Nihility

<Ethan POV>

'The path of Nihility huh? If I remember correctly, IX is the Aeon presiding over the path of Nihility. They believe that the ultimate fate of the multiverse is nothingness, and therefore, worthless. Is this the type of mindset I'll have to gain to reach the pinnacle?'

Shuddering at the amount of edge I'd be radiating with that mindset I tried to distract myself.

'I should probably think smaller for now. Before reaching the pinnacle I'll have to figure out how to tap into the power of Nihility. How nice would it be if I was an Emanator? I would probably be untouchable on Teyvat, except for the Archons.'

Closing his eyes Ethan was thinking how much easier it would have been for him to do anything if he was an Emanator. Don't get him wrong, he is extremely grateful for whatever ROB/coincidence granted him access to Paths from HSR. But Paths, just like Visions need to be trained to achieve any semblance of strength, whilst being an Emanator could instantly make him one of the strongest in this world, maybe on par with Archons, or just a step below.

Emanators are Pathstriders who have gained "permission" from the Aeon presiding over their chosen path, and despite not being in any kind of subservient relationship, are still considered emissaries of the Aeons. The Aeons have different views on Emanators. Some tend to think of Emanators as an extension of themselves and grant them much power, while other Aeons might not even consider granting the Emanator status.

'On to more pressing matters. What should be my course of action right now? Seeing as I vaguely remember Taisuke as one of two adventurers sent to explore Seirai island from a world quest in Genshin Impact, it seems I'm in the same timeline as the game-ish.' Focus marred Ethan's face as he tried to come up with a plan of action.

'I'm still not sure whether the Traveller has solved the entire Vision Hunt decree or if they have even entered Inazuma. And since I'm going with the amnesia route I'm unable to ask direct questions about things such as the Vision Hunt decree or the Resistance. I'll have to fish around slowly about the current situation of Inazuma.' Having decided he needed more information, only one urgent matter waited for him to decide on.

'I need to decide whether I want to stick around with Taisuke and his companion and try to help them out with their mission, or if I want to go off on my own.'

Both choices had their pros and cons. Taisuke and his companion are Ethan's only source of information for now, and staying with them and helping them explore Seirai Island could open a lot of doors for him with the Adventurers Guild. Having helped them, they might even vouch for my identity and confirm my "Amnesia" act. The problem with this choice is it is most likely very time-consuming.

Something Ethan realized while he went through his experiences since he woke up on the cliff, he realized that Seirai Island is WAY bigger than in the game. Which makes sense. There's no way that Inazuma the archipelagic region, as one of Teyvat's seven regions, only consists of 6 small-scale islands that can be traversed on foot from one end to the other in under a day.

'Real-world scaling makes distances larger but probably expands cities and landmarks too. There's no telling how long it will take to explore even a small part of Seirai Island, so this choice leads to a long-time mission. As for going off on my own isn't really a good choice either. I have no identification, no money, no valuables, and no idea where I would go or what I would do. I would also be alone in a dangerous world, filled with monsters, treasure hunters, Nobushi and the Fatui...'

"I've brought my companion. Is it alright if we come in so we can continue our earlier discussion?" Interrupting my thoughts was Taisukes voice asking for permission to enter what I presume to be his own tent.

"Of course, it's your tent isn't it?"

It seems Taisuke could hear the mirth in my voice as he entered the tent with his hand sheepishly scratching his head. Following him was a woman clad in the female version of what I now recognized as the Adventurers Guild uniform.

"Hello, Ethan. My name is Eiko, and I'm an adventurer who was chosen to explore this island with Taisuke-san."

Finishing her introduction with a bow she looked at me with curiosity and a hint of caution.

"I heard from Taisuke that you seem to have amnesia. Am I correct to assume you don't know where you come from, or where you live?"

Narrowing her eyes at the end, I could she wasn't buying my amnesia act. Well, it doesn't matter if she suspects me. I'm not a treasure hunter, Nobushi, or Fatui and I have no interest in anything of theirs, except for general information on Inazuma's current situation.

"That's right Eiko. Judging by how both of you seem to be Adventurers on a mission to "explore" this island, I'll take a wild guess and say there are no known human settlements nearby."

Seeing them both nodding I continued.

"Could you point me in the general direction of the nearest human settlement, I'll be leaving as soon as I'm fully rested." Seeing Eiko's eyes widen and Taisuke seemingly reaching his own conclusion I was surprised when Eiko suddenly raised her voice.

"Are you crazy? Look at the state you're in. And how are you gonna get to Narakumi Island, by swimming?" Before she could continue to lecture me Taisuke interfered. "Take it easy Eiko, Ethan has amnesia, remember?"

A flash of annoyance seemed to flicker in Eiko's eyes, but she quickly hid it.

"I'm sorry Ethan, I overreacted. It seems I forgot you had amnesia, so obviously you wouldn't know.

Eiko had to visibly hold back an eye roll. She continued.

"Inazuma City is around 4 days away on a ship. And even if you had a way to cross the ocean and arrive at Inazuma City, who's to say you won't be attacked on the way? Between the dangerous monsters everywhere on this island and the Nobushi on the shores of Narakumi Island I'd wager you wouldn't last long."

Crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes she stared right into my eyes and finished.

"Even if you were to arrive at Inazuma city you'd probably be arrested on sight. With the Sakoku decree in motion, no outsider is allowed to travel further than Ritou, without a travel permit at least. And forgive me for sounding rude, but you definitely don't look like a local, and you don't seem to have a local name either."

Finished saying her piece, she seemed curious to see my reaction to the Sakoku decree if the gleam in her eye was anything to go by...

"The Sakoku decree, what is that? Ritou, where is that? As for me not looking like a local, I wouldn't know about that, I can't remember..."

Receiving a dry stare and a twitching upper lip from Eiko, I realized I might be pushing her buttons a little too much. Looking at Taisuke I sneakily communicated with him through my eyes to help me out, and to my joy, he seemed to understand my pleads.

"Ehrm, seems like a general common sense course is in order." Taisuke fakes a cough to gain our attention.

"We are currently located in Inazuma, one of Teyvats 7 regions. Inazuma is an archipelagic region consisting of multiple archipelagos. There is Narakumi Island, where Ritou, Grand Narakumi Shrine, and Inazuma City are located. Then there is Kannazuka, Yashiori, Watatsumi, Seirai and also the rumoured Tsurumi Island."

'Even though I know all this it's better that I pretend I'm interested. This way I can keep my "amnesia" act ongoing, while simultaneously refreshing my memories, and seeing if I find any inconsistencies between my memory and Taisuke's information.'

Seeing as he had my undivided attention he continued his explanation.

"Inazuma, like the other 6 nations has a local governing Archon. The Raiden Shogun is the awesome, but terrifying power of thunder incarnate, the exalted ruler of the Inazuma Shogunate!"

Raising his hand over his head for dramatic effect, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or applaud the man.

Taisuke noticing his companion's dry stare, and my obvious mirth, lowered his hands and coughed lightly into one of them.

"Ehrm, as I was saying, the Raiden Shogun holds absolute command over Inazuma. The Tri-Commission are three subordinate clans that report directly to the Shogun. The Tri-Commission oversees every matter concerning Inazuma. The three commissions are called Yashiro, Tenryou and Kanjou commissions.

In short, the Yashiro Commission is in charge of managing shrines, festivals and cultural events.

The Tenryou Commission is responsible for managing security and military affairs and is therefore called the executive arm of the Shogun.

The Kanjou Commission manages Inazuma's finances, customs and borders."

Seemingly tired of talking, Taisuke took a moment to catch his breath before continuing.

"Currently the Raiden Shogun has issued the Vision Hunt decree, and as an extension, the Sakoku decree. The Vision Hunt decree is as it sounds, Seizing the vision of every vision holder, and inlaying them upon the hands of a Statue in Inazuma City. This decree was met with a lot of resistance and there is currently an ongoing civil war between the Watatsumi Resistance and the Shogunate."

Taking a break and making sure Ethan was following, Taisuke continued.

"With the current state of tension within Inazuma, any and all suspicious people will probably be arrested first and asked questions later..."

As Taisuke finished his explanation he scratched his head sheepishly as if showing he didn't like the current state Inazuma was in.

'Fu#k, this might be worse than I thought. I might need to make a run for it, even though I'm not fully healed...'

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<General POV>

Far away from Seirai Island, a certain young priestess clad in blue ceremonial robes, was brooding alone in a cave. She has long, pale salmon pink hair and light indigo eyes with no pupils and a large white highlight at the top of her iris.

If Ethan was there he'd recognize her as the Divine Priestess of the Watatsumi Island, Sangonomiya Kokomi. And she seemed to be... Ranting?

"No matter what strategy, countermeasures or placements I make, I can only delay the inevitable. I just can't see us defeating the Shogunate, when the Shogun has yet to move. This is also the primary reason I don't dare make any aggressive moves. If only there was a variable that could flip the playing board"

Sighing at their chances in this farce of a "war", she quickly pushed away her depression and put on a tranquil smile.

"I will do what I must. For the people of Inazuma and justice for our god Orobashi."

Sangonomiya Kokomi then stood up and put on her usual facade, before walking out of the cave with a determined gait.

**************************

On the top of a hill inside an immensely large and overly luxurious mansion, in what seemed to be a dojo hall, a purple haired mature woman clad in an embroidered purple kimono sat in seiza with her eyes closed and body completely motionless, like a doll...

Suddenly her eyes shot open revealing intoxicating purple hue and dark purple irises. If observed closely, you could even see what seemed to be lightning flashing around her iris'.

"An anomaly has appeared." A mechanical, but majestic voice sounded. "A traveller from another world, must be purged. For my vision of Eternity, there is no place for change..."

Slowly she stood up from the seiza position and walked out into the hallway, where a guard was on duty.

"Relay my will to the messengers. I require the presence of the current head of Kujou clan. And he better not keep me waiting." Finished saying her piece, she turned around and returned to sit in a seiza position at the exact same spot as she previously sat in, waiting for the Kujou clan head.

If Ethan knew he was already in the Archon of Eternity's sights he might have completely lost his cool...

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