Chapter 18: Awakening

"Finally up, are we?"

Noelle didn't answer. She sat up, finding herself in a lavender kimono. Her armor stood in front of a huge sakura tree that has the shape of a fox's body. She then turned her head to the right to see who took care of her.

"Where am I?"

"You are at the Grand Narukami Shrine, Transcended One. You hit your head back then... I think it's been weeks? You barely moved when I 'accidentally' put you in the springs..."

"Weeks!? W-where's the Honorary-- I mean, Aether?"

"He's at Ritou with the Shirasagi Himegimi, preparing for the Irodori Festival. It seems that some Mondstadt friends of yours are arriving as well on ship."

"I need to see him." Noelle said, remembering Ayaka's intentions.

She stood up, and went to where her armor stood, and puts them on after discarding the kimono. Yae raised a brow, as she sees Noelle's vision is blinking at a slow pace, like a heartbeat.

'What happened while she is out, I wonder...?'

"Thank you for everything, Guuji-Sama. I shall take my leave right away."

"Don't mention it. As a matter of fact, I am heading to Ritou as well to check on the preparations. Maybe we shall meet again there."

Noelle then dashed out to the shrine's row of Tori gates, before she remembered something. She tries it by closing her eyes, and she felt the ley lines that travel all across Teyvat. She looked to the direction of the Statue of The Seven in Ritou, then towards the mysterious monolith in the port town itself. When she decided, and opened her eyes she finds herself teleported to the monolith, just like how Aether can.

"Noelle? You're awake!"

"Aether? My apologies for worrying you--"

Noelle stopped, as she sees Ayaka next to Aether, staring at the Maid-Knight with a cryptic look.

"How did you get here? The border guard didn't see you." Aether asked.

"T...That's a long story. Maybe I should tell you after the festival is finished."

"It is finished, see those paintings in the center?"

Noelle raised a brow as she recognized 3 of the figures in the paintings. There is that mysterious bard from Mondstadt, Kazuha, and Ayaka. She didn't recognize the second and fifth painting.

"Who is that in the fifth canvas?"

"Hmm? Oh, you saw him too? He's... A Fatui member."

"A Fatui member in Ritou? But aren't they basically fugitives by now after all that happened?"

"He lived a long time before us, to this day."

Aether then walked with the two girls to a nearby vendor, and they sat down on the stools where Aether tells Noelle all that happened when she was knocked out. Apparently, Aether went on to explore Tsurumi Island, visited an abyssal realm underneath Watatsumi Island called Enkanomiya, met Childe again, and helped out Ayato, Ayaka's brother concerning a marriage between an important couple from two houses.

The word marriage comes to Noelle's mind as well as Ayaka's. If either of them marries Aether, then Aether would live on different paths. If Noelle did, she would accompany him on his journeys, even beyond Teyvat until her death. If Ayaka did, then the Kamisato Bloodline will continue on which Ayato is secretly rooting on.

But Noelle remembers what Cloud Retainer told her. She has the chance to become immortal thanks to her transcendence in body and spirit, which scratches out the 'until death' part of her path.

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As Noelle is deep in thoughts, Aether gazed at her to see that small floating rocks with golden light begin to appear above the palm of her hands. This instantly reminded him of Zhongli, but how can Noelle do this? Then it hit him, Noelle's powered up form with her eyes having a golden light in the center, as well as her geo elemental power level skyrocketing whenever she is in that form.

"...Noelle?"

"Ah, yes? What is it, Aether?"

"It's nothing." Aether replied, as he sees that the rocks vanished.

"Ah? Alright then."

After they had dinner, Aether told Noelle that he will be going to the Serenitea Pot for a moment to check on his garden where he planted some seeds for future cooking ingredients, leaving Ayaka alone with Noelle. They walked out of Ritou, and in the end of their walk at Musoujin Gorge they struck a conversation.

"You still dare to get close to him, do you?" Ayaka asked cryptically.

"It is my duty to see to his safety."

"Duty? You held hands with him during this duty of yours. Clearly there are some ulterior motives."

"I do love Aether as well, Lady Ayaka. But we shouldn't be fighting over him like this."

"The Kamisato Bloodline... My brother tells me that it needs to be continued by me. And I have found the Traveler... Aether, to be my best partner."

"And you wanted this love of yours by force? Removing me? What if he knew--" Noelle widened her eyes as she was cut off.

Noelle summons Whiteblind just in time as she turned her gaze towards Ayaka, who unsheathed her Tachi like last time. Their blades meet, and Ayaka gave her a crazed look with widened eyes and an evil grin.

"He will never know that it was me. Then in the end, I will have him all to myself. It will also be pointless if you do defeat me, as the entire nation will mark you as a fugitive just like your mother."

Noelle pushed Ayaka off, and jumped over to the opposite side of the gorge, now they are facing each other between the gorge's gap which resulted from Raiden Shogun cleaving the area in half when facing the great serpent Orobashi.

"Here, the site of the almighty Shogun-Sama as she slayed the great serpent... Shall be the stage of our final battle."

Ayaka's eyes then glowed in an icy blue light, as a pair of heron wings out of cryo sprouts from her back. It begins to flap gracefully, as Ayaka floats a few feet upward. Noelle on the other hand, has her eyes glowing in a golden light as a translucent golden cape emanates from the back of her armor. She however, unsummoned Whiteblind, making Ayaka tilt her head in confusion.

"If I really can't convince you, Lady Ayaka, then I really have no choice in the matter." Noelle then raised her right arm upwards, and her index finger pointing to the skies as the ground all over the landmass begins to shake violently.

'I can only use this once more, and if I used it again in a future fight... Then that will happen... I swore I will never use this power after this battle, ever again.'

An adeptus portal opens, and from within, a huge greatsword covered in black geo rocks, that had a glowing golden blade appears. It flies in full speed towards Noelle, who caught it effortlessly.

"So you have decided to partake in this final duel? Well then..."

Ayaka unsheathes her Tachi, and raised it upwards, the blade pointing towards the sky as the winds that blew through the area begins to freeze along the blade, infusing it with cryo as a result.

"Now come, daughter of Shirogane."

 

 

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