Puppet

Chapter 2

"Gods are like children. When they're tired of a toy, they throw it aside and forget about it."
He was convinced of this.

He thought for all his life that he was meant to be forgotten by the one who created him.
Because he wasn't made right for the Gnosis to be contained in himself.
Because Ei wanted a container to follow her orders, and rule over Inazuma.

So, it was a surprise for him to see that the latest puppet didn't contain the Gnosis.
It wasn't ordinary for him to see it.
He thought that the Shogun was perfect, that she was the one Ei chose because she was the latest one, she was the only one who could be capable of containing the Gnosis in herself.

It was Yae Miko the one who told him so.
Of course, he was a Harbinger, but he was not rude or disrespectful to that point. He would never put his hands inside the chest of the Shogun to take the Gnosis.

"So you're the one who has the Gnosis now?"
The Balladeer spoke
"Oh, do you still care about that piece of chess? Ei does not need it, nor does the Shogun. Yes. I have it, and what changes?"
The head shrine maiden, Yae Miko, was standing before him. Smirking as usual, as she knew perfectly what she was doing.

"Why doesn't the Shogun need it? Isn't she 'the perfect container' for Ei?"
"So you thought that the puppets were made to contain the Gnosis?"

Yes, he wanted to say, but it would have been a stupid answer.
It was obvious for him that he still felt anger towards Ei for what she did.
Or... Did he?

"In the beginning, yes.
But Ei took quite a while to understand that only a divine body can manage to contain that power. The power of knowledge, the power of control, of destruction.
A power that even the Shogun, the so called 'perfect prototype', could never control. The Shogun was created to perfectly function without that thing."

He was without words.

"She thought you remembered it."

Remember?

"The pain you felt when the Gnosis was in your body..."

'Pain? Was the Gnosis ever in my body?' he thought

The lady began getting closer to him
"The tears you shed... The pain you felt... The horrible dreams... You may have forgotten, but I didn't."
"This is ridiculous. I do not have time for this, Miko. You know what I'm here for."

Miko stayed still one second, looking at the poor Traveler passed out on the floor, behind her.

"I perfectly know what you're looking for Balladeer."
A chess piece appeared in her hands
"This... Is what you want."

A pause

"You can take it, but don't forget what I told you.
You're not made for this, and neither are I or the Shogun. Be careful Kunikuzushi."

And she left, with the Traveler in her arms.