The thing about entering the Sanctuary of Surasthana was that most people probably did it with reverence.
Quiet steps.
Respectful posture.
A humble heart.
Maybe a prayer or two.
Me?
I barged in like the building owed me rent.
"Little Radish!" I called proudly, my voice bouncing through the sacred silence with absolutely zero shame. "The fabulous one is here!"
Nilou followed behind me with her hands politely clasped in front of her, smiling like a saint who had unfortunately chosen to accompany a public disturbance. Her expression said she was sorry. Her eyes said she was trying very hard not to laugh.
Honestly, that was marriage material energy.
The Sanctuary was calm as always, wrapped in that gentle, dreamlike stillness that made everything feel cleaner than reality usually deserved. The air carried that quiet presence Nahida always seemed to have, like wisdom had decided to sit in the corner and watch me make poor decisions.
A few seconds passed.
Then Nahida appeared.
Small, serene, and smiling with the kind of patience that immediately made me feel like a child who had walked into class late while holding a live chicken.
"Shigeru. Nilou," she greeted, her smile warm as her gaze moved between us. "You're here."
Nilou bowed her head politely. "Lady Nahida."
I placed one hand over my chest and gave my most dramatic half-bow. "Your Radishness."
Nahida blinked.
Nilou's shoulders trembled.
I continued before either of them could recover. "We bring urgency, mild emotional damage, and my extraordinary presence."
Nahida's smile did not leave her face, but it did gain that very specific tired softness I was proud to have caused in several gods by now. "I see. Then this is not a casual visit."
"When have I ever visited casually?"
Nilou answered before Nahida could.
"Almost never."
I looked at her, deeply betrayed. "Goddess."
She smiled sweetly. "You asked."
"That was rhetorical."
"It deserved an answer."
I clutched my chest. "You're learning too much from Lumine."
Nahida watched us with quiet amusement, but her eyes soon moved past us, searching the space near the entrance. The shift was small, but I caught it immediately.
Because unlike me, Nahida actually used her brain responsibly.
"Where are Lumine and Paimon?" she asked. Then her head tilted slightly. "And Greg too? He's usually with you."
"Ah," I said, lifting one finger. "About that."
Nilou looked at me.
I could feel her silently asking me not to explain this like an idiot.
Naturally, I failed immediately.
"They're kinda busy."
Nahida waited.
I added, "You know. Dealing with a dream and such."
Nahida's head tilted a little further. "A dream?"
"Yes. Dream." I nodded very seriously. "Abyss bullshits. Scary ones. Very bad vibes. Weird house. Medicinal bowl. Emotional damage. Talking statue. Probably the kind of plot where everyone goes home needing therapy and soup."
Nilou closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Not disappointed.
Not surprised.
Just accepting that this was who I was.
Nahida stared at me.
Then she smiled.
Tiredly.
Very tiredly.
"Shigeru…"
"What? That was the compact version."
"That was not an explanation."
"It had keywords."
"It had several concerning phrases."
"Exactly. Efficient."
Nilou gently stepped in, probably because she realized if left unsupervised, I would summarize the entire Caribert incident as "Abyss man adopts tragedy and gets bonked by fate." She looked toward Nahida, her expression softening into concern. "Lumine fell into a deep sleep back in Avidya Forest. Shigeru believes she's experiencing a dream connected to the Loom of Fate… and to the name Caribert."
The Sanctuary went quieter.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
That was the thing about Nahida. When she focused, even silence seemed to stand straighter.
"Caribert…" she repeated softly.
I nodded, my grin lowering just a bit. "Yeah. That one."
Nahida's gaze returned to me. "And you left Lumine there?"
"Paimon, Dain, and Greg are with her," I said. "Greg has strict orders to go big lizard mode if anything gets sketchy."
Nilou added gently, "Shigeru also told him to transform if Dainsleif starts speaking in extra poetry."
Nahida looked at me.
I looked back.
"That is a valid threat assessment."
Nahida sighed softly, though the corner of her mouth curved upward. "I think I understand now."
"Perfect," I said immediately, clapping my hands together. "Anyway, can we borrow a certain hat gremlin?"
Nahida blinked.
Nilou covered her mouth.
I leaned forward slightly, fully committed now. "You know. Big hat. Grumpy. Probably constipated. Emotionally unavailable. Definitely dangerous. Walks around like he's one inconvenience away from declaring war on furniture."
From somewhere deeper inside the Sanctuary, a very familiar voice cut through the air.
"I heard that."
My grin widened instantly.
There he was.
Sora stepped into view with the exact expression of someone who had been having a perfectly tolerable day until I committed the crime of existing nearby. His arms were crossed, his eyes were sharp, and every single part of him radiated pure refusal.
Beautiful.
Nature was healing.
"Sora!" I said brightly, spreading my arms. "My favorite emotionally compact storm cloud!"
His eyes narrowed. "Get out."
"We just arrived."
"Then leave with haste."
Nilou bowed politely toward him, though her lips were pressed together in a heroic attempt to control her laughter. "Good evening, Sora."
His gaze moved to her, and his expression softened by exactly one millimeter, which for him was basically a full diplomatic treaty.
"Nilou," he said with a small nod.
I gasped.
Loudly.
"Oh my Archons. You can be polite."
Sora's expression snapped back toward me. "I said get out."
"There he is. Balance restored."
Nilou whispered, "Shigeru, please behave."
"I am behaving. This is my indoor voice."
"This is not your indoor voice."
"It is indoors, and it is my voice. Therefore—"
"No."
I stopped.
Mostly because Nilou's gentle "no" somehow had more authority than most divine decrees.
Nahida watched the exchange with a smile that had become far too entertained. "You seem lively, Shigeru."
"I'm coping."
Sora scoffed. "You're annoying."
"That's part of the coping."
"It explains nothing."
"It explains everything if you have vision."
"I have eyes. Unfortunately, they keep seeing you."
I placed a hand over my heart. "Still missed me, huh?"
"I regret ever assisting you."
"Come on," I said, walking closer with absolutely no concern for personal safety. "We worked together before. We bonded."
Sora's face darkened. "We did not bond."
"We fought a false god together."
"You were present."
"I contributed emotionally."
"You contributed noise."
"And confidence."
"Mostly noise."
Nilou finally turned away slightly, one hand still over her mouth as she tried not to laugh too loudly. Nahida's smile was gentle, but her eyes had that unmistakable sparkle of someone who was absolutely letting this happen because it was educational.
Sora noticed.
He looked at Nahida. "Don't encourage him."
"I haven't said anything."
"You're smiling."
"That is not always encouragement."
"With him, it is."
I pointed at him. "See? He understands me."
"I understand that you are a problem."
"Exactly. Deep bond."
Sora looked like he wanted to throw me through a wall, but unfortunately for him, walls were expensive and Nahida was watching.
I cleared my throat dramatically. "Anyway, beloved gremlin—"
"Call me that again."
"—beloved emotionally sharp young man with hat-related branding—"
Nilou coughed into her hand.
Sora's eyebrow twitched.
"I have come to recruit you."
"No."
"You don't even know for what."
"I know enough."
"It's training."
"No."
"It involves fighting."
"No."
"It involves a giant machine."
Sora paused.
Ah.
There it was.
The tiny opening.
The crack in the gremlin fortress.
I grinned slowly. "Oh? Interest?"
"No."
"That pause sounded expensive."
"It was disgust."
"Disgust with curiosity."
Sora looked away. "You're delusional."
"Frequently."
Nahida stepped forward slightly, her tone calm but thoughtful. "Shigeru, what exactly are you planning?"
I turned to her and placed both hands on my hips. "Simple. While Lumine is currently dreaming through horrifying plot relevance, I plan to maximize our time by preparing for the next round of world-threatening stupidity."
Nilou tilted her head. "You mean Fontaine?"
"Exactly," I said, pointing at her proudly. "See? Goddess gets it."
Nahida's expression grew more serious. "You believe something more dangerous is waiting there."
"Fontaine is beautiful," I said. "Elegant. Dramatic. Full of law, water, courtroom theatrics, emotional damage, and probably enough divine nonsense to drown a small nation in symbolism."
Sora stared at me. "That is not tactical analysis."
"It is vibe analysis."
"Worthless."
"Incorrect. Vibes save lives."
Nilou smiled gently. "He's joking, but he is serious. He's been worried since Lumine fell asleep."
"Goddess, betrayal."
"I'm helping you explain."
"With emotional accuracy. Dangerous weapon."
Nahida looked at me quietly. "And how does Sora fit into this?"
I grinned.
Sora immediately looked suspicious.
"The Joururi Workshop."
The silence that followed was immediate.
Not awkward.
Sharp.
Nilou's smile faded slightly. Nahida's expression softened with understanding. Sora's eyes narrowed, but something beneath the annoyance turned colder.
"You want to go there," he said.
"Yeah."
"With me."
"Yeah."
"To fight that machine."
I raised a finger. "Technically, to fight that Gundam wannabe."
Nilou blinked. "Gundam?"
"Old world thing. Giant robot. Very dramatic. Lots of lasers. Probably poor insurance coverage."
Sora stared at me like I had personally insulted several centuries of engineering and trauma at once. "You want to use the workshop as a training ground."
"Exactly."
"No."
"Counterpoint."
"No."
"Second counterpoint."
"No."
"Third—"
"I will throw you."
I nodded. "Good. That's the spirit. Violence means you're listening."
Nilou gently touched my sleeve. "Shigeru…"
"Fine, fine."
I let the grin ease down a little. Not vanish, because that would scare everyone, but lower enough to show I wasn't only being stupid.
Only mostly.
"Look," I said, meeting Sora's eyes. "I know that place is ugly for you."
His jaw tightened slightly.
I continued anyway, but softer now. "I'm not dragging you there because I think it's funny. I'm not that much of an idiot."
Sora said nothing.
I sighed. "Okay, I am absolutely that much of an idiot in many other categories, but not this one."
Nilou smiled faintly despite herself.
Nahida listened quietly.
"That workshop is one of the few places in Sumeru where I can push myself hard without accidentally turning a peaceful forest into soup," I said. "And I need to push. Lumine's walking through something right now that I can't follow her into. So I'm doing the thing I can do."
Sora's eyes remained sharp. "Training."
"Training," I confirmed. "Because the next time fate throws something stupid at her, at us, at everyone, I'd prefer not to stand there relying purely on charisma, luck, and whatever questionable blessings I've accumulated through bad decisions."
Nilou looked at me. "You do rely on those a lot."
"I know. That's why I'm diversifying."
Sora scoffed, but he didn't say no immediately this time.
Progress.
Beautiful, hostile progress.
Nahida looked toward him. "Sora."
He clicked his tongue. "Don't start."
"I only want you to be careful."
"I know."
"And to take care of yourself."
"I know."
"And not to be influenced by Shigeru too much."
I gasped. "Little Radish."
Nahida smiled serenely. "That one is very important."
Nilou laughed softly, unable to help herself.
Sora looked between us, his expression deeply offended by the fact that everyone in the room seemed to agree that I was a public hazard.
Which was fair.
I pointed at him, grinning again. "You've been adopted for real, huh?"
Sora rolled his eyes. "Say one more word."
"One more word."
He moved.
I stepped behind Nilou instantly.
"Goddess shield!"
Nilou startled. "Shigeru!"
Sora stopped, glaring at me from the other side of the only emotionally safe person in the room. "Coward."
"Strategist."
"You're hiding behind Nilou."
"Because you respect her."
Nilou flushed slightly. "Please don't use me as a shield."
I peeked over her shoulder. "See? She asked nicely. You can't attack now."
Sora looked like he was experiencing seven different forms of regret.
Then, with clear reluctance, he looked at Nilou instead of me, because apparently he had decided she was the sane one.
Good instincts.
Terrible for me.
"What exactly is he planning to do there?" Sora asked her.
Nilou blinked. "Oh. Um… I think he wants to train his elemental control."
"Thank you, Goddess," I said proudly. "Professional translation."
Nilou gave me a look. "I'm still not sure this is a good idea."
"It's one of my ideas. Of course it isn't good."
Sora sighed.
Not a small sigh.
A full-body, soul-weary sigh.
The kind of sigh that said he had already lost and hated everyone for making him aware of it.
"Fine."
I froze.
Nilou blinked.
Nahida smiled.
I pointed at him slowly. "Say that again. I need it for emotional records."
"No."
"You agreed."
"I said fine. That does not mean I agreed."
"That is exactly what fine means."
"It means I want this conversation to end."
"By agreeing."
Sora turned away sharply. "Move before I change my mind."
I grinned so hard my face hurt.
"Road trip to trauma workshop!"
Nilou immediately covered her face. "Shigeru…"
Nahida sighed, though she still smiled. "Please be careful, all of you."
"We will," Nilou said sincerely.
"I will," Sora muttered.
"I'll try," I said.
Everyone looked at me.
I raised both hands. "What? That was honest."
Nahida shook her head lightly, then looked at Sora with unmistakable warmth. "Take care of yourself."
Sora didn't answer right away. For a second, his expression shifted, just barely, like he didn't know what to do with that kind of concern even after everything.
Then he looked away. "I know."
I leaned toward Nilou and whispered, "Adopted."
Sora didn't turn around. "I heard that."
"I know."
"Stop saying it."
"No."
Nilou apologized to Nahida with her eyes.
Nahida accepted it with the patience of a god who had already survived me several times.
And so we left the Sanctuary.
Not gracefully, obviously. Grace and I were distant relatives who only met during emergencies. Sora walked ahead like a man being forcibly dragged into cooperation by fate itself, while Nilou followed beside me, still smiling despite her worry.
The path toward the Joururi Workshop felt strange.
The city slowly gave way to quieter paths, then to heavier air. The closer we got, the less I joked. Not completely—I wasn't dead—but enough that Nilou noticed again.
She always noticed.
"You're focusing," she said softly.
"Dangerous, right?"
"A little."
"Don't worry. I only focus when something is important, stupid, or both."
Sora didn't look back. "Then this must be both."
"See? Teamwork."
"I am not on your team."
"You're walking with us."
"I'm supervising your inevitable failure."
"Supervisor counts as team."
Nilou smiled faintly. "You two argue like siblings."
Sora stopped walking for half a second.
I grinned.
"Oh?"
"No," Sora said immediately.
Nilou looked between us. "I didn't mean—"
"No," Sora repeated.
I nodded solemnly. "Little brother acquired."
He turned his head slowly. "I will bury you."
"Family bonding."
Nilou sighed, but she was smiling.
Eventually, the entrance to the Joururi Workshop rose before us.
Even from outside, the place felt heavy.
Not abandoned like the house in Avidya Forest.
Not sacred like the Sanctuary.
Heavy.
Artificial.
Mechanical.
Like a wound made of metal.
Sora stopped at the entrance.
For once, I didn't joke immediately.
I looked at him.
His face was controlled, but his eyes had sharpened into something quieter. Something older than his current name. Something that remembered wires, divinity, betrayal, and a sky he tried to tear open while calling it purpose.
I let the silence breathe.
Then I said, softer, "You sure?"
Sora scoffed, but it lacked its usual bite. "You're asking now?"
"Yeah."
"You dragged me all the way here."
"Correction. I annoyed you into walking voluntarily."
"That is not better."
"No," I admitted. "But still. If you don't want to step inside, say it."
Nilou looked at me with a gentle surprise, then smiled.
Sora glanced at me.
For a brief moment, the usual insults didn't come.
Then he clicked his tongue and walked forward. "Get on with it."
There it was.
Permission.
Not forgiveness.
Not comfort.
Just permission.
Good enough.
We entered the Joururi Workshop.
The familiar vastness opened around us, cold and enormous, the remains of divine ambition still clinging to every surface. The air carried metal, old energy, and the kind of silence that came after something massive had fallen and no one had bothered to teach the room how to feel normal again.
Nilou stayed close.
Sora's expression hardened.
And me?
I cracked my neck.
Once.
Then my shoulders.
Then my fingers.
"Alright," I said, rolling my arms as I stepped forward. "Enough emotional architecture. Time to work."
Nilou folded her hands in front of her, concern immediately returning. "Shigeru, please don't overdo it."
"I would never."
Sora stared.
Nilou stared.
I sighed. "Fine. I would absolutely. But I'll do it responsibly."
"That sentence contradicts itself," Sora said.
"Only spiritually."
I walked toward the open training space, breathing slowly now. My grin faded—not gone, but sharpened into something else. This was the part people sometimes forgot about me because the idiocy was loud enough to qualify as a natural disaster.
I trained.
A lot.
Behind the jokes, behind the flirting, behind the very reasonable habit of making gods develop headaches, I trained because this world didn't care how funny you were when things got serious.
Funny didn't stop a blade.
Funny didn't break fate.
Funny didn't protect Lumine when dreams dragged her into places I couldn't follow.
So I had other tools.
II lifted one hand, and the first current stirred around my fingers.
Anemo.
Then the ground beneath my boots answered with a low, steady pulse.
Geo.
A sharp spark crawled over my skin next, bright and restless.
Electro.
And finally, a soft green glow bloomed along my arm like veins of living light.
Dendro.
One by one, the elements answered.
Sora's eyes narrowed.
Nilou's breath caught slightly.
I exhaled.
"Elemental Overflow," I said.
The energy didn't burst outward.
That was the point.
Most elemental techniques released power away from the body. Projectiles. Blades. Shields. Shockwaves. Big dramatic attacks that looked amazing and made enemies reconsider their life decisions.
This was different.
Instead of releasing the elements outside my body, I pulled them inward and circulated them through my system, threading them through muscle, bone, breath, and nerve until they moved like they belonged there.
Not borrowed.
Not forced.
One with me.
The first time I used it against that same oversized Gundam wannabe, it had been messy.
Effective, but messy.
Like trying to conduct an orchestra while falling down stairs.
Now?
Now it flowed better.
Not perfect.
But better.
Sora watched quietly, and for once, there was no mockery in his expression.
"That technique," he said slowly, "is unique."
I grinned. "That sounded dangerously close to praise."
"It isn't."
"It had praise flavor."
"It is overpowered," he admitted, ignoring me, "but also reckless. Circulating multiple elements through your body instead of projecting them outward means any instability damages you first. Muscles, organs, nerves, elemental pathways… all of it takes the burden directly."
Nilou immediately looked at me. "Shigeru."
I raised a finger. "Before you worry—"
"I'm already worrying."
"Fair."
She stepped closer, her expression soft but firm. "If you feel anything wrong, tell me. Don't hide it just because you want to act cool."
"I always act cool."
Sora snorted.
Nilou gave me a look.
I corrected myself. "I sometimes act cool."
Sora snorted louder.
"Okay, rarely. But with passion."
Nilou didn't laugh this time. Her worry stayed real.
So I softened.
"Goddess, I'm okay," I said. "Really. I trained for fourteen years mastering this. It doesn't take as much toll on my body now."
Sora's expression shifted sharply. "Fourteen years?"
Nilou blinked, then looked at me with sudden realization. "Oh… that time you disappeared with Greg for the whole week."
I grinned.
"That's right."
Sora stared at me. "A week is not fourteen years."
"Time chamber nonsense."
Nilou nodded slowly, remembering. "You said you were training with the Adeptus."
"I was," I said proudly. "Mountain Shaper, my glorious bird master of emotional and physical suffering, had me trapped in whatever bullshit spatial training domain he was experimenting with at the time."
Sora looked deeply unimpressed. "You expect me to believe an Adeptus placed you in a time-distorted training chamber."
"Yes."
"And you survived fourteen years of training."
"Yes."
"With your personality intact."
I paused.
Nilou smiled.
Sora's eyes narrowed.
"…Mostly intact," I admitted.
"That explains a lot," Sora muttered.
"Rude."
"Accurate."
"Also rude."
Nilou touched my arm gently. "So you really did train that long…"
"Yeah," I said. "Greg was there too. He was smaller at first. Judged me the entire time. Grew stronger. Still judged me. Honestly, very consistent character development."
Nilou laughed softly despite her worry.
Good.
That sound helped.
It always did.
I rolled my shoulders again, letting the elements circulate slower now, controlled and steady. "Alright," I said. "Enough talk. Let's train for now while blondie is asleep and having nightmares."
Nilou's face immediately shifted into a pout.
A dangerous pout.
A beautiful pout.
A pout with moral authority.
"Shigeru."
I winced. "Fine. Dreaming about something serious and definitely plot relevant."
Her pout softened, but only slightly. "That's better."
Sora crossed his arms. "Barely."
"I'm improving."
"You are not."
"I said barely improving."
"No, you didn't."
"Emotionally implied."
Sora sighed like he had aged another century in my presence, while Nilou stepped back just enough to give us room but stayed close enough to interfere if I pushed too far.
Which I would not.
Probably.
Mostly.
The elemental current inside me brightened.
My heartbeat synced with it.
The air around us shifted.
Sora's posture changed too, annoyance giving way to focus. That sharpness in him, the dangerous precision beneath all the bitterness, finally surfaced.
Good.
That was what I needed.
Not comfort.
Not reassurance.
A proper opponent.
I grinned at him, electricity flickering faintly along my fingers.
"Alright, gremlin," I said. "Hit me like you mean it."
Sora's eyes narrowed.
"With pleasure."
And for a moment, as the remnants of a false god's workshop loomed around us and Lumine walked through the dream of Caribert far away, I let the jokes fall behind my teeth and focused on the only thing I could do.
Prepare.
Because when my blondie woke up…
I wanted to be ready.
________
End of Chapter 178
Quests Completed:
*Successfully invaded the Sanctuary of Surasthana with absolutely no regard for indoor volume etiquette.
*Greeted the Dendro Archon by loudly shouting "Little Radish!" across one of Sumeru's holiest locations.
*Provided Nahida with the most confusing yet strangely accurate summary of the Caribert incident.
*Officially entrusted Lumine's safety to Paimon, Greg, and Dainsleif while she remained inside the Loom of Fate dream.
*Successfully recruited one extremely grumpy former Harbinger through persistent emotional harassment.
*Confirmed that Nahida has officially entered the "Tired Parent" stage whenever Shigeru visits.
*Promoted Sora from "Hat Gremlin" to "Beloved Gremlin" despite receiving repeated threats.
*Successfully weaponized Nilou as an emergency anti-Scaramouche shield.
*Returned to the Joururi Workshop for the first time since defeating the False God.
*Revealed the true purpose behind the visit—to prepare for Fontaine while Lumine confronted destiny alone.
*Demonstrated the refined version of Elemental Overflow, simultaneously circulating Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro throughout the body.
*Revealed fourteen years of hidden Adeptus training inside a time-distorted domain.
*Earned Sora's first genuine acknowledgement of Elemental Overflow's potential.
*Officially began preparations for the next inevitable world-ending disaster.
Rewards:
*Adventure EXP +8,500
*42,000 Mora (Training Expenses & Emotional Compensation)
*Companionship EXP +900 (Nilou, Nahida, Sora)
*"Elemental Overflow — Refined Circuit" : (Elemental circulation becomes significantly more stable. Physical strain reduced while synchronization speed increases.)
*"Fourteen Years of Solitude" : (Massively increases discipline gained through prolonged isolation training.)
*"Mountain Shaper's Brutal Curriculum" : (Training efficiency permanently increased. Side Effect: User develops unhealthy tolerance toward suffering.)
*"Nahida's Patience EX" : (Allows the Dendro Archon to tolerate one additional Shigeru conversation before developing a headache.)
*"Beloved Gremlin Recruitment Permit" : (Chance of successfully recruiting emotionally unavailable individuals increased by 35%. Success does not guarantee cooperation.)
*"Nilou's Goddess Shield" : (Enemies with functioning morals become 90% less likely to attack while Nilou is standing between both parties.)
*"Workshop of Broken Divinity" : (Combat effectiveness increases while training inside locations connected to past battles.)
*"Overflow Synchronization" : (Temporarily improves elemental harmony between Anemo, Geo, Electro, and Dendro.)
*"Sora's Professional Evaluation" : (Receiving acknowledgement from Sora permanently increases confidence by +15%. Compliments remain extremely rare.)
*"Strategic Annoyance Lv. MAX" : (Repeatedly irritating the same individual eventually produces cooperation instead of immediate violence.)
*+35 (Sumeru Reputation — "Sanctuary Public Disturbance & Hat Gremlin Recruitment")
Achievement Unlocked:
"Gremlin Acquired"
-Successfully recruit an emotionally unavailable former Harbinger despite being threatened with bodily harm no fewer than seven times.
Requirements Completed:
*Called him a Hat Gremlin.
*Called him a Storm Cloud.
*Hid behind Nilou.
*Survived.
*Somehow convinced him to come anyway.
Secret Achievement Unlocked:
"The Strongest Shield in Teyvat"
-Use your fiancée as a defensive barrier against one of the most dangerous individuals in Sumeru.
Result:
*Target refuses to attack.
*Fiancée becomes embarrassed.
*User survives through shamelessness alone.