The vast plains of Narukami, once blooming with cherry blossoms, now stood charred and blackened, their scorched trunks reaching toward the firmament like fingers of despair. The sky was torn apart by banners of the Tokugawa army, their ferocious family crests looming over the conquered land. The air reeked of gunpowder, blood, and a deeper sorrow—the sorrow of a fallen god.

 

Aether carried Yae Miko on his back, fleeing desperately through the broken streets. Every heavy breath seared his throat. The weight on his back was unnervingly light. The cunning, worldly miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine, who always wore a teasing smile, now felt like a tattered feather, her faint breath brushing his neck. Her elegant shrine maiden robes were soaked in dark red blood; her once-brilliant eyes were tightly shut, and only the occasional furrow of her brow in pain proved she still lived.

 

“Hold on, Miko…” Aether’s voice was hoarse, nearly drowned out by the shouts of battle and the thunder of collapsing buildings. “We’re almost to Ritou. Once we get there, we’ll be safe…”

 

He dared not stop, nor glance back at the Tenshukaku being devoured by flames. Where was Ei? The Shogun who wielded thunder—where could she be now? The thought gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake, yet he carried a heavier duty and could not turn back.

 

Ritou’s docks lay just ahead, but the scene was scarcely better than the battlefield. A dense crowd pressed against the piers, their cries, calls, and ship horns weaving a symphony of despair. Exhausted Shogunate soldiers maintained what little order remained, their armor dented, blades blunted, yet their eyes unyielding. Children were pushed onto swaying decks; elders looked back at their homeland, tears streaming down their faces.

 

“Aether! Over here!”

 

A familiar voice cut through the noise. Aether turned to see Thoma standing behind the makeshift outer defenses at the pier. His bright red hair was dulled by smoke and dust, his usually warm face hardened with resolve. The spear in his grip still dripped blood, and several fallen Tokugawa ashigaru lay at his feet.

 

Aether stumbled toward him. “Thoma! Miko she—”

 

Thoma’s gaze flicked quickly over Yae Miko’s pale face, pain flashing in his eyes before being replaced by fiercer determination. “Hurry aboard! The last cargo ship is leaving soon—it’ll take you to Liyue!” He gestured to two nearby soldiers. “You two, escort the Traveler and the Grand Shrine Priestess to the ship!”

 

“Come with us, Thoma!” Aether grabbed his arm, urgent.

 

Thoma shook his head and pulled free, forcing a familiar, reassuring smile—yet this time, it carried unshakable finality. “I can’t, Aether. Look at this. If no one stays to hold them off, the Tokugawa pursuers will flood the docks in an instant. None of these ships… will make it out.”

 

He pointed behind him. Out at sea, ships of all sizes hoisted their sails, fleeing desperately for the open ocean. They were Inazuma’s last embers.

 

“I have to buy them time.” Thoma’s voice was calm but unwavering. His gaze passed over Aether, toward the land that raised him, now dying. “This is my home. It is my final duty—as an Inazuman, as part of the Yashiro Commission.”

 

Aether tried to speak, but Thoma shoved him hard, nearly knocking him off balance. “Go! Keep the Priestess safe. Tell our friends in Liyue—the storm is coming!”

 

Two soldiers lifted Aether and pushed him roughly toward the waiting cargo ship. The last thing Aether saw was Thoma’s back as he turned back to the defenses, standing tall and firm like a pine, rooted between the pier and the oncoming army—a wall that would not be broken. His red hairband fluttered violently in the wind, thick with salt and smoke, like a flame that refused to die.

 

With a creak that made teeth ache, the cargo ship slowly pulled away from the dock. Aether carefully laid Yae Miko in a relatively dry corner of the hold, propping her up with whatever burlap he could find. He had just stood and rushed to the rail when the sight of Ritou froze his blood.

 

A black tide of Tokugawa soldiers surged onto the pier, their swords glinting coldly. Before that tide stood only one lone figure.

 

Thoma swung his spear, his movements still swift and precise, like a dance performed at a festival—except every step brought death. The tip sliced through the air, spraying arcs of blood; enemies fell screaming one after another. A circle of bodies quickly piled around him, temporarily halting the advance.

 

But there were too many. Endless.

 

A stray arrow pierced his shoulder. His movements faltered for a moment. Then several spears struck him from all sides. From the ship, Aether clearly saw Thoma’s body convulse violently.

 

For a moment, time stood still.

 

Thoma lifted his head. His gaze seemed to cross the distance, meeting Aether’s for an instant. There was no fear, no pain—only quiet relief, and a faint regret that he would not live to see the cherry blossoms bloom again. His lips moved soundlessly, yet Aether heard the unspoken vow as if it were shouted:

 

“I leave it to you…”

 

With his last strength, he hurled his spear forward, piercing an officer’s chest. In the next moment, more blades fell upon him.

 

That bright flash of red, at last, flickered and died in the gray tide.

 

“No—!” Aether’s scream was torn apart by the sea wind, vanishing into the vast ocean. He gripped the rail so tightly his nails nearly dug into the wood, tears blurring his vision. Ritou shrank into the distance, until it became a single dark spot amid the fire, disappearing beneath the waves.

 

The fleet sailed for days in heavy grief. Yae Miko’s condition wavered; she stirred briefly now and then, only to slip back into unconsciousness. Aether stayed by her side without rest, moistening her cracked lips with water and tending to wounds that healed slowly, tainted by an ominous energy. Every time she curled in pain, Aether’s hatred for the Tokugawa deepened.

 

When the towering Jade Chamber and bustling Liyue Harbor finally appeared on the horizon, the survivors aboard erupted in sobbing cheers. But Aether’s heart felt heavy. He brought not peaceful greetings, but a warning of war.

 

The cargo ship docked slowly. Liyue’s Millelith immediately moved to maintain order and settle the Inazuman refugees. Before the ship had even fully stopped, Aether lifted the barely breathing Yae Miko, leaped off the deck, and shouted frantically in a ragged voice:

 

“Doctor! Someone get a doctor! Mr. Baizhu! Qiqi! Where are they?!”

 

His cries caused a commotion. Soon several apothecaries from Bubu Pharmacy arrived, their expressions turning grave at the sight of Yae Miko’s injuries. They quickly fetched a stretcher and lifted her gently.

 

“Her wounds are critical. A strange corrosive energy inside her is blocking recovery,” the lead apothecary said quickly. “We must take her to Bubu Pharmacy at once, for Mr. Baizhu to treat her.”

 

Aether followed closely, walking fast while speaking urgently to the approaching representatives of the Liyue Qixing and Millelith generals.

 

“I am the Traveler Aether! Inazuma… Inazuma has completely fallen! The Tokugawa army’s strength far exceeds expectations—they wield power that can harm gods! Thoma… Thoma sacrificed himself to cover our escape! The Tokugawa’s next target will be Liyue!”

 

His words exploded like thunder across the docks. Color drained from everyone’s faces.

 

“What? Inazuma… has fallen?”

 

“Power that can harm a god?”

 

“The Tokugawa army…”

 

Aether looked around at the shocked, disbelieving faces, took a deep breath, and shouted with all his strength for the entire harbor to hear:

 

“Soldiers of the Millelith, people of Liyue! I am the Traveler Aether! Behind me are the last survivors from Inazuma! The Tokugawa forces that seized their homes now lick their claws like ravenous wolves. Their fleets may already be sailing. Their next target… is Liyue Harbor, beneath our feet!”

 

He pointed to the shaken, ragged Inazuman refugees on the pier, to Yae Miko on the stretcher—once a symbol of Inazuma’s divine authority, now clinging to life.

 

“Look at them! This is the suffering war brings! Thoma, a fine warrior of the Yashiro Commission, stayed alone at Ritou to buy time for the women and children, fighting until his last breath, until his blood ran dry! The time he bought with his life is not for us to breathe and fear!”

 

Aether’s voice rose, sharp and steady, forged in battle:

 

“He gave his life so we could warn you! So Liyue—the city of contracts and commerce, the land once protected by the Geo Archon—may prepare! The Tokugawa ambition will not end at Inazuma. Their dark tide will crash against these shores!”

 

He drew his sword, its blade glinting coldly in Liyue’s bright sunlight, pointing toward the sky.

 

“Thoma’s sacrifice, and the sacrifices of countless Inazuman warriors, must not be in vain! Liyue’s mountains and rivers will not be trampled! Liyue’s people will not be bullied! Take up your weapons, strengthen your walls, and tell every enemy who dares invade—”

 

Flames of vengeance and unyielding will burned in Aether’s eyes as he roared the final words:

 

“Liyue is here! We are here! If you want our home, you will step over our corpses first!”

 

The docks fell into brief silence. Then a suppressed, overwhelming force erupted like a storm.

 

“Defend Liyue with our lives!”

 

“Avenge our Inazuman kin!”

 

“Mountains unyielding, cliffs unshakable!”

 

Roars shook the heavens, spreading from the pier throughout Liyue Harbor. Millelith soldiers stamped their spears against stone, the clanging metal like war drums. Merchants closed their shops and hauled out long-stored weapons. Laborers dropped their tools and rushed to defensive positions. The entire harbor stirred like a slumbering war beast, roused by Aether’s bloody warning, baring its fangs.

 

Ningguang stood at the edge of the Jade Chamber, gazing down at the boiling harbor, her eyes sharp as eagles. She turned slightly to her secretary.

 

“Activate all emergency protocols. Issue the highest wartime order. In the name of the Qixing, send warnings and calls for aid to Mondstadt, Snezhnaya… every nation we can reach.”

 

“Yes, Lady Ningguang!”

 

Aether stood amid the surging crowd, watching Liyue mobilize at once. The immense hollow in his chest—from Thoma’s death and Inazuma’s fall—faded slightly, filled with firm resolve. The battle was far from over. It would only grow more brutal.

 

He glanced one last time toward Inazuma, whispering silently:

 

“Rest easy, Thoma. We have heard your call.”

 

Then he turned and ran without hesitation toward Bubu Pharmacy. He had to keep Miko alive. After that, he would stand with Liyue, on this new battlefield, to face the coming storm named Tokugawa.