CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: A MEETING OF FATE
Yelan had departed the same day after her meeting with Kokomi, The Alcor having been settled along Narukami Island's docks. Beidou had decided to keep herself within range of Inazuma, having checked in everyday to be sure that her comrades were safe. Her ship had been docked when Yelan had come to Inazuma's harbor for a request for transport to Mondstadt, having discussed the events of her days in Inazuma upon crossing paths with Beidou.
It wasn't long after that that Yelan had boarded the ship and started her one-day trip back to Mondstadt to carry out her end of the deal. She was used to traveling and doing operations as such solo, but there was always a slight tingle of fear in her that surfaced in it, especially considering that she couldn't determine if her enemy was in sight or not. However, she had shrugged off that fear, knowing she couldn't fail, and, to succeed, her stayed of mind and focus had to be clear of all emotions.
Ganyu and Keqing had returned to Narukami Island and had immediately returned to Tenshukaku to relay all of their plans and information to Ei. The trip had taken nearly the entire day, so, following their return to the Electro Archon's abode, they had returned to the Kamisato Estate to rest. Upon their arrival, they had been greeted by Thoma and the aroma of a freshly cooked dinner.
It was a relief to the two, seeing they had been through a lot in that one day, therefore, a hot meal was just what they needed in the end. Ayaka hadn't joined them, too busy with governmental affairs elsewhere, but Keqing and Ganyu knew they were in for a long next day, so they had eaten their food, taken separate baths to wash away their stress from that day, and retired to slumber in each other's arms.
Their embrace had prevented either of their dreams from being disturbed by any sort of negative thoughts or entities, having dreamt only a beautiful and peaceful fantasy that they hoped to be a reality someday; the two of them were sitting along one of the many peaks of Mt. Aozang together, a beautiful sunset accompanying them in the background. They were holding hands and talking about their future together, making a promise that they'd always be together, even beyond death.
The conversation was like a distant whisper that was inaudible for either of them to distinguish, as if some force were preventing them from listening in. However, Ganyu's advanced sense of hearing caught one specific pair of words that left her puzzled.
…someday we'll find them, and that's a promise…
It had come from Keqing, which made Ganyu wonder what she was promising to her. However, she didn't dwell on it too much, because upon her waking to the scent of breakfast, she had forgotten almost everything. Everything except for the sight of them together.
Now, she lays under the sheets with a puzzled mind, but let's her fantasies go and decides to get up for the day.
"It was only a dream, Ganyu," she said to herself, half asleep. "No need to investigate fantasies; only focus on what's actually real."
With that said, she stripped herself of her nightgown and situated herself into her day clothes. After her body was adorned with proper daily attire, she moved out to the kitchen, where she was greeted by Thoma. However, Keqing was absent, immediately peaking her curiosity.
"Good morning, Ms. Ganyu," Thoma greeted with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Thoma," she greeted back, immediately addressing her curiosity. "May I ask if you know where Keqing is?"
Thoma nodded, following with a clear answer.
"Yes. She's out front. She said she wanted to do some training."
"Ah, I see," Ganyu answered. "Thank you."
Thoma nodded again.
"Please, have some breakfast, Ms. Ganyu. You'll need it for the day ahead."
"That's alright, but I'll take some tea if you have some brewed."
"Of course. There's a fresh pot on the counter," he said, pointing to the resting teapot just out of Ganyu's sight. "Please, help yourself."
Ganyu answered with a nod and smile, working her way to the teapot and pouring herself a serving. It was clearly a fresh brew, given the thick and hot mist steaming from her cup. Just from the smell and color of the beverage, Ganyu immediately recognized the type of tea it was. It was an herbal tea that was consumed mainly during the morning hours to help awaken the mind of whoever consumed it.
It had helped her in her occupation hundreds of times to stay sharp and focused; just what she needed for the day ahead of her. She took a careful sip to test the temperature, and was shocked to find that, despite the massive amounts of steam raging from her teacup, it was a perfect temperature for anybody who regularly drank tea.
However, upon swallowing the small amount she'd drunk with caution, she was met with a sweet aftertaste that she'd never experienced before. She could only guess that it was due to the tea having some other ingredient that was meant to give it extra flavor, something she didn't dislike in the slightest.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thoma," she addressed, catching the recipient's attention instantly.
"What is it, Ms. Ganyu?" he replied.
"What kind of tea is this exactly?" she questioned. "It's nothing bad, I'm just curious."
Thoma nodded in assurance, as if he wasn't surprised at the question.
"You aren't the first to ask that question," he answered. "That is the Kamisato Blend; a tea blend that has been passed down for centuries by the Kamisato family. The blend is a secret recipe that only Mr. and Ms. Kamisato know of. They make it in secret and distribute it throughout Inazuma. Even I don't know how it's made, just know it's said to sharpen the senses of whoever drinks it; a perfect benefit for anybody who wields a weapon of some sort."
Ganyu smiled, fascinated by the story behind her current beverage.
"I see. Thank you."
Thoma only nodded as Ganyu gripped her teacup and started for the front part of the estate. Upon finding her way outside, Ganyu was met with the sight of her beloved swinging her blade and performing attack patterns that she was familiar with. Ganyu didn't say anything and just watched as a spectator, taking slow and subtle sips of her tea every so often.
She had been sitting for over five minutes before she had noticed her beloved's presence, to which she stopped to catch her breath.
"Please, don't stop just because I'm here, Keqing," Ganyu insisted, to which Keqing just smiled and shook her head.
"It's alright," Keqing replied. "I've been at this for awhile, so it's about time I took a break."
Ganyu smiled in return, allowing her love to take a seat next to her on the steps.
After seating herself next to Ganyu, Keqing worked to catch her breath, wiping away the beads of sweat slithering down her forehead.
"Good morning," Keqing said sweetly inbetween breaths. "I hope I didn't wake you when I got up "
Ganyu shook her head.
"Nope. I actually had a really peaceful dream and slept wonderfully."
Keqing smiled at that, meeting Ganyu's gaze.
"Good, that makes me happy," she replied in a happy tone. "What did you dream of?"
"A fantasy that I wished was reality." Ganyu answered softly. "A peaceful life with you, atop Mt. Aozang with a beautiful sunset as the background."
Keqing blushed at the answer, answering with something that Ganyu wasn't expecting.
"Really? That's odd, because I had the same dream," she answered. "We're sitting on the edge of Mt. Aozang and talking, but I couldn't tell what was being said."
"That is definitely bizarre, but I've heard that lovers can have the same dream, because they share the same bond," Ganyu explained. "It would make sense, given how things are right now, but I really do wonder if that dream can be a reality someday."
A warm touch embraced Ganyu's right arm, her gaze meeting Keqing's left hand gently resting atop it upon investigating. Her sight then shifted back to her love's, staring at her with an assuring expression.
"It can, and, when this is all over, it will be our reality," she said comfortingly.
"But, what if we don't survive the battle?" Ganyu added. "If we don't stop the Tsaritsa in time, we will be in a fight unlike anything we've ever faced, and victory will not be an easy feat. Therefore, we may die on the battlefield before we even get that chance."
Keqing didn't flinch, only held the same expression upon her reply.
"If we end up fighting the Tsaritsa and die in the battle, then that dream will be our reality after death. Nothing will tear us apart, not even the Tsaritsa."
Ganyu smiled, leaning over to Keqing and giving her a soft kiss.
"I love you," Ganyu said softly.
"I love you too," Keqing replied.
Upon those final words, the moment was interrupted by the voice of someone familiar.
"W-well, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," the voice of Ayaka spoke, causing Ganyu and Keqing to turn to the direction of where the voice had come from.
Standing just outside of the training area was Kamisato Ayaka with a massive blush on her face, to which the two lovers addressed the situation with haste.
"Don't worry, you're not," Keqing answered. "We were just talking about some things."
Ayaka folded her arms and giggled lightly, clearly aware that kissing didn't imply "talking about some things." Regardless, she returned to her actual task at hand and started to explain.
"A-alright," she stumbled, clearing her throat. "Anyway, I need you two to get ready. The Shogun wants you to come to Tenshukaku for further details on the plans we arranged yesterday."
Keqing and Ganyu nodded in agreement, knowing it was time to get serious.
"Understood, let's meet back here in about a half hour, then we'll all head to meet with the Raiden Shogun," Keqing assured.
"Sounds good," Ayaka replied.
With that said, Ganyu and Keqing got to their feet and headed back into the estate to prepare for what could be the fate of Inazuma itself.
Upon entering Tenshukaku, Ganyu, Keqing, and Ayaka were met with some unexpected guests, Kokomi, Kujou Sara, and Yae Miko standing with their backs to them before Ei's stage. Their entry caught all three of the occupants' attention, turning to meet the gazes of Ayaka, Ganyu, and Keqing shortly after stepping past the doorway.
Kokomi was the biggest surprise, seeing she was the Divine Priestess of her own little empire; leaving Watatsumi Island to come here was a risky move, but, at the same time, both Ganyu and Keqing knew it was critical for her to make the trip. She needed to be completely aware of every single aspect of their plans to defend Inazuma and prepare for an all-out life or death battle for the fate of all of Teyvat.
There was clear tension in the room, but grudges and past affairs didn't matter right now; if they were going to protect Inazuma, they all had to work together, despite the past.
"Good, you're all here," Kujou Sara greeted in her usual tone. "Now, we can get started."
She turned her gaze to Ei, said archon nodding her head as a green light to continue with proceedings.
"Very well," Ei stated, standing up from her throne and continuing to speak. "Thank you all for coming, despite our past conflicts. As you all are aware, Inazuma and the entirety of Teyvat is in danger of absolute annihilation by The Tsaritsa. One archon, Morax, has already been taken to be used as a power source for our main foe that can exist among us without a hint of detection.
That means that we may already have enemies among our society, and that means that we must find a way to snuff them out. I've already devised a solution to prevent any others from escaping or entering by putting all of Inazuma under a practical quarantine. As I stated yesterday, I plan to put an electro barrier over the entirety of our nation using as much power as possible. This will lock our enemies in, preventing them from going anywhere.
After that, I will summon a storm within the barrier, just as I did to prevent any foreigners from entering during the Vision Hunt Decree's duration. The rain will exploit the enemy and stop them dead in their tracks, seeing, even though they possess godly strength and abilities, they're still susceptible to rain."
That was an impressive solution, but the entire room noticed one small issue with the plan. Nobody doubted the power of a god, only that rain could easily be avoided by remaining indoors or just getting under some kind of roof that blocked the storm's path.
"There's one issue I see with this solution," Kokomi surmised. "While it is a very clever solution, raindrops can be avoided by use of an umbrella or by simply just getting out of the rain itself. How can we stop them if they don't get hit by the storm?"
Raiden nodded in assurance, having already found a solution to the matter.
"I foresaw this, and already know how to fix it," Raiden assured. "There's a simple solution, and that's to gather all of the citizens of each island into one place. Once everyone is gathered, I summon the storm and exploit the imposters by breaking them down with their greatest weakness."
"But what would gather an entire island's population into one place?" Keqing inquired. "More importantly, how could you be sure that all of the citizens would show up?"
"That's where you come in," Yae intervened. "Ei and I discussed this throughout the night, and realized the same exact factor you just mentioned. However, we also came up with an answer to it, and it involves you two, seeing you know the most about these things and how to fight them."
"Exactly," Ei chimed back in. "The plan is for all of us to be separated into two groups. Yae, myself, and Kujou Sara will remain in the gathering area, while you two and Ms. Kamisato remain within the city. Your task will be to check for any people who stayed behind, and to move them out into the rain."
"And if nothing happens?" Keqing questioned.
"Allow them to return to their residence peacefully," Ei answered.
A tinge of fear pinged Ganyu and Keqing's hearts at the plan. Facing the very thing that traumatized them that night was the worst task they could've ever been assigned, but, after a moment of thought, realized this wouldn't be the last time they'd be assigned this task.
It was inevitable.
In the end, they'd have to fight the Tsaritsa's creations hundreds to thousands of times. A thought that solidified the final decision on the matter.
"Alright, I'm in agreement," Keqing agreed with confidence.
"As am I," Ganyu followed, having come to the same conclusion in her mind.
"I am too, your majesty," Ayaka confirmed with a bow.
Suddenly, upon remembering a very critical aspect to fighting the Tsaritsa's androids, Ganyu quickly added to the mix.
"Oh! One thing that all of you should be aware of, shall you need to defend yourselves, is that you cannot fight these things with any elemental energy that is manifested through the use of a vision or a god's energy. You must fight them with natural elements or brute strength, otherwise they will absorb the energy and use it to enhance their strength and abilities."
Gasps emitted from Yae, Ei, Sara, Ayaka, and Kokomi, now aware that this battle wouldn't be any easy feat, shall push come to shove.
"That certainly won't be easy, seeing most people capable of combat rely on elemental power to fight," Yae commented. "It seems the Tsaritsa really put a lot of thought into her plan by creating machines that can only be stopped by natural elemental power or physical combat. Therefore, I have a suggestion regarding Ms. Ganyu's statement."
"What do you have in mind, Miko?" Ei questioned.
"All Vision bearers should confiscate their respective Visions prior to the mission. That way, we have no risk of empowering those pawns."
Nobody liked that idea, but it wasn't for forever, and Yae was right. No risk was better than another potential Liyue Harbor disaster, and the risk of casualties was much less likely.
To support Yae's suggestion, Ganyu and Keqing added their own thoughts.
"She's right," Keqing started. "It's best to not risk anybody's life, or worse, all of Inazuma."
"I've witnessed just how destructive these things are when enhanced by elemental energy, and, I can tell you that it's beyond the ability of any god in this world," Ganyu added. "It will only be temporary, and it's the best solution to avoid another destruction of a nation."
Silence followed, but, after a long minute of thought, everyone, excluding Ei and Yae, nodded in agreement.
"I can handle these things without my Vision just fine," Ayaka stated. "I was trained all my life for things such as this, and I will not fail to defend the people of Inazuma and Teyvat."
Her voice was calm and stoic, showing her sincerity in the current situation. There was no doubting that, when it came time to fight, she'd fight until her last breath.
"I will guard the Shogun with all my might!" Sara declared. "Vision or no vision!"
"While being devoid of my Vision will be an odd sensation, I haven't survived centuries as a kitsune by luck," Yae added. "I was around during Inazuma's darkest days, and, just as I fought for it then, I shall fight for it again."
"My Vision has never been my main source of strength," Kokomi added. "As the Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island, my strength has always come from my knowledge as a strategist, and my people's will to survive. Despite the past, I will do all I can to rid our land of these monsters."
Everyone was in agreement, therefore, Ei moved forward with the next part of her scheme.
"Thank you all for sacrificing a very dear part of yourselves for the good of Inazuma. Your sincerity will not be forgotten."
Everyone nodded in thanks, to which Ei moved on with the proceedings.
"Now, onto what we will need to do to prepare for this coming storm. First, we must increase the security of Narukami Island to make sure no one leaves before we can initiate the plan. It is critical that no potential threats escape, otherwise that could bring the Tsaritsa right to our shores. To prevent this, I will assign all of the Shogunate soldiers to posts all around Narukami Island to assure we have eyes near every possible escape route.
I have already discussed this with Kujou Sara, and, as soon as this meeting is adjourned, she will proceed to lead her fellow soldiers to the assigned areas. However, we will need eyes from afar as well, and that's where Ms. Kokomi's army will be posted out on the water's within this island's borders. They have been provided with flares to alert any of the Shogunate within sight of suspicious activity, and, from there will detain the suspect, and be brought here for further questioning.
Next, I will lead all of Narukami Island's citizens to a place that I will disguise as the location of a festival with free entry. Once they are all gathered, I will enclose the entire island in a dome, preventing anybody from leaving. After that, I will manifest the storm and subdue any imposters with the downpour, while on the other side, Ms. Ganyu, Keqing, and Kamisato will search for and exploit any absent citizens.
As for Ms. Kokomi herself, I've tasked her with devising traps near any other potential exits. These will be used to slow down any potential threats and are all safe from causing any harm to any non-enemy victims that may get caught. They will be disguised as decoration for the fake festival, and not easy to detect. I've witnessed Ms. Kokomi's skills firsthand, so I am confident she can construct competent obstacles for our enemies that may not take the bait."
"You have my word," Kokomi stated. "I will assure nobody gets hurt in this mission."
Ei responded with a nod.
"As for Miko, she will be tasked with protecting all of the citizens on our side, shall anything go awry. Even without a vision, Miko has abilities that can suffice as a proper defense, shall she need to protect anyone. This plan is set to occur within a few days, so please take time to prepare yourselves. I will send a messenger if anything happens before then, but, for now, I ask that all of you do your best to stay safe. This meeting is adjourned, unless anyone has any questions?"
No one spoke or moved an inch, closing the meeting and starting the buildup to one of the most important operations that Inazuma had ever experienced.
There was no room for failure, and everyone present knew it. In three days, all hell would break loose, and the fate of Inazuma would be determined.
Everyone's nerves were in a chaotic frenzy as they exited Tenshukaku and went their separate ways to prepare for the potential end of the Land of Eternity.