He emerged from the side hall: dark, lustrous hair; the hall's warm candlelight casting soft shadows across a face of jade-like beauty. Every line of his features was a masterpiece—his brow elegantly shaped, his eyes clear and luminous, impossibly deep.
He walked forward with calm, measured steps, ascending to the raised dais that only the god of Inazuma was permitted to occupy. His perfectly sculpted face wore a serene, gentle smile.
Yae Miko's breath caught. Her mind swirled between surprise and awe. Such otherworldly beauty she had never witnessed in her long life. And he had emerged from the side hall—the private chambers of her dear friend, Ei. That was something she had not anticipated.
Beside her, Kujou Sara's reaction was similar. For a moment, she too was stunned by Yuki's breathtaking appearance. But the trance shattered quickly. Her expression hardened.
"Who are you?! And why are you in Tenshukaku's great hall?!"
As Inazuma's head of public security, Sara took her duties seriously. She made it a point to memorize the faces of all who frequented the capital—especially this hallowed place.
Yuki was a stranger to her. And a stranger appearing here, in the sacred heart of the Shogun's seat of power, was cause for immediate investigation.
Just as she was about to interrogate him further, another figure emerged from the side hall.
"General Kujou. Enough. He is my guest." Ei had followed Yuki out. Her calm voice stilled the tension in the room.
"Your Excellency!" Sara immediately knelt and bowed.
"Rise." Ei gave a small nod, then took her place at the center of the dais, kneeling in the traditional posture. "Yuki. Please, sit."
Yuki inclined his head and seated himself beside her.
Sara rose slowly, her eyes shifting from the Shogun to the man sitting at her side. She marveled at the trust Ei placed in him. "Friend," the Shogun had said.
But this was more than a friend. To be seated at her side, on the same dais—that was a privilege no one else had been granted. Not even Yae Miko, who was both her familiar and her closest confidante, could claim such an honor.
Yae Miko's curiosity only deepened. Her captivating violet eyes remained fixed on Yuki, as if searching for answers hidden in his form.
"Allow me to introduce him. This is Rin Yuki. A dear friend of mine." Ei paused briefly, then began—a simple introduction for both parties.
"These two are my most trusted retainers." She turned to Yuki and introduced them in turn.
"This is Kujou Sara. One of Inazuma's finest generals. As for the fox beside her, this is Yae Miko—my familiar, as I mentioned before. She also serves as the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine."
"Oh my, why must you single me out like that? I'll have you know I'm a kitsune, not just any fox." Yae Miko feigned displeasure at Ei's word choice, then turned her gaze to Yuki.
She lowered her head slightly, a faint blush coloring her delicate cheeks. Her expression was demure, almost shy. "Mr. Yuki, it's a pleasure to meet you. Ei has told me so much about you. Now that I see you in person, I can see why—you truly are a handsome one~"
"You're too kind, Miss Yae. The pleasure is mine." Yuki couldn't help but smile wryly and nod in response. "Miss Yae is quite beautiful herself."
"Oh my~ You flatter me, Mr. Yuki. To be found worthy of your gaze is this humble maiden's great fortune." Yae Miko lifted her hands, lightly cupping her cheeks in an exaggerated gesture of bashfulness.
If Yuki hadn't already known the fox's true nature, he might have been taken in by her acting. A kitsune who had lived for centuries, pretending to be an innocent young girl of twenty, Shameless, indeed.
After a brief round of pleasantries, Ei finally steered the conversation to the matter at hand.
"General Kujou. You and Yae came to see me. What is the matter?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Urgent matters." At Ei's question, Sara straightened, her voice firm. She then relayed all that had transpired. "Today, during routine coastal patrols on Narukami Island—"
She recounted the attacks, the casualties, the suspicion that infiltrators now lurked within the capital itself.
Ei listened. And as she did, she saw the Fatui's hand behind it all. When Sara mentioned that Inazuman citizens had lost their lives, Ei's composure cracked.
Her presence erupted—a storm of raw power that filled the hall with flashes of violet lightning. The very air trembled with her fury.
BOOM—
Beyond the walls of Tenshukaku, the clear day sky vanished. Dark clouds roiled overhead, thunder rumbling across the land. Lightning arced through the heavens like a silver serpent, poised to strike.
The people of Inazuma looked up in terror. They knew—their god was enraged. And the anger of a god was not something to be taken lightly. Throughout the city, citizens fell to their knees, bowing toward Tenshukaku and begging for forgiveness.
In a temporary lodging for the Snezhnayan delegation, Varnava—the Harbinger—watched the sky with blazing eyes. A feverish greed flickered across his face.
"So this is the power of a god… Magnificent." He licked his lips, like a starving wolf catching the scent of prey. Power like this—godlike power—was the very reason he had joined the Fatui.
To rise above mortal limits. To become a god himself. And witnessing this only sharpened his hunger.
Inside Tenshukaku's great hall, Sara struggled to breathe under the weight of Ei's wrath. Yae Miko, too, felt the pressure. But she held her ground.
"Ei, calm yourself!" She raised her voice, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
She had seen Ei angry before. But not like this. Not so… uncontrolled.