Parting

It was sunset.

He could not believe it. He had never experienced such distress in his entire life. Not even after his father's assassination, and not even after Dian Wei's murder.

The collapse of his entire empire would not be enough to send him into the throes of anguish that gripped him presently, choking his throat and refusing him permission to even breathe normally. It suffocated him, filling his burning core with a smothering, deadening weight that couldn't be lifted.

How fortunate he was that Dun and Yuan were not here to see him like this! But how else could he react? How else did she think he would react?

The thoughtless, callous witch had abandoned him!

She did not love him anymore. He disgusted her. She despised him.

These and more wild, accusatory thoughts spun through his mind as he strode through the palace halls, desperately searching for any clues as to where she had departed to after spending the previous night wrapped in his arms. He shook his head in a slight daze, still reeling from her absence of her gentle hands. She had bid him farewell just as he slipped into slumber, before he could protest. What a fool he had been not to take her words seriously, and how cruel had she been to mean them! It did not feel… humane. How long had it been since such forlorn resentment welled up within him?

Perhaps she found it amusing that a man like him could ever worry for a being of such higher actuality than he. It was akin to some child fussing over his erudite tutor. But such was his arrogance and his character.

Why had she fled his bedchamber without rousing him? Was his embrace not warm enough? Did he dissatisfy her again? No. Her shining eyes, gentle sighs and radiant smiles did not lie. She had treasured his company; she had cherished his devotion.

He made a promise long ago, to give her a world free from the suffering caused by its own inhabitants, the suffering that grieved her so. He knew that this was what initially attracted her to him. As time passed and he grew into a handsome and ruthless commander of men, she could not resist lending him her support, as if she were indulging a naughty child in his persistent antics. But he had killed so many. The world still had not changed, not even now that he held unrivalled political power in the land. And only now did he remember that she was the motivation for his ambition. She had been the reason for his unmatched empire since that day in the palace courtyard during his seventh summer. He gritted his teeth, and his fists clenched as his pace quickened along the royal corridors.

Oh, how he adored her. She was so very precious.

His heart pounded in his chest and he was panting loudly: he had searched frenetically for her since dawn. He had not eaten a morsel, nor had he drunk a sip. Without realizing it, he discovered that he had scoured almost the entirety of the palace east wing. He advanced to the balconies by the courtyards and gardens, where she had waited for him after his return to Luoyang with the Emperor. He remembered now that she had said something about enjoying the view of the peony trees by the pond…

How can you do this to me? After all the promises we made, all the oaths we swore to one another…

I still have so far to go.

He paused, a gleam of gold catching his narrow eye. It quickly widened as he turned to retrieve what was evidently a small piece of parchment on the stone bench across the lake. His gloved hand quickly reached for it, unfolding it open and revealing an elegant calligraphic note. There was no mistake. It was the penmanship of a goddess, of his first and eternal love. He read her message feverishly, but was quickly disappointed. For it was painfully, tantalizingly short:

There is war in Heaven, and I must depart for the Realm of Pure Felicity. Some troublemaker stylizing himself as the "Monkey King" is wreaking havoc amongst the Celestial Army. He is insolent but powerful. I must answer this demon's challenge, although I don't know when I will come back to you this time. Just understand that I have not departed without a reluctant heart.

I wish to let you spread your wings… the wings of the phoenix you likened yourself to. As a mortal, you must be ready to shoulder your burden on your own… regardless of my presence or absence. Do not feel lonely. You will not feel forlorn for long, not like me. I believe in your strength, in your ambition. It is time for you to soar. You have already left the nest that we created together. Now see if you can find me, in the expanse of the endless firmament… in the beautiful blue empyrean.

I never imagined, in the millions of years I have lived, that I would ever love a frail mortal man so deeply and sincerely. I never imagined that my Mandate would ever be passed on to someone as intriguing as you. You impress me, Cao Cao Mengde.

Remember our promise. I await the new world you shall create. That day when it no longer needs Heaven's Mandate… the day I can lay my burden aside and finally give my full trust to humanity.

Goodbye, my little brother.

"You left me for a monkey, is that what you're saying?" he growled, resisting the urge to scrunch the parchment and toss it into the lotus pond. "I had envisaged so many possibilities for my new world… our new world. I never imagined I would see it without you."

He wanted to kick at the stone bridge until his foot broke, until his toes crushed themselves. He wanted to draw his sword and massacre his simpering palace attendants, to slaughter the foolish concubines that thought they understood him. But none of that would bring her back. Where she willed, she went. Whether it was to him, or away from him.

He closed his eyes, realizing that they stung. His cape and black hair billowed in the sudden gust of wind that lifted high the branches of the trees above, and he felt his tears only just managing to restrain themselves from joining the rising zephyr.

He could not remember the last time he wished to fall to his knees.

"Elder Sister…"

He remembered how, on the night before, he had flung her brassiere aside, that clothing of pearly heavenly silk and gold and lapis lazuli – the garments of the gods. What had she whispered then? Did she leave behind some clue or warning? Had she snuck in some longing, bittersweet farewell whilst he kissed and worshipped her blissful gateway between those inviting thighs?

His eyes widened as he recalled her pleasure, how she had pulled his head to her and clutched his black hair while his damp mouth pressed ever more ardently against her. He finally remembered, to his disbelief and sorrow, the words she had gasped out amidst the throes of ardour.

I am always watching over you, child. Never forget that.

He forced out a dark, cynical chuckle. She could not have possibly prepared for this all along! But why else would she confess something so… wistful to him? It was rare of her. Why?

Why?

And now she had purposefully left a melancholy letter behind, praising him for how far he had come. That damned woman – how dare she assume that this sufficed! Breathing heavily, he clenched his teeth again as he clutched at the parchment. Was this all that would sustain him for the period of time they remained apart? It felt so weak, so desperate. He would never understand her motives, her thoughts. But it did not stop him from trying. He would never stop trying. As long as he drew breath and until the day he died, he would not forget. And he hoped beyond hope that she would uphold her promise to never forget him, either.

"Nu Wa has truly left me."

He stared out towards the pavilion, pressing her letter against his breast. He suppressed a choke from the back of his throat. No. He would not allow her to harvest such tortured anguish from him. He would not say goodbye.

Heaven's ways are raw.

He forced a sarcastic smile onto his face, forbidding even one teardrop to flee his demonic eye. Only one thought brought a brief flash of hope to him: there was surely no point in bidding farewell to someone that always returned for more.

"One day, you will revisit the mortal world. And when you do, you will know just how wise you were to trust me."

He could not remember ever having cried in her presence; he had never allowed his eyes to moisten before her. Even when he plunged his sword into a human being for the very first time, he had refused to yield, especially when she approached him and begged to touch him, to give him the comfort he so desperately needed.

It is not always foolish to grieve, to mourn, to regret, my child. Let me remind you of your humanity… of your inherent goodness.

He eventually allowed her to loosen his clothes, to caress him with great affection and tenderness, but still he refused to shed a single tear. Surely she would never want to see him weep for her…

But perhaps this steel invincibility, this vehement denial of any human fragility, had disappointed her to some extent.

Now his Elder Sister was no longer here. His raison d'être had gone, vanished. And for that, the unbreakable, legendary Cao Cao finally shattered. For the first time in thirty long years, he permitted himself to collapse and beat his gloved fists against the ground, sobbing his loneliness and heartbreak late into the evening as stars fell upon the cursed capital of Luoyang. His dark, royal cape draped around his hunched, feeble form, a poor substitute for the goddess's saintly, doting arms. And in those moments of wretched misery, China's Hero of Chaos suddenly felt like a small boy once again.

You chose me to love you. And that will forever be my greatest honour.

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Author's farewell

Thank you for reading this short series that explores my favourite pairing, the Hero of Chaos in his DW6 incarnation and the mystic creation goddess Nu Wa from Warriors Orochi 2. Writing of these glimpses and milestones in their relationship through the one-shot format was something I've been hoping to do for a while; it was a golden opportunity to write of my two favourite characters from Koei. Short as it was (my intention was indeed to keep it concise), I hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it, do tell me, and if you didn't… tell me too! Your comments – positive or constructively critical – are always reflected on and kept as reference or advice for future stories. Please give me feedback so the next story I return with will be the best it can be!

What follows is a bit of a rant on how this small project came about, so if you're interested in how I set about developing the themes in Heaven's Mandate, please read on.

I remember the first time I saw Cao Cao's new look and fashion via his DW6 CG in the game, videos and art. He's not physically powerful; he's lost weight since his past incarnations and is weaker than Sun Jian and Liu Bei. But what he lacks in muscle, he more than compensates for with several far more important things. There's his political and military genius, demonstrated by in-game videos, briefings and dialogue. There's his unnervingly dominant aggressiveness and sternness, the likes of which no other ruler can match. He controls the Emperor with impunity; his sheer personality and ambition overshadows the entire realm, making him a shadowy force of manipulation even when your character is not directly confronting him.

Yet his vision starkly contrasts from past games and totally blows his "villain" stereotype out of the water. Directly quoting his words to Xiahou Dun: "I, too, am a human being. I grieve for all the wasted lives." From Dynasty Warriors 6 onwards we see Koei's most evolved and most refined interpretation of Cao Cao: a brooding mastermind that gives authors plenty of room to write of his inner emotions and weaknesses, yet constantly reminding us that he is a man that knows himself. He is a man of emotion, but he is not an emotional man. There's plenty of room for deep sadness, but none for clichéd angst. You can write of his tender love, but not of his sentimentality, for he has none. We have a passionate man that wants the best for the people, but not some shortsighted, impulsive idealist. In other words, to me, he is a perfect character to write about: emotionally stable (which might be boring to some), yet possessing many, many layers of complexity.

Furthermore, Koei truly outdid themselves in the R&D department. As cool as Sun Jian and Liu Bei look in DW6, even their fans will have to admit that Cao Cao's design is intentionally intricate and sophisticated. His lavish, almost decadent costume is the most royal of them all (characterized, amusingly, by his quirky Chinese official's shoes), and exudes refinement, dark elegance and seductive taste. His new visage is intentionally sinister, and his long sideburns even reach up past his ears to give the impression of little horns! Along with his vampiric, hypnotic eyes, the author of this story could come to only one logical conclusion:

This guy embodies the very ideal of "badass."

Then there's Warriors Orochi 2. As a lifelong student of religion, myth and spirituality, imagine my excitement when characters like Fu Xi, Taigong Wang, Da Ji, and Sun Wukong were to be introduced. The Wei campaign in particular caught my attention because it seemed that a certain mystic called Nu Wa had thrown her lot in with Cao Cao – directly and intimately. I was so pleased that Koei had chosen to establish some kind of canon relationship, romantic or not, between those two in WO2. Unfortunately, for the reasons I have already given, the past incarnations of Cao Cao (including the one chosen for WO2) simply could not do Nu Wa justice. For me, they would not… satisfy her. It was DW6 Cao Cao that had the honour of being her lover, and I chose to alter their association from WO2 slightly by making her his childhood friend, who she comes to support as he grows in power and influence. Their relationship grows more complex as the years pass, and by the time he reaches adulthood; the goddess realizes that this mortal is more than a "mere" mortal. Their relationship is all about recognizing the human potential for greatness and great evil. And from that, love is nurtured and intensified.

Nu Wa was a perfect match for the dark genius of DW6 Cao Cao. She was divine looking in both appearance and moveset – the consensus for many Koei fans is that her design is unmistakably celestial in origin. But her cool and biting personality also suited Cao Cao; she is sarcastic, sharp, and a formidable match for his disposition (and perhaps even sterner than him!). I've toned down her "ice queen" aspect slightly in my pairing, but mostly because the nature of their relationship is more complex than the game's and not because I dislike it. Furthermore, she is interested in the world's future and whether she does the right thing by entrusting it to Cao Cao. It is this theme of trust and intimacy that I've structured Heaven's Mandate around, between a wry "Elder Sister" and a cunning "little brother."

Thanks for reading once again.

THE END