Naberius, the first harbinger of the Tsaritsa, an adeptus with a loose contract and the Raiden Shogun's younger brother has just heard news of the fall of Khaenri'ah.
His old flame, Yae Miko, had welcomed him to Inazuma on his arrival.
Will their o...
The sages think themselves to be all-knowing. But we alone are wise to the virtue in those acts of folly.
In this war, not even a single pawn may be spared...
Because on this chessboard, "checkmate" is not where the game ends.
In the dark and freezing planes of Snezhnaya, 11 noble-like figures stood inside the church. Each one of their attention pointed towards the white coffin placed in front of them.
Columbina's singing can be heard throughout the church as it echoed off the walls of the room.
"We are gathered here today to remember our dear comrade. In honor of her sacrifice, all work should halt for half a day as the nation mourns her passing." Pulcinella stated as a figure from the back of the church narrowed its eyes on him.
"Hehe, merely half a day..." Pantalone chuckled. "People say the Northland Bank's true currencies are blood and tears... But Mayor, even speaking as a banker, that sounds a little unconscionable."
Arlecchino immediately stepped forward. "Rosalyne died in a foreign land... But you heartless businessmen and dignitaries. Always with a convenient excuse to remain in the comfort of your homeland... You couldn't hope to understand, so why don't you keep your mouth shut!" She sneered at them.
"We don't want to make the children cry..." She said as she tried to regain her composure.
Childe chuckled at this. "Hey, c'mon now, even I don't think this is the right time or place for a fight." He jested.
"Especially at the Fair Lady's funeral, with the Emperor present among us." He said as he glanced at the back of the church where Ichiro was leaning on the wall with narrow eyes, watching each of their movements carefully.
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"Utterly risible..." Sandrone sighed at her comrade's behaviours.
"Though her methods tarnished her honor, Lohefalter's sacrifice is a great pity. Her loss shall not hinder our progress. But Dottore..." Capitano looked towards Dottore. "What of Scaramouche and the Gnosis from Inazuma?"
"Conventional wisdom holds that Divine Knowledge that cannot be rationally comprehended. After conquering the Divine Gaze, he will make his next move." He answered as he fiddled with the vial on his hand.
Pierro stepped forward as he approached the coffin as the others followed his action and surrounded it.
"It's time to end tonight's foolish theatrics. Right now, you have no captive audience. Let every worthy sacrifice be carved in ice, and with this nation endure for all time. In the name of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, we will seize authority from the gods who oppose us..." Pierro concluded.
As the others soon walked out of the room, each of them headed back to their respective posts, Ichiro stood in his place as he listened to Columbina's humming from the front row of the church where she had situated herself. She was also staring blankly at the coffin as she mindlessly hummed a soft tune.
"So, you have time for a quick spar, Sensei?" Childe teased. He had been learning japanese during his stay in Inazuma while he searched for the Balladeer as well as Chinese during his stay in Liyue.
Ichiro said nothing, opting not to move even an inch, completely ignoring Childe as he stared blankly at the coffin in front of him.
"Childe, leave him be." Arlecchino, who had come back to the room seeing that Childe hadn't left, already knowing that he was going to bother Ichiro.
"Oh come on now, it's just an empty coffin it's not like-"
"Childe!" Ichiro scolded, not wanting to be disturbed, as Childe flinched. This was one of the rare times that Ichiro had raised his voice, especially at him, so he was very surprised.
As he was about to talk back to Ichiro, Arlecchino had quickly grabbed Childe by his collar and dragged him away and out of the church. She had seen what it looked like when you push Ichiro over the edge. While she knew that Ichiro had always had a soft spot for the Young Lord, she was not willing to risk it. Especially not today.
As he heard the sound of the doors shutting, he glanced to Columbina who paid no mind to their interaction. As she felt his gaze at her, she immediately understood. She stood up and left, continuing to hum on her way out. She had not closed the door as Ichiro heard Colombina's humming echo through the halls of the church.
He then focused his attention to the coffin before him. He knew that Childe was right. That it was just an empty coffin and nothing more.
He sighed as he leaned back on his seat with his head back, the moon light seeping through the glass roof of the church.
He quickly sat up as he saw a pyro moth slowly fly past him and ultimately land on the coffin that was now surrounded by ice, indicating that the Tsaritsa was near. As it landed on the coffin, it soon vanished into nothing, with the last trace of the Crimson Witch of Flames gone, forevermore.
He could only hope that she has reunited with him once more, to ensure the long overdue happiness that she deserved in the after life.
Ichiro squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to calm himself and the emotions swirling inside of him.
He took a deep breath to compose himself as he heard heels clicking through the halls of the church followed by four small footsteps, indicating that the Tsaritsa has arrived.
Absolute peace...
Such is the gift from the Tsaritsa, such is Her Majesty's benevolence...
Now you rest in this coffin, encased in layer upon layer of ice.
But, Rosalyne, I promise you...
Your final resting place will be the entirety of the "Old World".
~ ~ ~ {¤} ~ ~ ~
A/N: Just a reminder, no one in the Fatui actually knows that Ichiro had started the Fatui and that Ichiro is the one that actually controls the Fatui instead of the Tsaritsa.
I'm gonna be honest with you, I've already decided to stop writing because I wasn't catching up with the lore anymore and I even had a whole ass goodbye speech written at my last draft (which is very dramatic, I know), but this chapter teaser just hyped me up that I might start writing again.
No promises though.
Also, there is a small detail that I do hope people notice. It's basically a small detail to indicate a future... event, per se.
Anyway, next chapter will be released tomorrow as scheduled. No double update though. I'm reaching the end of my drafts and I'm still deciding whether to write again.
Don't forget to vote, comment and share if you like the story!
