The Final Chapter

Calm Before The Storm

Chapter 2

The rain that had already fallen for hours, was now accompanied by thunder. Her thunder. Ei looked over the troups as the first lightning bolt struck the sea in the distance. This situation was serious. The last time she faced this opponent was 500 years ago and it took everything from her. But not this time. She swore that such a thing would bever happen again.
The electro archon looked back at Miko, who was standing by Kamisato Ayato to discuss the plan and divide the troups for the front and the protection of the city. Her look wandered towards the voast where guards were anxiously awaiting the enemy and her soldiers prepared themselves for battle. They needed hope. Something she could not give them. Makoto would have given them the hope and courage they needed to fight this war, but she wasn't her sister. She would never be. Her own reign of terror was not that long ago and the faith in their archon was wrakened. Such inconvinient timing. Well actually pretty convinient for their enemy. Whoever planned this must be be super well informed.
She starred at the sea, but she couldn't find what she searched for. No ships were there. She tightened her grip on her spear. It wasn't normal for him to be late. He wanted this meeting and he still came late. There was no time for such shennanigans. She couldn't wait forever.
"Ei?", someone said. She felt a soft touch at her shoulder and as she turned she looked into Miko's eyes. The otherwise fierce and cunning Guuji looked worried at the archon. At first she believed that Miko wanted to give her an encouraging speech, like a hero in one of light novels would get, but Yae just looked at her. "Hm?", she responded and tried to sound as put together as she could. "He's here", Miko said and gave a little nudge with her head behind her where she and Comissioner Kamisato disscussed troup plans a few minutes ago. Ei nodded and left Miko standing behind her as she walked into the tent, where her visitor already studied the battle plan. "You're late", she said. "And you are very uncivilzed greeting me like this", her guest replied lifting his gaze from the table and looked at the eletro archon. "Now that you are here we should get started, Morax" Ei turned her back on him to leave the tent gesturing him to follow her. "You did not change at all, when it comes to battle, Beelzebul", the geo archon chuckled while following her outside. He looked over the Front to the sea and tgen back at his old accomplice. Her eyes were worried and her hand held her polearm tightly. She was scared. The cataclysm 500 years ago took the most important thing from her and it dared to challenge them to a second duel. "Did you see any of the enemies yet?", he asked looking back at the sea. Ei shook her head: "No. All we have is the info from that spy, who has proven himself to be right everytime..." Morax sighed. He feared that. There was no doubt in that spy's info, but a little hope was still left. Maybe this was all unreliable info. Maybe there was a chance to not relive that fateful day. The day that took so many lives. The archon right next to him seemed to be stuck in the same thought process. "Did you ever regret that day? Doing what you did? For the reasons you did?", she asked. Morax looked at her but her eyes did not move away from the sea. "Every day... But we...",Ei's look suddenly grasped him, letting him to sigh, "Makoto never told you anything about Celestia or the gnoses, did she?" A smile hushed over Ei's face. "I was the warrior, she was the brain. She kept me out of most 'official' business. Maybe to protect me from whatever killed her that day..." The geo archon nodded and looked back at the sea. He couldn't stand seeing all of her loss in her eyes. All of her pain and suffering which her eyes mirrored. It only reminded him of all of his losses that day. "There was no real choice for us that day, Ei. We had to fight. Celestia told us to. And if Celestia tells you something, you have to listen, there is no choice. At first the gnosis and being an archon seems like a blessing but everything they give, they can take. You stand in their duty as long as you keep the gosis, the link to Celestia. So when Celestia decided to nuke Khaenri'ah, we had to play along. After that day, Buer decided to give up her link to Celestia to fuel the Akasha and Barbatos abadoned his godly duties altogether. And recently I followed their footsteps, not just to get a rest but to position myself against them" "So it was pure luck that Celestia did not order anything in the last 500 years, even though the Tsaritsa began a plot to collect the gnoses?" Morax nodded. "Everyone who had a link to Celestia is either dead now or gave it up after the cataclysm. It's pure luck that nothing like this happened after that... For some unknown reason the Heavenly Principles who guard Celestia and embody their will, has been dormant for the last 500 years" Ei nodded. Now both of them had their eyes glued to the sea, staring at something in the distance. It seemed like some strange shadows first but it moved, it moved quickly. Their enemy was on the way and would land here shortly. Someone blew a horn and troups began moving and gathering. Bith archons looked at each other and grabbed their polearm. "Are you ready to face your past?", Morax asked. "The past came to haunt me recently in form of the Traveler. Reliving it again can't be that bad..." The geo archon chuckled. "I see, coping with humor..."

___________

I tried to make the lore make sense bit I am no creator of the game so it's a bit wonky... But I really tried...