For Eternity

For Eternity - I

  It had been a month since the Vision Hun Decree in Inazuma ended. The Traveler from afar was ready to set foot back in the first land they set foot upon on, Mondstadt. The Alchor that belonged to the well-known Crux was ready set sail, the young one with them. The people of Inazuma were telling their goodbyes to the young one, and hoping to meet them again in the future.

  "Captain Beidou, we're ready to set off!" someone's voice was heard from the ship. The captain gave the traveler a small nod, as they both entered the massive ship. The anchors rose from the water and the oars started to canoe soon. It didn't last long until the ship was far away from the land of eternity.

  Yae Miko, a shrine maiden was on her way to visit the Archon of Eternity. Not the puppet Shogun, she wanted to talk with the real one. Slowly walking up the stairs of Tenshikaku, she finally made her way to the door with three guards standing on the way.

"The almighty Shogun does not wish to be interrupted now. Please come back another time." one of the soldiers said. The woman let out a soft giggle then looked at the guard right in the eyes.

"I have important things to do. Just let me in, I need to have a talk with the Shogun as quickly as I can." she says, not getting a reaction. She sighs deeply and moves one of the guards out of the way and knocks on the door. The two other guards quickly grab a hold of her and push her away, as the door opens almost immediately.

  "L-lady Shogun! This woman was trying to interrupt your piece!" the guard shouted as the three got to stand in a line. Ei stood on the door and looked down at the fox-lady, who was on her knees.

  "I wasn't busy at all. You wouldn't have needed a reason to not let her in." the Shogun replied as she helped Miko up. The guards looked at each other nervously as they all took small steps away.

  "Good evening, Yae Miko. What is it this time that brought you here?" Ei asked with her soft voice. Yae couldn't help but smile and giggle.

  "Well, there are two things. I would like to spend time with you, and the traveler left Inazuma almost an hour ago." the fox lady told. Ei was surprised by this, she wanted to tell the traveler good luck on finding their sibling, but sadly, she had forgotten about it.

  "Well... Alright then. How do you wish to spend time with me?" Ei asked with a slight about of nervousness in her tone. It was understandable, she had locked herself in a mind-prison for years and suddenly was brought back into real world.

  "Do you mind a walk around the Narukami island? Would that be alright for you?" Yae asked with a caring voice. Ei took a deep sigh in, then nodded as a yes. She closed the entrance to the Tenshikaku and started to walk with Miko right beside her.

  "And she said that it was something super important, huh..." one of the guards said as the two walked away from the Tenshikaku.

  They first tried to find a place where to have a small snack. Ei suggested something sweet, which Yae approved of. They visited the Kiminami restaurant, both of them ordered a pair of taiyaki cookies. On their way there, Miko bought Ei a glass of Dango milk, her drink of choice.

  They also took a look at what the Yae publishing house had to offer. Miko had recently made them upgraded their weekly book suggestions, and one book interested them both. The book titled 'Flowers for Princess Fischl'. It was a book Miko hadn't heard of either, so of course they borrowed it.

  "I believe we still have some time to waste. What would you like to do?" the fox lady asked, once again giving the other a soft smile. Ei took a moment to think, then her thoughts got interrupted by the other's sudden reply.

  "Ah, I know. How about we get your fortune read? It has been many years since you got your last one, correct?" Yae quickly asked. Ei was alright with the idea, and they immediately got on their way.

  It did take a while for them to get all the way up to the Grand Narukami Shrine. Yae immediately made Ei get herself a fortune stick from the box, then they both sat down, right next to each other. Ei gave the stick a good shake, and the answer appeared. Miko grabbed the small yet neat paper and was shocked by the results.

  "What's wrong? Did I do something wrong about it?" Ei asked as she took a small sip from the Dango milk she has carried around.

  "Of course not, darling... Its misfortune... Something terrible will slowly start to happen, only in the matter of days...", Yae said, clearly worried.

  Suddenly, many loud sounds were heard right after another. Ei quickly got up, Miko following her. They looked at the sky, which was turning purple, like a sugar plum, then getting light up in bright colors. Fireworks. Ei was enchanted by the beautiful views, as Yae was more anxious about the fortune.

  "Ei, please. This is important. I don't want you getting in trouble or hurt. We need to be prepared for what bad things might happen!" Yae said, slightly in a panic. Ei placed a hand on the other's shoulder and smiled softly to her.

  "Its alright, Yae. It's getting late, we can discuss about it tomorrow, okay?" she said, as the other calmed her breath. Nothing that bad could happen, right?

  It was very late. The city wasn't filled with any lights anymore. But still, Lady Yae was still awake and still at the Grand Narukami Shrine. She thought about Ei's fortune, it was the only thing in her mind ever since. What so bad could happen to her? What's the worst thing that could happen? She couldn't get the questions out of her head.

  Then, she got an idea. She turned on some lights in the shrine and picked herself a fortune. She was afraid of what the results would be. Would it be good fortune? Bad? Great? She didn't know what to expect. She just closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she unfolded the piece of paper. She opened it and stared at it.

  "Good fortune. You will get what you want, when you give it your everything."