Welcome back, readers, to the last chapter of the second batch of Visions! With this over, we're going back to finish the Synchro arc. And speaking of Redux, the last Vision here is the one we see in the opening segment of Chapter 17, "To Oppose a God", so you could consider this a sort of prologue to that and Vince's reaction when he wakes up.
It was meant to be a form of funerary art.
The first emperor of China was buried with a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting his army with the purpose of protecting him in the afterlife. Just think, the sight of the emperor escorted by his grand military force even in death, shaking Tian and Diyu alike!
An exhibitionist, some might say. A wary man, others might think. Whatever the fact was, the emperor left behind one of China's greatest treasures—yet that, too, was irrelevant at the moment.
Needless to say, every single soldier of this army passed away. What didn't perish from the fabric of time, however, were the cries, wishes, and might of their souls. And since everyone who made up the army wasn't looked at individually but as 'the army' as a whole, this 'stain' they secreted merged and managed to obtain a sense of self.
An amalgamation, to put it simply. A single entity who could split their body and share the same brain with an entire army. And what a better vessel than the Terracotta Army, literally them but as sculptures?
Negative emotions weren't the only matter which shaped this child of mine. There were positive emotions there as well, such as the happiness and fulfillment drawn from serving their emperor and keeping their loved ones and nation from harm. That's what an army was. Or should be, anyway. Not a means to harm but to protect.
Yet this army had no emperor or nation to guard. The first emperor has long since perished and humans couldn't accept a monster as their guardian. So they wished for them. Wished for a new emperor to follow. For people and a home to fight for. To be...an army.
Besides wishing, they ponder: will they last until their wishes are granted, or will time finally wash them away as it did to the lives of their predecessors? The Human World developed to the point their existence wasn't allowed there anymore, and they have yet to find a suitable and accepting emperor or nation in the Duel Spirits World to serve.
They didn't want to meet such a disgraceful end.
I watched the army march past me, kicking up dust as they vanished into the distance, which was suddenly swept aside by a fanged vine, revealing a large carnivorous plant locked in battle with two men in tribal clothing in a forest.
The man-eating plant despised humans. They're bad creatures who fight each other over petty matters and pollute the world. They cut trees, light fire to warm their bodies, harvest her kin to satiate their hunger, and much, much more.
As the all-seeing fury of nature, she's going to punish them for their sins, no matter how or where they hide. Only then will they be allowed to breathe their last and receive the land's forgiveness, falling asleep in her embrace for all eternity.
Her role was simple and straightforward, yet she couldn't help but ponder: if Earth permitted humans to inhabit her and forgave them in the end, she probably saw something good in their existence, correct? But what, exactly? She's mysterious, beyond any doubt, but she wasn't stupid. There's a reason why she continued to love them, almost as if her own children.
The carnivorous plant wanted to find out. To know if her hatred for them was warranted. If they were truly bad creatures. If they deserved her affection and protection.
A tiny part of her was scared to find out, truth be told. Just think, the sight of a hunter becoming a guardian of its prey! It sounded ridiculous and unheard of. However, if there's one thing she learned about humans, was that they had a tendency to change the impossible into possible. It's the key to their evolution.
Hmm... Could that be the reason behind Earth's patience? Could it be she saw something majestic hidden in the shadow of their evolution? Something which fascinated even a deity as ancient and powerful as her? If so, will a mere man-eating plant manage to grasp the magnitude of its beauty when the time comes?
She really wanted to find out.
The entire Vision began trembling, falling apart and reconstructing itself seconds later as if obligated to obey a forceful transition.
Whose Vision...is this?
I asked myself the moment I had found myself in front of a young woman, who was smiling and humming a lullaby with her eyes closed, cradling a sleeping baby in her arms. Although her expression didn't show it, she had it rough...no, maybe it was more correct to say her child, that sweet bundle of joy, made her momentarily forget about her pain.
The said child suddenly stirred, and when he opened his eyes, I knew instantly whose fate got tied with mine. Actually, it came on instinct. Staring at those beautiful, citrine irises helped me realize that...