The thunder faded. The mist on Mt. Yougou returned to silence.
But far above the city, in the inner sanctum of Tenshukaku, Raiden Shogun opened her eyes.
She had felt it—a ripple in the realm of lightning, not natural, not ritualistic, but something older.
"…So, the name of Raidenkyo stirs once more," she murmured, her voice no louder than a sigh, yet it carried the weight of judgment.
She rose from her lotus seat and touched the floating electro crystal beside her throne. At her will, a shimmering image formed within—faint, flickering, but clear enough to see.
A young man knelt beneath an ancient stone monument. Thunder circled him like a crown.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor.
Kujou Sara entered swiftly, kneeling in front of the Shogun. "Your Excellency. There was a spiritual disturbance on Mt. Yougou. The shrine believes it was caused by someone invoking forbidden power."
The Shogun's gaze remained fixed on the floating image. "What do you know of this boy?"
"His name is Ji Bai, an outsider—formerly unknown, now residing at the Kamisato Estate. He possesses a strange ability: to paint, and cause the elements to respond."
Raiden Shogun lowered her hand, and the image faded.
"Do not confront him. Not yet. Dispatch the Shadow Unit. Observe. Listen."
Sara blinked. "He is not to be detained?"
"Not unless he defies the divine." The Shogun's tone sharpened. "He is no ordinary mortal—but whether he is a danger, or a sign, remains to be seen."
Sara bowed. "Understood."
—
That same night, Ji Bai returned to the Kamisato Estate.
Though exhausted, he could still feel a subtle pulse in his chest—the mark that Raidenkyo's will had left behind. His brush was no longer just a tool. It was now a channel between realms.
He entered the quiet courtyard. Ayaka stood beneath the lantern-lit sakura tree, her silhouette framed in soft petals and moonlight.
"You felt it too," Ji Bai said.
She nodded. "The sky answered you. And now… someone else has."
He hesitated. "The Shogun?"
Ayaka gave a gentle smile, though her eyes held warning. "She knows of you now. Your paintings have echoed too loudly."
Ji Bai looked down at the scroll in his hand. "Then I suppose it's no longer just my story."
"No," she said softly. "You're part of something much older now. The gods are watching."
—
And in the halls of Tenshukaku, Raiden Shogun turned once more to the storm.
"Ink that calls thunder…A mortal who stirs godhood…A name lost to even me…"
She closed her eyes.
"We will see what kind of fate you dare to paint."