A fierce flash of lightning cut across the sky… illuminating her face.
[Wherever lightning flashes, a shadow will be cast.]
Standing behind that person… she gripped the naginata in her hands, becoming the shadow of that bolt of lightning.
[I am Shadow.]
Behind her were thousands upon thousands of soldiers, raising high the banner marked with the Tomoe crest, trampling all obstacles in their march. Dust surged upward with the thunder of their footsteps, their might as awe-inspiring as Tenshukaku looming behind them.
[With 'Musou,' I would purge all that obstructs Inazuma's path.]
Before her was the giant serpent that invaded their lands—she cut it down without hesitation!
Above was the thunderbird that destroyed civilizations—she pierced it without regret!
Around her were the demons and fiends that brought endless suffering to the people—she struck them down mercilessly!
[Yet… with every step forward, something was lost…]
—Musou.
[He left.]
—Munen.
[She vanished.]
—Eternity.
[…She too… was gone.]
They all left her, until only her solitary figure remained beneath the cherry blossoms.
[In the end… even 'she' was lost.]
A single tear slid down her cheek, falling into the clear pool beneath the bridge, shattering the reflection of her face.
[Those deeds are still whispered beneath every thunder sakura tree.]
A shrine maiden with hair like cherry blossoms stood before the shrine, gazing with a complicated expression at the blooming tree radiating violet lightning.
[Yet the scars of those 'losses' remain, burning upon this nation.]
Beneath the sakura tree that concealed countless wandering souls, a kimono-adorned woman with an umbrella rose slightly, turning back to look at her with gentle eyes.
['Then pursue it, even if only a fleeting light. At the very least, we still have "this moment."' She once said this to me.]
[Until… she collapsed in my arms, her breath fading away.]
Holding the woman's body, tears flowed—tears that had never fallen even when she lost her dearest comrades. In that instant, her heart was utterly shattered.
[Life is too small, too fragile. Even gods are no exception. 'Erosion' is the enemy of us all.]
[They… took her from me.]
Watching as the woman slowly closed her eyes, a violent hatred surged within her heart.
Filled with rage, she seized the hilt left behind, and struck down the nation that sought to reach higher than the world itself!
[I witnessed that nation, running with all its might, lose everything before Celestia and the gods.]
Her fury had long since turned to dust. There was no joy in vengeance fulfilled—only emptiness, and… solitude. She turned her eyes back to the woman's body lying lifeless upon the ground.
[The thunder's might is but a fleeting flash. Perhaps only by halting time itself can lightning endure.]
The gears of time spun ceaselessly. She took up her blade and wedged it into the gaps between the grinding wheels!
['This moment' is fragile illusion. Only 'Eternity' lies closest to Celestia's order.]
Upon the dais lay a body resembling her own—a puppet vessel. She gently touched its cheek with the back of her hand, as if sensing some hidden possibility.
['She' entrusted her authority to me before her passing, along with her final fragment of lightning.]
Gazing at the entrusted hope in her hands, she looked once more toward the puppet.
['Ei… after I am gone, do not sink into grief. Let her accompany you. Protect her well—she is the only hope we leave behind.']
'Her' words lingered still within her heart… perhaps this was Inazuma's future.
She placed that fragile soul—so delicate it seemed it might shatter at a touch—into the puppet's core.
When the puppet opened its eyes, a rush of unbearable sorrow welled within her. Yet as she gazed at this newborn form so like her own, she revealed a smile long absent, tears slipping down her cheeks in quiet joy.
That bolt of lightning had brought new life. And thus—
The most perfect version of her was born.
The newly awakened Raiden Shogun sat serenely before her, listening to all that had been—about her, about 'her,' about them all. The future of Inazuma, painted with dazzling hues.
"Abandoning the flesh means no return. Do you truly not regret this?"
She asked.
[No. Your existence is my answer.]
She handed the hilt into the other's hands, letting herself fade into it, returning to the Pure Land of One Heart. Watching the back that succeeded her… she sank into meditation with peace.
[Now, I am no longer Shadow.]
"This body is the exalted vessel, destined to hold dominion over the world."
At this moment, she stood at the pinnacle of Tenshukaku, gazing down upon all the people of Inazuma… and upon the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
"In the name of the Shogun, this vessel grants her people a dream—an Eternity unchanging through countless generations."
...
Slowly opening her drowsy eyes, Fiore lay dazed in bed for a while. She instinctively tried to roll over lazily, but the pain at her back reminded her instantly of all that had happened yesterday.
"Mm…"
She winced softly, abandoning the thought of turning over, and remained lying on her back.
Through the gap in the curtains, faint light filtered in—it was already morning. But the sky remained dim, as though the storm had yet to end.
"Haa…"
She had slept long, breathing deeply as she exhaled. Her hand lifted to her forehead as her mind drifted back to the dream she had just seen.
The dream… of the Shogun.
It had been vivid, almost as if she herself had lived through it. Her heart was still unsettled, and to her surprise, tears had slipped unbidden from the corners of her eyes.
She had heard that Masters occasionally dreamed of their Servants' pasts and histories. Now she believed it. This dream must have been the Shogun's story.
Eternity… The Shogun's Eternity… what did it truly mean?
Even with those dreamt memories, she could not fully grasp it. But now she knew the Shogun's true nature—that the Shogun was a puppet.
At that thought, Fiore smiled faintly. At last, she could understand her, even if just a little. A god's puppet… somehow, she found the thought oddly endearing.
Yet she would not tell the Shogun outright. Such things were surely private, perhaps things she did not wish others to know. Fiore was not one to pry—she feared she might only upset her.
"You're awake?"
Hearing a faint stir, the Shogun, kneeling properly upon the carpet beside the bed, slowly opened her violet eyes.
"Ah—! Sh-Shogun…"
Fiore jumped in surprise—she had not even realized someone had been there.
"Why are you so startled? You fell asleep halfway through my story last night. I chose not to disturb you, and remained seated here in silence."
"I-I see… I'm sorry…"
Fiore apologized awkwardly.
"It is nothing. Sleep is difficult to resist, especially when you were wounded yesterday."
The Shogun shook her head.
"Shogun, you…"
"This vessel has no need of sleep."
As if anticipating her question, the Shogun answered calmly. It did not mean she lacked the function—she could rest if she willed it. But there was no necessity. Time was better spent in meditation, or handling the countless affairs of Inazuma.
"Will you not rise?"
She asked.
"I… mm~ I still want to lie here a little longer."
Fiore yawned, curling back into her blanket, showing only half her face, her voice soft with drowsy sweetness.
The Shogun looked into those clear blue eyes and sighed faintly.
"Lingering in bed in the morning is a poor habit. But… given your condition, I will make an exception."
With that, she closed her eyes again and returned to meditation.
"Uh-hehe…"
Fiore chuckled sheepishly. Then, she noticed something odd. Touching herself, she realized she was now dressed in a nightgown. Yet she remembered falling asleep in her soiled clothes.
Her gaze darted to the bedside. Her clothes, damp and dirty from yesterday's rain, were neatly folded there.
"Your clothes—I removed them for you. They were soaked through. Sleeping in them would have harmed your rest."
The Shogun's voice answered her thoughts calmly, without even opening her eyes.
"Eh? Then… this nightdress…"
"I changed you into it. Catching a chill in the night is another hazard to sleep."
Her tone was matter-of-fact, perfectly reasonable. But Fiore could only smile bitterly, her face heating until she felt it might burst into flame. Had the Shogun seen all of her body by now?
Though a part of her felt happy… she could not help but blush furiously!
"Was it… unnecessary of me?"
The Shogun opened her eyes, noting her reaction, and asked with puzzlement.
"N-no, not at all… you helped me greatly, truly!"
Fiore shook her head quickly, face still crimson.
"…I see."
The Shogun closed her eyes again with a slight nod, unconcerned by what had caused the girl such embarrassment.