"I will accompany you, I need to make sure that thing leaves forever" Kenshin really wanted that thing out of this nation.
The 2 of them left, and Ei looked pensive in the Plane of Euthymia.
"Makoto" said Ei, and Makoto looked at her with an inquisitive expression. "You are losing".
"In what?" asked a puzzled Makoto.
"That girl is ahead of you, and also ahead of you Miko" said Ei to Yae, who just entered the Plane after being 'invited'.
"What would you know?" scoffed Yae. Ei was the last person who she would accept romantic advice.
"I know when a war is not looking good, and you 2 are losing very badly" Ei said with a sharp gaze that Yae was used to see.
"Why are you including me?" asked uneasily Makoto. She felt a bit bad seeing how Kenshin gave that girl something as important as a Gnosis without hesitation, but she didn't know why.
"Makoto, shut up" said Yae with a frown. She was frowning too much lately.
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"Is your problem solved with that?" said Kenshin with a look of disgust remembering the Gnosis.
"I believe so" said Arlecchino, feeling the box in her waist, where she kept it secure.
"Are you leaving- mmmgh" Kenshin couldn't speak.
Because Arlecchino pushed him to a wall, and kissed him.
Arlecchino didn't know what possessed her.
She had spent the last years keeping her stoic facade on, so she was the first surprised one when she found herself pushing Kenshin into a wall.
But she got over it and started enjoying it, and Kenshin decided to do the same.
Their tongues intertwined, pushing against each other and started a fight to conquer each other's mouths.
Their arms unconsciously started pulling each other closer, looking for deeper contact, their bodies pushing against each other and maximizing the contact between them.
Kenshin's hands started wandering, and finally landed on Arlecchino's firm as-
"*Ehem*"
'Fuck you' thought Kenshin.
"What do you need from us?" asked Arlecchino, taking a step back with a string of saliva between their lips.
"Some respect for the Shrine" said Miyuki with a frown. She, being the kind of super-miko she was, obviously knew Yae's feelings, even if she herself didn't notice them.
"And respect it we shall" said Arlecchino, moving her hands, which were dangerously close to Kenshin's 'middle area'. She started leaving without looking back.
"I won't forget this" said Kenshin with a frown to the super-miko. "You should know that not a single of these steps has not seen something far worse". And he quickly followed the girl who took his first kiss.
"Well, this is goodbye for now I guess" said Kenshin with a smile.
Arlecchino decided to leave early, because she wanted to deliver the Gnosis as fast as she could, walking with that thing around was asking for disaster after all.
"Yes, it is" Arlecchino nodded, reverting to her blank facade once again. "I will call you when I need something".
"Of course, everything for milady" he smirked.
The ship slowly left, and Kenshin waved until he couldn't see Arlecchino's soul anymore.
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"I hope you know what you are doing" said Signore with a cold gaze.
"I do" replied Arlecchino looking in the direction they were going to travel in.
"You disobeyed orders" insisted Signora, knowing what happened to those who didn't follow the will of the Tsaritsa. "You seemed to be doing it pretty good, you got that stupid Contract and all that, why did you have to throw it all to the thrash?"
"What would have you done if you got the same orders I got?" replied Alrecchino disinterestedly.
Signora fell silent upon hearing that. She knew Arlecchino was in a difficult position, but the Tsaritsa needed Kenshin as soon as possible.
She, along with the Tsaritsa, read that book years ago but it was only after letting the knowledge contained sink in that they realized how impactful Kenshin was.
He was the one who would fuse the Gnosis together, that's what the Tsaritsa decided at least.
That's why Kenshin's presence was paramount in Snezhnaya.
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A week later, in Snezhnaya. (I decided to write this now, the festival will resume where it was).
"Are you ready?" asked Signora in an impassible voice to Arlecchino, who ignored her and entered the Zapolyarny Palace.
Walking through the cold corridors, her high heels clacked on the ground, echoes resounding in the empty walls.
A huge door stood before her, but a slight push was all that she needed to open it.
"I thought you would have escaped" smirked Dottore in his usually sickening voice.
Arlecchino ignored him, and went to her position in the middle area of the table.
Signora imitated her, and went to her own position, eyeing Arlecchino curiously. She knew the Knave wouldn't give up that easily, but she didn't know what kind of hidden card she could use here.
"Report" said Pierro in his baritone voice.
"I wasn't able to bring Kenshin back" was all Arlecchino said, looking at Dottore for the obvious answer he had prepared.
"Did you exhaust all your methods?" he asked curiously, but everybody noticed that he was mocking her.
"I had to enter a Contract mediated by an Adeptus stronger than us, what do you think?" asked Arlecchino without a single inflection in her voice.
"Shut up" said Columbina in a soft voice.
"Indeed, time is valuable after all" said Pantalone with a slight smile.
"Did you get something out of your travel at least?" asked Pulcchinela.
"This" Arlecchino took out the box containing the Gnosis, and slid it through the table.
Pierro took the box and looked at it with a blank gaze, but he was inwardly surprised because he wasn't able to sense anything.
He had lived for more than 500 years, and he was a scholar in Kaenri'ah before the Cataclysm, so he knew more about this world than most.
And yet, this box refused to open.
Arlecchino calmly looked at the scene but inwardly thought that Kenshin was indeed special. The box he made in a second couldn't be opened even by Pierro, who was probably the strongest of them, only behind the Tsaritsa.
And she was not going to offer her help. She was still sour about those orders, that came only because of the instigation of some antagonistic members.
"Arlecchino, stop playing around and tell us how to open that box" said Signora in a bad mood.
"I don't know how to open it" revealed Arlecchino. "Kenshin didn't say how, only that the Tsaritsa would know".
"What did he tell you" the soft voice of the Tsaritsa, who was sitting on her throne, reached all of them.
"That if you read the book, you should know how to open it" Arlecchino replied.
Pierro gave the Tsaritsa the box, and she looked at it curiously. Everybody could feel some way sort of power gathering, and the Tsaritsa channelled it towards the box.
That didn't open.
Everyone looked wryly at the surprised Archon, who didn't expect whatever was locking the box not to respond.
But then, the box opened, and the Tsaritsa looked at the shining Electro Gnosis contained inside. She carefully picked it up and gave the box to Pierro, making everyone see the hardest target they needed to obtain.
"Well, that changes things" mused Pantalone with a hand on his chin.
"Did you know it?" asked an indignant Signora. She had worried about Arlecchino this past week, and she didn't deign to tell that she had the Gnosis.
"Of course" replied calmly Arlecchino, unfazed by the stares she was receiving. "Kenshin put it into the box in front of me".
"Your Majesty" the baritone voice of Pierro made everyone look at him, except for the Tsaritsa, who was looking at the Gnosis with a pondering expression. "There is a message in the walls of the box".
"Read it" ordered the Tsaritsa, too busy contemplating something.
"To the frosty lady, I decided to set a mechanism to open the box in case you failed. If you succeeded, this message wouldn't appear at all. All I can say is that you are a disappointing student, you had such a great book, and you are still not able to open this box" Pierro's voice made everyone look at the Tsaritsa, who didn't seem to care about Kenshin's caustic words.
"Continue" she instructed.
"I know what these things are, and while I don't want to know what are you trying to do with them, I can confidently say that you should think carefully about what you are going to do. As my friend Morax said, 'there are things that should be left untouched', but you had centuries of years to think about it, so I guess you are sure of it".
'If your ability has evolved enough for you to know what Gnoses are, I really need you for my plan' mused the Tsaritsa, who looked at Arlecchino.
"How much time did he take to know about the Gnosis?" she asked.
"He puked instantly" revealed Arlecchino.
'As I expected, I really need him' now the Cryo Archon was sure. He will be an integral part of her plan against Celestia. His ability will prove to be the ace in the hole she needed.
"Continue", and Pierro nodded.
"Anyway, I don't care about what you are going to do. I have a neutral opinion about Celestia, maybe because I don't know anything, but I had a chance to look closely, and let me tell you, there is something awesome up there. I had no time to see it, but it was awesome nonetheless.
Now, to end this letter, stop making Arlecchino do weird things. I am not against you, but if you do something like this again, I will destroy the next Gnosis I find.
Knowing what they are, I know you are fucked.
I will tell Morax and Barbatos to throw them away. While I have no doubt they know what they are, I doubt they know the cruelty they were forged with.
I am not your enemy, but I don't fear you.
Just to let you know, I had another encounter with a certain Being and if you push me enough, I will travel to your place and let him know that you are VERY interested in meeting him".
"Are we going to let this brat get away with this?" asked an angry Scaramouche.
"I can kill him" said Columbina in her smooth voice.
But the more reasonable members of the table stood silent, pondering about the threat at the end. Judging by the Archon's pale face, it was nothing good.
"May we know more about this Being?" asked Dottore, now realizing that this Being could help him a lot.
He was a scholar from Sumeru who had been expelled for his 'heretical' experiments, which consisted of creating a human that could surpass the gods themselves.
And this Being that was scaring even the Cryo Archon looked to be the perfect specimen for him to study.
"What is your relationship with this boy?" asked the Tsaritsa to Arlecchino, ignoring Dottore.
"I had to sign a Contract defining my relationship with him" Arlecchino felt that Kenshin's warning about giving her more 'weird' orders was the best present she could have received. Not only for her future missions, but because it showed that he cared about her, and knowing how much the Tsaritsa valued him, made her more valuable under the Cryo Archon's eyes.
And that was invaluable for her, who wanted to gain more power inside the Harbingers.
Arlecchino walked towards the Tsaritsa and gave her a copy of the Contract.
"This is made by Morax" noted the Tsaritsa. She could recognize this elemental power, even more ancient than the Gnosis themselves.
"Yes" Arlecchino nodded, also revealing that she knew the identity of the man that made it.
There were not a lot of people able to make the former Electro Archon have a guarded expression, and a common Adeptus was not one of them.
The Tsaritsa read the Contract, and her face didn't change.
"Can you bring him here when he leaves Inazuma?" asked the Tsaritsa, referring to the fact that Kenshin 'belonged' to Arlecchino outside Inazuma, Mondstadt and Liyue.
"No, I probably can't beat him" Arlecchino lied like the Knave she was. "He was able to beat the former Electro Archon, there is no way I can beat him".
"He did what?!" Scaramouche shouted in shock. "How is that possible?!"
"Haha, he sure sounds like someone I would have a lot of fun fighting!" shouted in excitement Childe with a bloodthirsty smile. Someone strong enough to beat the Electro Archon couldn't be a boring opponent.
"His special ability is too strong" scoffed Signora. "I told you all, don't provoke him. Especially you" she said looking at Dottore, who seemed to be more and more excited by the moment.
"I wouldn't dare" he said with a smile.
'''''Sure''''' thought everyone, even Pierro.
"Is he that strong?" asked softly Columbina with a sweet smile on her face.
"He must be, I don't think even you can beat that psychopath with her sword" said Signora. "Who, by the way, is showing a romantic interest in this boy".
"Just when I thought my life was cursed" Scaramouche sighed, thinking of the weird interests his 'mother' had. First, her familiar, an 'affair' she had no qualms about spreading to the whole world in an extremely graphic way. And now, a baby, considering their age difference.
"Did she also sign this?" asked the Tsaritsa, returning to Arlecchino the Contract.
"She did" Arlecchino succinctly said.
"What should we do about him?" asked Pierro. He trusted the Tsaritsa to make the best decision, even though he would have preferred to know everything about that book and this boy's ability.
"Keep your good relationship with him" said the Cryo Archon talking to Arlecchino, who nodded. "Wait for a while before contacting Morax, ask him for the Gnosis. Form a Contract if needed".
"And Barbatos?" asked Signora. "He will be warned about the Gnosis too, and Kenshin told me that he knew I was around. Even after years, I have no way of catching him if he doesn't appear before me by his own will". It stung her to admit it, but after hearing Kenshin say it, she realized that she was wasting her time in that damned nation.
"Ignore him for now" the Tsaritsa ordered before looking again at Arlecchino. "That boy is a vital part of our plans, you need to gain his trust and make him come here. You have until we have all the Gnoses".
"I will do so" Arlecchino nodded, stowed the Contract, and returned to her seat.
Today's meeting was not a bad one.
Not at all.