Chapter Text
Before Keqing received the reports of an incident at the Guizhong Ballista, her day was going perfectly. She had managed to get all of her work for the following couple of days finished by noon, and she was looking forward to a day in which she could go shopping.
Then the reports came flooding in.
Firstly, Liyue had an amazing intelligence agency. Anything that happened within the country’s borders was in the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ hands within the hour.
Yet, this attack seemed to come out of nowhere.
The Guizhong Ballista was located near Liyue Harbor and in the crook between two mountains. The figure would’ve had to trek through Liyue to get to the Ballista, but as far as the reports were concerned, a portal of stars had appeared close to it and a figure dressed in dark clothes and a blinding golden scarf stepped out of it. The three squadrons of Milellith stationed there were alarmed, naturally, and they engaged the suspicious figure.
Sixty well-trained soldiers, with six generals to lead them. None of them stood a chance.
With golden flashes of light, the newcomer had tossed the Milellith soldiers aside like a bunch of rag dolls. The soldiers’ fates were still unknown, but they were either dead or knocked out. The figure then proceeded to walk around and inspect the Guizhong Ballista without touching it at all. The reports ended there.
“What do you propose we do, Lady Ningguang?” Ganyu asked. “We can’t let his crimes go unpaid!”
“We’ll send another two squadrons of Milellith there, while one or two soldiers hang back to garner information on this stranger. We must know the full extent of his power so we know how we must react appropriately,” Ningguang decided. “All in favor?”
The Liyue Qixing all raised their hands unanimously.
“Very well. Motion passed. Ganyu, if you could relay this command to the head of the Milellith, that would be great. Everyone, please carry on with your work. If further reports come in, I will gather you again.” Ningguang commanded. The rest of the Liyue Qixing filed out, and Keqing went home to change into more comfortable clothes.
When Keqing stepped outside again, she felt refreshed. Finally, an afternoon to herself to do whatever she wanted. She strolled around the harbor, looking at the different stalls, and buying a thing or two. She had been wanting a Lucent Crescent for ages, but Ningguang went right ahead and bought all of them for herself by paying double the price, all for the sake of annoying her. Archons, that woman. She was so rich, she could do anything she wanted. Crossing her arms, she scoffed silently and stared out across the open waters of Liyue Harbor. Her mind wandered silently in a confusing path. First she wondered about Lucent Crescents, and when they would next be in stock. It really was a fine piece of jewelry. Elegantly carved from a crystal, buffed until it shone as bright as a star in the sky. Her mind then wandered to what a crystal was.
Crystal ores were formed in the wild near Ley Lines. They were created with the power of Geo and Ley Lines. Oh, hey, Liyue was the land of Geo and commerce. Their closest neighbor would be Mondstadt, the land of Anemo. She had also heard some rumours about a Traveller from a distant world, who had lost her brother and would be on a quest to look for him. She would be venturing throughout Teyvat, looking for him. She would have met the Anemo Archon there in Mondstadt, she supposed. If she came to Liyue, she would be able to converse with Rex Lapis. The thought of their god once again brought a bad taste into her mouth.
Ugh, that Rex Lapis. Always poking his nose into their daily affairs and making ‘predictions,’ boosting the economy by pure chance. She firmly believed that one’s fate should be held and made by themselves. She refused to place it into the hands of a god, or Fate. But these ‘successful businessmen’ had nothing to do with their fortunes. They were all depending on Rex Lapis to boost their sales and make them wealthy in the process. Absolute leechers.
Her mind wandered back to the rumours she had heard. That Traveller must have seen quite a lot in her travels. If what she heard was true, she and her brother had come and gone across many different worlds, and were part of a world outside of Teyvat. How interesting. For the first time, she started to wonder what modes of government other worlds used. Perhaps a monarchy, or maybe a democracy? What did they look like? Were the plants still green, like here in Teyvat, or a completely different color? Interdimensional Travellers really were interesting, weren’t they? What did the Traveller look like? Perhaps she should ask Ningguang, who had some contact with the Acting Grand Master in Mondstadt. Perhaps the Traveller and her brother could be very useful allies in the near future. Perhaps they could grow closer...
She allowed her mind to wander for a couple more seconds before snapping back to reality. Although she would never admit it, she and her few friends had sometimes fantasized about a handsome traveller from a distant land to take them away from their troubles. Shaking her head to clear the image from her mind, she walked back throughout the Harbor, wondering what she could get for lunch. Just before she could decide whether to eat at Wanmin Restaurant or cook some food herself, she found Ganyu walking down the path towards her.
“Hey,” Ganyu greeted her. “All done with work?”
Keqing nodded. “Just a wandering mind for now. Wanna go shopping?”
Ganyu shrugged. “Why not?”
The pair walked around Liyue Harbor, looking at and buying various things. Keqing picked out a sky blue dress for Ganyu, and she responded with a purple and white dress. It was smaller and purple near the top, but it switched to white and was much looser down to her feet. “For the Lantern Rite,” Ganyu had promised. Keqing nodded. She did think it was fitting. It was really beautiful, too. The two paid for their purchases and swapped dresses.
“Thanks a bunch, Ganyu,” Keqing said gratefully. “It looks amazing.”
“I could say the same to you,” Ganyu said. “You really do have an eye for this sort of thing. I do hope that one day you’ll find a lover that you could court in that dress. It truly would be a moment to remember.” Keqing nodded.
“I agree. Thanks again, Ganyu,” Keqing said. Ganyu smiled.
“Any time!” The two were distracted by a little buzzing in their pockets. When the pair withdrew their hands, they noticed the little device Ningguang had given them starting to glow. It was a long range communication device of sorts, and it let her know when to get back to the office. The pair hurried back to the Liyue Qixing’s office to find the rest of the room in considerable panic. Catching their breath, Keqing sat down in her chair and waited while Ganyu hurried to Ningguang’s side. Ningguang took a shaky breath.
“The Milellith dispatched have all been defeated. One scout barely made it back and is in the infirmary. This… person is much stronger than we anticipated. The Guizhong Ballista is of adept construction. We cannot let diagrams of it be made.” she said.
“Perhaps a number of the Qixing themselves should see to this threat personally. There would be no chance against multiple Vision wielders, right?” Uncle Tian asked. Ningguang’s brow creased.
“Maybe, but then we must see to this task in force. If this figure is as strong as the reports tell, they would have no difficulty taking down a Vision wielder. We would need to send two, maybe three all together as Visions in proximity increase each other’s power.” Ningguang said skeptically.
“Then we’ll do just that. Me, you, and Ganyu,” Keqing suggested. “We cannot sit idly by while one of our most valuable defenses are being breached. We’ll bring a lot more Milellith with us this time. Five squadrons for each of us. That would be over three hundred Milellith and three Vision wielders. Even an Archon would have a difficult time dealing with that many soldiers if they are in a human form.” Ningguang smirked dryly.
“Always one for action, aren’t you, Keqing? Anyways, I agree with you. We’ll head out immediately. The rest of you, remain on standby. If we get into trouble, all of you must come to us at once, and bring every last Milellith with you. We will not fall!” Ningguang cried, to the cheers of the room. “We’ll change, then we’ll be on our way.”
Keqing, Ningguang, and Ganyu hurried back to their chambers to set out immediately. Keqing grabbed her sword and ran out to meet the others. Ganyu had already sent a message to the Milellith. How was that girl so fast? Nevertheless, when they had got outside of the gates, over three hundred Milellith soldiers had run out to meet them.
“We leave at once!” Ningguang yelled, and the soldiers all stood up straight at her command. The group then ran for the Guizhong Ballista.
“Quite a day, isn’t it,” Ganyu muttered. Keqing nodded fervently as she ran.
“I was looking forward to a good day as well,” Keqing said. “Would’ve been nice to take a break for once. But nooooo, some guy has to ruin my day.” She gripped her sword tighter. “I swear, once I get my hands on them, they’re gonna be pretty sorry,” Keqing said grimly. Ganyu put a hand on her shoulder.
“Careful dear, you’re working yourself up. But I agree with you. If they damage the Guizhong Ballista, Cloud Retainer would be unimaginably angry. And I don’t think that she would rebuild it, either…” Ganyu said.
“We’re getting close. Keep your guard up,” Ningguang commanded. The group ran full speed towards the Ballista, and it eventually came into view.
“There he is!” Ningguang cried, pointing upward. There was a small figure of a young man, walking around and inspecting the Guizhong Ballista from every inch. He seemed to have extraordinary senses, as when Ningguang yelled, he stood straight up and turned. When he saw the small army approaching, he seemed to sag.
“It’s over, Anakin! I have the high ground!” The figure yelled.
“Charge!” Keqing yelled. The small army of Milellith roared as one and charged. Ningguang, Ganyu, and Keqing came up from the rear, intending to surprise the figure. When they got close, they could hear him mutter angrily.
“I don’t have the time for this,” the figure said. He shot out his arm, and a portal of stars opened. Out of it flew numerous Abyss Mages of all different elements. Hydro, Cryo, Pyro, Electro, and Dendro. The three leaders immediately split the group.
“Split up! Five squadrons to each of us! Ganyu, take the Electro and Pyro ones. Keqing, you take the Hydro and Cryo ones. I’ll take the Dendro ones.” Ningguang commanded.
“Yes ma’am!” The Milellith responded. Ningguang had made sure their group’s elemental reactions were as strong as possible. When an Abyss Mage’s shield was broken, the Vision users would move on to the next one and leave the Milellith soldiers to take care of the helpless mage. After a couple hours, the majority of the Abyss Mages were defeated, with a few of the Milellith injured. The group then turned back to the figure standing near the Ballista, who was watching coolly from a distance.
“So. You do know how to handle yourself in a fight,” it said. “But I cannot have you interfering with my plans.”
“We’ll interfere with your nefarious plans however much we like.” Ganyu said, her voice tinted with rage.
“Oh, you will, will you?” The figure asked. “And what if I stop your interference?” He held out his hand, and a shining golden sword materialised in his grip. He raised it, and it crackled with golden light and energy.
“Liyue Harbor has a very strong military. The soldiers we brought with us are but a fraction of it. We will have no qualms about bringing the full force of it upon you.” Ningguang said.
“Pft. Strong military my butt. Your city is quite small compared to where I live. If you want to see real strength, then try and attack me. I will not attack you without provocation. If you force my hand, I will attack.” Ningguang scowled. She pulled her hand back.
“Attack!” she screamed, thrusting her hand towards the figure. The Milellith levelled their spears and charged. The figure sighed.
Golden wings formed on his back, and his sword extended into a cone of golden energy. “Know your limits and shelve your pride.”
The figure shot up into the sky, bright as a shining star in the sky. It glowed brightly, then came rushing downward with the light and heat of a meteor striking the earth. Keqing’s Vision grew extremely cold, and she felt it freezing against her skin.
The next thing she knew, she was protected by a shield of Electro. As near as she could tell, Ningguang and Ganyu were protected by shields of their elements as well.
Then the impact hit.
Even through her shield, the air felt extremely hot and the heat sucked the air from her lungs. Rocks, fire, and bodies were thrown into the air. When the air cleared, all Keqing could see was destruction all around, and the figure walking among the knocked out Milelleith soldiers, sometimes touching their foreheads. The Vision’s shield dissipated, and Keqing could see clearly again.
All of the Milellith soldiers caught in the blast had smoking and charred armor, but all of them were alive. The Guizhong Ballista had a shield of golden light surrounding it. Even as she watched, the golden light shimmered, and disappeared.
“Aaaand done.” The golden figure said, and with a flourish of his hands, a blanket of golden light fell upon them, blocking their vision. When Keqing’s vision cleared, the landscape was restored, and there was no Milellith soldier in sight. The only people there were herself, Ganyu, and Ningguang.
“What did you do to them?” Ganyu said, her voice full of panic. She pulled out her small device and slammed the button numerous times, but there was no response.
“That would be useless,” The figure said, looking at Ganyu. “Those won’t work until you’re away from me. Only your Visions will protect you and continue to function. Don’t bother sending any messages anyway. If your entire military is incapacitated, it wouldn’t be good if anything decided to attack Liyue Harbor.” Keqing could literally hear Ningguang’s teeth grinding against each other.
“First things first. Who ARE you?” Ningguang demanded. The figure frowned.
“I have many names, given to me by different people. For simplicity’s sake, call me Aether.” Aether said.
“That’s not what I meant,” Ningguang growled. Aether smiled dryly.
“I know that’s not what you meant. Thought I’d have a little fun with you anyway. As for my title, you needn’t know that,” Aether said, and turned away. Keqing heard the sound of a bowstring drawn taut, and looked over to Ganyu. She had aimed an arrow right at Aether’s head, where a long blonde braid trailed down from.
“I would not do that if I were you,” Aether said. Ganyu let loose her arrow anyway. Aether turned and caught the arrow in the air before it was about to hit him. He turned it over in his hands and studied it curiously.
“A Cryo arrow. How interesting. And if it hits something, it blooms and then showers ice everywhere.” Aether mused. “But whatever. That isn’t my focus.” He gripped the arrow, and the shaft splintered in his grip. He threw the two pieces of the arrow to the side, and turned back to the Ballista.
“Stop! What are you planning to do with that thing?” Keqing demanded. Aether fixed her with his golden eyes.
“And why is that any of your concern? Rest assured, I have no intentions of damaging it.” Aether said. Keqing frowned.
“We don’t need you getting the designs for this thing either. It’s native to Liyue, and we’re proud of it. We don’t want the designs spreading to a different nation. It’s Liyue’s, and Liyue’s only. We’re proud of our Adepti, and what they created.” she said. Aether raised his eyebrows.
“I didn’t know you were so appreciative of the Adepti, my dear Yuheng,” Aether said. “In fact, weren’t you the one that smack talked Rex Lapis a couple months ago at the Rite of Descension?” his tone held a hint of respect.
“How did you know…?” Keqing asked, shocked. “The Rite of Descension is watched by the citizens of Liyue and businessmen from abroad. I know all the people in attendance. You were not there.”
“I know I wasn’t there,” Aether said casually. “But I have ears everywhere.”
“I don’t care where you have your spies, but you’re coming with us to face the penalties,” Keqing said angrily. Aether shook his head.
“I’m not commanded to go anywhere. Try as you might, you cannot bring me to the Harbor.” Aether said.
“Are you testing us?” Ganyu demanded angrily. Aether shrugged.
“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. The implications of what I’m saying is entirely up to you.”
Ganyu drew her bow, and Ningguang readied her catalyst. Keqing drew her sword again, and Aether sighed. Golden light flickered across his hands, and his sword rematerialised. He stepped back into a defensive stance. Ganyu loosed two arrows at him, and Aether jumped. His sword began to glow gold, and he ran forward. Ningguang dropped a jade screen on him, knocking him back. After a second of recovery, Aether ran right through it. Ningguang’s hand glowed amber, and three crystals materialised out of thin air and flew straight at Aether. Aether dodged two, and caught the third. He crushed it, and all that trickled out was fine dust.
“Impossible,” Ningguang muttered.
“Nothing is impossible,” Aether said, looking at her. Taking advantage of this, Ganyu loosed another arrow. Aether turned and deflected it off the tip of his sword. He pointed his sword at Ganyu, and two beams of light shot out of his sword. Ningguang dashed in front of her and summoned another jade screen. The two beams of light slammed against it and stalled.
With a loud cry, Keqing ran towards Aether. Aether turned, surprised, and parried her first strike. Quick and light on her feet, just as the Yunlai School of Swordsmanship had taught. She dashed around Aether, striking and slashing at any exposed skin. Aether parried and struck back accordingly, and Ningguang stepped in from behind. She jumped into the air, and multiple stones materialised in the air. The jade screen she had summoned swirled and turned into a pillar, and more rocks materialised from it.
“Submit!” Ningguang yelled, and all the stones flew towards Aether. A portal of stars opened behind Aether, and he jumped through it. It closed behind him, and another one materialized behind Ningguang.
“Too slow,” Aether said. The hilt of his sword met the back of Ningguang’s head, and she fell to the ground, knocked out.
“Lady Ningguang!” Ganyu cried. Aether’s brow creased, and he bent down, as if inspecting her.
“Get away from her!” Keqing yelled. She threw her hairpin at Aether, crackling with Electro. She teleported to the marker, but before she could react, Aether made a shoving motion at her, and a wall of force blasted her away. She was thrown into the air, and landed near the Guizhong Ballista. Aether tapped at Ningguang’s head a couple of times before nodding to himself. Keqing and Ganyu could only watch helplessly as Aether tapped Ningguang again. Golden light enveloped Ningguang, and she disappeared.
“What did you do to her?” Ganyu sounded hysterical. “To her and the soldiers?” Aether motioned with his hands.
“Please calm down, my dear Qilin. She is at home, sleeping. So are the soldiers. They’ll wake up tomorrow morning thinking this is nothing but a dream. As will you two.” Aether lashed out with unnatural speed and grabbed Ganyu’s wrist. Ganyu could only shriek in surprise, and golden light spread across her whole body. When it disappeared, Ganyu was gone. Aether turned to Keqing, who backed away slowly.
Aether jumped forward, but Keqing moved backward. She stabbed at Aether, who parried easily.
“Feisty, eh?” Aether asked. “Well, that’s not bad. That attitude will serve you well in many jobs.”
Aether slashed downward, making a cut in the stone beneath their feet. Keqing stepped forward, and thrust at Aether’s neck. Aether ducked, then kicked her in the stomach. Keqing rolled backward, retching. Aether stepped forward over her. He bent down, and his eyebrows creased in concern.
“You’re not hurt, are you?” He asked.
“So what if I am?” Keqing retorted angrily. “Why does it matter to you?”
Aether cracked a smile. “You remind me of my sister. Speaking of her, she’ll be visiting Liyue Harbor soon.” Keqing opened her mouth, and Aether shook his head.
“I will not answer any more questions today. Perhaps if you act on your instincts, you will see me here tomorrow. Then I’ll answer whatever you like. But for now, sleep. Sweet dreams.” He brushed his fingers over Keqing’s eyes, and she had the sense of falling, down, down, down...