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Chapter 1
A Divided China

Lyiss inched her way towards the faint sound of a conversation, she grasped the hilt of her sword with her elegant hand. She brushed her beautiful, dark hair away from her ear and put it against the door. She was trying her best to make out the words being exchanged between the Royal Ambassador of Donwhang and her father, the King of Jangan, but unfortunately she could only hear the delicate sound two voices in the distance. She slyly slipped into the room where the meeting was commenced and stayed out of sight of the two men. Finally she could hear what they were talking about.
“I’m expecting that I will see the Soldiers of Fortune and your highness himself at first light tomorrow, ready to march.” the ambassador said in a chilly voice as he took a sip of his tea.
The King hesitated a while before answering, “And I’ll expect you to keep your end of the bargain. Once we overthrow the Empire of Hotan I will be granted the title of Commander of the Imperial Army of Hotan.”
The ambassador smiled and gave a small nod, satisfied about the terms that they have come to.

Lyiss could hardly believe what she had just heard, her own father, the King of Jangan is conspiring with the infamous Baroness of Donwhang against the Empire, a fool would know better than that. She knew what she had to do, get to the Golden City of Hotan before the army does and inform the Emperor of King On’denu’s treachery; however that was easier said than done. The Golden City was a 20-day journey, on horse. Not to mention the creatures and bandits that she would encounter on the way.

Lyiss thought it would be best for now if she went back to her bed chambers, but decided otherwise as she passed by the bathing chambers and smelled the sweet aroma of roses and perfume, she savored it. With a relaxed smile she headed towards the bathing chambers, undressing her smooth, velvety robes as she opened the door. She excitedly hurried towards the bath, dipping her toe in the water to test the temperature. It was perfect. She slowly sank into the bath and giving out a sigh of relief, after a long day. She massaged her naked body with her hands and a bar of soap that was conveniently right next to her, and gave out a moan of pleasure.

There was a sound coming from outside the door. Lyiss hurried out of the bath and grabbed her robes as she went to open the door, only to discover a pre-pubescent boy with a dirty moustache standing there, smiling.
“Dra, get the **** out!” Lyiss snapped at her brother. Dragar opened his mouth as if he were to speak but thought it would be wise not to. Lyiss gave him a cold look and he slowly backed off. Lyiss muttered a few words to herself about how disrespectful kids are these days. She gave out a sigh and headed to her bed chambers. Finally it was the end of the day and she could relax a bit. She climbed into her bed and drifted off almost immediately.

She woke up not long after, thinking about her father and the conspiracy. She decided it would be best to leave for the Empire immediately. And so Lyiss packed her stuff and was ready to head out until she heard a scream coming from outside the palace. She thought it would be best to ignore it. As she walked past the throne room she saw her father sitting on the throne with his head buried in his hands, his commander standing next to him. She heard the King issue the order to ready the Soldiers of Fortune immediately and leave as soon as he commands. Lyiss looked at the King in disgust and kept walking. She stole a horse from the stables and left for the Golden City.

It was the time of the 4th ruler of the great Han Dynasty, Emperor Zhang. The empire was prosperous, and with past Emperor Chin’s habit of collecting rare treasures, the capital city of Jangan was a majestic sight. Travelers would cross the treacherous Silkroad just to lay eyes upon the beauty of his majesty’s imperial court in Jangan. The imperial city was filled with life, trade, and excitement. Besides great beauty, Jangan also boasted one of the largest and best military camps. This was a necessity as the tombs of the great rulers of the Han were constantly at threat of being robbed. Jangan was also a place where heroes were needed. The Demon Clan plagues the empire as many trades are lost. Led by their leader who controls a saint beast, Uruchi, the Demon Clan has control over many bandit and robber teams, but many suspect that the clan has a deeper purpose. The 4 great masters of ten-chi, inner elemental force, were once disciples from Jangan. The master of the North, Han Bing, wielded the nimble sword combined with the frigid powers of ice for an unrivaled defense. During the great civil war, he aided the 2nd Han ruler by freezing the entire rebel army with merely one swing of the sword. The master of the South, Hwar Yeo, wielded the mighty glaive combined with the burning powers of fire for an unrivaled offense. Legend says that he defeated a demonic water dragon by cracking the earth itself and boiling off all the water in the lake. The master of the east, Pung Roi, is rarely seen. He is said to move as fast as the wind, but his chosen weapon, the bow, allows him to send death raining from the sky. The master of the west, Gih Yeo, was well known in his power with controlling the force within all living things. With his bare hands he was able to conquer the Himalayan Giants with a simple poke beneath their ribs. Legend has it that the Giants are still frozen to this day unable to move their bodies due to his attack. Although all four masters now reside on the border of the Han Empire, they knew that Jangan was calling their names, and that there is no escaping Fate.

It was the 12th year of Caesar's rule over Rome. The Romans had lost their spirit of adventure for many years since the chronicles of the great Odysseus. It wasn’t until recently after the conquest of Egypt did the winds of adventure blow through the Romans again. After conquering Egypt, Cleopatra revealed to Caesar the reason she allowed Egypt to fall so easily. Caesar learned that the Cleopatra’s personal priest had predicted before his death, a great war that would envelope the heaven and earth. The only way to prevent eternal night would be for Cleopatra to submit herself to allow Egypt to become the gate for the seven stars to break the people out of the darkness. Realizing this, Caesar secretly pushed the Romans into training. The temples of Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Gaia, Ares, Poseidon, and Artemis were told to seek out seven children to hone in the ways of the gods. As time passed, the Roman Empire grew larger and more prosperous. The seven children who were trained by the heavens were now adults. Little did they know, Fate already had their lives planned out, and soon, all seven children would be forced to cross the dangerous Silkroad.

Amidst all this prosperity, little did the humans realize what was truly happening .While empires on opposite sides were preparing for war, not realizing they were doing nothing more than following the path marked by the Fate. Worlds far apart would soon have to come together to fight for their survival.