Istaroth would not give careless guarantees.
Even though she could walk Teyvat's timelines at will, some beings were never bound by fate to begin with. The moment such a being intersects with someone or something "destined," everything turns indistinct. Even fixed fate and fixed time drift off their rails.
Descenders are exactly that sort of existence.
Few know there are tiers among Descenders. The Primordial One, the Nibelung Root that returned from the Abyss, the partitioned "Third Descender," and the sibling pair now abroad in the world—all are Descenders, yet not of equal rank.
That sibling pair truly stand outside Teyvat's fate and possess an uncanny resistance to the Abyss. But they are still not on the same level as the returning Nibelung Root, who commanded the Abyss and clashed with the Primordial One, shattering half of Teyvat.
And the man before her—Mr. Taro—was a different tier again. He was not merely outside fate. He had the strength to smash everything in Teyvat if he wished. Against strength like that, what are "fate" and "time," unless something higher than Teyvat intervenes? When a world breaks, nothing remains to argue about.
Honestly, Istaroth didn't want any fool poking this man. If he grew angry, the disaster would be more than Teyvat could bear. He could leave whenever he liked, taking whoever he cared for with him, and never return—he carried more than one world on him. Doing all that would be easy.
But what of Teyvat then? Wait for death. If a world is only cracked in places, they—those who patch—can mend it. If a world is truly broken… repair is a fantasy. They stole a world once and seeded humanity; they did not create a world. They are not creators.
"I can promise only this," Istaroth said. "Heaven's Order will not initiate hostility toward you. In the highest sky I still have some voice. As for what lies below or outside… if fools appear, I ask that you do not drag the world into their punishment."
The Abyss had brought too much that could not be controlled. The Third Descender had sown seeds of unrest. Many beings disliked stability or refused to accept it. Removing such destabilizers would cost a price Teyvat could not currently pay. It would have to be gradual.
"That's the answer I needed," Taro replied. "I won't break the peace unprovoked. If fools show up, I'll make them pay on the spot without harming the world. You can rest easy on that."
That was enough. With Heaven's Order not tripping him or pointing fingers, they could coexist. If he was in a good mood, he might even lend a hand and toss a favor. He had no interest in targeting Teyvat for sport. Crimes belong to individuals, not to the world.
Of course, if the owner of a world insisted on being his enemy, then shattering that world would be the correct choice. Cruel? A joke. Better they die than he does.
"Sir, magnanimous as ever." Relief loosened Istaroth's chest. Talk was possible, and agreement even better. Mutual understanding was ideal. "In the name of Istaroth, I wish you smooth skies."
The white glow before them dimmed… and failed to vanish.
"Ah—sorry," Taro said with a cough. "Not on purpose. I forgot."
He waved, dismissing the Paradise Projection. Only then did Istaroth's will depart completely. Truly, he hadn't trapped her—he had simply… forgotten.
Istaroth twitched at the eye. She pretended nothing had happened and hopped rapidly across several timelines in a row. This gentleman was a little mischievous. Endure it. No choice.
"Why the distrust?" Taro muttered, rubbing his chin as her presence faded. "Don't trust me at all, huh?" He'd even planned to spar with her true body. Why run so fast? Was he that frightening?
(Ronova & Istaroth, far away: "Yes.")
"So much for trust between people," he sighed, shelving the idea of chasing her down. He turned to the Raiden Shogun, still bound.
He snapped his fingers. The unseen chains fell away. The Shogun stabilized in an instant, lifted her gaze, and fixed it on Taro without moving.
"Do you understand?" Taro asked quietly.
"I do." The Shogun placed a hand to her chest. "This body now belongs to you. The Inner Self—no, I—was merely one of the bargaining chips. With those chips we purchased the revival of the first Raiden, Ba'al. Is that correct?"
"Correct," Taro said.
"I thought so." The Shogun frowned, puzzling through it. "This body is Eternity's guardian. The law did not specify whether it could be traded. Must I still guard Eternity for you? Must I force you to guard Eternity? You do not seem to be one who keeps to Eternity. But Eternity cannot be betrayed. If it is, this body becomes a shura. Yet you are not this body's creator, and should not be bound by its law. But then…"
Her base logic had once been perfect, able to close the loop on its own. Now the command target had changed—from Ei to Taro—and the logic had a gap.
When logic gaps appear, they must be patched. But during patching, established logic resists the patcher. The "patch routine" and the logic itself clash. If they stalemate too long, both sides label the other "false," kill each other's threads, and reboot. The cleanup routine, however, judges both sides "correct" and refuses to clear them.
Thus begins a dead loop.
Ordinary machines caught in such a loop crash when they run out of compute. The Shogun was not an ordinary machine. She possessed will. Strictly speaking, she had entered three concurrent self-optimizations: the will of the Shogun working to refine the base logic. If it succeeded, she might transform. Whether the result would be good or bad… could not be predicted.
Taro watched her for a moment, then spoke.
"Take your time. Do not force the contradiction. I'll provide a new prime directive later. Until then, stand by."
The Shogun bowed her head. "Orders received."
Taro exhaled and glanced toward where Istaroth had vanished. "Really… where's the trust?"
(End of Chapter)
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