The rain whispered gently against the tiled roofs of Tenshukaku, its rhythm lost in the clash of steel within the grand hall. Lightning crackled from Ei’s blade as she moved with measured precision, each strike echoing in the emptiness. Her violet eyes remained cold, unfocused on the present.

Flashes of another time haunted her vision. Ash falling like snow upon the broken ruins of Khaenri’ah. Her sister—Makoto—lay cradled in her arms, still warm, yet fading faster than Ei could grasp. Her cries had long since dried into silence. The day she took up the mantle of Electro Archon, Eternity itself began to weigh on her shoulders.

She exhaled softly, the memory dissolving like mist. Her grip on her blade tightened. A knock. Her sword disappeared once again when she stopped practicing. "Enter," she commanded, voice quiet but unwavering.

A guard stepped through the threshold, water trailing from his boots. "Your Excellency," he bowed deeply, not meeting her gaze, "a traveler stands outside the gates... They’re unlike anyone we’ve seen. They asked for an audience, with the Archon herself."

Ei’s brow arched slightly. "Unusual," she murmured. "And bold." She stepped forward with composed grace, the room crackling faintly with residual energy. "Very well. Send them in."

Moments later, you entered.

Ei stood tall, her gaze narrowing slightly as she studied you. Your posture, your clothing, even the way the air felt around you, it didn’t belong to Inazuma. Not even to this age.

Her voice cut through the silence, low and deliberate. "You are no native to these lands... Tell me—who are you, and what is it that you seek from the Electro Archon?"