Chapter 8
A Traveler from Afar
One month and two weeks after the Stormterror Crisis
Will sighed as he watched the sun rose over the island of Ritou from the Kamisato Estate. Three days ago, the Traveler he'd heard so much about from Lumine had arrived in Inazuma, and Ayaka had formally inducted him as a member of the Yashiro Commission, as a thank you gift for helping to rescue Master Masakatsu. He'd spent the whole day after that making the long journey from Inazuma city with his belongings from Yoimiya's storefront to his new residence at the Yashiro compound. And there was still more good news to come.
Just this morning, Thoma had returned from his stay in Ritou, with news that the Traveler, Aether, and his friend, a small, floating child named Paimon, had received a travel permit from one of the more amenable members of the Kujou clan, Kujou Kamaji, in exchange for helping him with a commission on Ritou. Will could hardly contain his excitement at meeting the esteemed guest from afar. But for right now, he was excited for another reason.
With the care and attention to detail of an expert craftsman, he examined both wings of his new glider. Over the past few weeks, he'd been painstakingly working on it day after day by hand, and now it was finally done, and he was ready to take it for a test flight. Giddy with excitement, he ran up the steps to the Kamisato estate, as he didn't want to go too high, but still wanted a nice jump.
He donned the glider, which was like flowing bird feathers. The wings were made of a thin, membrane-like fabric, with Umbertail Falcon feathers sewn into it. All of that was tightly fused to a white iron frame, the center of which was emblazoned with a teal Anemo symbol, glowing with a soft, comforting light. Surrounding it were three small indents, each shaped like a triangle pattern of three circles, connected by a weaving line around a smaller circle in the middle. Unlike most gliders, which extended out like a pair of bird wings, these had small clips which could be connected to the tops of his wrists via wire thin hooks. This allowed Will the option of controlling the wings mentally, like he would a traditional glider, or to fly them manually by moving his arms.
Though small and unassuming, these hooks were quite durable, being made of Starsilver ore, which could only be found on the Dragonspine mountains in Mondstadt. Fortunately, both the Kamisato clan and Yoimiya's family were friends with a well known seafarer who frequently traveled between Inazuma, and the rest of the coastal Teyvat nations: Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet.
After explaining his project and trading over a sack of hard earned mora, Will had convinced the captain to keep an eye out for any merchants in Liyue, where she normally laid anchor to restock and take a brief break from sailing, who were selling the rare mineral. After a few weeks of anxious excitement, the captain had come through, bringing back to Inazuma a small crate of Starsilver chunks. After some experimentation, he'd learned how to carve them down into the desired shape, and how to affix them to the leather gloves he wore on his hands.
With a grin of unmatched excitement, he ran for the edge of the cliff and leaped into the air, stretching out his arms and gliding down to the ocean's surface. "Woo hoo! This is amazing!" he shouted as an updraft of wind sent him hurtling back into the sky after skimming the surface with one of his new swords, personally made by Master Masakatsu after their safe return to Narukami Island. The blades were jet black, but with finely sharpened edges made of pure titanite, a metal that was extremely durable, but also quite light, and thus swords made from it were exceptionally sharp, sharp enough to be the only swords that could rival the Jade Steel swords of the Mikage Furnace. Even after everything Will and Yoimiya had done to free him, Will had still insisted on paying the man at least a portion of the cost, but in his stubborn age, he'd adamantly refused even the tiny amount of mora Will had practically begged him to take.
Will, of course, was quite stubborn himself. The very next day, Masakatsu had woken up to find a large sack of Mora on his doorstep, with nothing attached to it except a tag that read "Thank you for the fine swords. -W".
The salty sea breeze gust carried him high into the air, and he curled his arms around his chest as he cut through the wind like an arrow, spreading the wings out at the last second and sending a large ripple of seawater out in all directions, before he saw a nearby waterfall hidden in the rocky cliff face.
Will had an idea, one that would certainly put his new glider to the ultimate test. He pinpointed an Electrograna tree, one which was in full bloom with multiple grana floating around it's branches, and then flapped his wings, speeding towards it. As he neared the tree, three of the grana floated upward and inserted themselves into the Electrograna shaped indents in the base of his glider. An electric current arced from wingtip to wingtip as he careened in the direction of the waterfall, angling his wings at the last moment to fly up and up. He narrowed his eyes in excitement, channeling Anemo power into his entire body and willing himself to fly even faster.
Moments later, he flew past the top of the waterfall, releasing a massive plume of seawater like a firework, only to then see that in doing so, he'd accidentally soaked Thoma, who was watering some of Ayaka's plants. With a cheeky grin, he flew down and offered to help the now hysterically laughing Fixer.
Will and Thoma waited behind the screen, grinning to each other as they heard the door open. "Well, now that we're here, where's Thoma?" said a high pitched voice, before sighing. "Paimon doesn't see him anywhere, do you think he forgot his promise to meet us?" Thoma looked over at Will, who nodded. It was showtime.
"Who forgot their promise? I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me!" Thoma said, before hastily cupping a hand over his mouth to contain his laughter.
The high pitched voice from earlier gasped. "Wh- Wh- What!? Is that dog talking to us!?"
"Hahaha, relax, no need to look so surprised. I take it this is the first time you've seen me in this form?" Thoma replied, to which Will's eyes shot wide open.
"Ooh, good one," he muttered, a mischievous grin on his face. Thoma nodded in agreement.
A new voice spoke up. "So you're a... dog?" they said, and Will had to restrain himself so he didn't fall out from behind the screen from laughing.
"Huh, so you didn't see anything like this when you were in Liyue Harbor?" Thoma asked, and Will couldn't help but giggle. Unbeknownst to him, one of the two newcomers had heard it.
"Ah, now that you mention it, this does suddenly seem less out of the ordinary…" said the first voice.
But the second newcomer had apparently caught onto their trick. "I know a dog when I see one," he said, and Will shrugged. They both laughed as they walked around the screen, and Will saw the newcomers for the first time. One had blonde hair and light skin, wearing adventuring-type clothing that radiated an exotic nature. The other was a small child floating in the air, with a pinkish halo floating above their white haired head.
"So, this is the brother Lumine spoke of. Well, he certainly has the air of an adventurer," Will thought to himself. His hair was slightly darker than his sister's, but Will could also see similarities too. For one, behind Aether floated a golden and black sword with a gem embedded in the hilt, glowing the same purple color as the crystals on his clothing.
"All right, all right, we've had our fun," said Thoma, gesturing to the two newcomers.
The small child spoke. "Hey! You're this close to getting an ugly nickname, mister! And who's your new friend?"
"I'm just one of Thoma's many friends in Narukami. Honestly, I'm not sure it'd be possible to find someone he couldn't get along with," Will said. "My name is Will. A pleasure to meet you both. I've heard a great deal about you," he added, extending a hand to Aether, who shook it, a friendly grin on his face.
"Sorry about the prank Paimon. But we had some time to kill, and Will here is great at both practical jokes, and theatrical flair. So, we decided to have some fun before we got down to business," Thoma said. "But at any rate, I would like to apologize about that little "test" you went through earlier. Though it was quite necessary… See, it helped us determine whether or not to bring you before Miss Kamisato, and whether you had the courage to face the lightning alongside us.
Paimon rested her hands on her tiny hips. "Hmph. Don't think that Paimon's gonna forgive you just because you're getting all serious now!"
"Haha... Sorry, did I overdo it? My apologies."
Aether shrugged, knowing Paimon's antics well enough after traveling with her for the past few months. "So, how did we do in our 'test'?" he asked.
Thoma nodded. Let me just say this, you've often found yourself skirting "the rules" from the very beginning, haven't you? Naturally, this is due to your unwavering and resolute determination, a trait that Will also shares."
Will chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't call it that in my case. For me, it's less a case of 'unwavering and resolute determination', and more that I'm just too darn stubborn for my own good, and I've never been afraid to speak my mind." The whole room laughed at that, but then Thoma's face darkened.
"You see, Aether, we had a friend a long time ago, one who was much the same as you are... but when the lightning struck…" As Thoma said this, Will stood up from where he was leaning against the wall. He hadn't been in Inazuma yet when the incident regarding this friend had occurred, but Ayaka had regardless told him the story not too long ago.
Aether's face grew serious, and he looked Thoma in the eyes. "You mean Kazuha's friend, right? The one who died in a duel before the throne?"
Thoma nodded. "So he's told you the story I take it. His light still burns all the more brightly…" he said, closing his eyes in sadness.
Aether nodded respectfully. "I hate to sound rude… but I would like to get back to the matter at hand here. Will we be allowed to meet the Shirasagi Himegimi?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. I will bring you to the Kamisato residence, where the Yashiro Commission is located," Thoma replied. "But, before that, there is one other place I was hoping you both would accompany us to."
Paimon responded. "Oh? Where?"
Will walked around them and to the door, briefly flashing his Anemo vision, but keeping his Cryo Delusion hidden from view. There would come a time to reveal that card from his hand, but it had not arrived yet. "To the Statue of the Omnipresent God. It's still under construction now, but you can already see it from practically anywhere on Narukami Island."
Will and Thoma led Aether and Paimon up the stone steps outside of Tenshukaku, turning to their left to step foot onto the wooden scaffold-like platform. "This area sure feels gloomy. People probably don't come here often, do they?" Paimon wondered aloud as they walked towards the massive stone statue. Paimon flew closer to the sculpture. "Huh, and are Paimon's eyes playing tricks, or are there things embedded in the statue...?"
"Visions. This statue contains every vision seized thus far…" Will replied quietly. Paimon gasped.
"Visions! You mean all the Visions that are collected from the Vision Hunt Decree are put into this statue!?" she exclaimed, and Thoma nodded.
"Indeed. Every last one. So you've already heard of the Vision Hunt Decree, correct?" he asked, and Aether nodded, but with a confused expression on his face.
"But I'm confused. Why did the Shogun issue the Vision Hunt Decree? Isn't she the one who grants people visions in Inazuma in the first place?" he said, and Will shook his head.
"Well, no one knows for sure how the visions are granted to people, but I doubt that the Shogun grants them, because even as long as the Vision hunt has been going on, the amount of people who received visions hasn't changed much. At least, not that I've heard," he replied. "However, I can answer your first question. Though, I would like to remind you that Mondstadt is the nation of Freedom, and Liyue the nation of Contracts. Sumeru, Fontaine, and Natlan are the nations of Wisdom, Justice, and War respectively. But Inazuma on the other hand, is known as the nation of Eternity."
Thoma nodded again. "That's right. The Raiden Shogun is both the nation's most powerful ruler, and its deity. The "eternity" in question... is her endless and unchanging will to rule over Inazuma. As such, she relies on the Tri—Commission to regulate the nation's affairs, and the Sakoku Decree to limit the people's movement," He explained. "The shogun wishes to keep Inazuma in stasis, allowing the stream of time to flow from one end to the other without disturbing it, for all time."
Paimon narrowed her eyes. "Seems like every god has their own will…"
Thoma shrugged slightly. "Of course, this is my own limited understanding. As for the reason behind the recent Vision Hunt Decree… Perhaps the shogun believes that Visions grant people the power to change, and that her eternity doesn't allow for such instability to exist. But whatever the case, the fact is that the Raiden Shogun has dispatched the Tenryou Commission to scour the nation for Visions, embedding each one in this statue, the Statue of the Omnipresent God, so that it can be seen as Inazuma's symbol of eternity."
Paimon held her hands out in a confused motion. "But if that's the case, wouldn't you say that the Raiden Shogun is being... I don't know, selfish?" she asked, and both Thoma and Will laughed. "What? What's Paimon done that's so funny?"
"Sorry, it's just that only outlanders such as yourselves would ever dare speak out so directly against the Raiden Shogun," Will explained as Thoma took a breath.
"And yet... I agree," Thoma added. "The Vision Hunt Decree grinds the peoples' dreams into the dirt, and the Sakoku Decree has allowed people in the Tri-Commission to abuse their power over others. Both of those decrees can only hurt Inazuma in the long term, so Miss Kamisato has been committed to fighting both since the day it was announced."
As he said this, Aether walked over to the statue. "Huh? Aether, are you okay? You look like your mind is elsewhere," Paimon remarked, before watching Aether place a hand on the statue, only to withdraw and clutch his head, his eyes shut tight. He sank to the ground.
"Woah, what's wrong?" Will asked, hurrying over to the traveler and helping him back to his feet.
Aether shook his head. "What was that... sound just now?"
Will narrowed an eyebrow. "Sound? What sound?" he asked, and Thoma nodded.
"Huh, I didn't hear anything either... did something happen?"
Paimon floated closer to her companion. "Yeah, you touched the statue, and then... and then what?"
Aether sighed. "I heard… voices… I think they were... people's aspirations," he said after a moment.
"Aspirations?" Will repeated.
Thoma rested his head on one of his hands. "Hmm... That would seem to confirm the myth."
"Myth?" Paimon echoed. "What myth?"
The Yashiro Fixer looked up and tilted his head slightly. "You haven't heard it before? It's said that when a person's ambition reaches a certain strength, the gods look upon them with favor."
Will nodded. "That is where Visions come from... In other words, a person's Vision represents their ambition… So, if what you just said is true… the ambitions of these people are even stronger than I imagined."
Aether nodded. "So a Vision symbolizes ambition, and not power…"
Thoma then shook his head. "Alright, let's brighten the mood. You said you wanted to talk with Miss Kamisato, right?" he asked, and when Aether and Paimon both nodded, he smiled. "Well then, it's time for the next stop on our tour of Narukami Island: the Kamisato residence!"
As they arrived at their next stop, the Kamisato estate, the two guards on duty looked at Will and Thoma, and then Aether and Paimon behind them. They walked past the ornate arch and towards the room where Will had first met Ayaka.
"So this is the kind of place where the big shots of Inazuma live, huh? Paimon kinda expected it to be... snazzier," Paimon said as they walked up a set of two stairs, and Aether chuckled.
"Well, it is pretty hard top top the Jade Chamber, or the Dawn Winery," he pointed out, and Will looked back.
"You've been to the Jade Chamber and the Dawn Winery?" he asked, to which Aether nodded.
"Yeah. We also got to meet both the Anemo Archon and the Geo Archon in Mondstadt and Liyue too!" Paimon exclaimed excitedly.
Will tilted his head in interest. "You got to meet two of the Archons? That's really cool!" he said. "So, why are you trying to meet all the Archons? Is it just to say that you have, or is there another reason?"
He already knew the answer from Lumine. Aether was looking for his sister, and he thought the archons were the ones who split them up. However, he was interested to hear what he said.
"Well, I'm looking for my sister," the blonde replied.
"No surprise there," Will thought. "Your sister? Did something happen?" He asked, maintaining a facade of ignorance regarding Lumine's whereabouts. In truth, he actually didn't know where the Abyss Princess was at that time, but it was better to allow Aether to believe he'd never met Lumine in the first place. For now, at least.
Aether nodded. "It's… a long story," he said as they walked into Ayaka's greeting room.
Thoma turned around and faced Aether and Paimon. "Welcome, at last, to the Kamisato Estate, honored guests. Miss Kamisato is delighted to finally meet you."
Paimon looked around curiously. "Is this the Shirasagi Himegimi you keep going on about? So, uh, where's she at?" Then, Ayaka cleared her throat on cue, almost like she had been waiting for the duo to wonder where she was. "Oh! Uh, behind the screen?"
"Yes," Thoma said, chuckling slightly. "As the daughter of the Yashiro Commission, this is how Miss Kamisato is accustomed to receiving guests that are new to our nation. You could consider it a time-honored tradition within the Yashiro Commission. Forgive me if this is an unwelcome surprise."
Thankfully, Aether nodded. "Slightly anticlimactic, but I think I understand."
"Eh, it does make sense," Paimon added. "She is a super important person after all."
"Please forgive my lack of courtesy for receiving you in this fashion… especially following such a long and wearisome journey over the sea," Ayaka's silhouette apologized through the violet blue screen. "I have awaited your arrival with great anticipation, and everyone who speaks of your accomplishments has assured me that you do indeed possess the power to change the tide of the times.
"You see, at present in Inazuma, the people's aspirations are being senselessly trampled underfoot in the name of the Vision Hunt Decree. Though the Yashiro Commission serves the shogun, it is the people with whom we share close bonds, given the contact we are required to have with them in the performance of our duties," she explained. "And as you might imagine, a commission's power rises and falls with the trust of their people. Thus, we cannot remain indifferent to this situation without also remaining indifferent to our own fate."
Though her silhouette didn't move, it was clear that she was hopeful, and for good reason. Everything they'd heard about Aether and Paimon had all supported the idea that neither of them were willing to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. "Traveler, please lend us your power, and we can-"
But to everyone's surprise, Aether cut her off. "No," he said, a frown on his face.
"I- but why?" Ayaka replied, confused. Will was shocked, because earlier Aether had appeared to express great interest in the Vision Hunt Decree, and the state of affairs in Inazuma as a whole. Was that all just a ruse?
"I'm sorry, but I'm just here to meet the Raiden Shogun, not to start a rebellion," Aether replied. Will narrowed his eyes, as if he wanted to interject but knew he shouldn't. Clearly, the Traveler's response had disappointed him.
"Oh… I see…" Ayaka responded in a saddened tone.
Thoma sighed. "See, milady, it's just like I said... this will take us nowhere…"
Aether turned around to leave, and at that moment, Will saw Ayaka turn around through the screen. Even though he couldn't see her face, it wasn't that hard to know that her expression had changed to one of desperation as she heard his footsteps.
"No, please... wait!" she pleaded, adding in a softer tone "Please... Don't go…"
Ayaka sighed. "What?" Aether replied in a somewhat disinterested voice.
"I can introduce you to the Raiden Shogun, but on one condition… I must ask you to fulfill three small wishes on my behalf," Ayaka told the Traveler.
Aether nodded slightly. "Ok… say I agree, what are your wishes?" he asked, and Ayaka straightened up.
"I would like you to visit three people on Narukami Island. A warrior who guards a village, a former samurai who helped carry out the Vision Hunt Decree, and a swordmaster who was determined to become the best in the world in his youth… All three of them recently had their Visions taken from them. Go to them and help them however you can. If you do this, then I will do all I can to secure you an audience with the Shogun," she explained.
Aether rested his chin on his hand, thinking about Ayaka's deal. Will stared at him and Paimon, praying to the Archons that the traveler would agree to Ayaka's terms. Eventually, he nodded as he reached a decision.
"It's a tall order… but alright, I'll see what I can do," he said, and Thoma, Will and Ayaka all let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
"You have my gratitude, Aether," Ayaka replied. "Mine, and all of Inazuma's."
Thoma and Will led the traveler and Paimon out of the room. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find a task like this to be no problem. After all, you did bring about the end of the Stormterror crisis in Monstadt, and then you saved Liyue Harbor twice!" Will reassured Aether while Thoma walked over to the railing and gazed out into the ocean.
The blonde shook his head. "I just don't understand why she's so desperate for me to stick my head into something that doesn't concern me. Is the Vision Hunt Decree not an internal affair for Inazuma?" he asked, and Will nodded.
"Maybe so, but you did the same for Liyue and Mondstadt, did you not?" he pointed out, but Aether shook his head.
"Liyue was different. Everyone thought Rex Lapis had been killed, so I had to help them in order to find him. And in Mondstadt, helping to soothe Dvalin was the only way to talk to Barbatos," Aether explained.
"Well, look at it this way. Unless you plan to stay in Inazuma for a long time, or just move on to whatever nation you plan to visit next without talking to the Shogun, I don't see any other course of action," Will replied, and Aether shot him an irritated glance. "Look, maybe there's another way to talk to the Shogun that I don't know about, and you might be the one to discover it. But she never leaves Tenshukaku, and the guards there aren't exactly accepting tourists right now."
Aether considered his words. "Just, do what you can to help those three people. Once you see the effects of having your vision taken…" Will trailed off, resting a hand on his Anemo vision. "I'm sure you'll understand why we so desperately need the help of someone as powerful as you."
Aether nodded. "All right. Can you point me to where they are then?" he asked, and Will nodded.
"The warrior guards the entrance to Konda Village. His name is Tejima. The Samurai can be found at the entrance to Hanamizaka, and the third person is named Domon, the Sensei of Meikyou Shisui Art in Inazuma city."
A whole day passed, and Will waited nervously for Aether's return at the Kamisato Estate. He had no doubt that the traveler would be able to fulfill Ayaka's wishes, but he didn't know if they'd be enough to bring him around. What was Ayaka's plan if he still didn't wish to aid them in bringing about the end of the Vision Hunt? Just keep distributing the fake visions supplied in secret by Master Masakatsu?
He didn't have an answer, and that bothered him. One thing he knew was that he really hated it when there weren't any answers to a question, because he knew that no matter what, there always was an answer, and he just hadn't looked hard enough.
"That settles it then. If there's any chance that Aether isn't going to help us after all… then we should start preparing for that eventuality," he thought to himself. With that, he pushed off of the railing and headed to Ayaka's room. He passed Thoma, who was diligently brushing away cobwebs on the underside of the roof by balancing on one of the beams. "Need some help?" Will asked, but Thoma shook his head, looking down at his friend.
"Nope, I've got it. Once you get used to it, reaching around up here isn't all that uncomfortable," the housekeeper replied with a smile, and they both laughed.
"Well, I'll take your word for it then," said Will, before knocking on Ayaka's door. "Hey Ayaka, can I come it? I've got a question."
"Give me one second Will."
Will nodded and stood off to the side. It wasn't long before the doors parted, and he and Ayaka walked back into her room. "So, you had a question?" she said, and Will nodded.
"Yes… I want to believe that seeing what happened to those three people because their visions were taken will be enough to convince Aether… but just in case it isn't enough… what's our plan going forward? Do we have one?" he asked her, and she narrowed her eyes in thought.
"Well, I know that either way, we're still going to be working with Master Masakatsu to distribute the fake Visions. The Shuumatsuban and our other civilian partners are doing great with passing out the copies while keeping a low profile about it. But in the long run…" Ayaka trailed off.
"Hmm… what about the resistance on Watatsumi Island? Do we have any idea how their faring against the shogunate army?" Will wondered, but Ayaka shook her head.
"Unfortunately, we haven't heard anything since Sayu's mentor was captured by the Vision Hunters before you arrived in Inazuma. Kazuha was originally going to fill in for him, as Sayu herself is far too young for such a dangerous task, but after Tomo was killed and Kazuha was labeled a wanted fugitive by Kujou Sara…"
Will nodded. "Yeah, we shouldn't ask him to do anything more for us. Working as a spy under the cover of being a wandering Samurai was hard enough on him and his friend. Asking him to return to help us now might sound as if we didn't care that his friend had died opposing the vision hunters…"
"In short, I'm not sure we have a plan if Aether declines us. All we can do is hope that he'll come around…" Ayaka said, looking down at the floor.
But that didn't do it for Will. "No…" he muttered. "No, there's got to be something more we can… do…" he trailed off, an idea forming in his mind. "Wait… Ayaka, I think I have an idea."
Ayaka looked up at Will, her head tilted. "What is it?" she asked.
"If Aether still isn't willing to risk his chances of getting to see the Shogun by helping us undermine her decree, then I would like your permission to travel in disguise to Watatsumi island and seek an audience with Sangonomiya," Will explained. "If I'm successful, and I'm able to talk with her, then I'll represent the Yashiro Commission and try to forge a truce, or maybe even better, a fully fledged alliance between us and the Watatsumi resistance."
Ayaka thought about the proposal. "I don't know. What would you suggest the alliance do then? March into Inazuma city? I don't want my clan to be seen as conquerors, and I doubt Sangonomiya wants her people to be seen that way either. Besides, you'd have to cross both Yashiori Island and Tatarasuna, where the Shogunate army's presence is at it's most powerful, and that's not considering any rogue ronin samurai, treasure hoarders, or the Abyss Order."
Hearing Ayaka mention the Abyss Order gave Will another idea. "Well, remember what I told you about what happened to me and Yoimiya when we rescued Master Masakatsu?" Will asked, but Ayaka shook her head quickly.
"No. I see your idea Will, and I'm sorry to just shoot down your idea before it's taken flight, but I can't ally with the Abyss Order. Right now, they're too widely feared and hated by humans all over Teyvat. If we were to join forces with them, sure we might be able to take over control of Inazuma from the Tri-commission, but nobody would ever trust us again," Ayaka replied, before resting a hand on Will's shoulder as he looked down. "I know you just want the war between Humankind and the Abyss to be over already, and with a peaceful resolution. Believe me, I do too. But outwardly allying with them to take over Inazuma, even if it's for a good cause, would never fly in the eyes of… well, anyone really."
After a moment, Will nodded. "All right, you make a good point. That takes contacting Vilhelm, Alpholox, or Serin off the table… Let's go back to the resistance," he said, intentionally omitting Lumine's name just in case Aether happened to be close by at that moment. "Invading Narukami likely wouldn't work, but what if we were to try to move a handful of samurai from Watatsumi island to Narukami?" he suggested. "If nothing else, they could stay at the compound, or here at your estate, and act as direct liaisons between us and their resistance."
Ayaka considered the idea thoughtfully. "That might work… And with my brother having a Hydro vision, he can create a Hydro Projection of himself to communicate with you in Watatsumi, or to Sangonomiya. But I'm not sure how long the connection would last, due to the long distance," she agreed.
"But it is a start, right?"
Ayaka nodded. "Yes, it's at least a start," she added, and at that moment, they heard a knocking on the door. It was Thoma.
"Miss Kamisato, we've received word from some of our people in the city, and in Konda Village. Aether has visited all three people, and he's on his way back here."
Ayaka nodded. "Good. Did they say anything else?"
Thoma nodded back. "Yes. They all said that both he and Paimon expressed great disappointment at their inability to help the visionless people. You might have been right after all," he said, with a slight hint of disappointment.
"What's up Thoma?" Will asked, confused. "You sound a bit down about the fact that we might get the Traveler to help us. Isn't that a good thing?"
Both Thoma and Ayaka giggled at that. "It is… but unlike me, Thoma wasn't entirely convinced we'd be able to convince Aether to help us. So, the two of us made… well, we made a bet, and the loser gets to make dinner this weekend," Ayaka explained, and Will nodded in an exaggerated way.
"Ah, gotcha," Will replied.
A/N: Sorry for the wait everyone! This chapter and chapter 9 were originally going to be one chapter, but I decided to split them up into two chapters. But then while I was working on what then became chapter 9, I forgot that I'd split them up, and thus completely forgot to actually upload chapter 8!
Anyway, hopefully it won't be too long before chapter 9 is out!
