Master of Time

It is relaxing, submerging myself in the warm water and feeling all of my troubles simply melting away, even if it is just for a moment.

I could really close my eyes and dream of a much happier time and place, but I would not be allowed to, not here in this place, wherever this place is.

There is not a single window in sight, connecting to the outside world, making me feel isolated as well as disconnected. Perhaps that is the point, for I could die here all alone like I have always feared that I would, and no one would ever know.

Maybe I am already publicly dead to the world and everyone, as the airplane I was on was shot down by missiles that flies faster than the eyes could see.

There was no warning whatsoever other than the explosions rocking the aircraft and the flames filling the cabin.

I remember it all well.

The burning sensation wrapping around my body as the inferno enveloped me, but once more, death didn't take me.

It doesn't want me.

Just like when my mind was being overwhelmed by all the excruciating pains of my skin being peeled slowly away from my body under the dark sky and rather ironically calming sea. I couldn't do anything then, including begging for it to stop due to the blade embedded through my throat.

Despite my anguished wailing, death still didn't take me.

As much as I am afraid and terrified of death, I desperately wish that death would stop toying with me and free me from this suffering.

While I wish nothing more than enacting what I have always dreamed of on Xi Shi, I want to finally be reunited with my family. My real family with people who actually cared and loved me as a person, not just some object or prize to be had.

They are all waiting for me.

But I fear that I will not be able to even if after I die.

My hands are stained with blood. Blood from the countless people that I had killed and continued to kill just so I could live. Enough blood to drown me in the depth of hell, far away from those that I wish to be with in heaven above.

Water streams down my arm as I reach towards the ceiling. Towards that blinding light above.

The ceiling itself is illuminating, as bright as daylight, warming the unsubmerged part of my nakedness.

All the lightnings in this room as well in the hallways are artificial. They are not coming from any sort of lightbulbs I have ever seen. How strange and bizarre, telling me how much more advance that these people are in comparison to the Party.

It also tells me that there is no escape. I have no choice but to serve, just so I could live despite wanting so much to die. I hate my life but fear the process of dying so much that I am unable to kill myself, not having the same courage when I was much younger.

I know it is a contradiction, but that is how I truly feel.

The turmoil of being alive.

Even though Lu Bu knows exactly what is going through my mind, he continues to watch me from the bench, not always paying attention. His pupils dilate every now and then as if his mind is elsewhere or preoccupied with something else.

I wonder what, but will he answer me when I ask?

"Depends on whether you have the right to know or not, Miss Xi Shi. If you wish to die, I can end it for you, but do you truly wish to die when the person that takes away your family continues to live?"

Lu Bu speaks up, confirming that he does have some sort of telepathy.

He can read my mind as freely as he chooses. I want to know what he is thinking as well. Will that be possible one day?

And he is right. Despite how much I want, I am not satisfied with just dying alone while others continue to live without retribution for what they have done. For the suffering that they had caused me.

It also includes that Shinobi for skinning me alive.

But sadly, I am too weak to do anything.

Lu Bu chuckles and takes in a deep breath.

"Yes, you are, Miss Xi Shi. Very weak. And you will always be weak when comparing to Kakashi, so for you to kill him is a bit beyond the realm of possibilities. By the way, that is his name, but I suppose he must have forgotten to tell you it. He probably didn't think much of you."

Lu Bu confirms what I have always known. I am weak, and I will always be weak, no matter what. I will not be able to kill her and honor all the sisters that have died under her hands. My sisters.

"But it is not entirely impossible, Miss Xi Shi. I always believe that if there is a will, there will definitely be a way. You just have to think harder. Become smarter. You just to know what your enemies want, and you will know how to kill them…"

Lu Bu pauses for a moment before smiling. His shoulders rise so ever slightly as if he is debating within himself about the things that he is telling me.

"I shouldn't teach you how to kill other members of Legion. That is the name of our organization, so I suggest you remember it well. But I can teach you how to kill anyone else, including those that you're fearing so much."

Lu Bu continues. Confidences in his words and expressions, and even though I have seen how fast he is, still pales compare to her, I believe him.

I believe that even though Lu Bu isn't as strong as her, he will still able to help me kill her.

And with that belief, I approach the edge of the pool and look up at him.

"Please teach me, senior brother. I will do anything to be able to kill her."

I speak up and blink when he frowns a little.

His eyes become deadly serious, as if I had said something wrong.

"You really think I would lose to someone like her, Miss Xi Shi?"

Lu Bu questions as the air in the room becomes suffocating. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't really breathe at all. He could choke me to death with his killing intent alone!?

"No… I'm… sorry… senior… brother…"

I gasp the words, realizing what a terrible mistake I just did. This killing intent surpasses than of Xi Shi, so much so that I lost control of my body.

The killing intent vanishes as my vision begins to wane.

My consciousness is slipping.

And luckily, I manage to stay conscious and then pull myself back from the brink.

"I shouldn't get upset since you didn't say it out loud. If I start killing everyone who thinks bad of me, half the world would probably be dead. Probably more than half, and those that are left alive probably never heard of me to think bad about me."

Lu Bu returns to his usual cheerful self, finding some kind of amusement in his words.

His eyes retain their seriousness, however. He is still displeased at me.

And I lower my head apologetically.

Even though Lu Bu had stated that our rank within this organization is the same, the difference in our powers and abilities is heaven and earth.

How can someone be so strong!?

Strong enough to kill someone like me with just a look alone. I am much stronger than normal people because I am a Chimera, but in his presence, I am nothing more than an ant.

"More like a speck of dust, Miss Xi Shi."

Lu Bu corrects me. He is in my mind, knowing everything about me. I cannot hide anything from him.

I cannot hide anything from anyone here, and that terrifies me.

"But you shouldn't be depressed about that, Miss Xi Shi. I am also a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things despite the power that I wield. Ah. I mean to say that even as powerful as I am compared to you, I am exceedingly weak compare to Master. He can kill you before you even realize you are dead, as if he can stop time itself."

My body tenses up. My mind fills with questions.

Just how powerful is the Master exactly? I feel like I was being flayed alive in front of him, even though he is watching me through a camera.

It is just not possible to exert killing intent on another person without being there in person. Not only the Master isn't there in person, but his killing intent can physically harm a person.

He isn't a Chimera. He is something else entirely!

"Let's say, no one in this universe is as powerful as the Master himself, Miss Xi Shi, and if you managed to be a speck of dust in his eyes, it just means that you have become one of the most powerful people on the planet."

I try to comprehend that statement.

But it feels like Lu Bu saying that he is one of the most people on the planet since he is a speck of dust in the eyes of the Master.

"Anyway, please continue cleaning, Miss Xi Shi. Wasting time while we have a mission to do is one of the worst things that we could have done. If the Master asks what is holding us up, I will tell him that is because you are being female."

Lu Bu chuckles. He is amused at his statement.

I didn't understand what he means by being female.

Is he saying that I am not?

Lu Bu sighs and gestures his right hand dismissively, telling me to hurry up. His eyes also show signs of disappointment even though I am unsure what I did to disappoint him.

In order to not waste any more time, I submerge myself fully into the pool and let the cleaning agents within strip away the dirt and sweat from my body. I also embrace myself, pondering about his words.

The one about me being female. It is strange. Very strange.

I spend the next ten minutes in the pool while Lu Bu watches on with some interests.

There is no hint of lust within his eyes, however. At least when he is paying attention.

But just like before, his attention is divided. His eyes appear to be looking at something in front of him, but there is really nothing there. At least, I cannot see if there is anything there.

Lu Bu continues to pay attention elsewhere even though I step out of the pool as warm water playfully streams down my body. I did it slowly on reflex as I was trained to be alluring to men, especially older men.

I think that is what Lu Bu means by being female, and maybe females displease him? That didn't make sense because he did say that he would take me if it wasn't for the rules.

The one that prevents him from just doing whatever he wants with me like so many powerful men.

And I am glad for such a rule existing. I just don't want to fake enjoyment while being raped by people I come to hate so much.

Maybe I am thinking too much about this. It is hard to fathom what is going on in his mind.

"Come, Miss Xi Shi."

Lu Bu speaks up simply even though he knows exactly what I am thinking, and to my surprise, he hands me a white towel.

Where did he get the towel from? It just magically appears out of nowhere.

Is that one of his abilities? There is so many questions that I want to know, but I don't think he will tell me, at least not until I had proven myself.

I dry myself before following him out of the bathroom and into another adjacent room filled with large wardrobes on both sides. There is also an enormous makeup dresser at the end of the room.

It is as if this room was designed specifically for me.

Lu Bu touches the wardrobes, and they open up, revealing numerous attires within. There are all kind, ranging from ancient to modern styling.

"These clothes should be to your size, Miss Xi Shi. Wear something that suitable for combat, and when you have proven yourself, you will get a proper uniform like mine."

Lu Bu tells me as his clothes morph, transforming right in front of my eyes as if they are made of tiny ants. He was wearing a business suit before, but now, he is stylized hanfu, an ancient Chinese clothing.

He even produces a decorative white hand fan, embroidered with dragons and phoenix symbolism, in one hand before flustering it to generate breeze.

Even his hairstyle has changed, matching his clothes and the persona he takes on.

I am puzzled. Such flamboyant clothes are actually difficult to fight in.

"Yes, it is, Miss Xi Shi. However, you must know that the factions within Legion are actually determined by ancestries. To that end, I am wearing this kind of clothes to show my heritage and proud of it. That is why Kakashi is dressing up as a Shinobi despite not actually being one. You may expect to see some people with just loin clothes on. Please don't be disrespectful."

Lu Bu tells me as he continues to fan himself with a smile. He looks a lot more handsome in that getup in my opinion. Oh. I shouldn't think that.

He chuckles and collapses his fan.

"I will leave you to it then, Miss Xi Shi. You should have everything that you needed within this room, so half an hour should be sufficient, but I do hope that you show others why China is the best country in the world."

Lu Bu then heads out of the room and waits in the bathroom.

I wonder why he did that instead of watching me, but I think he wants me to surprise him. Something that seems harder than said.

Still, I want to. Perhaps it is because he is the only one that I have talked to so far in the organization.

It did help that he is also Chinese like me and proud of it.

I turn towards the mirror before taking a seat and getting to work. It isn't too difficult, considering as Xi Shi, I must always be beautiful. The most beautiful woman in the room. Any room. So beautiful that fishes forget to swim and birds to fall from the sky to their death.

Fishes and birds being men. So many have fallen preyed to me, and so many more in the future. They are unable to keep their hands to themselves.

I proceed to work on my hair first, using the provided beautiful ornaments and hairpins, made of gold and jade. They also appear to be handcrafted.

It did take more than 5 minutes thanks to my ability. My silks are stronger than any gels.

The hard part is actually choosing the perfect hanfu to go with my hairstyle. Not only the colors have to match, but also the embroideries. Everything must compliment each other. That is what I had been taught.

Failure has never been an option, under Xi Shi, and certainly under the Master.

While I have never met him face to face, I fear him and his power, far more than what Xi Shi is capable of. And like Lu Bu has warned me, whatever the Master wishes, I must do my best to accomplish.

It takes the rest of the time to put on the costume I have chosen. It might be very unsuitable for actual combat, but it does give me pride.

Since the factions within Legion are based on ancestry, then I also wish to show it just like Lu Bu. I did wonder why he isn't wearing actual armor like all historical depiction of Lu Bu, but I suppose this isn't the Three Kingdoms.

How much of the truth to the claim that he is also part of the Party? If he is, he is a mole. He wouldn't be the first, but it is very dangerous to be found.

Am I worry about him?

I shake my head to dispel that thought and look at myself in the mirror one more time before heading out of the room to see him. I want to know his opinion.

Strangely enough, I actually care about what Lu Bu thinks.

"Remarkable, Miss Xi Shi. You may become the actual Xi Shi one day, right after you prove to her you are better than her in every way."

Lu Bu compliments while fanning himself.

His compliment actually makes me happy, and perhaps like he had just stated, I may be able to dispose of the real Xi Shi one day.

That is my wish. My dream. My reason to continue to live.

I connect my hands, putting them to my face, covering the lower half. It is something that the people of the ancient world did. I am aware of such eloquent way of greeting or paying respect.

"Thank you, senior brother."

I speak up and bow lightly, making him smiles. He is very easily pleased, especially when I understand what he wants without him telling me to.

"You are welcome, junior sister. Now, let's us kill some Japanese in New York."

Lu Bu speaks up, and the surrounding change, making me widen my eyes in surprise. How is that even possible?

Screams instantly fill the air as I turn around to see the hideous monstrous creature being unleashed against the Japanese.

Its aura feels familiar.

"Yang?"