Chapter Text
Mona didn’t recognize the strange field she found herself in. She sat under the branches of a cherry blossom tree. She glanced around her for any hint of where she was. The sky was violet and a barren field seemed to stretch for miles around her. However, she couldn’t see anything in the distance and the world appeared devoid of life. Even the stars that she could always rely on were gone. She was certain she fell asleep in her bed so how did she come to this strange place?
“I won’t find any answers sitting here.” Mona muttered to herself and she pushed herself to her feet. She didn’t know where she should begin to search so she followed the swirling pattern etched into the sand. Her footsteps didn’t leave an impression on the sand and the world was eerily still as if time didn’t flow in the dimension. She yelled into the darkness, “Hello? Is anyone here?”
She was almost wary of the possibility of someone answering her call. Mona didn’t know whether a spell had taken her here or if someone kidnapped her. Usually, she would be able to sense malicious intent and wake up before someone attacked her. She cupped her hands in front of her and she summoned water to test whether her vision and magic still worked in this strange plain. She let out a breath of relief when she was able to create a star with her water.
Mona expanded the star to create a chart of constellations in front of her. Usually, she would be able to sense her friends nearby through their constellation. There was only one cluster of stars that she didn’t recognize. The stars drew a portrait of an electro symbol in two rings and a heart in the center. She closed the star map and then she ventured further into the violet mist.
The world shifted around her after a few steps and torii gates rose from the ground. Between the pillars, images of different people appeared. One showed a tall woman with long, violet hair. Her expression was full of pity as she held out her hand to her. Her eyes didn’t appear focused on her though and Mona turned around to see who she could be addressing.
A sheering pain erupted in her back and she felt as if thunder had torn through her. She felt something being ripped from her and she fell to her knees. Mona took a shaky breath and she turned back to the woman. She was now holding a strange chess piece. “You hold my power but your body of paper is far too fragile to hold the gnosis. A tin man without a heart cannot survive in this world. Slumber here where you will be safe.”
The woman’s image shifted and a bladesmith now stood in front of her. He held out his hand to her but she was wary to take it after what she just experienced. He didn’t appear offended by her hesitation because he merely dropped his hand. “You have the strength of a lion but you lack courage. Why else would you stay here for so long? Katsuragi has spoiled you and made you compliant. He impeded our search for you so his death falls on your shoulder as much as mine.”
A man in a mask suddenly took the bladesmith’s place and he cupped his face. The crazed look in his eyes sent a chill through her. “Fascinating! What are you? A puppet? A doll? A scarecrow? You certainly lack a brain since you’re carrying that sigil from the mother who abandoned you. You should join us where your powers will be truly appreciated. You’ll have a purpose. That sounds better than a life of wandering, doesn’t it?”
“Stop!” Mona yelled and her hydro vision resonated with her cry. Water flooded the clearing and broke through the illusion in front of her. The world suddenly became quiet and she sat on the pool of water for a moment, hoping to catch her breath. She didn’t recognize the three people that spoke to her and she wondered who they were.
She glanced down at the water and her eyes widened when she saw Scaramouche where her reflection should be. Mona recalled the only time she encountered him when he attempted to attack Aether. She slowly moved her hands to touch his reflection in the water. Their fingertips touched and she was confused by how warm it was compared to the water pooling around them.
The barrier of water between them disappeared and Mona was thrown forward. She crashed into the ground and she found it much warmer than she was expecting. She heard a light groan beneath her and she pushed herself up. Her eyes met blue ones and she realized that she was now laying on top of Scaramouche. They were so close and she could see the subtle shades in his navy eyes that reminded her of the night sky. He felt far different from the illusions she saw earlier.
“Are you going to get off me? You’re crushing me.” His voice pulled her out of her daze and she quickly backed away from him. She placed a few feet from him and she held her catalyst between them. Mona didn’t sense any malicious intent from him but she didn’t trust him. He was equally suspicious of her as he asked, “How were you able to enter my Plane of Euthymia?”
“I don’t know how I entered this strange domain or even what this place is! I should ask you if you teleported me here.” Mona snapped back when he glared at her. Most of the fatui would shrink away from him in fear so her response took him aback. He didn’t know whether she was incredibly brave or foolish. The only thing he could be certain about Mona was that she was a powerful astrologist. She had been able to read his thoughts and rescued her friends.
“Why would I drag you into my Plane of Euthymia when I came here to be alone?” Scaramouche was as confused about their situation as she was. No one should be able to enter the subspace unless they were invited by the one who created the plane. “I don’t need someone here to distract me while I’m training. If you don’t leave, I will force you out.”
Scaramouche opened a portal between them and he watched her through the violet mist of the door. Their eyes met and he couldn’t read her thoughts. He couldn’t think of a reason for why she would stay and he thought she would leave without an argument. She didn’t break their gaze as she regarded him.
“You said that this is your Plane of Euthymia and the people I saw are memories of people you know. This place must hold the memory of when you said the stars are a lie and the reason you believe they’re fake.” Her words stunned him and he wasn’t able to react at first. She took advantage of his shock and she ran around the portal to search for the torii gate that would show his memories of Mondstadt.
“Humans know no shame, don’t they?” Scaramouche clicked his tongue and he began to chase her. He couldn’t allow her to search through her memories because he didn’t know what she would do with such dangerous information. She was friends with Aether and he couldn’t trust her. She could tell him or the fatui where he was currently hiding and the secret behind his past.
He created a small domain but he couldn’t completely control the environment to stop her. Scaramouche could only create portals in her path with the hope that she would fall through and be forced out. Mona gracefully dodged each doorway and he noticed how her movements were as fluid as water.
It was impossible for Mona to know where to search for the meaning behind his words, the stars are a lie. She found it difficult to look through each gate and dodge the portals at the same time. Then, her feet slipped on the water and she fell backwards. She flailed her arms and she tried to catch herself. Mona didn’t crash into the ground like she expected. She sank beneath the water and she was now falling through the night sky.
“Humans are troublesome things.” Scaramouche groaned but he jumped into the water after her. He used the power of the gnosis to slow her fall so he could reach her. He slipped his arms beneath her and he pulled her into his chest. She looked up at him with wide eyes, confused as to why he would save her. “Why do my words bother you so much that you would fight a Harbinger?”
“I’m an astrologist.”
“Well, you’re lucky I’m no longer a Harbinger.” He let her go and she was sent through the portal that he summoned beneath them so she would leave his dream.
Scaramouche woke with a sharp pain in his chest and he sat up. He clutched his chest and he could feel the pressure of the gnosis within him. Each time he woke, he would be struggling with the memories of Baal who held it before him. He found the pain weighed less than usual that morning. He wasn’t thinking of his mother yet his mind was still spinning with questions. Why did the astrologist appear in his dream?
Last night, he was training so he could wield the gnosis better. He found a book that detailed how one could enter the Plane of Euthymia. Scaramouche hoped that meditating inside the isolated domain would make his will strong enough to use the gnosis’s power. No one should be able to enter without him consciously allowing them to.
He laid back in his cot and he closed his eyes. Scaramouche saw the determination in Mona’s hazel eyes when they woke from the Plane of Euthymia. He was curious about how she entered his dream but he decided he shouldn’t concern himself with it too much. He would simply perfect his spell so no one could enter his mind again.