Here we go with the second translation of this story!
Since it's two updates in a row, there's not much to add. If you have any questions, comments, or whatever, feel free to ask me. I always respond to all reviews, obviously if you have something I owe a response to.
With that cleared up, it's time to get started.
Enjoy!
The rattling of the bars echoed loudly once the cell was closed.
"Your sentence will be carried out first thing tomorrow morning." Sara turned the key, causing the distinctive sound of metal to squeak. "Make sure he stays in place. The shackles should do all the work, but we must not take this enemy lightly." The commander ordered the jailer, earning a military pose from him.
"Don't worry, he won't get out of here until his sentence is carried out!" The man exclaimed with absolute seriousness.
The traveler approached the bars, watching as Sara nodded at the man's words and then walked away.
"You're okay with this?" Sara paused just before turning the corner. "Do you think Inazuma will succeed in prospering by isolating itself from the world and punishing all those who are blessed by the Gods?" Sara turned her face to look at him from the corner of her eye.
"Whatever Her Eternal Excellency says is right, no matter how conflicting it may seem. She is incapable of being wrong." The commander demonstrated the great faith they had in Shogun Raiden.
Aether was able to discern something else, though.
The woman's furrowed brows and solemn face tried to cover it up, but he was sure there was a hint of doubt in her eyes.
"So she wasn't the main problem with this whole national war breaking out? She wasn't the one who prevented the people of Watatsumi from accepting their own beliefs and culture? Or maybe I'm wrong, and the concept of Eternity she seeks is an eternal war, because this is never going to end if the Shogunate keeps acting this way because of your precious leader..."
"Silence, prisoner!" The jailer slammed the spear against the bars hard, forcing the blond to shut up. "No one gave you permission to speak! Let alone rant and utter fallacies about the Almighty Narukami, the Shogun-sama!" The man quickly motioned a bow towards Sara. "I am sorry you had to listen to this man's ravings, my commander." The subject placed a hand on his chest in a military gesture to show his respect.
Sara was silent for several seconds, something that confused the jailer.
"Madam Commander?"
Her subordinate's voice caused her to awaken from her own dilemmas, delivering a quick nod to the man, though Aether instantly discerned that it had been a careless gesture on her part, who was always so firm and confident.
"Don't worry, just keep an eye on him." Were the woman's last words once she left the place, receiving a final military stance from the man.
"Hear that?" The jailer asked the traveler with a hard look.
"Hear what?" The blond couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"Exactly. We've got dozens of prisoners here and no one makes a peep. If you behave yourself, you might get your last breakfast before you die." Clarified the guard earnestly.
"And how am I supposed to eat if they can't remove my shackles?" Aether asked with a roll of his eyes, causing the jailer to blush with embarrassment.
"Well...probably... Don't ask stupid questions and shut the hell up, prisoner!" Aether couldn't help but put on a rather peculiar expression after the man's shout, who couldn't help but feel insulted as he realized the look indicated that he saw him as an idiot.
"The only one being loud here is you..."
BEGINNING OF ARC-CHAPTER 1: THE DESTRUCTION OF NARUKAMI!
The jailer did a last night routine as he gave a big yawn. His gaze focused on the cell closest to his office, watching as a certain blond lay at the back of the cell, leaning against the wall as he remained with his eyes closed.
"He's been like that for an hour now. I guess he's asleep..." Thought the man, only to give another yawn. "I guess it doesn't matter much if I take a little nap." He concluded, entering his office.
The jailer placed his keys and feet on the manner. It was surprising to see him begin to snore the very moment he settled into the chair.
There were many who would wish to fall asleep that fast. Perhaps among them was Aether, who really hadn't slept at all the whole night.
"No matter how hard I try, the shackles also prevent me from summoning things." The traveler opened his eyes with an exhausted look. "With that in mind, it only remains to wait for the solution..."
His words seemed almost like a summoning, as a floating fairy crossed his vision for a short second.
Paimon went backwards after discovering Aether, her small hands clutched tightly over the bars as her teary eyes indicated how happy she was.
"Before you say anything, don't shout." Paimon instantly covered her mouth after hearing her best friend's hurried words.
"Listen, Paimon, I'd like to know how you found this place so fast, but now I'm in a bit of a hurry. I need your help to remove my shackles." The traveler walked over and turned around, alluding to his bound hands. "It's the only thing stopping me from getting out of here."
"Miss Yae helped me with the location. It was a bit easy to get in, since the Tenshukaku dungeon isn't heavily guarded." Paimon whispered, unable to hide her smile as she saw that her traveling companion was okay. "Back to the main topic, how can I help you?" Paimon's smile changed to a worried expression as she didn't know if she could really help him on her own.
"It's simple. You just have to be quiet and snatch the keys from the jailer over there." Aether gave a slight nod to lead the way, something Paimon noticed.
"It looks dangerous..." The non-faerie stated with slight hesitation. "But Paimon isn't going to let Aether get locked up unfairly." Doubt turned to conviction after those words.
"Thank you, Paimon." The traveler thanked her with a genuine smile that his friend didn't hesitate to reply.
"So the Tenshukaku isn't too closely guarded..." Aether thought, watching as Paimon floated closer to her target. "That just means there's not much staff for prisoners. Most likely Kokomi and the others have already taken part of Narukami and now the Shogunate is more focused on guarding the city." After drawing that little conclusion, he watched as Paimon disappeared in front of a wall without a trace.
Paimon appeared on the other side, observing how the jailer was snoring non-stop. Her attention was diverted to the keys lying on the table.
The floating thing slowly approached towards her target. Her nerves exploded as she heard the jailer make a rather odd snoring sound as he rearranged his legs, causing the keys to fall to the floor.
"Hmmm...yes commander, right there..." The man whispered in his sleep with a goofy grin on his face.
Paimon let go a silent sigh that she didn't know what she was hiding, then picked up the keys with utmost care.
Aether could do nothing but smile at her as she appeared in front of him with the set of keys in her hands.
"I knew you could do it!" He whispered with great energy, earning a chuckle from his friend.
"Hum, I think we have a bit problem." Paimon's happiness changed completely as she noticed something very essential when Aether turned around so that she could remove her shackles.
"What's wrong?" The traveler looked somewhat impatient after his question.
"Which one is it?" The blond's face went white as he saw that there were about a hundred keys to choose from.
"Well...I never prayed to a God, but I think this would be a good time." Thought the traveler aloud.
The seconds passed by at a great speed, and Paimon's usual clumsiness didn't help speed things up either.
Suddenly, minutes turned into hours, so the imminent danger was getting closer and closer.
"Uh, I think I've used this key before too..." Paimon stated with some nervousness.
"Never mind, just try it." Commented Aether, who looked very impatient at the situation.
Surprisingly, Paimon watched with wide eyes as the key turned and the shackle made a small "click".
The sound of freedom was present, and Aether did not take long to regain all those energies that had apparently gone because of his impatience.
"Aether...!" Paimon's happiness didn't last long, as the metal door was banged, indicating that someone was approaching.
"Quick Paimon, the keys!" Whispered the blond very exalted, and she immediately understood what he meant.
Paimon disappeared and appeared in the jailer's office.
The poor man choked on his own snore as the keys hit his face hard, causing him to stumble out of the chair.
No sooner did he pull himself together than the jailer looked at the keys and the nothingness itself with much confusion.
"What the fuck?" Was the only thing he could think to say in the face of such a bizarre situation.
"Quick, to the pot!" Aether summoned the Serenitea Pot right in front of her.
"But...!"
"Don't worry, I have other plans!" The blond interrupted her, and knowing there was no time to hesitate, Paimon allowed herself to be absorbed by the Serenitea Pot.
The jailer opened the door to his office and immediately crossed paths with Sara, who just rounded the corner.
"I've come to take the prisoner." She was short and concise, earning a quick nod from the man.
The jailer pulled out another, more normal set of keys as he searched through the jails keys, until he finally arrived in front of the blond.
"Don't try anything stupid, boy." Commented the jailer earnestly as he unlocked the grille.
"Relax, man. It's not like I can do anything anyway." Aether answered him with a half-smile, causing the jailer to look away without first delivering an "hmp!".
"Let's go." As usual, Sara was super curt about everything.
Aether let himself be dragged along by the woman, who was leading him by his hands so he wouldn't make any sudden movements.
"Isn't it awkward to walk with your arms like that? Your hands are upside down and the chains are exerting much more pressure than necessary." Since she was behind him, she couldn't notice how a faint smile appeared on the traveler's face.
After all, it was impossible for Sara to suspect anything when he was hiding the small opening of both shackles with that posture.
"Actually, it's more comfortable than it looks."
The passage through the subway and through the dungeons was decorated with absolute silence. Two other guards joined Sara in escorting him.
The doors of the Tenshukaku slowly opened, forcing the traveler to look away from the sudden reception of light, due to the dawn being in full swing.
"Come on." Sara nudged him a little, causing Aether to resume his walk.
Soon he could make out how there were two other bodies that had been hung from a rope. The only one that still didn't have an owner was the gallows in the middle, and it was more than obvious to whom it remained.
Aether watched Signora out of the corner of his eye, who just smiled loosely as she watched the blond head to his death.
Finally, he stopped and his gaze focused on the woman in front of him.
"Here I bring you the last prisoner." Sara bowed before leaving the traveler face to face with the Shogun, who looked at him with her classic vacant eyes.
"If you make this simple, it won't be so painful." The puppet stated without a hint of emotion, then turned her gaze back to the front.
Aether took a couple of steps to stand in front of the stairs and the gallows, noting that there was a large crowd below. The vast majority belonged to the Shogunate army, but there were also many civilians among them.
"You don't find this amusing?" Signora positioned herself next to Sara, who barely gave her a glance.
"I'm not a fan of executions." She stated bluntly, earning a somewhat rare smile from the Fatui.
"Yeah, I think there's even more fun stuff too." Sara looked at her with some confusion after hearing her words.
The tense moment got even worse the moment a large number of hurried footsteps appeared in Inazuma City.
The puppet took several steps forward until she stood next to Aether, watching as a large number of enemy soldiers took the bridge leading to the Tenshukaku. Those same troops that positioned themselves at the entrance to her residence and pointed their weapons at her.
The Shogunate instantly turned around and pointed his weapons at the rebels, barring their way.
"Comrade!" Beidou couldn't help but grit her teeth as she saw how her blonde friend was about to be executed by the region's Archon.
"There's no need to spill any more blood." Kokomi took a step forward, and all the Shogunate warriors pointed their spears at her.
"The Kamisato..." Sara couldn't help but frown as she saw that Ayaka and Ayato were among the enemy ranks.
"You are the ones who started the bloodshed." Shogun Raiden's voice rose above all the murmurs, causing an overwhelming silence to come over the entire place. "You seek to change the unfounded beliefs and culture in this region. The ambition and change in everyone only harms yourselves. You must stop seeking that change, you must let go of your ambitions. Those feelings will only cause each of you to be destroyed. Those feelings are useless, the changes are useless, your ambitions are useless." The Shogun's gaze visibly hardened after her words.
"Stop resisting and accept Eternity."
"What kind of Eternity awaits us if we can't even make our own decisions?" Kazuha took a step forward, his frown perfectly reflecting how much he disagreed with the Archon.
The Shogun watched the young man silently. Her apathetic expression was impossible to reflect what she was really thinking.
But it certainly wasn't anything good.
"In that case, you are enemies of Eternity." The Shogun's solemn comment caused the civilians to begin leaving for their dwellings in clear fear of what was transpiring.
Aether frowned and clenched his hands tightly. No one noticed how the shackles were being coated by the geo element.
"And this is what awaits all those who wish to destroy my Realm." The Shogun fixed her gaze on Aether.
The guards who were escorting him understood the message, but just before anyone could say or do anything...
"What is that?"
Sara's much shocked words echoed through everyone, bringing the impending war to an abrupt halt.
Everyone followed the woman's gaze, and even the puppet was affected by what she was witnessing.
"The smoke is coming from Yougou Mountain..." Gorou declared with wide eyes.
"Wasn't the Narukami Grand Sanctuary located there?" Beidou said the key words, making everyone tense up even more.
"Yae..." The puppet showed a concern and distress never seen in her before.
Before anyone could react or accuse each other, a wild grin emerged from Signora's face.
Everyone watched wide-eyed as Sara was grabbed by the neck by the Fatui without warning.
"Personally, I think this is much more fun." Signora declared, widening her smile even more. "If anyone moves, even one muscle, she dies." The threat was not in vain, as the cryo element appeared around them, creating a suffocating aura.
They all looked towards different parts of the walls, watching as other Fatuis made their presence known.
Aether was able to recognize two of them, so he couldn't help but grit his teeth.
"Three Heralds of the Fatui in one place? This has to be a joke..." Aether thought through gritted teeth.
"It is good to see you again, my rival. I would have liked to have reunited us at a better time." Tartaglia brought his full attention to the traveler, caring little for the fact that the Shogunate army and the rebels were slowly beginning to join their ranks as they felt hard pressed.
"Let's get this over with quickly. This place generates a lot of revulsion in me." Scaramuccia did not show the same interest as his fellow Fatui.
"Ei!" All attention was completely diverted to that shout that surprised the Shogun herself.
After all, it was impossible not to recognize that tone of voice.
Yae appeared on the bridge that guided the Tenshukaku. Her body was severely injured, so it was unbelievable to think that she could still be conscious.
"High Priestess...!"
"There's no time, she's coming!" Yae interrupted the soldiers' shout, demonstrating a side that had never been seen in her before.
The usually relaxed and mischievous Yokai looked very alarmed, and even scared.
"Oh, it's amazing that she managed to escape her..." Signora thought aloud, letting her guard down a bit because of the whole spectacle that was in front of her eyes.
That was not a fact that Aether went unnoticed, so he did not hesitate for a second to act.
His shackles shattered into a thousand pieces, and before anyone could notice, a large geo pillar was upon Signora, who couldn't help but blink in utter disbelief.
"Yae!" Aether acted immediately as he went to her rescue, watching as the Yokai made her way through the army of both sides until she was at the top of the stairs.
No one stopped the traveler from approaching the woman, as everyone noticed how worried he was for her.
Yae fell to her knees, suffering from her wounds.
Aether wanted to comfort her with a touch, but quickly stopped himself as he thought it would cause her more pain.
"Don't worry. I'm fine, dear." Yae commented with a weak, forced smile, something the traveler didn't overlook.
"How can you say you're fine? You can barely move." Commented the young man with a mixture of seriousness and concern. "Gordi will treat your wounds in a second, don't worry about the rest." Aether summoned the pot in front of her.
"I'll sort it out."
Those words inspired confidence in Yae, even though she knew it was impossible for him to have enough level to deal with what was coming.
"Very well. I leave everything in your hands..." Yae averted her gaze on her best friend before disappearing. "I trust you too, Ei."
Those final words made the puppet quite worried about everything that was going on.
"Damn midget, how the hell did you get free?" Signora made her presence known once again as she passed through the gap she herself had made.
"I knew my rival couldn't be captured so easily!" Nobile exclaimed with a raised laugh at the end, getting his partner Fatui to look at him in disgust.
"We're on an important mission, not camping, you idiot." Scaramuccia didn't spare his thoughts, getting Tartaglia to look at him with boredom.
"That's why no one likes you..." Fatui commented disdainfully.
"That's enough."
The argument between the two Heralds stopped practically at the second after hearing that voice.
Even Signora became serious.
Aether fixed his gaze towards a particular point, as did Shogun Raiden and Sara.
The two armies did not say a word nor did they try to walk. They simply began to move to make way for the mysterious woman who approached at a slow pace with the distinctive sound of heels.
Her figure became more and more visible, to the point where one could see her light blue eyes, her serene but solemn face, and that long white hair that reached to her waist. A large fringe ran down the middle of her face, giving her a rather peculiar image.
Although undoubtedly the most peculiar thing was to see how her pure white hair also had different dull light blue reflections that went from the base of her neck to her waist.
The glow and peculiar design of her figure and the white polar suit she wore let it be understood that she was a really important woman, and, therefore, she was also very dangerous.
"The Gnosis was not in the sanctuary." The woman stated, completely ignoring the traveler as she slowly climbed the stairs.
"You attacked the sanctuary?" The puppet frowned after her question.
The woman didn't even deign to answer her, all she did was continue up the stairs.
The level of tension and suffocating atmosphere rose to unthinkable levels as she slowly approached the Archon, to the point where they stood face to face.
"Give me the Gnosis now, and I promise your people will not have to suffer in vain." The woman didn't even bother to answer her, causing the puppet's frown to furrow even more.
"The betrayal of the Fatui is more than obvious. I owe them absolutely nothing, let alone something that belongs to me and this region." Clarified the puppet as her body began to expel lightning bolts.
A sudden strong rush of electro shook the entire area. The small explosion shattered a large part of the stairs.
Once the shaking stopped, everyone opened their eyes and watched with great surprise what was happening.
Even the Shogun was surprised to see that the woman was at the start of the stairs. What really caught her interest was to notice that she had barely hurt her a little, being that anyone else would have received much more damage, and should even have died.
The woman removed her hands from her face slowly, revealing a hard, apathetic expression.
"I see..." She commented, and Aether couldn't help but widen his eyes in utter disbelief as he watched the woman's light blue highlights begin to glow.
That her hair was glowing meant only one thing...
"Don't say I didn't warn you." She concluded the moment she began to levitate, and the traveler was forced to take several steps back as he noticed how the ground was freezing.
A catalyst of ice appeared in front of her as the icy wind began to get deeper and deeper. Everyone was completely dumbfounded at what they were witnessing, especially the Shogun, though her expression returned to her usual stoic self in just a second.
"That power..." Aether thought once he was at a safe distance. "I have no doubt, she's an Archon."
The puppet frowned as she summoned the katana from her cleavage, causing a suffocating aura to hit the entire place.
Everyone took a step back and took cover as best they could as the aura and power of the two Deities collided forcefully, generating a great blizzard of lightning and ice everywhere.
All the same, everyone could easily observe how the Shogun's power was breaking the pressure exerted by the other Archon at a very high rate, making it quite clear who was the stronger of the two.
"This is bad. Zarina plans to use that..." Scaramuccia commented with some misgivings, then walked away as far as possible.
"But, if she uses it, the inhabitants..." Nobile couldn't help but look rather alarmed at what was about to transpire, something that was picked up by Aether.
"I know I can't defeat you under my own power..." Commented the Ice Empress with a dark look.
"For that very reason I ask you to answer my call."
Raiden watched in slight amazement as three Gnosis were summoned in front of Archon Cryo.
"The Gnosis?" The traveler showed great confusion at what he witnessed, as did the vast majority of those present.
"The Gnosis possesses a hidden power that has not been awakened for a long time. I believe that in your hands it could once again function as it should."
Yae's words struck his mind, causing his eyes to blink in complete shock.
"Please respond to my wishes and ambitions."
Zarina closed her eyes, causing the Gnosis began to glow.
"Respond to my feelings and help me wipe out all those who dare stand in my way."
The puppet's astonishment turned to complete disbelief from one second to the next.
Zarina opened her eyes, formulating her final sentence.
"Destroy them."
"KAZUHA!"
A huge explosion went up all over the city.
The storm of snow and dust swirled with great force over the electricity and debris that flew in all directions, making it clear which element had come out the winner of the contest.
The screams of dozens and dozens of people were heard even louder than the noise of the massive destruction that rained down on the entire city.
Different gigantic debris of the geo element fell outside the city. One of them even embedded itself in the middle of the Tenshukaku, leaving it a mere breath away from being split in two.
The dust and residue of the remaining elements began to disperse really fast thanks to the strong wind current that was generated at the site.
The first to be seen was Kazuha, who stood with his sword extended to the front while breathing with great agitation. The young man fell to his knees almost instantly due to the extreme fatigue that creating such a powerful torrent of anemo caused him.
The next to make an appearance was Aether, who was with his hands nailed to the ground, and in front of him was a great wall of geo that completely divided the battlefield.
Or that's how it should be, as much of the wall had been destroyed by the strong blast of ice that went in all directions.
The traveler brought his gaze to Kazuha, and his tense expression left his face a little as he watched a large number of soldiers and their friends appear in the dust with only a few scratches.
"You have good reflexes." Aether commented, drawing a smile on Kazuha's face.
"I wouldn't have done anything if you didn't shout my name."
"Thanks, but I don't think anyone had a chance of surviving if it hadn't been for her." Aether returned to his serious face to stare at the stairs.
Dust slowly gave way in the corners of the place.
The image that appeared next was truly disheartening.
The moaning and crying of many people could be heard non-stop among all the completely destroyed homes and stores in Inazuma.
Not even the farthest houses of the city had managed to survive such a destructive attack.
And among all that destruction and wailing, a figure was crawling on the ground.
The Shogunate survivors and everyone else watched in complete shock as the Shogun Raiden crawled with numerous bleeding wounds around her entire body.
"Sho-shogun-sama..." Sara was barely able to say two words as her mind sank into the infinite void of unconsciousness.
Raiden stopped crawling once she looked at her dear and beloved city.
Her region...
Her home...
Everything was completely destroyed.
And to top it all off, the sound of the Tenshukaku splitting in two finished confirming Inazuma's complete destruction.
"Not only did you use all your power to contain much of my attack, but you also sacrificed the puppet knowing it would be unable to withstand the attack. I don't think many Archons would be so willing to use their own body to try to save their people." Zarina stopped right in front of her.
Her gaze showed no arrogance, no relish in doing what she did.
Rather, Zarina felt she was merely doing her job.
"That's very admirable."
Although her enemy Archon praised her, Ei didn't even pay attention to her words.
In fact, she didn't listen at all.
All she did was watch the enormous destruction that loomed over her people.
On her precious Eternity.
Everything was gone.
Zarina couldn't help but narrow her eyes as tears began to roll down Ei's cheeks without her making a sound.
It was a completely silent and devastating cry.
"I warned you, but you wanted to do it the hard way." The Archon stated in disgust as she stomped hard on her back, causing Ei to groan in pain.
"Where are you hiding the Gnosis?" Zarina asked again, but received no answer from Ei, who was only crying silently without stopping.
"No answers?" Her gaze focused on her figure, or more specifically, her chest.
"Does that mean it is still inside your body?" The Archon summoned her catalyst again. "In that case, I'm going to have to extract it."
All in all, it was certain death.
But just before Zarina made any other move, someone came to her aid.
"Hey!"
The sudden shout made the Archon stop her action, fixing her gaze on the only warrior who had reacted properly after all the destruction caused.
"Do you have something to tell me?" The woman asked with a slight smile while still holding the catalyst on Ei's back.
The traveler smiled, then showed her his hand.
Zarina's eyes widened slightly as she noticed that Aether held the Gnosis in his hands.
"Is this what you're looking for?"
END OF CHAPTER!
I hope you enjoyed it!
There are probably a few questions. They should all be resolved in the next chapter.
The mysteries of the Gnosis will also be solved quickly. As in the game, I plan to make those pieces the pivotal part of the plot.
Remember that I accept any kind of help with the translation, as this could help me to clean up certain mistakes, plus having a beta reader would help me to save a lot of time, time that I can invest to continue creating new chapters.
One last thing. If you want to support me not only with your reading or your comments, you can donate me in my Patre-on. Look for me as Jyanzein. Also keep in mind that there are always the notices of new chapter posts, announcements, and other important things there. Considering that Fanfiction is not working well lately, you should consider following me over there to be aware of every update.
Thanks so much for reading!