Gleanings of Paradise

“

In a sense, the Gleanings of Paradise was like a dinosaur which had been brought back to life in the modern age. As an organism, it was too powerful. Absent from the long history of coexistence and harmony that other plants and animals had to participate in, it had abruptly traveled through time one day.

”

—Rohan Kishibe, Gleanings of Paradise Chapter 7

The Gleanings of Paradise (楽園の落穂, Rakuen no Ochibo) plant is the main antagonist of the short story Gleanings of Paradise, that is part of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: Short Story Collection.

It is thought to be one of the most ancient wheat species in the world, which ends up being revived by Shozo Yaginuma when he tries genetically modifying wheat to cure Yo Utsurogi's wheat allergy. It then propagates itself by enslaving humans to cultivate it.

Appearance

When cultivated, the fields of this wheat are so mesmerizing that they appear to shine with a beauty likened to a sea of gold. They have a radiant glow and long peduncles like cat whiskers. When they sway from the mountain breeze, they twinkle, making the countless flickers look like shining golden waves.

The wheat itself is visually distinct from modern varieties, as demonstrated when Yaginuma presents two different ears of wheat to highlight their differences. Unlike the modern varieties of wheat, with their dense rows of kernels, the kernels on the Gleanings of Paradise are longer and thinner, and have less kernels overall. Their outer skin is also quite thick.^[2]

When lit by the moon, the grains shine a pale, platinum white color.^[1]

Personality

This organism has a powerful survival instinct, evident by its influence over those who consume it. The wheat has its own agenda, seeking to propagate and spread its influence. It can dominate those who ingest it, bending them to its will. It considers humans as livestock, indispensable for their own prosperity as they are necessary for growing wheat. It is also intelligent enough to assign roles to the humans it enslaves, based on the human's temperament. For example, it assigns Yaginuma to be the village chief for the sake of keeping, raising, and multiplying livestock.^[1]

The Gleanings of Paradise also has a god complex, believing itself to be god and the humans it enslaves to be its angels. Rohan suggests that they once went extinct because they didn't respect humans to have a symbiotic relationship, unlike other types of wheat.^[3]

Abilities

Constitution-Altering Enslavement

This section requires expansion.

History

Background

This section requires expansion.