《Ashcrow》


 Those who yearn to live

    "Long, long ago, a curse plagued the lands.


    The fields were filled with the corpses of men,


    But to calm the anger of the heavens, the goddess of death offered herself as a sacrifice, for she could not bear seeing the demise of humans.


    Her sacrifice was so noble, it brought the heavens to tears, and then it rained for over a million years.


    Life emerged from the cold droplets after the welcome rain filled the earth.


    It was a time when God and humans lived together. The era of coexistence vanished, yet human ambition burned ever so brightly.


    The arrogant man obsessed with the sacrifice of death sought to revive her, and the goddess of death came back as war.


    She wreaked havoc upon the lands in every direction. Light from as far as the eyes could absorb was drenched with war. It was the price of arrogance and a punishment for our greed."


    As the gingerish hue embraced the pair of mother and daughter, walking beyond the dusky sky, the mother sang the war fable to her young daughter.


    Accompanying them were the articles of nature: Dogs feeding their younglings, Monkeys paying heed to the inevitable night. But the attention of the child was jammed on her mother, for she was telling her the secrets of this ever so mysterious world.


    Even though the fable was universal throughout the lands, every human found themselves a victim or a perpetrator of violence. This violence came in the form of war, which had been plaguing the lands since the start of mankind.


    "But mother, why did the man try to bring death back?"


    "Who knows, maybe... he was lonely."


    Both were going back to their shack after a long day of work in the fields.


    "The war is both a curse and a boon to us, given by the gods. It''s their tool to reward and punish us as they please."


    The mother said this to her child in a rather bittersweet tone.


    "But Mother, was Father punished by the heavens?"


    The child''s innocent spirit of inquiry pierced through the hearts of her mother. She looked at the sinless eyes of her daughter, unable to answer the question, she looked away.


    Biting her lip, she said, "Listen, Yue, whatever you do, never anger the heavens, ne-"


    "..."


    It was clear that she had something important to say to Yue.


    But she stopped; she knew that the child would not be able to comprehend the ways of this world, for her innocence was too big of a hurdle.


    "Mother?" The young Yue questioned the abrupt silence her mother displayed.


    "It''s nothing..." Repressing her sorrow, she smiled and patted her daughter on the head. A faint yet sincere smile was enough to lay the child in comfort.


    The young Yue, unable to figure out the complexities her mother wanted to convey, could only nod and smile back in return. She looked at the sky, with night covering up, masking the entire sky in dim. Darkness frightened her. She held her mother''s hands, tightly clenching them. She wanted to be there with her at that moment.


    "-ake up!!..."


    "-lease wake up!"


    "Captain!! Captain!"


    A touch, warm and gentle, reached her first ¡ª then a voice, sharp and clear, cut through the silence, dragging her mind from the depths of slumber.


    "Captain Yue!! Are you there?? Wake up, Please!"


    She felt as if she had woken up from a long, long dream.


    [I''m alive...?]


    Her thoughts stirred within her.


    The mist clouding her mind thinned as the voice called her name.


    Her weakened eyes crept open, reluctant and slow and encountered the pale gleam of the moon flooding them.


    "The moon is blazing like silver fire."


    Her voice, barely more than a breath, spilt out, alerting the man beside her.


    she saw the dark obsidian leaves whispering in the gloom, providing the duskwrap. She sensed the withered leaves on the ground, brushing her back.


    "Captain? You''re awake?! Thank the heavens, are you alright, ma''am?"


    The man sighed with relief.


    "Yes...I am."


    The man offered her water in a shabby leather pouch.


    She took the pouch. "What has the situation amounted to, Liang?" She was still trying to understand her surroundings, clearly confused.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The man, Liang, replied in a serious tone, "Captain Yue, we are about 100-120 Weis inside theNokrang line of control. We were chased by a 100-man unit from the Nokrang army while trying to breakthrough through the Main Nokrang forces, we lost over half of our troops after engaging them. You fell unconscious while fighting off dozens of Nokrang soldiers, and Lieutenant Zhen took you and escaped."


    "Are they closing in on us?" Yue asked. She was finally grasping the situation as the memories of the fight surged through her.


    "Not quite, ma''am. The remnants of our battalion have spread enough to make them lose track." Another voice, belonging to a young man not more than in his late teens, came.


    "Yes! It is aslieutenant Zhen says." Liang followed up.


    "How long was I out for?" Yue looked at the bright moon and assumed she had been sleeping for a while.


    "It has not been that long, Captain Yue. We engaged the 100 men unit of Nokrang after the sun fell,"lieutenant Zhen answered her query.


    Yue was still lost in her abyss, exhausted after a near-death experience. Her mind showered with the memories of days long gone.


    It left a bittersweet taste inside her.


    [It felt like I was in that dream for years...]


    [Although, it felt more like visions from my past rather than a dream. Like a trance, in which I drifted for years.]


    [Why? Why am I remembering her now of all times..?]


    [Say mother, would you still love me? A warmonger, a harbringer of death. A murderer. Without my blade, I am of no value to anyone. in this pitiful state, would you still love me?]


    [...]


    [There''s no point in thinking this, but still...]


    Yue was indeed conflicted.


    "The sky feels cruel, doesn''t it?" Her eyes lingered on the night sky, where countless celestial bodies lay scattered like distant jewels. The question cut through the calm silence, her face remaining still and expressionless.


    "What do you mean, ma''am?" Zhen asked. Liang, as usual, listened quietly.


    "We¡¯re trapped here, in this wretched world," she continued. "Bound to endless war and suffering, shackled by crime and corruption. The gods have turned their backs on us. All we can do is stare at the heavens, marveling at their divine creations, knowing we can never reach them."


    She lifted her hand toward the vast expanse above, fingers stretching as if to grasp the stars that gleamed like scattered gems in an ocean of endless black.


    "They¡¯re beautiful... yet forever out of reach. That¡¯s the cruelest fate of all. We struggle through endless trials, only to meet a destiny far worse than life itself."


    "The gods are too weak-willed to live here, Only we humans can walk the path of a thousand hardships, yet never stop. Earth is a fitting place for creatures like us."


    Zhen smiled faintly. He looked at Yue, "But I would be lying if I say the stars don''t incite me at all. What is it that lies within them? I wonder."


    "In my village, the elders told us that the heavens are filled with delicious drinks. Rivers upon rivers of them. Maybe someday someone would invade them too..." Liang said. They all looked up for a brief moment.


    "Zhen, have you signalled the remnants of our squad to reach the designated rendezvous point? We move at dawn!" Regaining her composure, Yue asked Lieutenant Zhen.


    Even though her monotonous face didn''t show a hint of emotion, it was clear that she was much calmer now.


    Zhen nodded. "It has been done, ma''am."


    Coming from a prestigious military family, Zhen had spent his entire life in the capital. He often found himself wondering what kind of life his captain had lived before stepping onto the battlefield.


    His father and brothers held considerable influence, both in the court and on the front lines. Yet Zhen lacked the brilliance his brothers possessed. His shortcomings with the blade and his reluctance to engage in politics had left him overlooked and cast aside by his own family.


    Still, his noble blood ensured he wasn¡¯t entirely discarded. He was appointed as a 50-man commander and assigned as a lieutenant to Captain Yue during his first campaign.


    He doesn''t feel humiliated being led by a female ¡ª far from it. He admires her deeply.


    Captain Yue had given him something his family never did: a place to belong. For that, he would follow her ¡ª even if it meant charging headfirst into certain death.


    "You both should get some rest. Who knows what tomorrow may bring," Yue said quietly. Her gaze wasn¡¯t on the sky or the moon.


    Zhen opened his mouth to respond, but the words never came. A sudden, sharp impact struck his thigh ¡ª yet there was no pain.


    Confused, he lowered his head and froze. An arrow jutted out from his right thigh, the shaft quivering.


    Mustering what strength he had left, he shouted, "Liang! LIANG! TAKE THE CAPTAIN AND RUN AW¡ª"


    Before he could finish, a second arrow struck him ¡ª this time in the head.


    The force sent his eyeball flying, landing just feet away.


    Yue saw it ¡ª the suspended eye, the blood, and for a moment, her mind went blank.


    Then reality crashed down.


    Zhen was dead.


    Her breath caught. The air felt heavier, colder. Her chest tightened, and her fingers trembled at her sides.


    Liang sprinted toward her, grabbing the weakened captain and bolting for cover in the trees. He didn¡¯t look back ¡ª Zhen''s final order burned in his mind.


    Tears blurred his vision as he ran. His breath hitched, and his legs refused to slow. "How did they find us? We lost them hours ago!"


    "It was never a question of how," Yue muttered bitterly. "We¡¯re behind enemy lines... during a war. It was only a matter of time."


    She clenched her teeth, swallowing the bitter truth. Zhen was gone ¡ª and they couldn¡¯t even mourn him.


    "We can¡¯t tell how many there are... running is our only option!" Liang barked, forcing himself to focus. He couldn¡¯t think about Zhen ¡ª not yet.


    Yue wondered if this was it ¡ª if this was how her life would end.


    [This wasn¡¯t a long life...


    I couldn¡¯t change anything. I couldn¡¯t save anyone...]


    Her limbs felt heavy, her body too worn to resist. Liang¡¯s grip kept her moving, but her war-torn body felt like dead weight. Behind them, Nokrong soldiers closed in.


    "Curse those Nokrong bastards... filthy devils!" Liang snarled through gritted teeth. "If not for them... If not for them..."


    [How ironic...]


    [Even though it is us invading their land...]


    The slope steepened, and as Liang stumbled over a hidden log, Yue tumbled from his arms. She rolled downhill, colliding hard with something ¡ª a rock or a tree, she couldn''t tell. It didn¡¯t matter.


    She barely noticed the pain. Lying there, her thoughts drifted.


    [I suppose this is fitting... a death like this... suits someone like me.]


    The darkened sea of emerald trees stood witness to the confrontation, the air thick with heavy emotions and the metallic scent of blood beckoning death closer.


    [...It''s dark, cold...


    I''m- I''m scared...]


    [Mother...]

 The Fools Anguish

    In the 28th year of Emperor Wu Gao Rong¡¯s reign over the Nokrang Dynasty, the Western Xia Dynasty unleashed a formidable force of 200,000 soldiers in an ambitious campaign of territorial expansion.


    For the Xia Dynasty, it was a quest for dominion ¡ª but for the Nokrang people, defeat meant more than lost land ¡ª it meant lost homes, lost lives, and the end of their way of life.


    Bordering the indomitable Xia Empire lay the region of Enka ¡ª a land of lush fields and blooming flowers, their beauty tempting the bloodthirsty armies who would soon come to stain the soil crimson. It was a land made for war.


    The mighty Han River carved through the Nokrang Empire, severing this region from the heart of the kingdom. Isolated from the main empire, Enka held no grand cities, only scattered peasant villages dotting its quiet expanse.


    Yet Enka was rich ¡ª its forests thick and its fields fertile ¡ª a land brimming with life. But the Han River was merciless. Its raging floods swept through the region repeatedly, drowning the earth in violent waters.


    Xia had to secure the plains of Enka first to conquer Nokrang. And the Nokrang had to defend this land, for if Enka fell, the heart of Nokrang would soon bleed beneath the wretched blades of Xia.


    The southern walls of Enka stood old and cracked, yet unyielding. Upon them, forty thousand men held their breath. Not boys with trembling hands, but seasoned blades sharpened by years of blood and bone.


    They had seen brothers buried in the floodplains. Heard the screams of burning villages carried on storm winds. Their armor was worn, their eyes hollow, but their hearts ¡ª unshaken.


    They were not fighting for coin. Not for kings.


    They fought for soil.


    For the old mother weaving at dusk, awaiting the enchanting night sky.


    For the children who played by the ever so mighty river.


    For the graves that could not speak, yet emitted the stories of their ancestors.


    Xia came like a curse, two hundred thousand strong. But the men on those walls did not tremble. They had long made peace with death. They did not pray. They adjusted their swords.


    And when the sky turned grey, and the winds stilled, they waited in silence, ready beneath the eye of a man who had led them through every storm.


    General Ryu stood above them, cloak heavy with rain and memory.


    And behind his cold eyes, the war had already begun.


    He was the commander in charge of these 40,000 men. He had witnessed countless battles against Xia itself.


    "It has been a while since we fought them, sire."


    A soldier pouring wine to General Ryu remarked, they both smirked in a sense of shared nostalgia.


    General Ryu took a sip, his vessel plain¡ªan unglazed cup with a coarse surface, no finer than the ones used by the peasants and farmers of Enka.


    The wine inside was cheap ¡ª sharp and biting ¡ª yet it was warm, and that was enough. Ryu took another slow sip, feeling the liquid scorch his throat before settling like a stone in his gut.


    "Yes, Adjutant Li," Ryu went on. "It''s a shame the Xian Civil War ended. At least it kept them too busy to invade us." He let out a dry smirk. "Those bastards stopped tearing each other apart, and now they''re back to waging war on us."


    General Ryu''s expression changed,


    "Although it seems General Zhao will be leading the Xia forces." Ryu¡¯s eyes darkened at the name.


    His gaze drifted for a moment, lost in memory. "I still remember the war of unification in Xianyang. He wasn¡¯t even a general back then, yet..."


    "I know," Ryu interrupted. "I remember, too."


    "That man¡­ there¡¯s something about him. Something unsettling."


    Ryu took another sip of wine, his expression unreadable. "It was a solid strategy on our part. After nine grueling months of battle, we finally had them trapped, the wet dream of a military leader¡ªan encirclement, flawless in execution. Victory was all but certain. And yet, some no-name officer, a mere commander of a thousand men, rallied his troops and tore through our lines without regard for their own lives. A reckless, suicidal charge¡­ but in the end, they succeeded. They cut down our commander-in-chief."


    Adjutant Li¡¯s voice was quieter now.


    "I heard he never took part in the Xian civil war. No heirs, no ties to politics, no interest in power. He even refused court positions."


    "You meet all kinds of men on the battlefield," Ryu murmured. "But him... he''s different."


    The adjutant clenched his jaw. He understood. They all did.


    General Ryu knew he was no match for the man feared by all Eleven Empires under Heaven. General Zhao ¡ª the one the heavens rejected, too afraid to claim him. Against such a monster, there was no strategy, no heroism, only will. This war would be fought with nothing but blood and morale ¡ª for nothing else could hope to stand against him, or maybe there was?


    Ryu spoke, the chill in his voice now threaded with something else ¡ª something almost pleased.


    "Adjutant Li. I heard the ambush was a success."


    He took a slow sip, letting the moment hang.


    "Xia forces wiped clean. Every rat chased into the mud ¡ª hunted to the end, huh?"


    His eyes drifted north, narrowed ¡ª as if savoring something only he could see.


    The approaching Xia armies had camped roughly 70 weis away from the southern Nokrang walls ¡ª less than a full day¡¯s march. The land they occupied was bare and wind-swept, surrounded by low, broken hills that stretched like the back of a sleeping beast. Dust hung in the air, kicked up by the endless shuffling of boots and the restless hooves of horses. Makeshift banners fluttered weakly in the dry wind, their once-vivid colors dulled by the sun and stained with the grime of long travel.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    This was the first campaign launched by Xia since the end of their savage civil war. Their first war under a new king. The army, though large, was raw. Most were drawn from the peasantry: gaunt young men who had never held a sword before conscription, fathers who once tilled soil now sharpening blades with calloused hands. Their armor, if they had any, was scavenged and ill-fit, their formations still awkward. These men had never seen the enthralled fields where generals hurled tens of thousands after dreams. They knew nothing of the scarlet plains where gods fed on men, and yet they stood with a quiet, burning resolve ¡ª the kind that only hardship could forge.


    Within a sprawling tent near the center of the camp, the officer''s meeting was underway. Raised voices occasionally pierced the canvas, followed by long silences. Outside, lower-ranking commanders lingered by their units, waiting for orders. Some sat on overturned crates, others leaned against spears driven into the ground, smoking bitter reeds, whispering prayers to nameless gods while looking up, at the cloudless sky.


    Tension clung to the air. These men had survived civil strife only to be thrust into a foreign war. The hills watched in silence, the wind carried whispers of battles yet to come, and every soldier knew ¡ª the earth would open its mouth for blood.


    ¡°Still no signs of them?¡±


    The sudden voice cut through the still air, startling the young man who had been resting against a strange, jagged rock. He looked up, his eyes narrowing toward the source of the voice ¡ª sharp, elegant, almost mistaken for a girl¡¯s.


    ¡°¡­Not yet, Sir Kojun,¡± he replied after a pause. His gaze drifted away, unfocused. ¡°I¡¯m in no place to doubt the moves of Commander Zhao, but I still don¡¯t understand why we sent the units eastward before we even reached the southern walls, We could¡¯ve scouted the forest after reaching the walls.¡± He didn¡¯t bother to rise from the oddly shaped rock beneath him, the tone in his voice low, tired.


    Kojun studied him for a moment, then gave a faint smile.


    ¡°You always outmaneuver me in war simulations, Yoku. Yet you ask something so simple?¡±


    The smile faded as quickly as it came.


    ¡°Commander Zhao¡¯s decisions aren¡¯t for us to question, not in most cases. And sending a few hundred-man units east was a sound move, considering the terrain of Enka¡ª¡±


    He was cut off. Yoku¡¯s voice came sharper now, laced with irritation.


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me, Kojun. I know Enka as well as you. There¡¯s a wall to the south, and a thick marsh forest to the east ¡ª nearly impossible for even a light cavalry unit to pass through cleanly. Beyond that, there¡¯s a bridge. But that forest¡¯s a mess of muck and roots. We¡¯re fielding four armies ¡ª fifty thousand each ¡ª and you think that path matters? The Nokrangs wouldn¡¯t even bother guarding that bridge¡ª¡±


    ¡°And that,¡± Kojun interjected, his voice calm but edged, ¡°is why we don¡¯t question General Zhao.¡±


    He stepped closer, his shadow overlapping Yoku¡¯s.


    ¡°It¡¯s been over five days since we saw them off. Not a single report, no returning scouts. They can¡¯t just vanish into the marsh. And while the forest may be too dense for a full march¡­ someone, somewhere, might still find a way to make use of it.¡±


    For a moment, there was only silence.


    Yoku stared at him, frustration simmering in his eyes ¡ª until something shifted. A thought. A click. The edges of his scowl softened as realization dawned.


    His eyes lit up ¡ª the kind of quiet, sharp spark only a strategist could carry when all the pieces suddenly fell into place.


    ¡°Deceive the heavens to cross the sea¡­¡± Yoku murmured, eyes still fixed on Kojun.


    Kojun let out a quiet chuckle, shrugging slightly as a faint smile tugged at his lips.


    ¡°Who¡¯s to say?¡± he replied. ¡°Our commander isn¡¯t one for grand riddles. He feels something off¡ªand he acts. For him, the war isn¡¯t coming... it¡¯s already here.¡±


    Yoku¡¯s lips curled into a knowing smile, the weight of realization settling between them like the wind in the grass.


    "Well...Of course he used the normal hundred-man units instead of proper scouts, they were a sacrifice..!"


    Yoku muttered, eyes narrowed. His mind still chewing on the shape of the plan, trying to trace the outline of what Zhao saw.


    Kojun cut through, quiet but clear.


    ¡°Remember the girl?¡±


    Yoku blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The female commander. Hundred-man unit. She was sent east too.¡±


    The wind came then ¡ª hard and sharp, like the land itself was coughing. It dragged dust across the earth in long, violent streaks. Banners snapped sideways, strained at their poles. The officer¡¯s tent shuddered and hissed, its ropes stretched taut, canvas flapping like the wings of something trying to flee. The sky turned the color of old bone.


    Kojun¡¯s hair thrashed in the wind. He didn¡¯t blink. Just watched the east.


    ¡°Yue,¡± Yoku said. Not asking. Just naming. "Hmm, her? She will survive." He said it like a fact. Like noting the weather, his facial expression remained still.


    Kojun didn¡¯t respond. Just followed his gaze toward the marshes.


    The wind kept blowing. The dust kept moving.


    Deep beyond the Enka borders, someone had begun to piece together the intent behind General Zhao¡¯s strange maneuver¡ªsending mere hundreds into the thick, marsh-laced forest. It was unorthodox, seemingly senseless. In nearly every case, such a move would yield nothing. And yet¡­ Zhao had felt something.


    Far to the southeast, wrapped in the deceptive comfort of a firelit hut, Yue jolted awake with a gasp, the scent of herbs and smoke thick in the air. Her body was broken¡ªbandaged shoulder, torn thigh, cracked lips, ribs that ached with every breath. She lay on a straw mat in a dim hut, lit only by a dying hearth. The walls were patched wood, the warmth unsettling in contrast to the chaos she remembered. Her limbs trembled with exhaustion, pain pulsing through every nerve. Yet in her eyes, beneath the fever and fatigue, a flicker of rage burned. She had survived¡ªand that meant something. She tried standing up, gasping for air, she failed, she tried again, barely succeeding, she dragged herself to the out to understand what happened.


    ¡°I must¡¯ve hit my head on a rock,¡± Yue thought, the memory hazy and fractured. ¡°I should¡¯ve died... unless¡ªLiang. He must have saved me.¡±


    Her chest tightened with worry. Dragging her weak body upright, she stepped out of the creaking hut. The sunlight stabbed at her still-dim eyes, and she squinted as the world sharpened into view. A humble village stretched before her¡ªwooden homes, drying herbs, distant chatter. Human settlement.


    She blinked slowly, analyzing her surroundings.


    [This is... a Nokrang village.]


    She looked down at herself¡ªbandages, torn clothes, dirt-covered skin. Her wounds seemed more accidental than battle-earned.


    [They probably haven¡¯t figured out I¡¯m a soldier.]


    Then she remembered the deeper scars¡ªthe ones swords and flame had carved in her flesh.


    [...Or maybe they have.]


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± came a voice, sharp as a whip. Yue turned to see an old woman stomping toward her. ¡°Back inside, now! Your body¡¯s barely holding together. You need rest!¡±


    Yue steadied herself and asked carefully, ¡°Where am I?¡± Her voice held a subtle edge¡ªshe needed answers, fast. She had to get back to Xia¡¯s camp. They had no idea what lay hidden in the eastern woods.


    ¡°Where?¡± The old woman seemed confused at first. ¡°You were found on the banks of the Han. We thought you were dead¡ªyour body looked done for¡ªbut you were still breathing, still... pushing.¡± She softened slightly. ¡°You¡¯re lucky to be alive, girl. This is a village near Seila Castle.¡±


    Yue froze.


    [Seila Castle... That means I¡¯m not in Enka. I was swept down the Han River... all the way to the Nokrang heartlands.]


    Her stomach sank. She was stranded¡ªwounded, alone, and hundreds of weis behind the frontlines. Her unit had been decimated in that ambush, and now the weight of survival¡ªand of warning her people¡ªrested on her broken shoulders.