"What do you say?"
Seino Raimei rolled a cigarette paper, carefully spreading the tobacco, then rolling it up, folding it neatly layer by layer. He lit it with a flint, took a light puff, and slowly exhaled.
The smoke hazed in the heavy snow.
"What do you say?"
The one asking this was the man squatting in front of him.
Rather than a man, it was more like some being beyond the ordinary. He looked like an average middle-aged man, but his eyes were vertical, emitting a cold and ancient light. These were definitely not eyes a human could possess.
However, the light in those eyes had dimmed somewhat, and frost had formed between the eyelids.
Previously full of frenzied hatred, his eyes were now clear.
He was wrapped in thick winter clothes, his hair disheveled, giving an impression of exhaustion.
The great serpent, Orobashi, also had an Inazuman name [Watatsumi Omikami], the lord of the ancient people of Enkanomiya, the deity worshipped on Watatsumi Island.
"It's been a few days now."
Seino slowly exhaled another puff of smoke. He glanced at the words appearing in his vision from the system:
[Seino Raimei]
[Remaining lifespan: 15 days]
Originally he had almost half a year left to live, but now only fifteen days remained. Well, it was his own fault.
"What about you?"
"Me?"
Watatsumi Omikami seemed surprised, as if wondering why Seino would ask this question. Those snake eyes blinked, "I'm about to leave soon, I just wanted to have a final chat with you."
"Chat about what?"
"Anything."
Seino rubbed the cigarette with his index finger, "Why did you attack Yashiori Island?"
"To seize more land."
The great serpent smiled helplessly: "I just failed, that's all."
"Don't lie when we're chatting."
This cigarette was about to burn out, so he lit another. "You plucked all the coral from your body to help the people of the depths leave the land — I don't believe you would do something invasive."
"From my perspective, your actions were just seeking death. Even if I couldn't stop you, Ei would kill you, and you knew this."
Watatsumi listened to Seino's words, paused for a moment, and after a while, revealed a helpless smile:
"...Yes, I was just seeking death."
"Why?"
"Because we learned things we shouldn't have known. Those above wanted to silence all the people... so I pleaded with them to take only some of the people's lives."
"Did that part include you?"
"A ruler naturally dies with his people. I went to my death so the people would have courage," Watatsumi said.
"You declared war on Inazuma just to die on the battlefield?"
The thunder at the edge of the sky had dissipated, the thick snow mist had cleared. After the heavy rain, everything was washed clean.
The sky was clear and pristine, with specks of bright gold appearing on the coastline.
Dawn was approaching.
"Yes, that's right. That was the best ending for me."
Watatsumi slowly straightened up. The golden sunlight shone on him, his whole body languid. He looked at the gradually arising winter sun and said:
"I've been running all my life. I ran from the Archon War too. I've spent my whole life running...
But I don't want to run anymore. Mortal, I'm grateful to you for killing me again after four hundred years. Otherwise, my soul, corrupted by impurity, would have kept running endlessly, cursing endlessly. That would have been too pathetic."
"To die at the hands of a sworn enemy is an honor for a warrior."
Seino gazed at the man before him. Half his body was bathed in golden light, those snake eyes slightly narrowed, showing an expression of relief.
Seino didn't respect him, because they were enemies, but Seino didn't despise him either, because it was all over now.
"How much time do you have left?"
"After the sun rises — I'll be purified by the Sacred Sakura."
"Care for a drink then?"
"Drink."
Watatsumi turned, staring at Seino leaning against the rock with slight surprise. Finally, he asked the question he had been curious about all along, "Do you always have cigarettes and alcohol with you? How did you live for five hundred years?"
"...It's just sake for warmth." Seino's eyelids twitched slightly. He took out a small sake container from inside his kimono, shook it, there was still about half left.
"Before the sun rises, having a last drink with an old friend is a blessing for mortals. There's a saying in my hometown: 'Everything is in the wine.'"
As Seino Raimei said this, his silver eyes were clean and pure.
"Heh... treating an enemy as an old friend... Well, so be it." Watatsumi chuckled lightly,
"You mortals are still interesting — give me that sword of yours."
"Sword?" Seino was taken aback, picked up the Snake Cutter at his feet, and handed it to Watatsumi.
Watatsumi took the sword that had killed him, examined it, slowly unsheathed it, pressed the blade against his palm, and made a cut, then thrust it down along his chest.
The great serpent's fresh blood flowed down, the deep red blood instantly soaked the blade, strange and beautiful patterns spreading, long snake patterns gilded on the edge of the Snake Cutter.
[You have obtained the Heart of the Great Serpent (Archon level)]
[Artifact: God Cutter]
[The fate entangled for hundreds of years dissipates today. The former archon has engraved his life on the sword. The blade tells his life story]
"After death, one should leave something in the world. I gave my coral to my people, so I'll give my heart to Inazuma."
Watatsumi threw the God Cutter back to Seino. As soon as Seino touched it, he felt it ice-cold and crystal clear, all his spirit stirred.
"Bring out the alcohol — let's have a drink, before dawn breaks."
He said.
In the sky, a few points of light first appeared, the dark night sky slowly peeled away, light tearing apart the remaining clouds.
Seino emptied a water bottle, then poured half of the sake from the container into it, and tossed the container to Watatsumi.
"What do you want to toast to? I heard in Inazuma, there should be a toast when drinking."
Seino's eyes lowered, he paused,
"You led your people out of the abyss, letting them see the sun for the first time... So I'll toast to today's sunrise. What about you?"
"I want to toast to the eternal paradise," Watatsumi said. "It's a beautiful ideal. Your god is wonderful."
"Good." Seino smiled, he raised his cup, "Great Serpent, to the eternal paradise and today's sunrise, cheers."
"Mortal, to the eternal paradise and today's sunrise, cheers."
In the clearing snow, in the vast whiteness, in the newborn winter sun, they raised their cups and drank.
As Seino said, everything was in the wine.
——
The great serpent was gone.
[Seino, he's gone]
Seino Raimei blinked his eyes. He finally felt the eternal fatigue. Sunlight fell on him, everything before his eyes was dissipating. The taut string snapped, and the world collapsed before him.
He had been forcing himself all along.
The Pillar would never show a weak side.
But now his heart was struggling weakly and feebly, struggling to supply blood. His lungs were convulsing, he couldn't cough, his windpipe seemed blocked, only able to exhale. He trembled, finally coughed, and it was all blood.
That strike had completely damaged his body.
[Seino! Seino! Seino!]
[Wake up! You can't fall asleep on the snow plain!]
Human Principles was frantically warning in his ears, but he could no longer hear these. His vision rapidly darkened, the sake bottle in his hand fell to the ground, the alcohol spilling everywhere.
He fell helplessly to the ground, splashing snow.
The archon's curse had completely dissipated, only Khaenri'ah's pollution remained in Inazuma.
Lying on the ground, Seino Raimei heard the sound of thunder, rumbling. This was the first thunder of winter.
In his hometown, there was a solar term called 'Awakening of Insects', at the turn of winter and spring. It spoke of a thunderclap awakening the hibernating creatures in the mountains and fields, and thus spring arrived.
Seino was not the great serpent, he couldn't lead the people out of the thousand-year abyss to see the light. Seino was also not the Raiden Shogun, he couldn't promise the people an eternal pure land.
Seino was just a mortal, weak and powerless. All he could do was become the first thunder — after his death, just a brief spring.
One spring's prosperity. This was all the Pillar could promise after a lifetime of struggle.
To that thunder and spring.
After an unknown time, in the last moment before consciousness faded, he saw a figure in his blurry vision.
The figure held him in their arms. He could feel them trembling.
Trembling.
"You old bastard, you bastard..."
"Bastard."
"Liar."