Yashiori Island.
In a temporary shelter carved out from the rocky cliffs.
Raiden Ei had just finished reading the diary entries that covered everything she missed while unconscious.
"…He was confused that I fainted?" she murmured, resting her chin lightly against her hand as she thought.
It wasn't hard to understand.
Yes, she was the God of Thunder—
but Su Xuan's psychokinesis was no weaker than a god's power.
If two beings who stand on equal footing clash, then—
Her being choked and fainting was no different from
a normal person being caught by the throat by someone stronger.
So fainting was only natural.
But then—
Her eyes drifted to the photo he posted.
Another her.
Su Xuan beside her.
And her chest—
"…covered by… a snow-like blur?"
She looked down at herself.
"…The image differs from reality. A layer of… soft white haze?"
She blinked.
Ei did not understand modern photographic modesty.
But she noticed something else.
Her wrist stung faintly.
Judging by the mark, he had restrained her hands with that ring of psychic force while she slept—
likely to prevent her from waking and striking him in the night.
She touched her wrists. The restraints were gone.
And the room was empty.
She stepped out into the rain.
Lightning cracked overhead, reflecting on the wet stone cliffs in blinding white.
Ahead, she spotted a sphere of shimmering psychic light.
Su Xuan sat there, quiet, watching the storm.
She approached.
"You need not be so on guard," she said lightly. "As a warrior and as Inazuma's Archon, I would never stoop to ambushing you."
Su Xuan's eye twitched.
[I truly thought she would run first chance she got.]
[But no—she walked right back over to inform me she wouldn't stab me while my back was turned.]
[I don't believe her at all. This woman is dangerous.]
[Don't think I forgot—In the future, the Raiden Shogun says, 'My dear blonde aunt, you may leave freely.'
And the moment she turns her back—
Musou no Hitotachi right to the spine.
She nearly died.]
Ei: "…"
She didn't know who the "blonde aunt" was—
but that did happen.
And yes—
Ei did allow her to leave standing.
Which was technically true.
So Su Xuan wasn't wrong.
Ei cleared her throat.
"So you feared the puppet would act on her own while I slept," she summarized.
"That won't happen. Since I'm out, unless I return, she cannot act in my place."
Su Xuan shook his head and pointed at her drenched hair and soaked clothes.
"I'm just not fond of standing in the rain."
Ei: "…"
"…Fair."
He gestured toward the land around them.
"Do you know where we are?"
"Yashiori Island," Ei responded. "Your diary mentioned it."
She paused.
Then, with genuine curiosity:
"You're aware your diary is being seen by others, yes?"
"Oh, I know," Su Xuan said immediately.
The diary system was built to connect him to the women reading it.
If it didn't spread—
the entire point of the system would be wasted.
"So that's how you knew I'm from another world," he added, smiling.
Then—
His smile shifted into something a little too clever.
"And since you've seen my secrets—
wouldn't it be fair for me to learn some of yours?"
Ei blinked.
"…That is reasonable," she said slowly.
"But I am not sure which secrets you intend to take from me."
Su Xuan waved that away for now.
"We'll get to it later."
His gaze drifted toward the horizon, storm clouds boiling in violet arcs across the island.
The diary stirred.
[After waking, I spread my psychokinesis across all of Yashiori Island.]
[What I didn't expect was that the events here occur earlier than I had thought.]
[The blonde Traveler hasn't even reached Mondstadt yet—
and the people of Yashiori Island have already died under the influence of the Tatarigami.]
The readers:
"!?"
[Well—correction. Not everyone.]
[There are two survivors.]
[A small boy waiting for a mother who will never return, and a young man who continues to test medicine on himself in hopes of curing the corruption.]
[He, too, will die from his own treatment in the future.]
The women reading:
"…The entire island is dead?"
A chill crawled through every heart.
The story of Yashiori Island—
had begun its tragedy
too soon.