Genshin/Hunter Chapter 104 (Patreon)

Ei was... Obviously a mental mess now so we gave her and Makoto a bit of space with Yae, Shenhe and myself going to another room to leave the two electro goddesses.

"Well well... I never have seen little old Ei that emotional Jake." Yae spoke as we entered the room.

And Shenhe added with a slow nod. "Reminds me of my master's reaction to Guizhong coming back. She had to clean a lot of dust out of her eyes due to Ghuizhong's control over her dust not being that well."

I couldn't help a mental chuckle that matched Guizhongs as I knew that was just Cloud Retainer hiding any small amount of her tears for seeing her old friend and mechanical rival coming back into the fold.

"Yeah... Wait till she realizes Makoto is going to be in my soul and will be leaving with me." I said with a wry smile.

And at that, Yae's face went pallid as she woodenly looked at me. "Wait. When are you leaving? Why would you leave, I mean you are literally just below the Raiden Shogun in power here in Innazuma?!" She demanded with her face showing how stressed she was.

As I knew this was going to be a bit... A slight bit of an issue, as Ei would obviously not want to lose her sister so things were going to be a bit weird.

I shrugged and said. "I was hoping she could put Makoto's soul in her spear seeing as Ei put her own soul inside Makoto's sword."

Yae gave me a long look before she stated bluntly. "Jake... If that was so easy, why hasn't the Adepti put Ghuizhong's soul inside their own contraption or puppet?"

And I was reminded that despite them having resurrected Qiqi back in the Archon War and all those events. Even with all that, the Adepti and Rex Lapix/Zhongli didn't go for such a path which meant that they simply couldn't as I knew that if they had the chance to help Ghuizong on their own they would have done so.

"Well... I guess that Ei is going to be upset when I inevitably have to go to another country." I held up my hands and within my hands flowed three elements in Electro, Anemo and Geo before I closed them. "I made it perfectly clear to Ei and everyone else that I wanted her help in getting strong and then I would naturally continue on my journey with Lumine and others."

I did actually miss Lumine a good bit honestly... It had been weeks since I had seen my blond-haired golden-eyed lover and I missed her sassy loving attitude.

Shenhe helpfully added. "I will be following you as well."

I gave her an amused smile as I said. "Yeah Shenhe, I know you will come with me as well." I looked back to Yae who was pinching the bridge of her nose as she groaned aloud.

"Ugh... Ei is either going to do one of two things. Either A she is going to just follow you on your merry little adventure and leave me to do all her work. Or B, she is going to force you to stay here so she can keep her sister close at hand."

I shrugged and said wryly. "Well, its a good think I am on good terms with Barbatos and Rex Lapis. She literally cannot keep me on a leash even though it would be more of an 'honored guest' thing she would have me under." I made sure to make finger quotation marks for the words for the honored guest part as I knew it was going to be a little weird.

But all this guessing and getting anxious about Ei's reaction was worthless as Makoto could stick around in her spirit form for a good while and I could

-

Back in the long meeting room in an inverse of that horrible fated day during the purge of Khanriah. Makoto was holding Ei's head in her lap with her fingers gently passing through her sisters purple hair. "How... Did he?" Ei whispered thickly in confusion.

And Makoto sighed as she gently patted her sister's head as she spoke. "I had a whisp of my soul and will under the Narukami Shrine. When I left for Khanrieah I knew that, that would be the day I died. So I left a shard of my soul and will behind so that way in time I could console you."

Makoto gave her sister a sad look as she tucked loose hair behind her sister's fair ear as she whispered. "Ei... What are you doing to Inazuma? A civil war that we are on the losing end of and are in the wrong for, to begin with? A hunt to collect Visions that are driving the best and brightest people of Inazuma into insanity?"

Ei was silent for a moment until she slowly extracted herself from her sisters arms and there was no elegance as she sat down on in the traditional style on her folded legs. No her eyes were downturned with shame and just defeat as she said. "Makoto I honestly just kinda gave up. All our friends are dead from our generation, so many of our own people died along with several islands being lost... There is only three islands in the entire chain of Inazuma that even have people anymore!"

At Ei's outburst, Makoto exhaled as she nodded slowly as she took in the information. As she didn't know what had happened after she had died. Seeing as this form here was just that soul shard that she left behind and was now being nurtured by Jake's odd soul energy.

There was a long moment of silence before Ei looked up to her sister and said almost desperately. "You... You don't hate me do you?"

A harsh cracking noise rang out with Ei's stunned face turned slightly to the side as Makoto shook her hand slightly from slapping some sense into her sister and then Makoto took a deep breath and said flatly. "I am disappointed in how you have handled your grief Ei... But I understand, I likely would have suffered my own mental collapse should you have died as we are twins born of the same lightning bolt after all."

Makoto then leaned forward and gave her sister a tight hug as she whispered into her ear. "I love you Ei. Nothing will ever change that. Now tell me-"

Makoto stopped speaking as Ei staggered as Makoto's hands turned misty and broke apart. "Well this is unfortunate, I need to return to Jake's soul... Lest my soul completely collapse, I will speak to you again Ei." She said quickly and then her form collapsed into white shards of light with Ei holding a hand up to Makoto as though to capture her essence to prevent her from leaving but her hands couldn't catch the essence of a soul.