You fight your way through the battlefield, in your white uniform, covered in others' blood.

Who wears white in war, only you..

This brings me back to my first meeting with you.

Limned by the early morning sun, your face seemed like it was carved directly from alabaster.

Delicate purple accents under your eyes, and

lavender kisses highlighting the sweep of your long lashes. 

Hair fanning across the battlefield as you wait for the enemy to strike. 

Your jaw, cheekbones—

For I am not an artist, or a poet, I have no knowledge of languages to describe just how gorgeous you looked in my eyes. 

In your white uniform, you stood out from the rest. 

From then on it seems, I have always found my eyes searching for you among the crowd. 

How I long for you to turn towards me, 

Can you feel my feelings flowing towards you?

Years have gone past, the war shows no end. 

When suddenly, you claim to have come up with something that will turn the tides of the war beneficial to our side. 

Moving your fingers across the map, strategies upon strategies coming out of your mouth.

Eyes shining in intelligence, you spoke in confidence..

But, where was this confidence coming from, when your sources are non creditable. 

Oh what have you done in order to get this information..

Why is that the strategies you share seem wrong?

Do you not realize you're sending them to their deaths. 

What are you doing?

Well, I do not care as everything you do is right. Listen to my heart, that I shall.

My heart may agree, yet why is my brain telling me that you are wrong? 

Oh what have you done to get this information?

The council have given their go to the strategies you proposed. 

Yet my brain tells me something is wrong.

Why can't I fight against my heart and confront you?

How I long for you to turn towards me..

Weeks passed and the number of soliders on our front are declining..

You said that the strategies you proposed are in our favor, yet why are my men and yours dying so rapidly. 

Why do you feel nothing for them, while I stay wailing under the moonlight? 

Tonight is too saddening, more and more of my men are dead..

Unable to sleep, I head out,

Only to hear you talking..

“It's going great, our forces are weakening, a few more months and you will be able to penetrate through.” 

Why……?

Who are you?

You are not the same man I fell for.

Who are you?

My feet won't move forward, so I run backwards. 

I felt pathetic. 

The next morning, I relayed what I heard to the head councilor. At first, he did not believe me, yet I could not continue to lose anymore of my men. 

So I explained what your strategies lacked and how they are slowly weakening us. 

I was asked, why hadn't I said anything before ..

How should I explain that my heart valued you too much to see my brain's warnings?

“I did not have enough evidence. I tried to believe him.” 

This conversation was of course followed by confrontation. 

I could not bear to see you fall so I hid.

Like a coward. I am pathetic. 

Why had you changed? 

You went into the tent with confidence in your eyes.

And came out with hatred in your eyes. 

Your eyes found mine, finally.. I could not help but think. 

Your eyes showed hate, hate for me… 

This was not what I wanted when I hoped that your eyes would turn towards me. 

Pay attention to the despair I feel, 

Despair is the most mad feeling of all.

Down, down, down into the longing and dread I go when you.

When you tell me "I hate you." "It's all your fault." "I was so close."

Why had I fallen for you? 

Now I am left with longing for the man you once were.

Were you even the man I once thought I knew, or was it my subconscious mind painting the perfect image of you in my heart. 

So pathetic, for love I lost countless of my men..

Those who believed me, stayed with me, and trained with me. 

I have failed them, for I am pathetic. 

A pathetic fool who thought he was in love with a righteous man. 

I realized that I fell for a man so evil as his crimes slowly came to light. 

What a fool I have been.
I fell for the way you looked and did not care about how you were morally.

I was reading a story, well actually a fanfiction, but still a story nonetheless. It was about a man, who shattered his own soul willingly because of the cultivation world when they turned on him even though he did nothing wrong. Well he did lose control but in the end it was still the cultivation world's fault. If they didn't push him to the point of losing control, nothing would have happened. If only they didn't take away the man's only found family in the form of war remnants. 

Said cultivation world wasn't done with the condemnation, even after they pushed the man to death and killed all the war remnants, a bunch of elders, who couldn't even walk properly, men and women who were just simple farmers and didn't have a single ounce of spiritual energy in them, and a 4-year old child. 

They used an artifact that shows a person's memory, just so that they will be able to tell the rest of the world just how evil the man they killed was. To show the world how righteous they were to kill a bunch of people who could not be able to fight back, from elders to crippled men and women, to even a 4-year old child. What righteousness they have, don't make me laugh. 

HOWEVER, the twist was that the man wasn't wrong, he was never at fault, it was them as a whole who pushed him to the point of losing control and killing people. It was them who didn't listen to him. It was them who were wrong.

He was the one who saved innocent elders, children, women and men who have never cultivated. He was the one who gave the war remnants a place to call home when they were being mercilessly killed, just for bearing the same name as their leader.  He was the one who kept them safe at the expense of himself. 

So they were able to see just how they condemned an innocent man, a human, to death, while they celebrated their apparent self righteousness. He was the hero when he was on their side, a villain when he wasn't on their side. A villain when he tried to protect innocent war remnants. A villain when he tried to make the rest of the world see what wrong they were doing. Nothing of the righteousness they claim to have. 

Because he tried and failed, failed to get the rest of the world to believe how wrong they were. He saw how cruel the world really was, he moved away from them, thus ending up dying for it.   pah… and the so called righteous cultivation world saw all of this in his memories, they realised just how wrong they were. Yet what was the use now? The man's already dead, shattered his soul since he didn't want to be part of this cruel world. 

Withering in their guilt, they apologised to the wronged souls, properly buried them, and lit incense for them. Yet what was the point now, when they are all dead already, apologising will never bring them back. 

So there, that was why I cried, a man wronged so cruelly that he ended up giving up and leaving the world, when he was just 21 years old. 

Litotes (understatement):
Sitting near the window seats are three girls waiting for the forth friend to show up. Every single one of them is wearing a different kind of expression. One is frustrated, "This is already my third cup of coffee, where is she?"
The other is amused as C replies, "Who knows? Probably still wearing her makeup."
To which A laments, "Gosh I hate this, she's late every single time."
The last one with her blank expression comments,  "Why bother getting worked up? We all know that D isn't the latest riser, per se."

Laughter rings as A and C choruses, "Hahaha, that's true. It's truly a wonder how she lasted this long. "

Allusion:

Onomatopoeia: 

Alliteration: 
I was defiled, defeated, dead in one go. 

Oxymoron: 
He is awfully kind when he doesn't need to be. 
She is

“Ah what is this place? It's so tight” Yu Wen mutters. 

A quick glance at his surroundings, he could see that he was in a box of some sort. Trying to move, he found that he was also bound.  

“What is this? Damn it. I’m locked in a box bound, why hadn't they gone all the way then? Should have gaged me too.”

Frustration was clear in his voice as he fought the urge to scream. Unable to move, he started to think. He remembers that he was almost done with his mission, all that left was for him was to report back to the chief commander of the special forces soldiers and he could have finally gotten his break of three sweet, sweet months. He had made plans, a lot of plans you know. He was going to eat, drink and party to his heart’s content, after all, he’s been on this mission for six months. Only that it was only supposed to be two months, yet it stretched onto three months, then six months, and now when he was supposed to be eating, drinking and partying, he’s stuck in a box left to die. The first two months of the mission was a breeze, he, the captain, and his team rescued the kidnapped government officials with little to no trouble at all. After sending half of his team and the two kidnapped officials onto the jet back home. A bombing attack happened, what annoyance. The next month was half spent hiding from the bombers and half spent sending his team back two by two. After he and one other left, the last jet to take them home was right in front of them, and... 

One with a gun was also behind them, it was all his fault, he thinks. He wished he had noticed, he should have noticed. His comrade died and the jet had taken off before he could even get on it. Unfortunately, the next three months were just spent hiding and trying to get to the airport of that country. He had to leave. He had to leave somehow.  


Lying where he was kept, he can’t remember how he ended up here.  

Where did it go wrong? Who found him? 

However, these questions won’t be answered in this place, wherever it was.  

Hours must have gone past, because Yu Wen was starting to find it difficult to breathe. That's when he started to hear voices approaching. 

“Where is he?” a rough voice asked. 

“He’s in there.” Yu Wen couldn’t see but he’s pretty sure he’s about to come out now. Finally... 

His bounded body was taken out of the place he was kept in when the command, “Bring him out here” was given.  

“Captain of the special forces, look at me, look at where you are.”  

 
Yu Wen looked around the unfamiliar place as he looked for ways to escape. It was dark, way too dark to see the outside. The room was tiny, and it smelt of dried blood and rain. Rain? Glancing up, he tried to see if there was a roof above. There was...there goes his chances of getting rescued by a helicopter above his head. He could hear faint sounds of car engines running and machines working. A factory? Maybe he’s somewhere where there are a lot of people nearby. Gunpowder!! There's also the smell of gunpowder, he almost couldn’t smell it with all that blood everywhere. What is this place?? 

“Done looking? Now the reason you're here is very simple. You and your team took away our only source of password breaking officials, making things difficult for me. Luckily for me, one of the guys in your team wasn’t so loyal, huh captain.” Yu Wen looked up to see the face of the person who was speaking and the face of the man he thought had died in his arms after a gunshot. He was alive all this time... 


“That’s quite the face you’re making there, captain.” the man said, amusement laced in his voice.  

“Who are you?” Yu Wen’s voice came out harshly, though barely a whisper.  

“Captain!! I am quite sad, how could you not remember me? It’s me, Daniel.” Yu Wen whipped his head up to look at him, seeing the smirk on Daniel’s face made him recoil.  

Daniel...of course he remembers the man, he was the man he once risked his life to save. Resentment came in waves, so much resentment. Daniel, seeing his expression, laughed.

“Easy there, captain. All I want is the code to the file. The code that you especially would know. The file that holds the information to the numerous experiments that were conducted secretly. Tell me the code and you can leave.” 

That file, that wretched file, those disgusting experiments on humans just so that they could see if they could see how the brain works. Filthy, the experiments were put to end, but people like these want to see them and use them. The code... 

“Never” Yu Wen grits out.  

“Then, let’s take this the hard way.” Daniel grins at Yu Wen before he hits him right in the head that makes him doble over.  

He must have passed out because when he woke up again, he was tied to chains this time. And Daniel's right hand man stood with a whip in his hands.  

Yu Wen flinched as the whip was brought down on his back. 

Crack! 

A grunt of pain escaped his clenched teeth as he jolted forward, but the whipping continued.  

It hurts...it hurts...IT HURTS!!! 

He didn’t know how many times he must have been struck, but it was enough that his back was filled like a spiderweb, enough that he could feel blood seeping down onto the floor, enough that he couldn’t feel the pain anymore. He pulled on the shackles that bounded his wrists, violently, trying to stand. He would not let them think he would go down without a fight. He wouldn’t!!  

“Tell me the code to the file!!” Daniel screamed, sitting on the chair in front of him.  

“Never. You two-faced idiot.” Yu Wen speaks in Chinese, knowing that they wouldn’t understand him. 

“What the hell are you saying!? Speak English!” 

Daniel’s worker kicked him hard in the back, his whip wounds shrieking at the blow as he landed on his stomach. Not a second later, the guy’s boot was on his head, grinding his face into the ground.  

Breathing through the pain, he grinned. “I wish I had some tasty food ri-” 

His own cry of pain strangled Yu Wen’s words as the whip was brought down again.  

Pulling his foot off his head, Daniel’s worker drove his boot onto his knee. Pressing hard, so hard that a loud crack was heard and Yu Wen screams.  

“I’ll ask again.” Daniel said calmly. “What is the code for the file.” 

Yu Wen shut his mouth and pointedly looked away.  

Now losing his patience, stood up from his chair and reached for the piece of wood that was near the corner of the room. He raised the piece of wood high, before swinging it down onto his legs. A small, broken sound of pain left his mouth. Daniel raised it again and swung it down onto his arms this arm. Too numb from the pain, only small whimpers left his mouth as he closed his eyes.  

It hurts...someone...someone please help me...it hurts... 

“Bring that to me, make it as hot as possible. I want to see him cry.” Yu Wen looked up to see a man carrying what appeared to be a brand, a hot one. Sheer, blind terror flashed in front of his eyes, and despite himself, he felt himself cringed back, breathing sharply.  

The man carrying the brand stepped forward, tearing off his shirt, he pressed the brand over his heart. For a spilt second, he felt nothing.  

Then, it burnt.  

Yu Wen choked, trying desperately to stop his screams of agony to come out, as pain shot through his chest. He tried to writhe away but he was held firmly by the chains to even move. No way to move, he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, trying to stop his screams. The brand pushed deeper onto his skin, and everything hurt so badly that a whimper finally broke out from his mouth before he could stop it.  

The brand was taken away and Yu Wen finally released a breath. But everything hurt so badly that he couldn’t help but let his tears fall.  

“Will you tell me the code for the file now?” 

Yu Wen ignored him.  

Feeling tired, Daniel left the room, promising to come back later. Yu Wen closed his eyes and tried to fight the urge to cry. It would be too undignified. He must have gone to sleep, but due to the pain, he couldn’t sleep for long. Waking up, he heard someone calling his name.  

“Yu Wen!! Yu Wen, please wake up.” oh...someone’s holding him. He looked up to see the chief commander’s son, Shu Xue, who is also a special forces soldier, holding him. Relief was clear on his face, as well as pain.  

“I found you, you’re safe now. Let's get you treatment.” Yu Wen was carried out of the room where he was kept in and onto a helicopter.  

“Look out, it always rains here, yet today is bright out, very unusual. No signs of clouds anywhere.” Shu Xue motioned for him to look at the weather. The unusual weather is the last of his worries, he’s hungry and hurting all over.  

“Give me food.” He was handed a lunchbox. Looking at the lunchbox, he opened it and took a bite of the vegetable, before wishing he hadn’t. This was the saltiest piece of vegetable he has ever tasted. Yu Wen spat out the vegetable and looked at Shu Xue, “You trying to kill me with salt??”  

“I didn’t make that!!” Shu Xue exclaimed. Yu Wen looked at him skeptically, “You’re the only one I know who can’t tell the difference between salt and sugar.”  

“What happened to the people here?”  

“Oh, they were all taken under custody, every single one of them, don’t worry.” 

After getting the exact information, clearly knowing he wasn’t going to get any decent food anytime soon, Yu Wen went back to sleep after thanking Shu Xue for saving. Yu Wen would never point out that he heard him crying as he tried to sleep.
Landing back home, he was rushed to the hospital and treated. It took a few months before he was healed and during that time, his most frequent visitor was Shu Xue. After he was healed and ready to head back to report, he headed to the headquarters and did his report. And he received two good news, one, he was given six months paid off duty, all he will need to is train the new recruits, exciting!! And second, he was promoted.  

This was a good way to end the day. He finished one mission, and was tortured for the second mission, in the end, still it was completed and that’s all that matters. With his new badge and head held high, he left the headquarters and went to finally enjoy his break.  

  

Fun Fact: I cannot remember the names of people, unless I have to say them daily.