Chapter Text
“So it should pick up right after the events of volume 10, as they managed to revive Vera and Sachi is waiting for Vera’s answer. However then an uncharacteristically ominous grin appears on Vera’s face as she says:”
An enthusiastic voice fills the small study that also acts as a bedroom.
“Heh, what a touching scene. But I’m sorry to disappoint…”
The previously lively voice now turns more sly as the performer tries to voice act the other character. Then suddenly, the ‘actor’ moves to the side and acts as yet another character:
“Wait Sachi, get back! Something's wrong. That’s not Vera.”
Then she moves back.
“What?! But-!”
She moves again and keeps changing her voice each time.
“Then Ike would be like: Who are you?! What did you do to Vera’s soul?”
She moves back to her original position and continues in the sly voice:
“Oh? But Vera’s in here too. But still, I must thank you, oh great galactic sage Ike. The virus trapped in the ancient sword of the old ones was rejected by every organism it came into contact with. Even little Vera’s body couldn’t take it. But thanks to your intervention this body became perfectly compatible with the virus. With us…”
“N-no. That can’t be…”
“Vera, you have to fight it! Come back to us!”
“Hahaha. You misunderstand. Vera is the one who let me take control. As what is the meaning of youth when there is an infinite universe to explore? What could one little girl hope to experience in such a short lifetime? So we made a deal. Vera gets to experience a never ending childhood and I well… get to do whatever I want.”
Then the voice describes and acts out a long adventure full of excitement, twists and emotions. As a new galactic empire gets established by the corrupted Vera and the others try to set things right. Then as the story comes near to the end, the voice says:
“I’m sorry everyone. I-I just didn’t want anything to change.”
“It’s okay Vera. Our childhood may be gone, but we can still experience our youth together. And that includes you too Ike.”
“I guess you’re right Sachi. This body no longer has my immortality so I would be up for it. How about you Vera?”
“I… I would like that very much! - Vera says with tears in her eyes… And that's the end! What do you think, Mona?”
“Hm.”
A new, much less enthusiastic voice gives a short reply, which doesn’t seem to satisfy the storyteller.
“Lady Megistus?”
“Hmm.”
“Hey Mona! Are you even listening?!”
Fischl gets even more annoyed by Mona’s lack of attention and snaps at her, making Mona stop what she was doing and finally look up at Fischl.
“Hm? What? Oh yes. Ehm, it was a nice story.”
“Right?!”
The Prinzessin’s voice immediately turns excited again and she continues:
“Ah, I can’t wait for volume 11 to come out already! I mean I know I only need to wait one more day, but even that’s too much. And I really hope it will turn out just as great as I described it. Or maybe even better? Oh! They could even bring back Saint King Lebannin! Ugh, I can’t wait…”
“Hm.”
It seems like during Fischl’s gushing about the new volume of her favorite book, Mona quietly went back to her work. However it seems like Fischl’s attention quickly turned back towards the astrologist, as Mona feels an expectant gaze fall on her:
“Oh great Astrologist Mona Megistus, Court Archmage of the Immernachtreich. Might the Prinzessin der Verurteilung humbly ask for your aid in quenching the trepidations caused by the encroaching uncertainty of future events?”
“...What would you want me to do?”
Mona gets very cautious as Fischl suddenly reverting to her usual speech pattern rarely means anything good.
“Peer through the veil of time to reveal the events that ought to happen tomorrow and-”
“No.”
The Astrologist gets quickly proven right and she refuses even before Fischl could finish her sentence.
“Monaa, come on! I just want to know if I’ll be satisfied or disappointed tomorrow so I can prepare for the outcome! If it’s about the price I still have some of my bonus from-”
“It’s not about money. I never ask for Mora when I do divinations. It’s just not a good idea to look into your future for every small thing. It rarely works out well.”
“It’s not a small thing! Vera’s Melancholy hadn’t had a new volume come out in years. I’ve been waiting for so long for the 11th volume. If it turns out to be bad and my heart is not prepared for it then I’ll become depressed!”
“...”
“Please Mona!”
“Please! Please please please!”
“Okay fine! I’ll do it!”
Mona finally gives in and takes out her astrolobe and she sighs then mumbles something to herself:
“Hah…Seriously, getting so worked up about silly stories like these…”
But then her expression turns more serious as she begins her divination. Fischl is eagerly awaiting the result. Mona’s expression changes a few times and after a number of seconds she dismisses her astrolabe.
“So? What did you see?”
Fischl asks with expectant eyes.
“...I’ll ask again. Are you sure you want to hear about the future, no matter the outcome?”
“Yes! I can handle anything!”
“...Okay, it’s a bit difficult to determine the objective future value of a book, so I focused on the feelings you will experience tomorrow. This is what I saw.”
Mona takes a deep breath and then continues:
“Your entire opinion will drastically change on something you hold dear, seeing it in a completely new light. As for whether it’s a positive or a negative change, I’m not sure.”
Thump.
Mona hears something fall to the ground and gets startled. She looks over to see Fischl on her knees.
“Huh? What- Are you-...?”
“Ugh… To think that the enemies of the Immernachtreich would mount an attack in a moment of weakness.”
Fischl clutches her chest as she tries to dismiss her heartbreak by acting like her ‘normal’ self.
“Hey, we don’t know that it’s going to be bad for sure yet. I told you that it might be a positive or a negative drastic change.”
“No, you don’t get it Mona. Vera’s Melancholy is already one of my favorite book series. So a drastic change in my opinion can only go downwards.”
“...”
“Ah, why did you tell me my future Mona? I can’t believe you would betray me like this. It seems it’s true what they say, betrayals always come from those who you expect the least. Ugh, my heart, my story…”
Whoa, it’s such a pain to deal with her sometimes…
The Astrologist thinks as she tries to rub her headache away.
“...I’m sorry…It’s not your fault…I know I can only blame myself. I’ll just go home…”
After a few seconds of silence it seems like Fischl came back to her senses, however her voice, which was always full of emotions can barely be recognised from its currently uncharacteristically quiet and heartbroken tone. From Mona’s point of view, Fischl seemed unusually small and contrary to the Prinzessin’s current feelings, her small, sulking posture combined with her glistening eyes from the tears that are building up, made her appearance pretty…cute?
Mona quickly shakes her head to stop her thought process. Then she sighs, but a small smile shortly appears on her face as she comes up with an idea.
“Hah, don’t worry about it.”
Mona says as she puts her hand on Fischl’s shoulder, then she continues:
“Come to the front gate of Mondstadt tomorrow afternoon and don’t read the new volume until then.”
Then Mona helps Fischl stand up, who is confused by her friend’s words.
“I…I think I should just stay home tomorrow…”
“Hey, do you trust me?”
Mona asks with a confident smile, which makes Fischl momentarily forget about her worries and she nods.
The next day slowly rolls around and the Prinzessin spends the first half of it anxiously waiting for the afternoon to arrive. She also reluctantly picks up her copy of Vera’s Melancholy volume 11 and successfully resists the temptation of reading it immediately. And soon the afternoon arrives. Fischl is standing at the meeting spot and she’s fidgeting with the book in her hands as she’s waiting for Mona.
“Ah, there you are!”
Mona quickly approaches Fischl. The air around her seems a bit different than usual. She has some light bags under her eyes, but she seems to be completely awake and her steps are very confident, like she has some grand purpose she needs to carry out. This cool and unusual aura throws Fischl off momentarily, but then she gets back into her persona.
“O-of course. The promises of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung may be considered cosmic truths that are written across the sky which will only stop illuminating the endless worlds of the cosmos once the coming of the Immernachtreich is imminent, and even then only by the Prinzessin’s hands themselves will it-”
“Yeah, yeah I get it.”
Mona interrupts Fischl and then notices the book in her hands and she asks:
“Did you read it?”
Fischl goes quiet and then shakes her head.
“Good. Come with me.”
Mona says and then takes Fischl’s hand as she starts leading her out of the city of Mondstadt.
“W-where do you think you’re pulling the Prinzessin der Verurteilung?”
Fischl gets flustered by the unexpected hand holding, however when she looks up she can only see Mona’s side profile, as the astrologist didn’t seem to hear her and she’s focused on leading them somewhere. The serious look on Mona’s face makes it hard for Fischl to speak up again so she decides to just quietly follow along.
Their walk takes much longer than the Prinzessin expected. She thought Mona would lead her somewhere nearby, but they’ve been traveling for a few hours now and the sun is already starting to set. They spent the entire journey in silence, but from their current location there’s only one place Mona can be leading her. Starsnatch cliff. After a few more minutes they arrive at the top of the cliff, just in time to see the full moon take its place in the sky.
“Mona, what are we doing h-”
“Hah, made it just in…time.”
The astrologist takes a few deep breaths, then continues:
“It’s been a while since I last walked so much.” Then she looks up at the clear night sky. “Okay, the alignment of the stars seems to be the same as what I saw in my readings, so we should be safe from any disturbances. Be it from idiot couples, monsters or unexpected weather changes. Oz, are you ready as well?”
“Naturally, Lady Megistus.”
Suddenly Oz’s voice sounds out from behind Fischl, startling her.
“Oz! What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay at home.”
“Forgive me mein Fräulein, I was just informing mein Kaiser und Kaiserin der Verurteilung that Milady will return late and that you are with out with Lady Megistus.”
“Wait, Oz are you in on what’s happening?”
“Prinzessin Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort. Are you ready?”
Mona suddenly addresses Fischl by her full name which makes the Prinzessin momentarily stunned.
“Ehm, yes?”
Then Mona takes a deep breath and a soft rumble can be heard, before suddenly raging water currents surround the three of them forming a large dome made out of the water around them.
Fischl gets surprised by this unexpected development and she reflexively reaches for her bow, but getting surrounded by water like this feels somewhat familiar and Mona seems relaxed as well so there’s probably no danger. As she thinks this and loosens her grip on her bow, the water around them calms down as well and it starts to become transparent.
However as Fischl’s eyes focus on their surroundings she finds herself inside a small abode that Fischl thinks she saw somewhere before, but she can’t quite place it.
“Where…?” Fischl reaches out with her hand and as it hits the water dome that surrounds them it makes a temporary hole in the dome. Through it, the familiar sight of Mondstad welcomes her for a few moments, before the water dome repairs the hole and the scene of the abode is whole again.
“So it’s an illusion.”
“Khm.” Mona’s cough snaps Fischl out of her amazement and she turns to look at Mona, who continues:
“I have witnessed every wonder in the universe for your sake, and this was how my childhood ended.”
“...Huh?”
Those familiar words made Fischl realize what the illusion shows. Mona is reciting the final words of Vera’s Melancholy volume 10 so the abode around them must be Ike’s residence, where the ending took place.
“I will never reach my youth without you by my side. So what do you say Vera?”
Mona poses this question to Fischl, who isn’t quite sure about what she’s supposed to do. She turns to Oz, but he just nods at her, encouraging her to answer.
“..I-”
Then Fischl realizes something.
Wait, is this supposed to be my fan fiction that I played out for Mona yesterday?
A small smile appears on Fischl’s face and then she says:
“Heh, what a touching scene. But I’m sorry to disappoint…” She uses the same sly voice she did yesterday as she role plays a possessed Vera.
“Wait Sachi, get back! Something's wrong. That’s not Vera.”
It seems like Fischl’s theory was correct as Oz joins in, reciting the lines she came up with yesterday.
“What?! But-!” Mona also continues to role play her character.
“Who are you?! What did you do to Vera’s soul?”
As Fischl’s lines come up again, she feels very warm on the inside and she looks at Oz and Mona, both of them playing out her fan fiction so seriously, makes Fischl feel really grateful and happy. But she quickly shakes out of it for now so she doesn’t hold up their performance:
“Oh? But Vera’s in here too. But still…”
The three of them keep acting out how Fischl imagined volume 11 would go and the scenery changes as they go on with the story thanks to Mona’s illusion dome, which makes every scene much more immersive and it’s evident that Mona put a lot of work into all of this.
All three ‘actors’ get into their roles pretty quickly as the story progresses. First, the possessed Vera (Fischl) decides to do whatever she wants and she creates a new galactic empire under her control. On the other side Sachi (Mona) and Ike (Oz) try to come up with a plan to get their Vera back, which eventually leads to organizing a rebellion against Vera’s new empire. During the story a lot of characters from past volumes show up and Mona takes up those roles when necessary. Eventually the rebellion is successful and they even manage to rid Vera of the ancient virus that possessed her and the story is nearing its end.
“Our childhood may be gone, but we can still experience our youth together. And that includes you too Ike.” Mona says as Sachi.
“I guess you’re right Sachi. This body no longer has my immortality so I would be up for it. How about you Vera?”
Oz answers in character. And now it’s time for Fischl to say the ending line. She takes another moment to look at Oz and then Mona, who has a smile on her face as she’s waiting for Fischl’s answer. Seeing this, the feelings Fischl put aside at the start of the performance come crashing back, with even more intensity and it's accompanied by a weird thumping in her chest that doesn’t seem to calm down.
“I… I would like that very much!” This time the emotions in her voice weren’t imitating what Vera would feel, but they were Fischl’s own feelings.
Mona closes her eyes as she concentrates and the water dome around them becomes unstable again as the flow of the water speeds up and then it breaks away, revealing Mondstad’s scenery that is being bathed in the light of the full moon.
“Heh, I guess that’s the ending- Whoa!”
Mona is about to open her eyes, when suddenly a set of arms wrap around her with a bit of momentum behind them. This unexpected action catches Mona off guard and she falls to the ground.
“Ugh, I guess trying to act and control the illusion at the same time took a bit more out of me than I thought it would haha.”
Mona looks at the girl in front of her and then freezes when she sees the tears in her eyes.
“Wha- Are you..?”
However before Mona could finish her question Fischl hugs her again and says:
“Thank you.” In a very soft, but sincere voice.
A small smile appears on Mona’s face then she pats Fischl’s back.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s nothing.”
“...”
After a few seconds a small blush appears on Mona’s face.
“Um, could you let me go?”
“Ah, yes.”
Fischl awkwardly pulls away and as she does, her hand lands on the book she brought with herself. It visibly brings down her mood, which Mona notices as well.
“...Are you ready to read the real thing?”
Fischl nods and then slowly opens the book.
An hour or two passes as Fischl reads her book. In the meantime Oz is in charge of keeping guard and Mona takes a short nap. Then with a soft thud, Fischl closes the book in front of her. Mona notices this and she looks at Fischl’s face with worry, however the Prinzessin just seems confused.
“So, how was it?”
“Pretty much everything happened how I wanted them to happen. There were some changes, but it was pretty great.”
Hearing this, Mona has a similarly confused expression.
“Huh? Are you sure…?”
“Yes, this book became one of my favorite volumes. Oh, but don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed our performance as well, I even think it was better!”
Fischl quickly ads the last part, however by that time Mona doesn’t really seem to be paying attention as she mumbles under her breath:
“It can’t be, my divinations are never wrong. Was it my astrolabe? No, I just recalibrated it last week so there shouldn’t have been any interference. Hm, then was it…”
As the astrologist keeps racking her brain to figure out what could have gone wrong, Fischl notices that that weird thumping in her chest is still around, which makes her think.
“Your entire opinion will drastically change on something you hold dear, seeing it in a completely new light.”
Fischl recalls Mona’s words from yesterday.
This weird feeling wasn’t around before so it must be the drastic change Mona talked about.
She thinks and then she looks at Mona and that weird thumping gets worse.
And it seems to be connected to Mona…? But if my opinion of Mona changed, there’s no way it could have gone down, so it must have gotten better… Although, a drastic change? I already considered her my closest friend so a drastic positive change in opinion could only be… Love?!
As she makes this realization Fischl’s face gets completely red and she covers her face with her hands.
Huuuh? What?! N-no way! I don’t… but.. if I think about everything she’s done for me today. I… feel really grateful and happy that I have her as my friend. But still! Love would mean k-...kissing and stuff…
The Prinzessin opens a small gap between her fingers and she peaks through it to look at Mona. She’s still examining her equipment, trying to find out what went wrong while she’s mumbling under her breath.
Just looking at Mona’s figure starts to quicken Fischl’s heartbeat, but as she focuses on Mona’s lips the loud thumping gets quieter as it’s drowned out by a certain intense desire to-
Stop! Stop! I wasn’t thinking anything!
Fischl quickly forces her head to turn away and she tries to silence all her thoughts. She takes a few deep breaths. Then she takes a few more and then she manages to calm down enough. She looks up at the clear night sky and she tries to organize her thoughts but eventually she has to face the simple truth.
“I really like her, huh?”