"...You've lost, Ei."
"Yes, I have."
"Why can you not trust your people, and in the power of their ambitions? These ambitions have transcended space and time. They are something that no one can snuff out."
"When people move forward with all their might...they can surpass the gods' expectations. And even take over the work of the gods."
"Is this the lesson you learned from your journey in Liyue?"
"Mhm."
"There are nations where humans cast their god aside and stride forward...? So, are we to just abandon the notion of progress...for the sake of wishful thinking?"
"...You and I have both witnessed the great loss that progress can bring. Eternity...eternity is the only way..."
"But why, Ei? Why do you see such things this way?"
"Let me tell you a story."
Ei paused for a few seconds, then began to tell her tale:
"When lightning flashes, it casts a shadow."
"My name means shadow."
"With my blade, I purged all obstacles to progress."
"And yet...something was lost with each step forward."
"In the end, I even lost her..."
"The tales are still retold in the shade of every Thunder Sakura."
"But the wounds left on our nation by that terrible loss...still ache."
"Never stop searching, even if only for a brief flash of light. If nothing else, we have the present moment."
"She said that once."
"But I've seen a nation stride forward and lose everything to the Heavenly Principles."
"Perhaps only if time stands still...will the lightning's glow never fade..."
"The present moment is a fragile illusion. Only Eternity can bring us closer to the Heavenly Principles."
"I am no longer the shadow."
"Mine is the most supreme and noble form. Let power over the realm be vested in me. In this form shall I honor my subjects' dream...for a land of Eternity, unchanging forevermore."
A tale...where she had to suffer...
By seeing her loved ones die in her arms.
And what are the Heavenly Principles?
"The Heavenly Principles...irrelevant nonsense as far as I am concerned. When all's said and done, all you really want is to protect your beloved Inazuma, forever and ever. Isn't that right?"
"That would be something of an oversimplification."
"But is this nation worth existing for eternity? Stripped of ambitions, stripped of the potential for change, it does nothing more than simply...exist. It is a hollow shell of a nation. Huh. I wonder what loss would it really be to anyone if such a nation were destroyed?"
"Miko, retract your words. Never-changing eternity is the promise I made to my people.
"But what your people need from you is not your promises. They want your attention...your divine gaze."
"...You mean Visions? Humans have a lifespan of barely a hundred years. They cannot afford to bear any extra losses. But I have experienced it all. That is why I have chosen to guide them along the correct path toward eternity."
YOU ARE READING
(HIATUS) Valkyrie Traveler (Honkai Impact 3 x Genshin x Kiana Reader)
General FictionWhat if the 3rd Honkai Eruption never occurred? What if Sirin hasn't had the chance to fully awaken? But what happens when Kiana and Mei get transported to another world? Will they ever return back to their normal lives? (NOTE: It did say in the tit...
