The soldier trudged into the cavern, surrounded on all sides by others like him. They marched in lockstep, just as they always did, to the centre of the cavern. There were an amazing number of troops there - at least eight thousand, by the soldier's estimation. Enough to fight a battle with, if not a war.

As they continued their march, the soldier became overwhelmed with the smell of fresh, damp clay. He looked down and saw trails of the same clay littering the path that the soldiers trod upon. He momentarily pondered the meaning of the presence of all this clay until they stopped marching moments later. As they stopped, the soldier noticed Li Si, the Emperor's chief advisor, at the head of the crowd. Several others flanked him on either side, all dressed in the finery of a court magician.

''As you have no doubt heard," Li Si said to the assembled crowd, "our glorious Emperor has died."

As murmurs of rumour and cries of outrage started to fill the crowd, the soldier started to feel sick to his stomach. He had, of course, already heard the news of the Emperor's passing - who in the kingdom had not - but this was Qin Shi Huang they were speaking of! He who had united all the civilized people under heaven under his banner, and who had built the Great Wall to keep the barbarian hordes at bay! The soldier shuddered to think of what fate would befall the kingdom without the Emperor's guiding hand.

"The Emperor's death is, no doubt, an upsetting reality," Li Si continued. ''I also do not doubt that, as noble warriors, many of you must regret that you were unable to give your life in service to your emperor. Your service need not be in vain, however. These men,” at this point, he gestured to the court wizards on either side of him, “can ensure that you will be eternally at the ready when the Emperor requires your services.

As the wizards started to work their magic, the soldier's heart became glad. Ever since he had been a boy, the soldier had pledged his life to Qin Shi Huang . Had been willing to sacrifice his life to guard his emperor. And, as the soldier felt the wizards' magic start to work, and felt his body start to turn to clay, he knew that at long last his pledge was to be fulfilled. He would remain here, nothing more than a statue, until the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huang would have need of him again.

As his brain turned to terracotta, he thought of his wife, and his children. He hoped they would understand.