The Life Before

"Hi there! You look lonely. Do you want to play?"

Those were the last lines six year old Lin Yu heard before being dragged away and beaten for being 'dangerously close' to the Zhou family's young mistress.

The whips hurt of course, however they weren't designed to kill, only to engrave pain within the slaves of the Zhou family, rendering them fearful and loyal for the rest of their lives. After all, the enslaved Lin clan was once known as the tigers of the heavens and the emperor's watchdog, possessing powerful bloodlines that remained prominent even under complete suppression.

It was not only the Lin clan that had fallen to the Zhou clan, becoming eternal slaves to the oppressive family, but rather majority of the clans that swore absolute loyalty to the previous emperor. Only a century previous to current days, Emperor Yan, one of the most kind and rational emperor's that had ruled the realm was betrayed, poisoned, assassinated and disposed, becoming something of a terrible myth that would continue for years to come. Now replaced with the tyrannical Emperor Shi, those loyal clans would fall to slavery and the lapdogs that betrayed their emperor for power would rise.

Much later now, or from your perspective, maybe not so, Lin Yu had grown. Grown to become tall, reliable, and quite the looker. If not for the cruel restraints upon his limbs and the scars and scratches all over his body, he would definitely be considered a top level, attractive male. Having just reached the age of 17, it was prime time for his growth as well.

Living his entire life in slavery, Lin Yu had never known the pleasures of life, only being sustained by the encouragement of his fellow slaves and the flickering fire within his soul, urging him to live on.

Of course, this was only until that one girl appeared.

Ironically, it was the one that had caused him to receive a terrible beating, however most definitely, it was the one that first brought something other than fear and pain. She wasn't much older than him, being seven the first time that they had met, however she was like the caring hands of true god, warming his heart and filling him with purpose ever since.

Lin Yu had never spoken to the girl after that, however from time to time, he could catch glimpses of her beautiful figure wandering around the courtyards, dancing in the sunshine and prancing in the rain. When he was 14, he had come close to interacting with the girl once more, however mindful of his status of a slave and knowing the consequences if he were to be caught, he could only shrink away, carrying out the orders of the master that he had been assigned.

Unlike the many other slaves, however, Lin Yu had a dream, and that was to one day escape the grasps of the Zhou family, allowing his brothers and sisters, friends and family, acquaintances that he had made with slaves from other clans, to all roam free and live as the heavens had birthed them to. Where did this monstrous resolve originate from? Well, of course that was from the bloodline secrets that were passed on from mouth to mouth, heir to heir of the Lin family.

[ If one wishes for it, then fly free! If one wishes for it, the roam the world! ]

That was the everlasting secret of the Lin clan's powerful bloodline. Nothing fancy, nothing special, just the will to live. It may sound like something a wishful child would spout, however it provided countless generations of the Lin clan perseverance, courage and numerous qualities a free man would boast.

Although he had never truly experienced freedom, Lin Yu imagined it to be a thousand times better than what they were going through, something akin to dancing in the sun and prancing in the rain, without the need to carry out every single order from another person that they did not even know.

Lin Yu lugged over the final set of Sentry Eyed Tree logs before stacking them up in a pile in front of his master's house. It was tough work, however after completing similar tasks for the entirety of his life, it was but another job, nothing more.

Just as he placed one of the logs carefully upon the triangular pile he was creating, Lin Yu heard a cute whisper from behind him.

"Hey! My name is Zhou Lan, what's yours?"

Though deeper and obviously more mature, the voice was identical to the one from eleven years ago, filled with the same playfulness and vitality that made it so pleasant. Unconsciously, a soothing warmth embraced his heart and emotions, instantly lowering his guard towards this innocent girl.

"My kin named me Lin Yu."

Zhou Lan squatted down beside Lin Yu, a curious expression upon her face, "Lin Yu? That's a really nice name!"

Unfamiliar to the praise, Lin Yu scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "Thanks, I guess. You have a nice name as well."

Without even realising it, Lin Yu found himself deeply entranced by the young mistress of the family that had enslaved him, completely engaged in a rare, yet enjoyable conversation with somebody that he had only ever gotten glimpses of. Unlike the rest of the Zhou clan that he had come in contact with, Lin Yu could feel something obviously different. It wasn't as if she were offering him extensive care or special treatment, however this seemingly simple interaction he was having expressed a unique innocence and kind nature.

Suddenly, a stifling thought that Lin Yu had to ask sprang into his mind.

"Young mistress Zhou Lan..."

Zhou Lan waved away the comment, pouting slightly, "Don't call me that. Just Zhou Lan is enough."

Lin Yu chuckled slightly, "Alright, alright. Zhou Lan, why did you want to talk to me? I'm a slave, while you're an important member of the Zhou family. Don't you have people of more equal status to talk to?"

Zhou Lan tilted her head as if confused, her long hair creating spirals on the ground, "Why of course, that's because of all the fate ribbons bound to you. How can anyone not be intrigued by you?"

Lin Yu crinkled his forehead, "Fate ribbons? What do you mean?"

"Hmm? Have you never heard of them? Fate ribbons are..." Zhou Lan turned her head towards a carriage in the distant, most likely just come back from business outside of the Zhou clan.

Lin Yu peered, however he was unable to notice anything special about the carriage the Zhou Lan was staring at. Bewildered, he sought to ask the girl, however a hand gesture silenced his intentions.

"I need to go. If you're seen near me, you might be beaten like that time many years ago. Hurry, go!" Zhou Lan whispered before hurrying away, opposite the direction of the slave camps.

Overwhelmed by the sudden change of atmosphere, Lin Yu sneaked behind the walls of the manor of his master before using the cover and sprinting towards where the slaves would gather. Since Zhou Lan had instructed him so, he would carry it out, even if he wasn't bound by slavery.

Panting slightly from the all-out sprint, Lin Yu scurried amongst the other slaves before hurrying to where those of the Lin clan would generally reside. Luckily, he had finished creating the stack of logs that he had been tasked with, giving him sufficient reason to be back with the other slaves.

A young boy, just entering his teens, leapt into Lin Yu and embraced him tightly, "Big bro Yu! You're back!"

Glancing anxiously behind him, Lin Yu hugged the boy tightly, "Yes, I'm back. There might be a bit of trouble stirring, however you must stay behind me and keep calm, alright?"

The boy nodded in response, gripping Lin Yu's tattered robes tightly.

Just as Lin Yu had feared, a furious shout from one of the elders of the Zhou family sounded throughout the entire slave camp.

"We recently identified one of the slaves in this camp to have come in close vicinity of the young mistress. Own yourself up and receive punishment!"

The thin eyed elder scanned the crowd for any movements before snorting in disdain, "Hmph, cowards! If you don't own up, we'll punish every single slave here!"

Lin Yu cursed inwardly. Even though he knew that the punishment would be harsh and could possibly even result in his death due to him being a re-offender, that was no reason to cause the thousands of slaves present to all get punished. He would never forgive himself if that were to happen.

Taking a deep breath and gathering his courage, Lin Yu was about to step up when a flurry of hooves and a silver trumpet rang.

Following the direction of the sounds, a troop of soldiers and an upright commander rode up to the elder before unfurling a scroll and beginning to recite.

"Elder Xu! The remnants of the enslaved clans have come to attempt a rescue. While they are only the remnants, there are still several thousands of rebel scum and several powerful figures among them. The Supreme Commander requests for your presence upon the battlefield. It seems that the head of mages, Elder Kai, will be activating high level magic to aid us in this battle."

Elder Xu stood upright and saluted, "Yes commander!"

The messenger nodded before riding away with the soldiers. With a sharp glint in his eye, Elder Xu swept the crowd before spitting disdainfully upon the floor, "I'll deal with all of yous later. Whoever did the act better own up, or suffer the consequences."

With that, the elder and his retainers hurried towards the main gates of the Zhou clan, quickly disappearing from sight. Lin Yu heaved a sigh of relief as the matter was postponed.

"Everyone, did you hear that?"

"Our brothers and sisters are coming back to rescue us!"

"But isn't the Zhou clan still too powerful? Especially since that head of mages is acting as well."

While the Zhou clan had not single handedly taken out all the loyal clans, their power was not something that mere remnants of their clans could compete with. In best case scenario, the attackers would be able to escape with minimal losses, however the worst case scenario, it was something nobody wanted to imagine.

The slaves sighed hopelessly as they retreated back towards their shelters, waiting for the worst.

Lin Yu turned his brain desperately for ideas as he took in the information. From what he knew, it seemed that the Zhou clan had determined the incoming saviours to be powerful enough that they required high level magic in order to defeat. If that were the case, removing that source of powerful magic would quickly turn the tides of battle, possibly allowing the rescue party to succeed, breaking the slaves out. However it was extremely obvious that there would be guards and defences lined around the great mage, preventing anyone from interrupting the spell cast. Even if it wanted to help, it would be but a pipe dream with what he had.

Out of the corner of his ear, Lin Yu heard the voices of the most valiant, rebellious, yet discreet bunch of people among the Lin clan.

"This is our grand opportunity!"

"Yes! We have to find a way to help our clan win this exchange!"

"Alright, first lets get an idea of who wants to participate. Let's see a show of hands."

That last voice was his true sister, Lin Su. Born a leader and raised a leader, she could easily best any other in leading and organising subtle movements that benefited the slaves. The only downside to her was her lack of fighting ability. She had been one of the slaves that were selected to become maids for the Zhou clan and hence, never got the opportunity to train her strength. Luckily, she had been placed into the hands of a rather kind old elder who only wished to live an easy going life after his many years of hard work for the clan. If she were to be put under a young lustful master, with her good looks, who knew what type of despicable acts would be done to her.

Putting on a courageous smile, Lin Yu stepped forward before raising his hand, alongside the other boys of the Lin clan and dozens of other slaves from different clans. Since all their clans were working together to free them, it was only natural that they work together to disrupt the Zhou clan's plans.

"Listen up! From what we've been able to deduce, the deciding factor to this battle will be the grand mage and his magic. While it will be difficult, and many of us will most likely die, this is a mission that must be undertaken as it concerns hundreds of thousands of our clan members!" Lin Su shouted, reaching out towards every listener in the slave camp.

Almost as naturally as one would eat and sleep, Lin Su gathered together slaves that had worked in different parts of the Zhou clan, quickly constructing an approximate map of the Zhou clan's interior and guessing the possible positions for the head of mages to be in. Without any hesitation, Lin Su split the hundred or so participating slaves into groups, each with separate tasks upon their arrival on the Zhou clan's residence. An expert, one may say, but to her, this was nothing more than a job she had to complete.

Before long, organised groups of slaves had been set and the scouting group of the ten younger boys set out before the others. Lin Yu, as one of the most capable slaves in terms of physical prowess, was placed inside the invasive squad, the one that would seek out the elder and prevent him from casting his magic. Grabbing one of the sharpened sticks that Lin Su had prepared long ago, Lin Yu glanced towards the grand Zhou clan residence.

"Infiltration groups one and two, you can set out now! Lin Yu, instead of following the two groups, infiltrate the residence yourself. Your way should have been cleared by the scouting parties and the bait parties, so find that mage and slit his throat!" Lin Su grabbed Lin Yu by the shoulder before punching him lightly in the chest, sending him off with a gaze of appreciation and determination.

Knowing that Lin Su's plans were generally exceptional and rarely had any flaws, Lin Yu sped up towards the residence, making use of the shadowy areas of the road up and order to hide his advance. He had been up this path countless times, yet this was the first time he was travelling up without orders from the Zhou clan.

Reaching the doors of the residence, Lin Yu hid his figure behind the stack of logs that he had laid earlier before peeking carefully through the gaps, checking his perimeter with every step. Just as Lin Su had told him, there were virtually no guards, having most of them left for battle and the remaining few drawn away by the distraction groups of slaves.

Sliding out the sharpened stick, Lin Yu made his way through the halls of the residence, dashing quietly past doorways and sneaking up the endless stairs before moving towards the highest point of the residence. From what Lin Su had said, one of the most likely spots for where the magic would be casted would be the top of the residence, as not only did it have the best viewpoint for the battle, but it would also enhance the effect of area effect based magic, increasing its power against a large army.

Following the estimated layout that Lin Su had created, Lin Yu found himself at the top of the residence, peering through several parted doors and a long hallway to what seemed like the mage's vantage point. Unfortunately, there were four completely armoured guards, each armed with a large pike and covered in shiny, yet obviously powerful armour.

Without warning, a soft hand fell on his shoulder and he turned around in shock, ready to retaliate against any danger that could befell him, however there was none. Behind him, crouched the beautiful mistress that he had only met twice in his life, Zhou Lan.

Sighing in relief, but also tensing anxiously, Lin Yu knew that there was no excuse as to why he would be up in the highest point of the Zhou clan's residence, a sharpened stick in hand as well. Lin Yu's throat turned dry, freezing any words of explanation he had and locking them within.

"Your fate... it seems that you're indeed destined for it..." Zhou Lan spoke in a soft, yet clear voice.

Fearful to speak, Lin Yu stayed silent and listened on.

"You want to stop him, don't you?"

Lin Yu's eyes widened in shock, about to speak anything that came to mind.

"I can see it. Your fate ribbons tell me so..."

Her voice was so calming, so innocent, and yet she had seen through his plans without a hitch.

Swallowing down his fears, Lin Yu spoke out, "Who are you?"

Using the same head tilt as before, Zhou Lan smiled lightly, "I'm Zhou Lan. I'm sure you're confused right now, however if you still have the same conviction as you've always had, you must act now. Remove those chains that bind you, and you'll gain the strength you need to save your friends."

Lin Yu looked down at the illusory chains that bound his being, shaking his head sadly, "I cannot remove the chains. They were casted upon me by a supreme mage, so physical force alone cannot..."

Zhou Lan's finger fell upon his lips as she leaned forwards, "It is not physical strength that breaks these chains, but your will. Believe that you're free. Believe that you're not a slave, and they shall fall."

Bewildered by the instructions, Lin Yu chanted within himself the motto of the Lin clan, feeling the thoughts of becoming free surge throughout his body. Unlike the hundreds of times he had done so before, a mystical energy seemed to traverse through his veins, circulating his body and relieving the chains that he had felt so tight. The illusory chains flickered and twisted before dissipating into thousands of colourful particles.

Lin Yu stared in awe before standing up abruptly, swinging his fists through the air. Silent shockwaves radiated from his swings and a newfound powerful that had always existed, however lay dormant behind the shackles burst out freely.

"This is... How come the chains can come off now?"

Zhou Lan smiled lightly, "With only several steps from freedom, you can finally truly believe that you live for yourself and your purposes. The final visages of slavery has evaporated from your mind, freeing you from the eternal curse of the Zhou clan. This is the power of the Lin clan's bloodline."

Lin Yu had thousands of questions to ask, however he could feel the pressure in the air begin to build and tens of footsteps sounded from the staircase behind him.

"Lin Yu!"

"Brother Yu!"

A dozen of his closest friends among the slaves dashed up the stairs before waving urgently towards Lin Yu, "Quick! Big sis Su told us that the magic is going to go off soon. We must hurry and stop it!"

Without words, Lin Yu nodded before dashing down the long hallways, sprinting at speeds he could never reach before. Almost instinctively, Lin Yu lunged with his sharpened stick towards one of the four guards that had turned to face them, pikes extended. Narrowly dodging the pike, Lin Yu stabbed the stick into the soldier's body, impaling it deep before moving on and blocking a deadly slash from the others soldiers.

Within seconds, the other slaves piled into the room, overwhelming the remaining guards by sheer numbers and beating them to the ground, disarming them from further attacks.

Feeling the pressure rise even further, Lin Yu grabbed the pike of one of the fallen soldiers and burst through the large doors to the final room. The moment his foot stepped into the room, fierce winds slammed the doors shut behind him, leaving Lin Yu to face a stricken faced elder before him.

Unlike the guards, the elder had no form of defences, completely exposed to harm. Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yu stepped forwards and stabbed the cross-headed pike through the man's chest.

Contrary to Lin Yu's expectations, the elder fell instantly, collapsing on the floor before convulsing intensely. Dazed at the sight, Lin Yu tried to back himself away, however he was already against the wall. The elder's body conflagrated, searing into nothingness before Lin Yu's eyes. It was a scary sight, especially with the nauseating smell of burning flesh filled the room.

Waving aside the smoke, Lin Yu ran up to the open air balcony at the end of the room before searching past the walls of the Zhou clan for signs of battle. For the first time in his life, he was able to fully appreciate the sheer size of the Zhou clan, however his attention soon locked upon fiery explosions and trembling space, almost a kilometre away. From what he could see, although there were many opponents to the Zhou clan, under the heat of battle, it seemed that the attackers did not notice the sliding encirclement, slowly closing upon the rebel army.

Cursing under his breath, Lin Yu knew that if nothing was done, the remnants of the enslaved clans would fall under the encirclement, and all their efforts would go to waste. Eyes landing upon a pedestal in the centre of the room, Lin Yu realised that the elder from before was casting his magic there. Rushing in front of it, he was met with a glowing book, shining bright despite the hovering smoke that had yet to clear.

Upon reaching out and touching the pages, Lin Yu felt immense power surge through his body, resonating with his heartbeat and gasping his arms tightly, however not restrictively. The power built up in a flash, sliding from his fingers and escaping into the space above the battlefield.

* * *

"Fifth commander! Our encirclement will be complete in mere moments. The rebels shall be wiped out completely!"

The soldier relayed the message before brandishing his spear and charging into battle once more.

A thick armed commander upon a sleek black horse grinned devilishly as he stared on. If the battle had been completely fair and each opponent would fight one of theirs, they would likely lose due to the disparity in strength, however thanks to the watchmen from the walls, they were able to manoeuvre their troops into advantageous positions, eventually winning them the advantage.

The commander looked up at the skies, however the building spell had stopped forming, dissipating into the air as if it had never happened.

"Good, good. It seems that even that old foggie of an elder has realised that the battle is over. There was no need for his assistance after all!"

The commander laughed heartily before impaling a nearby rebel soldier. Seeing the encirclement complete, the commander quickly sent out orders to numerous subordinates for the final engagement, pushing down the opponents and silencing them once and for all. Just as he was about to initiate a charge from his personal platoon, a strike of thunder echoed across the blood-stained plains.

Something deep within struck the commander's heart as he looked up. From what he had been told, the elder was instructed to cast a firestorm upon the enemy, however what was currently forming was not the firestorm that they were expecting, but one of the most powerful spells the mage had been researching, but not yet mastered, the [ Precision Lightning Storm ].

Telling himself within his heart over and over again, the commander tried to reassure himself that nothing was wrong and the elder only wanted to take further precautions, however just at the moment, hundreds of lightning bolts flashed towards the ground from the menacing, dark clouds above, electrocuting and incinerating thousands of Zhou clan soldiers in an instant.

"What is going on?"

"Isn't the elder casting the spell?"

"Don't tell me his eyesight is so bad that he's missing?"

The commander cast his vision back towards the top of the tower, however what he saw was not the old mage, but a young man behind the grand Pedestal of Spells. Eyes red with rage and heart filled with resentment, the commander screamed curses into the air before being struck down by a powerful bolt of lightning, never to move again.

* * *

Lin Yu watched as the lightning consumed the Zhou clan soldiers, destroying them and scattering them into worthless individuals who were lucky enough to survive the storm. A great cheer sounded from the battlefield as the rebel soldiers charged towards the gates, breaking down everything in their path.

He hadn't noticed it at first, however when the spell finished casting, his body felt lighter, devoid of energy and dried of motivation. Lin Yu felt his body fall to the cold floor, resting there without a sound and without any movement. The sounds of cheering and desperate voices sounded around him, however they grew softer and softer. His vision dimmed and darkness filled what had disappeared from his sight.

It wasn't painful, nor was it unpleasant, however Lin Yu knew that he was dying. The over-drafted meridians and muscles had gone limp within his body, the arteries had burst from the magic induced pressure and his consciousness was simply ever-fading.

Everything was closing off. His senses, his mind, his life.

Just as everything was about to black out, the all so unique voice of Zhou Lan rang in his mind.

"Even as you disperse, the fate ribbons remain. You're interesting, you know that?"

That was the last he heard, and the last he knew, before his soul separated from his body, heading towards the place that deceased souls went.