High above the clouds, the cool moonlight hung like silk ribbons.
Far from the impurity of the mortal world, in the pure heights of the sky, two figures of extraordinary beauty stood atop five-coloured clouds, gazing down at the brilliantly lit Heian-kyo below.
These were the guardians of the Lunar Capital — the sharpest blades of the Lunar Capital's sovereign: Watatsuki no Toyohime and Watatsuki no Yorihime.
As princesses whose status was no lower than that of the exiled Kaguyahime herself, they held dominion over mountains and seas, and the power of divine possession respectively.
"Sister, I don't understand."
Watatsuki no Yorihime, the more forthright of the two, had her hand resting on the Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi at her waist, her brow furrowed.
"She's just an exile — a criminal banished to the mortal world. Even if she is Kaguyahime, why does it take the two of us personally to go and collect her?"
"Ever since Teacher Omoikane disappeared, the Lunar Capital's defensive barrier has had no one to maintain it. We should be spending our energy studying the legacy Teacher left behind, not—"
"Yorihime. Watch your tongue."
Watatsuki no Toyohime snapped her fan shut. Those eyes that seemed to survey all mountains and seas flickered with a rare gravity.
"This is a personal decree from that personage. We are to bring her back at once… The personage says that Kaguyahime has been consorting with outsiders and shows signs of rebellious intent. We are to eliminate the variable."
"A variable? Ha. On this impurity-riddled land, what variable could possibly exist?"
"It's not that I'm worried about variables — it's that I'm worried about you getting into trouble, sister. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't—… fine, forget it."
Yorihime let out a sharp exhale, casting a disdainful glance down at the gold-and-silver pavilion below. That cool arrogance wasn't unwarranted — as one of the three Lunar princesses, her gifts and authority were the finest in history, past or present.
If she chose to, she could even call upon Lord Tsukuyomi's elder sister, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, to descend and embody her.
If it were up to her alone, even that personage had no real authority to command her — her status in the Lunar Capital was something like a certain sage back in the divine courts of the Central Plains: nominally under orders, but in practice entirely her own master.
"Oh, Yorihime, you never say what you mean — first claiming there are no variables, then admitting you're worried about your sister. Nothing that comes out of your mouth is the truth."
"If there really are no variables, then why would your sister possibly get into trouble going down there on her own?"
"That's different — I just—"
"There there, you really are the least forthcoming child, embarrassingly unbecoming of a Lunar princess—"
Toyohime paused, as though a thought had just struck her, and her tone shifted into something more reflective:
"But then again, poor Kaguyahime has always had the worst luck among us. The most thankless role of the three."
"If her divine authority weren't 'Eternity,' she might have been as free as we are…"
"'Eternity' or not — as far as I can see, she's just soft and directionless. She let herself be used as a doormat to this extent."
Yorihime gave a dismissive snort:
"If I were in her position — banished to the mortal world, with all that rare and precious freedom — I'd have raised a hundred thousand followers under the banner of a princess and rebelled against the whole of Heaven."
"Yorihime, you are truly something else—"
"What? I'm just speaking plainly!"
"Alright, alright, enough of that — ahem — this is a topic we can't touch."
At the top of the pavilion, dawn dew still clung to the air.
"The emissaries are here… and it had to be the most troublesome pair…"
Yachiyo looked up at the sky, her slender fingers counting out something on her fingertips, a shadow of apprehension crossing her face.
The situation had diverged from her memories. She didn't know if it was because of the agreement she had reached with the young man from the Central Plains that fate had shifted.
The moment the five-coloured clouds appeared, she felt the entire city of Heian-kyo tremble faintly beneath their presence.
"Relax, Lady Yachiyo."
Shin was standing behind her, methodically straightening his elaborate twelve-layered junihitoe — dressed, naturally, to match Yachiyo's own clothing exactly.
Because as an Ultimate Being, the young man was currently in the process of reshaping himself, at the microscopic cellular level, into a perfect replica of Yachiyo's appearance.
Even that waterfall of black hair carried the same cool, faint fragrance as hers.
"This form of my dear's… it does take some getting used to."
Yachiyo covered a laugh behind her hand, but beneath it was a sliver of worry.
"Those two Watatsuki sisters are not ordinary beings — Toyohime especially. Her divine authority is 'mountains and seas,' and her spatial perception is extraordinarily acute. Are you certain the method you're using to physically conceal Lady Melusine…"
"And my dear — my manner of speech, my way of carrying myself…"
"No problem."
Shin closed his eyes and activated the skill he had just evolved: [Soul Synchrony].
In that instant, his soul resonated deeply with Yachiyo's — she offered no resistance at all.
It was an extraordinary sensation — two separate souls merging into one, if only for a moment.
All of Yachiyo's memories of the Lunar Capital, her court etiquette, even her present tension and uncertainty — all of it flooded into Shin's mind like a tide.
"As long as our thoughts remain synchronised, my impersonation of you will be flawless."
"As for Melusine — you're underestimating her. Her physical form is the manifestation of a name. Strip away the name, and detecting her becomes almost impossible."
The young man's voice shifted — gentle, melodious, identical to Yachiyo's in every inflection.
At the same time, deep inside him, the originally petite Fairy Knight Lancelot — Melusine — voluntarily shed her fairy vessel and returned to the primordial state of the dark swamp. Only the essential nature of her as "the Last Dragon," Albion, remained, perfectly wrapped and concealed by Shin's Ultimate Being physiology in the microscopic cavities of his spinal column — and similarly linked and synchronised through [Soul Synchrony] into a three-way bond.
System-made meant premium-made: not just a spatial scan, but even a soul and mind scan wouldn't be able to find a flaw.
In a certain sense, one could say there were now three "Kaguyas" in this pavilion.
Add the one in the group chat and it might have to be four — which made Shin suddenly begin to wonder about the origins of that Kaguya in the chat. Could her existence somehow be connected to him?
The five-coloured clouds descended. The real Yachiyo had already slipped into the shadows.
The moment the Watatsuki sisters stepped onto the pavilion, the whole gold-and-silver structure seemed to groan under the weight of their divine presence.
"Exile Kaguyahime — your sentence is complete. Come with us back to the Lunar Capital."
Watatsuki no Yorihime stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping back and forth across "Kaguya."
Something felt off, though she couldn't pinpoint it. The presence and aura were right. But that customary air of restrained, private sorrow — that look of someone resigned to a bitter lot — was gone.
In its place was a composure that honestly surprised her.
"It has been a long journey, Your Highnesses."
"Kaguya" inclined her head in a light bow — the precise, proper court etiquette of the Lunar Capital — her tone perfectly even.
"I have lingered in the mortal world too long. It is indeed time to return. Though I wonder — why would Lord Tsukuyomi dispatch both Your Highnesses personally for this errand?"
Watatsuki no Toyohime gave her fan a languid wave.
"No need for such formality. Your station is the same as ours — one could even argue that Kaguyahime, you outrank us. It is only proper that we come in person."
"I am a convicted exile—"
"Heh. To speak plainly, that personage was concerned you might make some unwise resistance."
"So before we depart, I need to conduct a small inspection…"
As she spoke, she closed her eyes, and a profound, arcane ripple of spatial awareness expanded from her as its centre, spreading outward like a spider's web through the entire pavilion.
As the master of mountains and seas, she had to be certain this "variable" no longer existed.
The wave passed through Shin's body, and his pulse spiked with tension.
In that instant, the Albion essence concealed within Shin sensed danger. Its essence nearly boiled over.
Hmmm——
To be continued…
As you guys know this is a relatively new fic so starting this monday 1 Chapter per day will be posted and 2 chapters on Sunday will be posted.
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