Chapter Text
Being forced along the streets of Tokyo was a rather lovely experience.
That was a couple of days ago, when Ei got to see firsthand what the Japanese People she now controls felt about Inazuma and her - at least within the capital. She saw fear, she saw admiration, she felt respect, and she felt just the barest amounts of shame.
Does she remember her walk throughout her own capital back with Aether the Traveler? Yes, that she does. She was remembering what she was told, what she experienced, and what Yae was urging her to consistently do whenever she goes out.
And she was hoping now that what she learned was going to be useful with people that were not entirely the people she was not accustomed to.
Thankfully, there was more focus on getting to work.
The adults were the ones to keep their respectful distance. Ei noticed them dressed in strange uniforms, suits, and dresses. Shuffling along the streets and just trying to get back to work.
They were benefiting under the Kanjou Commission's reforms, since the Electro Archon did hear through the whispers of the workers - through her Electro, a skill that Ei does not use often - that their wages have improved significantly.
That was all well, since that means that a larger portion of the Japanese population was being swayed to their control.
Ayumi and some former financial advisors of Japan were the ones who pushed to ‘get the workers under control’ .
They had learned some lessons from some sort of uprising in the 70s to 80s of their time period, and they were keen on not letting it happen when they had a chance of stability and economic reform.
There were the children who ran up to her, despite her Godhood status, and she knew that the Guuji who was in a police car nearby was taking endless amounts of pictures with her brand new Kamera.
The teens who wanted to point and think of her as the cause of all of their problems, while the elderly watched on with quiet reverence, no question on their faces, but analysis in their eyes.
Only a good section of the Japanese population actually were supportive of her, and she can tell who they were. There were those who opposed her, and wanted to protest, but the Tenryou Commission was advised - by Ayumi surprisingly - to put them down with ‘The means that the Japanese Law Enforcement had’.
Finally of course, there was the bloc of neutrals who had no idea what to make of the Archon. But they were able to be swayed, either towards hostility or to be more supporters. There were already churches being established that were to revere the Narukami Ogosho and it's interesting just how quickly these formed up.
‘Mortals are Fickle, as Furina said,’ the Electro archon meditated, ‘Outrage and anger early, but give them what they want, and they are as docile as a common housepet.’
But the progress they made was lovely, and it was lining up beautifully with her new vision of Eternity. Things can change forever, progress could not be stopped. Inazuma and Japan were getting a bit closer with each other, with both areas trying to slowly integrate.
Because Ayumi was able to bring back control in Hokkaido island - since she still had many loyal governors there - various islands of Japan, as well as parts of Shikoku and Kyushu, a large amount of the Japanese population was actually brought back under control, rounding the total population of the Dual Shogunate an increase of half.
However, that was only a smaller fraction of the total Japanese population, with much of Honshu still under enemy control. They were going to fight a long campaign to take back the islands, which was going to be a long campaign.
Though the Raiden Shogun was immune to these problems, her army was not and that means that they were undergoing severe tactic changes that confused the Tenryou Commission.
“Your Excellency, are you sure?” Was what Kujou Sara brought up, looking closely at the reforms suggested by the Japanese officers that have been enlisted into the Tenryou Commission’s armed forces branch. She was skeptical, of course she was. One of the best generals that she had.
This brings her back to today.
Sitting in the Tenshukaku and meditating on the effects of what was being suggested today.
She had a few things that she needed to go over before the day could truly end on this side of the world, and the matters of how they were going to conduct their military was one of them.
Everything on the paper made little sense to her, but Commissioner Ayumi assured that during the training exercise at the end of the Month of January, she was going to see the fruits of their labor.
Main Battle Tanks, Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, Infantry Fighting Vehicles; all of these were terms or machinations that rang no bells to her, but she had some trust.
Just a bare amount of trust if she was going to be fair, but just enough to know that nobody in the Tri-commissions would ‘bite the hand that feeds’, borrowing from Yae on that one.
“If these are to be the new ways of war that we must go through,” Ei begins, looking over the paper, pressing her fingers to a little box and letting just a bare amount of Electro go through, “Then we must embrace them.”
Sara nodded, and watched as the Raiden Shogun placed her signature upon the page. Which was then filed away, for a secretary to move and officialize it back at the Commission’s HQ.
With that, there was brief silence in the room, with the Tengu General staying where she was, eyes closed.
The Narukami Ogosho also had her eyes closed. That was a major change in the doctrine which had dictated the armed forces of Inazuma for a long while, and here it was being traded away for a much more modernized doctrine with the technology and little experience the JSDF had.
“Hmmm…” Ei hummed, looking at the table, and at the little namecard with the starry flag of the nation she has come to know as America.
Where Barbatos’ Mondstadt had ended up.
That was actually a part of another reason why she was not going to leave the Tenshukaku yet before going back on her Yae-mandated walk throughout Inazuma and/or Japan.
The sly kitsune had forced her into doing this meeting, which was going to discuss Foreign Policy, or at least a topic of foreign nature.
She was not well versed in foreign policy decisions, but as a ‘Head of State’ according to the Japanese officials within the government, she must be expected to converse in diplomatic efforts with human governments.
Once a commission would have done that, but Yae was able to figure out how to have the Tri-Commissions force that responsibility upon the Electro Archon.
Knock knock.
“Your Excellency,” her loyal general begins again, turning to the door, “It appears that our visitor is here and waiting patiently for your permission to enter.” The Electro Archon nodded, and she took a quiet breath.
”Allow them entry.”
The doors to the Tenshukaku slid open by the Shogunate soldiers that were guarding it. The brief noise of the city outside penetrating and bouncing in the walls of the building.
Her eyes were close, and she began to radiate bare amounts of Electro which was mirrored by her loyal general. In came the steps of heavy dress shoes, and the 2 Inazumans see the dress suits that they were now intimately aware of seeing everytime that the “Yanks” are brought up in conversation.
In walked a simple, dark haired man. Dressed in that famous suit, and wearing a pair of glasses. Skin was fair, and his eyes were closed as he stepped into the Tenshukaku. His movement was stiff, nervous as expected for no human diplomat’s words or the weight of their army could ever match up to the God of Eternity’s thunder.
A thin layer of sweat graced his brow, and he moved before the Archon, sitting on his knees and bowing his head. Ei changed her behavior, entering the mode of the almighty Narukami Ogosho, “What is it that the nation of America finds so prudent that they must directly approach?” The diplomat quietly gulped, before reaching into the inside of his jacket and producing a little device.
“I am Ryan Lopez, I have been sent by the still functional U.S.-Japanese embassy within Japan, because we would like to discuss a matter that could benefit relations between our nations.”
Opening it - flipping it open like a book and pressing a button, the Electro Archon was greeted by a projection of some sort. Her eyes showed no excitement, but within her, she eyed the technology with wonder and interest.
It was like a screen, but if one was able to take the image and make it float in the air. The diplomat pressed another thing, a few light noises were heard, before an image of Japan-Inazuma came up.
The islands designated as Okinawa came up. The diplomat, slowly and almost robotically, brought his finger up and did a gesture that ‘zoomed’ , expanding the view of the island.
“What about Okinawa?” The Kujou questioned, allowing the diplomat to speak.
“Before your integration of Japan, our military base within Okinawa had to act as peacekeepers within the island,” he explained, tone entering near-perfect clarity for a mortal, “The United States knew that this was an unpopular move, but considering that the alternate was to let the civilian areas fall into anarchy, the marine corps had established a military government over the territory.”
“Mortal,” Ei began, asserting her authority over the yank who shuddered a little, “What is the purpose of you telling us this?” Another gulp and he goes and taps his device;
“Let’s not beat around the bush then,” he sighs and fixes his glasses as he reads a little script that appeared in the projection, “ ‘The United States of America, as a diplomatic gesture, would like to forgo the military control of the island of Okinawa and seeks to re-establish the original status quo as per the Mutual Security Treaty. Where the civilian side of the island is to be given back to Tokyo and the Tri-Commission’s control, and the existing Military Bases in Okinawa are retained to U.S. control’ .”
He takes a breath, “ ‘These bases initially existed as way of the U.S. and Japan to enjoy mutual defense, and as such in order to balance the treaty in light of the new administration over Japan, Inazuma will be granted the right to establish their own bases - totally equal in size to what we currently hold in Okinawa - within any of the pacific states of America.’” He stops reading, taking a few breaths since he was able to read all of that in a few lung’s worth of air.
“Are these terms acceptable?” Ei stopped and considered the terms. Her eyes closed. Electro still buzzed around her, flickering and even lightly zapping off of the mortal before her. She then opens her eyes, remembering a lingering concern her nation has ever since La Signora.
“Tell me, ” she begins, voice now loud as thunder - causing naught but a shake from the ambassador, “How do we know that you are not playing my people for fools?”
The ambassador pauses. He thinks for a moment, and Ei was ready to order him out of the Tenshukaku.
However, she stops when she sees him shift, and begins to move.
This time he reaches back into his jacket again, and produces something.
A badge, not unlike the ones police officers would have, except this one depicted Bureau of Archon Relations and Defense in Teyvat Common on the top, while United States of America was at the bottom in its native language.
But she also didn’t expect the badge itself to have some sort of avian, the 7 elements, and a lyre on it, as well as what she KNOWS to be a couple Cecilias.
”I come from a recently formed department within the U.S. Government, under command of the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Defense,” he holds the badge forward, squinting a little before setting it down for both the Tengu General to look at and Ei to also gleam at, “Anything I say, he can probably hear. And he will know that so long as the president was sanctioning this, then her word is truth.”
Barbatos? Was what the Electro Archon thought when the mortal before him referred to a ‘he’.
Ei held the badge closer to her face. Kujou Sara looked at him, and she decided to point an arrow to him - metaphorically of course, “How do we know that you are not just the next Fatui?”
“The Fatui?” He raised an eyebrow. Now gone was his nervousness, replaced only by political intrigue.
“No explanation necessary on your behalf, ” Ei declared, giving back his badge. She stared into his eyes, “ The Fatui are snakes, infecting nations with their iron-willed diplomacy, hiding behind said tactics as a shield…”
”…I see,” Ryan leans back, fixing his suit, “I assure you, on my honor as apart of the BARD” - and if Ei in the plane of Euthymia wasn’t paying attention she would have missed it - “This deal will have as little strings attached as possible, for no deal cannot happen without something being demanded of.”
”Such is the way of Mortal Politics and Diplomacy, ” declared Ei, keeping her voice high and authoritative and her posture stiff and unmoving, “ Very well, this… Mutual Security Treaty shall be re-honored as per Divine Request, but if any of your commanders do something that can be declared a threat to Eternity, then your men will be exiled with no warning.”
No paper was produced, for the Ambassador seemed to be muttering something about the Fatui. Eventually one was produced, hidden within a blank file that he placed on the table, “On behalf of the United States of America, we will do what we can to stay true to your divine request; Should it come that one of our personnel of higher rank does something unsavory, they will be appropriately prosecuted within a Court of Law of your choosing.”
”Hmph…, ” Ei mutters. She looked back at the American diplomat from that ‘ BARD’ with suspicion. Sara near her stays quiet, as her Archon goes over the terms of the 2077 Revised Mutual Security Treaty between the USA and Japan-Inazuma. They were acceptable enough. It could even be described as an equivalent exchange, one that Morax would - with leeway - approve of.
It seems that they have gone all the way to ensure that no loopholes could be exploited on either side, at least overtly. ‘How humbling…’ Ei then goes and plasters her signature again, using Electro. Ryan goes and holds his device up to the paper next, and some sort of little red beam comes forward, burning the signature of Marine Baxter, POTUS, into the side that was to be signed by the U.S.
It was clear that Mr. Ryan was fearful of the Archon before him. But any mortal would be as well, if they had at least a little bit of knowledge of her authority.
The U.S. has done its research, and well Barbatos was singing stories to their entire congress - Sara was STILL in disbelief that such a governing body existed - about the other Archons, when he can and whenever they politely ask.
She had heard of America trying to stay as isolationist as possible, to appease both the people at home and to try and recuperate strength from some costly wars that the nation conducted - wars she had no idea of.
However, since the Archons have come to Earth, the nation has been swift in trying to get its claws on matters before others have - so to speak. ‘Washington’ was in a full blown panic from what Barbatos was telling them through the winds, since a coming revelation is that a lot of the alliances and influence it had over the world was waning at a more incredible rate.
Too fast for at least somebody friendly to fill in the “Power Vacuum” which was starting to form in the regions America retreated from.
They were likely trying to get this Mutual Security Treaty up and going, just to either cool the heads of some of their representatives or to at least maintain a little bit of power.
Ei can humor them, she was powered once again by her Gnosis - multiplying her internal magic multifold - and she has no doubt that if they tried to do anything, they would be swiftly dealt with, fast as lightning…
“I shall take my leave,” the Ambassador begins, but he goes and eyes Kujou Sara and Ei for a moment more, “I must alert you all to this; the United States is going on an Anti-Fatui raid across Mondstadt, and we plan to extend that to Sumeru and to any other nation that requests of it.”
’…an undeclared war on the Fatui?’ Ei then raises her voice, capturing his attention again, “ Do you not think that your actions are going to antagonize the Tsaritsa?” He shakes his head.
”No, we’re… using a loophole so to speak,” she raised an eyebrow, just as the diplomat waved his hand and continued, “Think of it like… a Law Enforcement action against known criminals.”
’Interesting…’ Suppose that’s why she hears that many of her people fear Lawyers. They always manage to find a loophole or something within the Law or their jurisdiction that they could use to their advantage. Sara was also deep in thought, so she stayed quiet. Ei then relaxed her power for a moment, and then waved to the door.
”Make a choice, and alert the Bureau if you have an answer.”
With not much fanfare, the Diplomat left.
A copy of the file arrived an hour later, 20 minutes after Sara left to go tend to something on Watatsumi Island. Never specifying what, but she has been doing that more often, even before arriving on Earth.
After seeing the copy and framing it somewhere important, Ei decides to get up. She began to approach the door that led to the Tenshukaku, and she slid it open, passing by Shogunate Guards who bowed in reverence to her.
It was close to Early Afternoon, and she’s going to start walking around Inazuma City. It should be noted that she was not doing this entirely of her own will, mind one.
Miko had scheduled this for herself, and she did so rather swiftly once things started to turn around;
”You are not going to perpetually sit in that Tenshukaku and your Plane of Euthymia, go and visit your cities and visit the nation that you just annexed.”
Caring that sly Kitsune was, she was also ruthless if the time comes to it.
Every day, around this time - 10-11am, she was to go on a daily stroll throughout her capital city. At the peak of Noon, she was allowed a moment to rest; before, at around 12-1 pm in Earthling time, she was to spend an hour in at least one Japanese city of her choosing.
That was a dangerous permission that Miko could give her, since Ei - more and more - was visiting Tokyo or some areas of it where there was a SIGNIFICANT amount of delectable sweets to be sold.
The Kanjou Commission, every time she passed the new government complex that was being built, may grumble - yes - but there was nothing they could do, since a large number of expenses DIRECTLY related to their Archon as of late has been towards Dango Milk or various treats that were host to Japan.
Was Yae impressed?
Probably not, but at the very least she was ‘Touching grass’ according to the younger population of Japan.
Entering Inazuma city and walking along its Sakura blessed streets, she was greeted by an interesting sight that she knew was going to become much more common in the coming days.
Japanese construction workers were helping remodel the government complex where much of the Tri-Commission works. Inazumans were looking at them with wonder and awe, while machines and men moved to remodel a building in near record time.
Entering the street herself, she sauntered on by, noticing a larger structure which was being constructed. Intrigued, she stopped in her walk and looked at it, watching as tall metallic claws moved and brought rooms, materials, and people to help get it put together.
”Almighty Shogun?” She heard her being addressed one of the people that stopped in their work to watch the Japanese contractors at work. Turning to face them, she saw a regular civilian - possibly somebody on her way to work - looking at her and pointing at the construction, “What is all of this?”
Ei crossed her arms, “A Japanese occupation called contractors, they’re just builders and other such people of the trade that are working on a remodeling project for our government.” She concluded with a finality, before eying one of her favorite stands and going on over to it.
As she left, she recognized that the taller structure was an effort to recreate a parliament building on Inazuman soil. She remembered yesterday when she approved of such an idea, but was amazed at just how fast the Japanese were to get that building constructed.
The idea of the building was actually winning favors amongst her own people as well. The idea of having their voices be heard instead of being stuck with the Tri-Commissions was catching popularity, but they recognize that only the Raiden Shogun’s word is absolute.
Soon, they want to discuss the construction of a proper military headquarters, but that is something she and the Tenryou commission would like to mull over before they even get off the ground.
Going to the stand and getting 2 bottles of Dango Milk, she continued her way down the city, now being more subject to the gossip which flowed through like petals on the wind.
“Japan sounds lovely, I’m getting quite a bit of business there.”
”They got some good quality products that I can never deny loving.”
”Hey, I’m heading there next week, anything to know?” “Just be polite and respectful…”
”Don’t try to break the law in Japan! They’re still fixing and optimizing all of their legal codes and you don’t wanna accidently break a very critical and dangerous law that you might not understand...”
”Did you hear that the Tenryou Commission was reforming the Shogunate Army?”
“No way! Are they really?” Ei turned and saw a couple at a nearby ramen house, sat upon the stools, with the man leaning in and whispering just a little too loudly.
“Yes, they are! They’re going to use a bunch of that fancy new technology from Japan!”
Ah, the military technology of the JSDF. She began to walk along, now thinking on
‘Not even in the lane of military technology and war tactics is eternity held…’ she mused, thinking back to the lanes of armored fighting vehicles she had slashed when she first arrived in Tokyo.
Though they barely did anything - on account of her being the Electro Archon - she recognizes that her more Mortal military may not be as invincible.
If she were to be born with a much stronger mindset, or have the ideas of some of the Ronin that roamed her country, she would have thought that ‘The weak have taken the Earth’ and often she DOES hear that opinion from them and even from some of her privates and sergeants within her own army.
But there’s a caveat.
Ever since she adopted the new eternity, she was looking at it all through a new lens, and she understood that somewhere down the line, war had to drastically change.
She was reading more reports from Kujou Sara and from the members within the Tenryou Commission, and oh dear was she utterly lost. Modern Doctrines and their tactics flooded her mind that day. Everything from Networked Centric Warfare, Mosaic Warfare, Maneuver Warfare, and much more.
Terms she could not understand, but she will do her best to read about.
Then she passes by a newly installed TV system and her expression goes sour, ‘My people are lucky, for we can read about these new phases of warfare and where it will all go from here.’
Slowly, she approaches the device, where a decent sized crowd had gathered to watch a News Station that calls itself the Associated Press . “The war in Latin America escalates with the Brazilian leadership declaring the deployment of heavier aerial fighting craft…” the reporter on the digital screen grimly opened.
Ei’s eyes slanted a little more, and her posture tightened seeing a burning jungle, mesa, canyon, steppe, desert, and more, ‘Unfortunately, for the people of Natlan, they are not afforded that luxury…’
Murata continued to slash entire platoons of infantry and squadrons of armored fighting vehicles all over the front with Brazil. A bright smile on her face, and her fire turning the entire Amazon into a giant bonfire.
Buer would have told her off, considering the sheer amount of damage that she had inflicted on the ground. Giant scars of where her great sword went was gradually turning much of the land infertile and unusable, forever scared by the flames of Pyro.
A great deal of warriors of South America had perished in this ash choked lands and more were soon to die to the ballet of War.
Her warriors were taking land in some areas, but losing land in other areas, but that was to be expected.
She had not checked back in with her capital yet, but they were still doing their jobs and keeping this war going - and she was still passing out a shit ton of Pyro visions, so she left them to their devices and continued her rampage.
It was late in the evening on this side of Latin America, but the might of massive fires and the smoke was keeping the land illuminated in a crimson wash of red. The moon and stars provided little comfort to the warriors below.
Murata was in the sky, looking around. her wings outspread with the tips of her wings glowing beautifully red. She saw no big armored column that was going to threaten her warriors, and the skies were clear of their war machines.
It was only the fire, the trees, and the sound of thunder-
Whirrrr rrRRRRRRR
”What the-?” Murata stopped her flight, hearing some sort of whistling approaching her. She paused flying around, holding her sword, gnosis thrumming in alarm. Her eyes started to dart the sky and the ground.
Nothing on the ground, no flashes of cannons, missile launchers… none of that.
She stopped and scratched at her head for a moment, hand on her hip. “Was I just hearing things and Barbato was trying to fuck with me?”
‘That would not be out of the ordinary for the Windborne god’, she muses, closing her eyes in thought and hovering for just a second too long, ‘Always trying to mess with us, even if we’re in the middle of-‘
A missile slammed into her body, a loud KBOOM-! following the impact and sending her flying back into the forest.
The canopy came undone, the intense heat of the Archon burning even the most moist branches and leaves.
Trees groaned and cracked as the Pyro Archon abruptly stopped against the mangled, smoldering remains of an Osario.
“Splashed the target, demon god herself.”
“Ow….” She moaned out, turning to the radio box that the machine had. She glared at it for a moment, raising her sword and smashing the remaining bits to oblivion - as flat as one of those ‘crepes’ that Focalors harped on about. “Stupid machine…”
A distant roar was heard, something she was able to hear since she resorted to enhancing her more draconic senses. She became intimately aware of where the missile came from. She then chuckles, though she only saw a speck in the sky amidst the dark smoke and blanket of stars, she was able to see the little flame - and even call to it - of whatever the hell just hit her.
“Alright then,” she then flies up, her wings going larger. A malevolent smirk lining her figures, and a body of fire engulfing her entire figure. The strange little speck in the sky had its flame dim, as if it was deciding to slow down.
“If you Mortals want to play like that, then I have no reason to NOT indulge~” Her laughter, loud, arrogant, and with the barest hints of mania, boomed across the whole of Latin America - even giving shudders to people within the United States and as far off as Britain.
With a big fiery flash, her form vanished, going straight towards the offender.
She covered the distance in record time, nearly an intercept course, and she was able to see a brief moment of absolute confused fear behind the tinted glass of a cockpit before her great sword glowed again and cut the fighter jet down.
More missiles flew by her, some detonating near her, but she had no idea where it was coming from. “Making this TOO easy…” she then flapped her wings and began to soar across the sky.
A new hunt was on, and Murata was not in the mood to lose.
Entering the north side of Natlan, Bernardo was surprised that he was still alive and this cruel gift of a ‘Vision’ was keeping him going. He managed to enter some sort of large area of Natlan that was more reminiscent of a grassland.
A steppe if one wills. Flat land for a long while, a city and several villages in the far distance. Natlanian peoples moving and living their lives as if they weren’t bordering a giant war that threatened to turn a continent - which barely interacted with the rest of the world in any violent, diplomatic measure - into nothing but ashes.
His vision hummed, and he snarled. The warmth was nice, and the fiery fists made up for the fact that he ran out of ammo ever since he got here, but he wants to get back to Rio and go back to the beaches, instead of being here.
He wanted to be back home watching his football, instead of dying for a war.
He was tired, there was nothing about it. Walking for a few days, sleeping with one eye open, and eating fruit and meat that he wasn’t sure his body could safely digest, as well as deprived of clean water, he was sure that if he wasted any more moments, he would die of some sort of unknown disease instead of in battle.
The Brazilian pilot had a radio with him, and he was deathly aware that the frontline against Natlan - at least in his own nation - was going so horribly sideways that the Federal State of Suriname was thinking of alerting its overlords to get the Yanks over.
Bernardo was betting on if he made it to Venezuela, he could at least also petition for help from the United States. That chance was unlikely since they were supportive of Barbatos and probably would not like to involve themselves in another rainforest war, but he had to try at least.
Granted he doubts that the United States would have the same level of control, actually they might make the situation worse.
They could flatten the whole of the Amazon for all he knows…
The United States still has the capabilities to do that. It may not have been in a major war for a long time, but it still itches for something. There was a certain level of luck that the God of Freedom was the one to inhabit the land of the most powerful nation in the world instead of the demoness-
Rustle… and the single noise in the grass made the world pause and force him enter a defensive stance, hands ready with fire flowing out of his knuckles. “Puta Madre-” he muttered, turning and sharply turning to its direction.
His eyes focused on the tall grass, and at the line of partitions of said vegetation which was sneaking up at him. He said nothing, the fire of his fists providing one of the sole lights that attracted whatever was coming to him like a moth to a flame.
His senses were heightened, ever since he crash-landed after dealing with a honest to heaven dragon he was paranoid of anything that moves that ISN’T wearing Ejercito colors. His eyes were stuck wide open, and he was hyper focusing on the most random of things, if he thought they were suspicious.
“Who’s there?” he heard from the grass in some sort of dialect of spanish and he almost relaxed.
“Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana?” he rapidly called out in Portuguese, speaking so fast that people who weren’t used to such verbal spew speeds would miss it entirely. Amigos… I hope…?
“Fellow Natlanians…?” was also called out the moment he thought they were Venezuelans.
But no, of course.
Just his damn luck.
They were not actually friendlies.
Why would the armies of Latin America be able to get here? Nobody should be able to, especially if they were being kicked on every front that didn’t have 5th or 6th generation fighter aircraft watching them?
They couldn’t…
His fists were fired up again, and he finally sees a figure rise from the grass.
The glow of his fists contrasting against the darkness, finally giving a glow to a young face that had peaked out of the grass. jHe was bearing the feathers and dress of the Natlanian warriors.
The nearly Aztecian armor, and the headdress that would have spoken of South American natives and their ancient cultures.
The lieutenant was ready, his fists was glowing much more brightly, oh he was SO ready to drill in the face of another of the bastards that had claimed the lives of so many of his comrades-
If not for the fact that when he looked and saw him carrying some sort of short woman on his back and had the same widened eyes that he did.
The pilot lowered his fists, but still kept them engulfed in Pyro. Though, he focused his energy more to lighten the area, and that is when he gets the full picture of this man and who he was carrying.
Both of them, wide eyed, tired, worse for wear. Almost exactly like him, just wearing a different uniform… their weapons were sheathed, tightly stashed away at their backs, and the young soldier had a hand raised, in a motion telling him to ‘Stop… please don’t kill us…’
The younger woman was no better, still despondent it seems… and who was Bernardo to deny them the basic human right of a surrendered enemy?
“Damn it all…” he muttered under his breath, sympathy glancing across the pilot’s eyes for the first time in a few days. “I can’t hurt you… God’ll damn me for doing it either way.”
He then relaxed. ‘Hah… didn’t our president start this whole war because he believes that Murata and her whole existence was an affront to the Lord Almighty?’ Oh yes it was… and dear ol’ Bernardo still believes it would be disrespectful to hurt the noncombatants in the name of the God of Healing Love and Peace.
No longer was his fist raised to fight. They relaxed from their closed fists and began to open. They no longer sat at either side of his head, in a stance ready to start pummeling what would have been his next targets.
Instead, they fall to his side. The 3 figures in the area paused, and were semi-staring at each other.
Their eyes jumped all over their bodies, scanning for threats so to speak.
They don’t wanna fight… he looks at their eyes and just at how wide they were. They have seen some deep shit . Something out there on the front that gave them shellshock, before forcing them to get out of dodge as soon as fucking possible.
With a sigh, he relaxed his pyro to just… illuminate the area instead.
Just as a great big light, one that could rival the sun flashed in the distance.
Maniacal laughter was heard in its direction, all the while the radio that Bernardo was carrying lit up with panicked cries of pilots and tank commanders he… could not find within himself to care about.
He looked back at the young soldier, and the young soldier looked at the exhausted Lieutenant pilot.
Though they do not know each other’s motives for this war, they knew exactly what they were thinking in this moment, as the memories start to come in and the horrific pictures of the battlefield start to flash like one of those overstimulating video edits;
“What the hell/Abyss did our leaders/Archon drag us into…?”
Suddenly, the religious offense that Murata committed against Rio seems so miniscule. So trivial.
A minor infraction compared to the mess that the same woman, the Pyro Archon, was causing across a nation’s biggest environment.
Natlan does not know, but it’s going to create a generation of traumatized warriors. Bernardo turned and faced the Vision that was adorned to his breast pocket, just over his name tag.
Murata will never know it, until her warriors come home and they start denouncing war; creating the divide between a new generation and a generation that has seen an industrial war vs the ones who still have the naivety of it…
And unfortunately, without some divine intervention, this war was going to keep burning.
Hopefully, not for eternity.
For lord knows that the methods to conduct war change, but it’s depravity does not.