Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Part I. Your Free Trial of Death Has Ended

The first sensation she noticed was the cold teardrops slowly sliding down her face and how her body felt heavy and paralyzed, like the weight of the sky had settled comfortably on her limbs. She wanted to sit up, to try anything, but she couldn’t find the energy to do so. Actually, she didn’t want to do anything at all.

She was also barely coherent since her mind was muddled with drowsiness. All thoughts drifted by in blobs, low moving and refusing to clear up. So naturally, she let herself sink further into the ground and willed her body to stop fighting her instinct to fall asleep. She wasn’t willing to attempt thinking coherently with a layer of sleepiness blanketed over her brain. If only she could just let the heaviness lull her back into soft dreams…

Yet, something made her aware.

Shortly after that thought, a warmth spread through her chest, and the soft intermittent crackling of static filled her ears.

Tears continued to steadily trickle from her eyes.

It’s so quiet here.

silent …

How comfortable it would be to just stay here and rest at ease forever…

She was so dazed she almost missed the voice speaking near her. Though, she couldn’t fully make out what was being said; only small snippets of the conversation.

“...weak….. ves-.... .can- …. not….”

There was a reply, incomprehensible to her ears. The other voice was too far away and muddled.

“Responsi-.....no!.... release….apolo-...”

The first voice was closer now. The second voice seemed to have moved closer since she could barely make out a bit of it.

“Set…..-ree?”

The second voice faded and for a moment, she vaguely surveyed her surroundings as much as possible with her eyes still refusing to open, taking in information with senses other than visual. She couldn’t help but notice the warmth that surrounded her body like a blanket.

A moment later, she felt a hand start carding through her hair. When had they gotten there?

She still couldn’t move, though she was too out of it to care.

The action was so comforting.

She eventually decided to just let her mind relax into the soft, rhythmic touch and allowed her thoughts to drift. Ah, she thinks. That’s new. I’ve never been treated this way before.

She felt so loved…

Unfortunately, her peace was short-lived because it was suddenly interrupted by a sharp twinge of uneasiness. Something isn’t right. Her instincts started to urge her to run, to get away from the inherent sense of wrongness. To escape.

Suddenly, she felt empty .

One second, everything was fine. And in the next, there was a hand buried deep into her chest. At the time, she hadn’t fully processed that usually, if someone’s hand was literally impaling her body, she should’ve been kicked to the next world over. But she hadn’t.

Though this wasn’t her primary concern at the moment. All she knew was that the hand was taking something from her.

Something that belonged to her.

Mine.

Mine mine mine —

She unlatched her jaws in an attempt to protest the movement of the hand when they grasped the thing in her chest.

…Only a warbled cry made it out of her lips.

There was a sharp tug and —

Pain.

Electrifying pain.

She’s sure she screamed.

And just as fast as it came, the pain quickly subsided. The soothing presence was no longer near her.

And her chest .

Her chest felt so hollow .

It felt like an open cavity.

She willed her limbs to move and managed to reach an arm up to her body. What did you take from me? I can’t live without it. What is it? Why do I feel this way? W̷h̵y ̵w̶̰̅h̴y̶̓ ̷̉͂ͅw̴͇̯̔h̷̪̬̾̂y̷̨̞̑-̸̺̈ ̴̰̋

̷̹͇̍

̸͈̭̚P̵͖̑ḽ̷͘͜e̷͓͇̔a̴̯͑s̷̰͂e̴̡͛-̶̥̞̿ ̷̱́

̷͉̅͆

…

After a while, she was finally able to crack an eye open. She’d been lying on her side, and could vaguely make out two figures near her. One was adorned with the colors of lilac, and the other the soft color of sakura blossoms. Were they the ones who took what was mine? Who -?

Her thoughts jolted back to her own body when another wave of pain erupted in the emptiness within herself. She clenched desperately at the fabric over where her heart would be. Should be.

All she felt under her fingertips was still, cold skin. No sign of life. No sign of —

My heart — where —

She heaved for breath. Her hands trembled as she gripped harder.

Wrong.

Worn out, she laid quivering on the ground, still trying to take in her surroundings. Stone? Her muddled brain supplied. The floor was cold and smooth, a minor relief in itself. Her mind was slipping away.

She was so tired.

“Sleep well,” the soothing voice said.

That was the last thing she heard before her short-lived consciousness faded into darkness yet again. Once again, she was Nothingness.

This is familiar…

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Honestly, Bell couldn’t have chosen a better way to go.

Just imagine, walking leisurely down the street and minding your own business when suddenly, a stranger who was just walking by you drops dead on the ground with no warning.

Yeah. Hilarious, don't you agree?

Well no it wasn’t funny, but the abruptness of it would definitely have surprised a lot of people, which is also equally intriguing. Maybe then, she’d be remembered.

Bell considers herself a very ordinary person. Just one of the many in the crowds, unnoticeable and irrelevant. Because she is someone who could be easily overlooked. Nothing was extraordinary about her. Normal height, black hair, glasses, plain fashion, mediocre academic records, normal four-person family, and an average living situation.

Any stereotype you can find about a teenage Asian girl who was a fan of anime would probably apply to her. She was content with it though, since she was satisfied with her life.

If she were cast into a play, she would just be Villager A.

Actually (ironically, she supposes), she HAD been Villager A before.

For a while, Bell was a part of the theater department in her middle school years, determined to be onstage before eventually relenting after not getting cast in any significant roles, resolving to only work on sets in the background. She enjoyed every minute of it though. There were friends and free food.

Who’d say no to free food?

She’d been a dancer, a writer, an artist (with a tendency to only draw manga , how original), and played a few instruments — surprise surprise — the piano and violin.

So, Bell considers herself ordinary.

Though, there had been one thing that she didn't associate with herself; games .

She wasn’t a gamer and didn’t plan on playing anything. It would have been overboard on the whole average Asian nerd thing. There were small games like Tetris (a casual game she got WAY too competitive over; though she lived for the adrenaline of the win) and rhythm games, but never an MMORPG or fps games of the sort. She stayed away from socializing apps, but it was mainly because she didn’t really like interacting with people. Conversations were hard, okay?

But then, there was one game that caught her eye.

Namely, Genshin Impact.

Her first glimpses of the game had been through her brother’s laptop who had been playing the game as soon as it launched. Bell wasn’t keen nor had any intention of starting any game of that genre, so she sat back and hadn’t thought much about it.

This was until she saw the 1.1 patch, A New Star Approaches, along with the banner art for the update approximately a month later.

It was the eyes .

They were peculiar, and something about it was ethereal. The golden eyes were so contrasting yet so beautiful. Bell remembered thinking that his eyes had looked out of place since the rest of his motif was generally dark brown and black. Bell wanted to know more about this character. She was curious, and she was intrigued. This curiosity was what first drew her into Teyvat.

She later learned the character’s name was Zhongli.

Two years later, she still plays this godforsaken game and enjoys every second of it. Bell had to hand it to them — the devs knew what they were doing with the game’s design since Genshin Impact blew up in no time at all . Being the aroace plot fanatic she’d always been, she indulged herself heavily in the game’s lore. She made sure to read about every character and scoured every bit of information she could get her hands on.

Now, she has a handful of characters she especially likes out of all the ones she’s successfully pulled. Zhongli was her sole triple-crowned character, and Childe, Kazuha, and Xiao were her only double crowns.

It became apparent she just loved all the males in the game. They were always such amazingly written, tragic characters. Bell keeps getting way too invested in their identities and continuously falls deeper into the rabbit hole called their backstory.

But then appeared a confusing character that popped up in the story wherever he felt like it.

Scaramouche.

The Sixth of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. The one known as the Balladeer . Kunikuzushi.

(Kabukimono)

She loves every character in Teyvat, save for one certain character, — which is saying something because it takes a LOT to get her to hate someone — but the Balladeer had always confused her, giving her an existential crisis every time he appeared. Every scene that included him never failed to make her feel conflicted and wrong. But still, he captivated her.

He was one of the villains in the story. He was an antagonist , so he had definitely done some Bad Things. And she means Bad. She knew that, but it didn’t bother her even though it probably should’ve.

(Maybe it was because he was so relatable. They felt so similar . )

The conclusion to the Sumeru Archon quest arrived and consequently, the end of the one known as Scaramouche.

Fair, he had tried to kill the Traveler many times before, being an asshole, antagonizing the Traveler, causing the death of at least a few of the game’s beloved NPCs, trying to become a god, and having an ego inflated to gods know where , but Bell didn’t think it warranted an unfulfilled death like La Signora.

He was by no means a pleasant character, having the personality of a tantrum-throwing toddler with way too much power in their hands. Yet he was a well-written antagonist nonetheless.

And that was that. The Balladeer was gone, having died after being defeated by the Traveler, unable to sustain his physical form and even hold on to life after becoming detached from the giant mech-god imitation he was literally fused to. So much lore and the countless effort put into the development of his character and backstory, only for the devs to kill him off in the archon quest’s finale. Though perhaps, the devs had thought it was the best option for him as a character.

Though seeing what they did with La Signora, maybe it was to be expected. Yet another backstory ending in tragedy. It’s almost poetic.

Maybe that’s why his death settled in her stomach so weirdly.

It felt like the Balladeer’s story ended way too abruptly. Like there should have been more to it than what was shown.

She buried those feelings deep in her mind and decided she shouldn’t think about it anymore.

(It bothered her more than it should have.)

Then came the day she died.

Maybe it was more accurate to say she was extracted . Like her soul was literally yanked from her body.

She had been going about her merry way to buy food to eat for her lunch break during her shift at the grocery store when it happened.

The weather was fair and nothing was unusual. Nothing that would indicate what would occur.

The air had become palpable in her lungs. Her heart gave a sudden and almost painful lurch when — in the same second — she collapsed to the ground with a gasp, all her bodily functions abruptly seizing. Bell then realized her very being was getting ripped away.

An overwhelming sense of fear had settled on her consciousness as she desperately tried to thrash around, to grab onto something, to do anything to stop the separation. Her mind was going a mile a minute, panic and anxiety slowly coursing through her veins. She was scared. Terrified.

Oh my god.

Her efforts were not rewarded as she was pulled away further and further from her body, even Bell knew that she was too far gone to be saved. She could feel the connection breaking.

Severing.

And then, she stopped existing.

[System Authentication Successful.]

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Bell considers herself ordinary, but even someone with half a brain would realize that this was anything but ordinary.

She wakes up inside a seemingly endless, dark void. Had she fallen asleep earlier? What happened?

And then there she was, floating aimlessly, waiting for something, anything to happen. Somewhere along the way, she’s lost her sense of time.

Why is this happening to me? She wails in despair as every second trickles on, each feeling like an eternity. How is this even happening?

She was abundantly aware that she is now just a formless nothing, drifting aimlessly in who knows where. Does she even have eyes? All she can perceive is darkness. She couldn’t feel her arms or legs, and she definitely doesn’t have a mouth. If she did, she’s pretty sure would’ve noticed it. That means all she has is her sentience. A load of good that did for her. She’s currently completely, and utterly helpless.

No this has to be a dream — I’ll wake up in a while, gods please I don’t want to be stuck here forever, I have so much I want to do! Sure I was kind of a shut-in who didn’t care for conversations and liked being alone, but that doesn’t make me introverted enough to be ok with this please oh my god I don’t -

Bell’s frantic sputtering stuttered to a halt.

I don’t want to die…

That’s what was happening, wasn’t it? She died. She had felt her body give out. Stop .

Dead.

No! Bell smacks her hands to her cheeks, in an attempt to refocus. Stop thinking about that! You will wake up! Just — keep calm. Everything will work out, somehow.

Wait - smack?

She suddenly sits straight up and stares wide-eyed at the hands in front of her and immediately balks. These aren't her hands. They're way too smooth to be hers! Last she checked, she didn’t even have a body!

To say she’s confused would be an absolute understatement.

What is this?

She whips her head down and stares at her clothes, which had somehow also magically appeared out of nowhere? When did this body materialize? Why didn’t she notice..?

Her eyes run over the sleeves of her outfit, which she notes is a stark, glimmering white, smooth and fresh as if it had just come out of a dryer. Bell then stares at her torso, which is also covered with the same crisp, blank fabric. She blinks as she notices a necklace resting on her chest. It's an ornament and a jinbei tied neatly to a rather large string necklace. She holds it up closer to examine it. A feather charm? It doesn't seem too important, so she sets it back down and looks over her shoulder in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the back of the outfit.

Is this a dress? No, wait — a kimono?

A thought nags at the back of her mind, telling her she already knows what the name of the clothing is. And yes, this outfit felt awfully familiar for some reason unknown to her. Now, where exactly has she seen it before?

Then it hits her: Isn’t this that Japanese priest outfit? What did they call it… a shozoku? The outfit Shinto priests wear?

That’s odd. What do Shinto priests have anything to do with her? She’s pretty sure she’s got nothing to do with shrines and priests. Why’s she wearing this? Bell supposes the outfit does look cool though. She doesn’t mind it at all; it's pretty comfortable to wear.

Well, now that she has a body to work with…

What can she even do?

She lets out a long, suffering sigh. Still nothing.

The adrenaline from earlier has settled down and Bell is much calmer now. It was probably a good thing she spontaneously materialized a body (even if it seems to be different somehow. She hasn’t quite pinpointed what.). The relief from being able to move again was a good distraction from her apparent … un- existence. But another kind of dread starts to creep up her throat.

Is she going to be stuck here forever?

She tries scanning her surroundings once again, this time futilely looking for an exit out of this strange plane of (non?)existence. She reaches her hand up to fiddle with her necklace when she remembers it was no longer with her. So she grasps onto the strings holding the jinbei and messes with that instead.

[NOW LOADING…]

Bell nearly threw herself six feet backward with her violent flinch at the sudden appearance of a translucent, blue screen, with bright white words emblazoned across the panel. Her first reaction was What The Fuck-

[LOADING COMPLETE]

[COMPUTING…]

[SYSTEM IDENTITY … CONFIRMED]

[OBTAINING SYSTEM INFORMATION…]

[SUCCESSFUL]

[CONTINUE?]

[YES NO]

^

The ‘yes’ lights up green in her face and Bell squints and shields her eyes with her hands to regain her bearings after the sudden flash of light decides to blind her yet again. Seriously, did that screen have something against her?

Wait, she thinks. This looks like one of those generic game UIs .

A game’s…user interface?

Curiously, Bell sticks out a hand, index finger first, and hesitantly pokes at the screen. Her fingers make contact with the panel and she slides her finger up and down the surface, trying to trigger any hidden buttons or something. She draws her hand away after getting no response from the contact. Seems like that won't do anything…

[ID: User_02 had been successfully activated]

User_02? She has so many questions she still can’t say with only her soul —

Oh wait, she can. She’s been granted a new body so surely her voice is back, right?

"Hi? Uh-"

Her brain immediately screeches to a halt for the n th time that day.

My voice sounds like a guy's .

Oh. Wow.

Wait that’s so cool —

No, no, no, that's beside the point. She'll have to deal with that issue later. Right now, she’s got to focus on her current status of supposedly being nonexistent .

[Welcome, User!]

Her attention is drawn back to the panel in front of her as new words appear letter by letter across the blue window. She clears her throat and tries to speak again, this time ignoring the sound of her new voice. "What’s happening? Where are we?”

[The System had been temporarily restricted, rendering the User’s access to the System’s functions void.]

That explains nothing!

[System processing external request…]

Bell remembers that she is currently still stuck in an endless abyss of never-ending darkness when she realizes that, now, this thing, this system , happens to be her only hope of getting out.

“Then…how do I fix the…system?” She asks, unsure if she even should. Bell kind of doubts she’ll get a straight answer anyway.

[The restrictions have been lifted and User_02’s account will be granted access to the System shortly.]

“I — okay,” She says. “Is there…anything else I should know?”

[Transmitting Memory Data]

“Sorry, what ?”

Memories? What memories? Did I forget something?

[Synchronizing…]

Is it ignoring me now?!

Bell’s pretty confident in her memory, seeing that she doesn’t seem to have any gaps in it, but her thoughts flicker to an irrational part of her brain craving comedic relief. Is it saying I’m losing brain cells? She thinks, half hysterical. Hell yeah, she certainly feels like she is. Everything about her current situation is absurd and simply unbelievable. But she’s just going to have to suck it up and deal with it.

She doesn’t get to think any further than this since a wave of nausea suddenly overtakes her body and her head starts to pound.

Oh god, now what?

[Updating…]

To hell with this system! What the fuck is it doing —

[Update Complete.]

A soft chime rings as the words Update Complete are plastered proudly and directly in her face like it was proud of itself. Bell was starting to get really annoyed at this system thingamajig and a tempting urge to punch the living daylights out of it was steadily growing. Even if it might hit properly, she sure as hell could try .

Her vision is blurring fast … she’s going to pass out. Again.

Suddenly, images flash by in her mind so fast they almost seem to smudge together into one incomprehensible scene. But even through the chaos of random colors, Bell could see every single one and understand them all as if they were flying by in slow motion. One memory here, another memory there, another memory from before —

Sakura blossoms.

Teardrops.

A swordsmith.

Soft cries.

Flaming embers.

A doll.

B̶̌́͋̆̑͘e̶̖̯̤̤̝͛̓͗͜ͅt̸͊́̽̽̏̕r̸͉̃͑̅̏a̶̛̽̽̋̆̓̇y̷̞̬̲͈̖̜͉͎͕̫̙̔̎a̴͎̖̗̎̽ͅl̴͂̇̓̀̍̈́̕

Bell’s brain hurts.

She vaguely notes to herself that in the past hour or so (maybe even longer; her sense of time is a mess ) she’s posed so many questions and none of them has been answered. She’s been getting progressively more confused with every answer she did get.

The images show no sign of stopping anytime soon. Memories tug at her subconsciousness, and she gets the sense that maybe she recognizes them from somewhere. But where —

Her eyes widen.

Wait, the white shozoku.

She knew she’s seen it somewhere before. She wasn’t a genshin plot fanatic for nothing! That necklace should have been a dead giveaway. Her new voice. These images —

Has she somehow become the Balladeer —

[The Administrator Welcomes the new User to Teyvat!]

Bell blacks out.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

The puppet’s head was throbbing.

His mind was scattered and in complete disarray, almost as if he just received a huge influx of information. Damn, that’s annoying, he thinks . The puppet cracks his eyes open a fraction and is only able to make out purple lights and other blobs of colors moving around rather than concrete shapes. He quickly shuts his eyes not even a second later. Opening them only made the pain worse. He raises his arms in an attempt to massage the ache in his temples when he realizes that his arms feel weirdly sluggish like he was underwater or something.

After another second of reorientation, he recognizes the tell-tale sensation of buoyancy, but strangely, the pressure that should have been felt in the ears was not present.

Once again, he cracks his eyes open, this time with no intention of closing them again. This is when he notices that he can hear a voice through a barrier — which he assumes is probably the walls of this tank he’s suspended in.

“I see you’re finally awake, my esteemed subject.” a voice fills with a thinly veiled manic energy.

Il Dottore. The pain in his head is starting to fade away, which he supposes is a good thing.

“Well, nice to see you too, Doctor .” He says, voice dripping with sarcasm. His voice sounds strange underwater, all distant and echo-y. Maybe he shouldn’t be talking; liquid could leak into his body, but since he’s a puppet that doesn’t need to actually breathe, he didn’t care either way.

“So, how did it go?” He asks. The puppet lets himself float closer to the glass when he hears gears whirring to life in the background and the liquid draining from the tank. “Were you able to break the seal?”

The sharp canine teeth peek out from underneath Dottore’s lips as the man in front of him gives a sinister smile. That most likely means he’s pleased. Which in turn tells the puppet the experiment was successful.

“Why yes, my dear boy. You’re now one step closer to achieving your goal.” Dottore drawls. “Though there is one more thing I want to give you before you’re able to get full reign over your powers.”

The puppet frowns. Give him something? “What is it?”

Dottore replies to the question with a deeper smirk. “You’ll see in a second.” With that, the doctor turns and leaves, instructing the one other agent in the room something the puppet couldn’t hear. The recruit nods his head and scampers off to do whatever Dottore had ordered him to do.

The puppet clicks his tongue in annoyance but decides to just wait as he was told to. Nothing good ever comes from arguing against Dottore anyway. He knows that well enough. Maybe better than others

Thankfully, the wait wasn’t long since it only took a maximum of about four minutes to drain the whole tank. The puppet steps out of the tube and meanders over to a table where a simple black uniform lays. Since no one was there, he peels off the plain white bathrobe-like garb and slips on his clothes with ease.

But as he was reaching for his hat, a sense of deja-vu hit him like a brick, stopping him in his tracks.

Huh .

The puppet picks up the hat and stares at it, without putting it on. It feels like there’s something important he’s forgetting. Just what is this feeling…?

At that moment, Dottore walks back into the lab, interrupting his thoughts. He pushes them aside and brings the hat up to its usual spot on his head. “I see you’ve already gotten yourself tidied up, young puppet. I’m glad you’re adjusting so well. No side effects currently, I presume?” Dottore hums.

He gives a noncommittal shrug in lieu of a response. Gods, his voice was creepy. Was it always like that? The puppet sighs and folds his arms. “So? What was it you had to get?”

Dottore gives him that same, manic smile. The puppet thinks that the doctor might not realize that he’s smiling at all.

“Her Majesty wanted me to give you this. I just so happened to have heard about your time as a wandering kabukimono , along with how you had been searching for a heart to fill an empty void in your chest. This one works as well as any. It’s a prototype, but this is one of our best in stock right now.”

In the palm of Dottore’s hands, sits an Anemo Delusion.

The puppet narrows his eyes at the glinting object resting so innocently in the hands of the doctor. No matter how much he could try to ignore it, the sinister energy rolls off the glowing orb in steady waves, but he reluctantly reaches out and grabs it anyway. Once the puppet has the Delusion in his hands, he turns to glare at the other man. “Didn’t I tell you before to stay the fuck away from rumors like that? What I used to do is none of your business .”

The puppet doesn’t wait for a response as he walks straight towards the doors of the lab, intent on figuring out exactly what this ‘gift’ he’s received is. He does catch a chuckle coming from the Doctor as he’s leaving and the puppet clicks his tongue. Bastard .

That same sense of deja vu still nags in a corner of his mind and is getting increasingly more annoying the longer he ignores it. Ahh, whatever. He’ll just go to his lodging and figure both things out as soon as he can.

The puppet doesn’t break his stride as he briskly makes his way to his room, ignoring all the other recruits meandering around in the hallways. As long as they give him a wide berth and leave him alone, he won't pay them any more attention than he needs to.

He stands behind the closed door after he enters his room, scrutinizing the Delusion in his hands.

…Come to think of it, how had he known it was a Delusion? It was mentioned in passing on occasion, but he doesn't remember actually ever seeing one before. They were devices still in the development phase, so no one really knows what it even is, besides it being the ‘project.’

He furrows his brows. When he awoke earlier, he had a thought about pressure in his ears, which is also weird. He’s a puppet and that just wasn’t a problem he had. That's… strange. Really strange.

The gentle hum of power from the Delusion grows stronger not a second later, and the puppet just stares at it, almost captivated.

Why does it feel like this Delusion might hold the answers to his uncertainties?

He grimaces. He does not like the idea of trusting it at all.

(It reminds him of that heart. )

But it’s not like he was unfamiliar with eerie things like this.

To hell with it.

With only a short moment of hesitation, the puppet pours a bit of his energy into the Delusion, which pushes power out of it and is absorbed into his body. This triggers a swirling dark aura of anemo around him as muddy, elemental-manifested chains wrap around his body and settle, binding the Delusion to him. He could feel the energy start coursing through his veins, pushing and disrupting the usual flow of energy within his body.

This only takes about a few seconds, and he blinks.

The elemental energy settles and something clicks in his mind.

The puppet collapses.

Bell opens her eyes.

She blinks rapidly. “Oh. Holy fuck. ”

Scaramouche’s memories (her memory— no wait — his? ) were obviously still here , and Bell’s memories are as well, but unable to mix with the clear and vast memories belonging to the Balladeer’s. They’re just coexisting? It’s unsettling since they’re imbalanced; her memories are like a tiny drop of oil in a basin of water. Bell’s memories are insignificant, compared to his.

Even though Bell was so disoriented, she realizes that she feels more Bell than Scaramouche at the moment — but something tells her that this won’t last.

“User_02’s account has successfully reintegrated with the System. Welcome, User. I will be your assistant during your stay.” a robotic voice chimes. The noise was so sudden Bell jumped back a few feet. She whips her head around the room, trying to locate the source of the mechanical voice when it speaks again. “The System is here to assist the User in fully immersing themselves and enjoying their time in Teyvat!”

“Holy shit System? — what the fuck did you do?” Bell asks hysterically. “Did you just — no actually what — Huh? ”

“The System requests the User's preferred name,” the AI voice continues. “The System will default to the name Bell.”

“ Oh my god stop ignoring my questions!” Bell grits. “Also how the hell are you speaking to me right now?” Now her head actually hurts. So many headaches in one day could not be healthy. Also, where is the voice coming from??

“User Bell is highly encouraged to immerse themselves into the world of Teyvat and enjoy the experience! Answers to User’s inquiries will be discovered along User’s journey!” Bell comes out of his thoughts as the System chimes their answer. She blanches.

“I — You’re kidding.”

Why won’t this stupid system just give her a straight answer?

“User is highly encouraged to immerse themselv-”

“Okay, I get it!” Bell cuts in. “I get it, so you don’t have to keep repeating the same line over and over again. Geez!” she sighs again. ”So what did you mean, a preferred name?”

“The System is aware of the User’s new identities and the numerous names that both Character Scaramouche and User Bell hold. To avoid confusion, the System asks for the User's preferred name.”

Bell opens her mouth to protest, but she realizes halfway that the System is right. Her identity has been thrown into complete disarray and even she ( he? ) himself was confused.

Who am I —?

Scaramouche, the Balladeer. A tiny voice in ( his) head tells him.

(Ah yeah, that’s right. He’s Scaramouche.)

Someone who has lived as a man for far longer than as a woman.

It’s so natural now, everything falling in place like a scrambled jigsaw puzzle slowly rearranging itself.

He’s Scaramouche, but he’s also Bell.

But it also seems like Bell has only possessed his body and been given his memories.

(A stray impression worms into his mind, asking who Scaramouche is .)

He eventually speaks after that short moment of self-reflection, “That's… fine . So, a name. I just have to choose one, right?” He asks. “I guess I’ll go with…” Bell trails off. What name did he want to go by?

Then, Bell comes to a halting realization — there is no memory of having the name Balladeer within Scaramocuhe’s memories.

Subsequently, he realizes that he has no idea when in the timeline he’s at. But with a little bit of digging deep into his brain, he finds his answer immediately. A vague impression of information appears in his mind.

I’ve been in the Fatui for… 70 years??

Well. This is new information that hadn’t been shown in-game.

If Bell goes off when Scaramouche had left Tataratsuna, which was around 400 years from the canonical timeline. Making this around … 340 years from Genshin’s storyline. So Scaramouche hadn’t been given a name even though he’d been in the Fatui for so long. It seems that everyone, including himself , had opted to just call him ‘puppet’ instead of an actual name.

According to his memories, Scaramouche (or the puppet? No, that sounds weird.) is currently over 170 years old, but muddled memories of Shakkei Pavilion don’t help since his sense of time was lost with the aimless days of loneliness, gazing at the beauty of the Pavillion. So he could be older than that. He could have the whole timeline wrong! Bell only remembers enough to know that Scaramouche used to go by ‘Kabukimono’ at the time, but it seems like he’d discarded it after leaving Tataratsuna.

Scaramouche’s gone a long time without a name so Bell’s just as likely to live fine without one, but a name is life’s first gift, after all, and this whole situation is akin to a second life. Perhaps he should stick with an easy existing name like Kabukimono or …

…

It seems he’s already forgotten that this version of Scaramouche is still younger (in terms of immortal beings) and doesn’t have many names yet. So he’ll have to choose a new one. Kunikuzushi doesn’t exist, and neither do Scaramouche and Balladeer. The system knew though and had still asked him for a name. That aside, he also wants something more … meaningful?

Bell is his name from when he was a woman in young adulthood. Though, no one else knows about it, which is part of its appeal.

The sound of having an identity no one else has any idea of existing was somewhat satisfying. To have something that belonged to him. Still, the name Bell was a little too basic for his tastes. Not that he had much of a problem with it. It is his name, after all.

“Is the User still lost in thought?” The AI voice questions after a long period of silence.

Oh, right. He almost forgot. He was choosing a new name because the System asked. “No, it's nothing. I was just thinking a lot.”

The System thankfully doesn’t dig any further. “Have you made your decision?”

He lifts his head, a question on his mind.

“System, why do you call him Character Scaramouche when he doesn’t have that name yet?”

Without hesitation, the AI replies with its usual flat tone tinged with, what’s that? A hint of sarcasm?” This is currently restricted information! The System encourages the User to work hard!”

“And, of course. I should have seen that coming from a mile away. I’m getting the feeling you’re just using that as an excuse at this point now.”

“Have you made your decision?” It repeats.

There is one name he remembers using as an online pen name. It stuck with him really well and he’d used it ever since. It would probably be a good name to use.

“ Fine . System, from this day forward, my name is Belial and you may call me as such . It was my pen name for a while, so I’ve used it in the past before. This name refers to the masterless demon of self-sufficiency and independence.” He smirks. “Quite fitting, don’t you say?”

“The System welcomes User Belial to Teyvat!” the AI dings out. “The System would like to warn the User of the ystem’s primary guidelines. There are (2) restrictions on the User. One; the User is forbidden to disclose the existence of the System and anything related to it to all characters in this world. Two; the User is forbidden to disclose the fact that the User originates from another world. Any attempts to do either will result in the System forcibly circumventing the action.”

So he can’t tell anyone about his situation, huh? At least these aren’t absurd restrictions. It could be worse honestly. He had been planning on doing this anyway, since who would he even tell about the System, even if he were allowed to?

Well, there’s still so much Bell — Belial has got to get sorted out before he starts anything else. And on top of that list, specifically, the whole gender thing.

Actually, that can of worms can be opened at a later date.

He pauses for a second.

“Say, System? Do you know why this happened?” Belial asks. "You know, Why me? "

“This is currently restricted information, User Belial is encouraged to work hard to uncover the secrets of the User’s past!” the System replies without a beat of hesitation. So it does know, it’s just not telling him.

Goddamnit.

Nothing ever comes easily for him, does it?

Part II. Teyvat Customer Service is ... Questionable

"What do you mean I can't reject these quests?!”

Belial had sat down and for the past few minutes been fiddling around with the System and its functions to familiarize himself with it since they were stuck together indefinitely. He figured that it would be better to know the interface better. The System occasionally chimed in to give insights on certain things which he was grateful for, not that he was ever going to say that out loud.

The system looks very similar to the UI from the original game, but only now, the buttons were on a floating screen in front of him instead of sitting around the edges of his vision, like how it would look if he was in a VR headset or something. It was in one of those buttons where he had come across the Quests tab and discovered the Main Quests that he was supposed to complete. But with a single read through its descriptions and what it required him to do, he had immediately tried to cancel navigation, only to be blasted with a loud beep and a red ALERT pop-up, courtesy of the System.

"The [Main Quests] assigned to Character Scaramouche are essential to the fate of the world and therefore cannot be deleted. Teyvat's fate should not be changed. The User is required to complete the [Main Quests] to maintain balance in the world. Should the [Main Quests] remain unfulfilled, the User will be punished accordingly."

"I — but — these things are what killed Scaramouche in the game!" Belial exclaims. "Seriously! Why does it even have a cancel button if I can’t even use it? Can't I just change some of it so it doesn’t lead to me dying again? I’d very much prefer living, thank you very much!"

"The System suggests User Belial read the requirements of the Quests before posing further questions.” The voice says. Despite the System having an artificial voice, it almost sounds considerate.

Belial relents and scrolls down the list again, reading it a second time.

《Quests Menu》

Prologue Chapter: The First Gift of Life

》Obtain the Status of Shezhnaya’s Sixth Fatui Harbinger and receive a title from the Tsaritsa.

Peregrinus Chapter I: A Meteor Strikes From Afar

》Make your way to the site of the event Unreconciled Stars and meet the Traveler for the first time. Discover the secrets hidden within the meteors and reveal them to the Traveler.

Peregrinus Chapter II: Heart of Embers

》Maintain the Delusions Factory stationed in Yashiori Island and obtain the Electro Gnosis in Inazuma. Ensure the Traveler obtains the Hero status in Inazuma.

Peregrinus Chapter III: A Call from Divinity and the Divine Tree

》Ascertain the creation of the Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom is successful. Ensure the Traveler meets with the Dendro Archon and receives information from Irminsul.

“...Are you implying I can do whatever I want as long as the requirements are met?” He asks slowly. Belial wants the position of Harbinger anyway since it’s probably one of the most convenient status to have in this world, even if it’s in the future.

“This System has no objections.”

That’s … a start. It’s probably no coincidence that these quest descriptions were vague enough to be open to interpretation, but he’s happy enough with his newfound revelation to not give it a second thought.

A soft ding sounds in the silence.

<New> Tutorial Side Quest: Rhapsody of Reincarnation

》A chain quest that guides the User toward a better understanding of the Otherworldly Status and its discrepancies.

Belial squints at the new notification that appeared as he clicks on it, frowning. “Why don’t you just explain everything to me now instead of making me figure it out in the future?” He grumbles. What the heck was the point of keeping this information from him anyway?

“Upon the completion of this Side Quest: Rhapsody of Reincarnation, the System can guarantee all of the User’s questions will all be answered.” The voice replies.

“So, all mysteries will be revealed in due time, huh?” He flops down on the edge of his bed. “Great.”

Now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t know what he should be doing. He's seen stuff like this in the other world before. Belial gobbed up that isekai crap all the time after all. So he knows well enough that he really would be making a plan of action right about now. He feels too confused to do much else than sit down and take time to properly process what the hell had just happened in a span of what felt like 24 hours. Belial stares at the ceiling, eyes sweeping over the intricate, icy details and patterns adorned within them.

He certainly doesn’t know what he wants to do. All he can think of is all the time he has on his hands right now. Perhaps he should try and set up a safe haven for himself if everything did go to shit? He’d save himself, of course, but it would definitely be nice having a backup plan for life, just in case. Maybe he could start by building a better image —

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door.

A soft ding as a new quest appears on another window. He fumbles and almost falls off the bed.

<New> Side Task: Meeting with the Tsaritsa

》The Cryo Archon has summoned you to the throne room to receive a mission assignment. Make your way to the throne room in Zapolyarny Palace. This is the initiating task to start the quest: The First Gift of Life and therefore cannot be deleted.

FUck —

“Sir? I was sent by Her Majesty to pass on an invitation.” a female voice sounds from the other side.

The Tsaritsa. Shit , he almost forgot about her. Would she be able to tell the difference in him? Hopefully not. Gods, he hopes she doesn’t notice anything. But she’s a god, a small part of him thinks doubtfully. But I’m not technically a different person, he shoots back. Maybe that will give him an edge. And she doesn’t remember Scaramouche meeting with her too many times anyway.

Belial walks over to the door and opens it to see a woman wearing the standard Fatui uniform, with the basic-issue mask. She was standing a respectful distance away, but it doesn’t take a genius to notice her tense posture. She was obviously wary of him.

It was probably because he’s got his weird reputation, along with his less-than-normal relationship with Dottore, not that he cares too much about what others think of him anyway. But he stands at the doorway, unsure of what he should say.

Apparently, he had hesitated for too long since the Fatui recruit lets out a little cough, which makes him realize he should at least say something.

“... alright. Thanks, Tell her I’ll be there shortly,” he replies curtly. The woman perks up in surprise and nods, quickly scurrying off to pass on the message. Yeah, she definitely doesn’t like him. Belial sighs deeply and scratches his hair. Is his reputation really that bad?

“Achievement Unlocked: ‘Super Smooth!’ for creating an awkward atmosphere with another character. +5 SP +3000 Mora.”

He stares at the new window that had popped up as he was closing his door, and it takes him a second to process the message displayed on it. When it does, Belial’s eyes grow wide with bewilderment and mirth. “Holy shit, this world has achievements?”

“The System is very similar to the game, Genshin Impact, which User Belial is familiar with. This includes but is not limited to: achievements, stats, and game mechanics.” the AI voice replies. “The System is confident User Belial will be able to adjust quickly to these functions because of the User’s previous experience with Teyvat.”

“Would’ve loved to know that earlier, but better late than never, I suppose.” He huffs, still chuckling to himself. He strides over to the clothes rack and shrugs on a thick cloak with a fluffy collar that seemed to be the warmest. Belial remembers seeing the Harbingers wearing it in a promotional video that came out not that long ago, so it was probably appropriate attire to wear if he was to have an audience with the Tsaritsa.

Also, there was something else he forgot to mention, “And what’s this about some ‘SP’ thing? Plus five? What is it?”

“Tutorial Side Quest: Rhapsody of Reincarnation [1]: Discover the secrets of the System shop and its alternate currency! Please press on the shop icon at the top right corner of this screen.”

A blinking cursor and a blue box appear on the default screen pointing toward the location of the shopping bag icon. Ah, great. Some more important bullcrap the System didn’t bother telling him about earlier. This will probably take a while to get through. Keeping the Tsaritsa waiting a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt, would it? He presses on the icon to let the tutorial play on.

After about five minutes of being guided by the side quest and a few more curses, he learns about the mechanics of the new shop. It was most likely the only new function he had to be familiarized with since the original game featured a shop reliant on the gacha system that didn’t exist in this world. Instead, they were replaced with Story Points, (SP for short, the System supplies helpfully) and he had been given a total of 100 SP as a starter amount.

It was the only usable currency, but the way the System worded ‘usable currency’ made it sound like there was yet another thing it was keeping from him. Most likely, there are other points that he hasn’t been told about yet. Though since the unknown points aren’t useful currencies, Belial lets it slide. With the progression of the storyline and quests, he’ll be able to obtain more SP as a reward and exchange these points for resources and abilities available in the System Shop.

“You mean I can get special abilities by just buying it from the shop? Isn’t that a bit overpowered?” He marveled. “I love it.”

“The shop items are currently locked and will be available after the User completes their first quest.” The System says as if it didn’t just crush his hopes of at least having one easy thing in this life.

Just his luck. “You know, System, you just love being difficult, don’t you?”

“It is my pleasure to assist the User on their journey through Teyvat!”

Belial lets out a long-suffering groan as he peels himself off the wall he had slumped into a while ago. “Just making sure; when I complete this first ‘meeting with the Tsaritsa’ quest, the shop will open, right?”

“Correct! Upon the User’s completion of their first quest, The System’s shop will immediately become available to the User.”

“Then, let's go.”

He steps out into the hallway and stares down the long, empty corridors lined with sparking mirrors and murals. It is at this point Belial comprehends Zapolyarny Palace’s sheer size and the fact it’s the palace an archon and her subjects live in .

“Hey, System? You there?”

“I am your guide, and I will always be here, please don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have. I will try to answer to the best of my abilities.”

“...How do I get to the Tsaritsa again?”

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Belial stands in front of a pair of enormous throne room doors working up the courage to walk in and meet the archon . Thankfully, it had only taken him five minutes to arrive after the System guided him to the doors via a trail of golden sparkles on the ground only he could see. It’s like having a GPS, which it’s super convenient.

Scaramouche’s memories tell him that this obviously wasn’t the first time he’s met the Tsaritsa, but Belial hasn’t seen her before. His hand fiddles with the edge of his large hat, finding comfort in the inherent feeling of safety that the hat brings with it. He schools his expression into something more acceptable and passive, reaching out a hand and pushing open the doors.

Despite having a previous recollection of the palace, he was still in awe the moment he saw the room itself. It was truly a grand throne room. The intricate glittering designs and tapestries that were hung on every pillar only serve to make it look criminally majestic. It was borderline overkill, but still well-balanced and beautiful. The line of recruits on both sides of the room gives the impression of absolute power for the archon in the middle, which was fitting, considering her control and influence all over the world.

On the throne sits the Tsaritsa, Il Dottore standing near her. The man had turned his head towards Belial the moment he heard the sounds of the doors opening. He inwardly cringes at the sight of the other man, a deep fury in his guts rising which he quickly smolders in a split second. Not right now , he thinks. Anger later. Business now.

The Tsaritsa, on the other hand, looks similar to how he had imagined she would look when he was Bell. Long, flowing silver hair adorned with crystals and a pure white dress that covers everything, but hugs her body in a way that shows off her figure. Silver designs swirl all over her dress and glitter with every slight move from the archon. The dark fur that circles her shoulders only enhances the elegant image she puts forth.

He reaches the foot of the throne and kneels, as his body guides him to do. “You called for me, Your Majesty?” He asks with deference. Now that he’s in front of the Tsaritsa, he’s able to feel the constant prickling chill that rolls off her form and the power she holds. When the Cryo Archon replies, the first thing Belial thinks is how the god’s voice sounds simultaneously sharp and soft.

“Ah yes, my dear boy, please, at ease. Dottore here had been telling me about how the experiment to unlock your potential was successful. I’d like to congratulate you on that,” She says smoothly. “As for the Delusion, do you have it with you?”

“Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. It was all thanks to you and your abundant resources that allowed me to lift the limitations my mother placed on me.” Belial says, straightening up. The words just flow out of his mouth naturally without him having to give them much thought. Scaramouche was well-versed in mannerisms, it seems. “And I had just been in the middle of testing out to the Delusion.”

He reaches into his coat and pulls out the object he had attached to a chain and hidden in his coat like a pocket watch. He holds it up for the two to see. “I promise to use it well.”

“How do you feel now? Are there any complications with power compatibility?” Dottore asks, lifting a hand to his chin, looking up and down Belial’s body. “If you do have any problems, I wouldn’t mind having to run some more tests to help you understand your abilities better.” Dottore’s smile grows impossibly wide.

Belial keeps his face blank as he shakes his head. “I’m adjusting fine, thanks for your offer, Sir Dottore. I’ll go to you if I do have anything else I need.” Like hell he will. He’s not going anywhere near Dottore again, not if he can help it.

“Well then, my dear boy. I have a new mission for you.” The Tsaritsa says, voice soft yet cold. Her mouth tilts up in a soft smile as she gazes at Belial, who stands stock still, waiting for her to continue. “There have been terrible miasma fluctuations within the abyss leaking into the surface. I would like for you to investigate it. Your connection with divinity may be the only reason you're able to withstand the harsh conditions of that place. Only you’re able to go and return with no consequences. Report back to me whenever you deem it most convenient and necessary. Feel free to test your new abilities to your heart's content. I will send someone to you for a more in-depth mission detail later.”

— his mission’s in the abyss?!

His mouth opens on instinct again as more flowery words spill from his lips. His gut feeling is all that’s leading him on and it’s working pretty well, so he might as well trust it. It’s gotten him this far, after all. “Understood. I will not fail you, Your Majesty.” Belial says, bowing his head and placing a hand on his chest. With that, Belial turns and briskly walks out of the throne room.

The moment he turns a corner at the end of the corridor, he stops abruptly, letting down his act as he tries to gather his thoughts, making sense of exactly what the hell had happened.

“She wants me to go to the Abyss?!” He breathes out. “System, what the fuck?!”

“Side Task: Meeting with the Tsaritsa complete! Rewards, +20 SP, +5000 mora.” The System informs. It should be impossible for an AI voice to sound this happy with a flat tone. “Prologue Chapter: The First Gift of Life [1], Into the Abyss will be unlocked in 3 day(s).”

“I swear, one of these days, I will make you stop ignoring me.”

“Achievement Unlocked: ‘Commoner Sense!’ for flawlessly maintaining etiquette in a formal setting with no previous experience. +5 SP and +3000 Mora. Congratulations on completing your first Quest! The System shop is now open for your convenience!” It continues, still ignoring him like the little shit it is. “Would you like to browse the items available in the shop?”

Belial lets out a long sigh (which he realizes he’s been doing a lot lately), swiping the achievement notification to the side. It’s not like he didn’t have help from muscle memory to get him through it. “Yeah, yeah. Show me. I’ll probably need it for the mission. Speaking of, how the hell am I supposed to survive there? That place is crawling with monsters and corruption, isn’t it?”

“The System assures that the User will survive in the place known as the Abyss!”

“That is not comforting at all.”

A new blue screen appears on the side, displaying a sizable catalog of items for sale. At the top, he could immediately see the types of items and abilities, but then he catches the number of stuff listed for sale.

“Does that say page 1 / 1000 ??!”

It turns out Belial hadn’t needed to worry about the long list of things for sale because the System has a built-in filtering system, which was infinitely more convenient than manually scrolling through the whole shop to find the best items to buy. He had been browsing the catalog while he made his way toward his own corner of the palace; his study where he spent most of his time by himself.

Also, Belial wanted to get something from the shop as soon as possible to test it out.

One problem; the skills are expensive .

“System, care to explain why one skill costs over 1000 SP? ” He asks calmly while feeling anything but calm. Why can’t he have just one good thing in this world?

He turns another corner, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he knows he’s getting closer to his destination even though his attention was divided.

“Any skill that requires more than 1000 SP is permanent, but the User is free to buy the one-use version for 50 SP each.” The System replies. “Though for some select skills, this may vary.”

Well now, that was actually reasonable. “So, it’ll be more worth my time and effort to buy the 1000 SP cost than pay for single uses.” He glances at his current grand total of 130 SP points. He comes to a stop in front of yet another door, but this one is grander than the ones that he had passed just seconds ago. This is it.

“I’ve got a long way to go if I want to get anything good.” He mumbles to himself as he enters his workplace.

To his surprise, there were three people already inside. Some no-name Fatui grunts, he assumes. All three of them immediately snap their attention toward the door when they hear the door.

He wracks his brain to try and figure out what Scaramouche would’ve done whenever he met someone else. Belial reaches out to a memory and, well he supposes to no surprise, gets a vague impression of the way Scaramouche only gave snarky remarks and anger. 

Belial may have been a theater kid in the past and had some experience with acting, but he doubts he would be able to act exactly like OG Scaramouche would. He’d like to think he’s nicer than the OG. Maybe.

That, and he had no desire to be seen as some scummy Harbinger (in the future) who has a reputation for bad tempers. Even if he wants to say he’s mostly calm, he still does get frustrated easily, but he wasn’t lying when he said it takes a lot to make him actually hate someone. Belial turns his attention back to the three. 

He talks first. “Tell me, who sent you to my study?” 

They all straighten taller, but no one answers since none of them seem to want to speak up and explain themselves. A second stretched out to two, the silence becoming increasingly more awkward the longer it went on. The one on the right nudges the guy in the middle, who happens to be the tallest of the bunch, offering him up to test the waters. The girl on the left fidgets with her hands and says nothing.

The one in the middle relents to the elbowing and steps forward, snapping into a salute. “We’ve been told to report here from the First Division, under the orders of the Jester, Sir!” 

The First Harbinger — the Jester sent them? 

“Why? I don’t remember being told about this before.” He strides over to them, hand resting on his chin. He circles the three slowly, looking up and down and taking in all the little details his eyes could catch. Unlike the female Fatui member that brought the verbal summons from the Tsaritsa, these three seem to be far more confident and stronger. There was still tenseness in their body language, but no trace of uncertainty, which shows their competency. But that much was obvious already since he found out they worked for Pierro — leader of the Harbingers. 

“Lord Pierro said that you were going to be sent on a long-term mission on behalf of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa, and we were best suited to help you with that mission, Sir!.” the shorter, black-haired agent replies. Well now, it's that guy who elbowed the tall agent!

Belial tries to hold back a snort which the three Fatui members obviously hear, telling by their bewildered faces. “Like hell I’ll believe that, even if he told me himself. Listen, if you weren’t filled in by Pierro, I might as well explain it for you three.” He leans in a little closer, “I was chosen to go on this mission because of my unique abilities as a half-divine being. I’m probably one of the only people who can withstand the grueling nature of this mission.” he could feel a grin stretching across his face. “Tell me, would you be willing to follow me into the depths of the Abyss?” 

It was painfully obvious they had no idea what they’d signed themselves up for, going by the way they all freeze up at that. Which, understandable. The trio awkwardly looks around the room and avoids eye contact. If they weren’t nervous before they certainly were now. 

He chuckles, amused at their obvious inner conflict. Belial reminds himself that they are just normal soldiers in the end. “I’m kidding, you don’t have to look so nervous. You ought to relax a bit. I’m pretty sure he didn’t send you here for me to drag you with me on my assignment.” 

“No, we'll do it!” The girl pipes up. 

Wait, really? “Oh, would you?”

She looks positively mortified at this moment anyway but replies with the same vigor as before. “I — I’d like to be of some use to the country and help my family!”

Her motivation is money then, isn’t it? 

“If Pierro sent you three specifically to lend me a hand, then I’ll put you to work.” Belial walks around and towards his desk. “Honestly, they’re mental if they think it’s a good idea to send grunts to me when my status in the Fatui isn’t solid yet.” 

He sits down and glances up at the three while cracking open a book that had been lying on the desk. The title of the book is Summer which is about as vague as it gets. 

Belial’s stuck doing a stupid Main Quest in the next three days, so he might as well enjoy the time he has, right? 

“You three, if you’d like to tag along with me on the trip, feel free.” He scoffs, “Don’t blame me if you die though. Also, you can sit wherever you want. It’s not like I’m your superior or anything. I’m waiting for a messenger to arrive and it might take a bit.”

One more thing he has to do. He hasn’t asked for their names yet. 

As they slowly move away towards different parts of the room, he speaks up. “By the way, I never did catch your names.” 

“Oh, I’m Natalya Zahkarov, sir! As far as I’m concerned, you’re the leader now, even if it's only temporary.” the girl says firmly. She’s obviously dead set on this, not that Belial minds. A loyal ally is always better than a reluctant one.

“My name’s Igor.” The shorter one says.

“And I’m called Dimitri,” The tallest, Dimitri, replies.

“Natalya, Igor, and Dimitri … All I can tell you is you really teamed up with the wrong guy,” Belial says, nonchalantly. “Don’t regret this, or I’ll kill the three of you myself.”

“Yes Sir!” 

Chapter Text

Part III. Belial Life Lesson #1: Always Take Advantage Of Free Stuff

So it turns out his mission wasn’t going to be done with only four people as he had originally assumed.

Somehow , Belial had been saddled with a company of about 80 soldiers to take on the expedition into the Abyss. Even more, the three, Natalya, Igor, and Dimitri were higher-ranking officers, each taking command over a portion of the 80 men. 

Seriously, since when?!

And here Belial was, still trying to figure out how to properly fight. How he’s supposed to lead an expedition into Teyvat’s hell without any combat experience is anyone’s guess.

He stands back as the three give missives to everyone on the expedition, opting to lean back and leave them to do all the work. 

It’s not like he can do much better anyway.

“I suggest that User Belial trust the System and yourself.” The System chimes. 

“Yeah, like hell you’ve given me a solid reason to,” Belial says. He pauses.

Wait, are you reading my thoughts?! 

“You don't have to speak audibly to convey your message to me, but I can only hear thoughts that are sent my way with intent.” the System replies.

A breath of relief escapes him. Thank gods the System can’t see everything. That would’ve been a nightmare and a half. (He’s never taking privacy for granted ever again). He glances around and realizes that no one else seems to have noticed this conversation of theirs. Is no one else able to hear you talk?

“Precisely.” 

That’s convenient. He gets the pleasure of having a loudspeaker of a robotic voice accompanying him everywhere he goes without any problems. About whether or not he considers it a good thing…

“ ‘The mind might forget, but the heart will always remember .’” The System suddenly quotes. “You have the memory of fighting ingrained within your subconsciousness, and should still be able to wield a blade,” It informs. “This is true even if you do not feel familiar with it.”

Huh. Does it work like that? Well, yes, he retains the memory of wielding a sword, one forged with his own hands, but does it actually count? He isn’t the one with the real experience; the OG Scaramouche was. And now it’s also a part of his memories. 

Belial, on the other hand, doesn’t feel nearly confident enough to be able to draw out the instinct. Are you saying I can just bust out these … expert ninja samurai skills if I wanted to? 

“I suggest you try it out for yourself.” The System replies. 

Alright, okay. 

First, he needs to find a sword. If he wants to try this out, he’ll definitely need one. 

Maybe he could ask the Fatui soldiers where he could find one. They probably had a stash of swords somewhere . Then a new idea popped into his head.

Say, System, do you have weapons in the shop I can buy?

After all, what self-respecting game shop wouldn't have equipment? He reasons. Blacksmith shops existed in-game, so he saw no reason it wouldn't in this world. At least, he hopes this is the case.

The shop window opens up in front of him almost instantly after he asks, displaying rows of weapons he recognized from the original game. Unsurprisingly, the weapons all cost over 100 SP to purchase, and the five star weapons… he’s not going to even look at them. But he has enough SP to get something basic to use for now. Better armed than not, after all. He was about to reach out and scroll down the page when the system dings in his head.

“Due to the fact you are a new User, the administrator grants you the special offer of 100% off your first weapon purchase!”

That’s the first good news he’s heard since coming here! 

“Seriously?” he marvels. Does that apply to any weapon I choose?

“Yes! This is a one time promotion, so the System advises the User to choose wisely!” 

Which means that the price tags aren’t an issue now. With renewed vigor, he goes straight to the top. Given an opportunity, who wouldn’t take advantage of it?

He presses on one of the listed five star weapons, grinning.

[Would User Belial like to purchase the five star weapon ‘Mistsplitter Reforged?’]

“Yeah.” He mutteres under his breath. Belial presses the ‘confirm’ button and in the next second, the purple sword itself materialized like particles from the atmosphere converging to create the weapon. It floats in the air right under his hand where the screen had just been, glowing a faint purple. 

He takes the sword in his hand, examining it. Belial only ever saw this blade through a screen, but now he can say for certain that the weapon and its craftsmanship look far better in person. The blade is simply stunning. A beautiful work of art. The pattern on the sword, (katana jigane, a small part of his mind offers) is beautiful.

The System monologues more about the weapon, and he actually pays attention to what it has to say. “In Teyvat, only one copy of a five star weapon can exist at a time, and the weapons that look similar to another five are simply replicas with a star rating of four or below. Four star weapons and under have a larger save capacity, so multiple copies of the same rarity can exist because they can be mass-produced with the same quality.” 

Wait, so this is the only Mistsplitter that exists? Wha — then who was it supposed to belong to? It can’t have been here readily for him to buy, would it? 

“The Mistsplitter was shattered and lost to war in the Cataclysm, and the former owner, Takamine, has been dead for over 170 years.” came the swift reply. “Its fragments were retrieved and reforged by an unknown bladesmith.”

Suddenly, the weight of the sword felt heavier than before. It really is a different experience, actually knowing the meaning behind an object. This sword held a legacy that should be upheld. And he was determined to keep it alive. 

“Sir? We’re done with the debriefing … is that a sword?” 

Natalya balks when she turns back to Belial. Out of pure instinct, he dematerializes the sword with a swipe of his hands. It takes him a second to realize what he did.

Holding a hand up, he wiggles his fingers as if the Mistsplitter would suddenly reappear in his palms by doing so.

“Teyvat has its own ‘laws’!” The System says helpfully. 

Ah. He’s reminded of the recurring line that had always appeared on the loading screen whenever he booted up Genshin. Though it tells him nothing about how to get the Mistsplitter out of the weird pocket dimension it’s been thrown into

“I've never seen it before — " Natalya starts

He snaps without thinking, “It’s none of your business!“ Immediately, he backpedals. Damn. He is not good at holding conversations

"It’s nothing you have to worry about.” Belial eventually says to Natalya.

Natalya seemed like she wanted to ask more questions, but she holds back her curiosity and instead focuses on the task at hand. She hands over a small stack of paper. “Alright … our objective is only to survey the abyss and bring back sufficient results from the expedition. There are orders to retreat only if the situation is deemed dangerous enough to the whole company.” 

Taking the papers in hand, Belial reads the missive. He just loves vague orders. 

“You’re the leading commander of this expedition so the soldiers will all report back to you and the vice-commanders. Dimitri and I will lead the main forces in groups of twenty, and you’ll lead twenty men as well. Igor volunteered to be the scouting party and he’ll also bring twenty with him. Is that alright?” Natalya finishes.

Belial’s just thankful Natalya actually knows what she’s doing. Without her, he probably would’ve accidentally led them all off a cliff. “Yeah that’s fine.” he waves off. 

It’s not like it's his fault so many people’s lives were put into his hands. They’re insane if they think he can keep them alive. It’s the abyss for fucks sake! How they’ll survive is beyond him. 

Unless the Tsaritsa expects him to protect the men. 

“Your connection with divinity may be the only reason you're able to withstand the harsh conditions of that place.”

Belial rubs his face. Who’s he kidding? They definitely expect him to do the protecting. Why else would he be put in charge? And he’s technically the strongest one with his whole divine power thing (which he still hasn’t figured out how to even use — ) and was just better equipped for harsher conditions. Not that he enjoys it. He won’t lie though, if nothing, convenient at the very least.

Well, if the (future) 11th Harbinger, Childe, could survive in the Abyss as a normal human being, maybe the rest of them might also be able to stand a chance. 

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

They certainly do not stand a chance. 

If these soldiers were as strong as a tidal wave, Childe was a fucking tsunami.

This made Belial reaffirm that Childe was a battle-hungry prodigal fighter with a disastrously perfect win streak and that he should never be compared to normal people. 

Barely one day into their expedition, hoards of abyssal monsters were already attacking them without rest, but everyone was able to barely fend off all the attacks and they haven’t sustained a single loss yet. Good, in hindsight. They’re able to defend themselves.

That is, it’d be perfect if only they hadn't even entered the gates to the Spiral Abyss yet!

The group had reached Musk Reef by boat about an hour prior and they’d spent most of the time fighting off the abyssal creatures. 

Belial would love to help the fight along if he could . All he’s doing right now is punching anything that gets close to him away, such is the benefit of having an enhanced physique. But that isn’t going to fly in the long run. System, I need some help here!? Can’t you like, magic our way out of this mess —

As always, the System’s reply was swift, but unhelpful. “Have faith in yourself, User, and your problem will be solved!” 

“And how the fuck am I supposed to do that ?” Driven by pure adrenaline, he swivels around and sucker punches another hilichurl, sending it flying several feet back. “It’d be great if you could just tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do to get the Mistsplitter back!” 

There’s a second of silence before the System seemingly decides to take pity on him. The little fuck. “The System suggests the User mimic the action of unsheathing a blade.” 

Yeah, okay. Sure. Belial remembers all of the Inazuman sword wielding characters doing something like that. Sheathing their swords without a sheath was kind of dumb, but he’s gotta admit, it was pretty cool. 

Why didn’t he think of it earlier? Will it actually work? 

He doesn’t have much of a choice right now anyway. His hand goes to his side instinctively, expecting to clasp at air.

To his surprise, he could feel the handle of a blade, and Belial’s body just knew what to do. The way the sword rematerialized into existence and the flow of his movements was so practiced he remembers what it was like to wield a sword. He draws out the blade in one swift movement, leaping straight into the fray.

It wasn’t until much later he would notice that his sword had been coated in a sheen of electro energy. 

Belial focused primarily on the monsters in the clearing, cutting, and hacking at every single one with one strike, fast as lightning, sword strokes flowing like water. He was dead set on clearing this nuisance of a horde so he could get this whole mission over with.

When he stops, it was after the whole clearing was decimated and the corpses of the abyssal creatures were disintegrating into black dust. His breathing came out fast and sharp, labored. The Mistsplitter Reforged hangs limply in his hands, sluggishly dripping near-black blood. The electro aura around him dies as well. 

He brings his unoccupied hand up into his sight. “System?” He whispers with amazement. “Was that me?”

“Congratulations, User Belial! Your Normal Attack Talent level has been increased to level 2!” 

He doesn’t get a chance to reply when a small voice sounds from behind him.

“...Sir?” 

Snapping his head toward the direction of the voice, he catches the shocked, pale expression plastered on Natalya’s face. There are a few other grunts standing behind her, staring in awe at something.

It takes him about a second to realize that something is him.

“-20 Reputation Points. Achievement Unlocked: ‘I See No God Up Here, Other Than ME!’ For decimating 50 enemies within one minute. +15 SP +5000 Mora.” 

wOah woah woah. Stop. Did I just lose reputation? 

“You have stricken fear into the hearts of your subordinates by fighting with the full extent of your current capabilities!” The System replies with gusto. “+5 Regret points from each soldier in this clearing.” Bitterness flowed down his back like a slow-acting poison. 

So much for improving his image. 

“Relationship Status with Natalya, +20 F points,” The System continues.

Oh? Belial looks down at the notification that had appeared on the screen, so see that it was from Natalya.

He looks down at the aforementioned person, taking in her expression. She looks positively enamored with his show of power, looking as if she had laid her eyes on treasure or something.

I mean, that’s something? 

A sharp sound permeates through the air when he swings the Mistsplitter at nothing, shaking off the monster’s blood. And, while still moving on autopilot like he's been doing most of these days anyway, he sheathes the blade, the movements coming to him swiftly and well-practiced as if he’d done this a million times before. Which he has.  

Belial turns back to the silent Fatui soldiers, who all have not moved an inch from where they stood. They all look relatively well, none worse for wear. But they seem haggard and exhausted. 

“What are you grunts staring at? Move your asses, we’re setting up camp.” He says. His voice carries over the group and it causes all of them to jump into action, scrambling and trying to get themselves back in order. 

Belial on the other hand, just turns away and walks towards the Spiral Abyss gate. 

He’d like to check it out before anyone else. Also, he’s curious about how it’ll look when it’s right in front of him. The Spiral Abyss used to be the bane of his existence, after all. He cringes when he remembers all the hours he spent grinding before finally getting good enough to beat and earn all 36 stars available for a measly 3 ¾ primogems worth of wishes. (Primos were scarce and he was fully intent on fueling his gacha addiction. Sue him.)

The abyssal gate emanated a dark, suffocating energy, but it looked no different compared to the game. Save for the darker cerulean blue color of the gate.

He steps closer.

Immediately, he takes his previous assessment back; the gate looks intimidating as fuck. 

The hollow sound of air entering a vacuum echoes in the surrounding area as the portal swirls and goes a few shades darker, now looking more like a gateway to hell. 

Maybe it was his non-existent sense of danger or his adrenaline junkie side, he was ecstatic to go inside. A smirk grows larger on his face as he thinks about the mystery that lies behind the gateway.

A notification bell sounds off, which sounds much different than the usual chime the System uses. Belial turns his attention to the quest menu that had automatically appeared next to him. 

“Prologue Chapter: The First Gift of Life [1], Into the Abyss has been triggered! Enter the gates of the Spiral Abyss and complete the mission the Tsarita has bestowed upon you by obtaining sustainable results!.” The System chimes. “This is a [Main Quest] and is mandatory for the User to complete the quest. Failure to comply may result in the termination of the User’s account.” 

Ah, yes. One of the stupid quests that he couldn’t reject from his quest menu. He clicks his tongue in annoyance. “These quests are stupid.” he mutters under his breath. 

At that same moment, as if the System was responding to his words, the screen for the quest with a big [Navigate] button appears. He scrutinizes the button before letting out a long sign and pressing it. “Alright, alright. I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll complete the quest.”

The System doesn’t reply, but gives a small chime in response. He isn’t sure what to interpret it as, so he doesn’t.

Belial turns back to the gate, swirling with galactic colors. He cocks his head and stares haughtily.

“Just you wait, you stupid abyss.”

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

It turns out that the mask every Fatui member wears serves an actual purpose, other than concealing their identities or for style. Which is cool, considering he had thought it was just a niche design screaming, HI THERE, I’M PART OF THE BIG BAD FATUI, FEAR ME — !

Perhaps the amount of times he triggered the fatui’s aggro without meaning to when playing the game has left him with a vengeful bone in his body. But, considering he is a fatuus now, he’ll probably have to change that view. Probably.

His first impression of the Abyss was that it is dark.

Darker than black, almost. It’s like light itself was eaten away within the abyss. There was no way in hell he’ll be able to see through this shit —

“Would User Belial like to activate innate ability, [Eyes of God]?” The System chimes.

Yes! Yes, whatever the fuck that is, turn it on!

“Affirmative.”

The next time he blinks, everything suddenly becomes clear.  The first thing he sees is the dark, oozing concretions dripping down the walls in a … cave-like terrain? There was most definitely no sky above them, and he could sense the walls on either side of him. He immediately thinks of the in-game Chasm, except even the walls itself is drenched and saturated with dark power.

Belial breathes in a lungful of the miasma-infected air and he could immediately feel the corruptive element in the surroundings. Granted, he technically doesn’t have a human body so it doesn’t feel as bad as it could’ve.

Speaking of…

He turns back to the expedition group and scans his eyes over them. The miasma doesn’t affect Belial, but it definitely would be bad for this lot. Who are very human. And have no protection. And it seems that they were at least able to see in this hellhole, courtesy of the masks with built-in lenses or something. Other than that, they’re only equipped with general expedition tools and nothing else. 

Archons above, what is the Tsaritsa thinking!?

It’s like she wants them to die or something. 

“Equipping all members with a protective energy layer to combat corruption.” The System automatically says. Belial looks around in surprise, seeing everyone softly shimmering before going dim, this time with more protection than before. 

“Oh, well thanks System.” He tells the System distantly. At least it seems that they won’t die from being exposed to the Abyssal energy.

As the group walks further away from the entrance of the Abyss, the ominous energy grows thicker and feels much more saturated than before. 

They reach a point where he senses the darkness and energy seems to converge, and Belial stops there, beckoning the expedition over to him for a short word. 

“Go do your thing, I’m in no rush,” he says before waving the three captains off, who all give him a brief nod and scatter around, all getting to work on whatever it was they did best. 

Belial himself was also curious about the abyssal energy, especially on how it works. The lore of the game had always painted it in a dark light, which was completely understandable, especially now as he stands in front of the very source of all Teyvat’s problems. Well, most of their problems. 

Curling and uncurling his fingers as he formulates his own plan. 

Say, System? Does a delusion use the power of the abyss to work? 

A happy little ding sounds in his head, and he has to resist the urge to punch the System. “Tutorial Side Quest: Rhapsody of Reincarnation [2]: Special Skill and Talents! Discover the new system of stats that are unique to Teyvat!” 

Slowly but surely, Belial realizes that it makes more sense to have all of the information told to him in a spread-out fashion like this than in one go. Because holy fuck there are a lot of things he still doesn’t know about Teyvat and the System. If all of this was piled up on him from day one, his brain might’ve combusted trying to take everything in.

He let out a long sigh before plopping on the ground, back against the wall so he could see all of the Fatui surveyors do their thing. He is their supervisor for this after all. Perhaps a glorified guard dog, but a superior nonetheless. Maybe he’ll try and help sometime. But back to the new portion of the tutorial quest.

“Would you like to open your stats window?” the System asks.

With a hum, he replies, “Okay, sure. We have time. Let's figure this out.” 

It must have been hours that both Belial and the Fatui researchers worked in indistinct murmurs and relative silence. It was by no means a peaceful silence considering their location. But it was calm enough to be considered comfortable. 

The extra stats thing that wasn’t in the original game was fairly easy to understand. Most basic stats like base intelligence, strength, and defense were listed. But there are more uncommon stats like pain tolerance, calligraphy, and even dexterity were also there. Every stat can be increased with SP points (yet another thing that requires SP, how convenient. ) or it can be upgraded through practice. 

(He’d never openly admit it, but he’s spent at least 10 points on pain tolerance. Pain is more than it’s worth dealing with. And if there’s a way to avoid it, he’ll take it.)

So he spent the past few hours working on upgrading his intelligence, the typical stat any sensible isekai-ed person would probably upgrade. Maybe. 

It was made easier because the System was able to provide most of the knowledge that boosted his stat. Even if it wasn’t the most useful , per se…

“...is what makes condensed resin possible.” The System finishes its monologue. “To check for profile stats, just use the command word, ‘profile’, to open and view current stats and status effects.” 

Frankly boring, but still somewhat interesting. Belial had never given these small details in the game any thought before and took them for granted.

Well, he knows a thing or two about taking things for granted now.

Also, he hasn’t looked at his stats yet, has he? “Profile.”

A small window appears in front of him, no larger than a piece of copy paper. He sees nothing of note besides an HP bar, an elemental energy bar, as well as strength, wisdom, and Level. Speaking of, he was currently at lvl 70, probably because OG Scaramouche had done a bit of fighting himself, leveling up along the way. Belial is still rather strong either way, so he supposes level doesn’t really matter in the end.

Also, it’s about time they leave the abyss for today. There is no way he was going to let them stay for a long period of time even with an extra shield, save the abyss itself. 

Thankfully, he didn’t have to say anything. A commander had it under control.

“Alright, wrap it up! We’re done here for today.” Natalya shouts, with a clap of her hands. With surprisingly quick speed, everyone packed up their equipment. Belial only had to watch in silence as the workers all scurried around. 

The expedition was not going to leave the area until they were done with their two week trip. The plan was to work in intervals and take about a week in between each trip to rest or recuperate energy. Exposure to abyssal energy for an elongated amount of time is detrimental to the human constitution, so at least the Fatui recognizes that much. 

“Uhm, Sir, here’s a summary of the data that was collected today.” Natalya says. 

Belial nods and takes the folder and flips through the papers, skimming through them. He’ll have to look at them more thoroughly later. “Natalya, go and lead everyone to the gates again, I’ll cover the rear.” 

Natalya perks up and gives a quick, “Yes, Sir!” before scurrying away.

Belial frowns at her retreating back. Was she afraid of him or something??

“Relationship status with Natalya, +5 F points,” the System’s window pops up at the same time the notification sounds. 

What the heck is up with her?

When they reach the gates and resurface at Musk Reef again, the whole company sets up camp at the far side of the island, hopefully out of the prying eyes of passing ships. Idle chatter ensues as the more scientific researchers huddle together in groups and discuss their findings, and some were only goofing around and laughing together in front of a campfire.

Belial stands a ways away, on a small cliff above their campsite. Staring down at the group, he realizes that now is a good time to talk to the System.

“You know, System? I’ve been thinking.” he starts.

The tell-tale ding of the System tells Belial that it heard him. “Does the user have any questions?” it chimes out, in that same, overly friendly voice. 

“There was something you said, ‘ the System is very similar to the game, Genshin Impact ’, as in, only you yourself are similar to Genshin.” Frowning, he slowly lowers himself down and lets his legs dangle over the cliff’s ledge. It’s a few seconds before he continues. 

“This world. We’re in the game Genshin Impact, are we not? Or is there something you can’t tell me?”

The System stays eerily silent.

One question answered, two questions arise. Belial chews on his bottom lip.

“I’ve also noticed you have distanced yourself from calling this world Genshin, and only ever refer to it as Teyvat. Tell me; are they not the same thing?”

He’s yet again only met with silence.

“How different is Teyvat to what I know?” he stresses, as small amounts of desperation creeps into his voice. If this is what he thinks it is, it could be both a hope and a detriment to his survival here.

A soft ding sounds distantly in his mind as a familiar quest screen appears before his eyes. 

<New> World Quest: Prelude to Dawn
》There are strange discrepancies that you have noticed about this world, and it is up to you to uncover and understand Teyvat’s fate. The world is a vast and unexplored place, with many secrets hidden within.

“You have triggered a hidden world quest, Prelude to Dawn: Visit locations significant to the history of the world. Completed [0/2] This quest is not mandatory and is directly related to Peregrinus Chapter I . Would User_02 like to accept this quest?”

The AI voice somehow sounds somber when saying this. Belial grits his teeth, but it’s more out of anticipation than anger. Another quest, huh? 

…right. Information from this world doesn't come easily. 

“Well.” Belial huffs, staring down at the screen. “When I asked, I didn’t expect it to be this big of a deal, you know. If anything, you’ve made me more curious.” Especially now, knowing that something is wrong about the world.

He reaches for the screen. At least going through the trouble with this quest will help him understand his situation better.

“Bring it on.”

[Confirm] [Reject]
      ^
He just hopes he doesn’t regret this.

Part IV. Belial's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Decade

If there’s one thing that is completely different from his current life and his previous one, it would be his sense of time .  

The original Scaramouche’s memories contained recollections of over 170 years worth of information, yet it hadn’t felt at all different from Bell’s 18 years of life.

Yes, logically speaking, 170 years is WAY longer than 18 years, but somehow, in Belial’s mind, his subconscious didn’t perceive it as such.

Time passes faster for Belial, and he’s mostly fine with that. In his past life as Bell, he would dream of immortality. A human’s lifespan is short — it’s not nearly enough time for Bell to see the world grow. She hadn’t wanted to live forever per se, just maybe longer than an average human would.

Belial — with both his memories as Bell and OG Scaramouche combined — still isn’t sure how he’ll feel about outliving everyone around him. Although he couldn’t deny that at one point he’d actively wished for it, even he would have to admit that seeing evidence of the passage of time while being left behind is at least a bit jarring and makes him … melancholic. 

(A stray thought thinks of Tataratsuna )

It takes roughly a decade of leading expeditions to the abyss for the Fatui surveyors to finally start making significant progress on their research. Belial and the System weren’t able to contribute much to the effort because of his general lack of knowledge in the field, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t doing anything. He put effort into understanding what they were doing! (At least the System was, but who’s counting?)

This was turning out to be a very very long and tedious Prologue mission. Sometimes, he even forgets that this expedition is part of the Main Quests. Only his warped perception of time is saving him from absolute boredom. 

At least, he was able to gather that the abyssal taint came from the leylines of Teyvat. It originates from the flow of the world, but as for how it’s connected, he doesn’t know. Yet.

That aside, this isn’t accounting for the time difference within the abyss and outside it. So in reality, even more time has actually passed than he realizes. Their company spent a lot of time within the abyss. 

Unfortunately, this means that not every single day was a peaceful one.

Simply speaking; people died.

There were bad days when they lost a large chunk of their company and lucky days when they didn't encounter any enemies. Belial does his damndest to make sure he’s doing his part and protecting them like he was meant to, often also getting hurt in the process.

More times than not, Belial found himself in Dottore’s lab after passing out. It’s unpleasant, to say the least, but there are no other doctors that were qualified to heal his … unique body. It isn’t like he has much choice in the matter anyways. No one else was as familiar with the flow of energy in his body as Dottore is. 

He could do without the tube of pseudo-water he always seems to find himself in. No matter how much he likes the feel of water, always waking up submerged does nothing to soothe the human instinct that this was wrong , 

Dottore on the other hand, always insisted that Belial repay the favor by acting as a test subject since his constitution was fascinating and endurance, spectacular.

It’s safe to say that Belial is not fond of the Doctor. Which is putting it lightly. VERY lightly.

In the end, Belial endures the treatment without faltering, always maintaining his composure, but perhaps that didn’t help his case at all. It seems to only draw in the Doctor’s interests even more.

The only thing that kept him from withdrawing completely was the System’s comment on how this treatment by Dottore, no matter how annoying and painful, is something that would benefit him in the future. Thank the gods for the endurance he’s learned from the resistance to pain. 

So he endures the treatment and returns to the abyss, before inevitably repeating the cycle. 

Still, with every day that he spends fighting and shielding, the more he thinks the Tsaritsa doesn’t care for the lives of her men; she was willing to sacrifice anything necessary, so long as they’re able to get the job done.

Rather cold of her, he thinks.

“Considering that the entity you are referring to is also known as the Cryo Archon, this descriptio — ”

“Don’t you fucking dare continue that sentence.” Belial hisses through his teeth.

The lingering sounds of tinkling from the System sounded suspiciously like laughter .

Belial huffs out a breath, and props up his chin with his palms. This was year ten into the abyss, and today is yet another day with the expedition members doing their thing with him watching over them as a protector.

Yes they had gone through hardships and lost many comrades along the way, and two of the original leaders were still active. Natalya had resigned her post as a soldier not long ago, claiming that she had enough funds for whatever monetary goal she was pursuing. 

Strangely, it had been a goodbye with a lot of words and Belial was pretty sure she was near crying at a certain point. It was confusing, but he managed to shove her off before anything too emotional could take place, saying their goodbyes.

Still, Belial doesn’t think he’ll ever see her again for the rest of her life. He’ll outlive her whether he likes it or not.

Besides, no one should be chained to military duty, so he had let her go with no qualms. Perhaps Natalya will live her best life and grow old, before dying a happy, old woman. 

Even if her resignation left only him, Dimitri, and Igor as the sole leaders (they decided no replacement was needed), the three of them were more than enough to manage the surveys.

This particular day started off no differently than any other.

It was just another one of the many days that they traversed the lands of the abyss. The place is huge, so even if they go back every day, the expedition group could still find new unexplored areas. They all settled in to the routine they had all built, none the wiser.

Belial just hadn’t realized that it would be one of the worst days he’ll ever have.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Their ranks had been completely decimated.  

And standing amidst the carnage was a single being, floating a few inches off the ground, never touching the blood-stained floor. Fire leaks from its form like a fiery wisp, all spilling from its skin like a gentle waterfall, although this was anything but. The aura of heat surrounding it caused the abyssal air to feel much more suffocating than it already was. 

Belial clutches the handle of the Mistsplitter as he stares down the Abyss Lector. The odds are not in his favor, with the rest of his company reduced to red pastes staining the ground or just plain dead, not disfigured.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, his instincts are screaming at him to run.

That fear was overshadowed by a burning fury, welling up inside Belial. This single-minded anger forces his focus away from the carnage that lay beneath his feet. To be honest, he didn't even know where this rage was coming from, but he was going to make the most of it.

The Abyss Lector holds out one of its hands, summoning its spiked, catalyst-like weapon. 

A low, guttural sound comes from the Lector as it starts speaking. 

“Let the flames of redemption…rage.”

[Warning: Abnormal energy spike detected]

The screen appears just to the left side of Belial’s vision, but he barely registers it with his eyes glued to the enemy in front of him.

The surrounding air swirls, converging in a ball of pure heat above the lector’s head like a miniature sun. 

It doesn’t take Belial long to figure out that the Abyss Lector fully intended to chuck that flaming ball of bullshit sun power at him .

Shit.

The moment the orb of death is set loose, Belial launches his body forward, sword poised to strike. 

“I suggest enhancing your blow with an elemental infusion for maximum damage output.” The System says.

Okay, yeah. Sure. Elemental infusion. Got it. He thinks back.

Electro gathers in the blade as he channels the rest of his energy toward one point. He’s able to hear the crackling of the elemental energy as the power is forced to condense. 

The Abyss Lector holds out its hand, and more pyro energy gathers. Although this time, the power is concentrated on the ground instead. Multiple glowing circles of the aura are scattered around Belial.

“Hear the inferno’s call!” The Abyss Lector chants, with a swipe of its hands. 

Belial leaps to the right to avoid a flare up of fire, spewing from the ground. This does not slow down his run, however. With the help of instincts and a few words of warning from the System, Belial weaves through the attacks from the Abyss Lector with close calls and singles, as he reaches the enemy in a respectable amount of time. 

As soon as he steps into swinging range, Belial lets loose the stored electro energy and slices.

By a stroke of luck, the Lector is caught off guard by his sudden outburst of energy. By the time it regains its bearings, it’s already too late to try and block the attack. Otherwise, Belial wasn’t sure the attack would have succeeded. 

The attack lands and the Abyss Lector stumbles back, or as much as it could while floating. The wound that was inflicted oozes blood as dark as the substance that sticks to the walls of the Abyss. 

With one of his arms, the Lector summons the catalyst-like weapon again. Belial immediately notices five flaming orbs streaking in his direction. 

He’s forced back when leaping out of the way as the balls of fire fly past and collide with something behind him. The resulting explosion barely phases him. Belial doesn’t let his gaze wander from the enemy as he crouches down to keep closer to the ground, willing the power of the anemo delusion to bend to his will. 

The anemo delusion gradually starts glowing as the familiar black-tinted turquoise wisps of anemo energy gather around his feet. Hah, no matter how often he uses the delusion, the chills that creep up his spine when the anemo manifests feel as horrible as it always does. 

Belial lets electro energy build up in the Mistsplitter again.

“System, what would you say my chances at beating him are?” He asks tersely, anxiety brewing in his stomach. 

“Considering the current situation, it is possible to defeat the enemy within one strike, using the remaining energy within your arsenal.” The System analyzes. 

The remaining energy left meant that he has to give everything he’s got. 

An even larger concentration of electro gathers into the blade, as Belial grips the handle harder, letting the flow of energy pour through his palms and into the blade itself.

The Lector also readies its next attack, another series of five fireballs forming in a ring around its head.

Belial lowers his stance, and with a kick boosted by the anemo in his feet, he runs fast and straight towards the Lector. The fireballs come from all directions, in rapid succession. One swing, he parries the fireball streaking at him from his left, another slice, he cuts apart the fireball coming from the right. Dodging the next to and then using the base of the Mistsplitter, he aims the last fireball using the flat side of the blade, hitting it back towards the Abyss Lector. 

The Lector this time is more aware of Belial’s moves, and counters the incoming fireball with a blast of heat. It dispels the fireball, almost like a firework if it was detonated point blank.

Fortunately, Belial isn’t affected by distractions from the light. With the skill, [Eyes of God], he’s able to see perfectly fine regardless of environmental conditions. And this includes abrupt changes as well.

Charging forward yet again, this time enhancing his speed with the dark anemo winds. Although, this time, he’s able to feel the effects of using the delusion, a feeling akin to a heavy weight in his chest increasing in pressure as he uses more and more of its power. 

But right now, it’s giving him speed, and the upper hand. 

This time, seemingly flickers into existence in front of the Abyss Lector, with one hand still raised from summing the counterattack to its own fireball, Belial slices.

Electro energy explodes. Belial holds his ground from the minor shockwave that results from the hit.

The Mistplitter is as powerful as the game made it out to be. Because holy hell does this thing cut.

“Achievement Unlocked: ‘Purveyor of Punishment!’ for dealing a destructive critical hit and defeating an enemy unit! +20 SP +6000 Mora,” chimes the System.

Belial brandishes his blade at the corpse of the abyssal creature that killed the members of his company. Bitterness churns in his guts as he watches the body slowly turn dark and wither away into fragments of dust, too fine to see by normal means. 

That was the bastard that slaughtered every member under his protection. His protection. He had been too weak to keep them safe. Fuck everything, he’s so tired.

Just seconds later, he stumbles, driving the blade into the ground to steady himself. Belial heaves for breath, trying not to nod off. His head swims as fatigue gets the better of him, forcing him down onto his knees, legs weak.

”Ahh fuck.” he mutters. “This is so stupid . Aren’t I supposed to be an immortal or something?”

“Despite the User’s physical composition being that of a puppet, your body more closely resembles the functions of a normal human than you may think. This mainly applies to physical changes like pain and fatigue. It is why you can feel small amounts of pain and sleep despite not requiring food to survive.” The System replies. 

He balks before a small laugh escapes his mouth.

“I think that’s the first time you’ve given me information without it being quest-locked.”  Belial points out.

The System chimes merrily. “Thank you for the commendation, User!”

“That was not a compliment.” 

He pauses to stave off another wave of vertigo. Damn. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to stay awake any longer.

The last burst of electro had taken the last vestiges of his energy. Standing up is too much of a chore anyway. He sinks to the ground, hand slipping from the hilt as he falls onto his back, now staring up at the dark ceiling of the familiar abyss. It probably should have mattered where he laid down, but everything felt so comfortable in the moment, he almost immediately fell asleep right there.

“Hey, keep us safe, will you?” Belial asks off-handedly. 

“Of course,” the System replies confidently. “I can implement a self-defense module so that any threat will be minimalized. Activating System Passive: [Impregnable Defense].”

He gives the System a warbled sound of acknowledgement before letting his mind rest, slipping into unconsciousness. 

Belial doesn’t dream.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

No matter how often this happens after getting injured on an excursion, Belial would never get used to waking up in Dottore’s lab. 

He’s getting really sick of these tubes. 

Reaching for the top of the tank, he pushes at the usual latch and hauls himself out. The dripping coldness as he makes contact with air makes him shake involuntarily — more out of instinct than anything — as he sits at the top and looks down at the lab. The view was anything but pleasant. He scrunches his nose up in disgust.

Sometimes, he’s glad that his body isn’t completely human.

Belial thinks back to the last memory he had before blacking out. 

Everyone, gone, dead.

Oh. Yeah. That happened, didn’t it?

“Ah, you’re up.” comes the lilt of a familiar voice. 

Belial looks behind the tube from his higher vantage point to see the Doctor standing below, the Harbinger’s cloak draped over his figure. “I figured you’d wake up around now. How are you feeling?”

Belial scoffs and turns away, crossing his arms. “Why ask if you don’t really care? You only help me because I’m your ‘prized’ test subject.” 

Belial is happy to say that the sinister laugh that comes from Dottore does not make him shiver. He frowns as he rubs at his strangely tingly arms. Have they always felt this prickly?

“I believe that the term mutually beneficial would be a … better descriptor.” Dottore says, walking over to the table. What the other man says isn’t wrong, which faintly ticks Belial off. Dottore still annoys him no matter what that man has done for him. 

Belial watches intently at every movement, noticing the anemo delusion that sits on the table. The Doctor picks it up and examines it while Belial stands up on the top of the cylinder and leaps down to the ground with barely any sound when he lands. 

Wordlessly, Dottore shifts his stance, still exuding the same arrogant pride as before, holding out the delusion to Belial. With a hard glare and a click of his tongue, Belial swipes it from the other man’s hand. 

“So what did you alter this time?” Belial mutters off-handedly, reaching over to another table where his uniform laid. He lets the dark wisps of anemo flutter around his form, drying him off as he tugs on the coat.

“Ah, you needn’t worry, it was nothing drastic, mind you. Perhaps you’ll want to see for yourself.” Dottore drawls. 

“Il Dottore’s modifications and repairs were not in any way harmful to you objectively.” The System supplies.

Well, if the System says so, then it means that whatever the psycho did was probably worthwhile. Belial does remember that OG Scaramouche had undergone enhancements under the Doctor’s hands, so at least he wasn’t going astray from the Main Quests. 

Besides, if the Doctor was willing to give Belial abilities that would help him to survive, who was he to refuse it?

“You were badly damaged when you were retrieved after your company had not reported in for its usual weekly report. I was ordered by Her Majesty to enter the abyss and leave immediately when I retrieved you.” Dottore starts. 

Belial grimaces. He hadn’t wanted to think about it, but he had hoped that not everyone was dead. From the way Dottore is talking about it, that doesn’t seem to be the case. They really were all…

Guilt churns in his gut, making him feel a little sick. He hadn’t been able to protect them after all. Still, he wonders if the Fatui even cares that they’ve lost about sixty men in one mission alone. Something tells Belial that they don’t, which makes him feel even worse. 

His attention goes to Dottore as the man walks over to a table. Belial’s eyes widen at what he realizes is there.

Mistsplitter.

Ah yeah, he almost forgot about that. 

Dottore glances over, seemingly waiting for a reaction, but continues when Belial doesn’t do much more than raise his eyebrows. “This sword here was channeling some sort of electro energy and protected you rather well. I assume this is yours?” The doctor grasps at the handle and holds it delicately, treating it the same way he’d examine a new specimen. 

Belial scowls at this. “Stop with your stupid monologue and just get to the point." 

Pausing briefly, he says, "Give me that.” 

Stalking up to Dottore, Belial reaches out and, without even touching it, willed the sword to disappear into his personal pocket dimension once again. 

Belial’s surprise at this distracts him from the hungry smirk that creeps up the Doctor’s face, exposing the sharp, inhuman teeth. 

Belial hasn’t even touched the sword! That shouldn’t have happened —

“It seems that the electro energy is resonating well.” Dottore drawls.

What?

A chime from the System rings as it explains for him, “It appears that he has taken the liberty to infuse your very being with energy from the ley lines and your electro affinity. As a result, your DEF stat has gained a +500 points and the dense energy will allow you to draw out more power in fighting. As a byproduct, you are now more in-tune with elemental energy, which in turn adds to your mastery of the elements, including precise control.” 

Belial clenches and unfurls his hand, summoning the Mistsplitter Reforged, thinking it over. Listening to the modifications that had been made to his body was weird, because it doesn’t feel like they’re talking about his own body at all. Still, the physical evidence was here, as he lets go of the Mistsplitter Reforged and watches it as it sits in the same spot in the air. 

With a small, concentrated burst of energy, he points his finger upwards, watching as the sword follows. 

“Huh.” Belial says aloud. I think I’ve seen this done before. Have I, System?

“According to the data that is at my disposal, manipulating weapons and allowing them to fly is not uncommon. For example, the character Albedo was able to perform a jab with his sword without having to maintain physical contact with the weapon.” The System replies. “Although, this was possible with a vision, which you do not possess, which makes this a little different from normal. Naturally, this sort of manipulation should not have been possible, even with your innate abilities.” 

With a swipe of his arm, the Mistsplitter Reforged dematerialized. “Alright. So what’s the situation currently with the expedition?” 

Dottore pauses for a second, before moving towards the desk where Belial’s coat had been on. He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but there’s a folder sitting near the end of the table. The other man picks up the folder and waves it languidly in the air. 

“These files of data were the only things we were able to salvage from the area when we completed the retrieval. I assume you have the rest stored somewhere safe?" Dottore says.

Yes, fortunately since Belial had been leaving most of the interpretive and organizational work up to the System — which is rather convenient, actually — he’s currently carrying around a walking encyclopedia of their culminating research. Or rather, the System is. 

But it's not like he'll just reveal that to Dottore.

“Yeah.” Belial replies apprehensively. He takes the folder and flips through the pages. 

Abyssal influence … shift in energy flow … a culmination of emotions, both sorrowful and vengeful … a star in the sky.

A sudden realization comes to him after skimming through. If he’s to report this to the Tsaritsa…

“Yes, it most likely would qualify as sufficient results.” The System confirms. “Enough to mark an end to the [Main Quest].”

“All right, I'll sort this out and write up my report to Her Majesty.” Belial mutters. 

Everyone on the expedition to the Abyss had essentially given their lives for this research and he will complete it. 

Belial pushes open the doors of the lab and leaves. He hears Dottore say, “If you feel anything remotely off, don’t hesitate to come to me.” with the same smugness as ever.

Yeah. There’s no way Belial will ever get along with Dottore.

Stupid snake.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Five days after submitting his report, it came as no surprise to him when the Tsaritsa issued a summons, which he obliged. (of course he did, what else was he going to do, flip her off??)

If the System was right, this would mean the end of this particular expedition. Although the System had said, “there is no guarantee this is the last mission for you,” Belial has at least some faith that there won’t be anything too weird out of the blue. 

The audience with the Tsaritsa was expected, but the quest screen appearing was not. 

As he had touched the handles of the doors, the blue screen practically jumpscared him. He absolutely did NOT trip and fall. Anyone who says otherwise is a lying liar who lies.

[Prologue Chapter: The First Gift of Life [1], Into the Abyss has been completed! +1000 SP +30000 Mora]

“Were you trying to scare me??” he asks, exasperated. 

“Prologue Chapter: The First Gift of Life [2] has started! Please make your way to the Tsaritsa’s throne room to receive your reward for the Abyss expedition.” The System informs, the little shit.

“Alright.” He reaches up to adjust his lopsided hat and walks out his room. 

Belial yet again stares down the long hallways of Zapolyarny Palace, once again admiring its architecture. 

“Well, no use stalling, I guess.” he says to himself.

Hopefully, this meeting is where he gets his title as a Harbinger. This quest has taken way too long for his liking already anyways. 

A whole decade. Celestia above, how he’s retained his sanity is anyone’s guess.

It was almost as if no time had passed since Belial had last seen the Tsaritsa. Her enigmatic form was the same as it was years ago, when he was first given his mission. Though, he supposes it meant something for most of the Fatui Harbingers to be present. 

From one glance, Belial could see that the Harbingers stood in an order of strength, which he could see is the same as the in-game characters. Though there are two faces that he doesn’t recognize. Probably some past harbinger who died or retired before the original storyline he knows. Only thing different is that he only sees nine here, rather than the eleven that he had become familiar with.

Belial keeps himself on one knee, eyes focused on the pooled fabric of the Fatui uniform’s coat that fell beside him. The chilly gaze of the Tsaritsa never left his form, but he senses no malice from her eyes. 

The eyes of the Harbingers, however, were different. 

Scrutinizing, evaluating, fury…and curiosity.

“Congratulations on completing your mission, my child.” The Tsaritsa starts. “The results you have presented to me are most satisfactory. Now that you have given me the results of your expedition, I ask that you also give your own input into what you have discovered. Why do you think that this has happened?” 

He blinks. His opinion? 

Belial slowly glances up to meet the Tsaritsa’s eyes, assessing. Is she talking about the results written in the report? “Your Majesty, are you referring to the change in the abyssal energy over the past decades?” 

The Tsaritsa leans to the side on one of the thrones’ arms. “Yes, as I have read your report, I was simply curious about your personal input, seeing as you are the one who knows this research best, after all.” 

Yeah, considering everyone else who did was fucking dead — 

He keeps that particular thought to himself as he gives a suitable reply. “I realize that the shift in energy and the leaking abyssal power into the overworld was not significant enough to cause lasting damage to our world. As the research tells us, the miasma seeps through and escapes to the surface through a culmination of lingering residue from the bygone gods and immortals that had been killed years before.” 

The Tsaritsa beckons him to continue when Belial pauses. 

“...The leaking miasma was an existing problem that was prominent even before the past century, so I had surmised that the surge in buildup of miasma had another cause. Someone else pulling at the strings, in a sense.” 

“So, are you saying that there is a third party in the recent activity in the abyss?” The Tsaritsa questions — though it’s likely she already knows the answer. 

However, she still expects him to answer. Belial has to, but as for whether or not he should voice his genuine thoughts is another matter.

“The probability of the third party being the Abyssal Twin of the original Main Character from Genshin Impact is 80%.” The System supplies helpfully. 

But should I really tell them about the twins before the non-abyss twin makes their first appearance? Belial thinks back. Besides, I don’t even know which one’s the ‘main character’ in this world!

“The System encourages the User to do their best!” 

Celestia above, you’re insufferable.

Belial recollects himself and brings himself to speak again. “I believe that the abyss has experienced a change in leadership.” 

It was almost nonexistent, but he could hear the voices from the Harbingers mutter among themselves. 

The Tsaritsa waves a hand and the hall falls silent again. “A change in leadership you say? Why believe the monsters of the Abyss have any sort of structure or hierarchy with a leader?” 

Shit, that’s a good question. 

But fortunately, he has a simple enough answer. “I have seen that there are power differences in different classes of monsters, yet they all still work together in a coherent group with strategy that would not exist without at least some semblance of a control System. I assumed that there must be a leader, seeing that some groups of hilichurls and mitachurls are accompanied by a single Abyss mage, who is capable of chanting an ancient language.” 

“A simple answer.” The System echos. “This explanation does not equate to a simpl-”

Shut. 

The Tsaritsa hums her approval, seemingly at his assessment. “I can see where your logic stems from, and I believe that you have much more you can give to our cause. So I have decided to gift you…a name.” 

“A name?” He repeats, mustering his non-existent acting skill to at least act like he hadn’t already known it was coming.

“Throughout the years you have lent and dedicated your service to the Fatui, I have noticed that you have not taken on a name for yourself.” The Tsaritsa says soothingly. “As a valued member of our organization, it does not bode well to allow yourself to remain nameless. Your power has endless potential and I believe that you are capable of moving even the gods, one day.” 

This was definitely the moment he was going to be inducted into the ranks of the Harbingers. Anticipation and nervousness churns in Belial’s gut as he listens to the Tsaritsa’s praise. This feels so surreal .

The sharpness of the Tsaritsa’s glowing crystal blue irises suddenly becomes much more distinct, as she gazes down at Belial with a smile that simultaneously radiates warmth and power.

“As of today, I name you the Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers.” The Tsaritsa says.

“Scaramouche, the Balladeer.”

Extra I. Natalya

Natalya’s years working as an agent of the Fatui had taken a toll on her, despite all of its benefits and prestige.

Just a bit over a decade, she served under the Tsaritsa, eight of which she spent in the endless expanse of the Abyss. Natalya hated that place with a passion, the one that always felt so alluring and welcoming, even though it would be able to swallow her whole if she was not careful. 

Thankfully, every time anyone who had felt this way while in the abyss had always been pulled back by a strong power, protecting their minds from the eventual corruption that many beings suffer when they were exposed to the abyssal taint.

When she eventually resigned her post, she did it happily.

The salary working in the Fatui was no joke, and after thirteen years of military service, she had enough money to comfortably sustain her immediate family for a good long while. Natalya could always find another job and make money without much worry if they ever need it. 

In the beginning, Natalya had been skeptical about joining the Fatui, serving as a member of its lower ranks. Her parents were very obviously worried for her well-being, since it is a very dangerous career to go into. 

Additionally, Natalya also had been worried because she had heard that the Fatui often partook in dangerous missions more often than not. Still, it paid too well to give it the opportunity up. She needed that money. 

So for five years, she did remarkably well with her natural talent in combat and brains alike, rising up in the ranks as a result. She had known that the higher the rank, the more competent they are deemed, and the harder the mission she'd be deployed on.

Then, a mission order from the top boss, the Harbinger of the first division she worked in, had sent her off to a mission under some person who didn’t actually hold a definite position in the Fatui.

Still, since she had been personally told this by the Lord First, it must mean that whatever mission they were supposed to go on was just that important.

When Natalya first met the one who was going to lead the mission, — along with two of her co-workers in the first division, Igor and Dimitri —  she hadn’t known what to think. Yes, she'd heard rumors about his less-than-pleasant attitude and personality, but it did nothing to prepare her for his youthful appearance. 

Also, he had no name. Though she was told it was more a matter of preference on his part. Most of the members of the Fatui, when they had to refer to him, called the boy ‘puppet’. 

Natalya remembers thinking that ‘doll’ would be more accurate. 

There had been this — flawless quality to his appearance which was an obvious testament to the fact he wasn’t human .

Despite all of the rumors of his bad temper and abysmal attitude, the cutting words aimed at her and her two colleagues did not carry genuine venom. It sounded more playful than anything, like he was teasing them. 

She wasn’t entirely sure what it was that sold it for her, but she knew that she could trust him with her life. Was it instinct? The way he had a calm sort of power? Or was it just a spur of the moment decision? This, she probably wouldn’t ever figure out.

The mission into the abyss went on for far longer than Natalya had expected. During this time, she had gotten to know the expedition leader better, along with every single member that worked with her in the company. 

In that time, their leader-protector, who the expedition company members had taken to calling, ‘Sir’, didn’t change a single bit, looking the same as ever even as the years passed. 

It was obvious from the way he fought that he was protective, and fiercely so. Always fighting and always protecting the company members, despite there being losses here and there, Sir had always done his best to make sure whoever he could extend his reach to would return home safe. Even through all the snarks and snapping he may have given, Sir always carried through and kept everyone as safe as he could. Still, his attitude was as foul as ever, so his reputation was still … not great.

This, paired with his unrivaled electro power within the Fatui’s ranks made him into someone that others feared, despite not actually having a definite rank difference. 

Natalya, on the other hand, she’ll admit, looked up to him a lot. 

He was the epitome of power and once upon a time, she had wanted that too. 

The abyssal miasma had convinced her otherwise, and the moment she had made what she deemed to be enough money, Natalya had handed in a letter of resignation before the corruption could slowly wiggle its way past her defenses. 

Her captain, Sir, was far from perfect. His reputation was a testament to that. Despite this, Natalya was very reluctant to leave the ranks of the Fatui, finding that in herself, she had wanted to stand by his side for a little longer. 

When she had left the Fatui, Natalya knew she’d never see him again.

Even so, she had to go back home.

A few years later, she heard news of a new member of the Harbingers, the Sixth, known as the Balladeer. Codename Scaramouche. Natalya somehow just knew that this was the Sir she had known.

Natalya had known he was powerful, and accompanied by the weapon that the Tsaritsa herself bestowed upon him, the object known as a delusion — a terrifyingly good replica of a vision — , he was bound to gain a seat among the Fatui’s elite, sooner or later.

She could see him being a great leader though, all biases aside. 

After the years flew by, she found herself sitting in front of a window of her house, overlooking the slow-covered rooftops, telling her grandchildren a story.

About an enigmatic hero she had once looked up to.

About a Balladeer who sang a song of battle.

Chapter Text

Part V. The Harbinger Banquets

“Lord Harbinger!”

“Scaramouche, sir!” 

“Sir Harbinger!”

“Good morning, Lord Sixth!” 

Belial slowly slinks away from the main halls of Zapolyarny Palace, if only to get away from the nuisance that is the Fatui grunts.

Ever since that promotion ceremony, they would not leave him alone . 

He has half a mind to just blast those who have constantly pestered him with electro through the roof of Zapolyarny palace. Honestly, it’s a miracle he hasn't immediately sent them flying sky-high yet. 

It was only obvious after he had gained a hundred Reputation Points the day after the formal ceremony that the fatui grunts apparently had no problems with swarming him every waking moment of the day. He assumes that most of it comes from people who wanted to suck up to a harbinger, wanting a piece of their power.

Where’d their tact go? Respect for personal space?? The reverence they usually have for Harbingers??

However, this isn’t what’s bothering Belial. Even with all his effort, his reputation is still complete and utter shit. The suck-uppers he could deal with, but the constant running and nervousness when people were around him — put him in a rather bad mood. 

Then again, it was probably deserved. He was the definition of different to these people. So Belial doesn’t say anything about it. Celestia knows he’d act the same if he were in their shoes. Although, no one can really blame them for being on edge. 

Honestly, he no longer cares about improving his image anymore, anyway. Let them think whatever they want. As long as it doesn’t affect him explicitly, it won’t matter.

Belial slinks outside onto a balcony, reaching to lean on the railings. The signature harbinger cloak marginally flutters when he steps out, and his eyes drift toward the thick layer of snow that covers the surrounding cityscape. The snow is light today, and the air is sharply cold. Belial finds that it doesn’t bother him as it would have in the past. The cold is a comfort. It does … something for the constant buzzing within his system, likely an effect of his electro-saturated body.

With a small wave of his hand, he asks the System to show the quest menu so he can read them over again. The digital screen dutifully appears before him, and he scrolls through the quests.

The Prologue quest box is dulled out, with a gold Completed overlaying the previous box. His eyes drift down towards the next quest on the main list. His eyes land on the next quest. 

‘Peregrinus Chapter I’ is the first event in the game, Unreconciled Stars, where Scaramouche was first introduced to the players. Admittedly, Belial doesn’t remember much from that event, primarily because he had started the game about a week after the event ended. 

Which means he’s going into this blind.

Secondly, this was when the traveler first arrived at Mondstat, so it is at least another 250 years before this quest is triggered.

He groans to himself, silently cursing his situation again. Belial has never missed his small, old 700 ft apartment and his stash of iced tea this much before. 

What he wouldn’t give to just sit on his bed and read a book or something… 

A few minutes later, Belial notices a set of hurried footsteps heading his way.

Belial sighs as he pushes away from the railing, turning to meet the agent that had just arrived. (Who, surprisingly, shows no signs of apprehension.) 

“I – um, I am here to deliver an invitation from Lord First, Sir Scaramouche.” 

The slight hitch in his voice makes Belial rethink his first impression. With a questioning look, he takes the letter that looks rather out of place with its extravagant design. He waves off the agent without much thought, leaving the other to quickly scramble off as he scrutinizes the envelope in his hand. 

He frowns, flipping the envelope over. Belial breaks the wax seal and unceremoniously tosses the envelope to the side, unfolding the paper within. Immediately, he sees The Jester’s elegant script on the letter. The contents itself were brief: 

The Balladeer:

As is customary when a new harbinger is instated, a Harbinger’s Banquet is called within the Zapolyarny Palace.

It will be held one week from now, on 09 / 02
Be sure to attend.

The Jester.

A delightful little chime accompanies the new window that appears in front of him.

<New> Side Quest: Epoch of Winter
》You have received an invitation to attend the notorious Harbinger’s Banquet. Make it through the night of festivities and drama! 

What the fuck.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Even though a few days had passed since Belial had gotten the invitation, his trepidation did not subside in the least. At first, he had tried to ignore the invitation altogether, but it never left his mind. 

“Uhm… sir, is there anything I can get for you?” 

“That’s the third time you’ve asked me that today, agent,” Belial says flatly.

To be fair, the agent who had brought in yet another stack of paperwork had good reason to be concerned. 

Belial has had the same scowl on his face since he arrived at the office earlier that day. The same agent has been the one going in and out of his office and had taken notice of his sour mood. 

The agent shuffles around nervously. “I could … bring you something to drink?” he suggests.

That doesn’t sound horrible.

He gestures loosely at the agent, “Sure, sure. You do that.”

“+2 Reputation Points!” The System says. “You currently have a total of 1,342 RP!”

That’s… quite a lot…

With a quick bow, the agent scurries out of the room, presumably to get whatever drink he has in mind. Speaking of which, he hopes that whatever the agent brings isn’t overly sweet. Or cold. Although, considering it’s snowing outside, that agent probably knows not to make a cold drink.

Belial stares and flips through the stack of detailed profiles, detailing the information of all the new agents that are now under his care. Much to his dismay, there are a lot of them. And apparently, he had to organize the recruits as well. First and foremost, he should probably appoint someone to do this work for him. 

A few minutes later, he drops the last paper into the stack, tired of looking at the papers, and his eyes wander over to the Banquet invitation. A sense of dread creeps up as Belial leans back into his chair. 

The Harbinger status hasn’t been too overwhelming at least — if anything, the luxury that was provided to him was well worth the bullshit that comes with the title.

“System, open the skills shop,” Belial leans back further into his chair, staring up at the ceiling. 

At the sound of a soft click, the menu appears in his line of vision. 

“What would User like to browse today?” 

“Is there anything that can fast-forward time or something?” He buries his face into his hands. “Or an auto-pilot mode?”

“Apologies, User. The system shop currently does not contain the skills you are looking for.” the System informs. “There may be new skills updated in the future, so please check the shop at a later date.”

Rubbing at his face does not help at all with the tension in his body. 

“What would happen if I just skip it altogether?” He mutters into his palms.

“Your reputation among the other Harbingers will dramatically drop, and your status as a harbinger will most likely be looked down upon by the older agents in the Fatui!” the System replies.

Goddamnit -. 

“Fucking fine. I’ll deal with it. Somehow.” Belial relents. “But you have to help me there.” 

The system chimes again, this time with more vigor. “Of course, the System exists to support the User on their journey!” 

“Seeing some of the crap you’ve done, I doubt that.”

“This System is very offended!”

“How would you even — you know what, never mind.”

“I am deeply saddened by your words!”

“ Forget I asked. ”

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Belial was just a thread’s snap away from trying to bury himself deep into the snow surrounding Zapolyarny palace. Or better yet, get Zhongli to crush him with a meteor. (If he even goes by that name at this point)

Archons above, he feels way out of his element. 

All but two Harbingers are currently present, and none of them seem to have any intention of sitting, with refreshments laid on a table on the side of the banquet hall. The two missing appear to be Pierro, the first Harbinger, and La Signora. The rest of the hall was filled with other members of the Fatui, just…people that Belial doesn’t particularly recognize.

Despite the filled hall, the harbingers were all gathered around a single table, and thankfully, everyone else was smart enough to avoid them altogether. Which, fair. Belial approves. He wouldn’t want to stick his nose into anything related to these weirdos if he didn’t need to.

That aside…where is the socializing guide handbook for situations like this!? 

“Like I already said earlier , I will not aid your little project!” Arlecchino fumes. 

“Oh, but it’s just a simple request. Why not help out a fellow harbinger?” Dottore replies. 

“You know as well as I do why I refuse to help you. I don’t have time for your games, Doctor.” 

“Well, I could give you mora, as much as you’d like.”

“ Bullshit .”

“I cannot stand this bickering any longer. Quiet, you two.” Sandrone — the fourth harbinger, if Belial remembers correctly —  says.

“Only if you get that bastard to shut up about that project!”

Sandrone heaves a hefty sigh and turns away, heading for the refreshment table instead. The other people that are standing there unsubtly hurry out of her way, shuffling to the side. Belial’s half-tempted to follow in her steps. 

“I have pudding,” a black-haired girl says happily, as if oblivious to the bickering between the other harbingers. 

Columbina, aka the Damselette. That wasn’t an appearance Belial would forget. But why in the world does she sound so unbothered?  

“My experiments have always been for the benefit of us all . I’m not asking for much, just one or two is enough.” 

“And my answer is no! ”

“Does anyone want pudding?” Columbina asks with her soft, angelic voice. “Sweets are a great delicacy to enjoy when one is feeling very temperamental.”

“I’ll take one, Damselette.” Belial mutters. The girl happily magics him a fancy little teacup (he’s learned not to question these things anymore), which he snacks on, trying his best to ignore … whatever it is that’s happening around him. 

“I am this close to strangling you.” 

“You know that won’t kill me .” 

“It won’t kill you, but be prepared for a world of suffering.”

“May I remind you that fighting within our ranks is forbidden?”

“I bet your other projects would feel otherwise.”

“Well then, what does our dear Scaramouche have to say about all this?” Dottore offers.

Belial abruptly snaps his head in their direction the moment his code name is said. 

“Why the fuck are you asking me?” Belial sputters, barely suppressing his surprise at suddenly being brought into the … conversation between Arlecchino and Dottore. “Don’t drag me into this!” He scoops out the last spoon of pudding, pointedly ending his involvement. 

Arlecchino’s face screws up in agitation. If looks could kill, Dottore would be twelve feet under. “You were one of Dottore’s projects, so I bet you know best how he gets when he’s interested in something. I’d love to hear what you have to say.” She places a hand on her forehead, massaging her temples. “Listen, I don’t usually lose my temper like this, but even I have a limit to my tolerance. Persistent bastard .” 

That last part is said under her breath, but Belial hears it anyway. He can’t help but agree with Arlecchino. 

Dottore raises a placating hand. “Now, now. Let’s not prolong this any more than we have to.”

“ You’re the one who started it! ”

“So, Balladeer, how has the Harbinger position been treating you?” Dottore asks the same characteristic lilt to his voice that annoys Belial to no end. Arlecchino’s frustration was palpable at this point.

Belial makes a face at Dottore. “It’s only been two days. ”

That smug bastard’s smile only grows wider. “Your point being?”

Belial doesn’t deign that with an answer, instead choosing to take a sip from a wine glass he picks up from the side tables. He was half-tempted to throw away all semblance of composure and just fling the glass at Dottore’s face, but in these past few years, Belial has learned a little something called self-control. 

The wine tastes bitter and cold, and Belial is pleasantly surprised at how much he likes it. He had never been much of a drinker in the past.

A short, sharp laugh coming from Arlecchino rings in the hall. “Wow, would you look at that, Dottore’s been ignored! ” 

“It’s rare to see you so expressive, Arlecchino.” Capitano remarks.

“It’s not often someone tests my patience.” Arlecchino snaps back. “Blame him .” She juts her chin in the Doctor’s direction. 

Dottore merely smirks. 

Belial desperately wants to go back to his room, and it hasn’t even been ten minutes since he arrived.

“Relationship status with Arlecchino, +2 F points! Relationship status with Columbina, +5 F points! Relationship status with Il Dottore, +5 F points!” The system dings. 

Why the fuck is Dottore up there!?

The notification distracts him enough that he almost doesn’t notice a lady with platinum blonde hair taking a few steps toward the center of the room. The way the fatuus part, like the sea being cut in half, makes her appear ethereal and divine . Yeah. Belial remembers her.

La Signora.

“Have you finished your squabbling? I did not return halfway through my mission to listen to your quarreling.” 

“Rosalyn,” Arlecchino acknowledges, sounding marginally lighter. “How’s your trip to Natlan faring?” 

Belial watches La Signora skeptically as she raises a hand to her chin, sighing. “Having to deal with the ingrates of that nation always puts a bitter taste in my mouth. I would rather get it over with faster instead of having to put it on hold.” 

“Why not have someone else take over this mission then?” Pulcinella asks. “I’m sure there 

A scoff comes from La Signora. “You know as well as I that is not necessary. I am perfectly capable of finishing this with the resources at my disposal.”

“And the only one who would willingly take on tedious missions,” Belial mutters under his breath. 

If the twitch of La Signira’s eyebrow was any indication, she had heard his remark but decided to ignore it.

It takes a while for some minimal sounds of conversations to start up once again, the chill in the air lingers, constantly reminding Belial of the tense atmosphere. The Harbingers slowly start to scatter, drifting over to their people. The men under their command, Belial assumes. Belial might have a few of his people here, but honestly, he isn’t keen on interacting with anyone. Nor does he remember any faces yet. 

Eventually, (unfortunately) he is approached by another Harbinger, but this is one of the Harbingers he didn’t first recognize. A harbinger that was replaced before the main timeline.

Belial turns to face him to give the harbinger his attention. Might as well, since he probably approached Belial for a reason. 

“I am known as the Coveter, codenamed Pantalone. It’s a pleasure meeting you.” A stocky, older man introduces himself, the single monocle glinting in the dim blue light of the banquet hall. “If you have any financial troubles, I will always be available to provide services to my fellow Harbingers.”

Belial skeptically nods his acknowledgment. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I know you are new to the Harbinger’s position, but rest assured, if you have any problems, I am available if you ever need it.”

Belial hums off-handedly.

The blonde man smiled good-naturedly, but Belial could see the sharp, calculating gaze behind that monocle. The Coveter dips his head in a short bow, just a small indication of respect, and heads off. 

Why did he approach me?

“I suspect a dark, ulterior motive!” The system remarks, all mysterious. Belial could almost see the magnifying glass flying around. “The Covetor might not have approached the User with the helpful intentions he claims to have.”

No shit, Sherlock.

But, there’s also the chance he’s just overthinking the issue. Today was already getting to be too much. Paranoia sucks.

The cheery mechanical chimes signify the system’s laughter. “This system encourages the User to be a bit more relaxed.”

Despite being annoyed, he has to agree. Belial shouldn’t immediately suspect everyone who approaches him. 

Should he?

For the next half hour, he keeps mostly to himself, letting the chatter wash over him. Belial doesn’t really know how much time passes, but eventually, he senses a distinct shift in the atmosphere. Both literally and metaphorically. Everyone tenses minutely, and the air around the hall chills, and all noises stop.

Like everyone else in the hall, Belial turns his attention to where he senses the source of the shift, and there, the Tsaritsa walks into the room. 

Power rolls off her figure as it always does, sharp, chilling, and divine . Behind her follows the first Harbinger, Pierro. 

“Thank you for attending the illustrious Harbinger’s Banquet. I am delighted to see you all gathered here on such a fine day. It has been too long since I have last seen us all together.” The Tsaritsa directs that last sentence at the Harbingers, cerulean blue eyes sweeping over them. She raises an ice glass filled with red wine, a stark contrast against the blue wine glass, “Let us toast to the Northern Snow.”

There was no prompting, even on Belial’s part, when everyone bowed deeply to Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa. It was held for a second before everyone else raised their glasses as well. 

“To the Everlasting Winter!”

Looking back, this was probably the moment he understood the weight and power of a God .

It’s rather comical, how fast the situation devolves the moment the Harbingers decided to talk business. After all the introductions were done, and after the promising recruits were able to converse with a few of the higher-ups, the Harbingers had another event they attended, with only the Tsaritsa and the ten current leaders of the organizations in attendance. 

After the Tsaritsa had arrived at the hall, the pleasantries were much more pronounced, since the Harbinger respected their archon and her desire for her Harbingers to get along. So for the most part, they played nice with each other and the arguments from earlier were not brought up. 

Belial did his best to not touch the ticking time bomb that was Arlecchino who was decidedly still pissed at Dottore but was able to keep it to herself for the most part out of respect for the Cryo Archon.

The other fatui agents in the banquet hall had eventually eased up and lowered their guards since their harbingers had reeled back their intimidating auras, which had been leaking throughout the earlier tension.

Belial didn’t pay much attention to anything else and mostly stood to the side, watching everyone do their thing. There were a few who attempted to approach him for some reason or another, but every single one eventually backed down when he looked in their direction. As for why, he isn’t sure. Is his face that scary? 

“...this system would like to inform User Belial that you are intimidating the agents.” The system deadpans.

“Am I?” He replies sarcastically. “I didn’t notice.”

He supposes it makes sense. Although he doesn’t know what exactly it is that they find intimidating.

Belial endures the evening of tense conversations and annoying people, which uses up most of his patience. He considers it a miracle nothing had gone terribly wrong in this banquet.

Belial is still sticking to the sidelines as the crowd slowly thins out, the banquet nearing its end.

Thank fuck that’s over. 

“Unfortunately for the User, it seems that there is another matter you will have to attend to immediately after this,” the system chirps. 

His face screws up in annoyance. What the hell? 

“ I recall you saying you were on my side. ” He growls at the System, keeping his voice low.

The System does not have time to reply, because lo and behold, Columbina is in front of him, all smiles. 

If there’s one thing he’s learned, it’s not to trust smiles here.

“Dear Balladeer, would you accompany me to our meeting hall? We all meet after these banquets, without the other lower-ranking agents.” Her voice is as sweet as ever. “ It’s an after-meeting the Harbingers have for mission assignments and settling discourse within our ranks.”

Let’s get this over with. He thinks. 

He follows Columbina out of the banquet hall.

“Welcome to Zapolyarny Hall, Balladeer,” Belial turns to the deep, cold voice of The Jester. “This is the revered hall of Her Majesty, the Tsaritsa, and her Harbingers, where no other is permitted to enter.”

In the hall sits a dark, glassy table that almost looks like it was fashioned from ice and preserved. Belial watches as the Harbingers gather around the long table and take their seats.

There are ten seats, and every harbinger takes a seat corresponding to their ranks.

The Jester stands next to the end of the table, with the Tsaritsa moving to sit at the head.

Pierre remains standing and addresses his fellow Harbingers.

“I thank you for being here today, and I hope this gathering will be productive for the betterment of the Fatui and the world.” 

It begins slowly, with the Tsaritsa speaking briefly about the current goals and imminent problems that had to be taken care of before The Jester started discussing the internal affairs and administrative things. 

In that sense, the meeting went rather smoothly, with everyone discussing amicably, to Belial’s alarm. He almost couldn’t believe that they were capable of working together at ALL after the stint in the Banquet Hall. 

Well, Arlecchino and Dottore still obviously had it out for each other during the meeting, but it was low-key. 

Even Belial had to admit, that the passive-aggressive behaviors from both of them were hilarious. It took a lot of his own willpower to not laugh straight out in their faces.

Free entertainment is free entertainment. 

But then came the talks about missions and progress on them. 

Being new to all this, Belial lets the other Harbingers bicker over the missions and a few not-so-subtly try and wiggle out of them. It’s not like he’s in a hurry to volunteer his time again after the whole debacle in the abyss. Which took ten years. 

No, it’s better for him to stay out of this for now. These Banquets and subsequent meetings are not a one-time thing. He’ll have some other time to speak up and give his own input. 

Eyes wandering over the table, Belial’s gaze catches on the Tsaritsa’s expression. 

The Tsaritsa doesn’t seem to be bothered by the underlying chaos between her Harbingers' relationships, but rather looks fond . 

What is up with these guys?? Belial tears his eyes away and leans back in his seat. 

Forget everything. He’ll deal with it later. 

The conversations between his colleagues eventually conclude after about an hour of jabbering, and Belial was ready to eat his hat if the meeting had dragged on any longer. There’s only so much drama he could process in a single sitting, and this was pushing it.

Belial, along with the other Harbingers, files out of the room in silence. After walking down the hall for a few minutes, and when he was sure he was out of earshot from any living being, he finally lets out his groan.

“That was so stupid,” he says to no one in particular.  

“Side Quest: Epoch of Winter, complete! Rewards, +100 SP, +10,000 Mora, +20 Reputation Points!.”

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

The migraine Belial wakes up with the next morning worsens his mood, but thankfully his pain tolerance reduces it to just an annoying pressure in the back of his head.

Belial had once thought there was a limit on how many braincells he could lose in one sitting, but fuckin hell, the Harbinger meetings take the cake. 

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Time passes along with the same mundane routine, repeating day after day.

Year after year.

Nothing of note happens besides the banquets.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

At one point, there had been a skirmish with a neighboring nation, and one of the current harbingers that Belial hadn’t recognized from the game dies in battle. The Harbinger with the title of Il Capitano.

It wasn’t particularly surprising, since Belial did expect him to be gone at some point.

The tenth seat of the Harbingers remained vacant for the following years. No worthy successor to the seat was nominated at the time. 

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

The Coveter grows older, but still aging much slower than a normal human being.

Belial doesn’t know why that is the case, perhaps it is a result of being a vision holder? The allogenes do tend to live longer than those who are not.

Or maybe it’s something from Dottore. With his experiments, something like longevity isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

The fatui soldiers come and go. They first enter their ranks as fresh-faced recruits, become stronger, climb the ranks, and then retire.

But some enter young and die young. 

Such was the way of the Fatui.

Belial never liked that part of the organization.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Years pass, and decades flash by again. 

Time flies by so quickly.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

One-hundred and forty years. 

One-hundred and forty years. 

That’s how long time passed without many incidents, much to Belial’s relief. However, the following Harbinger Banquets that he attended over the 140 years are not much better than the first one he ever attended. 

Still, (surprisingly) the meetings grow on him. The drama that happened during these meetings was rather entertaining in the cold castle. 

It's chilling how fast time passes when Belial has a set routine.

(If he’s being honest with himself, it scares him.) 

If it wasn’t obvious before, Belial’s sense of time is fucked . It feels like years pass in the blink of an eye.

He’s mostly been on standby, and occasionally helping other Harbingers with their tasks as needed, and hasn’t been sent on an active mission yet. Not that he’s really complaining. 

These banquets happen almost yearly, with some exceptions. 

A successor to the Il Capitano title takes up the mantle of the tenth seat. A sharp, powerful woman with long, navy-blue hair who is obviously not The Captain that Belial was familiar with. The lavish feast to welcome the new Il Capitano was extravagant, but no less different than Belial’s own.

She is gifted with the codename Maestro. 

He isn’t particularly surprised the seat was once again filled after several years of vacancy. It wasn’t as if the ranks of the Fatui held no talent, after all.

However, this Harbinger would inevitably become a part of history before the next hundred years is over. The Maestro, whose real name is Valeriya, is an allogene as well, but at some point, she’ll have to be gone for the Captain to receive the title.

In this particular banquet, the one to welcome the new Il Capitano, the event of note was the heated debate between Arlecchino, and Valeriya. Belial mostly tuned out the fight, but what he got was that the two women just did not see eye to eye on some topics. He couldn’t be bothered to figure out what. 

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Throughout the years, Belial became less wary of the Coveter, who hadn’t done anything especially eye-catching, but he was as averse to speaking to Dottore as ever, outside the usual times he meets with the Doctor for…experiments or whatnot. He despises the days he has to go into Dottore’s wretched lab. 

Still, the system had said that it would benefit him in the long run, so Belial deals with it.

The Coveter eventually retires because he’s served for long enough, being rather old now. With the old Coveter finally stepping down, a new Harbinger was instated into their ranks. Another man, who was given the code name Avarice . 

Every other Harbinger besides Il Capitano and Pantalone remained unchanged, untouched by the passage of time.

(Not fully human)

It’s the second time since Belial’s statement a new Harbinger has been nominated, and as they did with Belial and Valeriya, a Banquet was called to welcome the newest addition to their ranks. 

The banquet itself is the same old, same old. Nothing special. The Avarice takes up the title Pantalone like his predecessor, the Covetor, had. Avarice is an older man in his thirties who had apparently made a great name for himself working under the Coveter. 

Platinum blonde hair, nondescript features, and rather average in height. Still, Belial met him only a few times in passing and already loathed the man’s attitude. The man had worked closely with the other Harbingers and seemed to be at ease with them, and becoming a Harbinger must have bolstered his ego. Probably one of the worst combinations one could have.

Although, like his predecessor, he also wields a natural vision; one for Electro. So just like the Coveter, Belial guesses that he’ll live as long as the other man had. 

So Belial and his fellow Harbingers would have to deal with this man for the foreseeable future. Which is unpleasant to think about. 

It’s a wonder how Belial had kept his sanity over the century when the only highlight each year was the Harbinger Banquets. 

Well, calling it a highlight might be pushing it. 

Belial’s had enough of socializing for a fucking lifetime . 

Part VI. Belial Life Lesson #2: If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is.

It was at one of the many meetings that occurred after their yearly banquets that Belial got another long-term mission after the expedition into the abyss. Before this, the most he had done was backing someone up whenever necessary, or he was on standby in Snezhnaya. Not that he was particularly bothered by staying in the county. 

In this banquet, the Tsaritsa, as usual, has chosen to sit back in a chair elevated on a level, overseeing the ‘discussion’ and choosing not to interfere. The Tsaritsa is not always in attendance, but when she is…

Something Belial has come to realize is that whenever the Tsaritsa was present, the harbingers were not outright aggressive. They conveyed their displeasure through bouts of passive aggressiveness.

Even after all the years he’d known them, Belial still couldn’t believe that this group of idiots are at the top of the Fatui operations. Although they do keep it together when actually important matters come up. 

“Dearest Sandrone, are you sure you wouldn’t like to take on a mission? I reckon some fresh air would do well for you, considering all the time you spend in your lab.” Avarice comments. 

There it is, the disrespect . 

“I am perfectly fine, thank you. I believe this mission perfectly fits someone of your caliber, one even you can complete comfortably.” Sandrone clips back. “I wouldn’t want to take such a job from you.”

“No need for modesty, I was just concerned for your well-being.” The smile on Avarice’s face looks anything but friendly, the tufts of platinum hair falling over an eye as he tilts his head. “Constantly encountering failures and obstacles in research tends to take a toll on a person.” 

“I assure you, research just lasts for long periods of time. I am not deterred in the slightest.” the seventh harbinger sounds like she’s nearly growling when she answers. 

Avarice sighs, giving in. “Well, I do suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have an easy mission once in a while. Then if you insist, I’ll suppose I will take the mission in Fontaine.” 

Belial has to stifle a snort at their exchanges as he leans back in his chair. As much as he doesn’t like being here, the drama is hilarious. An absolute comedy show, and he’s all here for it. 

This goes on for a few more mission statements, as the responsibility for each is thrown around the table, everyone seemingly trying to avoid having to work. 

Unfortunately, the passive in passive-aggressive is slowly fading away as the meeting drags on even longer.

“I simply do not see the need for such a mission, when there are countless other ones that demand our attention moreso.” Pulcinella, the short, elvish-looking harbinger remarks. “I would say the risk of this is much higher than the rewards that we would reap.” 

“This is a perfect time to plant the roots of distrust in Inazuma.” La Signora says, haughtily. “When else would we get such an opportunity?” 

“The proposed mission does not involve distrust. I doubt the construction of a new facility will garner the ire of the people.” Pulcinella retorts.

“Why, I believe that the act itself may enrage the residents who live in Yashiori. It’s being built on their lands, after all.” The Fair Lady says. 

“You may have forgotten the blueprints are mostly underlined underground. Actually, I wouldn’t mind re-explaining the whole plan again for you, since it seems that you might need to hear it again.”

The new Capitano, Valeriya , kicks a foot up onto the table, a wide, sharp grin on her face. “Hah! Why not just throw whatever military might we have at the problem?? That always seems to work fine.” She snarks.

“For the last time, Valeriya, we will not be allowing you to destroy the country prematurely!” 

Ding .

Belial almost spits out the tea he’d been drinking.

<New> Side Quest: Seeds of Fate
》A mission in Inazuma has been proposed by the First Harbinger, Pierro. A secret base is to be built on Yashiori Island. Go to Inazuma and oversee the construction of the facility. Then, Sow the Seeds of Fate in Inazuma.

What the — 

“An optional quest has appeared! In accordance with the laws of Teyvat, this quest will not have a direct impact on the [Main Quests] and therefore may be canceled if the User so desires.” the System says. 

Belial balks. I don’t remember you ever letting me refuse a quest!? What makes this different?

“Whether or not the User decides to undertake this mission, the tasks associated with it will be completed regardless. However, the System does recommend you complete this quest. The rewards upon completion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you should not miss! It will have many benefits for future quests. System rewards include an increase in SP points by 1000! However, once the quest is accepted, you are required to complete the quest, and cannot cancel navigation without punishment.” 

He ponders this for a bit, weighing the pros and cons. Unfortunately, his curiosity wins him over. Belial sighs exasperatedly, groaning to himself, and pointedly looks up at the Harbingers, arms crossed, “I’ll do it,” he calls out.

The debate between La Signora, Il Capitano, and Pulcinella comes to a stop. 

“Oh? What did our Balladeer just say?” Belial pointedly ignores La Signora’s drawling voice. The sharp laughter doesn’t do anything for his rising nerves. He could absolutely just reject this quest and be on his merry way. Yet he isn’t.

Valeriya screws her face up, “What? This must be some boring-ass mission. Why?” she asks.

Still, it feels right. 

“Screw off. I have my own reasons,” Belial snaps. He turns to the First Harbinger.

“I’ll go to Inazuma,” he repeats. 

Belial manages to make eye contact with the Jester, and he doesn’t look away no matter how uncomfortable he feels. Luckily, the pause afterward is cut short as the Jester slightly nods in acknowledgment. 

A folder is handed to him by an agent — probably a secretary — which contains a short summary of the commerce logistics and the inspection he is to perform. 

“As long as you fulfill the mission, I will permit any method you deem fit.” Pierro stands up. “I request that you do so discreetly, to avoid any obvious connection to the Fatui while you are there. You may begin the mission wherever you’d like, as long as it is within the year.” 

Belial tips forward in a slight bow, hand going up to his chest. “Understood.”

But, a year??? How generous of him.

An ever-familiar ding sounds in his head. 

“Side Quest: Seeds of Fate [1], Land of Lighting! Prepare for the long journey and enter Inazuma undetected! User has been given a time limit of one year before the mission is automatically terminated,” 

Sometimes, Belial forgets that to most Harbingers, time is near infinite. The number of Harbingers who are human was close to none. Sometimes he wonders if being near-immortal is a requirement for becoming a Harbinger.

The Tsaritsa rises from her seat, and the rest of the Harbingers follow. Elegance rolls off her as naturally as it always does, as she addresses all of the harbingers. 

“My dear Harbingers, my Ten Performers, I thank you for your attendance to this Banquet, and I wish you all a fruitful, successful endeavor until our next meeting.” 

The ten present Harbingers all bow to the Tsaritsa, perfectly poised and each with a hand resting on their chests, a variation of their salute, and the practiced words slip from his mouth, from all the other times he has greeted the Tsaritsa.

“Glory to the New Era.”

…holy crap they sound like a fucking cult.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Belial would like to say that for once in his two lives, he did not procrastinate his task.

(Although it still took him a while to leave Snezhnaya for the mission…. No, System, he does not want to talk about it)

A deep-rooted sense of unease rises at the sight of Inazuma. It had been steadily growing on the trip there, as they got closer and closer anyway. The ship directly docks at Yashiori Island instead of Ritou, which he supposes makes sense. A Harbinger’s status is rather important, after all. Wouldn’t help much if they know Belial's here, with the whole diplomacy thing they'll have to play by. 

As soon as Belial steps off of the ship, he takes in the nation’s scenery. The electro power that flows through the ground, and the predominantly purple hue of the nation. 

It’s been so long since he’d last seen Inazuma. (Though it’s more like OG Scaramouche hadn’t seen Inazuma in a long time). Belial doesn’t feel the usual awe he would have had when he was still Bell. Instead, he feels a cacophony of nostalgia accompanied by a gurgle of resentment that only lingers in the back of his mind, a remnant of OG Scaramouche’s memories. Or his memories now, he supposes. 

A fatui soldier he doesn’t know the name of disembarks the ship and walks up to Belial, taking a knee a step behind the Harbinger.

“Lord Sixth. The agents already stationed at this island base are standing by, awaiting your arrival,” he reports.

He nods. “Alright. Let’s go.” 

“Side Quest: Seeds of Fate [2], Experienced Management! Assess the situation and give directives to the workers regarding the base building..” The System says.

The golden sparkles to guide him appear on the ground and blink once before he starts to follow it, the other two fatui soldiers trailing behind him discussing other matters quietly.

Eventually, they reach a cliffside, around the back of the island. It hadn’t taken as long as he’d thought it would. But —

Belial scowls, staring at the entrance of the Fatui’s ‘new base’. He feels stupid for not realizing this sooner.

“System, this is the delusion factory, isn’t it?” Belial asks rhetorically, muttering under his breath. ”Fuck. Is it too late to back out now?”

“The User is allowed to cancel the current quest, however, a penalty of 100 SP points will be deducted for the breach in the plausibility.” The System informs. “You currently have 257 SP points.”

“You’ve got to be screwing with me.” Belial drags his hand down his face.

The following long-suffering groan he lets out startles the recruits that were just out of earshot behind him. 

“...should we say something?” one of them whispers. 

“Idiot! It’s at times like this you should especially take care not to speak!” another shout-whispers back.

Belial snorts to himself in mild amusement as he puts a hand forward, grasping and moving aside the clump of elemental energy surrounding the entrance, concealing the gaping hole in the mountain. He supposes there is a Dendro vision wielder on the team, somewhere. It’s a well-hidden entrance, that’s for sure. 

He takes a step inside.

The lackluster interior, or the dirt and rock walls, is unsurprising, but the amount of people present is.

The sounds of metal hammering and the sound of cutting wood are all he hears as the construction moves on. 

“Shall I go ahead and—” one of the accompanying agents starts. 

Belial raises a hand, and the agent immediately falls silent. 

“I don’t think I’ll interrupt the perfectly good system you seem to have here,” Belial remarks. “I’m just here to make sure nothing goes absolutely south. As long as that’s true, I won’t interfere with your work.” With that said, he slinks over to the wooden podium nearby that seems to be the temporary command tower. 

The agent who seems to be in charge hurriedly sketches out a salute the moment he notices Belial. He doesn’t look terribly nervous and seems to be level-headed and calm. By the onslaught of reputation points that come flooding in right afterward, it seems that Belial made the right call.

“Good Morning, Sir Harbinger! I am the commanding officer of this project!” His voice was just short of being a shout. “My name is Rolan Romanov, first lieutenant from the second division!” 

Belial considers the older man, who seems to be an agent well into his thirties. 

Dirty blonde, swept-back hair, and a sturdy, nondescript face. He’s the only one without a mask among the agents working, besides the lower ranks who weren’t wearing a uniform. Belial notes the man’s grayish-blue eyes, and the weariness within them that comes from years of battle. 

“I get the feeling I don’t need to interfere with the management here. I’ll trust you to handle it?” Belial says. “If you do have something come up that is outside your range of expertise, tell me.”

The man bows slightly. “Yes, sir. I will keep that in mind.”

Belial reaches into his subspace and takes out a folder. He hands it over for Rolan to flip through. “Here. These are some revised plans for workers, the building structure, and the budgeting.” 

The agent flips through the papers, quickly scanning over and taking in the information. He closes the folder and dips his head again. “Thank you sir harbinger, for these documents. If there is anything that is out of my jurisdiction, I will inform you immediately. I’ll thoroughly read through the information later when I don’t have any distractions.”

Belial nods nonchalantly. “You do that. Meanwhile, I think I’ll wander for a bit.” 

One of the accompanying agents snaps their head up at that. “Pardon?”

Belial looks over at them strangely. Is it that weird he wanted to take a look around? “I said I’ll be walking around. I don’t need any of you following me by the way.” 

“Status update! +2 R Points from Character Rolan!”

Ah.

The agent looks like someone had just crushed his dreams or something. “I — as you wish, sir.” 

Belial gives him another side glance before he’s off. 

Well, I feel up to exploring Inazuma right after this. Now, is there anything I want to know that’ll keep me from that before I head out?

“Side Quest: Seeds of Fate [2], has been completed! Rewards, +20 SP, +5000 Mora. The next part of the quest will be automatically unlocked or triggered within the next two weeks!”

Huh. Then is there nothing else I have to do in this base?

“There is currently nothing urgent that requires your attention. This System wishes you well!” 

“...would you be offended if I say I don’t believe you?”

The system’s grumbling aside, Belial leaves the workers to their own devices as he heads toward Narukami Island.

To keep a lower profile, he dons a local outfit — a black kimono and a pair of hakama shorts with simple black sandals he had stored in his inventory. His usual hat is also swapped with a sandogasa hat, with red ropes decorating the rim. 

Hopefully, the outfit helps him blend in when he steps onto the shores of Narukami, right outside Inazuma City. 

A strange clash of emotions churns in his guts at the sight. Unsurprisingly, the layout of the land is different from what he remembers, both from his memories as Scaramouche and from the game Bell knew. After all, it's almost been two centuries since he was last here, and it’s still a century before the game’s story starts. 

(The passage of time is as daunting as ever.)

Belial lets himself walk and absorb the views of people walking leisurely out and about, eyes flitting over the stores that line the main road. Merchants selling their wares, the food stalls offering their local specialties, and restaurants attracting all sorts of customers to their stores. 

He takes his time to admire the wares and greet the locals. Belial doesn’t need to buy anything in particular, but interacting with the people is … nice. 

Belial glances into the distance, and the largest Sakura blossom tree encaptures his full attention. 

The Sacred Sakura. 

If his memory serves right, which he is very sure it does, that is where the Guji Yae Miko resides. 

The closest friend of the Electro Archon.

(His -)

And in probably one of the stupidest decisions he’s ever made, Belial starts heading towards the Grand Narukami Shrine, with no goal in mind. 

Maybe he’ll end up regretting this, maybe he won’t. Who knows?

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

Yeah, okay. This is not going like he thought it would.

Perhaps his outfit does blend in with the locals, but his appearance on the other hand, especially in the shrine that worships the Electro Archon, … not so much.

In the future, he should probably take into account his resemblance to their Archon when trying to remain inconspicuous.

To their credit, the shrine maidens only stared at him for a little longer than he was comfortable. He guesses that they somewhat recognize his face, but couldn’t put where they recognize it from. Which, fair, whose first thought would be their Archon ?

It made him uncomfortable for only a little while when he was making his way up to the shrine. Up until he reached the top of the mountain, where the sight of the Sacred Sakura hoarded all his attention. 

The soft, pink petals floated aimlessly from the tree, the sun languidly reflecting the hues of the blossoms, and the distinctly purple saturation of purple —

— and an inexplicable surge of nostalgia washes over his whole being, and he staggers a little as his hands fly to his eyes, where tears are beginning to form. The feeling claws at his chest, as if scratching the hollowed area where his heart was not. 

He shudders and makes his best attempt at pulling himself back together. 

Belial’s broken out of the dizzying spiral of emotions by a hand on his shoulder. His eyes find a pair of soft green eyes of a shrine maiden filled with concern. The second his eyes met hers, Belial could see the emotion shift to confusion and surprise. Though, the shrine maiden doesn’t comment on her curiosity. 

“Are you alright?” She asks softly. “You looked a bit off earlier.”

The words get stuck in his throat as he stares at the shrine maiden in front of him, and the silence stretches for a moment too long. 

Hesitantly, she speaks again. “My name is Kano Yuna. Is there anything I can help you with today?”

Belial flounders, “I- uh, I came by for a fortune slip?” 

He did not mean for that to come out like a question. But, that was a pretty normal reason to visit a shrine, right?

The girl, Yuna, seems to lighten up at this, hand gesturing towards a stall on the right side of the shrine’s clearing. “Oh, of course! To get your fortune told, just go to Maki over there with the bamboo cylinders! She’ll help you sort that all out. May the Electro Archon bless you with the greatest fortune!”

That same strange feeling wells up again, and a spark of electro inadvertently jumps from his body. 

Both he and the shrine maiden startle at this, and both stare at the hand from which it originated. Hurriedly, Belial backs away and pats his sleeves down. “Ah, uh, thank you for your help, Ms.Kano — I’ll, uh, just go over there now.” 

“Oh, alright. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask any shrine maiden here!” Yuna raves, presumably to attend to her other duties, leaving Belial alone. 

He turns around and curses at himself internally for his awkward conduct thus far. This is far from what he’s usually like.

What is wrong with me today? It feels like he’s trying to walk steadily with two left feet. Very off-putting. 

Belial walks up to the stand. Maki, the girl managing the fortune stand greets Belial with a gentle smile. 

“Hello, sir. Would you like to have your fortune interpreted today?” She greets.

Belial tells her so, and Maki spends the next few minutes explaining how the whole process works. Shaking the box and retrieving a bamboo stick, Belial hands over the stick in exchange for a Fortune Slip. 

Belial’s eyes immediately zeroed on the bolded words on top of the slip.

Misfortune

Be careful. You may be about to lose something that you treasure.
Remember to rest if you're feeling unwell.
Think twice before you make a decision.

Your lucky object for the day: Frosty Mist Flower
The Mist Flower gives off a coldness that says: I am unapproachable.
But sometimes, that same cool air can calm one's heart and mind.
This may help you to judge situations correctly, and act wisely.

Somehow, this does not surprise him. It doesn’t stop him from feeling bitter about it, though. Scowling, he barely resists shredding the fortune slip right then and there. 

The shrine maiden looks sheepish. “Ah, it seems you did not have the greatest fortune following your spirit today. Feel free to tie that up at the wall over there. Leave the bad luck behind you, you know?” 

“Yeah. I probably should.” Belial says. And he does just that. 

With a quick bow of thanks, and a wave to Kano Yuna as he spots her on his way out, Belial gets the fuck out of there. He even uses bursts of the delusion’s anemo as a boost to fly small distances.

He ends up landing in a tree somewhere in Chinju forest just as the sun touches the horizon. In his haste, he nearly squashes a fox lounging on the branches. 

This is the last time he’ll ever do something on impulse.

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

The second time Belial leaves Yashiori Island a week later, he spends his time at the docks in Ritou. The international trade hub is lively and full of merchants from all corners of Teyvat, all throwing their money into this market in Inazuma.

The locals and merchants are loud and rambunctious, but genuine and lively all the same. There is always an underlying slyness with these kinds of groups, but that’s only natural in their profession. These merchants have to protect their livelihood somehow. 

Belial aimlessly wandered among the merchant stalls until he ended up at the port itself. Ships that ranged from large and majestic, to ones smaller in shape but functional nonetheless, lined the ports, towering over all the people working around the area. 

If Belial hadn’t known that this was Inazuma, he might have been able to enjoy his time in the city a little bit more. However, because he does know, he could not walk around without being reminded of every little memory from a time long passed. 

In the end, Belial finds himself sitting at the end of a port’s edge, staring out into the sea. His hat is left at his side as Belial basks in the sea breeze flowing through his hair and the sunset’s rays warm his face. 

Belial does not notice the glances that he gets from some of the people passing by.

He sits there, lost in thought, until the stars shine, hung brightly upon the skies. 

͙*̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩̥͙ ✩ *̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥*̩̩͙‧͙

On the third venture outside the future delusion factory, Belial finally gets past his unease and ends up exploring the upper parts of Inazuma City. 

The people he comes across all smile and greet him warmly, with workers chattering as they’re busy with their jobs. Faintly, Belial recalls being among them a long time ago, doing the same, earning a modest wage. 

(A stab of pain reminds him of — no, he’s not thinking about that.)

Waving goodbye to a mother and daughter who ran a small candy stall, he continued down the path, finally climbing up the stairs to the upper level of the city.

An emotion suspiciously like nostalgia creeps up as he spots a blacksmith among the lines of shops. It seems the owner and another man are already there chatting, and they seem rather animated and engrossed in their conversation. Belial spots a row of swords lined up for sale, and he suddenly has an urge to see them up close. Something nags at him in the back of his mind, telling him that whatever he’s about to do is probably not a good idea. 

Against his better judgment, (which he realizes that he’s been doing much more lately) he approaches the shop and doesn’t acknowledge the two people still talking, hoping they overlook his presence. His eyes latch on to the curvature of the Hamon line, the shape of the blade, the bend and connections on the blade’s handguard, and the pattern on the hilt. A style of sword that must be unique somehow. Belial is drawn in by the blade’s shine; his hand unconsciously drifts over blade work that seems so familiar —

“Hello there, I haven’t seen you around before.” A voice says. “New around here?” 

Belial’s head whips around in surprise, snapped out of his stupor. The ashen-blond haired owner was in front of him, amusement on his face. 

He doesn’t know what expression his face is making, but whatever it is makes both men laugh. 

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” The brown-haired man says, “It’s just been a while since either of us had seen someone so fascinated by blades.” His laugh is hearty. “I would surely have remembered someone like that.”

The owner, arms crossed, nods in agreement. “I swear, the only people around these days buying swords are children of rich families who only want a blade from famous schools for decoration.” he scoffs. “The Igawa Arts, or any bladesmithing schools actually, should not be taken so lightly.”

“Igawa?” Belial asks, glancing over at the sign set up next to the table that does indeed say Igawa Arts . That same nagging feeling from earlier grows with each second that passes, and whatever it is, his instincts are telling him that something bad is nearby. 

The owner laughs good-naturedly. “Yeah, the Igawa Arts. I’m the current head. Name’s Ryouma. Igawa Ryouma.” 

Belial reaches up to tilt his hat and gives a shallow bow of greeting. He probably shouldn’t introduce himself as ‘Scaramouche’ since it could be connected to the Fatui, and technically he’s not supposed to be here in the first place. (His true name still feels too personal to share.) And, without much thought, he gives a different name to the men in front of him. 

…unexpectedly, one does come to mind.

“Call me Fujin,” he says, which comes out a little more subdued than he would’ve liked.

The owner looks at him in surprise. “Fujin, eh? Well, there’s a name you don’t hear often!” 

Crawling into a hole and staying there suddenly seems like an amazing idea. 

It must’ve shown on his face because the owner – Ryouma – grins widely. “I betcha get a lotta comments about that already, don’t you?”

There was an electric crackle in the back of his head that sounded suspiciously like — wait, is the System laughing???

“I – ugh. Yeah, I suppose,” Belial grumbles, hand on his hat. “So? Who’s your friend?”

The taller brown-haired man chuckles with mirth. “I’m just a fellow bladesmith. I dropped by to chat with Igawa here.”

The owner laughs boisterously, hand raised to the brown-haired man’s chest as if knocking. “Don’t be so modest — my school doesn’t hold a candle to his,” he says. “This guy here’s the head of Isshin Arts, one of the five best bladesmithing schools in Inazuma.”

Belial almost stumbles over nothing. There was no way he wouldn't know what the Isshin Arts are.

Belial finally gives the brown-haired man a closer once-over and sees the resemblance and familiarity in his facial features. An image from the past overlaps — and his hair —

Ding

“Side Quest: Seeds of Fate [3], Hands of Vengeance. Witness the fall of the Raiden Gokaden.”