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The cold room of Snezhnaya is odd for him to think of. A archon well known for her loved personality turned cold. Yet even standing here he can see fragments of that past.
“What a surprise Morax I was not expecting your company on this winter day”. Her sudden words snaps him out of the deep waters of thought he had surrounded himself with. “I would like to hear of your progress with the collection of the gnosi and its zhongli now”
The cold suffocating aura she exerted grows stiller. “Unfortunately I have not heard back from Scaramouch and I have reason to believe his betrayal”.
“I see that seems like bothersome to your plan”. He takes note of the deep ice blue eyes that seem to trap him and are scanning every inch of him.
“The brat of the ignorant excuse for a lamp shall be brought to his knees soon by ajax”. The cup of tea in her hand is stronger then he remembered her injoying. In the long distant past she would usually accompany him throughout liyue trying the food.
“I could retrieve it for you this does pose a threat to our agreement”. He cannot believe his ears the softest of chuckles can be heard. But now her ice cold deep eyes are observing him taking ever detail into account. Like cold knives they trace his skin and clothes.
“mmm now why would I want to hurt that down rigth heavenly face of yours”. He keeps no mind to her comment and rather focuses on the necklace she is wearing.
“after all why put you in risk if you could satisfy other daily problems that I’m facing”. The smirk she has signals something very clear to him. “I have heard news of your taking of barbatos gnosis” he quickly brings him out of the trap.
Her smile fades into a deep frown and the once calm and relaxing aura turns to harsh blizzard. “that downright spineless bard must thank his seven stars for not letting Signora outright kill him.”
Her face turns into on of curiosity. “Mmmm morax how long have you been burying yourself in work?”. His eyebrow raises and he puts his teacup down.
She stands up and motions for him to follow her. Her elegance is unmatched even by the leader of qixing he saw grow into the woman she is today.
When they finally reach the corridor of the palace it is filled with artwork from all over tyvate. When they finally reach the outside of the palace it’s night time. This is for the better he would have to answer some very difficult questions to answer.
This place has changed a lot throughout the years. The once well mentioned gardens overgrown with thorns. The pools of fish she would often show off long gone.
He sees what is suppose to be a small river with a lake. She strolls over to it and bends down. He comes down to his knees beside her. She takes her hand and strolls it against the fish. “these fish cannot comprehend there goal in our plans there at the end just a resource”.
Her eyes flicker with a fierce glow that takes him back and the ever growing blizzard. “They use us morax they toy with our life’s and our fate”. He doesn’t utter a word in response and prefers to stay silent and just keeps looking. “the abyss a wretched place that takes without ever giving in return”. Her hands shaking with the power of cryo accumulating at her finger points.
Suddenly she lashes it out at his direction and he activates the jade shield. When the dust settle all the fish are dead and frozen. He looks at her with her head titled down in shame. All he could do is get closer and embrace her to warm her cold broken heart. Not a word is uttered further in those silence that overwhelmed them. The God of wisdom would be left without words just as he is now in a way to respond.
Yet even he feels heartache for knowing what is coming. She may hide it behind her ice walls but he knows well her clock will stop ticking at the end of Celestia.
He would lose another one to the heavenly principles. Powerless is what he feels now like always he is powerless. Powerless to stop the death of his closest frie… . Powerless stop his closest comrades from the influence of evil that drove them to madness. Powerless to stop erosion from taking his friend away. At the end of the day he remains powerless. Yet even now her presence even if broken gives him relieve.
The stones that kept every raw emotion from escaping slowly start breaking away. Tears of friends he could not shed to show weakness come rolling through. For a few brief minutes time seems to March forward.
They return to the palace in utter silence and he tells her goodbye all she can do is wave.