The Main Hall
---
The Shang Empire, serving the gods for six thousand years couldn't tolerate them anymore. An oracle from the Zhou Empire, a neighbouring country asked for an audience with the emperor. The oracle stated that the gods have not been contempt with their current produce and that they had to follow the will of heaven to avoid doom. This made the emperor really angry, waging war against the Zhou Empire who had the gods behind their back, even though he knew he wouldn't win.
---
Meanwhile in the prince's chamber.
---
The prince had woken up to his father's rumbling fury, a sound that had grown all too familiar. He snorted as he sat up, pulling on his white vest. "Only crazy people would think of fighting the gods," he muttered to himself, sighing as he put on his red shirt. He didn't care why his father was starting a war because according to him, the emperor never cared about him and that he could take care of himself. With a scoff, he made his way steadily through the palace's huge corridors, in a successful attempt to run away.
---
Two years ago, Wu Geng got into a fight with a male slave in town and made him lose an eye. His father, the emperor became furious when he heard about it. He punished him by hanging him in the marketplace only to whip him in public. Wu Geng remembered this since he was now wandering around the marketplace which was now abandoned. Since then, Wu Geng never spoke to his father even after his mother tried convincing him a couple of times.
---
The Star Picking Tower
---
On the Star Picking Tower, stood two figures: one, a goddess who supposedly betrayed the heavens and the other, the greatest swordsman below the heavens. The goddess, Wu Geng's mother knew from day one that the war was inevitable thanks her divinations. Ziyu, the swordsman, also the brother of the Shang emperor offered to take her away but she refused, saying: "I had anticipated this when I chose to live with the emperor." Ziyu was heartbroken when she refused. He decided to go assist his brother on the battlefield after a final glance.
---
Outside The Shang Empire
---
The oracle returned to the Zhou empire, bearing his majesty's message, the emperor's refusal to abide by the gods' will. The Zhou empire which was more developed and also had the gods' favour decided to accept on behalf on the gods'. And thus the war began.
---
The War Begins
---
It had started like all other wars.
Screams. Steel. The scent of blood thick in the air. The gods stood like mountains behind the Zhou army, immortal, radiant, untouchable. The sky itself bent around them, dark with storm and divine wrath.
Dragons wheeled in the clouds, their roars like thunder breaking bone.
He was on the back of one of them. The Lord's dragon, obsidian scales and gold eyes. Beneath him, the mortals clashed. Beneath him, empires fell.
The God of Punishments yawned. Another war. Another rebellion. Another chorus of dying men who thought they mattered.
Both sides had engaged in a bloody battle and the Shang soldiers were retreating. Emperor Wu of the Zhou empire had called upon all the major clans to help him fight against the man who dared to defy the gods, Emperor of Zhou of Shang.
---
In The Capital-- Zhao Ze
The Zhou soldiers charged their way into the capital. The people were scared and anxious. The Zhang soldiers couldn't hold them off. As Wu Geng wandered in the marketplace, one person saw and recognized him as the prince. He began shouting about how he'd sell the prince to the Zhou emperor to gain him freedom. When the others heard this, in a desperate attempt for freedom, they began fighting over who should get the prince.
They tossed him back and forth until he fell into the arms of his father who was making his way onto the battlefield on a horse. He reprimanded them of being scared of death. He said that they should fight him and not his son if they had a problem. They quieted down as the prince refused to go home, saying he wanted to join his father and the soldiers on the battlefield.
His father teased him about not being able to defend himself against the civilians and imagine the angry Zhou soldiers. He decided to go find his mother like his father instructed. On the rooftop, Ziyu watched the exchange. He reprimanded his brother about not being a good father and king. Emperor Zhou was delighted to see his brother. Although Ziyu gave up the succession rights to his brother because he didn't want to be king, he couldn't just sit back and watch the gods he so loathed trample on them even though he asked his brother to take care of them.
---