Chapter 10 - Upcurrent
"War is a river of bitter tears no ship can hope to ford, and its waves rage ever hither and thither in a swirl of utter discord."
-Folk song from Watatsumi Island, Inazuma, final era of the Omikami's reign.
The rain will let up eventually. He only needed to wait.
The waves caressed the shore, stopping and receding just before his toes. The boy sighed as he hugged his knees, and sank his feet further into the sand. Along the shoreline, evening winds carried the sound of laughter and cheer, coming from the distant lights that danced near the coast. The fishing village was still in the middle of its festival, and joyful chants were about to resume around the bonfire. They had reason to be happy – there had been several storms out at sea recently, so it was a miracle that all the fishermen managed to come back in one piece. They hadn't caught much out there, but having them alive was still better than losing valuable providers for the island.
Watatsumi didn't have much to sustain its inhabitants already, and with no help coming from Narukami's Shogunate, they could not afford to lose their fishermen. The Omikami's spirit was the only reason these men were able to sit and celebrate today.
Teppei was grateful for the Great Serpent's blessing, but he wished his people could become as self-reliant as those living in the eastern islands. They already had the leadership of one blessed with the ancient god's blood, so why couldn't they move forward? Why did they have to remain cooped up in this isolated corner of the world, with constant storms at sea and infertile soil on the land? The Watatsumii deserved better, whether the Shogunate wanted to hear it or not mattered little. Even if no one wanted to hear it, this little boy would scream it.
Teppei stood up, the saline breeze prickling his face and legs. On the horizon, a cloud heavy with rain began to disperse above the waves. If the maps were correct, this cloud was right between him and Narukami Island. He placed both hands on either side of his mouth to carry his voice farther, and sucked in a deep breath.
Before he could yell, he felt a gentle hand caress his shoulder.
The boy jumped, tripped, and fell on his rear into the sand. Above him stood the frail silhouette of a woman, her jet-black hair contrasting with the paleness of her skin. The nascent moonlight that illuminated her somehow made her look even more delicate, like a flower petal that threatened to wilt easily under any adverse conditions.
He believed that feeling to be untrue. She was the strongest woman he knew.
It was unusual for Teppei to see his mother outside, much less during celebrations. But here she was, silently standing in the cold wind with him, her bangs capriciously flung about by the elements.
Her eyes narrowed, but she weakly smiled at her son. "Making that pledge again, Teppei? Really?"
Caught in the act, the boy slowly lowered his hands. He knew she wouldn't scold him for it, but seeing worry creep up on his mother's face made something in his chest tighten. War was no joking matter, and even as a child, he knew what it meant to her.
"It's not... well, you know. It's not the first time, but just because it's already set in stone doesn't mean I can't remind myself to live by it." He looked away. He had no right to be saying this, not to a woman who'd sacrificed everything for him. She already feared losing her husband to the deep waters every day, yet her son wanted nothing more than to join the conflict against Narukami Island.
Before he could protest, she pulled him into her embrace. Strangely enough, the son who always got mad when she ruffled his hair didn't struggle this time.
"You are a kind-hearted boy, Teppei. You're brave, and you care deeply for others." she breathed. Her voice was soft, a whisper in his ears like the waves on the shore.
"Mother, I-"
"You're such a strange kid, though." She giggled as she lovingly removed a strand of hair from his forehead. "A bit foolish at times, too."
A low grunt of disapproval came from the folds of her shirt. His head rose to look at her, a childish pout on his face. His mother was amused—another expression he'd rarely seen from her. She was acting differently today, and he could feel an odd influence upon the breeze as well. There was something different about that night.
She looked out at the howling ocean, her eyes sparkling with nostalgia. "Rather than going out to play with your friends, you'd rather pester your mom about teaching you how to wield a polearm. And when you get into fights, you never bear a grudge. I have been wondering what makes you so different, and I've come to realize that I just raised a very special boy."
"A stubborn boy too. But that probably means you'll do great things in the future." She continued, her gaze falling back on him. "You know, when a man is as selfless and strong-willed as you are, he makes mistakes easily. And around here, mistakes get you hurt. I know I can't stop you from walking down that path, so you better be strong to not make your mother worry."
Her arms gently wrapped around his torso, she pulled her son's back into her lap. Though Teppei would usually argue that he was not a kid anymore, this time he remained silent, unable to take his eyes off her. Her fingers trailed idly on his forehead, as she began to sing a familiar lullaby.
"And now we are merry
and now, we rest
Hidden away in the Great Serpent's nest
No matter what the storm clouds say
We shall prevail..."
He felt strange. He'd heard her sing so many times, but as her chest moved with each note, Teppei felt a deep sadness well up inside of him.
"Lightning pierces
the Moon-bathed Deep,
Forcing our ancestors to kneel and weep.
Because today, we feast, we wed,
Tomorrow we must dye the dewgrass red."
Things were different. Things had to change. He wanted to play his part, but maybe the ignorance of what the change could bring scared him.
"Because today, we feast, we wed,
Through our sacrifice our sons are fed."
Her tears trickled on his face, as she looked down at him fondly. Something was happening and he couldn't tell what it was. All of a sudden, his own dreams scared him. All this determination, all this pride that bolstered him forward now felt like a tight rope about to snap, hanging him mere inches above the yawning void.
He really didn't want to take the plunge.
Was it normal for him to be so terrified? To be paralyzed with fear, like he suddenly couldn't breathe?
His lips trembled slightly. "Mother?"
"Yes?"
"We as a nation... we're strong enough to turn the tide, right?"
"..."
He latched onto her like he held onto his last hope. "It's possible, right?"
"Teppei," she smiled. And when he saw the look in her eyes, the way she looked at him, he saw hope.
And he wanted that desperately.
"To you, nothing is impossible."
"Teppei, it's time to go, NOW!"
The reflection of his mother gradually became more and more blurry in his hand, slowly vanishing as his comrade's call snapped him out of his reverie. He let the rainwater that he'd collected in his palm drip through his fingers, and discarded it along with any remaining sentimentality.
"No, not yet."
Teppei leaned on the shaft of his spear as he stood up, stretching his antsy toes against the hardened mud and clay beneath him. The rain was still pouring outside the cavern, running down the steep hill of moss and stone right outside the exit. The obscuring clouds above showed no sign of subsiding for at least another hour. The elements made it difficult to travel as is, but the Shogunate troops patrolling the area were an even bigger concern.
He looked back at the small squad lying in wait behind him, and shook his head. Five men out of seventeen had sustained injuries when they were spotted on the way here, and the rest had already spent over half of their stamina. Attempting to make a break for it past enemy lines would be suicide for all of them. Herring I was a unit made for scouting, and its members had been handpicked by the Pointy-Eared General himself for their ability to sneak around the most dangerous parts of the battlefield. But even they couldn't have foreseen the Shogunate's lightning-fast advance as of late, and what should have been a mission of safely gathering intel from afar ended up with them stumbling right into enemy territory.
And as Acting Captain, the duty of extirpating them from this death trap fell to him.
"Teppei, are you not hearing me?" The soldier placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "The rain is not as heavy as before. If we move now, they won't be able to follow our tracks."
"I hear you just fine, Tobio." he sighed. "But if we move now, we'll also wear ourselves out quicker. Marching in the rain conceals our arrival, but it's also a test of stamina, remember?"
A shadow passed over the face of his aide. "If we don't do something, we'll die either way." he somberly articulated. "We're no longer kids pretending to be pirates. Lives are at stake, and not just ours." He quickly glanced back at the other soldiers. In spite of their dire situation, none of them gave in to panic. Those still able kept their weapons at the ready, while others meticulously looked after the wounded. Tobio leaned in to whisper. "They're not worried because they think you have a plan. Everyone here knows why the General chose you to replace Kosuke until his full recovery: because you're a great fighter who can think on his feet, and there's no one more dedicated to our cause than you. So tell me now, captain. What are your orders?"
He had no orders to give. Because he was torn between two bad options, and remained paralyzed with guilt and indecision as a result. Teppei didn't see himself in the same light as they all did. He was skilled with the polearm, never doubted orders, and cared for his comrades. That made him a good soldier. But a good soldier couldn't turn around an impossible situation when his back was put against the wall like this.
A good soldier only followed orders, and did not give them.
Teppei never knew why the weight of responsibility caused this choking feeling in his chest when he first enrolled. Being part of a war that was so much bigger than himself and fighting for a good cause should have been a source of immense pride, but he soon found that the only feeling he reaped from fighting was more dread. With each accomplishment, each step forward taken, more and more potential losses sprung up, making him more aware of the danger.
Such was war. A brutal conflict where you burn the crops you cannot take with you, so others can't survive off them. Where you break the enemy's spirit by torturing their loved ones. Where you come up with and utilize every tactic, every piece of weaponry available, to hurt as many as you can.
Opposing the Shogunate was the right thing to do; they fought to stand as free men on a land that was already rightfully theirs. Besides, he already knew what he was getting into. None of this was unexpected. He only needed to shake off this pathetic fear and charge ahead.
"Everyone, prepare to leave at once! Make sure that each wounded soldier is being supported by at least two men at all times, and be mindful of their injuries as you help them walk." His eyes lingered on his aide for a moment. "Follow Tobio's orders as if they were my own. He'll guide everyone out of this forest."
Tobio's eyes widened, but the Acting Captain calmly raised a hand. "I'll try to buy everyone as much time as I can. If I'm not at the beach an hour after you guys make it, retreat without me."
"Teppei, you're not seriously considering this, right? What will Kosuke - hell, what will the General say if we return without you?"
This time, Teppei was the one to put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Well, not all soldiers make it back home, do they? And if I go by keeping the rest of the squad safe, I will have fulfilled my purpose as a soldier."
The aide's eyes hardened. "And you will have also given up on your pledge."
Teppei's resolute expression slightly wavered.
"To fight, to serve, and to help the people of Watatsumi take back their freedom. Am I wrong? How do you plan on completing that last part if you're dead?"
"Tobio-"
He brushed the hand off his shoulder. "It's too early for you to die. I'm not letting you abandon us so easily."
Teppei's mouth opened, then closed. Twirling his spear in one hand, he took a first step outside the cavern, then another, and another, until he stood a few feet away from the entrance, drenched by the rain.
He then turned around, arms wide open. "And how exactly will they take back their freedom if the only ones who are willing to fight for them refuse to take risks? Enlighten me, Tobio. What good are we as soldiers if we cannot put our lives on the line to protect others?"
"..."
The captain trailed off. "Look, just protect them, alright? You're as good at navigating the wilderness as I am, if not more experienced. I will make sure to draw their attention so you can all get to the beach safely."
He took another step into the mud and soil saturated with water and put his hand on the first smooth stone. His uniform was already dirty and stuck to his skin, hindering his climb. He slipped, scratched his arms and legs multiple times, but relentlessly tried to crawl out of this hole. Shoulders heaving with a sigh, Teppei planted his spear into the ground and hoisted himself out of the cavern.
"Teppei."
The aide was looking up, now standing in the rain beneath him. With a conflicted expression on his face, he took a moment to choose his words. Ultimately, he saluted the acting captain.
"Don't die." Tobio ordered sternly.
Teppei chuckled, a streak of lightning tearing through the sky as he wistfully smiled. "Yeah. My mother won't let me hear the end of it if I do."
He turned around, and began to run through the woods as loudly as possible.
He kept his eyes closed, trying to remain alert to any changes in the air around him. Each whisper of the wind brushing against his skin, the humming and clicking of gears and machinery, even the sinking feeling of danger creeping up behind him. At his current power level, Aether couldn't trust his most basic reflexes to avoid attacks of this speed. If he were to fight the Raiden Shogun again, he needed to be fast enough to keep up with a god, and avoid her lightning-fast strikes.
And if he were to survive this present ordeal, he needed to evolve.
Every piece of information his brain could compute without being able to see was vital. His body was currently balanced upside down on a log, both hands supporting his weight underneath him in a headstand. Rhythmic clicking alerted him that the session had resumed, and two mechanical samurai now approached with blades. The Traveler did not move a muscle as the puppet warriors lunged at him, one of them hefting a katana overhead.
Right before it made contact with his skin, Aether felt an elemental force be unleashed about twenty feet in front of him. Now was his cue.
Pushing on his forearm, he contorted his body in mid-air as two blades of electricity sang past the edges of his face. Slowly, he materialized his sword in his right hand and took a deep breath. He didn't need to see. He descended like a raptor on its prey, and the two puppets were cut down in an instant.
He had barely landed, when he felt his hair stand up on end. Nimbly dashing backwards, he narrowly avoided a horizontal slash that scorched the earth beneath him.
The central construct kept attacking. Bolts of lightning descended in rapid succession, missing the elusive blond by a hair. Struggling to keep his balance, he rolled on the floor and wildly swung his blade behind his back. It met resistance, and the deep cracking of wood along with the snapping of strings informed him that he'd successfully beheaded another puppet.
Again, his hair stood up on end. He reached out to the closest presence he could feel, and the violet blade cleaved in half a mechanical warrior instead.
He moved back, without a forgiving moment to catch his breath. This training was hectic. The Guuji's machine alone posed a problem with its ability to emulate the Raiden Shogun's attacks, but the puppet warriors were just an added hindrance for the sake of tormenting him. She was monitoring his progress closely, of course, but he knew she also enjoyed watching him struggle against her tricks. That fox worked very hard to not let him get a read on her.
Not that it mattered. She gave him an opportunity to get stronger, and he gladly accepted it.
Despite the abundance of noise around him, he was beginning to pinpoint his opponents' locations more clearly. He adjusted the grip on his sword and charged ahead.
Blades scratched his skin like the wind, always inching closer but never able to cut him properly. Deflecting another vertical strike, Aether vaulted over a puppet and adjusted his backfoot to perfectly face the source of elemental power. The construct immediately reacted to him coming within range, as it began to crackle with electricity.
Elemental sight drew vague purple shapes in his mind, but it was enough for him. Not numbing his stride for a moment, the blond parried slash after slash, masterfully letting lightning ricochet off the flat side of his sword. He could do it. Only a touch would suffice to deactivate the machine. The amount of attacks being output per second increased again, but he matched its pace perfectly. Almost within swinging range. He would close that distance in an instant.
Eighty, sixty-five, fifty feet. No, forty-eight feet.
A spark of electricity ran along his exhausted breath, he felt the muscles in his legs tighten as elemental power surged through his overheating system. Instinctively, he held onto the power for a brief moment, and released it. In a flash of lightning, he burst forward at an unexpected speed, smashing through the monolith's attacks with raw, divine strength.
Eight feet.
That's when he felt it. The impending strike that should not have hit him. He had succumbed to the most basic temptation that came with speed: greed. Just one more inch of terrain covered, one small advance forward. He had taken more than what was necessary for him to win, and now he would pay the price. Aether did not have time to curse himself, when the blade of lightning hit him against his momentum, and sent him tumbling backward.
He loudly skidded on the dirt and gravel, which burned and pricked his skin. Laying on his back with a pained groan, he lifted the blindfold and looked up.
The fabric of reality rippled around him, the ambient energy of this domain bending to its maker's will. With the jingle of ritual bells, Yae Miko appeared above him, looking neither disappointed nor surprised.
"So, my monolith is proving a little trickier than expected, hmm? If you think this is bad, remember that it's a severely toned-down version of Ei's fighting style. Even with the mechanical warriors to add a little difficulty, we're nowhere near her level."
He blankly stared at her and sat up, frictioning his neck. He didn't want to look. Mostly out of fear of facing defeat once again. But when he heard her go silent at the beginning of her next sentence, he allowed himself to peek.
The construct was deactivated and puffing with smoke. His sword stuck out of the mechanism's side, having halted its functions completely.
Aether finally breathed.
The kitsune let out a gasp of surprise, which quickly turned into laughter. "A last-ditch sword toss right before you could lose your momentum, huh? My, aren't you a resourceful one!" She leaned over his head. "Who knows, maybe we'll be able to provide Ei with some entertainment after all."
"The last time I wielded my sword, I dueled against a god and lost. Now I tried to hit a machine blindfolded, and it was a draw. Bear with me; I tied against a monolith." Reaching out his hand, he recalled his weapon and leaned on it to stand up. "There isn't much to leap with joy about, Lady Yae."
Yae Miko pursed her lips. "Well, I can't really afford to nag you about your skills when we've had so little time to practice and get you in proper shape. If anything, you've made a lot more progress than I expected."
"But…?"
"Heh. Slowly but surely, you're getting better at reading me." The kitsune tapped on his shoulder, but when he turned around, she was already walking ahead of him. "One of my little spies came back from Kannazuka with rather disturbing news. I've already changed my plans accordingly, but that also means your assistance will be needed on the frontlines sooner than we expected."
He stowed away his sword with a slight frown. "And what exactly is tipping the balance in the Shogunate's favor? I thought the soldiers of Watatsumi were doing an okay job of keeping them at bay up until now."
She stopped in front of the torii gate at the domain's entrance, and snapped her fingers. The air shifted around them, and every square of matter expanded as they exited the extradimensional space. "Sangonomiya's troops have done well, but it seems our friends from the Fatui have decided to take matters into their own hands. Ei's army is now being backed up by a Harbinger, which implies that Snezhnaya's tremendous firepower is about to be unleashed on our poor little resistance."
The domain's gate opened, and they arrived in the heart of Mt. Yougou. Without wasting a second, she began to walk up the steps towards the shrine, the Traveler in tow.
"So the Fair Lady can keep pulling strings all she wants from the safety of Tenshukaku's court, while another Harbinger stalls for time and chips away at the resistance..." He scratched the back of his head with an irritated sigh. "I hate to admit it, but they are in fact one step ahead of us. You didn't expect the Fatui to have this nation in such a tight chokehold when you enlisted my help, did you?"
She maintained a steady pace, her pink hair swaying elegantly in front of him. As she walked, he heard her audibly chuckle. Could something ever catch this woman off-guard?
"True, Takayuki is slightly quicker on his feet than I anticipated, but that's not necessarily a bad thing." She suddenly turned around and poked his forehead. "I mean, think about it: you've essentially spooked him so bad that he had no choice but to call upon his friends from Snezhnaya. If anything, you've made him reveal his hand early, while we can steadily build up our counterattack."
He slowly pushed her finger away. "Alright, that's enough flattery. You're about to work me to the bone, aren't you?"
Yae Miko laughed. "Me? Please, I'll let the battlefield speak for itself. Don't tell me that you're not anticipating a chance to go up against Ei's army after what she did to you. You might even get to face off against her tengu general, just how lucky can you be?"
The Traveler shook his head. Her ability to remain calm in the face of unexpected hurdles was certainly something he envied, but there was very little difference between what she referred to as her "plans'' and flat-out manipulation. The Guuji's influence definitely went beyond the shrine's affairs, to an extent that even the Electro Archon struggled to keep in check. It was the only card he could play against the God of Eternity, and as long as the pieces kept moving forward, he didn't mind if his actions benefited the shrine a little more than they normally would.
Maybe he was desperate, but in this particular case, the end did justify the means.
The pink-haired woman looked back at him from up the steps, flashing a confident smile so wide it could almost be interpreted as taunting.
"Well, what's with the long face? Don't tell me you don't think you'll win."
Aether looked up, not with a smile or a chuckle. The fire in his gold eyes was neither roaring nor dimming. It was consistent and serene. Eternity expected all things to stop at its command. He kept moving forward, unfettered by the storm.
"Winning is barely a detail. You've accounted for everything; just leave the resistance to me."
He put more effort into his next step, and climbed up after her.
I'm officially back at it. That hiatus was pretty nice, got a chance to clear my head a bit, so I'm looking forward to what I'll get to write this summer. Everything is properly scheduled, and my head is full of ideas. It's gonna be great :)
Stay tuned!