Cold Steel - Inazuma Gaiden

Minus One: Beyond the Time

Unhurried, yet distressing.

That's how the being felt in regards to the passage of time ever since it retreated into the depths from the upper grounds, not knowing how long it's been since the start of the calamitous conflict above the surface. It decided to spend its time within the burrowed, bottomless deep merely thinking, reflecting, introspecting, judging itself - whether it was logic or cowardice that prompted it to even take such actions to hide itself away from the raging and seemingly endless, catastrophic fighting.

On one hand - self-preservation is within the nature of all beings, whether it be the Gods, humans, or even creatures such as itself, it may not be the most logical or kindest choice to make, but survival of one's being would always be the paramount priority for all that lives and breathes. On the other - even as a being as grand as powerful as it shuddered to think of the aftermath of the war, and what kind of consequences would it bring to the world once the Seven Seats are occupied by their respective victors.

What of those who weren't able to secure their borders or protect their people? What of the innocent caught in the crossfire? What of those who are ultimately destined to fill the seat of the Archons, would these eventual Gods even have anything left to rule over, or would they instead be monarchs of dust and cinders, kings of nothing? Would Teyvat or even Celestia still be standing after the last seat has been filled? What would happen to it then - would the being finally find the courage to face its shameful decision and once more roam the surface of the world once more?

Or would it continue to cower and seal itself away from all life and ultimately perish on its lonesome?

It continued to slumber and ponder in silence for many years, or perhaps even centuries, and maybe even close to the turning of the millennia, never waking, never moving, even as natural coral formations started to form along its body, covering the creature's once lustrous and fluorescent scales, even as its powers slowly started to evaporate from his long and uninterrupted sleep, even as its mind continued to weigh his spirit and its conscience with each and every passing day.

That is... until one highly peculiar being somehow discovered its location.

A curious living creature it'd thought to be extinct as a result of the war. Human beings, bipedal creatures that drew no jealousy from it. They were frail and unguarded creatures, with their minds open and their physical mortal shell equally brittle. Still, the creature wondered how these feeble beings managed to survive and even expand to the dark grounds it entombed itself in. Perhaps like it, they too have had found a way to avert their eyes and ears from the pull for power and the decree of Celestia.

Even in its half-conscious state, the creature could practically sense this one's radiating curiosity and awe at its own imposing silhouette. To no surprise, it could also sense its forming fear and apprehension. After burrowing into the untold depths, it certainly wasn't expecting itself to be chronicled or remembered by anyone - especially after such long passage of time. The fact that it even recognized the approaching lifeform as a human being after having its memories eroded through time was also nothing short of a miracle - even for a being that surpasses much mortals such as itself.

And yet, the small and frail being approached it still. They even made the attempt to communicate with it, for whatever reason. When it opened its large, crimson eyes - the creature only saw a pool of amber staring right back into it, belonging to one human female with brown hair and wearing simple clothes of foreign white and gold patterns, and at her side - she was accompanied by another one of her being, a tall male with armor of bronze and steel.

Judging from the language they used that it could understand, the way they interacted between one another, and the clothing that still protected their vessel - as useless as they were in the face of a giant, the creature concluded that some sort of civilization survived still in spite of the war, and maybe even thrived - considering they somehow managed to expand their society and adapt to the deep. Yet, it still came as a surprise even for the creature that these feeble mortals discovered it to begin with.