Deep within Whispering Forest, hidden in a crack veiled by vines, Orien sat still, steadying his breath. Outside, the uproar of the preview had faded; here, only his pulse beat fast as he focused on the system.
The countdown ticked to its final second.
[00:00:00]
[Countdown ended.]
[Broadcast Initiated: "Equivalent Exchange — Behind the Visions and Delusions Lies the Tragedy of Inazuma's Vision Hunt Decree!"]
"It's here." Orien's eyes sharpened. "System—start!"
The sky across Teyvat lit at once. The curtain blazed open again, no delay, crisp and merciless.
A dirge of heavy strings and low drums set the mood—drenched in Inazuma's storm.
[Black rain, muddy trenches.]
The screen opened on carnage: the resistance and the shogunate locked in battle. Blades flashed, elemental blasts crackled, soldiers screamed in the mire. The lens swept over faces—young, old, tired, yet all unwavering.
The narrator's voice pressed low, grave:
[On this land beneath eternal thunder, war never ends.]
[For faith. For freedom. For the right to dream again…]
[They took up arms, branded as "rebels."]
[But the gulf of power was insurmountable.]
Cut—resistance soldiers hurled back by shogunate lightning. Broken, desperate.
[Without Visions, every battle meant ten times the sacrifice, a hundred times the blood… for a scrap of victory.]
On Watatsumi, soldiers and villagers clenched fists, tears trembling in their eyes. They had lived this truth. Even on Narukami, Vision Hunt supporters fell quiet.
Then the lens fixed on one man.
A youth, plain-faced, almost simple. His eyes, though, shone with longing.
Teppei.
[He was Teppei. A soldier no different from the rest.]
[He longed for strength, for honor, to be relied on—to end this endless war.]
Close-up: his gaze, wistful, as he watched a comrade wield Hydro with ease.
[But reality was merciless. Without a Vision, each battle left him closer to death.]
[Until… the shortcut appeared.]
In a dim alley, a shadowed figure handed him a device—black and red, glowing ominous. A Delusion. Teppei's hand shook, torn between fear and desire.
[A Delusion. A forbidden power, to wield elements without a Vision.]
[Its price…]
The music spiked, frantic.
Teppei's first strike with the Delusion—lightning carved through enemies, his face alight with joy. Then again, and again—battlefield triumphs, comrades' respect, promotions.
But intercut—his hair whitening. His skin ashen. His breath ragged, coughs racking his chest. His back bent.
[Life for fleeting glory.]
[That… is Equivalent Exchange.]
"No… no!" On Watatsumi, soldiers who had known him wept.
"That fool! That fool!" Others slammed fists to the ground.
At Sangonomiya, Kokomi trembled, eyes shut in pain. She had dreaded this day, never this cruelly exposed to all the world.
At Tenshukaku, Sara's brow furrowed, lips tight in distaste. And Ei—silent, yet the storm around her raged harder.
The story drove on.
[When the Traveler and Gorou found him, he was spent—hollow, collapsed like a dying elder.]
["I thought… I could catch up to you…"] He forced a smile at the Traveler, shaking, broken. ["Let me… see my Vision…"]
He pulled out the Delusion, now dark and dead. His last light faded with it. The orb slipped from his hand, rolled away.
[To his dying breath, he believed that cursed thing was his dream made real. He never knew what price he had paid.]
The screen froze on his lifeless face. His once-bright eyes empty.
The music stopped.
Silence.
All of Teyvat fell still. Viewers covered mouths, eyes wet. Even in Mondstadt, even in Liyue, strangers mourned the cruel exchange of life for borrowed power.
[+999 Breakdown from Watatsumi soldiers!]
[+888 Breakdown from Kokomi!]
[+777 Breakdown from Gorou!]
[+200 from Inazuma citizens!]
[+150 from Liyue!]
[+120 from Mondstadt!]
Orien's system numbers skyrocketed, smashing past twenty thousand in moments.
But the broadcast pressed further.
[Teppei died. From desire, from war's weariness, from ignorance of the price.]
[But who peddled that price to him?]
[Who sold despair, dressed as hope?]
The view swung upward—
The Fatui Harbinger: Scaramouche.
Cloaked, straw-hatted, sneering as he gazed down at Inazuma's battlefield like a stage.
[It was he, emissary of the Fatui—who poured Delusions into the rebellion.]
[He who fed poison as salvation, profiting from desperation.]
The world roared.
Snezhnaya. The Fatui. Their name spat in rage across Inazuma, even among the shogunate.
In Zapolyarny Palace, the Tsaritsa's gaze darkened. Her Harbingers reacted—some cold, some amused.
[And deeper still—]
[The roots lie in the Sakoku Decree. In the Vision Hunt Decree.]
[In the god, high above in Tenshukaku, deaf to suffering, chasing only "eternity."]
The screen froze—on Ei's massive statue.
[The god.]
The word cracked like thunder.
Blasphemy. Direct condemnation of the Archon.
Inazuma fell dead silent.
At Tenshukaku—
ZZZT!
A blade of purple lightning split the heavens, tearing stormclouds asunder. Pressure like the end of the world crushed Narukami.
Ei's fury ignited, her voice a sword:
"Profaning eternity—unforgivable!!"
But the curtain shifted again.
Scenes flickered: Sara seizing Visions, Ayaka dancing in rain for the people, Yoimiya crafting false Visions to comfort children, Thoma nearly hunted, Kazuha's friend struck down by Musou no Hitotachi…
[Eternity's price is the people's tears and broken dreams.]
[Is this the future you seek?]
[People of Inazuma—will you vanish in silence, or rise in hope?]
The curtain dimmed. Darkness fell.
The broadcast ended.
But the shock did not.
This wasn't just tragedy—it was revelation, conspiracy, accusation. Against Fatui. Against decrees. Against a god.
Orien collapsed back, panting, spirit fevered. He glanced at the numbers.
[Broadcast Ended. Breakdown Value: 158,920]
Over one hundred fifty thousand. Beyond riches.
Then the tone changed.
[Warning!]
[Extreme hostility detected! Source: High-level entity. Danger: MAXIMUM.]
[Recommend immediate evasion!]
At once, every hair on Orien's body stood on end. A cold weight crushed his soul, piercing distance and space.
Raiden Shogun's wrath had found him.
(End of Chapter)
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