× Master of My Soul × [ Dynasty Warriors ] [ Slowly Updating ]

× 01 - Omen of Peril ×

The endless sky was a dark grey colour, with not a single cloud in sight. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars above. The ground under my feet was an ashy field, the empty horizon stretching to meet the sky in a blur somewhere in the distance, appearing like nothing but empty space of grey. I kicked the ground gently, watching as the white ash flakes flew like snow, carried by a soft breeze that seemed to blow from nowhere. I raised a pale, fragile-looking hand, opening my palm to allow the flakes to fall into it, and stared blankly as they dissipated into a thin cloud of dust.

The wind suddenly picked up, causing my long white nightdress to flow with the air currents as the dust danced around me in a swirl. I turned my head to see an enormous cloud of smoke approaching, leaving but grey nothingness in its wake. Without another thought I turned around and began to run away from it, but the swirling ashes were blinding me. As the ground seemed to shift beneath my feet, I never thought I could run so fast, but the faster I ran, the faster the smoke caught up...

I shook myself awake, finding myself sitting up in my bed and short of breath as I looked about my bedroom wildly. Moisture gathered on my thin brows and I wiped the cold sweat away with the sleeve of my nightdress while I felt my heart race. That dream which felt so real, and the ashes, the dust, the smoke, all of it. It must be a bad omen. I shuddered slightly at the thought and pulled up the sheets against me as I got a sick feeling of worry in my stomach. It was so unnerving, and I felt very cold on my fingertips and toes, almost like it was winter.

After calming myself, I glanced at the closed windows of my bedroom. The pale blue light of the summer morning filtered through the thick, fabric-like paper films glued to the frames of the windows, lighting up the room, and I knew that it was still early by the way the light made my room glow a sick and ironically dark color. Soon, everyone else will be awake too.

Well, I don't think I could fall asleep again anytime soon, so might as well get up now.

After washing my face and rinsing my mouth clean of the bitter taste of the morning, I changed into a light silk dress of a pale violet colour, then styled my long black hair with a few silver hair sticks. I have always felt compelled to make sure I was presentable to the eyes others, it was just one of those traits gained during my time growing up in the Cao household. I usually had a certain handmaid do these things for me however, so it felt a bit strange to do my grooming by myself after so long. I took my time, and by the time I was finished I could hear the servants of the Cao estate tend to their everyday chores outside, though today they were louder than usual, which raised my curiosity.

As I exited my room, I could hear the tapping of footsteps in the other parts of the large estate and words being exchanged between the servants. The entire house seemed so much livelier than usual, which while it was not a bad thing, still made me curious. It was still so early, with the sun barely shining its light over the rooftops, and I wondered what could be causing this ruckus. 

A few of the servants passing by stopped to greet me, and I took the opportunity to ask about the noise. "Our Lord has called for a morning meeting after breakfast for which we are preparing. He is in the dining room right now," one of the servants answered, and his reply was followed by a respectful bow. "Our apologies for waking you, Lady Murong," he spoke softly, never once looking up to meet my eyes. I could only sigh in my mind at the observation.

"I see, thank you for the information," I replied to him in an equally soft tone, then walked past him and headed for the dining room, allowing the servants and handmaidens to their business. They shuffled away with quieter footsteps which soon became indistinguishable with the louder ones covering them up. I left the West Wing of the estate and made my way past the Second Hall to the dining room. 

Upon my arrival, I could see Cao Cao and two of my cousins, Cao Ang and Cao Pi, already in their seats, as well as two of Cao Cao's wives, Lady Ding and Lady Bian. Seeing the two women together surprised me slightly, since everybody in the house knew that Lady Ding did not get along well with any of Cao Cao's concubines, but I was not going to point anything out. They paused their morning chatter as I stepped inside, and I smiled sweetly at the five. "Good morning uncle, cousin Ang and cousin Pi, aunt Ding and aunt Bian," I greeted them politely while a servant added a seat for me and another serving of the meal. My cousins gave me a nod, while the two ladies gave smiles.

"Good morning, Xue, did you sleep well?" Cao Cao replied with a small smile. He was such a warmer person when with family and friends, which most of us found rather comforting. It contrasted greatly with his conduction to his officers in public, but it only drew a clearer line between what were public matters and private matters. His words reminded me of my strange dream and it brought back a sense of insecurity, but then I decided to not mention it and answered his question with a simple smile and nod. He chuckled lightly. "Good. We will host a meeting at the city hall after the meal, you will join us," he spoke. It wasn't a suggestion, but an order, and I would gladly comply.

Cao Ang smiled gently. "Father is very excited about visiting Wan Castle and Zhang Xiu. It shows respect on our part to see them since their surrender," he spoke kindly, without a trace of discrimination in his voice. Since Zhang Xiu has surrendered, and to many it was a sign of weakness, but Cao Ang was obviously accepting enough to ignore the criticism and simply see things as they were.

Because of his attitude, I was also aware that there were plenty who spoke of Cao Ang as being naive and showing blind sympathy, but I knew better. Though I was close to both he and Cao Pi, I have always admired the former's kindness to all, while I felt I could relate more to Cao Pi as we seemed to share a common ruthlessness in our personalities. But I knew that everything was genuine when we're with friends and family.

"Ah, is the meeting later today held to prepare for the entrance ceremony? Does this mean I get to go to Wan Castle as well?" I questioned with an excited smile. Several months have passed since I have stepped outside the vicinity of the Cao estate, having been too occupied by my medicinal studies to mind anything else. 

I was, however, still concerning myself over the issues of the state, especially informing myself of the battles happening beyond the solid walls of Xuchang. I recall that not so long ago, my uncle had deployed many men to take control of Xu Province from Tao Qian and Liu Bei's forces. The battle had proved rather inconclusive in the end, due to Lu Bu's intrusion after his retreat from the area around Chang'an and Luoyang. The arrival of the Emperor to our beloved Xuchang had also caused quite the ruckus, and even now I was sure there were plenty of political battles to be fought. Only a short while ago did Liu Bei lose what little territory he had to Lu Bu, and Cao Cao was kind enough to let him enter Xuchang to rest. There was a certain period of time when the city was unquiet due to the man and his followers entering, which had also caused some controversy, but it soon resumed its calmness.

Until now.

I was well aware of the conflicts with Lu Bu, and while I didn't agree with my uncle's act of kindness and acceptance toward Liu Bei and his crew, there was a common voice that spoke out to deal with Lu Bu. He was simply too big of a threat, and his presence had actually made many forget about Liu Bei, that I was sure, but I didn't forget. I also knew about Cao Cao's plans for the future, although I had to admit that he was looking a bit far.

Thankfully, my previous studies helped me quite significantly in my training, and I was feeling confident enough to participate in whatever plans Cao Cao had.

Cao Pi chuckled at my reaction. "I'm sure father will consider it, but only if you behave," he teased with a smirk while I stuck my tongue out at him in a playful manner. Laughter was shared between the six of us, and I knew that this meant a yes to me joining them on the trip. Despite the tension of the impending battles and my worrisome dreams, happiness bubbled in my stomach, and never in such a long time have I been so grateful to be part of this family.