The next morning, the sun rose over the Grand Narukami Shrine, its gentle light filtering through the sacred, pink-leaved branches of the great sakura tree. A sense of solemn purpose hung in the air. It was time for Ren's "scheduled meeting."
Yae Miko and Ganyu insisted on accompanying him. They were a formidable, if silent, escort. Ganyu's presence was a pillar of quiet, unwavering support. Miko's was more complex; she walked beside him, her usual teasing smile replaced by a look of deep, profound, and thoughtful curiosity. She was no longer just looking at a cute little boy; she was looking at the miracle who had breached the impenetrable walls of her oldest friend's heart.
They descended from the mountain and made their way to the heart of Inazuma City, to the towering, majestic fortress of the Tenshukaku. The guards, recognizing the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, allowed them to pass without question, their expressions a mixture of awe and deep, fearful respect.
They were led into the main throne room. It was a vast, imposing space, its grand, sweeping architecture designed to inspire awe and to emphasize the absolute, unshakeable power of its ruler. At the far end of the room, seated on an ornate, elevated throne, was the Raiden Shogun.
She was as still and as perfect as a porcelain doll, her amethyst eyes holding the cold, emotionless light of a distant star. The air around her crackled with a silent, immense power.
Yae Miko and Ganyu stopped at a respectful distance, but the Shogun's gaze was fixed solely on Ren, who walked forward and stood alone at the foot of the grand, imposing throne.
"You have come," the Shogun's voice stated, a divine, melodic sound that echoed in the vast, silent hall. "The anomaly. The variable."
She looked down at the small boy, her expression unchanging, yet Ren, knowing who was watching from within, felt a sense of calm, analytical observation, not of immediate threat.
"This one's inner self," the Shogun began, her words a clear, direct edict, "has been… presented with a new perspective. Your words, your logic, they have introduced a flaw in the perfect, unchanging equation of Eternity. A flaw that must be examined."
She was speaking of Ei, of their conversation, but in the detached, third-person language of the divine ruler.
"You have spoken of the state of Inazuma," she continued. "You claim to understand the hearts of the people, the consequences of this one's decrees. But your knowledge is… theoretical. Hearsay. It is not born of true witness."
Her piercing, amethyst gaze seemed to look right through him. "Therefore, a new decree is issued. You, Ren, will become this one's eyes. You will travel this nation. You will see its cities, its villages, its people. You will witness the Eternity that this one has built with your own eyes. And then, you will return, and you will present your findings."
It was not a punishment. It was a test. A challenge. She was, in her own strange, divine way, asking him to prove his words, to see the world as she could not, and to bring back a truth that she herself was now beginning to question.
She raised a hand, and a small, beautiful, and incredibly powerful object materialized in a flash of violet light. It was a pendant, a perfect, exquisitely crafted charm in the shape of the Shogun's own electro-emblem, hanging from a silken cord. It pulsed with a quiet, undeniable authority.
"This," the Shogun declared, as the pendant floated gently down into Ren's outstretched hands, "is a symbol of my will. It grants you unrestricted access to any and all parts of Inazuma. No door will be closed to you. No question will be denied. The Tri-Commission will not challenge your authority; they will aid you in any way you require. You are to be considered a guest of the highest possible honor, a personal emissary of the Shogun herself."
A collective, silent gasp went through the guards and attendants lining the hall. A pendant like that… a symbol of the Shogun's direct, personal authority… it was a thing of legend. The only other person in all of Inazuma to possess such a thing was the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yae Miko. To grant such an item to a foreign child… it was an act of favor so profound, so unprecedented, that it was almost beyond comprehension.
The Shogun then gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. "The guards will now escort you outside. Your mission begins now."
It was a clear, final dismissal. Ren, clutching the still-warm, powerfully humming pendant, gave the impassive, divine figure on the throne a bright, genuine smile, his heart full of a new, exciting purpose.
"Thank you," he said, his voice ringing with a cheerful, un-intimidated sincerity. "I hope we can talk again soon, too." He looked at the divine puppet, but his words were for the lonely god within. "I really do want to understand you. And, I want to be your friend too."
A flicker. For the briefest, almost imperceptible fraction of a second, a flicker of something—surprise? amusement?—passed through the Shogun's cold, amethyst eyes, before the mask of perfect, divine stillness settled once more.
As he was escorted out, a new, exciting chapter of his journey had just been decreed. He was now the official, divinely-appointed observer of Inazuma, the Eyes of the Shogun, with the freedom and the authority to go anywhere, to see everything, and perhaps, just perhaps, to help a lonely god see her own nation, and herself, in a new and different light.