บท 4: Vision's Rights
Over a grand room made purely of ice, on an icy throne, an unapproachable and cold woman sat resting with her eyes closed. With her frozen and peerless figure and lack of any facial wrinkle, it could really only be an ice statue.
"FUCK YOU, WORLD!"
The words resounded over the room, clear light blue eyes opening for it, their gaze crossing over the void, beyond there.
"What changes would you make in this rotten world?" Her eyes flashed with a strong light, before closing them again, returning to her statuesque manner as if nothing really happen.
...
"A vision." Joseph whispered astonished seeing the blue gemstone.
Visions are treasures, gifts bestowed upon those who are recognized by the gods, granting their user elemental abilities based on the element of their given Vision, giving them pseudo magical abilities. They were the divine gifts given as presents and tests, the keys to even ascend to godhood.
Over the Genshin Impact world, it really made a cut apart for characters, having a vision being almost considered a necessity to become strong, all the playable characters being vision's users or gods.
Joseph extended his left hand, catching the floating vision in it, clenching with strength.
"This changes everything" He hadn't had a good start, a weak, beaten orphan with a sick sister and people after him. Rather than starting from zero, it was starting negative. However, with this change, with a vision, everything changed, a new world of possibilities opening in front of him.
"Kirill" Joseph looked at him coldly "What would you do now?"
Kirill trembled for an instant before stopping still, knowing that the answer was clear. Kirill lowered his head towards Joseph "I apologize for everything that had been done to you and your sister." His manners made a 180º turn, becoming humble in front of Joseph, his fury and fighting spirit having completely disappeared.
Kirill took out a bag, showing that it contained mora, some 200 pieces, letting it on the ground "I implore your forgiveness."
"You can leave" Joseph stated, Kirill sighing in relief and hurriedly leaving the scene, followed by the two other grunts.
Allen might have some fury with him, but it wasn't much as this was how everything worked here. Kirill was another orphan grown out, another pawn of this system that forced the weak down. Allen always knowing that if it wasn't Kirill, it could have become any other.
Joseph could have punished him more, but he needed to mind the circumstances. First of all, the only reason for Kirill change of manner is the fear implanted by the society, as the strength was valued over all, the potential to grow followed it after, having a vision showing the great potential.
Killing a vision's user who had recently obtained it, without letting him grow would be considered a crime at Snezhnaya, a nobody like Kirill only facing death if discovered.
However, if Joseph were to push Kirill too much, he might explode, risking his life and killing him in fury before trying to escape later. In the end, Joseph was weak and injured, even obtaining a vision wouldn't change that fact so Joseph was quite unsure of being able to win a fight against him and the other grunts, rather he would bet on his own defeat.
Moreover, there were more important things to do for now, he could always act against Kirill later anyways. Joseph focused over his right hand and saw in wonder how the layer of ice quietly disappeared.
"Tch!" Joseph cried in pain, clenching his right hand. After releasing the ice, the hand was all purple due to the low temperature, with small cuts everywhere while uncontrollably trembling, unable to move according to his wishes.
Even if he was able to have cryo abilities thanks to the vision that didn't make his body immune to them. Freezing his own hand was a bad idea as even if he didn't feel anything while being frozen, once it is released, he would need to bear all the pain. Joseph mentally listed to not use it in his own body again.
After the pain subsided a little, Joseph quickly went over Ellen, worried about her state.
"A-al-l-l-len, i-it's, c-c-oool-lll-d" Ellen stuttered while trembling. She had been really bad previously, but after being moved away from the warmth of the room to the open and being thrown by Kirill, her state had taken a turn for the worse.
It wasn't her temperature being lowered, even the surroundings seemed to cool down, her freezing rate accelerating at a visible speed, her feet completely frozen with an ice layer.
'Save her!'
"I need to act quickly before it's too late" He quickly started moving, taking the money and the few necessities and preparing a sled, positioning Ellen with extreme care on it. She seemed so weak and delicate that seemed that she would break down like an ice statue if treated wrongly.
As Joseph pushed the sled across the path, the people around completely ignored him. Not that it mattered as Joseph ignored them, his eyes fixed on his destination, the ice wall.
Reaching the ice wall, Joseph appeared in front of a gate. The gate was over 5 meters tall with a fence gate with a crank to open it manually, all of it made from ice, and a single guardian standing over it, looking at his surroundings.
The guardian didn't seem especially strong, he was wearing a leather suit with a sword and a little knife over his waist. He seemed more of a hunter than a guardian.
Seeing the dirty child approaching the gate while dragging the sled, the guardian sighed "Another rat trying his luck" He lifted his chin, completely looking down at the approaching boy. However, his expression froze when the boy lifted his left hand, revealing a badge with a light blue gemstone.
"A vision!" The guardian shouted panicked and like Kirill, his demeanor changed, lowering the head before quickly opening the gate, letting the two siblings pass over without any problem, entering the capital.
It was a bright change in respect to the slums, home of the poor, crime and disorder. Here the houses were neatly arranged and made out of stones, with paved roads full of clean people traversing through them. Looking forward over some kilometers, another ice wall could be seen at the distance, Joseph decidedly going over it.
Joseph wasn't surprised at all by this as thanks to Allen's memories, he had learned how Snezhnaya worked. Snezhnaya's capital was divided into 5 areas clearly divided, each further area with better living conditions and richer. The 5 areas being the slums region, the commoners' area, the army's area, the nobles' area and finally the Zapolyarny Palace where the Tsaritsa resided.
With the exemption of the Zapolyarny Palace where it was said that anyone that could reach could enter, between every other area there was an ice wall separating them, each wall with some gates, every one of them being guarded by a guard.
How could someone cross over the gates? It was as easy as showing your strength, meaning that you needed to defeat the guard over the gate in a 1vs1 fight. Being able to defeat the first wall guard, you will directly obtain the rights to stay in the capital, becoming a resident and even being offered, or rather forced, a job and a living place.
That's why for most of the slums they aspire to become strong, at least enough to pass over the gate and gain a more human life. That way the guards had high responsibility and above-average strength, making it difficult to climb your way. Even that way, the guards had countless challenges waiting everyday, changing turns when they are tired.
A curious fact is that the guards are banned from killing the challengers, killing one they would face severe punishment. On the other side, the challengers are able to kill the guard, but in that case, they would be forced to become a guard.
Trying to break through the gate, sneakily or using numbers? That was a suicide, every passing challenger was registered and if you were to be found without a permit, you would experience something much worse than death. In the case of a riot with numbers, they would be easily stopped, the other guardians acting up or dispatching the army if needed.
Strength was truly the most important, but, of course, there were other ways to enter than fighting, obtaining a merchant permit, being recruited for intelligence, or a talent in another field were clear examples.
While the strength was the most important, they weren't blind to forget about all of the others, to become strong, money, food, health, wits, intelligence... a lot of things were necessary and excelling in your field could make you further, gaining access to cross the walls.
About Joseph's case? Vision's users were kind of special beings and of course, they had their own special rights and rules. If one were to obtain a vision, he would directly gain the title of soldier, or told in a different way, he was forced to join the army as if you were found out, you would be banned as a revel.
Joseph passed through the roads that were somewhat familiar due to Allen's memories when he was at the orphanage in the Commoner Arena. Joseph even knew where some clinics were, but he ignored them, knowing that they would be useless.
Thanks to Ellen's strength and potential, she was brought to multiples doctors by the orphanage but none of them knew how to cure heal, giving out completely. And that was when she was relatively healthy, now she was at the border of death, those normal doctors wouldn't be able to do anything other than wait for her death.
He didn't have time for that. He continued, his eyes looking forward, ignoring the curious gazed of the wayfarers who were curious of how such a young, weak and dirty child could have crossed through the first ice wall.
Arriving at the second wall, the guardian from it seemed far stronger and better equipped, wearing steel armor with a long spear over his right hand, even his manners were calmer and showed greater pressure.
The guard calmly analyzed and waited for Joseph to act.
"I obtained a vision" Joseph simply stated showing his vision.
As a soldier of the army, Joseph had already gained access through the second wall. Having obtained the vision, Joseph needed to directly go to the second wall, register there to then formalize everything, joining the army where he would be trained.
"Wait a moment" The guard nodded calmly, before retreating over a little shelter. Before not long, he returned, opening the gate and giving Joseph a letter "You need to go the administration office, all straight to the main road, the tall blue building. There they would sign up you and collect all your data."
"Thanks" Joseph nodded and took the letter, before starting to move again.
"I would give you some advice" The guard said seeing the boy going forward "If you want to climb higher, free yourself from the deadweight," He said looking at the trembling Ellen over the sled.
"As if I could" Joseph spotted as he continued dragging her, Allen's wild always remembering that he needed to save Ellen.
Joseph reached the administration building, but he didn't stop there, continuing forward. The Army District had better services than the Commoner but if it was about doctors, they would only be specialized in wounds and fractures from battles. If there was someone capable of healing an impossible sickness as Ellen's, he wouldn't be there, that kind of knowledge or healing ability bringing him further, his only hope was further, at the Noble District where talents and extremely strong people were.
Seeing finally the third wall's gate in the distance, Joseph stopped and gulped. The guardian wasn't a casual soldier, it was an elite Fatui Skirmisher. Standing tall and strong, with a somewhat futuristic blue and violet armor and an immense and a heavy warhammer that towered his height while exuding powerful energy, an Electrohammer Vanguard.
Joseph let Ellen's sled and breathed to calm himself. This wasn't like the walls before, he didn't have permission to cross this one. There was only one way to pass, showing strength! Joseph took out his wooden stick from the sled and stepped forward!
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