Noelle walked out of Tenshukaku, her form returning to normal as her hands still trembled upon what she did just now. Taking someone's life like that, even though Noelle had tried to spare her, still left a huge sense of guilt within her.

She walked down the paths that lead to the gate, where she sees Paimon, still trying to drag Aether , who is suffering from throbbing pains in his head, which reminded her of the time it happened back at the viewpoint overlooking Stormterror's lair.

"A-Aether! Are you alright...!?"

Noelle wanted to approach him, but in her vision she sees her gauntlets covered in blood for a split second, causing her to shake her head, and continued to approach Aether.

"Noelle! Good to see you're alright! How did it go with Signora!?"

"I... I'd rather not talk about it, Lady Paimon."

Aether's head pain stopped, and he sees Noelle, basically trembling heavily.

"N...Noelle, what's wrong?"

"Aether... Please forgive me for what I did just now... I took a life..."

"Noelle..."

"I tried... I tried to spare her, and leave her fate to the Shogun-Sama... Only for me to end her just like that..."

Aether then stood up and hugged Noelle, calming her down from her dilemma.

Noelle and Aether then walked out, with their hands held together. After a few moments where Aether suffered the throbbing pains for several more times, they reached the gateway, to see that Gorou, Kazuha and the Resistance Army has broken through.

"Who is she, Traveler!? An enemy!?"

"Lay down your bow, Gorou... That's his companion that I told you about."

Gorou then see geo energy emanating from Noelle, and concluded. "So, it was you?"

Noelle looked away, as Gorou begins to pull his bowstring, ready to fire. However a glare from Aether is enough for him to stand down and put away his weapon. However, the tension rises as suddenly Raiden appeared behind them, apparently not too happy with the presence of the Resistance Army at the gates.

Aether then tried to attack her, only to be sucked away into some sort of pocket dimension, which then closes before Noelle could even blink.

"H...He's gone!"

"The Shogun too, what just happened!?" Gorou asked.

Noelle trembles, as she felt like she failed Aether this time. Wherever Raiden took him, it must be dangerous and yet Noelle couldn't do anything. She dejectedly walked through the soldiers, and back to the Teahouse.

There, upon opening the door, Noelle is immediately met with a blue haired girl in armor, rushing at her with a katana, causing Noelle to block her strike with her claymore

"Shirogane...! So you still dare show your face..."

"Shirogane...? Ah, M-miss, you're mistaken!"

"How can I? Wearing that Favonius Armor is not enough to fool me. Prepare yourself, for what you've done to my clan's soldiers!"

"Kamisato-Sama! Please, cease your actions!" Thoma's voice is heard.

Kamisato gritted her teeth in anger, before she spun her katana, and sheathed it back.

"I... I am not Shirogane, I am her daughter..."

"Her daughter? Did you come here to avenge her?"

"N-No! I was here to defend the Honorary Knight, Aether."

"Aether...? You knew The Traveler?"

Noelle nodded. Kamisato immediately bowed down in apology, and skittishly said "F-F-Forgive me for the misunderstanding!"

"I-It's alright!"

Later on, the girls sat down beside the tea tables, as Thoma poured some into cups.

"My name is Kamisato Ayaka, It is a pleasure to meet you..."

"It is mine, as well Lady Kamisato."

"There is no need to be so formal, just call me Ayaka, er..."

"My name is Noelle, Maid of the Knights of Favonius."

"A Maid-Knight?" Ayaka tilted her head in curiosity.

"That's what everyone called me... I am not yet an official knight."

"I see. Where is Aether, dare I ask?"

"Eh..? It's... It's my fault."

"Hmm?"

"I wasn't able to protect him... He was taken by the Shogun herself to some pocket dimension... I-I can't take this guilt and failure that I am feeling. I failed my mission to protect him at any costs."

"I-Is that so... But the Traveler isn't weak. he's probably still somewhere fighting the Shogun-Sama."

"Even if he is, and I got there somehow... Can he forgive me for my failure?"

"From what I've seen from him, he can easily forgive you. Noelle, can I give you a little bit of advise?"

"E-eh? If you say so, then yes, you may."

"You are a good person, Noelle... Just like Shirogane before she did that... But, if you lose hope when you didn't even know the person you are trying to protect is still alive is your end. Always have hope in your heart, and fight to protect him... Since you are a future knight, am I right?"

"B-But..."

"Aether told me about you, Noelle, and how strong and capable you are. Surely, he will be proud of you even more, if you kept your hopes high enough."

Ayaka then took a sip of her tea, as Noelle then thinks about what she should do, and when she made her mind, she finished her tea, and stood up.

"Thank you, Miss Ayaka. I-I'll go and find Aether, no matter the cost...!"

"That's the spirit, Daughter of Shirogane." A soothing female voice is heard from the doorway. They turned around to see a mature woman in red and white Miko garbs, and has a pair of drooped down fox ears.

"G-Guuji-Sama!?" Both Ayaka and Thoma stood up and bowed in front of her.

"Guuji-Sama...?" Noelle bowed her head down.

This woman is Yae Miko, the Grand Priestess of The Grand Narukami Shrine in Inazuma.

"I can get you to the Traveler's location... Buuut I was waiting until you regained your confidence. Now shall we proceed?"

Noelle smiled, and nodded her head in agreement.

***

Aether is thrown back by the sheer force of electro that Raiden shot him with, and knelt down. However, he then felt a presence behind him, which are both Yae and Noelle, standing together with Noelle having a stern look on her face.

"Miko...? This was your doing...? And with a mortal as well... Wait."

Raiden looked at Noelle with confusion, there is no way a normal human can enter her plane of euthymia. Yae chuckled, telling Raiden that she should've remembered what she had taught her before whispering something to Aether, in which suddenly star-like objects begin to fill the area within them, which are the visions of people that were stolen away in the Vision Hunt Decree. The Anemo, Hydro, Pyro, Dendro, Electro and Cryo visions gave their powers to Aether.

However, the geo visions then shot out rays of light that is absorbed by Noelle's, before the center of her eyes glowed gold again, and a translucent golden cape materializes on her back. Raiden at first looked confident, but when Noelle received her power as well her expression changed to that of surprise.

"A Transcended One...?!"

Aether started first, by summoning rocks out of geo energy which surrounded Raiden, before Noelle jumped in to swing her claymore, which is the odd one that has a golden blade down to Raiden who blocked it with her Engulfing Lightning. The ground beneath Raiden then cracks, before a crater is made.

Noelle dropped down, and sung her claymore multiple times which clashed with Raiden's blade. They continued to fight each other, as the visions continued to glow ever so brightly.

"I will gain it...! All of the visions... To obtain eternity!"

"The only thing that you will gain, Shogun-Sama... Is not that twisted ambition!"

They used their full power, and clashed their blades against each other, causing them both to drop the weapons due to the force.

"T...This is not possible, she is just as strong as I am...!" Raiden said, before pulling out her katana.

Noelle, now unarmed just flicked her right wrist intending to fight Raiden bare handed. However, Aether took opportunity of the situation by doing a plunge attack, which ends up in him and Raiden clashing their blades together. Aether's training with Yae paid off as he managed to endure most of Raiden's electro strikes as he continued to swing his sword, trying to get a successful slash, only for Raiden to suddenly fire a shot of electro to the abdomen which knocks Aether back to the ground. She walked towards his downed body, and is about to plunge her katana into his heart, before stopping inches before the blade hits.

Raiden sensed another power, and she looked to see Noelle has retrieved that odd claymore, and her vision's energy is flowing to it. Raiden, without any hesitation dashed in to attack.

However, Noelle made an upward slash, in which a stream of geo energy coursed it's way through the ground until it hits the bottom of Raiden's heels whereupon she suddenly felt the gravity being nullified.

A geo barrier has locked her in the air, and Raiden, with widened eyes looked to see Noelle dashing towards her, and landed 3 slashes, which ends in a geo sigil being drawn behind Raiden before disappearing, and she dropped down to the ground in defeat.

Noelle rested a bit, as the claymore then vanishes as the battle is done, and her form returned into normal.

After talking some sense into Raiden, who is also known by Yae as "Ei", the latter agreed to abolish the Vision Hunt Decree, once she learned the value that visions hold for the people that had them.

Ei stayed at the Plane of Euthymia, while the other Raiden which is a puppet stayed in Tenshukaku. Noelle, Aether and Paimon visited Yae at the shrine, and received info that Ei's gnosis has been given to the Fatui, before she advised them to continue their journeys by travelling to Sumeru.

She looked at Noelle, and called her.

"Daughter of Shirogane. Ei called you a Transcended  One, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Eh? I did hear her say that."

"This meant that you have unlocked the full potential of your vision's power, and that you gained a gnosis of your own... You can also be called a Demi-Archon at this rate. Fufu~ You should use your powers, continue to protect the people that needed help... As well as your senior here."

"U-Understood!"

And so it was that the Inazuma chapter is closed for Aether's journey. But Sumeru has to wait, as he wanted to explore more of Inazuma, as it is an archipelago of mysteries.