Author's Note

Hi everyone! Here again with another chapter of Multiversal Crisis, I know I've been absent quite a while, but I had to take some time to properly define the route the story will take, and I think I've figured it out, but regardless of it, I'd like to hear y'all out to get some feedback and improve the story in the upcoming chapters. Without further ado! I leave you to read the chapter, hope you enjoy it!!

-DReep

Chapter 26: Among Memories, Gods and Contracts

Now back in Inazuma, Sunlight finally replies Yae's question. "My name is Sunlight, and I do... know him, but... we're not friends if that's what you ask... he's... my superior to put it in a simple way." Yae looks at Sunlight with a calmed gaze, but also undecipherable for everyone, she gently holds her chin with her hand and says politely. "You seem like a good girl, Sunlight. May we have a word in a more private place?" Said Yae as she moves her hand towards her shrine, the place where she often meditates, Sunlight only nods with her head and both head there, leaving the Arataki Gang outside.

"What do you think they will talk, boss? Asked Mamoru to Itto, who replies with a confident voice. "Well, whatever that may be, it surely won't concern us, so we better head back to the city." Itto then stood up and was about to walk out of the shrine, but a Shrine Maiden suddenly appears out of nowhere and startles Itto, and says. "Please, Lady Guuyi requests you to stay while her meeting ends."

"WOAH! Ok, ok, ok... we'll stay, but don't jump out of nowhere again... jeeezsh!" Said a scared Itto as he and the gang sit around, meanwhile, inside Yae's room, she and Sunlight have a more open talk.

"Tell me, Sunlight, what's your true relationship with Starkiller?" Asks Yae with a calming voice, helping Sunlight muster enough courage to tell her. "Listen, back to the world I'm from... I made some bad choices and joined his evil army, and when I wanted to leave... they used this dark magic to control my body to do their bidding. I was sent here to retrieve him and take him back to their headquarters, but to be honest... Not only that, but I'd rather leave him here to rot than anything else, but I won't be able to go back unless he comes with me." Sunlight then sighs of relief and looks at Yae, who says calmly.

"I see... now allow me to share you what I know... Starkiller arrived suddenly to this nation, and I began to track him when I sensed his dark presence. After his imprisonment, I handed him over to the Tenryou Commission, who will make sure he is judged by the Raiden Shogun, since he is a clear exception to all the laws in Inazuma due to his external condition, plus also killing a few soldiers. The thing is, when he gets judged by the Shogun, she'd probably choose to execute him right away, since he might pose a threat to the Shogun's quest for Eternity, but there is another outcome which is more likely to happen. Since he's an outlander of all kinds, the Shogun might need to ask herself which is the righteous choice. Everything we know until now, it's that there isn't any rules or laws known that already apply to him, so the decision of his sentence would not only involve the Shogun, but also the three Commissions in Inazuma, so his sentence will be delayed even more."

Sunlight then looks at Yae with confusion and asks. "And what do you want to say? That I can go with this Raiden Shogun and ask her to spare Starkiller's life?" Yae then chuckles and says with a calmed voice. "That would be an option, but what I want to say is... you're going to have time to think of your next move, I won't tell the authorities about you, so that you can decide whether to save Starkiller by doing what you said, or... you could do nothing and let his fate be decided by the Shogun, the choice is yours." After this talk, Sunlight now understands more the current stage, as she looks at Yae, she sees how she moves her hand towards the door, saying that this conversation has ended.

"Thanks... Lady Yae." Said Sunlight with a thankful smile, Yae only replies with a friendly voice. "Don't even mention it, I only did the easy part, now it's up to you." As both exit the room, Yae says. "Arataki Gang, may I give you a commission?" Itto stands up and was about to say something but he's interrupted by Yae who says. "Yes, there will be a remuneration if that's what you were going to ask." Itto then widens his eyes as Yae read his mind, but he then shakes his head and says. "Hey, if it's a favor for the Grand Narukami Shrine, the Arataki Gang could do it for free..." After saying this, he felt the gaze of his gang on him, even Shinobu's, so he had to fix it right away. "... But, since you insist, we won't decline your kind offer, what's the commission anyway, Lady Guuyi?"

Yae then says with a calmed expression. "Please give Sunlight a tour around Inazuma, she's not from here so before she leaves, she'd like to see everything from this beautiful nation." Itto then blinks for a few seconds and then says. "Is that all? Really? HA! Then c'mere little pal, let the Arataki Gang show you EVERYTHING there is to know about Inazuma, this is going to be AWESOME, HAHAHA!" As Itto said this, he wrapped his arm around Sunlight's shoulders and then began to walk out of the shrine along with the gang, as the sound of their laughs slowly fading away, Yae says to herself. "I hope Ei will make the right choice."

As Sunlight's tour begins, back in the Nation of Contracts, Axios finds themselves beneath the moonlight, approaching what appears to be a statue of a man sitting on a stone throne.

(I couldn't find any photos at nighttime)
"What is this?" Asks Applejack as she hits the tip of her hat with her finger, Twilight then approaches and says. "For the obvious looks it's a statue..." She then uses the visor of her suit and scans the statue, detecting a large amount of energy that lies inactive. "... But it appears it works as a beacon, or maybe a power source, but in any case, who might be the one sitting on the statue?" Asked Twilight as John and Rainbow Dash caught up to them, John then uses a weird device Tesla gave him time ago to scan anomalies, after some time and with Cortana's help, John says. "According to the readings, this is a statue that is fueled by some kind of Elemental Energy, more specifically, an energy that shares many similarities with... rocks?" John's answer made everyone a bit more confused, although Twilight then tried something... risky.

As she approaches her hand to the statue, she feels how its sleeping energy wakes up and gets to her, even if only for a moment, Twilight could felt how someone gazed his eyes upon them, but she couldn't describe the feeling to anyone else. "Hey Twilight! Are you okay?" Asked a concerned Rainbow Dash, but Twilight replies calmly. "Yeah... it was... a simple reaction of the energy of the statue, nothing to worry about." Twilight knew for sure, she couldn't say what she truly felt, but John's HUD Display showed him an enemy target, Cortana then quickly said.

"John, unknown entity approaching..." John then said with a serious voice. "Speed?..." John's expression changed when he heard Cortana's worried voice saying. "NO TIME!!" John then lost control over his body, this only happened a few times before, Cortana used the neural link between her and John to move his body quicker than any reaction time a Spartan can have. John felt his arm taking his blades and quickly turning around, John only saw a green shine approaching and his blades taking guard in front of him. In a matter of half a second, the green light approached and clashed against John, revealing itself as not a light, but as a young teenager holding a spear while wearing a demon mask.

John used the power of his blades and swung them away before their attacker could do anything else, while John analyses the situation quickly as everything moves slowly.

"Dammit! That was really fast! If not for Cortana, that would've done severe damage to me! What's with that power? It's... wind? Anyway, I didn't use too much strength to swing him away, so there might not be a huge power gap between us, but why to strike now? Probably it happened when Twilight touched the statue, whatever it did, I won't let him hurt anyone!" As John saw their attacker almost touching the ground, he knew the moment that happens, he will attack again.

As the tension intensifies, John prepares to attack as their attacker finally touched the ground. Both charged, and the clash between a wind spear and the crimson slashes of the blades caused a light show that blinded the girls only for a moment, after John and their attacker's shape became more clear, John shouts. "DASH! NOW!" Rainbow Dash couldn't get what he wants her to do, but she knows one thing, there's an opening.

Within the time of the small opening, Rainbow Dash charged at a lightning-like speed and kicked their attacker on the side of his belly, launching away, then John quickly said. "Twilight, Applejack! Reduce his movement!" Applejack then punched the ground in front of her and shattered it, lifting many rocks in the air. Twilight used her power and pushed the rocks towards their attacker, who quickly recovered and used the flying rocks as platforms to thrust himself forward, John took the lead and thanks to Twilight, their attacker head to him in a straight line.

John used his blades and intercepted their attacker's spear with his blades. "Who are YOU?" Asked John as he doesn't flinch, not even a millimeter, only to hear their attacker's voice. "The only thing you need to know, it's that I will defeat you, demon!" After this, both engaged into trading slashes. But their attacker got quickly overwhelmed by the violent nature of John's blades and the coordinated attacks of the girls and John, he creates openings for Rainbow and AJ to land heavy blows. In a brief neglect, their attacker couldn't see John's punch heading direct to his belly, launching their attacker away while Axios regroups. As John tries to think of a plan to defeat him, he looks at their attacker's face, his mask has faded away and reveals his wounds.

"I recognize your strength for being Visionless mortals, my name is Adeptus Xiao, Conquerer of Demons." Said Xiao as he wipes off some blood he spat due to Chief's last punch and prepares to attack. John then says with a serious voice. "Well, Xiao. You have a choice between keep fighting or stopping and give explanations. And by the looks of your face, I already know the answer." Said John as he also prepares to attack. Xiao then summons his mask again and John charges up his blades, both then charge forward at the same time and as the tip of their weapons come closer, a pillar sprouts from beneath the ground and stops their attacks, followed by a deep voice saying. "Enough!" Revealing someone else's intervention.

John and Xiao remaing still, although Xiao recovered quicker than John, who couldn't believe the feeling of his attack bouncing back to him, such an awkward feeling, the pillar in front of him is an outstanding creation. "How is it....?" Said Xiao after seeing the man that caused this, Rex Lapis.

"Cease this fighting, now!" Said Rex Lapis as he walked forward, getting in the middle of both of them. "May I know who are you?" Asked John as he calms down but doesn't sheath his blades. Rex Lapis then looked at John and introduced himself. "Greetings good sir, my name is Zhongli, I'm a counselor at the Liyue city, I also offer my services to deal with many threats, I recently arrived to assist Wangshu Inn with a monster issue, but it appears I find myself with the Conqueror of Demons himself fighting strangers." Said Rex Lapis, introducing himself as Zhongli.

John looks at Zhongli and Xiao, with doubt in his mind, he asks. "Why is HE attacking us?" Asked John pointing out to Xiao with his blades, Xiao then ceases his attack and says with a calmed voice. "I sensed a demonic energy near Wangshu Inn, I had to intervene in order to protect the people around the area. Sorry if I may seem hostile, but my duty as Adeptus is to destroy all evil, even if I have to die to do so."

John then looks at Xiao. Just like him, his role at the beginning of the war in his universe was only to kill whom he was told to, no questioning, only blind loyalty, John understands Xiao's actions, it isn't his fault to be entrusted with such a heavy burden. Chief then looks at his blades, it appears the people of this world can sense energy on a different level as anyone John has met before, he then proceeds to sheath his blades, with a calmed voice he says. "My blades were forged with demonic runes, although I'd like not to use them very often, their powers come in very handy most of the time. We're outlanders, but I can assure you, our intentions aren't hostile." Zhongli then makes a statement with a serious and calming voice. "Then, if you plase, we can go for a walk to Wangshu Inn, I'm sure a good meal will be more welcoming to our visitors." Zhongli then looked at Xiao and asked gently. "Would the Conqueror of Demons join us?"

"You go, I still have to check if there aren't any other monsters that were attracted by the energy of those blades." Said Xiao with a serious voice as he takes his spear and quickly jumps away, leaving the group alone. "How unfortunate... the Conqueror of Demons never rests, I wish him the best of lucks. Now then, may I know who are our distinguished visitors?" Asked Zhongli as he leads everyone towards Wangshu Inn. A fine place that serves for visitors from the North to have shelter and warm food to continue their journey.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, these are my friends, Rainbow Dash and Applejack and he's..." Twilight was about to introduce John but he chose to introduce himself. "My name is John, we come from far away, so we offer apologies if we result to be ignorant of your traditions or costumes." As they walk, Zhongli says with a reflective voice. "Greetings to you all, would it be rude for me to ask where are you from exactly? Your names aren't familiar with any Nations' tendencies." After this question, none of the girls wanted to reply, since they knew barely nothing of this world and they would be caught lying if they make a wrong answer.

"We come from a distant land far beyond the sea, it's irrelevant its name, we're only here to find someone who is in Inazuma." Said John with a calmed voice, Zhongli then says with a peaceful voice. "Is that so? Then let's not waste any more time, we'll have a quick dinner and if you wish, I can guide you safely to Liyue City."

Rainbow Dash then said with a cheerful voice. "That would be great, what do you think John? We might need some help to get there quicker than scheduled." John then began to think of this possibility, this would mean to involve locals into their mission, but not necessarily, as long as Mr. Zhongli doesn't involve directly, everything should be fine, with a serious voice, John replied. "As long as Mr. Zhongli is ok with it, we can gladly take your offer."

"Marvellous, then, let's get going." Said Zhongli as everyone began to walk towards the Inn, once there, the locals began to look at John with shock since they've never seen anyone as tall as him, nor using an armor like his, as they get on an elevator, Zhongli said. "Your armor really stands out, John, I hope it doesn't bother you the awkward looks of the people."

"Don't worry, I'm aware of that..." As the pulley mechanism activates, the elevator stucks and doesn't elevate. "What happened?" Asked Applejack as she looks up, thinking the problem must be on the pulley mechanism, but John walks out of the elevator as he says. "Me, that's what's happening." As John steps out of the elevator, it began to elevate much quicker than usual, his armor truly is a problem right now, but he can't wear it off, so he uses his grappling hook and shoots it to the rock and thrusts himself, catching up with the rest as they exit the elevator. "Ok... that was, strange nonetheless, I've never seen this elevator getting stuck, not even when merchants bring their supplies." Said Zhongli with a slightly surprised voice, John then says with a serious voice. "This armor is heavy... really heavy, let's get going." As John turns around and was about to walk, he feels how each of his footsteps puts a lot of pressure on the wood planks beneath him, at the third step, the planks broke and John feel to the water. As he swims out, he uses his communicator and says. "Girls, you stay the night here, I'll make my own camp nearby, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on you." After this, John then began to collect branches and rocks to make his improvised camp.

"He's... extremly tough, not many would've walked out of such a fall like nothing happened." Said Zhongli with a surpised look as he just saw John fell right in front of him, Applejack then said with a smile. "Yup, he's a tough fella indeed, but it'll take some time to fix the hole he left." After this, they saw how John began to walk out of the Inn with a few branches. "That's right, don't worry, I'll talk to the manager so it doesn't become a bigger problem. But... where's he going?" Asked Zhongli with curiosity, Twilight then received the message and then replied with a calmed voice. "He's going to make his own camp, don't worry, he'll be fine." After this, the rest of the group head to Wangshu Inn and check in, Mr. Zhongli's skills helped them to calm the waters as the group promised to fix the hole John left.

As the night goes on, John sits in front of a bonefire, contemplating which could be their next move since now they have Zhongli's help, but as John finds himself in his thoughts, he's interrupted by Zhongli, who came with a box of food and says. "Oh! I wasn't expecting you would still be awake." John looked at him and said with a calmed voice. "Then why bring some food?" Zhongli sees a rock and sits on it, as he takes the box and hands it to John as he says. "It's some dishes originary of Liyue, I told the chef to use ingredients that taste good no matter the time of its consumption, I was aiming to leave it here for you to eat as breakfast, but since you're awake, I think I'll spend some time here chatting with you." John takes the box and although reluctantly, takes off his helmet to eat, showing his face to Zhongli, who says. "You look different from those girls, but not as different in the way of your features, but different on its own constitution."

John tries to avoid the topic by saying. "Well, one thing I've learned throughout my life is that the Universe will always have something new to show you." Said John as he took another bite of his food, although there is one question in his mind. "Y'know, Mr. Zhongli, I've been wondering something, what is an Adeptus?" Zhongli looks at him reflective, after a few seconds of thought, he says with a serious yet calming voice.

"The Adepti are a group formed by Illuminated Beasts and Gods of Liyue, some are bound by a divine contract to protect this land from demons and evils. They've existed for many millenia by now, I'm assuming you asked yourself this after your encounter with Adeptus Xiao. But even among Adepti, there are different rank, Adeptus Xiao is member of a faction of Adepti named The Guardian Yakshas. These were elite Adepti summoned by the Geo Archon, Rex Lapis to fight the remnants of dead gods after what some call The Archon War, but many were corrupted by the darkness they faced, leaving only Adeptus Xiao as the only Guardian Yaksha remaining." After hearing this, John can't help but to understand that feeling, being a soldier was never easy. In the beginning of his career, he and his fellow Spartans were deployed to fight in many lethal missions to win the war against The Covenant, one by one, they were dying, leaving only 8 Spartan-II s in the current time. His duty always demanded him to be on the front lines doing the impossible, and when they time came, they were replaced with the new generation of Spartans. Though someone would think that it's good, the truth is, being replaced is a hell when you're the object in question, many considered him old, obsolete, a memory of a past achievement that could be improved in the future. But regardless of that, he still fights, no matter how many times they try to bring him down, as long as he has blood and oxygen in his body, he'll fight for what he thinks is right.

With a serious voice, John then asks. "Are you also an Adeptus, Mr. Zhongli?" Zhongli can't help but to widen his eyes, as he tries to disimulate, he chuckles and replies with a friendly voice. "I appreciate that you suspect of me to be a member of the Adepti, but I'm afraid I'm only a simple advisor of Liyue." John then eats the last bite and begins to say. "When we arrived here, the local folk stared at us like if we were strange creatures, we ignored them, yeah, but the feeling remains, and when we faced Xiao, he felt indifference for our appereance, just like you do, but he had a target, a mission, you on the other hand, are doing this only because of a good action? Really? Also, you seem to pack quite the punch, stopping my blades just like that? I've managed to slash tougher things before, so it is clear to me that you and Adeptus Xiao are powerful beings."

Zhongli replies with a calmed expression. "That, my friend... it's due to the existence of... this." Zhongli then takes from his lower back what it seems to be a golden jewel, which glows with a symbol in the middle of it.

Zhongli then begins to explain with a serious voice. "In Teyvat, there are 7 elements that rule everything, Anemo which is the power of wind, Geo the power of the rock, Electro the power of the thunder, Dendro the power of plants, Hydro the power of water, Pyro the power of fire and Cryo the power of ice. Each of this elements are also the main feature of a nation, in the case of Liyue, this is the land of Geo, ruled by the Geo Archon Rex Lapis. In order for mortals to wield the power of the elements, there exist Visions, which are granted by the Gods' gaze, recognizing one's ambition and wishes, a Vision Wielder is much more powerful than many mortals, but even so, there are creatures that lack a vision and can outmatch even the best of the Vision Wielders, both the Conqueror of Demons and I have a Vision. That might answer your question."

John looked at Zhongli with doubt, he wasn't sure if what he was saying was truth or not, but regardless of it, he couldn't afford losing their guide on this land, John then sighs and says. "Well, you may be right Mr. Zhongli, may I ask you a favor?" Zhongli crosses his arms and gently replies. "As long as it's in my capabilities, I'd gladly help, tell me, what can I do for you?"

John leans forward and with a serious expression, he says. "I'm going to be honest with you, I'm a soldier on a mission, in order to fulfill it, I need as much information as I can of this place, you seem to be a cultured fella, so I'd appreciate if you could help me providing that info." Zhongli looks at John with a serious expression, a deep silence was created between them, if not for the sound of the bonfire, it would be an awkward situation, Zhongli could recognize John's determination, his blue eyes, though tired, seem to be like the ones of a wolf hunting down its prey, but Zhongli uses this chance to give John another history lesson.

"Liyue is also known as the nation of contracts, if you have a basic knowledge of these, you'd probably know that in order for a contract to be carried on, both parts need to come to a mutual agreement. Although I could gladly help you, what do I earn from this? I'm already helping you to move throughout Liyue safely, so what could be worth of this favor you're asking me for?" Said Zhongli with a peaceful voice, John's expression changed to a more reflective one, he then hears Cortana's voice advicing him. "John, whatever you're thinking, we can't compromise our mission." John then looks at Zhongli and says with a serious voice.

"If that's the thing, let's make a fair trade, I've seen your intrigue about our purpose here in Teyvat... you seem to hide your identity by evading my questions with valid arguments, I respect it though, so here's the deal. I'd tell you the truth about our arrival, you tell me your true intentions, after that, you will be able to choose whether to keep guiding us to Inazuma or leave us to our own expenses. Sounds fair?" After this, Zhongli seemed reflective, for the first time in ages, he's right in front of a mortal that suspects his identity and he can't lure his attention away from it. It appears he won't have another option, in order to ensure Liyue's safety, Rex Lapis must know the intentions of these outsiders, with a calmed voice, Zhongli says.

"Sounds fair, shall we begin then?" After this, both began to explain themselves thoroughly throughout the night, ending their conversation a few hours before daybreak, as John got some sleep leaning on a trunk, Zhongli headed back to Wangshu Inn, being Applejack the first one to get up and headed down, waking up John.

"Chief, it's mornin' already, we gotta fix the hole ya' did yesterday, remember?" John slowly opens his eyes as he says. "Yeah, wake up the others and have breakfast, I'll handle the hole." John said this as he stands up and puts on his helmet, Applejack stretches her arms as she replies. "Allow me to help you, there's nothin' better to start the day than a good dose of hard work." As John nods with his head towards Applejack, he puts on his helmet and checks on his HUD the various notes Cortana made out of his conversation with Mr. Zhongli, Cortana then says with a calmed voice. "So, I've checked this notes over and over again, as also I checked the recordings of your conversation, we got one question remaining. What kind of Adeptus is Zhongli? He said he was indeed part of this group, but his behavior is much different from the one of the Adepti he told us about."

"There's one option remaining, y'know? But do you think it might be possible?" Said John as he goes back to his ideas, Streetward Rambler, Cloud Retainer, Sea Gazer, Moon Carver, all of those are names of members of the Adepti, but Zhongli never mentioned his name as one of them, he said the he prefers his mortal name, but the doubt remains, although that won't be an actual problem for their mission, it's something John's curiosity can't ignore. As John and Applejack fix the hole, Twilight comes out of the Inn and says. "Good morning guys... woah! John, how are you standing here?" John finishes nailing the last plank and replies with a calmed voice.

"Cortana redirected the electric composition of my kinetic shield, focusing all the electrons beneath my feet in circular constant motion, making me much lighter than before, and therefore I can walk over not very strong surfaces without breaking them, it's an idea Cortana and I came up with yesterday after my accident." This idea is similar to a design Tesla made of anti-gravity boots, but it's much less elaborated, Twilight then looks around and says. "Have you seen Mr. Zhongli? I didn't see him while breakfast."

"That¿s because I left to make some scheming for our journey." Said Zhongli, who just arrived and startled Twilight from behind, Zhongli then salutates everyone and after they finished fixing the hole, they left to continue their journey, as the group keeps walking, Twilight has been wondering something for quite the time, Rainbow Dash notices her expression and asks on a low voice. "Hey, Twi! Is everything ok?"

Twilight looks at Rainbow with concern and replies. "It's just... I've been thinking about something that came to my mind lately." Rainbow Dash now feels intrigued and says. "Oh! What is it?" Twilight then begins to say with a reflective voice. "These journeys... every time we go to another universe... we alter its reality, and by that I mean... if we think of every universe following their unique storylines, what consequences have the external intervention of individuals like us? There must be a limit for all of this, don't you think?" Rainbow Dash now begins to think about this, and replies with another question.

"What are you trying to say?" Asks Rainbow Dash, Applejack couldn't help herself but to hear their conversation, Twilight then said with a more serious voice. "My theory is that if we begin to interfere with the events of a universe, there might be a point of no return, but the question is, what will happen when we get there? Would the whole reality collapse? Would we create a chaos in the time-space continuity which might implicate a reality splitting into many thanks to unexpected turn of events, or maybe..." Without noticing, Twilight began to think aloud, she only realized when John said. "Twilight! Calm down! Your worries are justified, but trust me when I say, those possibilities have already been considered. We can talk about them later, but now, we must focus on the road ahead."

After a few minutes walking, Rainbow Dash claims bored. "Can we do something else than just walk? Like... Oh! I know! Mr. Zhongli, you seem to be a local, do you know any interesting story or fun fact of this land?" Zhongli gently turns around as he keeps walking and says with a friendly face. "Sure I do! What would you think if I say you're standing on what once was a stage of a brutal war?" Zhongli sees the girls' shocked expression and he continues. "Thousands of years ago, this world was full of gods of many kinds, each had their own vision of how the world should be ruled. It was a matter of time before they began to fight, and since no one gave an inch, it unleashed one of the greatest conflicts in history known as the Archon War. But as in every war, there has to be a victor and a loser. Those gods who lost the war perished and their memeory has now faded through the years, and those who won settled their own vision of governance over the land. And in order to prevent further conflict, the land of Teyvat was divided in seven nations, Liyue, Monstadt, Inazuma, Fontaine, Snezhnaya, Sumeru and Natlan, each nation has their own culture and each land is ruled by gods known as Archons, Liyue is ruled by the Geo Archon Rex Lapis, and your next destination... Inazuma, is ruled by the Electro Archon Baal, also known as the Raiden Shogun." After this, the girls felt more thrilled about this story, but John interrupted by asking.

"What can you tell us about this... Raiden Shogun, Zhongli?" Zhongli looks at John and replies with a calmed voice. "The God of Eternity, Baal is one that rules with an unyielding will, her goal to seek for Eternity is one I respect, but maybe not everyone in Inazuma may agree with her, but one thing's for sure, she won't let anything stand in her way to achieve the goal previous mentioned. She has isolated her nation from the rest of Teyvat because of this, so that's why getting to Inazuma is an extremely difficult." John then looked away with a reflective expression, if this is true, then they won't be very welcomed in Inazuma.

"So... what about the other gods? Are they like her?" Asked Rainbow Dash with curiosity, Zhongli then replied to each of the girls' questions about the history of Teyvat, in order to endure the long journey ahead. After several minutes, the group finally arrives to Liyue Harbor, a maginificent city that gathers the best there's in Liyue.

"Welcome to the Liyue Harbor, here you will find Liyue's cultural specialties, alongside the headquarters where all of Liyue is ruled, if you hurry, you may reach them on time." Said Zhongli said as he began to walk towards the city as Applejack asks. "Uhmm... who are we looking for exactly?" Zhongli turns around and says. "For a Captain, as I said, Inazuma is far across the sea, and not every crew can navigate through those wild tides, fortunately, I know a crew that might be useful for you, once you get to the docks, look for Captain Beidou, of the Crux Meridian fleet, she and her crew might be the only ones that could take you to Inazuma."

"Aren't you coming with us?" Asks Twilight cofused, Zhongli only replies with a calmed and serious voice. "This is where my deal with you ends, I said that I'd bring you safe to Liyue Harbor, and so I did. From now on, your journey depends solely on you, but don't misunderstand me, I wish you the best of the lucks in your mission." John then shakes Zhongli's hand and says with a serious voice. "Thanks, Mr. Zhongli, we truly appreciate your help, we'll take it from here." As Zhongli shakes John's hand, he says. "Not without this." He then moves his hand to behind his back and takes a money bag that's a bit heavy and in it, there's a geo symbol on it. "What's this?" Asks John as he openes the bag, realizing the amount of More there is in it, which is quite a lot to fit in this bag and be so light.

"A gift that may help you on your journey, it'll attend your needs, but only your true needs." As Zhongli said this, they parted ways, Axios headed into the city as Zhongli watches them from the distance. As they walked, John could feel the looks of everyone over them, but he ignored them, as long as they didn't interact with the locals, there won't be any problem.

As Axios prepares to move forward, back in Inazuma, Sunlight is having breakfast with the Arataki Gang, after their day touring around the nation, Sunlight was astonished by the beauty and diversity of this world, while also doing a few comissions beating up some bad guys that stole goods and supplies from merchants. "Hey! Shunligh! How did ya' lern do figh anhway?" Asked Itto as he was munching a bite of a roasted Lavender Melon, Sunlight only looks at him as she also munches her food, but Shinobu says to Itto. "Boss! Talking with your mouth full it's considered a lack of manners." Itto swallows his food and replies. "C'mon Shinobu, y'know me! I speak my mind out regardless of the situation, HAHA!" Said Itto with a cheerful voice, Sunlight finishes her food and replies Itto's question. "I've been training since I'm a kid, so it's not too big of a deal." Shinobu looks at Sunlight and says. "Then I'd like to meet your mentor, whoever can teach such high-level skills must be a great martial artist." Itto the said loudly. "Me too! I'd like to see if your mentor can handle the Oni style created by yours truly!" Akira then says with a serious voice. "Uhmm, boss, since when do you practice martial arts, at all?" Itto looks at him and replies with a proud laughter. "Oh my dear Akira, Onis already have a martial art running through our blood, with my unique talent, that's how I created the Itto Style." Sunlight and Shinobu laugh about this, since both know such a thing doesn't exist, but Sunlight remembers the question, meet her mentor, with a nervous voice, she says. "I don't think you'd be able to meet her."

"Huh?! Why not? Is she dead or somethin'?" Asked Itto suddenly only to receive a weak punch of Shinobu on his shoulder, leaving Itto in bewilderment, Sunlight then scratches the back of her head as she says. "Yeah... not exactly... let's just say... we ended... in bad terms... so I had to leave her side." Sunlight never thought that she'd say this words, only remembering those times, makes her feel awkward, as she looks at the wood stick she used to pierce her Lavender Melon, she remembers the words of her first friend and mentor. "Hey, you good?... The name's Tempest... What's yours?" Although is only a memory, it weighs on her chest as nothing else in her life does, probably, she can pay her a visit after so much time, hoping that they don't fight like the last time they talked.

Sunlight's mind gets instantly bombarded with an aching pulsing, there's something or someone trying to get to her, and it's obvious who it is since her necklace began to glow dimly, as Sunlight gets her hands on her head, Itto asks. "Yo, Sunlight, you good?" Sunlight then looks at Itto and says with a groaning face. "Y-yeah... it's just... I need a moment. Phew!" Said Sunlight as the feeling faded away, Shinobu then says with a concerned voice. "Was it the necklace? Remember, if something's wrong, we can go with Lady Guuyi again and..." Shinobu is then interrupted by Sunlight who replies with a calmed voice.

"Don't worry Kuki, it won't happen again, plus, Lady Yae said that as long as I don't use my necklace and don't take away any seal, its magic won't be able to control me." As the Arataki Gang looks at Sunlight with concern, Itt can't help but to ask. "If that necklace is so dangerous and stuff, why do you still wear it?" Sunlight sighs with resignation, although she doesn't like to say this, it won't hurt anyone to know, they already know the necklace is dangerous so what could be worse? Sunlight then musters courage and says.

"Whether I like it or not, the necklace gives me powers, and in order to beat the hell out of the guys who used me, I'll need power." After this, Sunlight stands up and says. "Let's change of topic, what else do we have to do on the list? I think we have like two or three things left, am I right?" As Sunlight and the gang began to check everything on their Fabulous Touring-To-Do Things List, a squad of samurais of the Tenryou Commission gets to them and interrupt their task.

"Eclipse Sunlight, you're under arrest for suspiscion of conspiracy against Inazuma and its people." Everyone's eyes widen as they heard those words, Itto quickly stands up and intervenes by saying with an upset tone. "Hold on! Conspiracy?! She's been hangin' with us the whole day! How is she goin' to be part of a... conspiracy?!"

"You better stay back, son! Or we'll take you and your Gang in too!" Said a samurai as he unsheathes his blade and aims it towards Itto, who wasn't planning on stepping back, but Shinobu intervened before he couold do something reckless. "Boss! We better not make this situation worse than it already seems, ok?..." Asked Shinoub with a serious voice, Itto calmed down reluctantly as Shinobu now handles the conversation. "What evidence do you have of those crimes, sir?" A samurai then steps forth, he seems to be the captain of the squadron, with a serious voice, he says. "We received an intruder of the outside in Tenshukakku and before his execution, he told the Raiden Shogun that his partner was nearby, preparing to strike down this nation, he gave us a name and we began to search around the city, and thanks to the many testimonies of people you've helped today and a few locals, we located you."

Sunlight now begins to connect the pieces, probably Starkiller gave her away with the idea of getting together and then escaping this world, but his plan will be ruined, if she resists the arrest, everything will be worse and maybe she'd have to face the so-called Raiden Shogun, and it's not in her plans to fight a god, so she has to play it smart, buy time and prove that she's not with Starkiller. With a calmed expression, Sunlight looks at the gang and says. "Don't worry guys! Everything will be fine." Sunlight goes with the samurai and turns herself in as she says. "Alright gentlemen, I'll go with you." The captain of the squad handcuffs her and the group leaves with Sunlight.

As Sunlight heads to her meeting with the Raiden Shogun, we can't ignore one missing part, Vader's plan, as he said before leaving, he felt intrigued by the recent incident with The Flood, as he and a platoon of Sith Troopers explore different universes, they now settled a camp near a remote universe, as Vader is now in his tent having a private conversation with Kylo Ren.

"What do you have in mind, master? You left without telling me anything." Said Kylo with a serious voice, Vader seems reflective as he replies with a calmed voice. "When I read the case over the incident with the Flood parasite at Zeta Halo, something I saw caught my attention, and it's the fact the Master Chief worked together with you, his sworn enemy."

"Yeah, it also caught me off guard, but the situation needed it." Replied Kylo as he crosses his arms with a serious expression, but Vader highlights that by saying. "Precisely, he put aside your differences and the fact they we're enemies only to fight a bigger threat, and by reading his profile on our database, he'd only do that on the worst case scenario, a threat so big that his motivation to eliminate it is.... fear...." Said Vader with a deep voice, but Kylo still can't fully understand what he's saying, so he keeps silent as Vader asked him.

"What exactly is the overall idea we have on Master Chief?" Kylo then replies with a serious voice. "A pain in the ass, he doesn't give up, he managed to take down bases and operatives, he has an insane amount of luck, it's like he is capable of making things go his favor on purpose. That makes difficult every time we are making a secret operation, if he becomes aware of it, it's matter of time before he crushes it." Vader now seems reflective as he begins to walk around as he says.

"And that's why The Resistance has him in such high hopes, his record has granted him a title of savior, am I right?" Kylo now begins to feel intrigued and replies. "Not exactly, but they do rely on him quite a lot, the fight at the observatory only lasted long because we lured him away, and the ambush we settled in his home, we almost killed him by combining our efforts, but it was really hard." Vader now begins to connect the pieces and tells his plan to Kylo.

"Indeed, but... in the end, he's human, he's no divinity or force of nature, he's as mortal as we are and therefore, he can feel all of our emotions, happiness, sadness, anger, anguish, and... fear. We can use that fear to bring him to us, killing him would be a high endeavor, and we might need a lot of our efforts to do so, but... if we can imprison him... forever, we won't have to worry about him, I'm looking for the knowledge required to do such a task, but we'll need something that can lure him into our trap." Kylo now understands it and says. "His family... the closest ones to him are the ones that can hurt him the most, we already tried kidnapping someone, but we didn't do it to capture him, but to draw those teenagers out. But... I think I know whom to capture to lead him right into our trap." Said Kylo with a serious voice, as Vader now says with a confident voice. "Then make the preparations, once I get a way to seal him, we'll begin our operation." After this, Kylo nods with his head and disconnects, as Vader now shows a sinister smile and says with a reflective but deep voice.

"When God can't no longer protect mortals, Demons will now be free to unleash hell on earth." As the Sith begin to move in the shadows, using the chaos created throughout the multiverse as their cloak, it won't be much longer until true chaos is unleashed upon the innocent.

END OF CHAPTER