A Millennium of Injustice

Over a thousand years ago, there was an apocalyptic war that scarred the face of the earth. There was an accursed amalgamation of cataclysmic events that did the world in. Global warming was sinking a new coastal city every year, while the desert areas were suffering from droughts of water. Massive migrations of refugees destabilized those ancient democracies. The resources of the earth were less and less able to sustain the populations those giant nations. As insecurities grew, resource wars began to break out left and right. The burgeoning potential of their growing technologies were converted to their ability to be weaponized against their neighbors. Biological, chemical, nuclear, robotic, AI, cyber, space, radiation, and many more types of technologies became weapons of mass destruction, wreaking havoc all over the planet. Our country of China was struck with some mysterious chemical attack that poisoned our skies. Half the population died overnight, as millions of Chinese began rapidly tunneling underground to avoid the poisons. The suffering was ineffable. People’s eyes rotted out of their skulls as the acidic nature of the chemicals acted on certain organs faster than others. Children dancing in the street one hour would be screaming and writhing in horror on the cold streets as the poisons slowly eroded their bodies. During this time, so long ago, a hero emerged. Xia Shen appeared on the scene with a new technology that could put the poisons at bay. But it was too late for China. Global warming was sinking nations under water at a rate that was too fast to avoid. Japan, seeing that they were sinking faster than acceptable, deployed a revolutionary technology that allowed their landmass to rise in elevation, while their neighbor’s elevation fell. It was a zero-sum technology that manipulated the very crust of the earth in giving more to Japan by taking from others. Within a year, all of China had completely sunk under water. The remaining populations of China drowned to death. Only my ancestors survived by living in the sacred mountains that had not been immersed by the floods.

I am a descendant of Xia Shen. We have long since learned how to survive amongst the dark miasma all around our mountains. We have genetically engineered ourselves to convert the poisons into energy so that we can live longer than normal. From generation to generation, the story of Xia Shen was passed down among us, along with a solemn vow that one day our people will take our revenge on Japan. They will pay for the atrocities they committed against our people. Japan WILL atone for their crimes.

No nation dared enter China for fear of becoming poisoned by our air. But our adventurers did not fear traveling to other lands. With our hover-tech, we could surf the dark clouds of our tortured nation and gather clues about the outside world. I heard a rumor from one of our recent adventurers that Japan still has the tera-tech that reshaped the face of the earth 1000 years ago. We all knew what had to be done. It went without saying. One of us needed to infiltrate Japan, steal the tera-tech, and activate its powers to raise China once again out of the waters and give Japan the justice it deserves, at the bottom of the ocean.

It was only natural that I was chosen. I had the purest bloodline from our ancestor Xia Shen. It was only right that the heir of the bloodline should exact the revenge necessary to do him justice. For he had been betrayed by his Japanese counterparts. I still remember the feeling of fresh air as I finally hover-sailed out of the dark clouds of China and into the clear warm clouds of the Pacific Ocean. Pure nourishment filled my lungs as peace tingled through my body. Clear skies felt as heavenly as they looked. Sunlight speckled all over the ocean below, sending up rays of warmth from its reflection off of the face of the ocean. I felt I could sunbath in the clear skies of the Pacific Ocean all day long without a care in the world. But alas, I had a more important mission to do. A millennium of injustice needed to be rectified. It was time.

I sliced back and forth through the white clouds of the Pacific until I finally saw it in the distance. A mountainous region massively bursting out of the water, a landmass probably three times as large as Japan originally was a millennium ago. A city of gold sprouted out of the tops of these mountains. It was a shocking sight to behold. Beams of brilliant gold towered straight up into the heavens, so far up that my eyes were unable to see the ends of their height. It wouldn’t surprise me if their towers went all the way up into space itself. As China had been suffering a thousand years of humiliation, Japan had built an immaculate utopia at our expense. A bustling economy flew about their skies; many airships going to and fro between shiny towers of almost infinite height. They had been developing their alchemy-tech and were able to convert matter from one atomic substance to another at will. This made it quite easy for them to produce limitless quantities of gold or any other element they desired. Rage filled my blood as I gazed upon their prosperity. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t just. They got everything while China got nothing. If I ever believed there was a god, this sight alone was almost enough to undo it. How could there be a god of justice when he allowed the fate of the world to become as one-sided as this?

I had been trained to be a spy since my youth. I had studied their language since I was a young boy. Our mind-tech made it easier to gather all the information we needed. Our adventurers had gathered knowledge about their cultures, laws, and customs, so I knew exactly how to fit in nicely amongst the locals. It didn’t take long for me get information on the tera-tech. The royal family of Japan kept watch over it in their royal tower. Every year there was a ritualistic celebration of the tera-tech that saved Japan. I bided my time in getting closer with the royal family so I could gain access to attending the ceremony. I even pretended to flirt with the princess of Japan so that I could manipulate her feelings. It didn’t matter if I broke the law of the monks because it was for a higher purpose. The justice of heaven would be on my side.

But one day, Princess Suki noticed the ornate necklace I always wore under my dress-up. It looked like a complex mixture of rare crystals and metals engineered into a clan crest. “Akira, where did you get this?” She asked. What should I say? I can’t tell her the truth. She will learn my identity. She can’t learn that I am a descendent of Xia Shen via this heirloom. She continued without waiting for my response, “This looks like the ancient clan crest of our ancient rulers of Japan! Are you a descendant of Japanese royalty too?” She said, looking incredulously unable to believe that there were more royal descendants out there. Japanese royalty? Impossible! This was obviously a token of the Shen clan. Or that is what I had been raised to believe… “No! Not at all. This is just an emblem of my loyalty to Japanese royalty. I love to always wear this emblem over my heart to remind me of all that Japan royalty has done for us.” Whew… that was a close one. Hopefully she will buy that. “Well, aren’t you quite the nationalist. My parents will be pleased to know that a refugee from the foreign colonies is as loyal as you are.” She said in a pleased way, giggling to herself.

Finally, the day of celebration had arrived. Parades of talent danced through the skies. Colorful banners blew through the clean air. Peace, love, and harmony were written on everyone’s faces. If I could have wiped away my memory of Chinese suffering, I think I could have enjoyed myself as a Japanese citizen. The air was pumped full of endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine, to get everyone in the mood for excitement. Of course, it's easy for all of you to enjoy peace while you are ignorant of the suffering you have caused! It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. Soon they would all be gone. And only China would remain. A new dawn for a country that deserved a second chance.

The plasma-crystallite tera-tech was on full display at the front of the sky-stadium. The royal family was arrayed in formation around it, taking turns giving their speeches in front of the people. Lots of nice words that sounded good to the ears were spoken, but they were ultimately meaningless. How could anyone take these words seriously when your nation is founded upon the skeletons of the Chinese people?? But suddenly, the royal queen said something unusual that stuck out more than the rest. “As you all know, the tera-tech core has been inactive for a millennium. Our ancient matriarch Queen Miko was the last to use it. As she said so long ago, ‘Those who can wield the power of the tera-tech core have the divine right to rule Japan.’ Now is our annual challenge to see if there is anyone among you who can activate the tera-tech core. We affirm before you all that we will respect the right to rule of any found among you with this gift.”

This was it. This was the moment. As our legends told us, the ancient rulers of Japan had a special technique for activating the tera-tech core. All they had to do was feed it some of their blood and it would activate on their behalf. Long lines of people formed in the skies. It was going to take a while to get a chance to try. Princess Suki found me in line. Giving me a big smile, she encouraged me to do my best. “If you can activate the tera-tech core, that will make you royal, like me!” She said with some giggles. It seemed like she had really has fallen for me. She might be useful to me in days ahead. It felt like the gods had lined up fate for me. Everything was working according to plan. China’s days of glory were coming, as they rightfully should.

I bit into my thumb and procured a drop of blood. Gritting my bloodstained teeth in pain, I squeezed the blood out of my thumb and onto the tera-tech core. To the astonishment of all present, the molten core began to activate. Its original look of cold dark lead began to glow with thermal red and orange colors like lava shifting about within the core. “Biological verification access complete. True heir detected.” the core pronounced. True heir? I wasn’t familiar with this requirement. The looks on the royal family’s faces were a mix of shock, horror, amazement, amusement, and pleasure. “Congratulations!!! I knew you could do it!” Princess Suki blurted out as crowds of commoners burst into roars of happiness and glee. “Master Akira, tell us more about your family line! How did you pass the biometric test?” Ignoring the queen’s question, I proceeded forwards to grab hold of the core that was now rightfully mine. Royal guards stepped forward to block my access to the core with their plasma spears. The crowd gasped in shocked silence as the royal family didn’t seem keen on actually following through with their ritualistic promises. The king whispered to his counsellor, “I thought this was a fool’s legend. How is this happening? I thought you told me that this was impossible?”

Power began coursing through my veins. I was establishing a quantum energy link with the core. It was becoming one with me, and I with it. My eyes lit up with the energy of the core, my pupils glowing like the sun. Thermal radiation vibrated through my fingertips as I began to hover higher and higher above the masses. I could feel it. And unstoppable connection, an unrelenting power. It didn’t matter if they wanted to resist me – the power of an entire sun was at my fingertips. There was no one who could stop me now. “People of Japan, your new ruler his here. I am Prince Ming, of the clan of Shen. I am one of the last remnants of China, against whom you committed genocide in the last great war. Fate has brought me to you on this day. The karmic debt of a thousand years has been waiting for the scales of justice to be rebalanced. Japan has enjoyed enough peace and prosperity at our expense long enough! The day of retribution has come!!!” “Imposter!” those among the royal class called out. “Seize him!” The king ordered. A thousand rays of plasma blasted towards me from the points of the royal guard’s spears that had been aimed at me. With a serenity of a thousand years of justice, I closed my eyes and let the power of the core flow through me. My body glowed as brilliantly as the sun as I repelled all of their attacks, their plasma scattered round about, injuring those who had attempted to harm me. “Resistance is futile. The gods are on my side. Justice will be served!”

Princess Suki was reduced to tears at my transformation. “You lied to me…why? How could you do this? I thought I knew you.” She screamed in the tortured pain of a broken heart. “I may have lied to you, but my sins are but a small drop to offset an ocean of sins committed against my people. What are my lies when compared with the millennia of suffering my people have endured at your ancestor’s behest!” “What are you talking about? Japan never ordered any attacks on China.” “Ha!!! Such foolishness. Your ignorance is quite convenient. Who would want to take ownership of such an atrocity? I guess I can’t blame your people for wanting to cover up their sins. But the gods will not allow this injustice to continue.” “Akira…” She begged through tears. “Stop calling me that. That is merely my filthy Japanese alias. My real name is Ming Shen. Prince Ming Shen of the last dynasty. And as of now, your ruler.” Tears exploded from her face as her mouth dropped into the most distressing expression of grief and pain, “Your necklace, Ming Shen. Your NECKLACE! Do you even know where that came from?” “It came from my ancestor, the hero of our people, Xia Shen.” “No! You are wrong!! That is from our ancient Empress Miko. She was the one who saved Japan. Why do you think she gave it to your ancestor??” Doubt entered my mind. Was she right? What did that mean? Why would my forefather receive a gift from his enemy? Was I missing something? I put my hand to my chest to pull out the necklace to look it over once more. The energy flowing through me bled into the necklace and activated it. The core echoed forth a voice, “Miko Shen, biological identity detected.” “See! I told you!” Princess Suki sobbed. “What is the meaning of this? Why did it recognize the Japanese empress as a member of the Shen clan of China?”

The core’s energy flew through my mind, energizing my thoughts. Suddenly the energy of the core formed a quantum link with the mind-tech in my brain and it could now send me information. The core seemed to have a mind of its own and forced a mental link between me and all the Japanese around me in the stadium. A vision of the past burst into all of our connected minds. Xia Shen appeared onto the scene with his Japanese wife, Miko. They had a family. They were separated from each other during the war. Xia Shen was stuck in the mountains of China with his son, while his wife was visiting relatives in Japan. Xia Shen had given his wife the tera-tech core, programming it to biologically acknowledge her and obey her. He sent her a message saying that it was okay for her to use it to save herself and her people. He told her that China was already beyond saving and that they should save themselves while they could. Xia Shen heroically gathered as many people as he could out of the pits of China into the mountains so that the flooding would kill as few as possible. Xia Shen died from the poison consumed during one too many rescue attempts in the pits. He didn’t live long enough to explain everything to his posterity. Before he died, Xia Shen sent a message to his wife telling her that he hopes that one day Japanese alchemy-tech will be able to synergize with Chinese tera-tech so that the benefits of both could be combined. Miko was never able to be reunited with her husband before he died. She swore to never remarry in honor of her love for her late husband. She commanded that Japan must always honor the Chinese from this point, now and forever. “The Chinese are the ones who sacrificed themselves out of love so that we Japanese could live.” She told her people. Empress Miko knew that only an heir with the bloodline of Xia Shen would be able to use the core. She hoped that one day, one of her descendants in China would be able to return and carry on her legacy.

Silence descended on the crowds in awe of the revelation they had just witnessed. Someone in the audience yelled out, “All hail Ming Shen, true heir of Empress Miko!” Instantaneously, the crowds erupted into chanting along, “All hail Ming Shen, true heir of Empress Miko!” Princess Suki, with tears in her eyes, begging me, said, “You, see? We never tried to genocide your people!! We have been honoring your sacrifices ever since!!” She said with pleading in her eyes. “I see that now.” I said with wonderment. With a louder voice, I proclaimed to the people, “I see that I was wrong about our histories. It is clear to me that China and Japan were united in love, not hatred, from that pivotal moment a millennium ago. Out of respect for the love between Xia Shen and Empress Miko, I will set aside any past injustices that might have been committed. But what can be done for China? If I raise China from the sea, Japan will be sunk as a consequence.” Princess Suki came to my side as I calmed down my connection to the core, dropping the potency of the energy around me to an approachable level. “Didn’t you pay attention to your ancestor? He had a dream that Japanese technology would one day be united with Chinese technology.” She pulled out her amulet of alchemy from off her necklace. “Take this” she said and offered it to me with trust in her eyes despite the lingering tears. I could feel the energy of the core connecting to the amulet through me body. I could see a vision of the mind of the core as it was analyzing the alchemy-tech. The core began running simulations over and over of different use cases for how this technology might be incorporated. My mind was processing millions of alternative scenarios every second due to my link with the core. Then it clicked. The synergy was found. “You’re right. This day is it accomplished, the dream of my ancestors, the hope of your ancient empress. No longer is the core limited to zero-sum results. No longer must one nation rise while another fall. With this synergy, I can change the materials of the whole face of the earth. That which is water may now be converted into land. China may rise, without the sacrifice of Japan. That which was a zero-sum conflict is now a positive-sum harmony - a “best of all possible worlds” scenario. May we all remember the dreams and desires of our ancestors. May we all remember the love they shared. May we all remember the selfless sacrifice of the Chinese out of their love for Japan. May we all pursue a better world together!” With the core I was able to summon fireworks in the sky above and transmute the energy into raining gold flakes all over the masses. The crowds erupted into cheers of joy. The somewhat disgruntled royal family wasn’t sure what to do. But with the power in my hands, there was nothing they could do to stop me.

Ten-thousand years later, after the crowning of Ming Shen, the legend of Emperor Ming Shen was still remembered among all the people of the earth as the one who united China with Japan and healed all the nations of the earth with his technology. With the synergy of tera-tech with alchemy-tech, every damaged nation was cured of their plagues, every sunk nation was risen out of the water. Every forgotten nation was dug back up and rebuilt. Infinite resources and prosperity filled the earth. Happiness abounds in his reign, and he had many descendants through his wife Empress Suki.