Imperatrix Umberosa 25: Inazuma no Himegimi
The sky above the isle was black, and the stars that glimmered balefully there were false and misleading, their paths leading those who thought to follow them into madness and despair of Fates that would never be realized. The ground itself was bare stone, scared and blighted, stained with death and worse. The soil was long gone, and what waters pooled here and there in pockmarked depressions held not life, but madness.
At the heart of the twisted landscape, however, beauty bloomed. A Thunder Sakura tree glowed with holy light, and lightning pierced the false sky to strike it, showing a hint of the sun's truth that the lies obscured. A shrine was built around the tree, and on each side in the four sacred directions stood a torii gate, formed of living steel and wrapped with the roots of the Sakura tree. Each gate was hung with purity seals that were replaced each day, inscribed with desperate prayers for survival.
Beneath the East gate, below the benevolent visage of the Dragon of Restoration, Ami stood, waiting. Beside her stood Murasaki, in the form of a kirin the size of a large horse; his jagged horn crackling with lightning. Behind them were Captain Hitomei and her soldiers, all of them in the new Mark IV Kairagi armor. The armor itself was alabaster in color, etched with protective script and with Ami’s personal crest, an endlessly unfolding scroll marked by the electro sigil.
Closing her eye, Ami could feel the sun set, though none of them could see it as the light faded. Here, under the false sky, the night was everlasting. But even this darkness could deepen.
“They come,” Ami said, and reached into her chest and drew out her blade. Around her, armor whirred and clicked as the soldiers readied their own weapons. The mist before them darkened, thickened, and then began to birth horrors.
The monsters that attacked the torii gates were never the same. Sometimes, ghostly reflections of the defenders stormed out of the mists. At others, their loved ones shambled forward, begging to be saved. Often, masses of shambling and crawling horrors lumbered forth, their misshapen faces and bodies of the sort that could drive mortal minds to madness, and gods to weep.
Today, the assault was simple. Screaming, faceless men and women, all suffering various horrors, ran towards them. Some were aflame, others disfigured by disease, or bloated and rotting as if they were already dead. Ami’s warriors watched them approach in silence, advancing only to the threshold of the torii gate to stand beside her. To go beyond the gate was to risk madness and death beyond even what they risked already.
Ami swung her blade up into a high guard, the motion mimicked exactly by her warriors. The howling demons of the Abyss continued on, and Ami closed her eyes, letting her spirit touch not just the warriors at this gate, but the squads guarding the three other gates as well.
Stand fast. The Daughter of Eternity is with you. My mother is with you. We will not fall to the demons of the void this day! Japan shines eternal!
“JAPAN SHINES ETERNAL!” came the answering roar, and the weapons of the guardians came down in a peal of thunder.
The fighting was brutal and intense, and lasted all through the night. Ami was grateful that it was still midsummer, and the night this far north was brief. Captain Hitomei and her men were rotated out and back four times, as no soldier was kept on the front lines for more than 30 minutes.
But not Ami. Rest was for mortals, and while she was not quite a god yet, neither was she a mortal girl.
Still, by the end of the night, Ami’s empty left eye was weeping blood and tears, her spirit was fading and weak, and her muscles ached with strain.
As dawn approached, a final, massive wave of Abyssal monsters came at them, this time looking like a children’s hospital had been emptied of its most pitiable patients. Little girls with bare feet and bandages around their heads, young boys clutching stuffed Murasaki dolls or wheeling IV drips beside them as they ran weeping at Ami.
Fury filled her heart. The Abyss was a mockery of life, and attempted to use its influence to corrupt and break the minds of her defenders. She would not allow this.
She raised her blade high, and called upon the glowing remnants of her strength. “SACRED ART: MUSOU NO HITOTACHI!”
Thunder blared, and lightning flashed out of all four torii gates, and the wave of monsters was obliterated by the Echo of Eternity.
This time, Ami remained on her feet, breathing hard, her strength all but spent. She raised her blade steadily back to high guard and waited.
But no further false children came forward. Hidden behind the false sky, the sun rose. Lightning struck the Sacred Sakura tree, and Ami could feel her mother’s approval as a sliver of sunlight warmed the defender’s souls for a brief instant.
“At ease,” Ami sighed and was forced to lean on Captain Hitomei and Murasaki as they hurried forward to guide her from the battlefield. Those who had fought headed for a portal back to their barracks on Hokkaido, while a new shift of soldiers took up positions at the torii gates. While the Abyss attacked without fail every night, that did not mean it would not probe their defenses during the day. Though it may seem to rest, the Abyss was relentless.
Uncle Mushu was standing beside the portal, arms folded as he watched the soldiers depart. He nodded to them, and received nods in return. His rule was that those who had just fought did not salute him; only before battle was that honor rendered. For now, they were to rest, and not salute even the Eternal Guardian himself.
For Ami, however, he unfolded his arms, and rested his massive hand gently on her head, rubbing her hair.
“Uncle…I’m not a little girl anymore,” Ami sighed.
“Sure looks that way to me,” Mushu chuckled, patting Ami’s blonde hair one last time. He smiled down at her. “You did good, kid. Real good. No breaches at all. And you kept up your strength the entire time. Even at the end, you could have fought longer if you’d had to.”
Ami gave a weary grin and nodded. “Yeah. I’m still not strong enough to fight the Twins…but I am getting stronger. You’ll see. I’ll be the god of awesomeness soon enough, and then they’ll need to fear me!”
Mushu grunted. “Let’s hope so. Now go hit the sack. Even you need sleep.”
Ami yawned, then staggered to the portal, where she found a grumpy looking Sayu sitting with a snoring Clara leaning on her shoulder. Sayu gently shook the other girl, who blinked and staggered up, saluting. “All enemies exploded, Ami!”
“West Gate stayed strong as well,” Sayu agreed. She nodded to Captain Hitomei. “Thanks for looking out for this over eager idiot.”
“It is my honor to stand beside the Daughter of Eternity,” Hitomei said formally. She had retracted her helmet into her armor, revealing a face nearly as youthful as Sayu’s. However, on her forehead, a purity seal with the kanji for Eternity had been tattooed. Most of the soldiers guarding the gates on the blighted isle had a similar tattoo. It was believed by the defenders that such a mark guarded their minds from corruption, and conferred the blessing of the Raiden Shogun.
Originally, Ami had thought it a little silly, until she realized that if enough of the soldiers believed it to be true, it would eventually be so. She’d had a quiet talk with her mother, and Ei had confirmed that she did indeed invest each and every tattoo with just a little power, helping to strengthen and protect her soldiers. “They embrace Eternity in their own way, standing fast through long nights and harsh days under a liar’s sky. I cannot always stand with them with this body, but as a god, it is my duty to stand with them always in spirit.”
Ami, her sister, and her mother, Uncle Mushu, High Priestess Yae Miko, as well as several other powerful Japanese cape teams, took it in turn to help guard the gates. It was an endless war, guarding the Kuriru Islands against the forces of the Void. Already, it had been a full year since the Abyss was first unleashed by the foolish Yankees, and this dead isle remained the most active Abyssal incursion zone globally. Only the constant efforts of Ami and her family prevented the horrors from beyond the stars spilling out and engulfing the world in corruption and death.
Ami took a private portal directly to a shrine, where she was helped out of her armor by waiting servants. After that, it was a full bath and cleansing ritual, the same as it would be for any soldier returning from the front. However, before she went to bed, Ami put on a smile and shining face, and went to give the morning benediction to the Shrine’s supplicants. She spent an hour blessing the adherents, before finally, at last, being allowed blessed sleep.
Like the soldiers, Ami slept on a simple mat on the floor, but she was so exhausted that she fell asleep as soon as she laid down. Sayu was already snoring on one side, Clara on the other.
She slept for 10 hours, then rose and participated in another cleansing ceremony before eating a hearty breakfast of fish, eggs, rice, spicy kimchi, and miso soup. Ami had grown very fond of the Korean kimchi for breakfast after spending some time there, enjoying the sour and spice that helped wake her up.
After that was two hours of training with Sayu and Clara, both with the blade and physical exercise. Then another bath, and a meeting with Arakawa-sensei to dictate more of Ami’s adventures.
She avoided telling about her duties guarding the Abyss. Instead, she made up a fanciful tale of herself visiting Teyvat and meeting an estranged brother in the distant land of Sumeru. Arakawa-sensei did some quick storyboarding, and Ami approved it.
“You can make me more…vavoom, right?” Ami asked, cupping her chest and looking down at herself with a frown.
“Yes! Men should be buff, and women should be VA-VOOM!” Arakawa sensei declared, and drew a quick sketch of Ami with a chest size that would have put even her mother to shame.
“If you make me look like that, I’ll be too top-heavy to fight,” Sayu muttered, rolling her eyes at the sketch.
Ami patted her friend on the back. “It’s OK, Sayu. We’re still growing. We’ll drink plenty of milk, and become vavoom together!”
“Hmm, maybe I should lay off the milk, I already get sore,” Clara said, peering down at herself.
Sayu and Ami gave their friend a death glare, which earned them a smirk and a pulled-down eyelid. Despite being the youngest, Clara was both taller and had a fuller figure than either of her friends. Ami blamed Clara’s German blood, and was jealous of her friend’s naturally dirty blonde hair.
After a lunch break, Ami met with Noriko and Yukuaki. Nearly all of the running of Japan was firmly in their hands and the hands of their Commissions, but there were certain things that needed the Shogun’s approval. Or, well, Ami’s approval.
She studied a printout that Noriko had provided, comparing it to a chart, and nodded in approval. “The Hegemony’s new currency seems to have stabilized relative to the yen. And our reserves of precious metals are still quite high. Good! I was worried that all of our war spending would debase our currency relative to the new Hegemony Dollar.”
“There’s little worry of that. Korea has been spinning up their own arms industry, and we’re getting a lot of supplies from them now,” Noriko said, passing Ami another graph. “I’d be more comfortable if we were producing more food, but our supply line to Korea is much more stable than it is from the Arab states. Korea has massively increased their domestic food production. Though, that’s a bit of a lie. Most of their new crops are being grown on the lunar surface.”
“How are the Lunar mining operations coming? We’re in desperate need of more raw materials for our industry. We can’t take advantage of our free electricity if we’re not using it to manufacture finished goods or refine raw materials,” Ami asked.
Noriko happily showed off several charts where Japanese businesses had won mining rights on the Moon. They were having to pay a tariff of what they extracted to the Korean government, but it was feeding the Japanese industrial base nicely. “We have transitioned to more of a war economy footing, but we’re not fully committed and we are still able to supply a lot of production for trade or domestic consumption. I am working on getting in more Chinese refugees as labor. The American refugee situation has changed: We’re not getting any more from the Hegemony, but there are a lot of people applying from South America and Africa. I am worried about their ethnic…differences…being received poorly.”
Ami looked to Yukuaki, who shrugged. “As long as they pay fealty to the Raiden Shogun and yourself, Princess, they’re able to receive full Japanese citizenship after they become fluent in our language and are able to pass the cultural test. I’ve actually loosened the scoring requirements slightly, and made a fast track option for those who marry Japanese citizens. We’re also now allowing full dual citizenship with Korea through a deal with their government.”
“And Christians or other faiths?” Ami prompted.
Yukuaki hesitated, then sighed. “The new Pope has made it somewhat easier for Catholics to pay homage to your mother by acknowledging her as a Divine Archon, sent by their god, and we’re allowing that loophole. But there are so many different kinds of Christians…we’re running into problems there. Thankfully, South America is mostly Catholic, so that hasn’t been an issue. Plus, more and more refugees are just converting to Shintoism or Archonism. We do, of course, permit the worship of the other Archons, and have shrines to them. Lord Buer has multiple shrines, with more under construction. She’s very popular, even with the ethnic Japanese.”
“Very good. And set up a program for people fleeing the Hegemony. They’ll need to be quarantined on the northern Kuriru Islands where there’s no corruption to ensure they’re not spies, but expedite their refugee status. We won’t turn away those who flee that land’s coming destruction.”
“Ah, about that…there are some American expats who want to form a little America community in Tokyo…I’ve hesitated to allow it, considering…well. General sentiment towards the Yankees,” Yukuaki admitted.
“No. There will be no little America, or little Brazil, or any other little community. They will integrate and become fully Japanese,” Ami said firmly. “We will welcome them, but this is Japan, the unchanging land of Eternity. We will not assume the guise of their former homelands.”
“Can I have additional funding for more Japanese cultural and language classes for immigrants, then?” Yukuaki asked hopefully.
Ami looked to Noriko, who grimaced, but nodded. “I’ll see to it that the revenues are found for such, Highness.”
“Good. We need to solve the population crisis immediately. Immigration isn’t enough. The birthrates have been trending up, but I want them to be far above the replacement rate. There is a coming disaster, and Japan will need many strong soldiers and workers to weather that storm,” Ami declared.
“More ‘have sex’ commercials it is then,” Yukuaki groaned.
“And a higher tax on contraceptives,” Noriko agreed.
“Pair it with more day cares, free diapers, and lower food and housing prices,” Ami ordered. “And see to it that you find and adopt an heir soon, Noriko. If you’re not willing to bear a child, fine. There’s plenty of orphans, pick a couple of cute ones.”
Noriko spluttered a bit. “I, we…Bukdu and I don’t have time to be parents!”
“Find it. My mother did,” Ami said firmly. Then she turned to Yukuaki and smiled sweetly. “You have three months.”
“T-three months?!” Yukuaki spluttered. “Yes. Go to Korea and propose to Yeon-Hwa. The wedding is to happen before the New Year. And you will be leading by example in the family planning department. I expect lots of cute imperial heirs running about the palace and headlining the ad campaigns.”
Sweat beaded on the Emperor’s forehead, and he licked his lips. “Um, Highness…I’ve only known Yeon-Hwa for less than a year…”
“Long enough to know she’s a keeper. I’m not asking. Get married, have kids,” Ami stated.
“I…yes, your Highness,” Yukuaki said, and bowed to Ami.
“Good. Meeting adjourned,” Ami said.
Noriko stood at once and hurried off, already talking on her cellphone, while the flustered Yukuaki took a moment to gather his papers. Ami flicked a finger of dismissal at his attendance, and she was soon alone with the Emperor. She took off her formal tiara and smoothed her hair, sighing. “Sorry, Yuki. I know this is uncomfortable…but people like us don’t really get to separate our personal and public lives. Plus, my mother and Dalnim are becoming insufferable. If you don’t get married soon, you’re going to have a full three-ringed circus and seven hour ceremony broadcast to the entire world.”
“I, it’s fine. I, um…she is the one, so, uh…you know,” Yukuaki blushed and ruffled his papers again.
“There is something else. I made this for you,” Ami said, and produced a pendant, which she handed to the Emperor. It was made of silver and gold intertwined, and had a small locket that could be opened. The Emperor flipped it open, peering inside.
“Here, it works like this,” Ami said, reaching over to tap the pendate. “You turn this key, here. Right now, it shows red Mars. But if you turn it…”
“A pink Venus?” Yukuaki said, then he gasped, eyes wide as he jerked the pendant to himself. “I…you! How?!”
“Oh, please. Did you seriously think I wouldn’t know about Mysterious Idol Fabulae?” Ami tittered. “Dalnim told me everything, but I already had my suspicions! Well, now your disguise will be totally complete! Just like Ranma ½!”.
Tears filled Yukuaki’s eyes, and he gave Ami a tight embrace. “...thank you. Yeon-Hwa…she understands. Oh, man, she’s going to be THRILLED. Especially in- uh, never mind. That’s probably too much information…”
“I can make her one too, in case you want to have one of those kids you're having yourself,” Ami said with a wink.
Yukuaki spluttered at that, and Ami laughed and stood. “I need to go meet with my mother now. You go find Yeon-Hwa and enjoy yourself. Here, I’ll make you a portal.”
Ami used her hand to cut open a path through reality, joining two points in space. Yukuaki thanked her profusely, then slipped the pendant on, and turned the key to Venus. There was a flash of light, and where the Emperor had stood, Mysterious Idol Fabulae appeared. Only a bit shorter, and with pronounced hips and breasts.
Yuki grinned, touching herself. “I…wow. It’s fully complete, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve been using my Vision to, uh, help, but…wow. Thank you, Ami. You…you’re the best god ever, you know that, right?”
“Not yet, but I will be! Knock her dead, Tiger!” Ami said, and gave Yuki a thumbs up. The other woman grinned, then stepped through the portal, which Ami allowed to slide shut.
The next item on the agenda was to step into the Plane of Euthymia. Ami did so simply by stepping between the two worlds. As she did so, Murasaki appeared at her side, floating along in his chibi form.
“How was training?” Ami asked her familiar.
“It went well, Mistress. I trained with Kroos and Amiya on the moon as planned. I grow stronger, just as you do,” Murasaki assured her.
“And you got to skip the boring meetings!” Ami laughed, even as they stepped through a purple torii gate and into her mother’s realm.
Murasaki coughed. “Yes, well…I know how you enjoy finances, Mistress. I would not deprive you of that.”
“You know what? I actually sort of do,” Ami giggled. “Guess I was meant to be a real Princess after all.”
The sound of a hammer reverberated through her mother’s mediation plane, and Ami passed neat stacks of freshly forged swords, spears, arrows, bows, and larger and more exotic weapons, including several experimental guns. Ei had been devouring textbooks on firearms manufacturing as well as studying with several Japanese master gunsmiths. The works she had created so far were exquisite, though like all of her mother’s weapons, they were in limited supply.
“Ah, Ami,” Ei said, looking up from her forge. She used one of her many arms to pluck the barrel of a long rifle from the forge, then place it in a quenching trough. “Tell me, what do you think of this?”
Ei handed over a pistol of intricate design, with flowing water with raging storms above it on the metal plating, and a glowing purple Sakura wood grip. It was shaped like an old flintlock dueling pistol from the early 19th century, though with a place to accept a clip of bullets cunningly formed into the grip. The weapon was forged of an odd, glowing blue metal that Ami had never seen before. She tested the weight, then formed a few electro bullets, and loaded the gun, before test firing it at a target erected for the purpose. The lighting obliterated the dummy, which was swiftly reset by the realm.
“It’s got quite a kick to it! We could use more of these on the front,” Ami said with a nod. She turned the weapon over in her hands. “What’s the material?”
“Indemnitium, from Focalors. I wished to honor her,” Ei said. She nodded to the gun. “This pistol is in the style of Nicolas-Noël Boutet. I have named it Namikagami.”
Ami grinned and handed her mother back the pistol. “Mirror of the Waves, huh? Not bad! Truly, it is a weapon fit for a god!”
“Good,” Ei said with a small smile. Then she leaned forward, gave Ami a hug, and kissed her on her head. “You do me proud, daughter.”
That made Ami blush slightly. “Ah, mom…I’m just doing my duties!”
“Yes, but you are so…” Ei obviously struggled for words, and gave Ami another squeeze. “Yourself. You are the bright flash. Not the shadow of the lightning. You are…good. All a mother would wish a daughter to be.”
Ami blushed even more furiously, her ears burning. “I…thank you.”
“I…” Ei struggled again, then managed. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Ami whispered, and floated up slightly to kiss her mother on her cheek.
After that, they had a quiet shared snack. There was tea, yes, but also Twinkies. Despite their shared antipathy for the American government, both Ei and Ami adored American snacks. The unhealthier, the better.
“So, I can’t get fat, right?” Ami asked around a mouthful of very artificially flavored and dyed sponge cake.
“Were you to become a god of sloth and idleness, yes,” Ei said, unwrapping her third twinkie.
Ami frowned at her mother, but Ei showed her a small smile. “A joke, Ami. You are too…active.”
“Well, I sort of wish I’d get some fat. At least in the right places,” Ami grumbled.
Ei took a bite of her junk food, then reached over, and held up a lock of Ami’s yellow hair. “When did you last bleach this?”
“Uh, I’m not sure. Murasaki? I haven’t really had time to bleach my hair with all the fighting, so…”
“It was just before Jeju Island, Mistress,” Muraskai said, holding up his own Twinkie that was nearly as big as he was.
That gave Ami pause, and she held up a bit of her own hair and examined it closely, then gasped in surprise. It didn’t have the appearance of even well dyed hair, but rather, of a natural hair color. Which should have been impossible; as an ethnic Japanese, Ami had been born with black hair. Come to think of it, the hair she shaved from her legs and arms was looking lighter than usual as well…
“You are my daughter. When you close your eyes, what do you hear?” Ei asked.
Ami shrugged. “Uh, not much. Well, I mean…if I listen…I think I can hear people. Praying to me.”
“Then there is little time left. Your form is yet transient. Changing. This will not be so when you choose your aspect.”
For some reason, that frightened Ami, even though she knew that was what had been happening to her since she’d first been adopted by her mother. Becoming a god like Tsu had when she became Dalnim was what Ami had dreamed of for years now! So why did she suddenly feel short of breath, and as though she were about to weep?
“Fear not,” Ei said, resting a hand on Ami’s shoulder. Ami decided that wasn’t sufficient, and turned to bury her face in her mother’s chest as she clung tightly to her, just like she had when she was a little girl.
“I know you’re with me, I just…will I still be me, when I become a god?” Ami whispered.
“A god is more of who they are. Not less. You are…larger. Encompass more. But you are also limited. We are ruled by our aspect. I cannot be anything but Eternity.”
“But…you still like junk food, play video games, make weapons, and can’t even microwave a bowl of noodles,” Ami giggled, dabbing at her tears with her sleeve.
Ei shrugged slightly. “Yes. But only according to Eternity. I was ever a poor cook. I will be so unto eternity. Always, I have enjoyed games, and sweets. This shall always be so.”
“Hmm. So, like, I’ll get to keep my manga, and fight, and do concerts, and just…be me?” Ami asked hopefully.
Ei nodded. “Yes. And I shall teach you Makoto’s speech.”
That made Ami blush. “I, um…I was going to ask about that. Clara and Sayu…they talk about boys. And they have…you know.”
Ei cocked her head, and Ami sighed. “Periods, mom. You know, like most girls get? I mean, I get them…but not very often. It’s like…I’m half mortal, half god. But…I’m not interested in boys.”
“Noriko prefers the company of women,” Ei said reasonably, and Ami laughed.
“Or girls, mom!”
“Ah. Then I shall teach you Makoto’s speech. There was…” Ei paused, and looked away. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and Ami instantly hugged her and waited, quietly.
At last, Ei swallowed. “She was my familiar at first. Her name…was Yae Miko. Similar to the one of this realm, but not. She…we…I did not take her to my bed. But only because I was torn asunder by grief and alone upon this plane. If…if I had sought companionship…it would have been..”
Words obviously failed Ei, and Ami hissed her gently on the cheek and held her mother closely as words failed the Narukami Ogosho. At last, Ei’s breathing normalized, and her tears dried.
“You don’t normally talk about Teyvat,” Ami said quietly. “Or…the people you loved. Even Aunt Makoto.”
“No. Many of those I treasured…and departed. I…I cannot speak of them without…I am Eternity. The grief…it remains fresh. I see them. Hear them. Feel them. Even still. And yet…I cannot share a quiet evening under the Sakura tree with Kitsune Saiguu. Or spar with Mikoshi Chiyo. Or…or hold hands with Yae Miko. They have departed me.”
Ami felt her throat beginning to close up, and hugged her mother again. “I’ll become a god, and never leave you, mother. I swear.”
“No. But I fear one day, I must leave you,” Ei said, and gave Ami a sad smile.
“No! You can’t! You’re the Electro Archon! You’re my mom! You’re the most amazing warrior ever, the coolest, the strongest…you can’t die! Ever! You’re Eternity!”
“May it be so,” Ei said, and hugged Ami back.
The two of them sat for endless moments in a place without time, watching the flickering glow of the lighting. At last, Ami stood. “Well, I have one more meeting. I guess I could stay here forever in this moment with you…but…”
“But if you did that, then what makes this moment precious would be lost. Go. This night’s battle is mine. Attend to your duties, and rest,” Ei said, and turned back to her forge.
Ami stepped back into the stream of time and Earth Bet, and found Sayu and Clara waiting for her. “Is my next appointment ready?”
“Yeah,” Sayu said, scowling. “But I don’t like it. We searched her and everything, but…I don’t like this.”
“People aren’t evil just because they’re Yankees, Sayu. You were raised in America, you know that,” Ami chided.
“Yeah, but I’m Japanese! And I got out before summoning demons to make your microwave run became a national hobby!” Sayu protested as they headed for the private audience chamber.
“Don’t be dumb, you can’t make your microwave run on the Abyss,” Clara said, rolling her eyes. “Not unless you want your microwave to explode.”
“Your microwave exploded!” Sayu pointed out.
“I was 10! I just…slightly overclocked it!”
The two of them bickered for a bit until they arrived at the door to the audience chamber. Then both became the serious retainers that Ami knew she could rely on. Sayu went into the room first, while Clara came in behind her. Inside was a well furnished room with a low table and cushions on a carpeted floor. There was a suit of armor on a stand and a sword on display that Ami had forged herself, and wall hanging depicting flashing lightning.
At the low table sat a woman in the uniform of an officer of the Protectorate. She wore her blonde hair in a short bob cut, and had a serious expression on her face. When Ami entered, she rose and bowed slightly. “Thank you for agreeing to see me, Highness. I’m First Lieutenant Carol Dallon, of the Lightkeepers.”
“It is unusual for a Hegemony officer to request a private audience with my mother. I speak today on behalf of my mother, the Narukami Ogosho. What request does the Hegemony have?” Ami said cooly, seating herself on a cushion and gesturing for the American officer to seat herself. Interesting that she introduced herself as a Lightkeeper, not a member of the Protectorate.
“I will be brief, Highness,” Carol Dallon said when she was seated and Clara and Sayu had taken up watch positions, while Murasaki coiled himself on a cushion beside Ami. “Colonel Jones has received information from the Oracle Fortuna as to the next time and location of Apep’s attack. We believe we have an opportunity to kill it, and eliminate a large portion of the Abyssal threat. As such, we are requesting the aid of the only being known to have slain an Endbringer in direct combat. We request the aid of the Endslayer.”
That made Ami blink in shock. She took an instant to process that, then asked, “And this is an official request of the Hegemony? Of the Protectorate? You who would use the Abyss in your technology?”
Lieutenant Dallon flinched ever so slightly. It was subtle: the woman had a good poker face. But her eyes lowered, and she could not meet the gaze of one so close to divinity.
“No…princess. It is…it is the request of Colonel Jones, and the Lightkeepers. We…we would ask that you not inform the Hegemony. We…fear they would…well. That they would not do their duty, and see the beast slain.”
Well. Ami eyed Lieutenant Dallon across the table. “Yet you wear their uniform.”
“I believe in the Hegemony. In Mankind’s ability to govern itself, and to stand on its own,” Dallon said, straightening. “I’m no Archonist. However…myself, and Colonel Jones, will acknowledge that…that your mother saved Japan. That without the Raiden Shongun’s intervention…it is likely millions would have perished on Kyushu. And millions more in subsequent Leviathan attacks. The Abyss is a threat unlike any other. I…I do not agree with my country’s current policies regarding the Abyss. As such, the Lightkeepers have allied themselves with Farasha and…and the Fatui led by the Rat King, in our efforts to stop the Abyssal threat.”
Ami digested that. She’d received intelligence that there were units from the Hegemony, specifically under the command of Colonel Jones, working with Farasha and David Ward against the Abyss. She hadn’t quite believed it. But now…
“So, you ask my mother’s aid to slay the God of Death,” Ami said slowly.
Lieutenant Dallon nodded, her expression grim. “Against that horror…I want my daughters to live to have their own children. Not be twisted into abominations or erased from reality. As such…if it means their lives…I…I am willing to bow to the gods.”
“That will not be necessary,” Ami said, shaking her head and coming to a decision. “My mother cannot depart Japan. She is bound to these lands, and we must guard the Gates of Death against the Abyss.”
Dallon’s shoulder’s slumped. “Then…you won’t-”
“However, myself and my personal guard will join you in your battle,” Ami declared. “I will bring Shinden Unit, with 100 of our finest Mark IV Kairagi armor, as well as their support elements, which include trained Shinto priests for purification rites.”
The American’s mouth opened in an “o” and a soft sound escaped her, and Ami grinned. “I know I am not the Endslayer, Lieutenant. But I have faced Endbringers before. And I still have one eye left.”
“I…thank you, Highness,” Lieutenant Dallon said, and bowed deeply. “Thank you. What…what price do you ask for your aid?”
Ami considered that. “That I get to headline ComicCon next year.”
“I…what?” The Lieutenant blinked, clearly baffled by the flippant response.
“Well, I’ve heard that the American ComicCon in San Diego is one of the largest and most influential conventions globally! What kind of an international media sensation with her own comic series would I be if I never appeared there?”
“I…I will see what I can do,” the American said, obviously still baffled.
That made Ami laugh. “Well, name the time and place, Lieutenant, and I and my retainers shall be there.”
“You…you can promise this, without your mother’s permission?” the Lieutenant asked.
Ami turned sober. “Lieutenant, most days, I am the Lord of Japan. I might be only 15, but my word is law in this land. If I say something is loosed, it is loosed. If I say it is bound, it shall be bound. And if I say I shall fight beside you, my banner will be at your side.”
“Thank you, Highness.” The Lieutenant took a small sealed tube from a messenger case at her side and handed it to Ami. “That has the information and a brief outline of the Colonel’s plan. Surprise is of the essence. If the Endbringer senses a trap, it will retreat or not come at all. I don’t even know what is written there. Keep it secret and safe, even from your top officers. The Abyss cannot learn of this, and it is insidious.”
“I alone shall read it,” Ami promised, then stood.
The Lieutenant stood and bowed one last time.
“Thank you,” Ami said, taking Carol Dallon’s hand and squeezing it.
“For what, Highness?”
“For showing me that not all of your nation is lost, Lieutenant. That there is yet a few in America who see the light, and fight for it.”
“America has nearly lost her way before, Highness. As Winston Churchill said, we’ll try everything before we finally do the right thing. I’m confident that in the end, my nation will do the right thing, and turn her back on the Abyss.”
With that, Carol Dallon saluted Ami, then turned on her heel and marched out of the room.
“That is a brave woman,” Ami said with a nod. “It will be an honor to fight alongside her.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Sayu asked quietly. “Could be a trap.”
“Then we expose the Americans for the snakes they are. Or, perhaps, instead, we show that they have good in their hearts after all. I shall choose to believe the latter, until I am forced to do otherwise,” Ami said.
After that, she retreated to her own meditation plane, and read the note before destroying it. She would make the arrangements. She would have to be absent from the Gates of Death for a full month, so that the Abyss could not somehow discern this from her mind. Her mother would understand. Not only that, she would approve. To Ei, there was no higher cause than to defend mortals from the Abyss.
In the end, Ami’s mother did weep when she was given the news, but only after Ami had departed.
“Ami…come back to me. I cannot…I love you more than even I did Makoto. I cannot lose my heart to the Abyss again.”
Heroes may perish. But stories never do. And the story Ami would write in Bolivia would be one of glory.