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The Raiden Shogun had just allowed them to leave the place after she killed Signora.
She didn't put up a bit of resistance in letting the traveler go. After exiting the Shogunate's place, Lumine seemed to be in a daze as she kept thinking back to what had happened moments earlier.
She started her long treacherous walk from the Shogunate's place towards the gate, on her way towards the safe distance of the Raiden Shogun, she could hear Paimon talking, but couldn't understand what her little companion was exactly saying.
Lumine couldn't believe that moments earlier, she had challenged La Signora for the throne, finishing as the victor, already expecting to fight the Shogunate once the duel was done. Wielding her sword once again, she brought it in front of her as she kept her eyes on the purple-haired woman, but the electro archon only passed by her, and continued her approach to the blonde woman, but ended up only dying in the hands of the person she thought would help and cooperate with the Fatui.
Lumine got pulled out of her daze once she stepped out of that gate, she looked down the steps to see her friends, Kazuha and Gorou, as well as the Sangonomiya soldiers. She saw them smile, and this made her glad that they were safe, until she felt a dreadful aura behind her.
Kazuha acted instantly to the situation, but he still ended up being a second too late, and saw Lumine's body falling towards the ground as the Shogunate swung her blade to the blonde traveler.
"Lumine!" Paimon screamed, getting everyone's attention, "Wake up! This is no time to be sleeping! It isn't safe here!" She begged her human partner, but there was no response.
The Shogunate had long before disappeared from her portal and could no longer be seen.
Kazuha knelt next to Lumine and cradled her unconscious body, pressing her head to his chest. Crying because he wasn't able to act quicker and allowed the archon to take the person he was starting to cherish, but he suddenly choked on a sob when the girl opened her mouth and exhaled.
"She's still here!" He shouted, letting everyone sigh a breath of relief.
Lumine's closed fists relaxed, opening it to reveal a pink charm, Kazuha had picked it up and Paimon saw what it was, "That's the charm Miko gave us, something about protection and helping us as well." That's when Kazuha realized that the fox envoy had protected this human from dying, though her consciousness might have ended up getting sucked in the Shogunate's portal.
~~~~~
Lumine had indeed been sucked in the Shogunate's portal, where she met Ei for the second time, "So, we meet again." The purple-haired woman greeted, as she got down from her meditating position.
Ei had a bored look on her face as she talked with the traveler about the reason why the blonde female showed up in her plane of Euthymia.
The blonde felt her blood boil, as she was slightly enraged at how dismissive the Electro Archon is towards her people, towards the inhabitants of Inazuma.
"Anyway. You're looking for a chance to shake my will... aren't you?" The taller woman, an air of smug confidence around her.
"I'm not here to debate your ideas." The shorter one started, "I'm here to demolish them." She claimed, anger enveloping her.
"So be it. Well then, you who would defy eternity... Time for you to enlighten me." The smugness disappearing, and only left with boredom, knowing full well how this battle would end.
The blonde pulled out her sword as she got ready to battle, as she charged towards the archon.
~~~~~
Kazuha had pulled the blonde woman's head onto his lap, checking her pulse every now and then, glancing at how her hands would clench then relax, "Maybe she's having a conversation with the Shogun." Gorou spoke, startling Paimon who was resting on top of Lumine, wanting to feel the rise and fall of her human companion's chest.
"Oh no, what if she ends up hurt like last time." Paimon panicked, staring at the human's face.
"Last time...?" Kazuha asked, worried.
"It was when we saved Thoma from having his vision taken away by the Shogun, she was sucked in the Shogun's Plane of Euthymia, and lost the battle with her that she almost got killed, if it wasn't for Thoma being willing to kill the archon to save Lumine." Paimon explained, leaving the others worried as well.
~~~~~
After their swords clashed, Lumine was pushed back from the force of Ei's power.
Having to almost kneel down at the force, if she didn't use one of her hands to balance her weight, while she kept a hold of her sword.
She almost feared that she might not make it, almost admitting defeat, but her urge to save everyone was the only thing stopping her from giving up, when she suddenly felt the pink charm that Miko had given her. Fishing it out from her pocket, she saw how it was glowing in the same color as the object.
"Dear me." This caught Lumine off guard, startling her from staring at the charm, as she turned her head towards the owner of the voice, only to see the fox envoy herself. "Aren't you cutting it rather close?" The pink-haired fox asked, as she hummed, looking down fully at the traveler's direction.
"Miko" the archon called, clearly surprised to see her friend in the plane of Euthymia herself, "This was your doing...?" Ei asked in disbelief.
Miko chuckled, as she turned her head a bit as she waved her hand in a dismissive way, "Now, now. Don't forget who taught you how to place your consciousness in objects." She chastised.
Bending down to reach Lumine's ear level, the fox envoy questioned sarcastically making the blonde gasp and looked down in thought, "Surely you don't think your ambition alone is enough to shake Ei's will? Do you?"
"Though you alone are here, they too, have ambitions. Which they long since entrusted to you." Then Miko straightened up, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Bringing one hand towards her chin, Miko commanded the blonde traveler, "Now then, close your eyes." Making Lumine close her eyes, trusting the fox envoy with her life while she was vulnerable. She could hear the voices of each owner of the visions, as it lit up one by one.
She raised up to her feet as she felt the presence of her friend. It had been an unfortunate event that she lost Teppei because of the Fatui secretly giving the soldiers a delusion.
The visions lit up the plane as it cleared out the fog and darkness enveloping it, which displeased the archon. Lumine knew that this wasn't enough to shake the woman's will, so she charged back once again, with the faith and power of each and everyone that had been affected by the vision hunt decree.
~~~~~
Kazuha, Gorou, Paimon and the others stared at the charm as it glowed pink.
"Miko showed up!" Paimon cheered, making the others smile, relieved but not totally, especially when they noticed bright glowing lights from the statue.
"Looks like the Vision Hunt Decree is coming to an end." Gorou observed.
Kazuha stared at Lumine's face, glancing every now and then at her reactions. From her eyebrows meeting together, to her mouth breathing out air, to her hands clenching and relaxing.
"Lumine..." he whispered, making Paimon glance at him.
It didn't take long for Miko to appear in front of them, which made Paimon come to a conclusion that the fight was done. "Where's Lumine?!" She cried, getting in front of the fox envoy's face, catching the woman off guard.
The pink-haired woman looked down only to see the blonde traveler, lying down on the ground, "She didn't reach the Plane of Euthymia physically?"
"No, the Shogunate showed up, swinging her sword behind Lumine." Kazuha started.
"It's a surprise that she didn't end up dead." Gorou added, making Kazuha glare at him, but he knew that what Gorou said was true.
Miko stared at the blonde traveler, worried that she hasn't woken up yet, seeing as Ei had already dismissed them from the Plane of Euthymia.
She touched the traveler's forehead, trying to find her consciousness.
This went on for a few minutes, Paimon even panicked when she didn't feel the rise and fall of the traveler's chest, "She stopped breathing!" Almost getting Miko to disconnect with Lumine.
"Paimon!" Kazuha scolded, glaring at the little creature, making her cower towards Gorou.
Then suddenly Miko opened her eyes, then the blonde traveler violently gasped, opening her eyes.
Lumine pushed herself to sit up, clutching her chest, gasping for air.
"Lumine!" Paimon barreled towards Lumine, burying her face against the human's chest.
Lumine hugged her little companion back with a soft smile as she glanced around her surroundings, then she teared up to see that she was awake.
Kazuha couldn't even move, that Gorou had to push him towards the woman. The white-haired blonde was startled, but moved forward enveloping the woman in a hug.
"I'm glad you're back." He whispered, scared that she might disappear again.
Lumine hugged him back with one hand, as she kept Paimon in her embrace, while the blonde traveler rested her head on his shoulder.
"Sorry for scaring you." She whispered back, pretending like it was only the three of them present in the place.