Fate/Genshin Impact

AWVW : A Path Through the Storm : The Crux

Sitting on a rock just outside Liyue Harbor, Lumine felt a cool breeze blow over her, bringing the scent of open waters and Liyue cuisine. Beside her, Paimon fluttered around nervously. She had never seen Lumine so somber, and it was worrying her.

“Are you okay? Paimon never imagined your brother would have sided with the Abyss….”

Lumine sighed, tucking her feet closer to her. As she closed her eyes, images of the previous fight flashed through her mind. The upside-down statue, Dainslef’s history with Khaenriah, the abyss lector, her brother’s title as Prince among the Abyss forces, and the strange portal. When he looked back at her, his words….

“Home...home is wherever we are together. But I cannot go with you till my war with destiny ends...Listen to me, dear Lumine. I have already journeyed across this world and have seen the truth. When you have reached the end of your adventure, only then will you see for yourself what this world actually is....."

And then a smile, small and a little...lonely.

"There is no need to rush, sister. We..."

He paused as he turned and stepped into the portal, the black miasma closing around him. The last thing Lumine heard as she dashed towards him, arm outstretched in a futile attempt to grab his arm was...

" We have always had more than enough time.”

Lumine shook her head, dispelling the image of her brother looking at her with hard, cold eyes. Somewhere in that sea of gold, she had sensed the faintest trace of grief, but it was too brief to ascertain. Although, pondering over it now would lead her nowhere.

“I still can't accept it…There has to be more to all of this than what we see now…”

“Well, he said we needed to “reach the end of our journey….” While we don’t know what this “journey” is, Paimon thinks we’ll discover a lot more if we keep on traveling.. Or maybe they’ll tell us everything once we reach “the end”, whatever or wherever it is. So let’s keep going!”

Lumine looked up at the smiling face of Paimon. Although her food-antics and boasting were annoying, Paimon had always been there to cheer her up.

“Thank you, Paimon. Really. I’m glad to have you as a guide.”

“Don't mention it, partner! Travel buddies are supposed to look out for one another. Although... where should we go next? If we want to continue with the journey... hmm...Well, we've met two gods so far — the Anemo and Geo Archons. So, next…”

“Let's find the Electro Archon”, Lumine said as she got up from her spot. As she turned to follow the beaten path to Liyue, Paimon became worried again.

“Hmm... Paimon doesn't think we can simply walk into Inazuma. Zhongli said it was a closed nation. We'll have to find some other way in... Let’s ask someone from Inazuma how to gain entrance….Uh….Atsuko, in Liyue Harbor! She's from Inazuma!”

“Haha. I guess your mind really does work fast when you’re focused. Alright. Let’s see if she can help us.”

“Hey what’s that supposed to mean!? Lumine!”

Lumine laughed, running towards the center of Liyue Harbor with Paimon in hot pursuit. As they neared the entrance, the two slowed down and gave a greeting to the guards before making a beeline straight to Liyue Harbor’s docks where Atsuko worked. Looking around a little bit, they spotted a familiar figure in the distance helping tally cargo boxes.

“Hey, Atsuko!”

“Ah, hello... Oh! I—I mean, good fortune... right? Hah…I'm still learning to talk like a local, haha...Anyway, it’s nice to meet you again Miss Lumine, Paimon. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Uh-huh. We wanted to ask... how do we get into Inazuma?”

“Ohh, so that's why you're here... Well, there is a way. But the chance of success is... incredibly small.”

“Incredibly small?” Lumine asked. “Then how did you get out of Inazuma in the first place?”

“Haha”, Atsuko laughed, clearly embarrassed. Scratching her head, she replied. 

“It was a very dangerous method. All I had to rely on was a little makeshift wooden raft. There was a storm raging ahead of me, and my pursuers were close on my tail. After I'd escaped their clutches, I floated on the ocean for... I don't know how many days. My rations and fresh water supply soon ran out, and I remember getting to the point where I was sure I'd reached the end. Then, I blacked out. But, to my surprise, my journey didn't end there... or, to put it in another way, a new beginning found me.”

“Did someone from Liyue save you?”

“That's right! I escaped by the skin of my teeth. The fact that I'm even alive to tell the tale must be a sign that the gods were watching over me.”

Paimon gasped, “What a horrible journey! And you set off knowing how dangerous it was? Why!?”

“Well... because everything is just too restrictive over there. The Kanjou Commission subjects everyone leaving or entering the nation to a protracted approval process, and... I felt like I didn't belong there.”

“Kanjou Commission?”

“Along with the other two commissions, they oversee everything in Inazuma. We usually collectively refer to them as the Tri-Commission — I suppose they're equivalent to the Eight Trades under the Liyue Qixing. One of the obligations of the Kanjou Commission is to conduct rigorous identity checks on all individuals leaving or entering Inazuma. All non-nationals are processed centrally on Ritou upon arrival. Meanwhile, the Tenryou Commission is responsible for implementing the recently promulgated Vision Hunt Decree. They act like the executive arm of the Raiden Shogun's rule, loyal yet unfeeling."

Atsuko paused for a moment, a look of sorrow in her eyes. She smiled a bit before continuing.

"It doesn't feel good to speak ill of my home like this... but after spending so long under that oppressive atmosphere, I began to lose all hope for the future. What I mean to say is... unless you have an extremely compelling reason to go to Inazuma, you should abandon your plans of trying to get there. It truly is no place for outsiders.”

“There are answers to questions I must know there.”

“....You should know that the sea around Inazuma is engulfed in a perpetual tempest of wind and rain. Supposing you survived that, you would still need to get past the samurai guards that enforce the Sakoku Decree — the closed nation policy of Inazuma. And even if you did manage to find a way, you'd still have to produce the necessary documentation at the Ritou center for processing outlanders. Otherwise, you'd be kicked out immediately…Are you sure you must go?”

“Yes. We can deal with all of that once we get there. Is there a way for us to go without using a raft?”

“Yes. You could ask someone from the Crux Fleet if they have some way of getting you to Inazuma. I’ve seen their ships before in Inazuma waters when I was a child.”

“Hmm. While I have met Beidou before, this is still quite a large favor to ask for….but it seems like our only option. May I know where to meet her? I only met her during the Lantern Rite.”

“I heard that The Alcor, the flagship of the Crux Fleet, is currently anchored by Guyun Stone Forest on a supply run. This might be your best chance.”

“Then there's no time to lose! Let's go find Captain Beidou!”