Chapter Text
In her restless dream, she sees purple hair.
Purple like wisterias. The same ones that hang in her courtyard, tended by the gardeners who’ve come and gone through the centuries.
Purple like lighting. The same one that might’ve birthed her. The one that made her become the Archon the people of Inazuma depended on. The Archon they finally trusted after all her transgressions.
Purple like Makoto’s hair. The same one whose life was snatched, crushed under that city where heaven's sky couldn’t reach. Her one and only dearest sister.
But it wasn’t her hair.
It might’ve been at a glance—she made that mistake only once—but at closer inspection, even those unfamiliar to the late Electro Archon could notice the difference in shade. The choppier length. The strange, yet familiar, roundness in face that couldn’t be Makoto’s.
Because Ei, couldn’t possibly forget her face. Not, the soft crinkle in her eyes when offered dango from the food stalls or the way she pressed her lips tightly together when trying to hide her smile.
No, the person in front of her wasn’t Makoto. Simply because they had no face.
Perhaps she should rephrase.
They most likely did have a face but it was always, always obscured by something. A fan, sakura petals, walking bypassers. They lingered like a ghost, haunting her footsteps wherever she walked. Never close enough to touch, neither far enough to go unseen. Like they wanted her to know that they were here, that they existed. Yet shied away from her peaceful attempts to talk. Simply tilting their blurry head and turning away.
Leaving her to jolt awake in her euthymia with hand outstretched and an ache in her chest.
This…routine of theirs spun countlessly, devouring her rest.
And finally today, Ei had grown impatient.
The soft petals of the sakura trees fell into her palms as she walked down the streets of Inazuma. Even if it were a dream, Ei could feel the hot sun down her back and the slight summer breeze.
The people that passed her bowed in respect while the sellers called out to her, advertising their goods to their beloved Archon. Dozens of faces she hadn’t seen in a millennium greeted her with a smile.
She gave them a curt nod and vowed to memorize their features.
With a hefty sigh, Ei gazed up to the sky above, inhaling the sweet scent of her city. Letting it flood her lungs. She wondered if this dream was nothing more than a collection of her ancient memories muddled together.
The cats meowed on the tiled rooftops and children laughed while running by her. Adults talked amongst each other in loud, hearty tones. The cooking fires from the restaurants cackled just as the bakeries pulled out their fresh delicacies on the sills. There was no trace of sadness, or war or pain.
It was soothing, to be envloped in a future that would soon occur. She would make sure of it. Even if it were the last thing she’d do in this physical body.
Her eyes flicker to a purple veil.
The sweet scent grew bitter.
A small stall far from the busy main streets, garnered the attention of only one. A small figure—likely less than two-thirds of her size—stood preoccupied by the displaying ornaments. It lifted a mask from 500 hundreds years ago, high into the sky. The sun’s rays shone upon it just as a peaceful breeze brushed by. Their veil fluttered, lifting it above just enough for her to see the choppy hair lying underneath.
She clenched her mouth.
Foolish. The intruder of her sweet dreams had their back turned to her.
Ei regally swirled on her heels, storming through the busy crowds of the main street. Her people quickly moved out of the way. Even in her dreams they knew that their Archon was a force not to be reckoned with. Especially when she had her eyes set on something.
By the time her intruder had noticed something amiss, Ei was already behind them. She gripped their shoulders violently, spinning them around to face her. Her nails dug deep into their flesh.
Who are you?
That was one of the multitude of questions she had prepared for a time like this.
But when the figure swirled around, the questions died on her tongue.
For a brief second, indigo eyes bore back at her. The boy looked at her with utter shock and astonishment. Mouth gaping at a small o.
The hands gripping his body dropped an instant. Falling back to her side. They gazed at each other in silence. Her body moved before her mind had time to catch up. Her hand hesitated in midair, before she slowly reached out to cup his cheek.
Soft.
The boy flinched from her touch. With a small gasp he pushed her with everything he had, making her tumble backwards.
Without a look back, he made a run for it.
Ei rushed forward to follow when something grabbed her heel. Dark hands crawled up her body, constricting her movement. She tugged against its grip looking back at the intruder of her sweet dreams.
Who are you? She wanted to shout at the person again. Her lips however, remained sealed like always. She watched, frozen in place as their figure shrank smaller and smaller. Blurring in and out of sight before disappearing entirely. Her throat constricted. Even her dreams couldn’t protect her from the pain of unspoken words.
The hands pulled her down into the open mouth of the void. It grasped at her face, covering her eyes and sinking deep into her skin. It pulled her deeper into the void. The colour red covered her peripheral’, blacking out everything.
Until all had but faded to darkness.
Ei gasped awake in her euthymia. The lilac skies flared dark, thumping widely alongside her heart. She ran a hand through her purple hair. The boy's face still fresh in her mind. Pale lips and Indigo eyes that bore the same shape as hers.
A sudden headache jolted through her brain.
Just who exactly was this person?
...Perhaps it was finally time to see Miko.