[Y/n's PoV]
Another day have passed and I was killing some hilichurls at the island at early morning.
I'm having fun playing with the hilichurls, and the day is as beautiful as it can be.
The wind is light, the sun is shining as bright, and I'm in the mood to kick some more hillichurls' asses.
After that, I heard a familiar voice.
"Hey there!"
And I take a look at the source of the sound to discover...
"Oh? It's you. Aether, was it?"
"Yup, you guessed it. Now, can I ask what is your name?"
I pondered for a moment before nodding.
"I guessed I could answer this question of yours since you're the one who'd freed me. My name is Y/n."
"Y/n. What a lovely name. Now, I have more questions for you. Do you mind if I ask them?"
I raised a brow.
"Oh? I didn't recall this to be an interrogation."
"No, that's not it. I'm not being suspicious or anything. I merely want to get to know you better. Can you please spare some time to answer only two more questions?"
"...fine."
"Thank you so much." Aether was now grinning nervously.
He then hesitates for a moment before asking the first question.
"What is your relationship with the Raiden Shogun?"
He looks into my eyes as he asks this very delicate question.
"What do you mean what is our relationship? She's my enemy and will forever be my enemy." I answered bluntly.
"Okay then, Y/n, let me re-phrase the question. What I meant to ask is, why do you consider her your enemy?"
Aether was still looking at me while waiting for my answer.
"Are you blind? It's because she killed my sister and then sealed me too. Now, what I want is to get revenge."
"...I'm very sorry to hear that. Losing a dear person is never easy. But to get revenge, is it truly the only way?"
He asked me this question in a soft tone. He seems to be genuinely concerned towards me... Or maybe I am wrong, but I noticed that his words are not said with malice or ill intentions. He's not mocking me or trying to convince me to surrender to my desires or anything like that. As if he's merely trying to listen to me.
"The decisions that I made are final, and no mortal such as yourself could change that." I said calmly.
"I never doubted your decisions. I just wish that there was another way, a way that didn't involve so much violence. I just want to hear your perspective. What happened to finding more peaceful methods? I can't say that I understand the situation you're in, but isn't revenge a dangerous thing to crave?"
I nodded,"It is what I desire to do."
"Hmm, now that you said all of this things... You and Ei are very much the same..."
I froze for a moment, not sure how to respond to that since his comment surprised me a little.
Then, my mind suddenly fills with thoughts. Are we really that similar?
"Me and her? Heh, you should stop that kind of thought since we are nothing alike."
"You say that, but the more I talk to you, the more similarities that I see between you and Ei." Aether speaks to me in a calm tone, slowly explaining his thoughts.
I felt compelled to listen to him, as if his words are resonating deep within my heart.
"I can see that you two are different in some fundamental ways, but I see that she's very similar to you in many other ways too. Look at you. You are filled with thoughts of revenge, just like Ei is filled with desires for Eternity."
He says nothing for a moment as he continues starring at me.
"...Like I said, I don't care what you think or say to me. For I will continue to gain back all of my strength and fight her till death."
He suddenly snapped his fingers.
"So I was right. You two are similar in some aspects. Why would you refuse to see the good that you share with Ei? What is it you fear will happen if you did so?"
I have a feeling that he's trying to understand my thought process, and not changing my mind.
"I think... you're afraid, afraid that if you look too much into your relationship with Ei, then you will not be able to carry out your revenge. You're afraid that you will realize that you and Ei actually have a lot in common, causing you and your desire for revenge to come under conflict. Is this all true?"
Tch.
"That shadow and I are nothing alike! End. Of. Discussion."
"All I heard was denial, denial, denial. You sound defensive. Y/n, just listen for just a moment. Please. I understand your wish for revenge, Y/n, but don't you think that you've become too obsessed with it?"
"Oh? Why don't we turn this situation around. Aren't you obsessed with finding your sister too?" I questioned him.
"Yes, I do want to find my sister... But it's a search for love and reunion. It's not a quest for revenge— a quest of blood."
I noticed that Aether speaks to me in the same tone he speaks to a wounded child.
"I am not judging you. I just want you to reconsider. Revenge is a violent and painful pursuit. Would finding peace not bring you more happiness than fighting? Y/n, even if you managed to find your revenge, that won't bring your sister back."
He pauses for a moment while I could feel my eyes turning a bit dark.
"You and the Shogun might actually have something in common. Both of you are willing to give everything in a pursuit of an eternal goal." He said this last sentence with a hint of sadness in his tone.
"...Ei is a cruel tyrant. How do you want me to forgive her for all the suffering and misery she has done to the people of Inazuma?" I asked.
"I'm not asking you to forgive her, Y/n. I'm just telling you to... reconsider. You seem to be full of rage and a desire for revenge. You also seem to be filled with sadness regarding your situation and your sister's fate. Why not give up on revenge and just try to find some happiness? Isn't that what your sister would've wanted? Do you think that your sister wants you to be so full of hatred?"
"Y/n, please try to set your feelings of revenge aside for a moment and listen to the words I'm about to tell you."
He paused to take a breath before speaking.
"You see... Ei is not the cruel tyrant that everyone thinks she is. In fact, she can be very kind. Please, try to understand that Ei is doing what she's doing in order to save Inazuma. She loves the people of Inazuma deeply."
I nodded sarcastically, "Yes, and killing, sealing, and keeping her nation locked up seemed the only way for her to sustain the Eternity she speaks of."
"...Is that all there is to Ei, in your eyes? A tyrant? Someone with a twisted sense of morals?" He tilted his head as though he's trying to understand my perspective one again.
"Are you certain that there is no other reason for her actions? Is it impossible that she simply made some mistakes? Well I'll let you know that just because she made mistakes does not make her the enemy. We all make mistakes, but we still want to find ways to fix them."
"Look, Y/n, Ei does love the people of Inazuma, but the problem is that she's too fixated on her eternity. She fails to see the world from the perspective of others. She thinks that the people of Inazuma would be happy to have a god who can protect them for all time. She does not realize that people do not value safety and protection as much as freedom. People want a world that allows them to be free and act according to their own will, not a world where they're trapped and controlled by a god."
"...Well, I don't." I coldly replied.
"Y/n, please, you cannot be entirely sure about your judgement of the Shogun. She may have made big errors in the past, but her actions are not without basis."
He speaks to me with sincerity as if he's hoping that I won't misunderstood him.
"Ei may be filled with the desire for her ideal Eternity with little room for compromise, but she is not selfish beyond that. She genuinely cares about her people and wishes to give them the best future possible... in her own way."
"Tsk, I'm going to fight her for what she did to my sister and to all the people suffering under her rule. She's nothing to me but my enemy, and I will never compromise on that." My voice sounds harsh as I answered him.
"...You sound so certain... It seems like you've already made up your mind..."
He's silent for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and seemed to have given up convincing me to change my viewpoint. But for some reason, he doesn't seem to feel too dejected about it.
He then speaks to me, with an almost solemn tone in his voice.
"Very well, you seem very determined, Y/n, and I can see that your heart is filled with sadness and bitterness. So would you still listen to my words if... if I said something foolish?"
I closed my eyes and nodded slightly.
"Fine, do speak your mind."
"Y/n, I suppose I can't force you to abandon this quest for revenge. In truth, the Shogun could very well be your enemy. Just consider that you are wasting your life by chasing something that will only hurt you even more. Even if you kill the Shogun, even if you finally obtain your revenge, what would it gain you? Like I said earlier, it won't bring back your sister, and it won't change a thing about your past. Revenge isn't as fulfilling as you may think it is."
He then walks away and went back to Narukami Island, leaving me alone to process my mind.
I remained there in silence for a moment, allowing that mortal's words to sink in.
My heart seems to falter, the intensity of my determination to fight the Shogun receding.
My feelings have become a jumbled mess inside my mind. His words are not without reason, making me question my actions up to this point.
But I cannot forget my love for my sister and the grief I felt as the feeling of revenge still lingers inside me.
Perhaps he was right in his assessment of my situation... Or perhaps he was just speaking with empty words.
I then clutched my head.
"This is giving me a headache..."
It becomes too much for me to comprehend in a short time. He may be right on some matters, and wrong on others.
So I simply stood there, contemplating whether to continue my pursue my dream of revenge or to heed the mortal's advice.
While deciding my next move, I think to myself...
What would my sister truly want?
"That damn boy. He actually managed to make me question my life choices. I can't forgive the Shogun, but fighting her now... is it really worth it?" I questioned myself as this thought surfaces in my mind.