Chapter 15 - Shadow
"Excuse me, Commander?"
Rei wasn't given a moment to rest his head since setting up camp. He stopped his daydreaming and put away the last of his supplies before muttering a quiet "Come in." that only his aide had learned to hear.
Manjiro was alone, which meant he came on unofficial business. The young man's expression soured when he met his commander's sunken eyes. "You look exhausted."
"That would be because I am." Rei had begun the lengthy process of doffing his armor but had stopped for what he hoped to be a brief conversation. "I trust you to lead tonight's patrol. We don't know if the bandits from yesterday are still in the area. If anything out of the ordinary happens, you carry out the usual protocol."
"Yes, sir."
The aide kept a straight face, but his hazel eyes darted everywhere around the tent. Rei uttered a profanity in his mind and caved. "Your query is?"
Manjiro had become accustomed to being seen through so easily by his superior. "The first division found a few hot springs not too far from here. The captain gave his approval, and the rest of the guard is headed there once we're done with the patrol. Why not join us? You look like you could use warm water and a bit of relaxation with everyone."
"No, thank you. Having all of us away from camp defeats the purpose of the Shogun's guard." Rei went back to removing his armor, but after a few seconds, he was surprised to see his aide was still standing here. "Anything else?"
The young man knew better than to try and change his commander's mind. Rei had the strength of a hundred men, was a charismatic and dependable leader, and could name from memory the mother of each soldier in the force as well as their date of birth. But whenever the topic touched upon himself, his personal life or private time, he shut like a clam in its shell.
In nearly ten years of serving in the army, the aide had not seen him partake in an activity with his soldiers once.
"Her Excellency wishes to see you." Manjiro dimly added. "Is there something I should know about?"
He didn't need to inspect his aide's face to know what the problem was. The men were getting restless about the current situation, and the Raiden Shogun's seemingly detached behavior only made matters worse. They had their fair share of concerns, too. But the Almighty Shogun wasn't close enough to hear their pleas, and the commander didn't know how to help.
He was at a loss.
"I'm not withholding anything from you. I will say what I can as Commander. But I cannot guarantee that my words will get through to her." he admitted.
"Please do. There isn't much time left."
Seeing the usually lighthearted Manjiro become suddenly so serious threw him off. Rei couldn't find proper words of comfort, and let his aide go. Everything in the commander's tent was still for a moment. He observed the beautiful black kabuto in his hands. The taste of failure wouldn't fade from his mouth.
"Even I can't keep them all safe."
This quiet admission only concerned him, his troops were doing their best in spite of the danger. But there was no time to mourn the past and future losses. He finished removing his armor and set out to find the Raiden Shogun.
The imperial tent was empty, as he expected. Rei tried to recall the reconnaissance from the day before to find a body of water nearby. A river ran through the small valley beyond the camping grounds, but there was no watch stationed in that direction. It would be way too dangerous to go alone, even during the day.
Meaning he would most likely find the Almighty Shogun there.
Rei was only half-relieved to have his hunch be proven right. The Electro Archon's elegant form was kneeling by the river, letting the fresh current slip through her fingers as she unwound in peace. The commander envied her ability to appear so relaxed regardless of circumstance.
He calmly approached her. Just getting closer to her made his shoulders feel lighter. "Your Excellency."
She raised her head solemnly. She'd prepared herself to appear dignified, but all of that effort went away when she realized who was addressing her.
"Well, look who's here at last." she smiled. "Come, sit with me."
Rei sat at a respectful distance. This somehow seemed to annoy the Shogun.
"And do away with the decorum, please. You can't sense anyone else nearby, right? Relax and talk to me in earnest."
Rei wordlessly complied and unbound her purple hair. Not having to maintain a man's frame any longer, she allowed her shoulders to drop. This extra layer of safety for the sake of keeping her own existence hidden had become an exhausting ordeal.
She didn't voice a complaint about it. Ei knew her sister had the more painful task of the two.
"You look tired." Makoto noted. "Am I causing you worry?"
"You're not the first one to tell me that. Everyone knows that war is coming." She was surprised by her own tone. Her words came out harsher than intended, but her sister didn't rebuke her or even frowned.
Ei sighed in frustration. "Since it's been made public through unofficial means, everyone thinks that you knew ahead of time – which you did. A new rumor crops up each day, uglier and closer to heresy than the last. You know I will always support you, and your army's devotion is undying. But I cannot placate the men's anger and confusion when you won't even disclose what you're thinking to me."
She saw her sister's face dim, and knew that she wouldn't get a straight answer out of her.
Makoto's words were careful and measured. "The strongest nation in the world is at the center of a brand new conflict. There hasn't been one of this scale since the Archon War. Yet here I am, touring the Inazuman islands with the imperial guard while Tenshukaku is overrun by panic." She smiled bitterly. "Do you think my actions come across as unwise, Ei?"
"Quite frankly, I think they're nonsensical."
Her sister subverted her expectations again. She laughed. "Thank you for being honest. I doubt anyone else in Inazuma would dare to speak to me so bluntly."
"Then why? Please tell me this much." Ei pleaded.
It was unbearable. She kept pushing her in the boldest ways possible, but never managed to break Makoto's composure. Ei loved her sister dearly, but this lack of reaction sometimes made her doubt of her empathy.
Makoto cupped some water from the stream, trying to keep her fingers tightly bound together so as not to spill any. The kagemusha wondered at this simple gesture. Her sister had the ability to make the most mundane things look priceless just by focusing on them.
She drank the fresh water, and it seemed to quench more than her thirst. "I want our people to feel safe. If the Raiden Shogun is not worried, then her behavior should send a message that there is nothing to be concerned about. That is precisely what I want them to think. That no matter what happens beyond our shores, Inazuma will stand and prosper as it always has."
This was the answer that the radiant Archon would give. Only the one living in her shadow knew that it was a cause for alarm.
"If you feel the need to put up a facade, then there is truly something worrying you, isn't there? What is it?" Ei's heart sank as she saw her sister look away. "There are no secrets between us, Makoto. What is it that scares you so? How come you cannot tell me?"
She had never raised a hand against her sister. Yet when she gripped Makoto's shoulders and forced her to look her way, Ei realized she should have done so from the very beginning.
"Saiguu foresees disaster, yet she will not give me the details. Your court is growing restless. And you decide to roam your kingdom and visit your people with a sense of finality in all that you do and say. I may be unaware, but I am no fool. What decision is so great that you cannot involve me in it?"
Her eyes held back tears in pools of purple. Ei forbade herself from crying. She had never felt such frustration, such helplessness in the face of something she did not understand. Her sister was her only serenity, and seeing her worry to the point of shutting her own sibling out awoke an unknown terror in her heart.
"Khaenri'ah will fall."
A passing cloud threw its shade over them. Ei let go of her sister's garment.
Makoto didn't seem relieved to share the news with someone else. Rather than unloading her spirit, she looked sorry to burden a loved one with her words. Compassion would only prevent her from telling everything truthfully. So she looked at her sister and mercilessly ripped the band-aid off.
"Only The Seven know of this. By fear of divine punishment, I will not repeat myself." She now spoke as a god, the only one of the two who ruled. "Something wicked and foul is happening in the Godless Land, something that threatens all of Teyvat. I have received a divine summons to Khaenri'ah to combat this evil at its root. I may not know why, and I may not disobey. The other Archons are also involved in this, and will follow the orders they were given as well. Understand this, Ei: What comes is a disaster the scale of which we have never seen. Teyvat's course will change forever, and the repercussions of this event will resonate for centuries. We are playing a part in history that we cannot understand. I cannot do anything to change this future. You cannot avert it. What the Heavenly Principles have dictated shall come to pass."
Ei's heart fell from a great height, and was swallowed up by an unending abyss. Darkness veiled the corner of her vision. Only the sound of Makoto's voice ensured that she did not shut down completely.
She hated the trembling of her own lips as she spoke. "We are going to war?"
"I do not know whether the summons means we will have to directly attack the nation or something else. Regardless, there is no 'we' in this matter." Makoto rectified. "They were very specific that I, the Electro Archon, must go to Khaenri'ah."
"You are no fighter!" Ei knew then that she was overstepping. She breathed and made herself small. "Thunder is at your command. But you and I know that your true talents are those you display away from the battlefield. On your throne, in the streets of Inazuma, standing among your people! You are a ruler. Why send you to a foreign warzone?"
She took a knee. Even she couldn't deny the panic in her voice. "You need only say the word, and I will depart for Khaenri'ah today."
Makoto smiled with a simple acceptance that unnerved her sister even further. "I only know that I was called by name: Baal shall go, Beelzebul shall stay."
The specificity of the rule confirmed Ei's worst fears. It was all so simple for the all-knowing gods above. "They are aware that I act as your kagemusha." she muttered. "They only wish for the true Seven to intervene, and have already ensured that I couldn't go in your stead."
"In order to defend our home, I need you here regardless. I cannot tell you for certain when I will have to depart, but whatever evil comes will not be stopped by our oceans. You will gather the armies and fight it until it has been fully expelled from Inazuma. You are correct when saying that I am no fighter. Which is precisely why only you can do this." She affectionately took her sister's hands in hers. This small gesture seemed to soothe her somewhat. "For the first time, we will have to fight separate battles, yet I feel at peace. Because I know that I am entrusting all of Inazuma, her people and their dreams, to you. I could not be leaving my nation in more capable hands."
Her grip faltered. A purple tear fell from her eye. The lightning's flash was followed by a shadow.
"Makoto?"
There was no answer. Musou Isshin was passed into her hand, and the cold fingers intertwined with hers gradually slipped away. The Electro Archon went out quietly, like a candle in the wind.
The ruins around her smoldered with flame and ash. Charred bodies sprawled out as far as she could see, the towering carcasses of grotesque monsters piling up before her. A colossus automaton seemed frozen in place, most of its front plating having been torn apart by a lightning strike that had annihilated its pilot. Enemies and abominations alike had been cleared out, at the cost of a single casualty.
Ei couldn't protect anything.
She was not fast enough to prevent. Not strong enough to defend. Thunder was the power of swiftness and destruction that could end battles in an instant, yet she had never felt so powerless. She would trade her life, her blood, her strength, her status for something, anything that could save her sister. But nothing rekindled the light behind Makoto's eyes. No amount of shaking or clinging onto this lifeless body would bring her back. It was all over in an instant.
She looked up at the crimson sky and cried out in anger.
Red draped her memories, with occasional flashes of purple. Perhaps she went on a rampage, or stayed by her sister's side. There was no life left to take on this abandoned battlefield except hers anyway. When she regained control of herself, her body hurt, and her own screams burned in her throat. She didn't want to think or move anymore. If anyone offered her death here, she would have silently welcomed it.
Then she remembered the flood of darkness, the roiling mass of claws, teeth and horns that was invading her home when she left. Inazuma. Her people. She had done a poor job of protecting them. After leaving their Archon to die, she was going to fail them too.
"I have to go." she mumbled to Makoto. Her sister didn't answer.
She loaded the body on her shoulder and took up Musou Isshin. She had often argued that crafting such a fine weapon only to use it as an instrument of peace was a waste. Makoto had only smiled in response. Now that it had been passed down to her, she knew she would take no pleasure in using it.
Ei lumbered away from the battlefield. Her sister's corpse bore a more peaceful expression than hers.
She was woken up by the tears streaming down her face. Ei blinked to see through the blur. Crushing silence and stillness reigned over the Plane of Euthymia. The golden spear-like spikes her last opponent had left behind still lay broken in the sand, and the dark moon behind her hadn't changed.
The grief in her heart had flared up again, but she still managed to realize something: she shouldn't have been able to recall these painful memories in the middle of her meditation.
Letting the mind wander was the complete antithesis of her plane's purpose. It was a place of focus, not recollection. Her being able to have these dreams meant the Plane of Euthymia was being disturbed by something or someone.
Her mind searched for the breach inside her consciousness. Neither the Shogun nor Musou Isshin had been tampered with. There was no unseen presence in the plane, and the scattered Geo bits had gone inert. Even the Traveler, who had left such a deep impression on her, was not responsible for this.
Ei then looked inward, and nearly sank within her own mind. What must have started as an unnoticeable rift inside her conscious had become a gaping void that fed on her Plane bit by bit.
It was doubt. So well hidden she believed herself to be beyond such a thing. But the massive emptiness within her told her otherwise. This ever-expanding sphere of darkness seemed like a small planet compared to her own mind. With each moment spent taking in its horror, she felt its irresistible pull threatening to consume her whole.
For the first time in her life, Ei fled.
She was no stranger to pain. She respected death, but did not fear it. As for regrets, she had a fair share of them. But doubting the very concept of eternity after five centuries of pursuing it and giving her all to this cause, would utterly break her. After going this far, doubt had become a threat to her very existence.
She retreated deep within herself, away from the void of doubt that grew stronger the more she thought about it. She cast it resolutely from her mind. These thoughts would not harm her or her purpose. This was the correct track, and the only way to attain a peaceful and unfettered eternity was to keep following it.
The thought of spending an eternity trapped with doubt in her own mindscape unsettled her. She needed to purge this uneasiness and stabilize the Plane of Euthymia before undertaking meditation again. Shielding herself from erosion in this manner was pointless if she still ended up going mad.
Ei sought something reliable and efficient to ease her mind. A sign of Inazuma's progress and unchanging stability that she could access from Tenshukaku, without having to involve herself with the mortal world again. The Shogun surely could procure that information for her in a short period of time. Ei considered assuming control over her puppet and gaining that information herself.
She was not fleeing. She was seeking substantial evidence in order to eradicate the seed of doubt from her consciousness.
A moment's hesitation only made the doubt grow stronger. She could no longer afford to question herself. Ei opened her mind and reached out to meet the Shogun's system. She was met with the iron-clad visage of the rules she herself had set in place.
The Shogun regarded her levelly. "I must warn you. The current state of affairs in Inazuma is quite confusing from an outside perspective. Do you still wish to fully manifest?"
She did not waver. "Only for a short while. I intend to go through what you have observed during my absence, but if it is not sufficient I may need a little more time."
"Provided that they pursue the goal of Eternity, your decisions are not mine to question. Proceed."
The Shogun's artificial mind could process countless thoughts and decisions at the same time to guarantee the outcome closest to Eternity. Ei's could not. She was fully aware of the difference between her creation and herself as several years worth of information regarding Inazuma, the Shogunate, and everything she should have experienced as a ruler thrashed her brain. She endured the unease and set them aside. Everything would be handled in time.
Roughly one year after the enactment of the Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees, Raiden Ei opened her eyes in the mortal world.
"Sir. At the commander's request, no one is to speak with the prisoner until–"
Something outside shattered. There was a thud, then a heavy weight hit the ground. She couldn't make out words that were spoken in anger. Trying to listen closely only brought about another mind-splitting headache.
Sara shivered as she tried to remain conscious.
A few days prior, she had become aware that she was still alive. Her survival only left a mild and temporary taste of disappointment in her mouth. Dying in battle was probably preferable to whatever the war council had planned for her.
Her cell was a dark and damp square, located in a remote corner of an island that she was unfamiliar with. When she had the strength to look through the barred window, she only saw fog over the ocean. No islands, no landmarks to help her situate herself. A coastal fort was her guess. A small fortification of wood and stone that could be brought down then rebuilt in a manner of days, with only a handful of soldiers to guard it. This was all the respect her ex-generals had for her.
With nothing to do and only dark thoughts to brew on, Sara assessed her injuries periodically. Her skin was singed in places. One of her wings was broken. She barely felt her legs and couldn't push any strength into them. Her right arm trembled at times and hurt to move. She had several broken bones that she failed to properly identify. If any of it was fatal, it hadn't killed her yet.
The blond demon – that she now recalled as the Traveler – hadn't pulled his punches in the end. Once he'd realized her heart was set on not surrendering, he had ended the battle decisively. Sara accepted her defeat, or rather focusing on her pains and aches prevented her from holding a proper grudge. She had been bested, and now only the consequences of her actions awaited her.
Or, if she was right about who was outside her cell right now, the consequences had come to find her directly.
She would have recognized his cruel purple eyes even without the torchlight. "Guards," she called out weakly. Her voice sounded foreign and dusty. "You can take this man away. I have no desire to speak with him."
The Balladeer gave a disdainful laugh. "I see that a crushing defeat against the Watatsumii wasn't enough to teach you a little humility. Even in the dirtiest corner of Inazuma, you manage to think yourself above me. Your pride is almost commendable. But tormenting you isn't as amusing now that you can't fight back."
He dragged a wooden chair over and fell on it, never letting her out of his sight. After a few more seconds, she decided the guards wouldn't come. No matter what he did, they wouldn't risk trying to deprive a Harbinger of his fun. Some soldiers.
The shackle around her wrist was a cold reminder that she was no better.
"Don't fret. Once I kill the Traveler, the damage from your failure will be undone, and the Shogunate will take back Yashiori easily." The silent glare she sent his way only seemed to embolden him. "It won't be such a grand affair as your battle with him, I'm afraid. I'll clean up the battlefield using the cannons that you so adamantly refused, and while he's all caught up in trying to save everyone, I'll just…" He mimicked snuffing out a candle. "end him. Without this precious ace up their sleeve, the Sangonomiya's army will go back to being insignificant."
Sara regarded him levelly. Something about this man profoundly irked her. Arrogant and uncouth soldiers were commonplace in the army, but he was too unapologetic in his ways. Every word out of his mouth was laced with spite and hubris so profound she couldn't even fathom where it originated from.
She steadied her still-aching arm against her stomach. "If you have such great plans, why waste your time here? You won. I failed my god, and now my troops are in your hands. If you're so confident about defeating the Traveler, why even come to this wretched place? Or am I not below your notice after all?"
Scaramouche's expression twitched from a faint smile to a frown. She wasn't amusing him anymore. "You're right, I did win. I bested you and watched you fall from grace. You're nothing more than a traitor, a crazed, disgraced general who attacks her own men, only pretending to be resilient when you've already been broken. So if I can afford to take a victory lap now, it's because unlike you, I plan ahead."
He tilted his head as his voice got low. "Do you really think the Shogunate will prevail now that I've taken your seat? Maybe Yashiori will be taken back, but it could very well be in the rebels' hands again one month from now. And then what? Maybe I'll allow the generals to station troops there for a time, until they get decimated by an unforeseen act of treason. Maybe your brother will launch a desperate assault on Watatsumi Island, only to lose valuable warships in a storm and hinder your weakened navy forever. But in all these possible outcomes, the Shogunate will always have just enough troops to prevent the resistance from advancing."
He abruptly stood up. The chair fell with a clatter. Scaramouche gripped the bars and got as close as his hat would allow him.
"Get this through your brainwashed skull: none of you will win. Not these fanatical sea serpent worshippers, not the Electro Archon's sheep, not even the Traveler. Only my plan is unfolding without issue. So let the men die. Let this nation tear itself apart through war and bloodshed for all eternity. Because in the end, the sole victor will be me. And the one who made it so easy for the Fatui to take control was your all-powerful god."
These words would have outraged Kujou Sara if she had heard them a few weeks earlier. She would have lambasted that Harbinger, asking to have him removed from her sight in a fit of righteous anger. But she could now accept them without passion. He was at least right about her. What was most important had already been broken. She was a devout void of feeling, to the point where hearing how one man had masterminded the fall of her nation seemed to matter little.
The Traveler hadn't truly spared her. Her pride, her stubbornness and a part of her confidence had all fallen to his sword. Sara didn't have anywhere to bring the remains of her mind and body, but she did not have to partake in the Balladeer's game either.
He was prey to his own emotions. He had acted so sure of himself the first time, the true source of his hatred had only become more apparent as he revealed his intentions. The bars in his hands threatened to bend.
Sara waited until he had exhausted himself with his own ravings. "You don't want to see all these people die. You only hate their faith. Our faith. In the Almighty Shogun."
Scaramouche's glare struck her again. She was calm, but didn't give him the courtesy of letting him speak.
"The soldiers on both sides are merely collateral damage in your plan. But I'm the one who drew your ire when we first met. You wanted me to stop following the Electro Archon, so you sought to bring me to a point where all hope would be lost. You're not flaunting your victory in my face, you're here to see for yourself whether or not you succeeded in turning my devotion into hatred."
She threw her head back against the stone wall and sighed. Her belief had indeed been shaken. She still had many faults to atone for, and even then it would probably be impossible to ever regain her place in the Tenryou Commission and Kujou Clan. But all of this was due to her own hubris and mistakes. Putting all the blame on her deity would be equivalent to running away again rather than facing the consequences of her actions.
She looked him in the eye. "I still believe in the Almighty Shogun. Perhaps not as ardently as before, but I will no longer be blinded by my devotion towards her. What I own is mine alone. Just as my status does not belong to the Kujou name, my strength was only acknowledged by my god because this power was already in me. This is the meaning of my Vision, and it is also my answer to you."
The Balladeer sighed. "And here I hoped you would understand." He looked more disappointed than upset. "I was once like you. Mindlessly trying to fulfill a purpose forced upon me since birth, only to fail and be cast aside as useless. But you don't have the strength to reject fate like I did. You're only lying to yourself."
"Perhaps I am. It's true that I don't want to follow the same path as you." she admitted with a faint smile. "Eternity is something I believe in; I'll reach it in my own way."
"And if the court martial decides to get rid of you?"
"Masahito has a hand in the council's final decision." She didn't waver. "My brother is not infallible, but I trust his ability to mete out fair punishment. I will accept the appropriate sentence for my crimes."
His face dimmed. Trying to turn one of Beelzebul's most fervent followers against her had turned out to be a waste of time. His words would no longer sway her past a certain point.
Scaramouche clicked his tongue. "Have it your way, then. I shouldn't have bothered with a fanatic like yourself."
"One last thing before you go."
The Harbinger didn't turn all the way to meet her eye. "What?"
"The Traveler isn't an opponent to be taken lightly. You seem confident that you can kill him, but he is quite resourceful. Watatsumi's forces aren't so easily broken either, and when they rally behind a man like him they may prove a bigger obstacle than anticipated." Her back shifted against the stone bench to get more comfortable. "Tides turn quickly in Inazuma. I suggest the Harbingers think very carefully about their next move now that their involvement in the Shogun's army has deepened."
He frowned. "What do you know that I don't?"
Kujou Sara's eyes briefly flashed with a faint cinder of hope. "Nothing. Just wishful thinking. I cannot bring you your just retribution, only await mine. But they will arrive for us all the same."
Her ability to reignite his hatred with every word almost made him wonder. He didn't want to hear any more, especially coming from a disgraced general rotting in a cell.
Especially because the faint light in Kujou Sara's eyes came from her. His mother should be a source of inspiration for no one. She was a heartless being trapped in her own delusions, not a god the masses could look up to and worship as a leader.
This insane devotion caused visible disgust to shoot through him. "You're all hopeless," he muttered. "I'm done toying with you."
This conversation had gone on for longer than necessary. The guards waited at the gate, and recoiled when he met their gaze. He was about to walk past them, then stopped.
"The prisoner has too much energy to argue. Cut back on the food and water." he ordered sternly. "A captive tengu should be kept starved and barely able to function. You're aware that if she somehow escapes, you two will pay with your lives, right?"
The men looked more horrified by his command than the explicit threat made against them. But the Harbinger knew they wouldn't dare disobey. Their hesitant answer wasn't worth waiting around for. He left.
The harsh wind bit him as he stepped on his ship. There was a storm brewing over Narukami island, but the restlessness in the air could be felt even here. For reasons he didn't fully understand, Kunikuzushi frowned. He detested this foreboding weather.
Storms were unpredictable, and worst of all, they always preceded change.
A/N: My original notes for this fic are almost two years old. Time flies.
I've managed to finish this just in time for Ei's birthday. This is technically the end of the second arc. It's not important terminology, I just use it to ground myself. I'd still like to discuss some of the more impactful changes I've made, because this chapter is my biggest creative leap from canon, imo.
Makoto was shown to be able to do odd stuff with minds by splitting and storing her consciousness, and it's ambiguous whether or not she could actually see the future or if Istaroth was involved. Reader's interpretation for this one, but I like to imagine that Ei could sense her death due to their consciousness being so similar. They're almost two sides of the same coin, and Ei going to retrieve the body alone also helps with the image I'm trying to put in the reader's mind.
Now my second leap of faith: Ei wakes up. She's numb, she's reliving her memories as nightmares, and her consciousness is disturbed as a result. It's something I would have appreciated in the original: a certain unrest prior to the rematch. Even though Ei knows what the Fatui are up to, she suddenly needs a form of validation for herself, and does something rash about it. I like this idea a lot. Not just a "perfect" final boss about to be proven wrong, and more of a flawed ruler who still needs a wake-up call.
Hopefully I haven't gone mad yet. This is really fun for me, and I hope you enjoy reading my nonsense. Thanks again for all the support you've shown this fic.
-H