To Traverse the Mortal Plane

CHAPTER 6

"What's... this black stuff?" Murata asked. 

"I... don't know, whatever you do, don't touch anything," Makoto muttered as the three of them wandered around Enkanomiya alone.

"Do you feel that strange presence? It's almost as if it's watching us," Scara said. "It's keeping an eye on us, so keep your guard up," Murata warned, wielding her claymore. "Get the vile, take some with it carefully, don't touch it," Makoto instructed.

Scaramouche did as Makoto instructed and took some of the black material they found on the ground. He was successful, but a black shadow appeared in front of them. They quickly moved into a defense position and drew their weapons.

"I see you found this place," 

"Who are you?" Makoto asked. 

"Hmm, I don't believe it'll be much fun if I reveal myself right away," the shadow laughed.

"Is that.... your form? Are you simply a fucking shadow hiding in the dark? Coward shit," Murata snarled.

"Says the one who burnt down a town full of innocent people," the shadow mocked.

"What?! Say it again, you piece of shit!" Murata yelled as her claymore flared up with elemental power and cut anything in its path, attempting to hit the shadow who was speaking.

"You look like a fool, I'm a shadow, and you're attempting to hit a shadow? Are all archons like this?" it mocked.

"What do you want" Makoto asked.

"You see, I'm only a diversion here, it was a perfect method to separate you all from that maniac archon," the shadow laughed before disappearing.

"Diversion? Separate?" Makoto said, connecting all of the pieces and....

"Ei!"

*

The clash of blades, sparks flying. The unknown person with his two-handed sword, swinging for the archon's head. 

The two then continued to clash their swords, soaring through Celestia's terrains, never losing balance, never coming near to faltering; the combat rages with remarkable elegance, with one getting the advantage before the other.

"Who the hell are you?!" Ei shouted, and their swords collided, attempting to drive each other through their blades. "Do you have to know? You're going to die anyways," the person muttered, and Ei clenched her teeth and pushed the person with her polearm with all her strength.

The person simply smiled and lit his blade with shadow. What was that power? Ei was thrilled.

Ei ignited her polearm with lightning, and it is now blazing and sparking fiercely. She gripped her polearm tightly and ran at the person in a fury unseen before. As Ei's and the person battle in the confined space, sparks fly.

They fought constantly until they approached Celestia's lower level, a more cramped area, and Ei was experienced in these kind of areas. Each swing of Ei's polearm pushes the opponent closer to defeat.

"Is that all you got?" he laughed as he was knocked to his knees. Ei slashes the person's right hand off at the wrist, causing the person to scream in pain yet still manage to laugh. When he laughed more, he was a psycho, undeniably a pyscho.

"Crazy bitch," Ei muttered as she moved her polearm to the person's throat.

"What are you waiting for?! Kill me!" he said, laughing. Ei was enraged by that and was going to cut the person's head when she was thrown. She slammed her back into the wall, groaned, straightened herself, and looked at the person who had the audacity to throw her like that.

"I apologize for disrupting your fun, but I must intervene," the girl said. Ei took a good look at the girl and recognized her.

"You... you were a warrior of—"

They had vanished. Ei was infuriated by the sudden cutoff, so she clenched her teeth and shattered the wall behind her. She was furious, and she couldn't believe she let them get away.

"What the heck happened here?" Murata exclaimed as she sprang in front of Ei.

Makoto rushed over to Ei and grabbed her shoulders. "Ei, calm down, we don't want Inazuma to be slammed by those thunderstorms again," Makoto said quietly. "I recognized... the girl," Ei said. "I saw her when battling the catalyscm in Khaenri'ah, she was a... Khaenri'ah warrior," she went on.

Asmoday arrived in front of them, startled by what had happened to the scene, which had devastated a part of Celestria. Asmoday took a short glance at Ei, who was injured as a result of how she was thrown.

"Bring her to her quarters, patch her back, I'm sure she hurt herself," Asmoday instructed. "We'll meet later tonight; I want all of you to be there; in the meanwhile, Ei will rest at her quarters," she stated as she walked away.

"Did you get the vial from Scara? We need to show Her Excellency that," Murata said. "I've got it, assist me with Ei, she passed out on me," Makoto replied.

*

"That was.... Ei's powers," mumbled Saiguu. "Why is there a battle in Celestia? That's not possible, their shield should be working, was it poisoned?" she mumbled again, gritting her teeth against her fingernail.

"It was... terrifying; we clearly saw lightning strikes, the sound of blades clashing, and the sound of someone... laughing, yelling in rage." Miko said.

Knock knock knock

"Come in," said Saiguu.

"We need you to purify something in Enkanomiya, it was Makoto's instructions, I'll protect you there," Scaramouche remarked as he strolled in.

Saiguu nodded and looked at Miko. "You're in charge while I'm gone.... and if I'm truly gone, you know what to do," she added as she took her catalyst and went out with Scara.

*

"This is found in Enkanomiya, on the ground, it was just glowing lightly, it even corrupted the ground, the grass wilted," Makoto said.

"This... liquid, investigate what's this, Kusanali," Asmoday said. "Yes, my Lady," Kusanali replied.

"As for the incident earlier, how in Teyvat did they get in here?" Barbatos asked.

"I'll inspect the shield's state; my assumption is that it was poisoned, which weakened the shield's state," Morax stated. "If you don't mind, my Lady," he said.

"Go," she said as Morax left.

"Ei... stated that she knew the person she fought with, and she said she was a Khaenri'ah warrior," Makoto explained.

"We shall ask her that when she has recovered," Asmoday stated. "I want everyone to stay here except Kusanali, who will send the vial to her nation to research it; I want you back promptly, Kusanali, don't wander off."

Everyone was troubled and overthinking everything. Who was it that Ei was fighting? What exactly was the black liquid they discovered? Who was the shadow in Enkanomiya? Are they from the Abyss ? Are they the catalyscm's descendents?

These questions keep circling in their heads, yearning for an answer, but they are unable to find one.

"No one will leave Celestia until I say so,"