished their search, and, with that, the three went their separate ways.

----

"Awake already? You are not an ordinary man, are you?" The strange man asked as he moved metallic objects around on a nearby table.

Xun Yu lifted his head and looked around the room. It was dark, dimly lit by the light of three torches that were positioned on the walls around the circular-shaped room. As he regained his consciousness, Xun Yu recalled what happened earlier and how the strange man standing before him had captured him. He attempted to move his limbs and escape but found that they were tightly bound by chains. He laid on his side and stared at the back of the strange man, pondering his fate. Suddenly the sound of metal lightly clanging against metal stopped and the man cloaked in black turned to face him with a sharp scalpel in his large right hand.

Xun Yu attempted to maneuver further back away from the man as the cold, stone floor pulled roughly against his skin and clothes. The chains rattled loudly as he vigorously fought to distance himself from the man, but it was of no use. He was now backed against a wall while his captor, who now towered over him, looked down at him.

"There's no point in attempting to resist. This will only take a moment." The man stated as he approached Xun Yu.

He knelt down and grabbed the man, forcing him to sit with his back against the wall in an upright position. The smell of decay from earlier filled his nose, but it was not as intense. The man grabbed Xun Yu's paofu and opened the top half, exposing his slightly boney chest and stomach. He winced as cold air touched his exposed skin.

"What are you planning on doing to me? I will never tell you anything. I would rather die than betray my Lord." Xun Yu stated, his stuttering betrayed how afraid he was.

The man ignored him and told him to hold still. He used one hand to hold Xun Yu in place and the other to cut a small incision in his stomach. Xun Yu grit his teeth in pain as the cold blade of the scalpel cut through his skin. He refused to give the man the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain, no matter how bad it hurt. Once the man deemed that the incision was deep enough, Xun Yu felt as something cold and stone like was inserted into the wound. He winced in pain as the wound began to throb in agony. The man then took thick strands of cloth and began to stitch up the wound before wrapping it in a thick layer of cloth to ensure that blood would not get everywhere.

"What have you done?" Xun Yu asked through labored breaths as a cold sensation coursed through his veins.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too serious. We still need you alive after all." The man replied without any hint of emotion in his voice.

The stench of death and decay overwhelmed him once again and a feeling of immense cold coursed through his entire being, causing him to shiver. Xun Yu gazed at the man who looked at him with emotionless brown bloodshot eyes and his vision faded to black as he lost consciousness.