There won't too much of a difference between this chap and Canon. Though the dialogue will be different.

The reason being that I don't think the events in Canon are wrong, but rather that they just cut out too many needed parts. So if it sometimes seem like I'm repeating events, than I can't blame you for thinking so.

This chapter is mostly dialogue. But then again, in game, there's isn't too many things to write about. Most of the time we aren't in the big action, we are often running around doing small simple things that isn't worth talking about.

"I can't believe that I'm doing this while the resistance is under fire." Lumine grumbled as she made her way through the forest.

"Are you sure you should really trust her?" Paimon asked. As usual the fairy was doing nothing other than asking the obvious questions.

"Honestly, I don't know. However, I can't deny that she has some good points. I mean what have we accomplished with the resistance? All we ever did was run around and do some errands that amounted to basic repairs and beating some ronin. None of what we did ever served to accomplish anything significant. If that was all Kokomi wanted us to do, we were better off not getting involved with the resistance." Lumine responded as she activated her elemental vision.

The green color trail made it clear where her target was hiding. Still the forest was huge, and it wasn't easy to navigate it.

"That's kind of harsh. Don't you feel bad for them? Are you still angry because of what happened to Teppei?"

"That's only one of the reasons." Lumine shoved a tree brunch out of the way. "The other reason is because she seems to be giving me some answers about what's going on. The woman was able to predict what question I wanted to ask before I could even do so. As much as I dislike her smug attitude, she seems better than Kokomi who at this point can only hold up in their base."

"Even so, this request of hers seems so troublesome. Find someone in this large forest."

The blonde would have agreed if it weren't for her elemental vision. After much trecking through the forest, she had finally found her target.

"Umm…Paimon, is this figure moving?" Lumine asked her fairy friend. The large circular figure in front of her was shaped like a statue, but she could have sworn that it moved ever so slightly whenever she blinked.

"I don't think so, but I think hear something coming from it. Maybe you should poke it with your sword or something."

"Good idea." As the girl drew her weapon, a puff of smoke erupted in front of her.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" A young girl dressed like a tanuki shook her head as she waved her hands about. "You can put away your weapon."

Lumine did so before letting out a sigh of relief. "Sorry about that. I wasn't really going to poke you." Examining the girl from top to bottom, she then asked. "Would you happen to be Sayu? Yae Guji asked us to find you."

"Ughh…yeah, that's me." She groaned upon hearing that name. "What is it now? Whenever she wants something from me, it's usually something strange."

"I don't know, but she told me to tell you that if you don't come see her, she will personally come to pick you up."

The girl's expression paled at hearing that. Lumine couldn't stop herself from grinning at the sight. It seems that Yae commanded respect from a lot of people here.

One long trip back to the shrine later…

"Ah, you are back." Yae grinned at the sight of them walking up to her. The head priestess was currently standing in front of the huge Sakura Tree. She glanced at Sayu. "I have a favor to ask of you, but for now I wish to speak with the Traveler. You can rest in the living room while we talk."

The ninja left the scene. The moment she was gone, Yae turned her attention back to the Traveler. "Now then, you look like you have something you want to ask me."

"Why did you make me go all the way out to find her? Couldn't you do it yourself?" Lumine crossed her arms. She didn't like the idea of being treated like an errand girl. "I thought I would be doing something more drastic or important."

"Be careful of what you wish for. It may soon come true." Yae responded with a small laugh. "But rest assure, that was the last small favor I will ask of you. As for why I didn't find her myself, it was because I needed to prepare something."

Lumine just nodded in response, but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, I suppose it's time to give you the answers you seek. The mastermind of this stupid war are the Fatui and the Tenryou commission, or more specifically, the Kujou clan."

The Traveler's eyes widen slightly. "I had expected the Fatui, but not the Kujou clan."

"Ah, wait. Despite saying the Kujou clan, it's more accurate to say the head of the Kujou clan, Kujou Takayuki is the one causing this whole mess. People like Sara are too noble to go along with his schemes."

"How do you know this?"

Yae let out a playful sigh in response to her question. She stroked the huge Sakura tree next to her before answering. "I think I should start with a small history lesson first. Do you remember Kunikuzushi?"

Both her guests were confused at that question. "Who? Paimon can't remember anyone by that name."

"Oh, silly me. I forgot he goes by another name now. Let me rephrase that. Do you remember Scaramouche?"

Lumine's eyes widen before narrowing. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he is the trigger that started this. Kunikuzushi, or Scaramouche as you know him by, was created by the Raiden Shogun herself."

"What?!" Both Lumine and Paimon was taken back.

Yae ignored their reactions and continued explaining. "You may not know this, but Scaramouche is not a human being. He is a puppet, an incredibly advanced puppet. So advanced, that he ended up gaining a mind of his own."

"Wait! Scaramouche was created by the Raiden Shogun?!"

"Yes, in fact, he is the very first one that was handcrafted by the Shogun herself." Yae nodded as she continued explaining. "Many know of the Shogun's prowess in combat, but that's all they know. She has many other skills, one of them being her ability to create mechanical puppets. In fact, her skills are so advanced, that I don't think there is anyone in the land who can match her skill in that department."

Paimon rubbed her head as she was struggling to take in the information. "So…Scaramouche is a puppet that was created by the Raiden Shogun? But…but if that's the case, then how did he become a Fatui Harbinger, and why is he working against Inazuma?"

"The full answer would require a long explanation." Yae sighed in response. "The short answer would be that the Fatui found out about his existence, and they recruited him into their ranks. From him, they discovered many secrets about Inazuma and the Shogun in particular. The Shogun has handcrafted many puppets over the years, but only a few ever gained a will of their own."

"Puppets…hmm…" Lumine closed her eyes as she did some thinking. "You know, I was thinking. Some time ago, I ran into a giant mechanical samurai. The first time was at the Golden Apple Archipelago. Then I ran into the same one at Yashiori Island while I was investigating some cultist activity. Both times they were incredibly powerful machines with great skill in the sword and could wield the power of Cyro and Anemo despite being machines."

"Cyro and Anemo…" Yae placed one hand under her chin as she did some thinking. "I do not know where this Golden Apple Archipelago is, but I do know of one such machine on Yashiori Island. That sounds like the Maguu Kenki. It was another one of the Shogun's creations."

"Wait, that incredibly powerful machine was one of hers?!" Paimon was in shock.

"Yes. Ei spent a lot of time researching and creating puppets. The Maguu Kenki was supposed to serve both as powerful weapons and guardians. She even contemplating using them in the military, but later discarded the idea when she discovered that both the cost and time needed made it impossible to mass produce. That and she wanted to use her time creating other types of puppets as well. There are many others like that which she created over the years. Though she only brings them out when she has too. Despite some thinking that she is also a god of war, she is no fan of unneeded violence, and thus locked away most of her creations. Only to take them out in in emergencies.

"Wow, I can't believe we never noticed it. If the Shogun's army had access to such powerful machines…I don't think the resistance would have been able to win even if they used the delusions." Paimon voiced out her thoughts.

Lumine couldn't help but nodded. "The first time we were caught off guard in the Golden Apple Archipelago, it took the combine efforts of me, Jean, Diluc and Kaeya to stop it. I can't imagine the resistance being to do anything if they had used such weapons from the start."

"Ei fortunately had the right idea of programming several restrictions into them. Making it impossible for anyone else other than her to use it. She has a personal workshop when she wants to craft a new puppet. I can only imagine how frustrated the Fatui must be. They probably have attempted to break into her workshop underneath her castle in order to study her works, but couldn't even break past her security."

It was at this moment did Lumine noticed something. "Wait, you mentioned Ei, again. Who is that?"

"Oh Ei? That's just the real name of the Shogun and the Electro Archon. Raiden Ei."

"I see." She nodded. "Still, all these talk about puppets make me wonder, what does this have to do with her? So far none of what you mentioned explained how it led to the war."

Yae gestured at the Sakura tree in front of her. "Everything. You see, the Raiden Shogun herself, is a puppet."

This news hit so hard that Lumine's senses grinded to a halt for a moment. "Wait, what did you just say?"

"I said, the Raiden Shogun is but a puppet. The real Electro Archon has been in front of you the whole time."

"In front of us?" Lumine turned her head towards the Sakura tree. "Wait…" She turned back to Yae and then back to the tree. "You can't be saying…"

Yae nodded in response. "Her body was absorbed into this Sakura Tree following a big event many years ago, and from it, it vastly increased the Scared Sakura's blessing and protection of the land."

"You aren't making any sense."

"Ahh! Paimon doesn't get it. This sounds so crazy!" The fairy was scratching her head now.

"The full story is not up to me to disclose, but I will say this. Ei has physically died, and her body was later absorbed into the Sacred Sakura tree which further increased its power. However, her soul is still with us, but she needs a vessel to move around in."

Lumine took a deep breath as she closed her eyes as she organized her thoughts. After a few moments she opened them. "So, to summarize, the Sho—no, Raiden Ei no longer has her original body. She exists as a soul, and thus needs a physical vessel. The current Raiden Shogun is a humanoid puppet that she created and is using as a vessel. Am I right?"

"Close, you did get one thing wrong though." Yae winked playfully at her. "Her soul isn't in the puppet. It's in the Musou Isshin. The very sword itself. I believed that you had the opportunity to encounter the real Ei when the Shogun Puppet drew it out."

"I did notice that there was something different about her back there compared to when I saw her in front of the statue. Like that version of her from within looked curious and had more emotions." Lumine nodded in understanding. "So how does this come back to the Fatui and Kujou Clan?"

"The Fatui from studying Scaramouche, came to understand that the Raiden Shogun's body is a puppet. And all puppets who hasn't gained sentience like Scaramouche can only act based on the commands they are given no matter how stupid it is. The Fatui may not be able to overwrite its programming, but they have discovered what its limitations are and how to manipulate it. They have also found ways to wrestle control of the puppet from Ei. Essentially making them the master of Inazuma. Takayuki betrayed the Shogun thinking that he could obtained more power by removing the Shogun herself by wrestling control of the puppet from her." She sighed as she shook her head. "Ironic that the vessel that she made to interact with the world would end up becoming her prison."

"And the Fatui in turn agreed to help him with this?"

"Yes, they wanted an opportunity to test their mass-produced delusion in actual combat. Takayuki wanted power and he wanted to remove those from Watasumi. To them, it was a situation where both sides profit."

There was nothing more to tell. Lumine let out a tired sigh. "Alright, everything you told me is crazy, but I can't deny that it answers almost all my questions. What you haven't told me yet, is what do we do now?"

"Now you return to the city and secure some help and perhaps come up with a plan. Just because you know the truth now, doesn't mean you can do anything. You would require assistance if you to put an end to this crisis. It would be nice if you could get some evidence of the crimes of the Kujou clan's betrayal."

"Right. By the way, has there been any news on the war?"

"The resistance was forced back to Watasumi Island. Kujou Sara has backed them into a corner. Fortunately, it seems that the battle has reached a stalemate. She knows that she can't break into Watasumi with a head on fight without taking considerable losses. And thus, has settled for a hold out instead. Knowing that the resistance is low on supplies, all she has to do is wait patiently and victory will come."

"That doesn't sound good."

"No, it doesn't, but at least you still have time. You best make your move soon. On your way out, call Sayu in to see me. I need her to do something for me in the city. Take her with you when I'm done talking to her, I'm certain that she will be of use to you."

For Lumine it was such a relief when she finally had a chance to sit down and eat a warm hearty meal. Everything had happened so fast that she was still coming to terms with the truth. This simple moment was a much-needed break to distract her from all the chaotic events that was going on.

"Are you alright?" Thoma asked as he placed a bowl of miso soup down in front of her.

Sneaking back into the city wasn't as hard as she had thought. Thanks to it being part of the Kamisato clan, the teahouse served as a place where she could kick back and relax if only for a short while.

"No, I'm not. How do you think I feel? The resistance was of no use. Everything that we have done so far was all for nothing."

"I'm sorry about that." Thoma apologized as he bowed. "I was the one who suggested the idea of you going there."

"Traveler…" Ayaka looked in sympathy. "I am truly sorry. I never would have imagined that you would have been through so much because of us."

Lumine waved her off. "Forget it, the important thing is, what do we do now? Yae only gave me the truth, not a solution. She said that whatever happens from now on, is up to us."

The three did some thinking. Only Lumine was eating her meal, the poor girl had been through a lot and just wanted to avoid thinking about the complicated stuff. It was Thoma who spoke up first.

"What if we were to expose Takayuki for the traitor that he is?"

"Yae did mentioned that it would be nice, but the question is how would we do that? No in fact, what good would that do? He already has the Shogun in his grasp. Who is going to persecute him?" Lumine shot down that idea instantly.

It was Ayaka who answered her question. "No perhaps that is one who might be able to do something about it."

"Who?"

"Kujou Sara." Her answer had caught everyone by surprise. "Despite being the right-hand woman of the Raiden Shogun, Kujou Sara is an honorable woman who does not stand for lies and deceit. She is simply too noble of a woman. Her loyalty to the Shogun is unrivaled. And being the general, she could at least put a halt to the invasion at the very least. If she found out that the Shogun had been betrayed and imprisoned and that she had been fighting a pointless war for over a year, I have no doubt that she would immediately go after Takayuki even if he is her father."

Lumine considered her words for a moment before she nodded. "I suppose that is true. Though even if that is the case, how are we supposed to retrieve said evidence?"

"If there is to be any evidence out there, it would most likely be held in their headquarters. Though infiltrating it is going to be a challenge on its own." Ayaka glanced at Sayu who was sleeping in one corner. How the girl was able to sleep while standing remains unknown. "I suppose the reason she came along with you was to assist us in this department."

"I thought Yae said she had no plans regarding that. She only said it would be nice if we could get the evidence."

"Sayu was mostly likely entrusted to us to help with our goals."

"Perhaps a distraction then?" Thoma suggested. "If we can make a commotion, then maybe Sayu could sneak in and grab the evidence?"

"A distraction huh? Perhaps going to Yomiya would be a good idea." Lumine suggested in response.

"I understand where you are going with this." Ayaka nodded. "However, such a process can't be rushed. And if I may suggest something, perhaps you should return to the resistance."

This suggestion caught Lumine off guard. Ayaka proceeded with her explanation. "Sangonomiya Kokomi might be the enemy, but given her capabilities, she might be able to come up with something. Currently, even with this knowledge, we can't form a complete plan."

"I disagree with that part. If the situation is as they say, there's no point to me returning there now. It would be a lie to say that I'm not worried though." Lumine replied just before she resumed eating. "I just think it would be better if we managed to do something about it here first, before we can hold actual discussions."

"In that case, how about you meet her at the Grand Narukami Shrine?" Thoma suggested. "It is well known that Kujou Sara often visits the shrine on a specific day every time of the month. And it just so happens that day is coming up soon."

"So, secure the evidence and give it to her before she visits the shrine? Well, that's all fine and good, but I'm not very good at such things." Lumine remembered the last time she tried such a stun and barely made out in one piece. "Will she listen though?"

Ayaka was the one who answered the question. "The Grand Narukami Shrine is a place where all conflict is forbidden as decreed by the Shogun herself. Given how important she is to her, even the serious Lady Kujo herself will not dare to raise arms there. It would be the best place, or perhaps the only place where you could force her to hold a discussion."

"Alright then, all that's left is to get the evidence and we can—"

"You can just leave that to our good friend over here." Thoma glanced at the corner where Sayu was sleeping. "In the meantime, you just get some rest. We have spare futons that you can use. I have a feeling that the hard part will come once we obtained the evidence."

"I'll take you up on the offer then." Lumine nodded. "Perhaps a day or two's worth of rest is what I need."

And there. Not much has changed, except for the dialogue and perhaps some of Ei's backstory. I might have exaggerated a few bits there, like her having an interest in puppet making. In canon lore, she is an expert on puppet making as shown in the conversation with Yae later following the end of the Archon quest.

Now the reason why not much has changed, though some more changes, or rather additions will come in the next chapter.