The Spindrift Knight and The Frostborne Outlander

Chapter 22: Shiki Taishou's Memories

3rd POV

Xinyan and Aether: Got it.

True enough, Xinyan, Aether and Paimon got kicked out again by the domain. But this time, Shiki Taishou's with the two strongest combatants on the team.

Outside, the situation seems to have stabilized a little, making a certain tengu general not so pressured to take action. However, they're still amped up on taking the domain by force.

And with the domain rotated, the trio went back to the domain.

Shiki Taishou: Oh! You're back!

Childe: Okay, now that we're all here, whaddya say we get to the bottom of this?

Xinyan: You 3 look like you've been through a war!

Yap and Childe: Just 1? (Laughs) We've forgotten how many battles we had already.

Childe: I did okay, right, Shiki Taishou?

Shiki Taishou: Mr Tartaglia and Yap are no strangers to domains. They're both able to deal with even the hardest monsters with ease. I daresay they would make a great pair in combat.

Yap: You flatter me, Shiki Taishou. Because of an incident... I've promised myself to no longer be weak in combat or mind. Thus, this may explain how I'm able to keep my cool in combat for most of the time.

Childe: Most of the time indeed. Once you were screaming like a madman in one of those rooms, making me and Shiki Taishou check up and on you. When asked on whether if you became a berserker, you shouted "NO! I'M A SABER DAMMIT!" I.. still don't get why you did that but hey, at least you're still alive.

Yap: Sometimes you gotta let it out, yeah? Happens to everyone anyway at some point. (coughs) Now back on topic.During the rearrangement, Shiki Taishou said he could sense the most important replica over there. (Points at the direction) And according to him, this particular replica has far greater power within. Who knows, we might even find Harunosuke as well.

Childe: (nods) By the way comrade, your prowess in combat certainly is something else. Which makes you a better challenge and fun to fight with should we cross blades once more.

Xinyan: Woah woah woah. You talk about it as if it's really casual for the both of you to kill each other one day.

Yap and Childe: (smiles at Xinyan) Of course.. We're partners for now. (C: But should a fight between us one day becomes inevitable..) (Y: Only one of us will emerge victorious) 

Paimon: [These two are scary...] By the way.. You both and Shiki Taishou seem to have gotten closer and closer.

Yap: We've fought shoulder to shoulder for quite a while now. It's only natural.

Paimon: Also.. why didn't you guys went ahead and told Shiki Taishou to fuse with it? It's right there after all.

Xinyan: Shiki Taishou.. were you waitin' for us this whole time?

Shiki Taishou: Without your companionship, I never would have made it this far. My memories were only retrieved thanks to everyone's efforts. I feel it's only right that you're here with me to witness this final and most important juncture.

Once the replica was retrieved, Shiki Taishou looked rather relieved.

Shiki Taishou: My memories, fragmented for so long... are finally complete. I remember it all now... The origin of the Mystic Onmyou Chamber... Its essence. This realm is not for practicing onmyoudou, nor is it for harnessing evil. The reason Harunosuke created me and the Domain... Our sole purpose... was to protect.

Paimon: Protect?

Shiki Taishou: Our nation was once attacked by a great evil , and a person of importance to Harunosuke was taken from him... He was filled with hatred and regret, and began yearning for the strength to take on the evil himself. He made his way across the ocean to seek the adepti  of Liyue, and went on to study the adepti arts. He combined those subtle techniques with the art of transcension that he himself had practiced over the years, and founded the earliest version of onmyoudou. Later, he rallied all samurai with the will to serve in protecting the nation, and created me and this onmyou chamber... With me as a template, he would create many replicas, assigning each to a samurai. The samurai and shikigami were partners, combining their martial prowess and charm magic to take on monsters with great efficiency. They worked in pairs, and set out to rid the land of monsters. Information on the defeated monsters would be recorded within the shikigami. Upon returning to the Domain, that information would be channeled into the creation of mirror monsters — training targets for the samurai. As the first shikigami, I was constantly absorbing the knowledge and experiences of the replicas. I was able to improve the structure of the Domain, and provide better training for the samurai. Over time, these dedicated samurai were able to achieve an enviable martial prowess. A new batch of recruits would arrive as the last group left the Domain. The cycle of new knowledge and new opponents seemed to be never ending...