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This article, TBTP: Sengoku - Overture of the King, was added by Illuminate Void who determines its usage on this wiki. |
Turn Back the Pendulum: Sengoku - Chapter 1[]
- "Before Chaos divided, Heaven tangled with Earth;
- Formless and void - this, no human had seen;
- But when the first broke up the nebula;
- Clearing began, the turbid parted from the pure.
- Humaneness supreme enfolding every life
- Enlightens all things that they become good.
- Would you know creation's merit in cyclic time?"
- - Chapter One - Journey of the West
Birth of the Heavenly Beings[]
At the precipice of our birth, Heaven and Earth copulated, from which all things were born. The first were boundless, and formless, nothing more than epochs in time, until male and female principles began to form. When moral nature cultivated, each bore their own task in breathing life unto chaos. That is how we, the kami, emerged unto this world, and in it, we bore an ethos.
Each indiviudal ethos held meaning for its respective kami towards their existence. It provided both motivation and guidance for our actions. It was what defined us, and binded us to the world itself. My purpose, once I emerged, was to pacify a nation, to bring forth a new found era of peace. Bestowed upon me were three heavenly artifacts, regalia of the immortal sun goddess herself. Once my task was complete, I left the mortal realm, but in my wisdom, I did not foresee that the passing of a kami would leave a bridge to the realms.
For I was not the last of my kind to descend. Spirits of all shapes and natures, emerged from the chaos, spiritual fluctuations personified by human emotion! Demons they called them. Gods and goddess given name, and worshipped for both life and death. It was then that I discovered my true purpose. Yes, I was deigned to pacify this great nation, but not as I had originally believed. For centuries I watched, and in my naivety, I believed that mortal and spirit could coexist in harmony.
In my folly, these entities roamed free upon the mortal realm, sowing destruction upon the humans. It was then that I began to understand. A cancer had formed within the heart of this world, born of earthly and heavenly energy, clashing, with one another, that if left unchecked, would destroy all things connected with it. My purpose was clear, I used the divine blade of heaven, and cleaved a breach between the realms of the living and the dead, and seperated them into distinct worlds. With the second regalia, the very embodiment of spirit itself, I forced these denizens into this new realm, and with the last of the these divine gifts, I closed off these realms, sealed by the edges cut by the divine blade.
In this new world, I prostrated myself, as its ranks quickly filled with those dead, and those of heavenly origin. At last, it had seemed that the earthly realm could truly be at peace. In time that creatures, and spirits that roamed its lands, drifted into myth and legend. But peace was not achieved. Like a river, history repeats itself, and though disconnected, the inhabitants of both these realms waged countless wars against one another.
For so long, I could not fathom what it was I was to do. Could I ever bring peace and balance? Then realization dawned upon me, balance. Even with their worlds divided a balance had not been reached. There was such discordance, and disharmony, a bridge needed to be drawn. To this end, I sought to acquire an even greater power than previously bestowed, transcending my celestial body. The harmony between souls, their creation, and reincarnation became my domain, an endless cycle to balance all worlds, such is my design. But in doing so, I was no longer apart of destiny or fate. By achieving quite possibly one of the highest echelons of power, it was no longer mine to use.
Now and till eternity's end, I may only observe from this empty throne.
Next Chapter >>
Behind the Scenes[]
- This story presents an entirely new idea to who and what the Soul King is, and his purpose, being the cycle that regulates the birth, and reincarnation of souls, in effect representing the balance that Shinigami are tasked to maintain. In this way the Soul King is both an individual and a "thing" or "lynch-pin" as described by Urahara.
- The author felt that by making the Soul King an "observer", and preventing the Soul King from taking direct action, it would serve as a logical reason for Aizen's hatred of the Soul King. If Aizen realized that the most powerful being to exist, could not use his power, it would explain his desire to use the Hogyoku to evolve beyond even that, and that the throne of the Soul King is truly a "vacant seat" that he wishes to destroy and assume control over.
- The Soul King depicted, is hinted to be Ninigi a kami tasked by Amaterasu to pacify Japan using the three imperial regalia - Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi also known as the Sword of Kusanagi, the mirror Yata no Kagami, and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama. Liberties were taken in order to adapt Japanese mythology to the Bleach universe, along with numerous references to canon places and events, to fill in gaps left by the mangaka.