Genshin Impact: Following the Winds

Naturally, in the face of one stronger than even their Lord Baal, the samurai had no choice but to surrender. After all, what else could they do? They had seen the opposing goddess wield a second sun in her hands—that wasn't something they could sever with their swords alone.

Had Lumine been privy to their thoughts, she would've scoffed. She'd encountered more than her fair share of swordsmen who could outperform such mysticism—hell, she was technically one herself! A fighter's willpower could reach heights most thought impossible; it was just a matter of actually having the dedication to reach it.

That aside, she complied with their surrender and kept them locked up. And by 'locked up', she mostly meant just shoving them all into a few temporary garrisons she had built at the border of their new camp. 

As for the samurai, they were immediately stunned when the prison they were entrapped to turned out to be…better than their own circumstances. Provided with three meals a day, without the expectation to continue working, and surviving only mild glares from the people? What an amazing life this turned out to be!

Finally, Baal—or rather, Raiden Ei—is currently under the eyes of Kitsune Saiguu and Orobashi. Little is known about what the fledgling goddess is experiencing, but considering the latter two's kindness, it was doubtful that Ei experienced anything truly vile from them. She was, after all, a child in comparison to most of them.

Days had passed since Watatsumi's Island Invasion, and the island had descended back into the solitary peace it had enjoyed.

…

"Wow, seriously? Their life was that bad?" Lumine asked, smiling wryly as she heard me read what I'd written on my scroll.

"Indeed." I chuckled ruefully, remembering the not-so-subtle jabs those samurai gave towards their own Lord. They were polite about it of course, but it was clear that the end of Inazuma's Archon War had not been a clean one, and unfortunately Baal had not been there to help blunt most of the pain. "Alas, it is unfair to compare their circumstances to Liyue's."

After all, by comparison, Liyue Harbor was outright blessed to have Morax and Guizhong from the very start. For the two weren't merely protectors, but guides. They taught the people to grow, and so the reverence the people showed was born from gratitude, not fear.

I rolled up the scroll I'd just recently finished and dropped it into the Inventory. "And how have you been?" I then asked. "Are there any other injuries I must heal?"

She smiled. "Nah, I'm fine. You've dealt with most of 'em." Her smile became a little strained as she rolled her shoulders. "Just gotta rest for a bit more. Expanding my Energy Coils so quickly has its consequences."

I nodded. I admit I was still unsure as to how exactly Lumine's powers worked, and I had a feeling she didn't want to explain further. But whatever the case, her power seemed to grow by absorbing Energy of all kinds, subsuming them into her own vortex and growing in size. It was an ability unlike any other I'd seen, and one that'd spooked my Genshin System so badly that it immediately created a protocol to protect against it.

"Then rest." I said. "As of now, there is little threat that faces us. Unless Raiden Makoto decides to mobilize the rest of the Shogunate, this tranquility shall remain for the time being." And considering what I'd heard about Raiden Makoto from Saiguu, I doubt the god would do so. Her weaker strength notwithstanding, she was the more diplomatic of the two sisters.

Or at least I hoped so. Bringing an entire nation to its knees was not part of our bucket list.

Lumine gave me a thumbs up, and then proceeded to fall asleep on the rock she sat on seconds later. She didn't even bother pulling out her bedroll from her Space!

I stared for a good moment, before I laughed softly. For Lumine to conk out that quickly—she must truly be tired. I don't blame her however; even if she wasn't performing as much physical labor as she usually would, she was still helping the people plan out their new village. And I knew for a fact that Lumine hated planning things out.

Or maybe it was-

…No. That would be unjust of me.

Smiling slightly, I pulled out my own bedroll instead. I carried Lumine and carefully laid her down so that she wouldn't wake. I pulled the blanket over her, knowing full well she'd eventually kick it off in time. 

…

My smile fell.

"Have you heard enough?" I asked coldly to thin air. "Need me to say more?"

A moment of silence followed, before a small shock of electricity sounded. And from thin air appeared Raiden Ei, now standing just behind me. She stared with that usual dull stare of hers, but I could tell that she couldn't quite stare right back. She was looking away slightly, looking almost ashamed.

I did my best to stifle a sigh. I…understood that she was young by divine standards. Incredibly young. In the end, she was merely a child given far too much power and knowing too little. All she and her sister had known was that Inazuma was being ravaged by war, and violence was the only thing Ei knew.

"I…don't know." She whispered, like a confused child. "Humans harm and steal and kill." She furrowed her brows. "Why was I wrong?"

"Do all gods seek to conquer and take and destroy?"

She shook her head. "No."

I raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you kill them all? Why did Saiguu—your friend—have to resort to hiding herself until your sister was crowned champion?"

She said nothing.

[Detected a significant shift in Destiny of the character -Raiden Ei-. Achievement -Fate Defiance- has taken effect. Rewards have been moved to the Inventory]

I raised an eyebrow at my System, before I shrugged. "There's your answer." I said simply.

We fell into silence. Ei kept staring at the ground, occasionally glancing at the sleeping Lumine, as if to ask for guidance. Meanwhile, I kept myself busy by giving my newest Reward a check, which turned out to be a 2★ Talent Scroll. Intrigued, I gave the Talent's description a read.

[Simple Domain 2★

One of the simplest applications of Energy, temporarily transforming the surrounding area to benefit the caster.

When used, causes the immediate surrounding area to become advantageous to the User. This area amplifies the User's Energy and dampens the opponent's.]

I hummed. If I had to take a guess, this was probably based on that thing Ei tried to create when she determined Lumine to be an enemy. Neither of us really saw what it could do though, since I went in and used my Anemo to disrupt it before it could fully come into fruition.

Well, it might only be 2★, but the fact that I even got a Talent from this was already good enough. My luck on these 'Rewards' have been quite terrible as of late. Without hesitation, I used the Talent Scroll. I closed my eyes as I felt a warmth course through my chest.

Once that was over, I cast a glance at the goddess. Ei still hadn't said anything, staring emptily at the still-sleeping Lumine.

I sighed. "She is fast asleep. She will not answer your questions for you." I said, and only then did Ei jolt out of her thoughts, her eyes turning to me. "And nor will I. These are questions you must ponder with your sister. You are the rulers of this nation, and this nation is yours to maintain."

Her eyes shook for a moment, before she returned to staring at the ground, lost in thought.

I pursed my lips. This, at its core, was Ei's problem. She'd relied on her sister for so long that she could barely think for herself. Her first instinct when faced with something that confused her was to ask for Lumine's help. It was why I'd done so much to hide Ei away, going so far as to discreetly use my Anemo to hide her presence even after Ei used her own invisibility.

In that sense, she was barely a person. 

"I…didn't understand them."

I blinked. "Oh?"

"The other gods." Ei furrowed her brows, dull eyes shaking. "I don't…know them. Their minds, unknown." She fell silent for a moment, before she frowned. "Enemies, slay."

"Were they enemies?" I asked back, encouraging.

She slowly shook her head, purple hair swaying. "Don't…know."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you didn't ask?"

And at that, a trace of emotion finally appeared on Ei's face. "I…" Her lips shook, her voice becoming shaky. "They, fought us. Hurt us." Her arms began shaking as well. "Scary. Talking, hard."

…So not only was this goddess practically an adolescent that grew up without guidance, but also a hermit who was scared of interacting with others? And since everyone saw how strong she was, they were too scared to even initiate a conversation. A problem stacked onto another, and conflict became inevitable.

Haiyah. What a mess.

Finally, I let my cold demeanour drop. I turned around, and to her surprise, I patted her head. "Indeed. Talking with others, trying to understand them—it is hard, no?" I smiled slightly. "And to bear your hearts to another, to someone who could just eas easily tear to it to shreds-"

"Scary." She finished, still looking somewhat mystified at the hand on her head.

I nodded and smiled. "Very much so." I gently said. "But it is only through confronting what is scary that we can learn."

"Learn?"

I hummed. "Indeed. It is inevitable that we will encounter failures in our lives, but we should not let that halt us. We learnt from our mistakes, and we take the lessons it imparts towards our future, so that we would not suffer as we did before." My eyes softened. "For that is how we remain alive."

Ei nodded, though still looking quite confused.

Aah, looking at her now, it truly was difficult to think of her as anything but a child. And as such,

She blinked as I suddenly brought out a candied apple from my Inventory. "Well, enough of that." I smiled as I handed the stick over to her. The goddess stared at the candied apple in confusion. "That is a dessert I bought from a vendor in Liyue Harbor. They're quite tasty, though I admit their sweetness is a little too much for me."

The moment Ei heard the word 'dessert', her look changed. She took a bite of the candied apple, and her eyes sparkled as she savored the taste. This amazing sweetness-, it reminded her of the dango she liked so much!

So she began eating the candied apple, and I could only sigh in amusement as I saw the goddess descend on the dessert with little hesitation.

Lumine remained blissfully asleep all the while.