"The war, can it not be waged?"
The Serpent God's only answer was silence. The human form he took displayed a body language that showed nothing but great sorrow and also acceptance of his fate.
"Four counts of profanity, eight counts of deceiving living souls."
"Pardon?"
"Four counts of profanity, eight counts of deceiving living souls," the Serpent God softly repeated the sentence that was delivered to him and Watatsumi Island once more. He shouldn't have touched that book, shouldn't have read the knowledge of the history that Celestia wanted concealed. If only he didn't, none of this would have to happen.
"There's no escaping this fated demise and the war, Osuke. I had created Watatsumi Island from the corals that grew on my body, but the fact that it was never a natural island meant that it will always be ill-suited for growing crops due to its geological structure. You have seen for yourself how prevalent starvation and disease are outside. Our people are pleading with me to conquer Yashiori Island for more resources."
"I know. I'm already doing something about it, aren't I? Orobashi, I just need more time. Give me a few more years, just a few more years–"
"But we don't have time. Our people are no longer willing to wait and as their deity, I…"
Orobashi paused, and then sighed.
"I… have no other choice."
"It's a war that we cannot win."
"I know, Osuke. I know. But it's a war that will guarantee Watatsumi Island's continued survival. The Narukami… She's a gentle god. At the very least, she won't drive Watatsumi Island to extinction after my death as long as Watatsumi Island surrenders."
The Serpent God who had failed too many times but continued to love humanity all the same turned to face Osuke with a weary yet gentle gaze.
"Can I count on you to continue protecting Watatsumi Island in my absence?"
"... That's a very cruel request. Your people… they had never accepted me as one of them."
"I know, and I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I'm still going to do so regardless. I don't have anyone left who I can entrust Watatsumi Island to, someone who will not be blinded by hatred or greed."
The Serpent God opened his palm and held it out to Osuke. On his palm rested a Bloodbranch Coral, imbued with the Serpent God's life force and power. This would be his last gift– and also curse and recompense– to the samsaric wanderer for asking him to undertake such an unreasonable, unfair, and unjustifiable request.
"... How long? For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?"
.
.
.
The Serpent's Envoy woke up with a soft gasp. The familiar sights of the ceiling of his bedroom greeted him and he once again remembered that everything he just experienced was all just another dream, a memory. He slowly sat up on his bed, turning his head to look outside the window where the moon still shone in the dark night sky.
The history that Celestia wanted to conceal, the transgression that Orobashi unknowingly made and subsequently took the divine punishment on behalf of his people… He's now the only person who knew the full truth that drove Orobashi to seek his death. He's now the Serpent's Envoy, the representative and leader of Watatsumi Island that Orobashi had appointed shortly before he led Watatsumi Island to war against the rulers of Narukami Island.
He found himself unable to fall asleep, so he got out of bed and decided to take a short walk around the area to cool off and get a breath of fresh air. He stepped out of the door and was unsurprised to find countless new acts of vandalism that marred the walls and door of his house.
Traitor, backstabber, unfaithful– these were some of the more commonly seen words and also opinions that most of Watatsumi Island had of him after the conclusion of the civil war and which also decorated the exterior walls of his home. He supposed that they were not wrong to accuse him as such because from their point of view, each and every decision he made for the sake of Watatsumi Island could be regarded as treacherous. In their eyes, Orobashi had placed his trust in someone who had not acted with Watatsumi Island's best interests in mind.
The Raiden Shogun had slain Watatsumi Island's guardian deity– that was the only reason they needed and will use to hate him for everything he had done to try and bridge and foster relations between Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island, before, during, and after the war. For that reason alone, they chose to be blind to everything he had tried to do for the betterment of their people. Their behaviour was a testament to how beloved Orobashi was among the people of Watatsumi Island but also an equally terrible curse, because his followers loved him so much that they were unwilling to move past their grief and hatred to live in the present.
Watatsumi Island will be unable to overcome their grief at their deity's passing for a very long while, Osuke understood that. He's fully prepared to endure Watatsumi Island's scorn to the end of his current cycle. He will endure the scorn not for the people of Watatsumi Island, but for the gentle Serpent God who had been such a great friend to him. His patience and love for the people of Watatsumi Island had waned and thinned long ago. No matter how he tried, he never succeeded in talking them out of their foolishness and making them see reality for what it was. The only reason why he had not left them was because of his promise to Orobashi before the Serpent God went to seek death at the hands of the Narukami. That really was it.
"If it isn't our great traitor."
He went on his walk and he wasn't expecting to run into the twin sisters of the Yuna clan so late into the night, but it is what it is. Yuna Mouun and Yuna Ayame, they were the sisters who played a key role in the war between Orobashi and the Raiden Shogun. The scathing tone that Mouun greeted him with was enough of an indication just how much they loathe his presence.
"Greetings to the both of you too. Lovely night, isn't it?" Osuke's response was polite and courteous in contrast.
"It was, until you appeared," Ayame replied with an equal amount of hostility that her older twin displayed to him.
"How are your wounds? Are they recovering?"
All Osuke received was silence and their hateful glares. They hated him for betraying Orobashi's trust but at the same time, understood that he was the reason why both of them managed to survive the war. He had risked his life to save them but at the same time, the Serpent's Envoy was similarly the reason why they weren't able to follow up with their ambush and slay the Great Tengu of Yougou of the Narukami Shogunate.
If they could have slain the Great Tengu, the outcome of the war might have been different.
"Let's go, sister. It pains me to breathe the same air he does at this proximity," Ayame grabbed onto her twin's hand and pulled her along, not sparing Osuke a second glance and no hesitation was spotted in her steps. Eventually, all that was left was Osuke, the lone moon shining overhead, his lonely shadow casted on the ground by the moonlight, and the soft rippling waves that encompassed Watatsumi Island.
"Your people… love you so much, Orobashi," Osuke whispered with a weary sigh. He's tired. He's very tired. He had known and lived among Orobashi's people for over three hundred years, assisted the Serpent God in ruling over the island, waged a long war against his former friends upon his request…
He's very tired. He guessed that the only good outcome that arose from everything that happened was that his presence was able to reduce casualties of the war from both sides to a minimum, and that the Archon War in Inazuma finally came to an official close with Orobashi's death. At the very least, Sasayuri didn't die in this civil war. He remembered from the memories of his twenty-sixth cycle how Makoto mentioned to him of Sasayuri's demise in the civil war and it was why he had tried– and fortunately succeeded– in averting that fate.
Morning eventually came. Osuke made his way to the Sangonomiya Shrine where his office was located, ignoring the scathing and hateful glares of his people with practised habitual ease, and began his work for the day. Watatsumi Island was not an ideal location in supporting life, that much was obvious within the first decade after Orobashi had created Watatsumi Island. Osuke had proposed establishing trade relations with Narukami Island, which worked out well initially, until Orobashi had no other choice but to declare war against the very hand that fed them because of Celestia's decree.
Currently, Osuke's foremost priority will be to solve the food problem for his people. Only with enough food and resources would he be able to prevent his people from starving or falling ill to diseases. He needs to find a way to allow the island's agriculture industry to be self-sustaining and sufficient.
The root of their agricultural problem lies in the soil of Watatsumi Island. From his preliminary research he believes that the salinity and alkalinity of seawater that touches the land leaches nutrients from the soil and renders it unsuitable for agriculture. However, he had no time nor the resources to conduct further investigations in resolving that issue. He needs to find a quick way to put food on his people's plates and the only way he could think of to do so was to hurry and reestablish trade relations with Narukami Island.
Needless to say, it's easier than done. Both sides had warred for almost two centuries and it only ended with the recent death of Watatsumi Island's guardian deity. Both sides held strong grudges against the other and even if Osuke could reestablish trade relations between the islands, the enmity harboured by the people of Watatsumi Island against the Shogunate was so strong that Osuke wouldn't be surprised if his people refused to eat even a single grain of rice if they knew it came from Narukami Island, even if it meant starving to death.
But that's not a reason to stop trying. He's the Serpent's Envoy, the representative that Orobashi appointed to lead Watatsumi Island in the event of his absence and death. He will fulfil his responsibilities until his obligations are fully met and completed and then…
He will not return to Watatsumi Island for a very long while, maybe he won't return to the island ever again. Watatsumi Island truly is beautiful but his experiences here were less than pleasant. He only stayed for as long as he did on account of his friendship with Orobashi.
He took a break from work when it was nearing lunchtime. He had a quick lunch and wasn't surprised when he noticed the faint traces of lethal poison lacing his meal. He still finished it anyway– it's borderline criminal to waste food when the entire island was experiencing a severe food shortage problem and this dosage of poison was still not yet lethal enough to make him feel sick, much less kill him.
He would admit that the food tasted delicious though. He made sure the chef knew it as he complimented his culinary skills with a smile which resembled so much like Orobashi's. He allowed himself to indulge in a brief moment of vindictive pleasure when he offered the chef a spoon of the miso soup he drank and the chef fell onto his knees and begged for mercy, knowing full well that he would definitely die if he drank the poisoned food he prepared for the Serpent's Envoy.
Such is a typical day of the Serpent's Envoy.
He took a walk after lunch, surveying the island to see what issues could be improved or if there's anything that needed to be brought to his attention, but did not reach him for whatever reasons. People shunned and avoided him wherever he went, hateful gossips and judgemental stares were par for the course.
He made his way to a secret shrine and began to conduct a routine ritual, the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri, or also known as the Watatsumi Spiritual Ritual. It's the only effective preventive measure he currently knew of that was able to prevent the erosion of the island's soil by using the gift that Orobashi had left behind for him, the Bloodbranch Coral. Until he found a way to permanently address this problem, this ritual would have to be periodically conducted to ensure that crops can continue to grow on Watatsumi Island.
He went back to his office to continue with his work after the completion of the ritual, fended off some wannabe assassins who were screaming to avenge Orobashi yada yada yada… He honestly had no idea what more the people of Watatsumi Island wanted. Makoto was already being very merciful after they had surrendered to Narukami. She stopped Ei from obliterating the island from the face of the map. Watatsumi Island was allowed to continue to worship Orobashi, the Shogunate were willing to reopen peace talks and reestablish trade relations once the enmity harboured by both sides calmed down a little, some of the proposed preliminary verbal agreements were even rather unfair to Narukami Island in his opinion despite the fact that it was the Narukami Shogunate who was the victor of the war.
He really wanted to grab a dissenter from Watatsumi Island by the neck, shake them and scream to their face and ask: what more do you want? They were the ones who initiated and waged a war that they lost. Orobashi waged a war to protect his followers but his followers wanted a war to sate their own greed. They wanted more resources quickly when they could have exercised a little more patience until trade relations between the islands improved and eventually solved their agricultural problems. They just needed a little more time.
Watatsumi Island just wasn't willing to wait. They wanted conquest, they wanted to expand their rule, and were unwilling to accept the results of their failure. They blamed the Raiden Shogun for the death of their deity but failed to see that they too, were part of the blame that drove their guardian deity to his death.
Or maybe they understood that they too were a reason why Orobashi had died, but simply were unwilling to face the truth.
The sun started to set. He concluded his work for the day, locked up all important documents behind layers of spells because some people definitely would try to snoop around and steal something out of spite if they could manage it, and finally left his office. Swords, arrows and spears were already flying his way the moment he so much as stepped out of the Sangonomiya Shrine and a loud exhausted sigh echoed through the air just as the weapons struck the hardy surface of a jade shield that protected Osuke.
"If you guys have any more tricks to show, just get on with it. I'm in a hurry."
The mess was quickly quelled and the Serpent's Envoy continued his journey, leaving behind a small pile of people groaning on the ground in pain. He made his way to the shrine where a very important ceremony will be held tomorrow, one where the people of Watatsumi Island will conduct to soothe the spirit of their deity and pray for his peaceful departure and passing. He checked the venue and the progress of the preparations, the Sangonomiya clan were not being cooperative as per usual, which was fine. He knew the Sangonomiya clan would not ever cut corners for such an important event pertaining to their beloved Serpent God. He will leave the preparations in their good hands.
For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?
The memory of that question Osuke asked Orobashi that day briefly resurfaced in his mind before he dismissed it. He went home and turned in early that night in hopes of getting a more restful sleep. He didn't. He woke up early the next day anyway, even before the rooster could crow, made sure that he looked his best and wore the elegant ceremonial robes that Orobashi had given him a long time ago when things were much more peaceful and less hostile, and made his way to the shrine.
Members of the Sangonomiya clan were already up and about when he arrived. While the people of Watatsumi Island held him in contempt since his actions during and after the war was seen as traitorous in their eyes, he was still the Serpent's Envoy that Orobashi personally appointed before his death. He was a pivotal and important presence for this ceremony. He needed to be present and they clearly understood that as well.
So, they begrudgingly accepted his presence and treated him as if he did not exist, only communicating with him when it was strictly necessary. There were quite a few wards and spells needed for the ceremony that only he could do and cast, which he helped them with without complaints. He was even in the mood to impart them a few tips while he was at it although whether they truly listened and understood his teachings was a separate matter entirely. He didn't care enough to find out.
He's tired.
For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?
A huge crowd gathered before the shrine even before the sun had risen. A hydro timepiece that the Sangonomiya clan used to keep accurate track of time for ceremonial events finally announced the official hour to start the ceremony. Under the witness of the whole of Watatsumi Island, the Divine Priestess and the Serpent's Envoy stepped forth and began to lead and conduct the soul soothing ceremony, assisted by the twin sisters of the Yuna clan who wielded their ceremonial weapons to guide the prayers of their people to be heard by their fallen Serpent God. The people of Watatsumi Island clasped their hands piously, knelt and bowed in love and respect, chanted their prayers to their fallen guardian deity in sincerity for however long the ceremony lasted.
The ring of the bell announced the end of the ceremony. People opened their eyes and got back up on their feet one after the other. Osuke was no different. He opened his eyes and got back up on his feet, idly wondering if Orobashi could really hear the question he had tried directing to him during the ceremony.
For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?
Thankfully, his body recognised the sudden unseen threats before his mind did and tried to instinctively avoid it. Otherwise, the spear that ran through his abdomen would have pierced through his heart. An arrow flew through the air almost at the same time and Osuke could only try defending himself from this sudden assassination by raising his left arm to shield his face, trying his best to harden his skin through the power of geo in the meantime.
He knew that the people of Watatsumi Island hated him, but never would he ever imagined that there would be people who had the gall to try and assassinate him at such an important event and ceremony, a ceremony held in the name of the god that they respected and loved.
Had they hated him so much that they would even choose to spill blood in front of their god's altar?
The arrow lodged into his forearm. Osuke pulled himself out of the spear that impaled him and leapt up onto the roof of the shrine, his stoic gaze locked onto the two people who had managed to severely wounded him.
"Mouun, Ayame. What's the meaning of this?"
"What's… the meaning of this?" Ayame whispered with trembling rage and tears in her eyes. "You… You betrayed Lord Orobashi! Do I have to spell it out for you?!"
Hateful whispers and murmurs began to spread across the populace who had bore witness to Ayame's attempted act of vengeance. The people of Watatsumi Island who had gathered to witness the assassination attempt started to chant for his death and pledged their support for the Yuna twins. Humans can be such emotionally driven and illogical creatures and as a human himself, Osuke fully understood and accepted the worst traits of humanity. He did his best to stem the blood flowing out of his wounds as he tried to think of a way to resolve this situation. Ayame and Mouun held a lot of sway among the populace due to their heroic contributions during the civil war, so his current situation did not look good for him.
He no longer held love for the people of Watatsumi Island, but he didn't want to kill them either. He had never killed any of them despite their repeated daily assassination attempts and clearly, he had underestimated just how much hate they harboured for him.
"We… wouldn't have been alive if it wasn't for you," Mouun's trembling yet determined voice reached his ears as the older twin raised her bow at him. "Hate us, curse us, regret saving us for all you want, we will bear your grudges but… We cannot allow you to lead Watatsumi Island any longer. We will be nothing better than the Shogunate's lapdogs if this were to continue! We will kill you, Osuke, and then… we will take our own lives too to repent for our sins. I'm sorry, but your death is necessary for Watatsumi Island."
"I see," Osuke felt strangely calm despite the betrayal. Maybe he's really past the point of caring and could no longer give a damn anymore. "You are entitled to your own opinion, Mouun, Ayame, I respect your wish, but…"
The sisters' breathing hitched at how the Serpent Envoy's suddenly was in front of them, close enough to whisper into their ears. They couldn't even react in time with how fast he was.
"If you truly wanted to kill me, you should have gone for the head right from the start. That was your only chance to kill me."
Ayame swung her spear out of fear just as Mouun immediately leapt backwards and retook her aim, but Osuke had already vanished. Punishing bolts of lightning rained down upon the soldiers that had charged forth to support the Yuna twins, yet no lives were lost. A sigh was heard and the bloodbath ended before it could even start.
The Serpent's Envoy was never seen on Watatsumi Island after that day.
On the beach of Yashiori Island lay a man, half buried in sand and half soaked in seawater, his gaze affixed to the skies similar to how the Serpent God had done before he drew his last breath.
He managed to close his wounds, but he had still lost too much blood and he barely had any strength left in his body. Escaping from Watatsumi Island to reach Yashiori Island took up almost everything he had. He's in pain and hurting all over. He had no idea what variants of poison the people of Watatsumi Island had laced their weapons with this time but they clearly had learnt from their past failures. His vision was slowly darkening.
For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?
"Are you here to mock me?"
He had sensed a familiar presence lingering nearby since a while ago. It took a while for Osuke to identify what that familiar presence was since his brain felt so muddled from the effects of the poison running through his bloodstream, but he did manage to figure it out in the end. The Great Tengu of Yougou stepped out from where he was previously hidden after being called out.
"What happened?"
"What do you think?" Osuke shot back in return. He's so damn tired, he just wanted things to hurry and come to a close in this cycle so that he could move on to the next. It was a mistake to agree to Orobashi's request.
Everything he did in this cycle was one mistake after the other.
"Do me a favour and make this quick, will you?"
The footsteps of the tengu general drew closer and closer. As to what happened next, Osuke had no idea. His eyes had closed and he allowed the darkness to take him. He fully expected to be in a different world, time and place when he reopened his eyes again.
Thus, he couldn't help but curse a long string of expletives when he woke up and found himself being greeted by the ceiling of what was obviously an Inazuman room the first thing he opened his eyes. The all too familiar pain originating from the poison that the people of Watatsumi Island used to harm his body assured him that he's still stuck in his thirtieth cycle.
"Goddammit Sasayuri, I asked you to fucking kill me didn't I?! Or did you forget how to use your bloody sword?!" Osuke had truly lost his temper and mind when he turned his head and found the tengu general silently watching him from where he was seated on a chair beside his bed. He just wanted to be relieved of his obligations to Orobashi and just move on, why was that one simple request so hard to ask for?
"Every life is precious. I owed you my life. You saved mine, so I saved yours in return," Sasayuri eventually replied after a long tense period of silence. The look of sorrow never once left his face.
"You didn't save me. You made me remain in living hell," Osuke tried and splendidly failed to resist the urge to seethe at the tengu. The shogi doors to the room slid open at that instance as more individuals entered the room, people that he once befriended in his previous cycles but did not share the memories he did.
"See? I told you he's definitely alright. I heard him screaming from far away."
"What's this? Holding a pity party for me?" Osuke mocked in self-depreciation and fought through the excruciating pain to try and sit up, only to be stopped by a gentle hand. His gaze traced the hand upwards, following the arm it was attached to until he finally laid his eyes on someone he would never be capable of raising his voice at no matter how foul a mood he would be.
"The poison that was injected into your bloodstream was Orobashi's venom. You really shouldn't be moving around."
"Ah, so that's what they poisoned me with this time. No wonder it hurts like a bitch," Osuke released a loud breath of air through his clenched teeth. He suspected if it wasn't for the Bloodbranch Coral that Orobashi grafted into his body he might have died a long time ago. Orobashi's last gift to him was ironically the reason which prevented him from departing this living hell.
If Osuke had paid more attention he might have spotted the wince that appeared on Makoto's face for a brief moment. The gentle god tried her best to hide the fact that her hand which she used to prevent Osuke from moving was trembling minutely as she inconspicuously pulled it back to her side.
She also understood that nothing she says will be of help to Osuke now, not when he's currently like this and not in a mood to listen. She will give him the space and time he needs to recover from this ordeal.
He needed the rest.
She left after wishing him a speedy recovery and also reminding him to take better care of his body. She did not stop walking until she finally was alone and within the privacy of her own room. She looked at her trembling hands that she tried so hard to hide from being noticed as she tried her best to figure out just what on earth she saw during that brief moment when her hand first touched Osuke's body.
Those transient moments… are they his experiences? If so, then…
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. Her recent rise to the vaunted position of Electro Archon granted her powers that she never expected to receive. To be able to read snippets of transient moments of almost all life in Teyvat granted her the power to glimpse into Osuke's experiences and if what she saw in those fleeting moments of transience was true, then…
How… cruel. No wonder he lashed out the way he did when he opened his eyes and found himself still stuck in his thirtieth cycle. Orobashi had been kind to him– or arguably was kind to him until they struck that deal– but the people of Watatsumi Island were not thankful for all the sacrifices he had made for them as their Serpent's Envoy.
They were too blinded by their hatred and grief to see the truth for what it was.
"That happened?"
Never would the kagemusha imagine that the only human in history who had managed to block her strongest strike and lived to tell the tale would be betrayed by the very people he fought to protect and save. Ei was not well-versed in politics, the world was much simpler in her eyes and to her, swords do not lie. She had met Osuke several times on the battlefield during the civil war and exchanged blows for brief moments before he slipped away like the slippery eel he always proved himself to be, but she knew enough to know that he's an honourable warrior. In fact, it was because of his mercy that Sasayuri did not lose his life in that senseless war, something which she's inwardly grateful to him for.
A warrior like him didn't deserve such scorn and betrayal for things that were not his fault to bear.
"One man's trash is another's treasure. Watatsumi Island does not deserve a warrior like him, so why don't we take him in under our fold?"
"Oh trust me, we tried asking," Saiguu shrugged. "He refused, saying that he's still the Serpent's Envoy and the least he could do for Orobashi was not to become a member of the Shogunate… which is kind of understandable but…"
"Stubborn," Chiyo completed Saiguu's words for her.
In any case, this was how Osuke suddenly found himself residing in the city of Inazuma once more. Makoto never restricted his movements and placed an awful amount of trust for someone who was formally from a faction that her Shogunate just warred against, but he didn't bother to question her decisions. As of now, he's nothing better than a dog who had been kicked out and lost his home.
He had nowhere to go, no goals to work for, nothing to live for until his long life finally comes to an end in this cycle.
Makoto truly was as gentle as he remembered her to be. She gave him a place to stay, a nice scenic cottage located near the Tenshukaku. She hid the fact from her people that the Serpent's Envoy now lived among them, which was a bold move to make considering that her people still harboured great hatred for Watatsumi Island after the recent conclusion of the civil war. She allowed him the freedom to roam her city and trusted him to not harm her people. She frequently invited him for afternoon tea, sought his advice on many topics, ranging from mundane things like if she looked better wearing this dress or that dress, to important affairs on how she could better improve the lives of her people.
Yet in this cycle, he was the Serpent's Envoy of Watatsumi Island, the enemy that her Shogunate just won a war against and where their respective people still held bitter enmity and hatred for the other for all the lives that were lost in that senseless civil war. There were times he was glad that Makoto was such a gentle and benevolent god but oftentimes, he just couldn't understand why she treated him so awfully well.
In this cycle they had always been on opposing sides. She had no reason to trust him. Why was she not afraid that he would betray her trust and harm her people?
But he never asked. Being the Serpent's Envoy for several centuries had truly worn him out in body, mind and soul. He really had no energy and could not be bothered to care any longer in this cycle. The recent years that led up to the end of the war were the hardest for him, taking a toll he never knew he had been shouldering until he suddenly found himself here in Makoto's city.
"Do you like fireworks?"
It was another afternoon tea that Makoto invited him to, one he saw no reason to refuse nor accept but ended up there anyway. He never expected her to ask that question but he nodded his head anyway.
Fireworks… the mention of it brought back some pleasant memories for him.
"There will be fireworks tonight," she spoke, and saw the brief look of surprise that crossed his face. "Didn't you know? It's the Summer Festival. I'd thought you would have noticed since the streets were lined up with festive decorations and street stalls were being set up all along the main roads."
"I didn't really use the main roads," he admitted. He knew Makoto meant well but these days he felt so lethargic that he barely left his own cottage unless he really needed to. Even if he did have to go outside, which usually was because he answered Makoto's invitation for another afternoon tea, he would take a lesser used path to reach the Tenshukaku.
"Saiguu and the others would be having fun out there in the streets. I chose to stay behind in the Tenshukaku because my presence among my people would create too much of a commotion. It will be lonely to watch the fireworks alone so can I have your company tonight?"
"If you will have me," he eventually agreed, finding no reason nor the heart to refuse Makoto's request. The sun eventually set and the sunlight was gradually replaced by the countless glows of lamps and lanterns lining the streets. The noisy hustle and bustle, cheers of the children and enthusiasm of the adults, all of it painted a very peaceful and harmonious picture of Inazuma City.
Osuke found himself immersed and lost in his thoughts as he looked at the scene below from a balcony high above at the Tenshukaku where he and Makoto sat and enjoyed some snacks and sake. This brief moment of peace… such sights were what he had been fighting for many times in his very long life. He sincerely wished with all his heart that such moments would last eternal, yet understood better than anyone that such peaceful moments were always going to be short. It is in human's nature to create conflict and strife despite yearning for peace. The people of Watatsumi Island had shown him this particular side of humanity.
Yet, he could never truly hate humanity. Humanity has its beautiful side despite also having its own ugly faces. Even till now he would still occasionally wonder if Watatsumi Island was doing well in his absence, if they had found a workabout solution to the food shortage problem, if they will ever put aside their pride in order to prevent many more others from starving to death, if they finally were willing to face reality for what it was and admitted that yes, their initial greed to want to conquer Yashiori Island for its resources was also one reason that drove their beloved Serpent God to death.
For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?
His actions had gone unappreciated, his intentions not understood, his trust betrayed. He's fine with that. His obligations were to Orobashi and to Orobashi alone. He will uphold his promise until the end of this cycle even if Watatsumi Island had casted him out.
The whistling of a fiery projectile shooting into the dark night sky pulled him back to reality. A firework started to bloom in the night sky and was quickly joined by many others. One firework was joined by two, two joined by five others… a huge display of fireworks started to bloom across the dark night sky, so many that it would almost seem like night had turned into day.
"The loveliest fireworks go along with the most wondrous moments. Tiny little emotions that can easily slip away are captured within these fireworks and passed down in a different form."
"Fireworks are not eternal, but I believe that the wonderful emotions behind them should walk alongside Inazuma into eternity."
It had been so long that sometimes he had nearly forgotten how he first learnt to pick himself back up at the lowest point of his long samsaric life. He felt his eyes moistened a little at the faint memory of the cheery girl who taught him the meaning of courage and who created fireworks as passionate as her outlook on life was. It was so long since he last saw her that even his memory of her visage had blurred. How's she doing now? Hopefully the Yoimiya that he knew and who pulled him out of the abyss wouldn't be too sad at his death.
He's doing better now. Definitely not feeling the best at the moment, but he will recover one day, someday. He had seen the fireworks, he had felt the wondrous moments and emotions that she believed should walk alongside Inazuma into eternity.
'Hopefully, you will be able to pick yourself back up again,' Makoto found herself wishing the man that she befriended in her twenty-sixth cycle to be able to pick himself up once more as she gave him her silent company. It felt a little weird to experience the transient moments that another alternate self of herself from another universe and reality had experienced with Osuke in his twenty-sixth cycle, but she was glad that their friendship could continue in this cycle. She may not be the same "Makoto" from his twenty-sixth cycle that he originally knew, but "they" will always be the same Makoto that will always support him as his friend and archon.
He had been through too much. She had no power to prevent him from experiencing ordeals that no human or gods should experience going forward, but she does hope that whatever she can do in the present could provide him a gentle and restful moment in the cycles that they will share going forward, be it in this cycle or future ones.
The firework display eventually ended just like how they were always meant to be, transient and fleeting. The crowd below cheered and Makoto silently watched as Osuke continued to be lost in his thoughts. She patiently waited with a smile on her face, giving him however long he needed to recollect himself. She wasn't sure if he would like the gift she prepared for him but she was glad that she tried, and even happier that it worked.
Naganohara… This family had not yet existed in Inazuma, but she certainly would keep a lookout for them going forward. She's a little interested to see how a family of firework makers had such a long and lasting impact on a man like Osuke and especially so for the girl named Yoimiya, who shared a very similar view of eternity to her.
Makoto slowly raised her hand and gently patted Osuke on his shoulder. He turned to look at her in silence. Nothing was said between them but the look of gratitude on his face told her everything she needed to know. She smiled and wordlessly pushed forward a plate of dango across the table which they were seated around. He took a stick and slowly savoured the snack.
"I prefer snacks to entrees. I always go from stall to stall during festivals, eating as I go. By the way, are you any good at making snacks? I'll trade the dango I made with you. Here, have the big ones!"
He left the stick with the bigger dangos for her, which she took.
The dango they ate that night tasted much sweeter than they both remembered the snack usually was.
Higi Village was a small settlement located on Yashiori Island. The village's location was situated between the Sangonomiya forces and the Shogunate from Narukami Island, which meant that the village was caught between a rock and a hard place whenever conflicts occurred between the two largest forces of Inazuma. The residents of Higi Village wanted no part in the conflict that's not theirs to fight, but were forced to endure the consequences of.
The civil war between Watatsumi Island and the Shogunate had finally ended. They had managed to survive. That didn't mean that things were entirely peaceful for Higi Village, for the consequences and aftermath of the war didn't just disappear overnight. Soldiers from both factions would still try to tear the throats out of the other if given the chance on Yashiori island, and the ones who often have to pay the price of their conflicts would be the people from Higi Village because they had no way to boot out the uninvited guests that barged into their homes.
Furthermore, with the Shogunate slowly pulling their forces out from Yashiori Island it also meant that they would be more exposed to threats from wandering pirates and rogue Watatsumi forces. That was the conundrum that Higi Village faced in the aftermath of the civil war.
Things changed for the better when a man came to Higi Village one day and chose to settle down here. He claimed to be a wandering ronin and even if everybody were sceptical of him due to his dubious origins, they learnt to quickly accept him for his unparalleled martial skills were the real deal. He had helped maintain peace and order in this lawless land where neither Watatsumi Island or the Shogunate were keen to rule, but eager to take advantage when conflicts between them broke out.
"Leave, and don't let me catch anyone misbehaving on Yashiori Island again."
Pirates no longer terrorise the place. Even if they had to stop here to resupply, they would now always be on their best behaviour and keep their stay here as brief as possible. There were people from Watatsumi Island who acted like they saw red the moment they recognised him but were always quickly defeated and sent running back to Watatsumi Island together with their wounded pride. Soldiers from both sides who had bad blood between them soon learnt to take their differences out with each other far away from Higi Village.
Osuke's presence had brought peace to Higi Village. It's unbelievable to think how one man could keep bloodthirsty members from warring factions at bay with his mere presence but that's what the man did for the whole decade that he stayed here. He wielded a pale blue katana that's as gently beautiful as the ocean at night, its hamon resembling the rippling water. He had never once needed to draw the sword out of its sheath for combat, but residents of Higi Village would occasionally spot him seated at the doorstep of his small little straw cottage, carefully polishing the sword with a clean cloth.
Children would often excitedly run up to his cottage in the morning and begged him to teach them the way of the sword. Most gave up eventually when the training proved to be too strenuous and difficult, but a few did manage to persist. It was apparent that even Osuke never expected for any child to really push through for as long as they did but he acknowledged the talent and grit that was displayed for those that persevered. He started to impart his knowledge to them in earnest. He taught each and every one of them differently, tailoring his lessons to each individual's strengths and talents. He never officially took them in as his disciples or students and neither had he officially cemented their relationship as master and student, but all who learned from him in Higi Village treated him as their master.
These children eventually grew up and became a new generation of protectors for Higi Village. Each and every child who earned Osuke's acknowledgement eventually created their own school of martial arts. Some were more successful than others, some eventually left to venture beyond Yashiori Island to broaden their horizons, others stayed behind to protect their homes like how Osuke had done since he settled down in Higi Village.
Osuke usually spent his time away from prying eyes. If he wasn't resting in his home or forking out the time to teach anyone who wished to learn from him, he would be elsewhere on Yashiori Island, either patrolling the place or napping somewhere where nobody would disturb him. That didn't mean the man did not have any friends, the villagers were well aware that a small handful of people from Narukami Island would visit him from time to time and they all looked like very important people judging from their expensive and exquisite clothes.
The mystery surrounding Osuke only deepened. Many believed that there was a reason why Osuke suddenly appeared and decided to settle down at Yashiori Island but nobody wanted or even dared to investigate further. They were content with the status quo. Osuke's presence brought peace to their village and he had done a lot to guarantee that the peace would last in the past decade. Be it out of respect to the man or out of practicality, nobody was willing to displease him.
The only ones that seeked to find him trouble from time to time were people from the neighbouring Watatsumi Island, but their visits had quickly decreased over the years when they realised none could do anything to him. However, a few observant villagers had noted that there were times that Osuke would sit alone on a high cliff overlooking the sea in the general direction of where Watatsumi Island was, drinking alone with only his sword for company. There were times where he sat right next to the skull of Orobashi, now named the Serpent's Head, doing the same thing too. Osuke clearly had some history with Watatsumi Island but nobody knew or wanted to find out just what that history was.
"For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?"
The question that was asked and never answered was asked once again to the god who could no longer answer. The man who now looked every part like a drunk wandering ronin sat with his back leaned against the side of the huge serpent skull, leisurely taking sips from his bamboo gourd to allow himself to slip into the transient moments of escapism.
He wasn't expecting Makoto to agree to his request to move out from Narukami Island and settle down at Higi Village. He was, in a manner of speaking, still their prisoner of war even if they never treated him as one. They even came down to visit him from time to time to share a drink and it sometimes felt as if those peaceful moments from his twenty-sixth cycle never left.
Speaking of which, they should be coming down for a visit in a few days' time. He would need to do a quick grocery run so that the small little hut that he grew to love staying in had enough food for his friends.
He never did have the chance to make that grocery run.
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.
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"M-Master–! Let us help! We… We can…!"
"No, you can't," Osuke very blandly replied and refused the pleas of the children he had the joy of seeing grow up and had taught. Evacuation of Higi Village was currently underway but it wouldn't be swift enough. Brave men and women stayed behind to buy time for their family and friends to escape. Needless to say, Osuke stayed behind too.
"Leave, this is a god that we are facing," Osuke gave them one last piece of advice as the villagers finally saw the enigmatic ronin drawing his sword for the very first and last time. The Hasui Geppaku Futsu which Makoto had given him in both the twenty-sixth and this cycle was finally unsheathed for battle. At the far distance was a humongous skeletal serpent, thrashing about wildly with beast-like temperament, unable to be reasoned.
He had no idea why the Watatsumi fanatics had chosen to break the wards suppressing Orobashi's lingering hatred. These wards were placed by Makoto for a very good reason because if not for their existence, Tatarigami would consume the entire island like a plague. He had originally decided to settle down here to ensure that no other innocent would be caught up as collateral damage in the aftermath of the civil war. Now, he's glad that he had decided to stay in Higi Village because at the very least, he could do something to defend and protect the innocent villagers from the crazed ideologies of Watatsumi Island's most zealous and delusional fanatics.
Makoto and her friends wouldn't be made aware of this issue anytime soon. News doesn't spread that fast in Teyvat, especially so in this era. It would take a day at the earliest given the distance, and that was if a messenger could somehow bypass the Tatarigami storm that the reanimated Orobashi corpse was brewing. Unfortunately for them, the corpse was currently in between them and Narukami Island. Meanwhile, the craziest of Watatsumi zealots were behind them, effectively sandwiching them in between a rock and another hard place, just like how Higi Village had experienced during the long civil war.
"FOR THE WATATSUMI OMIKAMI!"
Droves of Watatsumi Island's most fanatic believers started to arrive at the shores of Yashiori Island by droves of ships and boats, cheering with crazed glee upon witnessing the revival of their beloved Serpent God. Ominous thunder and storm brewed as the skeletal corpse of Orobashi hissed in hatred towards the heavens. The large straw hat that Osuke wore was blown away by the violent gale and he looked at its swiftly departing silhouette with a look of longing before returning his attention back to the reanimated corpse of his friend.
He quite liked the straw hat; it had accompanied him for over a decade. He's going to miss it.
"Master… What should we…"
"First off, I'm not your master. Secondly, I don't bloody know how they slipped past my detection and broke the wards without me being any wiser, nor do I know how they managed to reanimate Orobashi's corpse of all the things they could have possibly done, but I do know what we have to do right now," Osuke quickly gave out instructions and the brave villagers who stayed behind to fight a battle they knew they couldn't win listened. Osuke's presence was like a bedrock, steady and reassuring. Even when they were mere mortals up against the fury of a dead god they just knew that things wouldn't be as bad as it seemed as long as they had Osuke around.
They don't even know what gave them the confidence that Osuke can carve a path out for their survival. Yet, their faith in him was unwavering and strong.
"Only I could possibly go up against that skeleton and I fight best alone so everyone else, split yourself into three teams. One to delay the invading Watatsumi troops, the other to escort the villagers to safety, and one last team to scout the immediate vicinity for any stragglers that we might have missed in the evacuation efforts. This is a battle we cannot win, so fight with the intention to save as many as we can, fight to evacuate the villagers from Yashiori Island as fast as we can. The Tatarigami will harm you irreversibly, physically and mentally, the longer we are exposed to it. There's no way we can save everybody so once things go beyond the point of no return, no matter who you could and couldn't save, just leave."
"Y-Yes!"
"If you live, remember this day, remember this battle, remember the faces of your invaders. I ask this of you not for you to seek vengeance, but to remember to never be like them. I want you to remember that I taught you to wield your swords to fight to protect and save lives, not to intentionally propagate hurt and suffering. If you do remember and stick by my words, then all the time and effort I invested into teaching you the way of the sword had not been wasted. Now, go. We don't have much time left."
The people quickly split up into teams as Osuke had suggested. Osuke stepped forth and easily flew into the air, flying straight towards the reanimated corpse of Orobashi that had started to really stir into action. A single swing of its skeletal tail knocked down the peak of a mountain, the sheer hatred that lingered and had been awoken from the unknown ritual that reanimated its corpse felt so suffocatingly thick.
Despite such impossible odds, Osuke knew he had to stop Orobashi one way or another. He knew that Orobashi wouldn't want his own corpse to be desecrated like that, much less by his own followers who foolishly believed that they were doing the right thing to "revive" him and return Watatsumi Island to its former glory. He cannot help but wonder just what had gone on in Watatsumi Island in the past decade since he was exiled. Just what on earth had happened for them to be desperate enough to invent a ritual to reanimate the corpse of a dead god in their brilliant moment of genius?
"LORD OROBASHI! WE REJOICE AT YOUR RETURN! GAZE DOWN UPON YOUR LOYAL FOLLOWERS, AND LEAD US TO GREATNESS ONCE MORE!"
Faithful followers of Orobashi began to repeatedly prostrate and kowtow at the raging skeletal serpent. They were so confident and sincere that their revival ritual had worked that even Osuke paused and watched on confusedly for a brief moment to see how things would play out. Had Watatsumi Island really succeeded in reviving a god? Had Orobashi really come back to life, both in mind and spirit? Because in one moment it looked to be the case and Orobashi had indeed never harmed the people of Watatsumi Island despite them being so close to its presence, yet judging from the angry hisses and irrational hatred oozing out from the skeletal corpse, things seemed to also be suggesting otherwise.
If Orobashi's reanimated corpse was just going to stand here and hiss menacingly… He wouldn't plan to take any further action either. The reanimated corpse of a god is not something he could deal with because at the end of the day, it is still a corpse belonging to that of a god.
Also, how could you kill something that's already dead? He could try sealing Orobashi like how he once tried to seal Osial in his previous cycle, but without any assistance at all the chances of success were going to be astronomically low. He's not going to bank on it. It simply was wiser to try and wait for Makoto to notice that something wrong was brewing here on Yashiori Island. Only a god could defeat a god and wherever Makoto goes, Ei wouldn't be too far away. She had slain Orobashi once, surely she would have the means to slay it a second time, reanimated corpse or not.
"LORD OROBASHI–"
It happened quicker than one could blink. Even Osuke hadn't managed to react to the sudden movement. One moment one of Watatsumi Island's devoted zealots was shouting his eternal devotion to the reanimated corpse, the next moment Orobashi's tail had crashed down upon a stretch of sandy beach that a small gathering of Watatsumi people that had been faithfully praying to him with crazed glee. The reanimated skeletal snake lifted up its tail and what was left on that stretch of beach was but a big red stain of blood.
"L-Lord–!"
The reanimated corpse hissed, a powerful gale blew, the Tatarigami that was roiling off its corpse started to surge in volume and permeated outwards like a raging cyclone. The people of Watatsumi Island started to understand that something had gone terribly wrong, that the reanimated corpse wasn't the true Lord Orobashi which they worshipped, for their beloved Serpent God would never lay a finger on them.
"What the hell are you waiting for?! Run!"
It took Osuke yelling at them from above for the people of Watatsumi Island to snap out of their shock. Those who were quicker to react started to turn and run for the boats and ships that they used to arrive at Yashiori Island. Screams started to pierce the air when Orobashi's reanimated corpse started to slither ahead, jaws wide apart, as if the Serpent God wished to consume the very same people that he willingly seeked death to protect when he was still alive.
A powerful blast of wind smacked the side of Orobashi's skull, stunning the zombie long enough to allow a small handful of people to escape. Some weren't that lucky, but Osuke knew from the very start that he wouldn't be able to save everybody. Even in death, even if it's just a reanimated corpse, Orobashi's strength was not to be trifled with when he's but a mere mortal who had lived for far too long.
Orobashi wasn't a weak god by any means. He was only defeated because Ei simply was too unimaginably powerful.
"Snap out of it, Orobashi!"
Even if he knew it's likely to be in vain, Osuke still tried one last time to try communicating with the reanimated corpse in the faint hope that a small sliver of Orobashi's reason might be in there. Unfortunately, that was not to be, for Orobashi lunged at him immediately after, forcing him to evade the attack.
"You were always like this, you never listened to me," Osuke cannot help but grumble with a self-depreciating seethe as he tried to take advantage of the fact that he now had Orobashi's attention, attempting to slowly lure Orobashi to a deserted section of the island to avoid anymore loss of lives. Lightning crashed down and the tides surged, forcing Osuke to freeze the tidal waves with a powerful burst of cryo before making another slash. He did not succeed in severing the head of the snake.
"You were always like this, you always did things your way even if I advised otherwise," Osuke gritted his teeth as the Sacred Rites of Al-Ahmar's teachings burst into life. The divine spirit that indwelled Osuke's body and bestowed him strength allowed Osuke to temporarily halt Orobashi's charge before cleaving into the side of its skull with huge claws. Orobashi's reanimated corpse simply swung its tail at him in retaliation.
"You were always like this, you never waited when I told you to. I just need time–!" Osuke wanted to scream at how frustrating things had turned out to be, but found himself too weary to really do so. "I just need time! I could have helped you save Watatsumi Island, Orobashi! We could have saved Watatsumi Island! I just need a few more bloody years! But you just had to choose to die a hero's death and– what? Leave me to clean up your mess?!"
Stone steles rose and were crushed by the weight of the reanimated Serpent God. Anything and everything the Serpent's Envoy did to try and stop the deity of Watatsumi Island did little to slow it down.
"LOOK! LOOK AT JUST WHAT YOUR DEATH HAD DONE FOR WATATSUMI ISLAND!" Osuke roared and stretched his free arm outwards, gesturing to the crowd of people behind his back that were desperately trying to escape the wrath of the god which they had revived. "Look at how well things had gone for the both of us! FOR YOU, AND ALSO ME! This is your Watatsumi Island, your people, Orobashi! The very same people who loved you as much as they hated me! The Serpent's Envoy that you appointed to lead them after your death!"
The brilliance of the transient lightning was finally wielded in Osuke's hand as he slashed it down, tearing a rip in space that only managed to cleave half of Orobashi's skull. The reanimated corpse was too swift, Osuke did not manage to stop Orobashi like he hoped he could.
"For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?" Osuke asked in a crazed mocking roar as he blocked Orobashi's next strike to prevent its reanimated corpse from killing any more of his people whom he loved so much and sacrificed his life to protect. "For how long must I continue to protect Watatsumi Island after your death?! Orobashi?! ANSWER ME!"
Time froze when Osuke's power finally reached its peak. The samsaric wanderer began to invoke his mysterious control over time and the world started to rewind itself back into a prior state, going further, further, and even further back into time as he fought against the pain to fulfil his promise to Orobashi, his friend and Serpent God.
"Can I count on you to continue protecting Watatsumi Island in my absence?"
"... That's a very cruel request. Your people… they had never accepted me as one of them."
"I know, and I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I'm going to do so regardless. I don't have anyone left who I can entrust Watatsumi Island to, someone who will not be blinded by hatred or greed."
The price to invoke divine power was paid and time was fully rewinded. The Tatarigami disappeared, light returned to the skies, the remains of Orobashi returned to its peaceful slumber in their original positions as though they had not been on a senseless destructive rampage earlier. The people of Watatsumi Island who had not managed to escape Yashiori Island started to grow bolder and headed closer to the epicenter of the battle to investigate.
They found their Serpent's Envoy kneeling on a single knee, his sword stabbed into the sand of the beach. His face was pale, the look in his eyes unfocused as if he was losing his vision, but he could seem to still accurately sense their presences when he turned his head their way.
"Ayame? Is that you?"
"... It really is you," Ayame looked a little older than Osuke remembered her to be. The younger twin of the Yuna clan wielded the same spear that he remembered her once stabbing him with.
"What… What did you do to L-Lord Orobashi?"
"Can't you tell? Saving you from him," Osuke was too tired to even try being sarcastic.
"S-Save? N-No… N-No! Lord Orobashi was supposed to save us from the oppression of the Narukami Shogunate! H-He… He was just a little confused when he woke up! That's all!" Ayame was in hysterics. Osuke silently watched on as Ayame continued to live in denial and a part of him sighed in both defeat and regret at the many things he never managed to change for Watatsumi Island and its people. "W-We did everything right! The ritual– Lord Orobashi did came back to us and answered our call! He was accepting our prayers! He didn't hurt us! U-Until you appeared! T-That's right! It was you! It was you! You sabotaged the ritual and killed Lord Orobashi a second time!"
"... I don't even know where to start picking out the holes in your logic," Osuke's strength was starting to really leave him. His vision was darkening, he could barely feel anything in his limbs. All he understood was that his time here in this cycle was going to end very soon. Things had finally been concluded for his thirtieth cycle and he finally felt a little more at peace.
Hopefully, his next cycle will finally land him in a place where he could call home for a long while.
"You are the sinner that killed our Lord twice! We shall not show you mercy, not this time!" Osuke closed his eyes to spare himself from committing to memory of how twisted Ayame's visage had turned in her slow spiral into insanity. It's too bad, he wouldn't be sharing a drink with his friends from the Tenshukaku this year as promised.
He heard the unmistakable sound of Ayame's naginata being raised before swiftly cutting down in a swift slash. It would seem that she had learnt from her mistake and had heeded his advice in their very last encounter.
If she truly wanted to kill him, she should go for his head.
Both Makoto and Ei had sensed the unnatural and ominous disturbance from the Tenshukaku. They had instantly dropped everything on hand to head for where they felt the source of the disturbance, and their hearts dropped even further when all signs seemed to suggest that it came from Yashiori Island, the very same place the Serpent's Envoy was staying at where his presence instilled order in a place littered with scars of a recent war.
"He will be fine," Ei tried to reassure her sister while they were rapidly making their way over, knowing that Makoto was worried about Osuke. The Serpent's Envoy was a formidable warrior that could even block her strike, he's not a warrior that would go down easily.
The repulsing stench of evil suddenly vanished halfway into their trip, but that abnormal phenomenon only spurred the twin gods to quicken their pace. Surprisingly, Yashiori Island looked untouched when they arrived, they couldn't even tell that Orobashi's corpse had been reanimated until they ran into a fleeing group of civilians from Higi Village who told them everything they had seen or knew when Makoto worriedly asked them what had happened.
They quickly went to search for Osuke. It took them a while but their search eventually led them towards Watatsumi Island and they discreetly sneaked into what used to be Orobashi's territory. To their confusion, they found the people of the island were celebrating at the Sangonomiya Shrine, drinking and partying hard as if today's a festival.
"What…"
The confusion only started to clear when the twins finally spotted what was being offered to a statue of Orobashi on the altar of the Sangonomiya Shrine. Makoto and Ei were both deities that had been around even before the concept of "Inazuma" had come into existence, they had seen all sorts of things far beyond the comprehension of most, but even their vast experience and history did not prepare them for the shock of what they saw at that moment.
Ei would never forget how her sister's breath hitched, how her voice sounded so full of rage, yet broken and hollow. She would forever remember the sheer undiluted hate that seeped through every fibre of her being. The Musou Isshin that was borne from Makoto's divine might, the legendary sword that was kept unsharpened and unused as a true symbol of peace, was finally sharpened for the very first time as its wielder screamed in anguish, vengeance and sorrow as she slashed her sword. A gouge not unlike the one that parted Yashiori Island split Watatsumi Island, the participants that were holding a festival at the Sangonomiya Shrine earlier eradicated in an instant.
Silence fell over Watatsumi Island. Even Ei didn't dare to move a finger at her sister's uncharacteristic show of violence, fearing that any careless movement or action might further aggravate her already agitated mental state. She could only watch on with silent tears as the newly instated Electro Archon slowly walked up to the front of the altar with shaky steps.
One step, two steps, three… Ei watched as Makato dragged her feet forward as if every step she took all the strength she could muster until she was finally at the front of the altar.
"O-Osuke…?"
The legendary Mussou Isshin fell onto the floor as Makoto lost strength in her grip, she tumbled forward and was finally right at the front of the offering table, her knees buckling as she knelt on the floor, finally eye to eye with the human that she had befriended in another lifetime and wished to have eventually give him a gentle place to rest in her Inazuma in this cycle.
She was so close, she was almost there, she just needed some time, a few more years, and then…
Why? Why did this have to happen?
It was then the reality hit her. She had failed. She failed him, both as his archon and friend when he had done so much for her in this cycle even though he was on opposing sides, doing his best to mediate the conflict between Watatsumi Island and Narukami Island, even if it meant putting him in a very difficult position, even if it meant risking his life, and he was the very reason why Sasayuri's life was saved in the process.
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she slowly reached out to touch the side of his face. His skin felt cold to the touch, indicating that the time of his death occurred long ago. She broke down into uncontrollable sobs, releasing all her anguish, sorrow and regret for being unable to uphold the promise from his twenty-sixth cycle she wanted to keep for him, as she gently took his severed head from the altar and hugged it close to her chest
She never did manage to confess to him that she remembered. She never did have the time to show him an Inazuma that he can call home where he can finally have a peaceful rest. She never did manage to give him a gentle and happy cycle as she promised herself she would.
She wasn't an Electro Archon that day. She was just a woman whose failure cost someone very dear to her.
– Tales of a Hundred Cycles, Vol XXX
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The Summer Festival is a festival celebrated in Inazuma, and one of its highlights would always be the firework show put up by the Naganohara Fireworks. The Naganohara Fireworks is owned by the Naganohara family and they are one of the oldest and best fireworks artisans in all of Inazuma.
"I'm off!"
"Be back before sundown!" Naganohara Ryuunosuke shouted at his daughter's departing back, the young girl who barely reached his waist replied with a happy laugh and cheerful wave before disappearing round the corner, eager to play with her friends. She ran and weaved through the crowded streets with ease, waving and greeting all the adults she knew along the way and who greeted the cheerful girl in return. There's no one who doesn't love the cheery young Naganohara girl in Inazuma City. She has a knack for endearing herself to anyone and everyone with her bubbly personality and optimism.
She made another turn into a more deserted alley, her steps never slowing, but this time she had miscalculated and had instead ran face first into somebody. Yoimiya yelped and stumbled backwards from the collision, mentally bracing herself to fall on her backside as she lost her balance, but was pleasantly surprised when the pain she expected wasn't felt. A gentle hand had pulled her back on her feet without hurting her in the slightest before she could make contact with the ground.
"Are you hurt?"
The most beautiful woman that little Yoimiya had ever seen asked in concern, holding a red oiled-paper parasol while her free hand gently dusted Yoimiya. Yoimiya just couldn't tear her eyes away from the woman with hair in the same shade as the lightning's glow that protected Inazuma since time eternal, she had never seen such a beautiful woman before, she had never seen such a perfect woman before.
"Y-You are so beautiful, big sis," Yoimiya couldn't help but blurt out and quickly covered her mouth with her hands when she realised she had just blurted her inner thoughts out without any filter. In contrast, the woman simply covered her own laugh demurely with her free hand and fondly patted Yoimiya on her head.
"Thank you. I know you are excited for the festival but be careful, the streets are crowded at this time of the year."
"Okay!" Yoimiya promised before tilting her head cutely to the side while observing the pretty woman in front of her. "Say, have we met before? You looked kind of familiar… almost like one of the statues of the Shogun… Oh! Where are my manners! My name is Naganohara Yoimiya!"
"Naganohara… Ah, the family of fireworks artisans," the pretty woman quickly connected the dots and a transient memory flashed across her mind at the mention of the Naganohara name. So this was the girl that had a special place in his heart? The one who gave him the courage to persevere at one of the lowest moments of his life?
She had only met Yoimiya for barely a minute, but already she could understand why he held so much gratitude for the cheerful and bubbly girl.
"Yeah, that's us! The fireworks that our family crafts are really pretty, big sis! Really! I want to be a firework-maker one day too! One better than my father!"
"And I'm sure you will," the pretty woman replied with a nod of her head. "Are you heading somewhere? I can accompany you, I pride Inazuma to be a safe city but I won't in good conscience see a child like you wander around unattended."
"I was about to meet with my friends so that we can attend the Summer Festival together! My father told me to be back before sundown though, but he also promised that he will bring me out later at night when it's time to see the firework show! Will you be there too?"
"I will," the woman promised and soon, the pair who only just got acquainted with each other were walking down the busy streets of Inazuma hand in hand, with Yoimiya excitedly chattering away and the woman patiently indulging her.
"... was telling me about the story of how there used to be an island made of coral a loooong time ago, but I think he told me that the Shogun sunk it into the sea? Wonder if that's true?"
"... It's true," the woman replied, having already made her peace a long time ago even if it didn't mean that the ache in her heart had diminished. "There used to be such an island, its name was Watatsumi Island."
"Really?! But why would the Shogun sink such a beautiful island?"
"The people of Watatsumi Island were constantly trying to wage war even when Inazuma hoped for peace. The Shogun was simply trying to do what she could to protect Inazuma and her people. Do you think she's wrong?"
"I don't know, but since it's the Shogun, she probably had her reasons. I trust the Shogun– I mean, it's the Raiden Shogun. She had been here with us since forever! Hey hey, big sis, do you think the Raiden Shogun would also be looking at the fireworks today?"
"I'm sure she will."
"Really?"
"And not just this year's, but the next, the next after next, and the next after next after next, and many many years after that," the woman replied and Yoimiya's face brightened up further with every extra word the woman spoke.
"So when I grow up one day, when I'm finally old enough to learn how to make fireworks… She will be there to see it too? The fireworks I made?"
"Of course," the woman replied and they finally reached the place where Yoimiya had originally wanted to meet and play with her friends.
"Then I'm going to learn how to make the best fireworks for the Shogun!" Yoimiya declared passionately. "Oh, we have reached our destination. Thank you for bringing me here, pretty big sister! Come over to play at my house sometime, okay? Bye bye!"
The woman waved at the young child and watched her run off to play with her friends, only turning around to take her leave when she's sure that she's in good company. She continued to take a short stroll around her city incognito and was glad to see that her people were in such a festive mood.
The Inazuma that she had hoped to build was finally right in front of her eyes. If only he was here to see it…
She breathed out a soft sigh. Perhaps if she had taken a harder stance and forced a total surrender from Watatsumi Island from the very start, would his early demise be prevented?
She did not know. She will never know.
All she knew was that she had scattered the descendents of the Sangonomiya and sunk their island, and it was only then did Orobashi's followers finally integrated with Inazuma after the long passing of time due to the dilution of their history. Some today were aware that they had roots from Watatsumi Island, but they no longer felt attached to their roots or to the Serpent God since two thousand years had already passed. With Watatsumi Island sunk back to the depths of the sea and its inhabitants forcefully scattered and integrated with the people of Narukami, two thousand years was finally sufficient to forget a bloodied senseless grudge.
Now, there's no longer any difference between the people of "Narukami Island" and "Watatsumi Island", but simply one "Inazuma". There would no longer be any conflict arising from such a difference. Not in the present, and never in the future.
"If only you would one day return to my Inazuma, Osuke," Makato whispered wistfully as she finally arrived back at the gates of the Tenshukaku, "but even if "I" can no longer meet you, you will one day meet one of my other incarnations. I hope "she" can do better where "I" had failed."
The gates of the Tenshukaku closed shut as the Raiden Shogun returned to her residence. She soon appeared on a balcony of the highest floor of the Tenshukaku overlooking the city, the very same one where she once enjoyed the fireworks with her friend.
"I hope… that you will never lose the courage to embark on your eternal journey and "I"…"
The sights of a festive and bustling Inazuma City reached her eyes as a faint smile adorned Makoto's face.
"... will always be your friend, for eternity."