The Oath of an Emperor

Prologue

The air was heavier, as if it was something of physical properties entering the lungs. The land upon this realm was scorched as far as the eye could see. The sky was no longer recognisable, tinted with such a bright orange which almost made it look like it had been replaced with a raging fire threatening to consume all.

If one ever wanted to understand how far away from home he was, he only need look up. This land was barren, not like the deserts in the mortal realms where there were still signs of life, it was empty of any life. There was no sense of direction or time in this unnatural wasteland, no moon to guide or stars in the night sky, only the constant fury of a burning sky. There was a reek of death, enough to drive any man insane with fear if he did not fortify his mind.

In the distance, Monoliths stood tall, decorated with what looked like skulls of all manner of creatures, blood smeared across it as if it were an altar to a corrupt and foul God. Surrounding them were flames that never seemed to die, eternally burning. A fortress could be seen in the distance, surrounded by fire, rivers of blood flowed around it that never seemed to run dry. If there was ever a place that could personify fear or the absence of hope, this was it.

The portals back to the mortal realm had closed. The only way was forward. For the future of the nation, the celestial emperor Zhao Liang and his legions marched on to to strike down the dark God where he rested.

Chapter 1

For a 1000 years, the towers of Shang-Yan stood tall as a beacon of hope and strength for mankind, known as the eternal city because it had never fallen in the face of countless threats. The current emperor Zhao Liang and his wife the empress Xao Ming had finally ushered in an era of peace that those many generations before him had fought and bled to bring.

Emperor Zhao was held by many to be the greatest ever to have taken the throne. He was a fine statesman and an even finer warrior but what made him great was his commitment and loyalty to his people. Zhao was a man who carried no selfish ambition in his heart but a desire only to serve his people and his great nation. It was said that on the day Zhao was ordained as emperor and was given the celestial blade passed from emperor to emperor, the blade was surrounded by an incredible light, a sign that the heavens were pleased.

Though the lesser Lords of the lands were initially very hesitant to ordain one so young as emperor, Zhao Liang demonstrated wisdom and benevolence far beyond his age. Often, avoiding unnecessary conflicts and wars through diplomacy and wisdom. He finished the campaigns that his father had started against the biggest threats to the empire thereby securing its borders. His prowess on the battlefield had earnt him the title of the Dragon of Shang Yan. The emperor had led armies personally in the defence of the Capital against countless foes and was yet to be defeated. The Han Empire had known peace after a long time.

But they grew ignorant, blinded by the comfort and wealth, blind to the greatest threat that would put the very future of the empire at risk. It had all started with rumours, news of portals opening in distant lands, beings far from human, pouring out and consuming entire kingdoms in mad bloodlust and rage leaving behind only charred bodies scattered everywhere with everything that resembled a city in flames. Most in the imperial court considered these rumours to be old wives tales, made up by the lower classes to scare their children to sleep.

Until an imperial outpost responsible for protecting the borders of the Empire to the North stopped reporting. At the command of the emperor , a scouting party was sent to ascertain why the outpost was no longer reporting to the capital, when they returned, terror was etched in their faces. Imperial scouts who for years had gathered intelligence across many lands for the emperor stood as if they were children who had seen a ghost. Their words went far beyond any tales a mother being could create. Bodies of men strewn across what was once the outpost, some without heads, others with their torso’s separated entirely from the lower extremities.

The outpost burning and in the middle of it stood a monolith, decorated with the heads of those who once watched the borders, an everlasting flame burning around if. This was not the doing of barbarians or brigands or of soldiers of an enemy kingdom. The sights seen at the outpost was so traumatic that the emperor granted the scouts time to return to their families and sent his healers to them, not to minister to any wounds on their bodies but to their minds.

For days on end, the Emperor and his council attempted to reach a consensus on how to tackle a threat like this. The Han Empire had faced attack from rival empires and rebel armies both in and out of its borders, but this was something else entirely. The priests of the empire sat in silence days on end seeking direction and clarity from the heavens. Patrols were doubled at every border and outposts were reinforced. However, the urgency and the nature of the threat was made even clearer when the bordering villages of Nan Dong and Jing Gao were attacked.

Upon receiving word, the emperor himself against the advice of his council, rushed to the aid of the villages, at the forefront of the imperial army. Not many had the honour of seeing the emperor in his celestial armour , it had served him well for years, protecting him from blows that would have otherwise killed him. He stepped out into a balcony overlooking the famed Jade Legions, the best army in the old world, who were now stood in formation before him awaiting orders from their emperor. No matter how old a warrior was, the thrill of battle never left him for better or worse. But this was not like any other enemy, their only objective seemed to be slaughtering as many innocents as possible in a mindless rage and burning everything before them.

He had heard reports from far and wide about the aftermath of these attacks, how men, women and children were killed without any mercy, their bodies left without dignity some even for days before they were discovered. The emperor felt a holy rage that he had never experienced before muster within him. Without his knowledge, his hand curled up into a fist and as he was about to address his troops he felt a cold hand upon his own, it was the Empress Xao Ming, her face carried the same grace as it had when they had married, her untied hair blowing in the wind. He felt the rage within dispel and peace and calmness took its place. ‘I have seen that look before....but your people need you here, General Wu Shen and Xiu Lia are more than capable of facing whatever it is responsible for this evil, you need not go’ Zhao Liang rested his hand on her face ‘20 years since the first time I looked upon your face in your Fathers palace but it has not lost a speck of beauty…..I promise you what I have always promised before I go to battle, I will come back…but I will not cower in my palace when my people are being killed like animals’ his tone changed, the righteous rage burning within him before the arrival of the Empress had taken hold of him again, his gaze become focused ‘ I will send these abominations back into the pit from whence they came.’

Xao Ming had seen the focus in those eyes many times before, it was this focus that had saved the Empire from many a threat. Hesitantly, she stepped aside and whispered to him what she would whisper before every battle, ‘fulfil your oath as the protector of your people, may the blessing of the heavens travel with you’ with that she took her place next to him.

Almost as if reading the emperors mind, his most trusted friend and mount, Shi Xin, a fine great tianma hovered down alongside the balcony, clothed in regal armour, gleaming in the blue sky . In the common tongue, the tianma was known as the flying horse, only the most elite warriors of the Jade Legions were capable of taming and riding these royal beasts, found in the mountains of Jiang Dong to the west. Zhao Liang had found the tianma when she was just a foal while hunting in the mountains.It was said that the tianma’s would only allow a rider of courage and a pure heart to command her. In their younger years they resembled a mighty horse with wings, however, as they matured, they grew considerably in size, their paws forming claws and their skin taking a bright green colour with shades of red. Many a warrior had been slain attempting to arrogantly bring a Tianma into submission. A fully grown and armoured tianma was a sight to behold striking fear into even the most savage of enemies. The royal beast and the emperor had grown incredibly fond of each other. The name Shi Xin translated to Lion Heart in the common tongue. There was a reason why she was given that name. In the midst of the Empire’s brutal campaign against the dark Gods worshipping barbarian tribes of the north, while marching towards a barbarian stronghold the Jade Legions were caught in an ambush in a narrow passageway between two mountains.

The emperor was cut off from the the rest of his legion and was knocked off his tianma, the fall had rendered the emperor unconscious. Eventually, when the legion managed to fight their way to the side of the emperor, they reported seeing the tianma standing above Zhao Liang, bloodied and bruised, with scores of barbarian bodies surrounding them. The regal beast had stood guard over the unconscious emperor for over an hour, not allowing a single axe or spear to touch her rider, Tianma’s were known to be gentle and loving outside of the fires of battle but in battle, they were ferocious and a sight to behold. It was said that on that day, even the Emperors own celestial guards were afraid of approaching the tianma lest she perceived them as an enemy and butchered them with her claws. Upon the emperors recovery, he learnt of what the Tianma had done. Filled with gratitude it was said that the Emperor bowed before her and in response the Tianma bowed even lower as if she perceived the gesture of respect and friendship. Their bond was strengthened through many a battle. A friendship that had grown strong with time. The emperor climbed upon Shi Xin, by this time the rest of the Tianma riders had hovered around him in formation.

Zhao Liang took one more look at Xao Ming, by this time, the emperors two sons and daughter had joined their mother on the balcony. He revealed a gentle smile and hovered down to his troops stood below. It was a magnificent sight, fully armoured legions of Jade warriors, their armours sturdy and their blades sharp, there were no better warriors in the old world. As they saw the emperor descend, they broke into a bow collectively, honouring their commander who would lead them into battle.

Both generals took their place alongside him. ‘The legion stands ready for your command my Lord…however…they have received word of what happened at the outpost, it has bought low their spirits’ said General Xiu Lia. The emperor took heed of what she has said and looked upon his troops, ‘Legions of the Jade emperor….I stand before you today, not as just as your emperor, but as a man with a family, like many of you. A man who at the precipice of every battle, hopes to come back to look upon the faces of his wife and children and the beauty of this great city. I have the same fear within me that lingers in your heart. This enemy that we face kills without mercy, without honour, they would see our walls burning and our children dead at their feet, but as your emperor, the heavens as my witness, I give you my word, I will make these abominations pay for every innocent life they have taken, my blade will not be sheathed until I have driven this filth from the gates of our home. Join me and let us purge this darkness from our land.’

The legions broke into battle cries and cheers, now emboldened knowing that they didn’t serve an emperor who cowered behind his palace in the face of darkness but one who faced it head on. ‘JADE LEGIONS, MARCH’ bellowed General Wu Shen. The emperor and the rest of his tianma riders flew out to front of the legion, leading them through the city gates. By this time the citizens of the capital has stepped out of their homes, they bowed low as the legion passed in reverence and gratitude to these men and women who were marching in defence of their land and its people. The emperor glanced from atop Shi Xin to see a woman rush out of her home towards one of Jade soldiers, she opened her hands to reveal a red Lilly, with tears in her eyes, she placed the Lilly atop his helmet and bid him farewell.

She looked too young to be his mother, judging by the affection she had shown him, it seemed she was his wife. It harkened the emperor’s thoughts back to the first battle after he had taken Xao Ming’s hand in marriage. Her maids said she would cry for days on end till his return. To look upon her face in the aftermath of a battle was something that would never grow old. Suddenly, Shi Xin without any warning dropped a few feet from her gentle glide causing Zhao Liang to grab onto the reigns tight. It was almost as if she was instructing her rider to break out of old memories, to focus on the task at hand. The emperor responded with a rye smile and stroked her mane, ‘thank you old friend.’

When the emperor and his legions had arrived at Nan Dong, What they faced was unlike any enemy they had faced before. Villages were burning, Bodies of men, women and children lay dead across the village and over them stood beings with skin as red as blood itself, their hind legs looked more like those of goats than humans, their armoured skulls had horns protruding from them. Spikes lined their backs, eyes that shone a bright yellow but filled with incessant hate and rage. They carried swords that didn’t resemble anything that even a master blacksmith could muster, blades that were almost as tall as a fully grown man. Nobody knew where they were from, but it was clear that they came from another realm entirely.

With utter savagery and violence, the creatures fell upon the imperial army, screaming out what seemed to be war cries in an ancient twisted language. The Jade legions of the Empire was among the most disciplined and well trained armies in the old world but in the face of this enemy, fear and panic began to spread through the lines. Battle hardened men and women forgot years of training after seeing their comrades around them getting slaughtered by these foul creatures and began to waiver, the sheer horror of looking upon these creatures and their aggression caught the emperors troops by surprise, hundreds of warriors fell under the hellish great swords of the feral beasts.

The emperor recognising the fear of his troops, gathered his strength, not paying any attention to the fear in his own heart, he did the unthinkable, he charged the demonic hosts, sat upon his armoured tianma follows closely by his elite unit of the tianma cavalry. The tip of his spear was lifted up to the sky, the light of the sun beaming off the blade as if it had come from the heavens itself. His celestial armour shone with a light that was almost blinding. The beast spread its armoured wings gathering immense momentum and speed with every gallop.

Though the daemonic host were larger than any man, they were no match for the power of the elegant beast, without any concern for self, they charged the emperor, only to be caught under the tianma’s claws and ripped apart. The rest of the riders follows behind him, planting their spears into the chests of the these hellish abominations that had threatened their nation. The actions of the emperor and his cavalry almost became like a cure, breaking the hold of fear and hopelessness upon the men. The emperor continued the charge stabbing vigorously on all sides, obliterating the vile creatures foolish enough to get close.

Emboldened by the bravery of their emperor, the Jade warriors returned to their formations, spears and swords tipped directly at their otherworldly enemy with General Wu Shen at the forefront. The general was a tall stocky man who enjoyed food as much as he did fighting. Rumour has it that his mother forced him to join the Jade legions because he would consume all the food that they could buy with what little money they had single handedly.

Despite his size he was deceptively fast with both sword and spear. Even his mother would never have thought that her son would be a general in the imperial army. He was responsible for perfecting the Jade legions spear wall formation, a formation that was famed for never faltering under any charge. The range of the spear allowed the legion to engage the enemy long before they were close enough to use their swords. Something that was unknown to the rest of his troops, Wu Shen would always kept a bun under his belt, he believed one should never have the misfortune of fighting or dying in an empty stomach.

To the surprise of the troops around him, he reached deep into his belt and yanked out what looked like a bun, though it resembled something else entirely. Staring at the daemons with an arrogant smile he took a large bite and flung what was left of the bun at them while he stepped back into the spear wall formation, raising the tip of the blade against the enemy. The smile was still present on his face. ‘Lost your nerve’ he bellowed at them, gesturing them to try and charge them…if they could. Almost as if accepting the invitation, the daemons charged the lines of the Jade legion, their twisted blades lifted high, ready to slaughter these puny men and women as they had done to countless villages and cities.

This time, their arrogance had cost them, the charge of these mindless beasts were met with a wall of spears and blades. The general thrusted his sword with such force and accuracy that it buried into the head of a daemon and drove out of the other end, killing it instantly. He had to kick the creature off to retrieve his blade from its head, as he did so, another charged him, it’s blade primed to split his skull open, with a quick flick of his wrist he slapped the blade away from his body and spun away from it, letting the daemons momentum carry it past him, like a flash Wu Shen thrusted his sword into the feral creatures neck, it struggled for a few seconds before it went limp. As he retrieved his blade, the daemon fell to the ground, blood seeping from the wound, ‘these things do bleed then’ he thought to himself as he stepped back into the spear wall formation awaiting further charges. Like tidal waves crashing upon the rocks, the general and his Jade warriors stood strong in the face of charge after charge, thrusting their spears and swords with deadly efficiency. From behind them, hundreds of iron bolts from imperial crossbows were released into the sky, falling upon the enemy as if the heavens itself had released them. Much like the principles of the empire, the Han army fought with a perfect balance. Every soldier fought not as a single individual but as a unit. Spears, swords and crossbows fought in unison, generations of training meant that every soldier in the imperial army knew his or her responsibility and function.

In one single movement, the spear wall split allowing the famed swordsmen and women of the legion to advance past them and engage the enemy. With dazzling footwork and skill with the sword, they swirled past the heavy handed blows of the daemons and cut them down when they were exposed, it was almost a dance of violence. The blades that the jade swordsmen carried were not traditional long swords but oriental blades that were curved, allowing for a more aggressive slicing motion. The aggression of these beasts made them reckless, the nimble warriors of the legion used this to their advantage, weaving past the heavy handed blows of the enemy with their shields, cutting them down before they could reposition.

The swordsmen continued to cut through them while the crossbows fired again, unleashing further bolts at the enemy, impaling them. The legion had backed the remaining daemons into a corner, whether it was out of fear or not no one knew, but the repulsive creatures stopped charging and instead began to move back somehow sensing that the battle was turning against them.

The emperor and his Tianma landed in front of the legion. Fully intending to keep to his word of slaying every single one of these merciless beasts, the emperor was about to command his legions to advance when suddenly multiple portals opened up from thin air, a result of some dark magic, and the demons began to retreat through them. ‘Cowards’ muttered Zhao as he commanded his more eager troops to stand down. Wu Shen stepped up alongside the emperor as he cleaned the blood from his gauntlets. ‘My Lord, these things…these attacks, I do not think they are random like the barbarian raids, something sinister works in the shadows that we are not yet aware of.’ Zhao nodded in agreement, ‘you speak truth my friend, we cannot afford to be on the defensive much longer, we need to locate the source of these animals and put an end to it.

In the heat of the battle, the Emperor had commanded General Xiu Lia to aid the village folk in their evacuation and lead them to the Capital while the enemy was kept at bay. Emperor Zhao and general Wu had managed to hold the attention of the mindless hordes long enough for general Xia and her men to help villagers out of burning homes and set them towards the capital, Xia sent a detachment of her troops to escort the people to the eternal city while she and the rest of her unit re-engaged the enemy. Though the fight was long and arduous, the last of the demons has fled through the same portals they had arrived in. For the first time since the attacks had begun, the foul minds orchestrating these attacks had discovered that humanity would not so easily be outdone. After securing the villages and ensuring that it’s denizens were able to evacuate to the capital. The legions began their return home, the wounded were carried by the Jade horses. The battle had been won but it came at a cost, hundreds of warriors had paid the ultimate price for the protection of their lands. It was a burden felt most by the emperor himself, he did not join the festivities that came because of the victory.

Upon return to the Capital, he was greeted by his Celestial Guard security detail, the empress and his three children who fell upon him as if he had been been gone for years. The empress had a look of both relief and panic at the same time. ‘The people need your presence just as much as they once needed your blade, your not what you used to be, your place is here ruling with wisdom and benevolence, leave the fighting to the legions’ Zhao Liang, understanding the fear behind her words, drew her into a long embrace. ‘You worry too much my empress, my death will come one day but I will pray to the heavens that it comes after and only after I have seen our sons and daughter grow up to be who they are destined to be, now come let us eat, battle makes this old man incredibly hungry’ the emperor lifted his youngest child, his daughter Lin Que into his arms, she responded to her fathers warmth with a wide smile and grabbed hold of his beard.

Though she was too young to understand the harshness of war, Zhao Liang saw the same relief he had seen on his wives face upon his daughters face. He entered the imperial Palace followed closely by his two sons Zhao Fen and Zhao Dian, his empress next to him. As he entered, his mind fled to those families who had lost sons and daughters today, taking a short moment to grieve the soldiers he had lost, he made a vow to the lost in silence that their sacrifice would not be in vein.