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“Stop looking at me like that." He pleaded, tears overflowing his eyesight. She stood above him, much taller, much more powerful. Her eyes burned into him with disgust, with disappointment, and surprisingly, even to herself, a bit of pity.
"It can't be helped. You've failed to reach the standards. You cannot go on to live out the purpose of the heart's vessel." She said, coldly. "You must be discarded, just as the rest were. You are no different; they all were as futile, as pathetic as you." The words stabbed him in his chest, though he couldn’t comprehend the uneasy feeling that resulted from her insults. "Why can't you just be good for something, why didn't you work," She muttered under her breath.
"Please, I can do it. I promise, I can endure anything you need. Please-" He begged. "Let me live. I want to live."
Her eyes widened. That was new, she thought. She closed her eyes.
500 years ago, the cataclysm occurred. The world was in total disaster. Fire fell from the clouds and monsters flooded every part of Teyvat. Casualties upon casualties laid in the ruins that were once the beautiful land they called home.
She turned to Makoto, eyes beseeching for a solution. Makoto simply grabbed her katana and began to walk into battle. Ei screamed after her, but it was no use. As the archon, she had to do something. She had to at least try. Makoto turned back for a split second.
"I want to live. But we cannot permit this to continue. We must protect our people."
And with that, Makoto had been slain. She joined the many brave casualties in the great war. But Ei never recovered. She casted a seal upon the land, eternity upon the region. She would not let it happen again. She could not allow change.
Afterwards, she would shut herself away in her own mind space; a place she called The Plane of Euthymia. Prior to this, she attempted to create a puppet, a mere copy of herself that could live on in mortal realm to rule over Inazuma. She made many efforts, many experiments, many failures. She discarded them all, frustratedly.
"I want to live." He repeated.
"Ei..." A voice called out. A voice he hadn't heard before. A pleasant voice. He watched through his blurry, naive eyes as the pink haired woman pulled his creator aside. They began to speak beyond his hearing.
"He's different..." Miko continued.
"I know, but-"
"No buts, Ei. Why don't you let him live? Seal his power and cast him into a slumber, hm?" She suggested.
"Ah..." Ei thought for a moment. "I suppose it is possible..."
Miko clapped her hands and smiled at their conclusion. Though, sending the puppet into a deep sleep would not be an easy task. The gnosis was inside of him. She had been testing him, seeing how he'd handle the gnosis' horrid memories. And the process of removal was quite a gruesome one.
She infused her hand with electro energy. It crackled and sizzled like lightning around her fingers. The puppet sat, strapped to a chair.
The procedure was something Ei performed quite frequently due to the amount of prototypes that did not succeed. But of course, Kunikuzushi was not prepared for what he was about to undergo.
She grazed her electrified hand over the center of his chest, testing his reactions. He didn't seem to feel much, which was a good sign. She pressed one finger down on the fragile skin, watching it sink down into his flesh. He flinched slightly, eyes widening. She wanted to get it over with. He was so similar to the rest of the failures, this shouldn't be any different. He would die in the procedure and she wouldn't need to worry about what to do with him any longer, she'd be able to move on to her next attempt. But something was holding her back. She looked at his face, admiring his features that were oh-so similar to Makoto's . She thought about his plea for life; her mannerisms were practically imprinted onto him. She felt pity wash over her once again as he squirmed with the uncomfortableness of her hand slowly making its way through his chest.
"H-hold on for a bit long, my sweet puppet. I promise... it'll be over soon..." She said quietly, though his body kept tensing and twitching. She gripped the gnosis that had been implanted in his pericardial cavity. He shrieked in pain, yet showed no signs of losing consciousness. But his legs kicked at the air, his knuckles had turned white due to clenching his fists so hard, his face was twisted up in agony. Tears began to form in his eyes. Ei furrowed her brow, remembering why she had resented this being so badly. He was crying, again. How many times would he reveal his terrible weakness to her? How many times would he let his emotion pour from his glistening eyes that were so similar to hers ? How many times would he resemble her and tear into her traumatized heart? Ei ultimately retrieved the gnosis, turning away and raising it to the light to examine it. Kunikuzushi slumped in the chair, completely motionless. He breathed shallowly. His eyelashes fluttered as old tears drying on his cheeks that had been drained of all their color. His mind was blank, as if a void had replaced the thoughts that had once inhabited his head. His vision was blurry and dark at the edges. A painfully high pitched ringing strained his ears. He felt like he was floating. Ei grabbed his chin, forcing his face to meet her piercing gaze. His bloodshot, empty eyes met hers. She smiled eerily at her creation.
“You withstood the procedure. You shall live.” She spoke, though the boy was unable to process the words. All he could do was stare at her dully as his body fell into a slumber that would last for an eternity.