Love amidst a Thunderstorm

underneath a cloudy sky

The vision, a magical artefact infused with the elements, given unto man by the archons of the world, to be granted a vision one must have a strong drive and ambition to be a force of change in the world and thus the God’s bless only a selected view they deem worthy of its power.

One of these visions were currently in the possession of someone who didn’t ern its blessing but instead was meant for another, her name Ayaka Kamisato, the air to a noble family that resided in the great island nation of inazuma and the vision in question was that of a former friend she had chosen to chase away, the artefact she was holding in her hands was one of the Pyro archon Murata that was a blessing received by her former retainer and close friend Thoma, she felt bad about what she had done, she didn’t even know his surname or his most fondest of memories, she realized in his absence how little she really knew about him, at least she knew one thing, the place he had came from- the great city of freedom Monstadt.

The vision she called her own a gift in trusted to her by the cryo archon- the Tsaritsa. She held the Pyro vision in her hands to find some comfort and warmth, something synonymous with its owner and something she was lacking a lot since that day, the very attributes she had considered a weakness but now as she sat there and felt the heat emanating from its crystalline core she had discovered those attributes to be a sign of true strength, it was those very things she had tried to rid from her live and now she was left alone, cold and empty, the true weakling she never wanted to be.

She tried to carry the pain and the guilt but she couldn’t stand this horrible feeling anymore, she thought if she could isolate herself from those attributes she would become stronger but how could you reach further then your limitations and grow as a person when you have lost the very thing that represented those feelings in your life.

Her face began to burn up, her eyes began to swell, her feelings of regret now unshackled by her emotions started to cut threw her heart like the sharpest of daggers and she began to cry as the absence of this person who was blessed with this visions power wasn’t around her to shoulder her weakness with her anymore.

And now she was left with one of the last things he had left behind for her the night she had finally pushed him away and out of her life, this one thing, a pale imitation that could never replace him but instead a reminder of her biggest mistake, a choice She had made on that horrible rainy day to cut him out of her life .

Her tears began to role down her face and they fell from her face, jumping away from it’s heartbroken owner and into the void of the canyon below her, each tear falling into the unknown never to be seen or caught, she looked up into heavens and saw dark clouds forming , and with a flash of lightning it began to rain, for a moment she felt at one with the clouds as the sky above her was also weeping .

Outside of her line of sight stood a very observant fox spirit that had taken the form of man many moons ago, she had long pink hair and wore a white robe accentuated with red trimmings around its borders, she had a very inquisitive personality that hid her cunning scheming nature, her Name was Yae miku the grand priestess of the great narukami shrine and retainer of the electro archon Raiden shogun, her eyes yet again caught sight of the vision her latest apprentice held in her hands.

The fox spirit moved silently towards her with a large white and red bamboo umbrella unfolded in her hand, until it covered the both of them

“ tisk tisk tisk, to be sitting in this rain crying is bad for your health little one” yae spoke as she poked the young girl’s forehead with a finger, her presence and her words startled the girl at her side and she began to fumble with the vision she held in hands and it almost fell into the gaping void below their feet.

“Ow pardon me milady Yae,(she bowed her head down in shame) I was just”

Yae miku shook her head

“no need to be frightened little one, you haven’t done anything wrong”

“we have guests waiting to see the snow white maiden do a blessing and it be rude to keep them waiting no”

“my apologies milady I will be with you shortly” Ayaka bowed her head to her master.


Ayaka decided to put away the vision and took a handkerchief chive she kept close by and she wiped away the tears on her face, yet another one of his possessions he had left behind, the Pyro vision had served its purpose , it had brought her some sort of warmth and comfort, but only if for a while.

……

Down in the dark void below a man robed in torn red montsuki robe was resting in the shadow that was created as the moon light bathed the mountain in light, he sat there alone surrounded by the sound of leafs clattering in the wind amidst the footpath that led to the great narukami shrine, as he stretched out his scar ridded arms he opened he’s hands and in that moment he felt small droplets that fell and ran down  the middle of his palm’s, he looked up to the heavens and he saw the usually clear sky devoid of stars, just then the shadow he sat in consumed the whole world as the moon vanished behind the clouds, there was a pause of a couple of seconds between the droplets that grazed his hand then there was a giant flash of white in the clouds and it began to rain.

Ayaka approached a platform dressed in a fine light blue silk kimono decorated with white snowflakes, her light blue hair tied down in 2 bangs of hair either framing her face with red ribbons and at the back of her head, it’s leant ran down to reach her middle, as she took the stage her light blue hair caught in the fine rain gave of an eternal glow that made her glow amidst the light of the candles that lit her accent towards the platform

As she made her way towards its centre the crowd of men and women were in aw at her fine and delicate appearance, truly they were in the presence of winter itself.

When she reached the middle of the shrine she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and to take in the beauty of its design.

The platform she stood in the middle of was made from strong Yumemiru wood and elaborately decorated in the finest of carvings that took the forms of foxes and dragons covered in faint white red and brown paint, the flour she stood on had a giant soft bamboo mat on it that covered its whole surface, the area around the flour had a few platforms, some contained the tatami mats her visitors sat on, the other platforms were covered in scented colour full candles that lit up the centre of the stage.

Her emotions surfaced again, the warmth of his vision had relinquished its final touch on her skin and the cold that followed it brought back with it the empty feelings she held in its absence, her inner turmoil came back with a vengeance and it started to eat away at her, all she wanted to do was run, to find a corner to sit alone and cry until she could no more.

She realized she couldn’t as she still had an obligation to her new mentor. So to manage the flood of emotions that ate at her she would do the thing she had come to do and maybe just maybe she could rid herself from her emotions by drawing on her own inner strength so there she stood, in front of an audience of 10, she was about to perform a rarity of tradition, a classical inazuman fan dance.

Hidden behind the audience in the shadows the candles cast another shrine maiden began to play a tune on a wooden 3 string instoment and Ayaka pulled 2 inazuman fans from her kimono’s sleeves and she moved her body in synchronization to its slow tempo in an instant the notes were strung, her cryo vision slowly glowing, turning the air and light misty rain around her into a snowy vapour that started to swirl around her and she began to hum a sweet melody as her body started to move to the sound.

The movement of her body an extension of her very being, with her body’s movements and the low soft humming of her of the sound that left her lips she began to visualize and act out a tale of forbidden love and one person’s ambitions to grow, the fans she held started to move from her centre of her body and rose with each “high point” where she was happy and they lowered with each “low point” when she was striken down by grief, with each high point the snow white vapour around her cleared up to reveal small traces of tears on her face and with each low point the vapour became thick but not thick enough to hide her.

Eventually she reached only to level them out as time came to a crawl , her lower body sped up in turning and twisting movements in synchronisation with the  fans in build-up to the next high, but in the end of her dance her body came to a stand still, the fans she held were horizontal with her face, never to reach past her head in symbolism of her never finding peace instead one of the fans twisted vertically with a quick snap of her wrist to hide her face to cover up her tears, the melody she was humming stopped and the other fan closed as it was dragged from her face, across her neck and ended up at her side with the fans motions her legs bent down and she ended the dance on her knees, her face still hidden behind one of her fans and the music stopped, the powdered snow fell from the air and the wind swept it around covering the area around her in a thin cloak of white snow.

The vision of her during her performance it reminded her audience of her strength but at the same time it showed of the fragility of her humanity , her dance literally and figuratively sent chills down there spines, The visitors who came to the shrine sat there in aww and in tears them self’s, they left the great shrine in silence, no one spoke a word as what they saw wasn’t a blessing or a prayer , instead what they saw was something much more valuable then a million mora, a lesson payed by another with tears and regret.

At the bottom of the mountain the figure still sat in silence listening to the faint melody of the snow white  maiden’s voice, he could feel it in his soul her voice had a low delicate touch of sadness to it, a thought that he knew and that sound touched a part of his heart he tried to burry with his past

Nights like this he would often come to the bottom of the footpath when he heard a blessing was about to take place, only to catch a whisper of her angelic voice as it ecod down the winding mountain path and into the valley below, it brought him a sense of peace, and comfort that meant she was safe and well but at the same time it struck him down with grief and it broke him cause every time he herd her voice he wanted to be there with her, to hold her in his arms and to keep her from harm, to cherish her and enjoy his life with her but after that day, he was a fool to ever think that he was even worthy of her.

As soon as her voice stopped the world around him was filled up again by the clattering of leaves and the restless wind, he packed up his things and stood up, this was the last night he would sit there and listen to her voice, he bent his head down and a tear escaped from his form falling down to the cold ground beneath his feet, what followed with that tear – he made a prayer to which ever archon was willing to listen to him and he left the mountain as he came, in silence.