Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The whole place was in a strangely good condition. The walls of the house seemed to be falling apart even with the lacks of graffiti or animal traces, as well as the floor above, due to the amount of rocks and branches that fell down the mountainside to the roof. However, the furniture was still here, dusty and being meeting points for different plants that once crept in through the windows, taking on a mystical and even post-apocalyptic vibe worthy of a movie.

I've been walking through this mountain ever since moving here but I didn't have the chance to find this abandoned house, I had never seen it before which I found a bit shocking, I could swear I had passed by that place thousands of times and I had never seen it. But I wasn't about to pass up such an opportunity.

It wasn't the first time I had entered an abandoned place, I liked history so discovering it through places left in the past brought me a calm hard to match. And finding a place like that, unvandalized and practically virgin, was like finding gold in a river. Complicated, but I felt like a pioneer.

My hand was glued to my phone at all times, getting pictures and videos as my eyes wandered around the room, until they came across a closed door that demanded my attention. My footsteps were heavy, yet careful, as I approached to open the door, the flash of my phone accompanying me throughout.

Upon opening the door I was met with stairs down into the abyss that was the basement. Thanks to the slope of the ground the basement could possess a few small windows that let in filtered light from the forest. I carefully descended to the lower floor to find a study, where the table was stuck to the wall, with a parchment and inkwell left behind. As I approached I tried to break down what it had written, but it was nothing like what I had seen before. However, what caught my eye was in the corner of the room.
“A tablet?”

Indeed, it was a large piece of stone resting in a glass case, inside it glowed something of a mint green color and strange symbols carved into it. A tablet with different details that looked heavy and ancient. So why was it glowing, was it possible that it had some chemical on it that was still working? The house looked old, so the concept of LED lights didn't even cross my mind.

I had to take a couple of pictures of it first, I wasn't going to let that be restricted to just my memory. But then I put the cell phone away and moved my hands closer to the beautiful tablet. It was as if it was calling out to me, begging for someone to touch it and hold it to decipher all its desires, it was calling out to me. “Why would anyone leave something like that?”

As if the tablet itself could answer me, it began to shake, making my body jump in defense and adrenaline rush through my blood, a shock so big it made me drop the tablet to the ground. My reaction was instant, I barely had time to pick it up again before it fell to the ground, miraculously intact.

But the vibrations turned into tremors that swept through the room like an earthquake. The dry ink cup on the table fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. I could hear myself screaming above the noise of the furniture moving and the floor breaking, because indeed, the floor around the tablet was breaking at the same time as a vortex came out of it.

My body became completely rigid, I could not look away from what was happening in front of me, trying to explain the vortex that the tablet had created. The wind made my hair block my vision for a moment, when I tried to grab my locks to reposition them, I distinguished a hand coming out of the flash of light followed by a whimper that set off my alarms.

Someone was coming out of the magic tablet.

“Fuck, are you okay?!” I immediately tried to move closer to help the trapped person crawl out, but as he emerged from the flash of light with my help I was able to observe in more detail what he looked like. He had black hair with green highlights, medium long but messy, on his arms stood out a tattoo of the same color, representing something like.... scales?

I barely had time to react, his slitted, bright golden eyes glared madly at me before he got on top of me at a terrifying speed. Immediately I screamed and tried to get him off of me but the stranger grabbed my wrists to pull my hands away and look me in the eyes.
My feet tried to reach for him or any other object of use “Get off!” I screamed, with his weight on me I could still move a little, but his fingers sinking into my wrists made me cry out in pain. “Plea... Please!”

In a moment and I don't know how, the boy loosened his grip and I managed to move my hands to strike his face, causing him to lean back and release me so I could escape. He raised his hand in my direction as I pulled out my pepper spray to spray him in the eyes, getting a guttural whimper befitting an animal before I pushed him away from me. He was the only thing standing in my way to the stairs back to the house, so I decided to go to the other side, to the tablet that still worked its magic even after creating a person.

I tried to run to it, but his hand quickly grabbed my ankle, causing me to fall to the ground with a serious clatter. The boy intended to get on top of me as I reached out and dragged my body to the tablet. His grip on my hair caused my head to cock to the side as I groaned from the pain.

“Take me back!” his words were agonizing as well as demanding, I could feel his weight on top of me as he pressed harder and harder against me.

My hands brushed against the tablet to pull it to me. But to my surprise, it was it who pulled me to it.

Like a slide, I was pulled into the center of the vortex, unable to scream as the wind ripped all voice from me. I tried to grab on to something, to hold on, but I was going upside down. And before I knew it, everything around me had disappeared.

Chapter Text

I felt my body fall on a soft surface, the edge of grass caressed my hands and face as I collapsed, and then I felt the wind hit me. When I opened my eyes I saw a blue sky with few clouds and a tree whose leaves were swaying noisily. At what point did we go outside?

Immediately afterwards I heard another body fall next to me, raising my alarms and making me sit up, so I saw that I was on the peak of a completely different mountain than the one I was on before.

This was... the top of a mountain, yes, very high, too. Behind me was a small pond leading to a cave. The clouds were below us so I couldn't see the bottom. However, there was a path to my right.

The person who had been carried with me lunged at me again to keep me from running away and this time he had a rock in his hand. His eyes were glowing with hatred as he tried to grab my arms so he could hit my face with it. I couldn't stop moving and screaming, doing anything to get out of there as I closed my eyes, denying the fate that awaited me.

But nothing happened, his struggles stopped after a few seconds and, when I opened my eyes, he wasn't even looking at me, but at the wide landscape of mountains.

"I'm... I'm back," he mumbled in confusion. His face changed completely.

On the other hand, someone raised his voice. “Hi'thae, pha' Alatus thres!”

It was quicker than it sounded, the boy immediately became upset and looked behind him with a frown, but he didn't have time to do anything before he disappeared in a mint green cloud. The stone he was holding fell from what was his hand to the ground, right next to my head. I didn't know what was happening, but the fact that he was gone was an immediate relief to me.

“Are you okay?” Someone asked as I raised my head to see three people approaching me from the path I was planning to flee down, two men and a woman dressed in dark clothes. Quickly I stood. "What are you doing here?" added the man on the right with a worried look on his face.

The woman looked around with some fear, all three carrying a golden paper in their hands. “Th-That was the adeptus...” she tried to confirm something, but her blonde-haired companion stopped her.

“Yes, yes it was him!”

Alarmed, I jumped up to interrupt them. “What just happened, who was that guy?” Apparently my question caught them by surprise, because they looked at each other before one answered.

"He's someone very dangerous... An adeptus. We thought he was long dead,“ he frowned, thinking something ”But more will come if we stay here. How did you get here without a Sigil of Permission?"

The three of them started walking, so I had no choice but to follow them.

“I have no idea” I admitted, running a hand over my face "I was exploring an abandoned house and.... a portal opened up and led us here. I don't even know where I am."

The pair turned to look at me at the mention of the word. "A portal? That's new."
"And Alatus is back, I don't like this at all. We need to report back as soon as possible."

I learned then that the boy who attacked me was named Alatus, I was unaware of what adeptus meant, but before I could ask the woman approached me. My eyes were fixed on our surroundings, the mountain was extremely high and the path narrow, it was complicated to descend and that made me question how these people had gotten to where we were so fast. Maybe they were already in the area?

“We are at Hulao Mountain, but don't worry, we will take you to our camp in Nantianmen.”

“I don't know a single word you said.”

"We are in... Western Liyue?"

My face must have looked like a poem, because the woman looked at me strangely. But I didn't have time to insist, because the brunette guy grabbed my shoulders to drag me under a tree with the others.

“Shh!” he whispered “Hide!”

I tried to open my mouth to demand answers as to what was going on, but he covered it in response. My hands quickly went up to his arms to pull them away from me, but the woman motioned for silence before pointing to the sky. All of our eyes lifted to see a white crane flying overhead, the blond man was clutching the golden paper tightly as if to save his life.

The crane eventually flew past us and continued its journey, but we didn't come out of our hiding place until a few minutes later.

“What was that?” I asked and the man turned to me.

“I don't know where you came from, but you'd better be alert” he protested with his arms crossed. “It was an adeptus, like the boy from earlier, Alatus,”

“A bird,” I emphasized.

"Mind your words, stranger. Consider yourself dead if they hear you."

I had never heard of adeptus or anything like it before, is it possible that I had been teleported, somehow, to an isolated area of the world? From my pocket I pulled out my cell phone, intending to be able to Google my position. But to everyone's surprise, I had no reception at all.

Slowly we made our way down the mountain without incident, the nature of the place looked a little different, perhaps it was the lack of garbage. I was used to there being cans, paper or cigarettes everywhere, but at most there were boxes and the odd piece of cloth. My mind was racing at that moment, trying to find an explanation for what was happening.

We passed into a clearing between some cliffs, and in the clearing we were greeted by the largest and most beautiful tree I had ever seen. It could easily reach 160 feet and its branches stretched out between them, the tips were bright blue, making me believe it was man-made. On the ground at our feet stood hundreds of equally beautiful flowers.

“This is wonderful,” I whisper, as I capture an image with my cell phone.

“There are geovishaps ahead, watch out.”

Before I could realize the three of them had drawn firearms, I felt at that moment that maybe I should step aside and let them take care of whatever it was. The floor began to tremble and they advanced down the valley, just in time to greet a huge dragon that roared loudly. My body jerked away in one motion as I screamed, falling to the ground as I tried to get away. It had skin made of rock, with a golden horn on its forehead and hungry eyes, its claws despite being small were sharp, like the horns on its tail.

I watched with wide eyes as it moved, trying to locate possible flaws that would confirm to me that it was a hoax and not a real animal that was attacking people.

They fought in a perfectly coordinated manner, one attacked the legs and another his horn to distract him long enough for the remaining person to finish the job and slit his neck with a sword.

“Are you all right?” I asked worriedly, not taking my eyes off the corpse.

“Yes,” the woman reloaded her weapon before putting it away. "We've had them worse, this one was just a baby. Morax's guards did this to me a few months ago," she approached me proudly to show me a scar on her neck, running from her ear to her collarbone.

"Ah, Is he the king of this country or something?"

"You don't know Morax? Or Rex Lapis? Are you perhaps from Inazuma? Just curious."

The answer was quick, I hardly knew what she was talking about.

"Yes. But it's my first time in.... Liyue," I said, going along with what they had told me earlier.

“I see.” The blond man folded his arms.

We continued walking through the area and approached a camp attached to a rock wall, where there was another man with a gun sleeping under one of the tents, the brunette man approached him and suddenly yelled at him to wake up with a jump.

“Thanks a lot for protecting the camp, asshole.” The others took a place to sit down, so I did too.

“So why are you here?” I asked.

“We've been sent to collect samples of cor lapis,” the blond pulled a shiny golden rock out of his backpack. I couldn't help but move closer to take a look at its shape and colors.

"I've never seen anything like this before. They must sell very expensively."

“Well, as long as they're quality, which is difficult.”

I listened on the other hand to the one who was asleep before and the brunette one talking to each other, they mentioned something about this Alatus and how they found me, but I had more interest in the golden papers they possessed.

“We have two sigils left,” muttered one of them.

“They look like the symbols on the tablet I found in the house” I whispered, more to myself than anything else, as I approached. But it seems I whispered too loudly.

“Tablet?”

I pursed my lips, and decided to tell the truth.

"A tablet I found in the house I was exploring, that's where that guy came from.... Alatus. He brought us here a portal.“ I looked around to see everyone with their eyes on me, making me nervous. "What's wrong?"

“We fatui imprisoned Alatus many years ago thanks to a tablet created with ancient technology,” the woman reported quizzically.

“But when we managed to do it years ago he got imprisioned,” the new man added hastily “It doesn't make sense.”

The blond frowned.

"Actually, it does. If that tablet could travel to another nation through.... something... perhaps the ley lines that were manipulated to create it," he tried to
explain.

"Hey. I didn't know about that tablet."

"Fuck... Do you have any idea what you've done!" The brunette man then pulled a dagger from his belt and the blood disappeared from my face as I backed away from him.

“It's not necessary, really,” I tried to stay calm.

“Ivan, wait.” The woman was quick to grab his arm to stop him "She didn't know anything. The Doctor had to send him to safe place to keep him away. It was Her Majesty's orders! How could someone ordinary have found him?" She turned to me. “No offense.”

“None taken.”

The man from the camp frowned and approached.

“Maybe she is not from Inazuma and lied to you.” He fixed his gaze on me, "her clothes aren't from there, or anywhere else. Se looks like she's from another world."

They all looked at me, and I could do nothing to refute his words, from another world? That couldn't be possible. But everything felt so real, from the wind in the vortex to the feel of the grass on my face. I had no way to deny it even if I wanted to. Because it was the only thing that made sense out of all of this.

I tried to open my mouth to speak, but suddenly the woman let out a small whimper and when we turned to her we saw an arrow in her body, straight through her heart. She looked at us as her chest got covered in blood. I wasn't the only one who screamed, but I was the one who backed away, I took a few steps back as the woman fell to the ground and her partner tried to help her. Ice began to expand around the arrow.

“Sasha!” he sobbed.

The blond man immediately pulled out his gun, looking around. “It's the Millelith! Get up!” he shouted as he forcibly pulled his partner “She's already dead!”

“This is because of you,” the brunette moved closer to me, I couldn't move to stop his hand on the collar of my sweatshirt. "They're coming for you, dammit.... I should have seen it!"

I could barely find words, my eyes were fixed on the woman's corpse. I had never in my life seen a body before and I couldn't stop staring into her still open eyes. She had helped me, she seemed like a good person, but now she was nothing, not even blood was coming out of her chest because ice covered her chest, frosting the woman's torso.

“W-Why?”

"You're a fucking descender. We have to take her away. Alatus knows, they can't take her, let's go!"

Chapter Text

"You're a fucking descender. We have to take her away. Alatus knows, they can't take her, let's go!"

Everything was chaos, the three started running with me after them, I had no idea where we were going so I looked back briefly to see how we were getting away from the camp, and the corpse of the woman named Sasha, I had no time to think of anything else but running away as soldiers chased us with spears, and stepped over the corpse as if it were a rock in their path.

In my head I could not stop the thought that I was not at home, not in my country and not in my world.

We approached some ruins of a bridge over a river. The others jumped to get to the structure and continue without looking back, I also prepared to jump to the other side, but the space was too big, the water below was moving strongly and collided with the different pillars and collapsed structures. A brief glance back confirmed how close the soldiers were to me, so I ran to take the long way around and up some stairs that followed the stretch of river through another part of ruined structure.

I heard gunfire, and saw how one of my rescuers tried to delay the group from jumping onto the bridge, but that caused them to come after me instead. I ran as fast as I could, but one of them managed to get to me and grab my arm before putting his around my neck.

"Don't move," he growled in my ear.

I didn't want to comply, I couldn't, I sunk my teeth into the soldier's arm, who wasn't wearing any protection, and he quickly released me with a whimper. Immediately after I turned to hit his crotch with my knee, I only heard a moan before I pushed the soldier to the edge of the trail, his body lost balance and fell into the water. He screamed and got swept away by the current to the point where I could no longer see him.

I had no time to stop, I continued on my way and to avoid another attack I ran into one of the buildings. My heart was beating fast and my breathing was agitated, a moment of rest in the chaos outside, I just hoped all those soldiers would pass me by and leave me alone.

"Well well..." A female voice made me look up instantly. "It seems that the little bunny has hidden in her burrow."

I located the source of the voice and looked up at the top of a broken column, from where I made out a blue light growing larger and larger. My feet moved before my mind could process what was about to happen. An ice arrow impacted on the ground I was stepping on before, I looked at the effect of the frost expanding at the impact site in fear before running away. That woman had been the one who had killed Sasha earlier, and she wasn't hesitating to do the same to me.

My legs moved fast to get out of there, lucky for me there was no one else around, the soldiers had moved on so nothing stopped me from retracing my steps.

Or so I wanted to think, because while I was running away from the archer, my body ran into a huge machine, anthropomorphic in shape but with a spherical body and only one eye. Bumping into it caused it to somehow wake up and rise up. I immediately turned away from the humanoid machine as its single eye flared in front of me with a menacing, murderous air.

But then I felt a wrenching pain in my leg, the pain spread through the rest of my leg, even up to my hips, I shrieked before turning my body to see my calf completely frozen, ice trapping me to the ground making it impossible for me to move.

The machine approached me, I could barely see anything due to the icy pain burning my calf and blurring my vision, I didn't see how the machine took an arrow straight to the eye, piercing its circuits and causing it to fall to the ground, totally unusable. The girl with the bow jumped in front of me as several soldiers appeared out of nowhere and surrounded me, she looked at me with a small smile and I could see her blue hair adorned by a pair of black horns, after what had happened and what I had seen I wouldn't be surprised if she was a demon.

She gave way to a soldier in slightly different clothes than the others, he raised his spear and suddenly everything went black as I got hit on the head.

• • • • • • •

After watching so many movies about knights and pirates I thought I could imagine the feeling of being locked in a dark and cold dungeon, despair and agony at not being able to leave the room because of iron pipes, waiting for the gallows or a bullet in the head.

But at no time did I think it would happen to me, let alone in a medieval world where magic existed.

"Do you need help, young man?" An anxious voice asked from the cell next door. "Come closer, stretch out to us."

I was not alone, to my right the wall had a gap between the rocks and an arm was sticking out of it, I could hear at least three people on the other side, only a few meters away from me, unchained, unlike me. Their laughter shook me to my fingertips in addition to their lewd sounds. My legs quickly clamped to my chest as I saw the hand try to grab my ankle.

"Leave the girl alone, will you?" A voice sighed.

I turned my head to see if somehow he could see me, but the prisoner to my left was totally out of my sight. It sounded soft, like that of a young boy.

"From what I hears, she's Rex Lapis' special guest," my eyes turned to see the hand to my right disappear immediately. "You don't want to make him any more angry than you already have, do you?"

I could sense the fear in the other's voice.

"N-No... No no... Chongyun, don't say anything to the guards."

"Then shut the fuck up," he growled and the people on the other side of the wall fell silent, making my body relax a little. "Why are you so important to him?"

It took me a couple of seconds to know that the question was for me. But I just hugged my legs, one of them bandaged, at least they took the decency to treat my frozen wound. I felt like throwing up and crying, so much had happened in such a short time that it was hard to take it all in and a hurricane of emotions and thoughts clouded my mind, to the point where I could barely hear anything else.

"Hey, I helped you, the least you can do is answer me, right?"

"I didn't ask for your help," I muttered as I stroked the shackle around my wrist, anchoring myself to the wall behind me.

"Very well," Chongyun huffed and didn't say another word.

The hallway fell into an uncomfortable silence, only the sound of falling drops of moisture could be heard. There wasn't even a window to see the daylight, or where exactly I might be. Occasionally, the chains rattled as they clattered against themselves and for a moment I wanted the boy to ask again to mitigate this silence.

But then someone walked into the dungeons. I heard footsteps approaching and my body stiffened, I hugged myself tighter to try to relieve myself, but as I saw the soldiers I felt my stomach sink, they walked past me to open the door to my companions' cell on the right.

"W-W-Wait!" Shouted one of them, if the previous one was afraid of this Rex Lapis, this one was terrified. "No! Let me go! I don't want to go! LET ME GO!"

His screams echoed throughout the room. I'd never heard anyone plead for their life before, but I have to admit that it sounded... inhuman. It sounded like he was screaming next to my ear to the devil himself, I tried to cover my ears as the man fought back against the soldiers, screaming as if they were going to steal his soul. I watched as he was taken behind the bars that separated me from the rest of this world, shackles on his neck and wrists were connected as one, making it impossible for him to move his hands, the soldiers dragged him down the hallway ignoring his screams and kicks.

The noise continued for several seconds, even after they had closed the door behind them.

Their fear quickly spread through the rest of the dungeons, I could hear the men who once lived with the prisoner whispering amongst themselves, even they didn't know what was going to happen to him.

A sob escaped my mouth, I tried to cover my face and drown my cry with my sweatshirt. I was terrified, if they shot my leg just to capture me, I was completely unaware of what they were going to do to me and why. Besides, it was nothing I knew, up to this point I was sure they could make me suffer the unimaginable with a single spell.

Soon after the door to the dungeons opened again and I hid my face between my legs, tension could be touched in the air with every step the visitor took, until they stopped.

In front of my door.

As I raised my head, I could see the blue-haired archer. Her dress was short, if we could call that a dress. I could barely notice it at the time of the ruins, but a small bell on her chest rang slightly with every movement. She was also wearing stockings and her thighs were mostly visible as were the curves of her hips and breasts.

"Come on," she said, her words sounded lighter, less threatening than at that moment in the ruins, "he's waiting for you."

With an ancient key she unlocked the door to my cell, and approached me to remove my shackles with another one as I tried to pull away from her, but her grip was stronger than a girl like her could wield.

"No, please..." I pleaded.

When she finally released me, she began to drag me out of the cell, I could barely keep up with her with my limp leg so I grabbed onto the bar to steady myself.

"Where are we going?"

Fear began to run through my body as I saw that she didn't care how much I resisted, she kept pulling me with almost supernatural strength and before I could tell where she was taking me she put me with the help of a soldier into some kind of box that turned out to be a carriage.

"Please, I am innocent!" I yelled, but my pleas fell on deaf ears, I tried to lean out of the small window of the compartment to watch as we emerged from a tunnel into the city.

It was still daytime. I tried to observe where I was and distinguished red, white and green buildings, with decorations and structures that could have been Asian on Earth. I distinguished the humidity of the sea and a faint smell of fish and garbage, as if they were the suburbs of a Chinatown. On the other hand, people were barely paying attention to the carriage cell passing by on the main road, they seemed too busy trying to hide from the soldiers who were walking beside us, escorting us.

After about ten minutes, we finally arrived at our destination, my cell doors opened and a couple of soldiers forced me out, tying my wrists in front of me as I tried to resist.

We found ourselves in front of a large, luxurious looking building, as if it was a palace with gold and cor lapis accents. There were guards with spears everywhere and a worker or two tending the garden. The archer appeared behind me and pushed me to continue walking and enter the palace despite my damaged leg.

"What is this place?"

"The Yuehai Pavilion," she replied, her answer was dry and I had stayed the same as before. So I didn't ask any more.

We walked up two floors of stairs, I could barely move because of my leg and by the time we reached the third floor without an elevator I was already feeling my body fail me. Although for having been shot with an arrow, I was surprised I was able to move.

The woman opened some doors wide, and the first thing that greeted us was a rush of air. She dragged me further on the terrace and I immediately distinguished Alatus, making my body stop in its tracks. As the door closed I also noticed a man leaning against the wall, red hair and piercing blue eyes staring at me, as if he was able to study my soul.

The terrace was large, giving the best views of the rest of the city and the sea, the wind was constant but not annoying. There were a couple of guards completely static and looking straight ahead.

"She's here," Alatus said and looked at me briefly, talking to someone sitting on a huge stone throne that faced the city.

Slowly the throne turned on itself, and sitting on it was a man of tall stature. His hair was brown though with orange tones and his golden eyes looked at me steadily, making my knees tremble as they almost glowed on their own. On his lap a white-haired woman was also watching me with concern, she had his hand behind her neck.

“Out," he just hummed, his voice was low, as if coming from the deepest part of the planet.

Both the white-haired woman and the archer knelt before him before leaving, leaving me alone with Rex Lapis, Alatus and the red-haired man behind me. Somehow being under his presence was a weight on my chest, I was not comfortable at all. It was as if he was not even human.

“What is your name?”

Chapter Text

“What is your name?”

I could not find the words to speak.

I was before the king. I remembered the people that saved me before had told me that a certain Morax ruled, so I assumed that in front of me stood Morax, with an authoritative look, who came down from the platform where the throne was.

Alatus also approached me with spear in hand, however, he walked past me to stand behind me. My gaze was fixed on Morax before I felt a piercing blade on the back of my neck, causing me to drop to my knees with a wince to avoid the sharp point. I turned my head and saw Alatus pressing the end of his spear against my neck, insistent for me to bend, creating a forced bow for the king.

“I will ask once more," he said, in a completely monotone voice, because I was forced to look at the ground I could not see his expression. “What is your name?”
I swallowed again.

“Iris," I finally spoke. “I don't know what's going on, but it has to be a mistake.”
Alatus squeezed the end of the spear again as a signal to shut me up.

“Did you think you could escape my adeptus?” Morax took on an almost sarcastic tone, "Childe, come here.”

Alatus lifted a little the pressure on the back of my neck so I could look up, letting me see how three men were brought to the terrace. It was the group that had welcomed me to this world and had saved me from Alatus first, the two blondes and the brunette one whose names I could not even remember. They had gags in their mouths to reduce the screams and pleas. All their looks were exchanged between me and the red-haired man in gray clothes who approached us, the soldiers kept them in place as Alatus was doing with me.

“She is not a fatui, sir," said this Childe, his voice a bit more jovial compared to Morax’s. "They are, but she is not.”

He knelt down beside me and the adeptus grabbed my hair so that I was face to face with this Childe, getting a groan from me.

Childe's eyes were blue, but devoid of light. His orange hair fell across his forehead as he looked at me, holding my chin to make out all my features with an indifferent expression, he also scanned my body up and down. The without warning he grabbed my arm, hard at first making me resis. He loosened his grip and carefully lifted the sleeve of my sweatshirt to look at my forearm.

“I don't know her,“ he informed the rest, looking at different points in my body, ”and she doesn't wear the mark we usually wear. She's not a fatui, not officially, at least.”

His thumb traced a faint line on my forearm before he stood to look at Morax and Alatus, they didn't exchange any more words, but their gazes seemed to communicate. Alatus let go of my hair at the same time Morax stepped in front of me.

“Alatus, can you confirm that this was the woman who caught you?” He asked after a moment of silence.

“I don't remember well,” he said softly, “there were many people before the emptiness enveloped me... I don't know how long I was there ... but she was there when I finally escaped.”

“You didn't escape," my voice rose, I had to tell my side of the story. No one interrupted me. “I got you out! I touched the tablet and it opened a portal to this place.”

I looked quickly at the three fatui, who were trying to shake their heads, shouting things I didn't understand while the soldiers tried to shut them up, pressing their faces to the ground as they knelt in an exaggerated way.

“Go on,” Morax said, “and you'd better not lie.”

“I was exploring an abandoned house in the woods," I lost my train of thought for a few seconds as I looked up to see the three of them. “My cell phone! I have the pictures on my cell phone!”

“If you're referring to that weird daguerreotype you had in your possession,” Childe hummed and folded his arms. “It's broken. Just like the rest of your stuff.”

“Oh... Fuck.”

“Continue.”

“Okay," I took a deep breath. “I found a tablet, and when I picked it up it started to shake, so I let go and it fell to the ground. You came out of some kind of whirlwind,” I looked at Alatus. “And you attacked me.”

“Now that I remember... I tried to use my vision to attack you and escape,“ Alatus frowned. ”But I couldn't do anything in that house. Even my vision lost its brightness.”

Magic existed here, but not in my world, so now I knew he had tried to attack me with magic in vain. These people could kill me in seconds, and I kept wondering why they hadn't already.

“Your clothes," Morax's deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts. “Your... tools...”

He looked at Childe curiously, as if he wanted him to answer something, he sighed.

“I think she might be a descender. Yes.”

That word again, did that mean that in this world they knew people like me? People from another world, that meant I might have a chance of getting out of this place.

Morax lifted his chin briefly, taking a deep breath of..... Nervousness? Relief?

“Despite being something so insignificant and weak," He bent down to grab my jaw. His gloves were soft to the touch as he moved my head to inspect every detail until I finally met his gaze. He smiled slightly at my frown, but it wasn't friendly. "Alatus, cut the ropes. She is your savior after all, isn't she?"

"But..." he tried to object.

"Alatus." Morax changed his air to one that sent a shiver through both me and his servant.

The spear-bearer narrowed his eyes, then approached me to cut the ropes around my wrists with his spear before helping me to my feet. I stared at his face for a few seconds before checking the redness of my wrists. Morax's voice made my body snap up in alarm.

"Kill the rest," he continued, ordering the soldiers on the terrace.

My head whipped around to the trio of men kneeling on the floor, who immediately tried to break free as the soldiers grabbed their heads by the hair, raising their spears.

"NO!" I tried to scream, but my cries fell on deaf ears. Childe stopped me from approaching.

With a swift movement, the three soldiers pierced their necks with the blade of their spears, and everything fell silent. The tip of them was driven into the ground in front of them, impaling them in a static pose, preventing them from falling to the ground.

The sound of their neck bones breaking is one that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

My hands immediately covered my face to avoid seeing the result; the only thing that could be heard was the drops of blood falling to the ground and the echo of the metal meeting bone and flesh. Alatus simply crossed his arms while Childe looked down and Morax returned to his throne.

Soon the soldiers carried the bodies away, and I couldn't help but let out a soft sob. In a few hours, I had seen more death than I had in my entire life.

"Good," Morax sat back down. “Take her back, and give her more suitable clothing.”

"No no no... Wait," Childe grabbed my arm. "Let me go! Let me go, please!"

"For what? You're too valuable to be left at the mercy of the rest of Teyvat." Morax brought his hand to his chin with an amused expression. "You'll stay here for now."

I tried to resist as he dragged me back through the door, staring at the pools of blood one last time until the doors closed behind us.

Chapter Text

I tried to resist as Childe dragged me back through the door, staring at the pools of blood one last time until the doors closed behind us.

"If you continue to resist, I'll have to drag you around. Do you want that with that wounded leg?" he grunted as we went down the stairs to reach the main door. With a frown and watery eyes, I finally agreed to go with him. "Good."

The trip, to my surprise, wasn't to go to the dungeons I'd been before. We continued down the stairs to the basement until we reached a hallway with several doors. Inside this palace, there were other dungeons, I assumed, for more important people and so Morax could have quicker access to them.
That hypothesis sent a shiver down my spine.

"This one’s yours," Childe said.

He opened one of the doors and waited for me to get inside before locking me in. At least here I had a bed and a small window, and with way better walls. I heard the door close, but I caught his attention before he left as I leaned on the small opening.

"Those men knew you." I stated, my voice taut.

That made him stop on his way back to his master. I heard a sigh from him before he turned around.

"The Fatui are an organization of people spread across the continent of Teyvat. The people you met were Fatui,” he explained, and I was honestly thankful to have an explanation for once.

"And you are too," I guessed. As a guard walked past. Childe looked at him for a couple of seconds before approaching the door again, looking at me through the gap.

"That's what they think," he whispered so the other wouldn't hear.

I gripped the bars as he left the basement before I could ask anything else. I watched the guard take a seat, and he looked back at me with a raised eyebrow. I took a few steps back to sit on the bed.

Time passed, and I didn't know what time it was, but it was still daylight. Eventually, I got up to pace around the room, trying to get used to the pain in my leg. I carefully sat up some time later and gently removed the bandage. I must have been treated gently when I was unconscious because there was a scab in its place, no stitches or anything that showed I was shot just some hours ago. I wondered if they had used magic to heal me as well.

My eyes filled with tears to the point where I finally began to cry as I hugged myself. I had never felt so lost before.

"I'm glad to see you're okay, all things considered," someone talked. I looked up to see the white-haired woman from earlier, holding a key in her hand. "Rex Lapis has requested that I give you some clothes. It's best to take you to my chambers." The guard stood behind her, keeping watch. "My name is Ningguang."

"Are you one of Morax's adeptus?" I tried to wipe my face as best I could as I faced away, keeping my voice steady.

"Oh, gods, no... But I am at his service, though... Is that true? Are you from another world?" she asked while opening the door, not entering the place but leaving me space to get out.

"There is magic and monsters here. And not in mine. If that's any answer. There isn't even a King Morax.”

"Morax, or Rex Lapis, as we locals call him, is not a king. He's the archon of Liyue." She let me pass so I could go with her, a brief glance from her to the guard stopped him from following us. "He's the god of contracts, mora, and the geo element," she continued as I turned to face her. "Yes, a real god. An archon. There are seven nations in Teyvat, each ruled by an archon. Though there are some exceptions," she whispered to herself. "Each one represents an elemental power. The Adeptus Alatus possesses an artifact called the vision with which he controls the anemo element, wind."

I massaged my head at that information. It seemed this world was far more convoluted than it might appear at first glance.

"So... not everyone has powers?"

"No... I..." Ningguang’s voice took a sad tone. "I received a geo vision when I was a child. But Rex Lapis took it away from me." We entered a simple room, with some paintings and photographs and books by the bed, as well as scrolls. "You'll learn little by little. For now..."

She opened a trunk next to her bed and took out a brown dress. The room was large, with a single bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a tall wardrobe, a table with a chair, and a trunk, as well as decorations. The paintings were of mountains and sunlit landscapes, and the photographs looked similar. The style was as if it was from China, which puzzled me a little, but I didn't say anything.

I went to a small room to change in peace. They had taken all my belongings, so I simply left my sweatshirt and pants aside for them to do whatever they wanted with them, because I somehow knew I would never see them again. The dress reached my calves, and over it, I put on a blue jacket with gold details before tying it with a belt.

As I left, Ningguang handed me a mirror to check my hair. Without saying a word, she also gave me one of her brushes so I could smooth it down little by little, returning it to its natural shape without any dirt from the cell or the field. Thanks to the reflection in the mirror, I could see how Ningguang offered my clothes to another woman, most likely a servant.

When my hair was in perfect condition, I got up from the chair and took a few steps back, looking more closely at a painting that reminded me of the first location I had been to in Teyvat. A mountaintop, a pond, and a tree with reddish leaves.

My body then collided with a porcelain giant jar. I immediately turned around to try to grab it, but the sound of breaking disturbed Ningguang and the servant, causing concern and even fear. I apologized quickly as I bent down to help clean up.

"Don't worry, did you cut yourself?" She asked, almost terrified, hurrying to take my hand and check that I was okay. I shook my head, and then she breathed a sigh of relief.

With my other hand, I grabbed a piece of porcelain to put in my jacket pocket.

"We'd better get back now. Rex Lapis will want to see you again and make sure you're okay."

"If I'm honest... I hope not."

"For our own sakes, I hope so."

When we reached the terrace, the sky was turning reddish. Morax was near the edge talking to another man, no railing to prevent a falling, and my mind wondered if a god could die from a fall from a great height. Ningguang motioned for me to come closer.

He soon noticed me, and after a brief word with the other, he left, leaving the three of us alone. Cautiously, I approached as he watched the city from above, a ship approaching the harbor in the distance.

The city was beautiful, but decaying. Yes it looked like a traditional Chinese city. But the walls were dirty and there was garbage on the streets, the sea looked calm today as I watched the mountains and islands in the distance.

"Iris. Do you think a worm can kill a dragon?" He finally turned to look at me. "A worm, the most useless being in nature. Could it kill a dragon?" He approached me, my face twisting into a confused expression.

"N-No?"

"Then..." He sighed, his steps were sure, and his height made me try to back away from him. But then my back hit a sudden wall that wasn’t there before. A kind of rock wall emerged from nowhere behind me, and as soon as my body collided with it, Morax cornered me right there, one hand next to my head, leaning in.

"Why are you trying to kill a dragon?"

My throat instantly closed, his proximity was overwhelming as well as agonizing. And to defend myself, I took the piece of glass in my hand and stabbed him.

Or so my mind intended, because in reality, he quickly grabbed my wrist, squeezing it tightly until I let go with a yelp. He picked up the piece with his other hand.

"What?" I asked, shocked.

"Don't test me." He moved even closer, to the point where I had to turn my head to the side to avoid his face against mine. "What were you trying to achieve with this, my dear?"

He carefully placed the tip of my improvised weapon against my cheek, preventing me from making the slightest movement. I let out a muffled moan from the pain in my chest.

"Rex Lapis." Ningguang said, her voice tried to sound calm, but we both heard the desperation she felt. "Please," she begged.

He remained silent for a few seconds. The woman approached us, but kept a safe distance. Finally, Morax turned to look at her before the wall disappeared, causing me to fall to my back as I tried to move as far away from him as possible.

He smirked.

"She reminds me of someone, don’t you think?" he asked boastfully. But Ningguang remained concerned.

"A glass vessel broke in my room. It's my fault. You should punish me."

"I don't have time for this." He sighed and seeing him heading in my direction, I immediately leapt to my feet. "Be careful what you do, worm. No army has been able to harm me, and I highly doubt you'll be the first. But you'll learn your lesson."

It didn't even take three seconds until a pair of guards grabbed my arms. Of course, I tried to defend myself, but I barely managed to land a kick before one of them clamped down hard on my elbow, causing me to stop dead in my tracks and scream in pain, writhing around.

"Let me go!"

"You'll learn that all your actions have consequences," Morax smiled before turning to Ningguang. “And you, I will talk to you later, go to your room.”

New shackles appeared on my wrists. They dragged me down to the basement by my forearms. I still didn't know why, but I was already regretting what I'd done. Perhaps it would have been better if I had tried to stab myself with the glass.

Chapter Text

Night fell, and the city bustled with movement, as I could hear through the window. The guards had chained my handcuffs to the wall, allowing me enough range of motion to lie down on the bed and sleep somehow peacefully, as well as to walk around the cell. The noise outside was considerably louder at night compared to a few hours earlier.

I carefully examined the cut on my palm from grabbing the porcelain earlier; I had barely realized I was bleeding until I was out of Morax's sight and my body had calmed down the adrenaline levels. The guard bandaged me before putting me in the cell.

At least I had been given food, but it seemed Morax wanted to punish me that way too, as I only received a small piece of hard bread and water.

I was too tired to scream, I simply finished the bread and returned the cup to the guard before lying down on the bed so I could try to sleep.

However, after a few minutes with my eyes closed, the guard's footsteps caught my attention, causing me to raise my head to see him leave the dungeons and two others enter. Changing of guards, I assumed.

"Here she is," one of them said, standing in front of my door and removing the gloves of his armor as the other opened it.

"What do you want now?" I lifted half my body and placed my feet on the floor, tense.

"What do we want?" The first guard looked at me with a raised brow, approaching me in a way that made me stand up immediately. "Don't you recognize me from this morning? You threw me into the water. I've been mocked all day because of you."

I was only able to raise my hands to prepare myself, but having them chained together made the guard move them away from his chest with a simple movement. His foot immediately struck my leg with a thud, sending me tumbling to the ground, landing right on the injured area. I let out a cry before he hit me in the side and chest, knocking me to the ground.

He pressed his boot against my chest. All I could see was his body on top of mine as he grinned. My breath caught in my throat, and all I could do was gasp and sob, not even make a sound. I reached up to grab his leg and clawed as hard as I could.

"You'll pay for this."

He reached down, grabbed my hair, and yanked me back down a few feet before throwing me back, this time closer to the now-open door. It didn't matter if I tried to run; the chains would stop me.

My vision blurred for a moment, and I screamed as the man stood over me again, pinning my hands above my head while his free hand ran over my hips and chest. I moved as much as I could, crying and screaming as I felt his disgusting hands on me. I was going to die. They were going to rape and kill me.

"Don't touch me, you fucker!"

“Yes, keep crying, just like that,” he laughed above me.

Completely worried of the guard touching and groping me, I'd completely forgotten about the other guard who came with him. The basement door opened again, but the noise was drowned out by my attempts to wriggle free and my screams. The other guard, who was observing the situation, turned and went up the stairs to check.

Suddenly, a loud crash made us both raise our heads to see the guard's body tumble down the stairs, soon forming a pool of blood beneath him.

I was already scared, but the man above me turned rigid. He quickly got up and ran to grab his spear and go to the source of the attack. I tried to get up as best I could and crawl away from the door. Then I saw an arrow hit the man's head, and before he hit the ground, the arrow exploded inside his head, but instead of fire... it was water. Blood splattered the walls, and the body fell gracelessly, like a soaked dishrag, joining its companion.

Someone came down the stairs, and all I could hear was their footsteps and my own labored breathing. My heart beat faster and my lungs gave out as I spotted the figure carrying the bow. They wore a hood and a mask that hid its face. They surveyed the corpses they had created in just a few seconds, then turned toward me.

I wished that door was locked.

"Stay back! Don't come closer!" I cried, holding my fallen clothes to my body

They dug in the pockets of one of the guards and pulled out a small key before walking toward me. I looked around for a rock, anything to defend myself.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the figure with a male voice said softly and crouched at a safe distance. He showed me the key to the handcuffs that kept me chained. "Let me help you."

I didn't believe it. He was going to hurt me, to cause a massacre so my body would join the other two. My head shook, while the rest of me remained rigid, despite trembling. He insisted.

"Please, I'm on your side." He carefully tossed me the keys to my chains, and without giving him time to regret it, I took them, and after a couple of seconds the shackles fell to the floor. "I have to get you out of here."

"Who are you?" My chest still hurt, and I had trouble speaking and breathing.

"That doesn't matter, are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner." He held out his hand for me to take.

My eyes focused on his gloved hand. I tried to look beyond the holes in his mask, but I could barely see anything in the dim light of my cell. For the moment, he'd saved my life, even though I didn't know who he was.

Carefully, I reached out to grab his hand, and he pulled me out of the cell.

"Yeah... I think I'm okay." I gulped and fixed my dress, pulling it back over my shoulders

"Good. We have to go, alright?"

Still holding my hand, he led me out of the dungeon, where there were more guards on the ground, but no blood.

The hooded man helped me out of a window and climb onto the roof of the building using some vines. Then he followed me and broke my fall by jumping off a wall that led us out of the compound, out of Morax's grasp. We made our way through the trees and other buildings until we reached the field. I tried to continue, but he stopped me.

"I can't help you anymore. You'll have to go on alone."

"What? Why?"

"I have a job in Liyue. But you must go to Sumeru," he tried to lower his voice to whisper to me as he placed his hands on my shoulders. "It's a neighboring nation to the west of here. Morax's guards can't reach you there."

"But... Why are you doing this?"

"Because you're a descender, a person from another world, and we need you... The laws of this world don't affect you the same way they do to others. If anyone can change this, it's you." He said and pulled a dagger from his pocket, sheathed in its scabbard. "To protect yourself. Trust no one, only the Fatui. They have a symbol on their body, like this." He rolled up his sleeve to show me a tattoo of a four-petaled flower with a circle on each petal.

I couldn't think straight; my hands gripped the dagger's handle tightly, to the point where my knuckles were white. He placed a hand on my shoulder, but then we heard guards shouting in the distance, raising the alarm.

"You have to go, run."

He gave me a push to get my feet moving, and I started up the hill, watching him pull his bow again out of nowhere and prepare to attack.

I kept moving forward, the guards were approaching, and from a direction I didn't know, they shot him. An arrow landed in his shoulder, distracting him for a moment, long enough for them to pounce on him.

I stopped in my tracks, worried for my savior. Several grabbed his limbs, allowing another to tear off his hood and mask so they could see his face.

It was Childe, the red-haired man who was with Morax.

He looked in my direction, and from a distance, we exchanged glances as he tried to break free from their grasp.

"Run!"

Chapter Text

I wondered if Childe was still alive. I kept hearing screams as I left, but there came a time when I tried to cover my ears and keep going.

I ran through the woods, clutching the weapon he had given me. Why? Why had he helped me? The word "descender" came to mind again and again, yet I couldn't make sense of it. I couldn't make sense of why he would want to save me.

He told me he was one of those Fatui, but he also worked for Morax, and he allowed them to kill his comrades in cold blood.

Behind me, the city glowed in the night, taking on a beautiful orange hue. I followed the path up the hill, leaving it behind. However, a noise near a bush caught my attention, and the rabbit that jumped out caused me to let out a whine, short but loud enough for someone nearby to hear, so I tried to quicken my pace. I went through a kind of stone arch, created naturally when some rocks had collapsed from a small mountain and collided with the one next to it, getting stuck.

Okay, west, where is it?

I continued along the path, careful not to be seen, and as I approached some houses, I hurried to pass behind them without incident. A statue of Morax caught my attention for a few seconds. He looked powerful, sitting on his throne and holding some kind of cube.

I'd never slept on the street before; I'd always had a place to go, let be it my parents' house, relatives', or friends'. But this time I was completely alone, with no food, blankets, or knowledge of where I was.

Soon I found a well, from which I drank until I was satisfied. And when I was shivering from the cold and completely lost, I came across the ruins of what appeared to be a village. But instead of wood like other inhabited houses I'd seen along the way, these were made of stone.

There was nothing inside, just a few weeds. I carefully made my own space and finally sat down, exhausted from walking for hours. I was so tired that a few seconds after lying down and hugging myself, I fell into a deep sleep.

• • • • • • •

I had never heard this silence before.

I was used to the noise of cars, people passing by my house, airplanes in the air, and the occasional barking of dogs out for their morning walk.

In this case, I could only hear the birds. Light filtered through the gaps in the windows and ceiling, illuminating the room and letting me clearly see how devastated this place was.

I didn't know when I woke up, but I kept going. I looked up at the sky to locate the sun so it could guide me and I continued on my way

I didn’t realize then, but this was not the world I was used to so I went the complete opposite way.

I ate a piece of fruit for breakfast. I was a little reluctant to eat it since I didn't know if it was poisonous, but I saw a couple of foxes feasting on its flesh, so I decided to enjoy the peach-colored fruit, shaped similar to an apple.

I also saw all sorts of creatures, from round-shaped slugs with cute little eyes to humanoid things with masks, some larger than others, so big they could easily reach the second floor of a house.

There were humans along the way, too. More than once, I was forced to try to hide when I saw a group approaching along the path in my direction. I prayed they wouldn't see me, and if they did, that Morax hadn't put a price to my head.

I continued walking until I reached a lake, on the other side a kind of small pools at different levels, with water of a more turquoise color as if the concentration of salt were much higher, a bare tree I believed to be one of those natural pools, and I could also see some large statues giving entrance to some ruins.

There were many ruins in this place, too many to be honest. Liyue was a country born from a war under the rule of their god. I didn't know if they loved him or simply feared him. How could this place be so beautiful and so horrifying at the same time? This scenery was worthy of a painting in a renowned museum. Real or not, it didn't matter.

It was then that I saw a figure moving around the edges of the pools, surveying the surroundings.

I knew it was Alatus, but I didn't start moving until he turned to me, his golden eyes shining in the sunlight even from feet away, with a shimmering lake between us. I took a few steps back before running away. Even though he was relatively far away, I didn't know the extent of his powers.

I got back on the road faster than I thought and immediately headed for the building in the middle of the lagoon, a house atop a large rock with a massive golden tree at its peak. If I got close to people, maybe Alatus would be a little more reluctant to kill me, or... at that moment, I didn't even want to know what his or Morax's plans were once they got their hands on me.

I was crossing the bridge to the island where the tree was when something appeared out of nowhere in front of me. I barely had time to react when I collided with my pursuer and we both fell to the ground. The wind around us grew stronger as he quickly positioned himself on top of me. With furious eyes, he gripped his spear tightly and placed it against my neck, a clear threat as small black and turquoise particles surrounded us.

I didn't want to hurt him, so I simply swung my arm with all my might to slam the dagger handle down on his head. His body fell like a sack of potatoes, giving me just enough time to get up and run away. I approached a restaurant at the bottom of the rock. There was no doubt that the passersby had seen what had happened; the brief encounter hadn't occurred more than a few steps away.

"Can you help me?!"

My questions fell on deaf ears. The people eating looked at me for a moment but quickly went back to what they were doing.

Alatus was getting up, so I had no choice but to rely on myself and try to find a place to hide. The stairs were suicide; a simple push and I was out, and he'd easily see me. The safest thing to do then was to hide in the storage room under the first floor. I dove as quickly as I could among the crates and waited. My breathing was heavy from having run and fled from Alatus, I tried to silence myself with my hands.

I don't know how long I was there, but it wasn't more than two minutes. The noise from the people that might have been on a terrace like this completely dissipated. I couldn't see what was happening outside. I tried to move to look between the crates, but suddenly, hands tugged at my shoulders and pinned me against it. I saw Alatus's glowing eyes before he plunged his spear into the crate just inches from my ear.

"What did you think was going to happen when you escaped?" He yelled, leaning closer to me. "Rex Lapis has every adeptus looking for you. It was only a matter of time, stupid mortal."

"I... I saved your life." My voice was weak, exhausted. "Please, Alatus. You don't have to obey him." I breathed. He looked down, frowning.

"You don’t know anything. I have a contract with him; I have no choice."

"Please, I beg you. You won't see me again, I promise. You owe me."

"Shut up! I don't owe you anything." He spoke and I noticed a trembling in his voice, fear.

I couldn't afford to take any chances. Being so close, he didn't see my arm move in time. I'd pulled the dagger from its sheath, and now the point rested at his side. I tried to keep my hand steady, but I was trembling.

Alatus looked at it for a moment, then at me.

"You won't."

"Please let me go."

He moved even closer, pressing me against the box, making my throat gulp. His hand came down on my wrist where the weapon was held, but he did nothing. I could do nothing but avoid his gaze, so close I was sure he could read my soul behind my eyes. His voice was as sharp as mountain wind.

"You're going to give me the dagger and come with me back to Rex Lapis. No fighting, no bloodshed." With his free hand, he held the spear at my side. "I'll tell him then that you haven't caused any trouble, and perhaps your punishment will be lighter."

Chapter Text

"You're going to give me the dagger and come with me back to Rex Lapis. No fighting, no bloodshed." With his free hand, he held the spear at my side. "I'll tell him then that you haven't caused any trouble, and perhaps your punishment will be lighter."

My hand slowly moved away from his body as Alatus took the dagger away. A feeling of rage and anger filled me inside.

I couldn't do anything else; I knew it was true. If I tried to flee or attack him, he could easily kill me, not to mention more adeptus could come looking for me and break my legs, or worse.

"Good," I looked at Alatus, who ripped out his spear in a single motion and so the rice inside the crate fell at my feet. "Let's go then."

He gave me no choice; he grabbed my arm to pull me towards him, and darkness enveloped us. With it, everything was filled with screams; I couldn't locate them, but they were everywhere. I felt something touch my back and my body screamed before we reappeared on the terrace. Suddenly, both the screams and the darkness disappeared.

My heart was racing, I felt my legs give way, and my body was falling to the ground. But Alatus held me steady—or rather, he wanted to hold on to me so I wouldn't try anything stupid. I looked at him, and he kept a serene expression.

"Don't worry about them. They can't reach you."

"Them, who?!"

"The demons," he looked away. I gulped.

A guard entered the building to call Morax, and Alatus simply remained silent for a few seconds.

The door opened, and I barely had time to turn around before something hard grabbed my wrists. Rock chains erupted from the ground and anchored me to it. When I pulled on them, they shortened, and I fell to my knees with a groan. The rocky texture pressed hard against my skin to the point where it cut into my flesh, threatening to inflict much more damage if I dared to pull away. I fought to keep my eyes dry as I took a deep breath.

"Good work, Alatus."

I looked up to see the Geo Archon standing before me, staring at me with fury and rage, very well contained. If I didn't know his eyes were shining brighter than before, I would have said he didn't even care that I had escaped. Then he turned to his adeptus.

"Childe?" he asked.

"No sign, just this."

Morax's hand glowed, and Childe's dagger entered my field of vision, floating toward him with the same glow. He studied it carefully before looking at me. Before he noticed my wet eyes, I lowered my head. It seemed Childe managed to escape the guards I last saw him with because he wasn't here in the same situation as me. And it appeared Morax and I had the same question.

"Where is he?" The dagger flew to my neck, stroking it almost soothingly as I lifted my chin.

"I don't know," I confessed because it was the truth. He'd told me to go to Sumeru, but it was all for nothing. "If he's escaped your guards, it's not my fault."

He smiled.

"Yelan, come in."

The door opened again, but I couldn't see the person walking toward us, nor could I turn my head without being cut by the blade of the dagger.

"Yes, my lord?" It was a woman's voice, deep but delicate.

"Seek Childe, in every nation if you must. Do what you must. I want him alive. But if it requires it, bring me his head so I can send it to Zapolyarny Palace. Let the Cryo archon know who she's playing with..." He tilted his head slightly, but it wasn't a friendly gesture at all. "And you... What did Childe say to you?"

"Fuck you," I growled. Childe had saved my life, I wasn't going to sell him out.

Yelan came closer. She was wearing heels. I could then see the woman, with short dark hair and a white coat hanging off her back.

"Give me ten minutes with her." She pulled a small knife from her boot. My expression trembled, but Morax stopped her.

"There's no need. Just do your duty."

"Yes, sir."

The woman knelt before him before leaving, closing the door behind her. Morax removed the dagger from my neck, letting me take a breath I didn't know I was holding. Morax raised his hand and created a spear beneath it, larger than Xiao's and royal-like. He walked behind me where I couldn't see him.

It was then that I felt the tip of the spear shaft against the back of my neck, pressing and pushing. I resisted to keep my body from bending further and letting him humiliate me more. Although both Morax and I knew it only took a tiny fraction of his strength to move my body in his favor, squeezing until my forehead touched the floor and my back bent over my lap.

I let out a sob before I felt the burn. It started as a small hot spot that I mistook for Morax's own strength. But the burning turned to heat, and the heat to fire. I began to scream in pain as I felt a burning needle plunge deep inside me, and I was completely unable to move it away no matter how much I moved, struggling against the chains whose torture was nothing compared to what I was feeling on the back of my neck.

"Stop! Please! PLEASE! STOP!" I screamed until I couldn't anymore. To the point where I didn't care if I died, anything was preferable to what I was feeling.

And in a moment, it was over. Everything went back to cold and I felt my hands free, bloodied by the chains. I didn't dare move for fear of infuriating Morax even more. When a few seconds passed and everything was silent, my hand slowly and tremblingly rose to the back of my neck. I expected to find soft flesh beneath my hair, blood, or a wound. But instead of pain, I felt nothing, not even the touch of my fingers. I found something hard, something smooth but perfectly sturdy embedded in my skin, with different shapes, as if it was...

"What did you do to me?"

It was a gem. The fucking madman had implanted a stone on the back of my neck.

"A small gift." He crouched before me, gripping my chin. I was too weak to push away. "That way everyone will know who you belong to. Consider it a favor."

Morax laughed before standing up again. I felt that terrible pain again, and my lungs failed me. I couldn't scream. But this time the pain was short-lived. My tears fell to the ground as I held my chest as if it would recharge my lungs, breathing heavily.

"I'll offer you a contract," he continued. "I'll let you go. That's what you want, isn't it?"

Cautiously, I sat up to watch Morax walk away from me and look up at the clear sky. I hadn't noticed the clouds before, but I spotted an island high above. An island in the sky, floating with nothing beneath it.

"What do you want?" I asked, more concerned with the thoughts running through his head.

“Steal the gnosis of the power of wind, and free the god Barbatos from his prison in Mondstadt, the neighboring nation.” Xiao at my side immediately tensed. Frowning, I raised my body and noticed how his hands were shaking. “Gnosis are the heart of an archon, where their power comes from. His was taken.”

I crossed my arms as he walked back to me, magically extracting an artifact from his chest, shaped like a chess piece and with a peculiar glow. The gnosis.

My hands returned to the back of my neck to feel the presence of the gem and at the same time notice the wounds on my wrists, staining my fingers.

“So that’s where your power comes from?”

“A part of it, yes.”

I tried to be as fast as possible. I had to try, but I immediately felt stupid when Morax dodged my hand that went for the gnosis. One moment he was standing with barely a care in the world, and the next he had my wrist in his, stretching my arm until my body was pressed against his. I instantly regretted it when I saw his smile so close to me, making my body heat up and freeze at the same time.

"As predictable as the rest... So, do you accept?"

"What if I refuse?"

"You won't refuse." His face moved closer to mine, lips brushed against my ear. I tried to pull away in vain. "You will never see the light of the sun again. The chains that once cut into your skin will be part of you, and your skin will grow around them, melting you to the rocks," he whispered, "no one from your world will ever see you again, and they'll end up forgetting your very existence while your body lies half-dead on a dungeon floor, begging to be killed." His voice echoed in my mind, as if my own thoughts were coming out of his mouth. I wanted to scream at him, but I was paralyzed. "At the mercy of my soldiers, who... Apparently... are very fond of you."

His free hand brushed over my shoulders until his fingers rested on the gem at the nape of my neck. Instantly, a faint pang ran from my neck to the tips of my toes, causing me to arch my back.

"And with my little gift, I'll be able to do whatever I want to you," he purred.

He released me so roughly that I almost fell to the ground from the lack of strength I had, his presence in my own body pressing me to kneel before him. But I fought it

"Enough, please," I found myself saying, my voice weak, pathetic. "I will do it."

Morax inclined his head in understanding. Then he extended his hand toward me, which began to glow. "Your mission will be to enter Mondstadt to free Archon Barbatos from his prison." Symbols appeared around him, as if he were writing in the air as he spoke. "The people of his nation have betrayed him, so use whatever means necessary to obtain the anemo gnosis and return it to him. In exchange, I will let you walk freely from my lands and find a way for you to return home once your mission is fulfilled. As long as you do your part." I received a poke at the back of my neck. "And keep my gift with you."

"You mean the infernal parasite I have for a mole?" I frowned.

"Consider it a way to stay connected to me, and that way you won't stray far from your goal. Deal?" I glared at him. He was acting like I had some kind of choice in this when in reality, I was wondering if I wanted to obey him or live out the rest of my days in a hole.

Alatus's presence behind me showed he was ready to come at me if I dared to do anything crazy. But no matter what I did, this was all crazy. And deep down, I knew I was about to do the craziest thing of all.

"Deal." And I grabbed his hand.

Chapter Text

I'd climbed a few times in my life, but I know what it feels like to scrape your hand on a rock, those sharp edges damaging your palm to the point where the top layer of skin is scratched and lifted.

That's what I felt when I took the Geo Archon's hand. He gripped it tightly, and I felt the power of the contract fill me from within, conditioning my body and my life.

Then he let go. His glove was damaged, and his palm was affected the same way mine had been, with scratches and small cuts. He seemed more than used to it, since now that his glove was torn, I could see the scars on his palms, wounds both open and closed that made his hand way weaker than the rest of the archon's body. He said nothing as Alatus handed him a new glove to replace the old one.

"Alatus, you will escort her to the border. And give her something to eat."

The adeptus nodded and glanced at me before leaving. I tried to wipe the blood off my dress.

"How do I find the gnosis?" I asked.

"It's in the position of the new 'anemo archon,'" Morax frowned. "A mortal woman who believes herself to be divine and superior, her name is Jean Gunnhildr, and she resides in the city of Mondstadt." Alatus returned with a small backpack. "Good luck, and do not fail me."

Alatus placed his hand on my shoulder; it was all it took to get out of that place. Darkness enveloped us again, and I was forced to hold the young man tightly until we reached our destination. A cloudy and windy day greeted us as we stood at the top of a hill. I could see windmills in the distance, and the shadow of a cathedral. Mondstadt looked different from Liyue; its mountains were different, smaller, and it looked more... green.

However, I had the feeling at that moment that the terrain was strange and irregular as if an earthquake had moved the entire earth in sections and unhinged it.

Alatus gave me the food, and I decided to sit down and drink water first. He sat down next to me and took out a small flask.

"Give me your hand," he said.

Rather reluctant, I extended my injured hand to him. He began applying a few drops of the flask's contents to the wound and my wrist. To distract myself from the stinging, I began eating the stuffed bread I had in my backpack while looking away.

"Have you ever been? To Mondstadt," I asked out loud, breathing steadily.

Luckily for me, the sting didn't last long, and when I looked down, I saw the wound was no longer open. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and turned to touch the bandage on my leg, feeling no pain. So that was what they'd done before to make it heal faster.

"The contract I made with Rex Lapis prevents me from leaving the nation. Not that I want to, either. Mondstadt is much worse than Liyue, at least. Rex Lapis protects us."

"He controls you."

Alatus raised his head to look into my eyes. I felt a slight pressure on the back of my neck, as if a hand was holding it, pushing it to tilt my head.
"Be careful what you say, he can watch you," he pointed to his neck, his golden eyes flashing. "And if you try to tear it off, you'll break the contract, and he'll drag you to Liyue to torture you."

I drank some water before standing up and locating the path I needed to take. I was afraid, my hands shaking with helplessness from not being able to decide for myself. I didn't want to do this. None of this was my problem.

"Iris," Alatus handed me Childe's dagger. "Be careful."

"Thank you. Aren't you going to wish me luck?" I tried to soothe the situation.

"I don't believe in luck."

I started walking down the hill, but after a few steps, I turned around to see Alatus once more, but he had already disappeared, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I let out a sigh and continued, crossing a river. On the other side of the bridge, there were some balls of blue slime, apparently drinking the water from the shore. I tried to move carefully and head for the path that led beyond, avoiding the monsters who, despite having a certain charm, I doubted were friendly.

I wanted to avoid touching the gem on my neck, afraid that Morax might somehow hurt me from the distance. Seeing the dagger in my hand, I thought about scratching it, trying to carve it out. But how deep could it be? I avoided a grimace of disgust at the thought of sinking the tip of the blade a few inches and leaving a hole in my skin.

A noise in the distance caught my attention. When I raised my head, I saw a group approaching me along the path. I didn't know if they had seen me, but I went into the wooded area anyway, hiding in some bushes so they would continue on their way and not stop for me.

"Did you see her face?" One of them laughed, his voice deep and joking, "the bitch had no idea, ha ha ha!"

A shiver ran through me.

"I would have paid to see it. But, fuck... That scared look on her face when she saw the four of us on top of her, her tears..." he sang and licked his lips, remembering. It made me want to throw up. "She only needed a little warning, and she already opened her beautiful legs to get what she deserved."

"You guys should have tried her throat. You don't know what you're missing" said another.

"That's disgusting. Those people had a thousand things in their mouths before you."

Shivers kept me from keeping my hands relaxed, and it wasn't because of the wind or the cold. I waited until they were far enough so I could leave my hiding place as if I'd never been there, then looked around for something to eat.

The fruits of this world weren't bad at all; they weren't that juicy, but they tasted good, like an apple or a pear. However it made my mouth feel dry, and to avoid that, I needed water at the same time. After a few minutes, I found a stream further down the trail, so I went over to it to drink for a moment. The water was fresh and pure, I slightly washed my legs and back of my neck, cleaning off any blood that might have remained. I also checked the condition of my calf wound under the bandage. Surprisingly, there wasn't much left but the beginning of a scar, so I saw no need to keep it bandaged.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the rocks underwater, passing a few inches from me. I turned quickly, and another arrow tried to reach me. At some distance from me were people wearing masks, their skin painted completely dark gray, and wore tribal clothing. Their weapons were rudimentary, and made of wood and stones. Behind them appeared what could be nothing other than a monster, tall but similar looks, only much more muscular. It carried a huge axe and was running toward me with the others.

I could do nothing but run. I screamed for help as I made my way through the bushes, and they persisted. One of them used a blowgun to launch darts that aimed me, but I managed to avoid them so they stuck on a tree instead.

Finally, I reached a small clearing, but so did the giant, and it didn't matter how fast I ran or how loudly I shouted. He caught up with me and knocked me to the ground with his axe, knocking me to the ground. I barely had time to prepare, and my head hit the ground. My vision blurred for a moment.

"Watch out!"

I opened my eyes, trying to see beyond the cloud of darkness in my vision. I saw the monster above me receive a flaming arrow to its head, followed by four more. Immediately afterward, I crawled back as a shower of arrows rained down on it and the rest of the monsters that reached us. They screamed in a language I didn't know; it sounded mostly animal, and I would have mistaken them for ogres if I didn't see such a resemblance to a human body. One by one, they all fell and disintegrated into ash.

My savior appeared in front of me, holding out a hand.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

Her hair was long and brown, and her smile was kind, like her eyes. She had dark circles under them but showed no signs of fatigue. Her clothes were red, so I assumed what I had seen earlier was the result of her flame powers.

"My name is Amber. I'm part of the Knights of Favonious."

Chapter Text

"I've never seen you before. Are you an outsider?"

The one called Amber looked me up and down, taking note of my bandages. I pushed my hair behind my back to hide the gem on my nape just in case.

"Yes," I confirmed, though without much thought.

"I see. Then I have to escort you to the city. All foreigners must register, come on."

The truth is, I could use a little help getting closer to the city and looking for this Jean. But I had to admit that I didn't trust her at all.

"No thanks. I can handle myself," I finally decide.

"I'm afraid we have no choice. I have a vision, and there are quite a few monsters in the fields. If you don't know the ways, you'll end up in a hilichurl's stomach. You won't be able to take them with a simple dagger. Not them, and not... humans." She smiled weakly, almost pityingly. She approached me and took my hand in a friendly manner.

She was a girl my age, hardly twenty-three. She seemed perfectly normal, but Alatus's words echoed in my mind, making me want to pull my hand away from hers, but her grip was firm. She was supposed to be a knight, and if she wanted me dead, she would have left me to my fate with those monsters; I just had to watch her movements. I finally nodded.

"Okay."

Morax agreed with me; a light pressure on the back of my neck made me know.

Amber started walking beside me, bow in hand, ready to attack anyone who approached. I wanted to ask about the humanoid monsters that had attacked me before, but I knew it was quite common in this world, and that would give me away. She called them hilichurls.

We approached a cliff, like a huge crack in the ground formed by an earthquake, like the rest of the landscape. Peeking down between both sides of the split, I could see the complete lack of vegetation and some destroyed buildings.

"That road was invaded by monsters a few years ago. Now it's impossible to cross without at least three escorts."

Soon, I could see various types of creatures, from lava balls to floating stone wolves. I didn't even want to find out what those things were. Like everything else, you just have to justify it with magic, as if it was a video game.

As time went by, we passed different mills and houses until we reached a village. Next to it was a huge lake, and on its island in the center was the town with its mills. Up close, I could see a beautiful Gothic cathedral, which I found very strange. That place indeed had a much more fantastical medieval look than Liyue, but as if they were two different countries, each with its own cultures and... religions? Could it be that the Archon of Wind liked this style better? Perhaps it was his palace before he was dethroned.

"This is Clearwater, there's not much to see."

Amber continued walking along the side of the town. However, I looked around and nearby screams caught my attention.

"Mom!" a child cried, sobbing as soldiers picked him up.

His mother tried to reach him, screaming in pain and begging the men to let him go. My feet stopped as I watched the boy being taken to a carriage, where there were three others. I realized there were no other children on the street.

Amber grabbed my hand, pulling me along with her.
"Come on."

"But... where are they taking him?"

"The Favonious take all the boys and girls for military training. We need as many soldiers as possible," she said simply as she led me with her.

It was already getting dark. We had to reach the island across a bridge. Pigeons flew past us, and when we reached the gate, Amber finally let go of my hand. She proceeded to talk to the guards so they would open the city gates for us. I found it threatening that the city was completely isolated, and the fact that the humidity from the lake created a light mist on the city floor didn't help.

As we entered, the road split into three: small markets to the left and right, and the main street led up a flight of stairs to a square. There were people on the street, walking with their heads down or smoking, all of them looking at us for a brief second before going about their business.

"Stay by my side," she whispered beside me.

We then headed down the path to the right, passing markets and houses. My gaze turned upward to see small decorations on the street and lampposts, some of them were worn down. A couple of men were standing on the side of the street, in a slightly darker area, and as we passed, I noticed them exchanging one small bag for another.

This city was pathetic.

Amber hurriedly led me to an alley. I looked behind us, afraid we were being followed. But before I realized it, I had already ducked into a building, closing the door behind us. It was warm inside, which was a relief after spending most of the day outside.

"Where are we?" I asked, hearing a buzz of laughter and conversation from the next room.

She didn't answer; she continued leading me to another door where a man twice my size stood. The back of my neck began to burn as if Morax was trying to warn me of something. Then I tried to step away to leave the way I'd come in, but the door was closed. I frowned before turning my gaze back to her.

"Where are we?" I asked again.

She pulled me into the next room, which turned out to be an office. The candlelight was dim, as was the light coming from the window. At the desk in the center was a man with long, completely red hair tied in a high ponytail. He was wearing formal clothes and smoking a cigar. When he raised his gaze, red as fire, it fell on me. A woman I hadn't noticed approached him with a drink.

Amber took a deep breath.

"Mr. Ragnvindr, I've brought you a substitute."

"What?" I couldn't help but ask, but my voice was so low over the noise outside that they barely heard me.

The redhead took a sip from his glass before placing it on the table.

"Leave us alone."

The woman and the guard from before, who stood blocking my exit, left through the same door I came in. I tried to look around as my hand went to the hilt of my dagger.

"What's this?" My heartbeat quickened as Amber ignored me and spoke.

"She's a stranger from another nation. She was traveling alone from Liyue... I hope she lives up to your expectations."

"Wait, wait," I interrupted, looking at the two of them. "What expectations? You told me you had to register me."

Alatus's words echoed in my head again; the girl had tricked me.

I drew my weapon as I saw the man stand up and approach me.

"Lord Ragnvindr?" Amber looked at the man urgently.

"Don't touch me," I warned him, frowning

I didn't want to let him intimidate me. Even though my hands were shaking, I didn't move. I'd been standing in front of a god, damn it, I shouldn't be scared of a rich bastard. But being in such a closed space, so intimate, where the tobacco smoke choked me with every breath, made my legs weaken. But I didn't move.

"You're scared." His torso reached the tip of the dagger, but he stopped there. He took a drag on his cigar and exhaled to the side. "And your hands are shaking. What were you doing traveling alone?"

Obviously, I couldn't tell him the truth, even if I wanted to. I had to make something up.

"My partner died. We were escaping from Liyue."

There was silence for a few seconds. He took another drag without taking his eyes off me.

"Amber, consider your debt settled. Go back to your mistress. I'll stay with her."

"Oh, thank you, Lord Ragnvindr!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I promise not to interfere in your business again."

"Go."

Not even two seconds had passed before Amber had bolted from the place. I didn't know if my hands were shaking with fear or fury at the knowledge that she had played me to settle her own issues. She had tricked me into taking her place in whatever twisted game she was playing with this man.

"I didn't consent to this. Amber tricked me into coming here." I frowned. "What is this place?"

"A nightclub. And I don't care what you think. Amber owed me a debt, and she offered you instead. More profitable for everyone, this way I'll avoid trouble with Jean." He exhaled smoke again, this time in my face. My lungs immediately rejected it, and I coughed as my left hand swatted the poison away from my air.

I took a couple of steps back to get away from him, but my back hit the wall instead. I looked up as he came even closer, towering over me. I raised the dagger again with both hands, this time to his neck.

"What are you planning to do with that? You'll only hurt yourself," he laughed, and carefully grabbed the edge to pull it away with barely any strength, raising the dagger and guiding my hands until he placed them above my head, regardless of my resistance. "You're alone. I can help you. I can give you shelter and food."

"And in return, you'll force me to work for you and who knows who else."

He let go of my hands, and I let out the breath I'd been holding. He didn't strike me as the pimp type; he was physically fit and relatively young, but I didn't have to think too hard to know this was more than just a "nightclub." The woman from before and Amber's fear of getting out of here as quickly as possible cleared up all my doubts.

"I see you know where this is going," he sighed calmly. "But it's not how you think it is. You're the one who sets the limits. As long as you get me mora, this is a safe place."

"Mora?"

"Of course. Clients here pay by time. Not by work."

I assumed then that mora was the currency of Teyvat.

I was lost, in many ways. I barely knew where to start, and to find Jean, I needed information. Perhaps staying here for a while would help me on my mission to Morax. The pain in my neck had been constant since I entered this place, and I could barely concentrate. My fingers brushed against the rock embedded in my skin as I lowered the dagger with a small sigh.

I didn't trust this at all.

Chapter Text

I didn't trust this at all.

"What if someone tries to do something I don't want?"

"I'd kick them out of here. Or get rid of them." He crossed his arms. I didn't need to know specifically what he'd do. "You're all under my protection, and I take that very seriously."

Ragnvindr leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. I saw my chance and tried to move away from the wall, but he was faster, and his arm blocked my way out. I looked into his shining eyes as his other hand went for the dagger, taking it from me without me even noticing. That was when I was left defenseless.

I tried to wrest it back from his grasp, but he moved it to my waist instead. I immediately froze, even though his touch made my skin burn. I was completely still as I felt his hands explore my waist, making my body tremble under his gaze and touch. I squeezed my eyes shut to keep them from crying.

"Don't touch me," I whispered.

He moved them away, but only by a few inches.

"I wouldn't want someone to harm my clients without my permission either," he continued. I couldn't help but jump at his threatening tone and blush at the feel of his hot breath on my ear. His hands returned the dagger to its sheath at my waist. "I hope you understand."

The belt disappeared by his hands, pulling the sheathed dagger away from me and dropping it behind him, near his table. He gently lifted my chin so I could look at his face. For a second, his eyes lowered to my lips before he turned away from me, sending a chilly air through my body at the lack of his presence near me.

"In your case, you have no choice. You'll work for me one way or another." He lifted his chin with a small smile. "My stepbrother Kaeya can help you integrate. He'll show you the ways."

I couldn't hold it for much more. I wanted to cry, scream, push him, and run away. But I didn't. Somehow, I was staying as calm as possible, keeping myself from breaking down in front of him.

It was as if a higher power was forcing me to stay, to maintain my composure, and continue with the mission. I sensed Morax's displeasure, but this was a very good opportunity to gather information.

Besides, it wasn't my first time in bars or clubs. I'd danced with strangers before, and one-night stands were common in my environment. I was sure that if I had a couple of drinks, I'd be able to do that too. I just had to keep them from going too far.

"He'll see you in the lobby."

Ragnavidr had dropped me off in front of a room on the top floor. I hadn't left the employee area yet, but the commotion was much better from here; I could hear the comments of the people sitting on the other side of the wall and their whistles.

He left me alone in a locker room. It was quite large, like a bathroom, with different changing cubicles. At the back, there was a window, but as I approached, it only opened a centimeter to let in some air. Then there were three racks full of outfits with boots and shoes of different sizes resting on the floor. As I started looking at them, I couldn't help but blush; it was all lingerie.

Suddenly, a woman walked in wearing only a G-string and black boots. The first thing that caught my attention was her chest. If I wasn't in a medieval world, I'd say she had had breast augmentation due to her size. Her wine-red hair danced behind her as she stood in front of a mirror to check her makeup. She seemed completely used to walking around half-naked, highlighting her skin, so pale it worried me a little. She looked like a vampire.

"What are you looking at?" Her eyes shifted to look at me through the mirror.

I immediately turned around to go back to my business, trying to find the most modest outfit possible, a one-piece set that left little to the imagination, in black and light blue.

But a pale hand came up behind me, taking the set I'd chosen.

"I don't think that'll look good on you," the woman warned, slipping it over my body. "This one is better, it shows more."

She handed me another one, this one completely red and showing a lot of stomach, with a garter belt that reached my thighs already attached and a cleavage that made me blush.

I hadn't worn anything like this before; I was hardly someone who wore low-cut tops or short skirts. I wasn't entirely sure what would happen if someone noticed me. Would they touch my leg? Would they try to steer me somewhere else?

"Well?" She looked me in the eye and raised an eyebrow, almost demandingly.

Shyly, I raised my hands to take the outfit, thanking her with a small smile that neither of us believed. It took me a few minutes to put it on; trying to figure out how to do it proved complicated, and I had to ask the vampire woman for help getting each part in place, then I put on my stockings and black boots.

"I'm not much of a heel girl," I tried to joke as I stood up from the stool.

"I can see that."

I looked in the mirror as she combed my hair. Dirty after these days in a cell and nature. The truth is, I missed a bed; the mere thought made me yawn.

My partner didn't yawn back.

"Good. You can come out now. I'm not going to put makeup on you. That would be too much."

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but frown.

"Well," she laughed darkly. "I'm not doing this out of charity or... to help a new friend. I'll ask you three beers, so you don't complain or cry."

"What? I'm not going to pay you anything." I turned to look at her, trying to find some humor in her voice, something that would let me know she was joking. But she only showed coldness.

"No?" she encouraged. "You better give me the beers or money. You don't want an enemy here, I can tell you from experience."

She crossed her arms and looked at me differently.

"Hey, I'm not here to cause trouble. Mr. Ragnavidr..."

"Diluc isn't here," she interrupted, slightly lifting her chin as if looking at an insect. "Give me the mora or... I'll throw you to the slimy ones outside to feed on you until there's nothing left."

I could barely see her place her hand on me before pushing me away from her. My back hit the door of one of the changing rooms, and within seconds, my arm began to burn. When I looked down, I saw blood running down it. The nail guards she was wearing over her fingers were so sharp that they cut my arm.

"And if you squeal on me, I'll make sure the blood is the least of your worries."

She didn't seem worried; she simply left the locker room, ignoring my whimper as I tried to clean the blood with a bucket of water on the floor. I frowned as I pressed a piece of cloth against the cut and looked at the door where the crazy bitch had left. I sighed and shivered until the bleeding stopped since it wasn't a deep cut.

"Fuck." I closed my eyes for a moment to get used to the stinging sensation as I moved my arm.

I saw a piece of semi-transparent fabric that resembled a short cloak, enough to hide my wound from most eyes, so I put it on and left through the same door as her.

Going down the stairs, I could see the tavern in its entirety. The upstairs area seemed to be more exclusive, with comfortable armchairs and various small groups enjoying their drinks, and some women. They all seemed well-dressed, as it was nothing like what I had seen so far. Not even Diluc wore that kind of clothing. On the other hand, downstairs was what I would consider a real tavern. There were paintings of different themes on the wall and tables and chairs everywhere. Some of these chairs faced a stage in the middle of the room, with a bar in between. For now, no one was there.

Downstairs, a man with dark skin and dark blue hair was waiting for me.

"You must be the new girl," he smiled, leaning over to take my hand and kiss it. "My name is Kaeya, I'm Favonious's cavalry captain, pleasure."

I tucked my hands behind my back.

"Good evening. Lord Ragnavidr told me you'd be accompanying me today," I hum, taking in his appearance, at least he was nice to look at.

"What happened to your arm?" He pointed at my covered arm with his chin.

I didn't want to give that woman the honor of seeing me vulnerable and cry out for help. Though I was also a little afraid because of her threat. I'd seen little of this world, but what I'd seen so far didn't make me believe my bluffs.

"Nothing. I brushed against a loose nail."

"I'll have to tell my brother, but for now, would you like a drink?"

"Please, yes."

Chapter Text

“But for now, would you like a drink?"

"Please, yes."

Kaeya led me to a table away from the rest, where there was a leather corner chair that pressed against my thighs as soon as I sat down. I tried to hug myself while he signaled for a waitress to bring us a couple of drinks, which I immediately assaulted. I drank half a glass before Kaeya placed a hand on my wrist, lowering it slightly so I could place it back on the table.

"Are you in that much of a hurry? I'm sure you don't want to be drunk in this place. Believe me," he frowned a little.

"I just want to forget I'm here." I looked around as Kaeya rested his chin on his hand, his elbow on the table. I distinguish the figure of a woman on a man's lap, making out.

"How about you tell me a little about yourself? What do you like to do?"

"I like..." I hesitated for a moment, "exploring abandoned places, history, and nature."

"Really? There aren't as many ruins in Mondstadt as in Liyue. Well, maybe in Old Mondstadt. But right now it's not possible to access them."

His hand felt the table, carefully approached my waist, and before I knew it, he was already gently caressing it. I jumped, and he quickly removed it, waiting a few moments before returning it. I took a sip of my drink as a shiver ran down my spine and neck. His hands weren't as warm as Diluc's, but they were softer.

"Why's that?" I tried to ask.

"A battle was fought there long ago, now it's abandoned and cursed by an eternal storm since we banished Barbatos." He picked up his glass, his fingers wrapped around it, and little by little, it cooled, forming a thin layer of frost.

My leg felt a slight sting as I remembered how that woman had trapped my leg with an ice arrow. I tried to pretend I knew something about what he told me.

"I've heard something, but I didn't believe a human was capable of doing that."

"It was all thanks to the gnosis, and Jean, of course." He moved his hand from my waist to my chest, but my own hand was quick to stop him and hold it. "Come on. You have to get used to contact if you want to work here."

"I know, I know," I breathe deeply.

"You're lucky my brother is in a good mood today; normally you new girls get right into it."

He pulled me towards him, my body pressed against his, making me feel the texture of his clothes against my skin. I took a breath as my body stiffened and felt Kaeya's hands on my legs and waist. Despite them being a little cold, my body felt red-hot. My blush drew a small chuckle from the man, who brushed a strand of hair away from my face. He was incredibly attractive; his eyes reminded me of Morax's, since his irises weren't black like other people. The fact that he wore an eye patch under his bangs also gave him an air of seductive mystery; I was sure he was a real gentleman with the ladies. Slowly, I relaxed, but Kaeya didn't move forward.

And suddenly, pain. My body suddenly tensed again, and I let out a whine that immediately alerted Kaeya. His hands moved away from me when he saw me backing away. The ache was coming from the rock, the back of my neck. Something that was making me almost scream in pain. When I brought my hands to the spy stone, I found it larger, longer, gradually moving down my neck until it reached the other side around my neck. A feeling of pressure took hold of me, like a hand squeezing and suffocating me as a warning.

Don't let them touch you. Focus, or you'll suffer the consequences.

And as quickly as it came, the pain went away.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Kaeya's voice caught me by surprise. "What the hell is that?"

I looked around; it seemed no one had noticed what had happened. I took several quick breaths as my hand went to my neck and felt how it was covered in rocks, hard, and embedded in my skin like a collar. I couldn't see it, but its thickness worried me; at any moment the Geo Archon could cut my neck, crush it, or simply suffocate me until the lack of blood or air killed me. I had to achieve gnosis and think of something, a plan. Find that Jean.

"I need... I need to rest." I got up from my seat more quickly and hastily than I thought, causing the wine glass to fall and spill the little wine that was left. Kaeya grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Wait. Who did that to you? Is it a curse?"

His tone of voice changed, and when I turned around, I saw both concern and anger. I knew continuing this conversation would only bring me trouble.

"Kaeya, please let me go." I tugged hard on my arm, but he didn't flinch.

A voice caught both of our attention.

"Kaeya," Diluc walked toward us. I tried to hide my new necklace as much as possible with my hair and hand. "I think that's enough. I'll take her."

"Okay, okay." His lips formed a thin line as he raised his hands. I immediately took a couple of steps away from him. "Have a nice night, then. I'll be here for whatever you need."

Diluc let him wander off somewhere else before approaching me. I lowered my head.

"Are you okay?" he asked, and I nodded.

He gently placed his hand on my shoulder, paying attention to my arm as he felt the fabric stick to my skin due to the small amount of blood that had flowed out of the cut. Then we heard shouting nearby. We both turned to see a pair of men fighting and pushing each other while a worker tried to stop them. Diluc sighed.

"Wait here, I'll be right back." He quickly disappeared from my side to head toward the fight, his air calm yet eerie.

I sat at the same table as before, finishing my drink and Kaeya's in one gulp. I gently touched the rocks against my neck, feeling the connection of them with my skin as I looked around. A woman was leading a young man to a private room, and two more people were watching a waitress wearing only panties and a bra. I'd never been to a brothel, let alone a medieval one, but I was sure it wasn't that different from one in my world.

I saw a boy approach me, blond with medium-length hair. I thought he was going to walk right past me, but he sat down next to me with a friendly smile. His blue eyes were light, almost mint-colored.

"Nice necklace." He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin. I felt the need to look away to hide it.

"Thanks," I murmured, feeling no gratitude. "I'm not on duty." I wrapped my hands around my neck to hide it.

"No need to hide, you're new, aren't you? My name is Albedo," he said as he leaned across the table. "You have certainly raised the bar. I've never seen anyone so beautiful before."

"You frequent this place a lot, then." I leaned back to rest my back while staring at my empty glass as if I could fill it with my mind.

"Not so much anymore," he laughed and called a waitress to refill it. "There are few people who catch my eye."

I finally turned to look at him and realized how close he was. I leaned back a little to create space between us and noticed the shiny device he wore as a pendant.

"You have a vision too?"

"Yes, a geo one, to be exact." He placed a finger on the table and formed a line, along which small orange rocks grew like flowers. "Just like your necklace. Beautiful, but a curse either way."

I couldn't help but look at him differently.

"Can you take it off me?" I ask, almost too quickly than I intended.

"Of course, there's nothing I know better than the geo element, but I'd like something in return, what do you say?"

He lifted my chin to look into my eyes for a moment, then gently slid his fingers down my neck. He frowned for a moment just as I felt Morax's presence upon me, but it soon disappeared.

"I can do it," he stated again. "It will be complicated, but with the help of alchemy and my vision, it will be possible."

"What do you want in return?"

"One night with me." He took my hands to help me up. "Come to my house and I'll help you."

I was so focused on the opportunity to take this off that I barely noticed the shadow behind Albedo until they pulled him hard against them. They grabbed his hood to pull him away from me and pushed him against the wall. In the light, I saw Diluc's red hair as he grabbed Albedo by his shoulders.

"If you value your life. Leave. Now." His voice turned into a growl; it was much more disturbing this time, nothing compared to how he spoke to his brother earlier.

Then he released him, Albedo simply brushed the nonexistent dust off his jacket before looking at me and leaving.

"It was a pleasure meeting you. My offer still stands."

Diluc didn't take his eyes off him until he walked out the front door, then immediately turned to me and grabbed my arm tightly, his grip frightening me.

"Come with me."

He pulled me forward even though I tried to pull away. I tried to wriggle free, but it was like an iron grip on my arm, and it didn't matter what I said. I complained loudly until we reached his office, where he finally let go and sat down on top of his desk, his face taking on a hard-to-read expression.

"Don't go near Albedo. Ever."

Chapter Text

"Don't go near Albedo. Ever."

"That boy? He hasn't done anything to me, he's barely touched me, unlike Kaeya." I crossed my arms, frowning.

"I know, and he'll treat you like the fucking Seelie princess if it takes you to get into his lab... I've lost so many girls because of him." He looked down, sighing. "I wish I could kill him." He watched as his hands began to redden and burn, but clenched his fists. "But Jean... I can't mess with her. He's part of her entourage."

An aura of sadness fell over him as the smoke from his hands rose to the ceiling, reminding me of the smell of tobacco in the office. Then that Albedo guy had tried to trick me so I could go with him, but he was supposed to want to help me. Could that be true? Could I free myself from Morax's curse?

If Diluc's words were sincere, it was all a trick I'd fallen for, and trying to regain my freedom would have ended in death. I couldn't stop my mind from imagining several girls going with him to his house to end up drugged or even worse, and my blood started to burn. I was being naive.

"Are you seriously letting someone like that inside?" I looked at the floor.

"I don't let anyone near him. And Albedo keeps coming back to drink, so at least he gives me money. I didn't know he was coming tonight."

"Do you care more about money than other people's lives?" I couldn't help but raise my voice. "What am I saying? Of course you do."

"Calm down." Seeing his tall stature as he stood up from the table, my feet took a couple of steps back. "You're not going to tell me what I can or can't do... You seemed pretty comfortable with him. Did he do this to you?"

As he reached up to touch the necklace, I instinctively stepped back, covering it with my hand as I felt my heart pounding angrily.

"Don't pretend to worry about me. You let drunk men abuse desperate girls and provoke fights among themselves." I moved my hand to lift the cloak so he could see the still-bleeding cut, not caring. "All you see is money, you don't care what's going on out..."

Diluc moved too quickly. In a breath, my back was against the wall, and his arm blocked my escape path to the office door. His body leaned toward me, closing the space between us as I let out a startled gasp. My eyes immediately dropped from his to his chest to avoid seeing his stoic expression.

"You're making a huge mistake," he whispered. "What do you think I did as soon as I left you with Kaeya? I went straight to Rosaria to give her a warning. So don't annoy me and let me do my job."

I raised my gaze to see his furrowed eyes, red as rubies and peering into my soul as if he could read all my secrets. His expression was frighteningly calm for a second. Then he smiled.

"I remind you that you work for me, so it'll be easier if you just follow my orders." He gently held my chin to maintain my gaze, but a distinct pain in my nape took my full attention and I pulled his hand away.

"No... Don't touch me."

Diluc stepped away, letting me breathe. I put some distance between us as I tried to catch my breath after Morax had made his presence present in my body.

"Okay, as you wish. I'll let you cool off a bit, but the night isn't over, so when I get back, I want you out there. Understood?"

"Making out with a drunken stranger, for example?" I crossed my arms.

"No. You'll be a waitress for the rest of the night, no one needs to touch you; you'll know how to do that, right?"

"Of course."

I waited a few seconds for Diluc to leave before sitting down on the couch. I fidgeted with the collar with a soft groan and let my body rest, lying down. The pressure on my neck wouldn't go away; it was like a hand squeezing harder and harder, but allowing me to breathe to continue to live this torment.

Go, get some information.

I didn't want to, I just wanted to get out.

I tried to move as quickly as possible. I grabbed a black coat with patches of animal fur. I assumed it was Diluc's coat, and I almost melted at the warmth. The smell of burning wood filled my nose as I hugged myself, enjoying the pleasant sensation more than I thought. Morax's confusion crossed my mind before it turned to anger when he realized what I wanted to do. I tried to ignore him as I approached the door, but when I tried to open it, I found it locked. I pressed my lips together; the bastard must have locked me in so he could get me out himself and guide me to my post later, but I wasn't going back.

There was a window, so I carefully opened it and peered out to see my surroundings. In front of me was a house and beyond it the city walls. I was on the second floor, and looking down gave me a feeling of vertigo at the thought of escaping. I felt like I was in a movie when I saw a vine next to the window reaching the roof from a pot in the alley.

Carefully, after buttoning my coat, I swung one leg over and then the other. Once I was sitting on the windowsill, I grabbed the best possible grip on several branches and, taking a deep breath, jumped.

I knew it would be tricky, but I could never have been prepared enough to feel how my entire body had to be supported by my hands. I immediately felt a burning sensation as I slid down, and my grip was lost after a few seconds. I pressed my feet against the wall to support my weight a little more. I barely had time to think, and when the window was already a couple of meters above me, I fell. I didn't even scream before my ass fell to the ground and a wave of pain ran through my body. Tears sprang to my eyes, but at least I was out, and I had to get away from that place.

Diluc's voice sounded higher up.

"Where is she?!"

My heart raced even faster. I looked around and crawled to a corner below the second floor of the brothel, covering my mouth to silence my whimpers. My ass hurt like hell, but I'd had similar falls in the past. Thanks to Diluc's long coat, I had no injuries. I carefully touched it to confirm and jumped in shock when I heard the window I'd come out of slam shut.

His next stop would be the alley I was hiding in, next to the back entrance of the place, so I got up with some effort and ran out of there.

At the main entrance, there were people outside having a drink or smoking. I stopped dead in my tracks for a moment before leaving the alley, but realized the main street was the only way I could go, so I walked by the group of men without stopping.

"Hey, that's the whore who was with Kaeya and Albedo just now."

"She seems to be into some hard stuff. Hey, babe! Want some extra money?"

A few footsteps behind me, approaching, were all it took to make me run, regardless of the icy wind that crashed against me.

They kept calling me as I ducked between two buildings. I had no idea where I was going, and that became clear when I couldn't find an exit elsewhere; the alley only led to a small area with crates of straw wagons.

"You like playing hard to get?"

I turned to see the silhouettes of men on the same street. They laughed among themselves as I took steps back, terrified and in pain. I waited for a force to take hold of me, to fight back, to defend myself, but I found nothing. I was defenseless.

"This way!"

A voice behind me caught my attention. I could only see his silhouette due to the dim light in the area, but he was reaching out a hand toward me, perched on top of a small wall that separated this alley from another area. Without thinking, I grabbed it and he pulled me forward.

Chapter Text

A voice behind me caught my attention. I could only see his silhouette due to the dim lighting in the area. He was holding out a hand toward me, perched on top of a small wall that separated this alley from another area. Without thinking, I grabbed it and he pulled me along.

"Get her!" another of the men shouted.

"Let's go," the helping hand whispered.

From my savior's tone of voice, I knew he was young. He helped me down the wall, and we ran again, knowing the group would catch us if they knew the city. I followed him until we reached another street, this time with no one around.

"Thank you," I admitted between breaths, and I meant it.

"It's 1,500 mora."

And all my gratitude went out the window. Was there no one decent soul in this damned city?

"I don't have any money."

I had my coat buttoned up, yet I tried to pull it closer even tighter. He approached me, and I immediately raised my fists to hit him. As he approached, I could see the glint of aviator sunglasses on his head and his white-blond hair. His green eyes focused on my raised hands, and when I was too close, I threw my fist to hit him. He dodged my hand and advanced on me. I tried to push him away as he reached into my coat pockets, pulling out a small bag that sounded like it had quite a few coins inside. He moved away as quickly as he approached and stuffed the sack into his bag. Then I realized he had a vision, red just like Diluc's, but my attention was focused on the knife he pulled out.

"Wait, wait!" I raised my hands in surrender. "This coat isn't mine. I didn't know what was in the pockets."

After a few brief seconds of staring at the coat, he pointed at it with his chin.

"Give me the coat, come on."

"Okay, okay."

My hands trembled as I carefully opened the coat. The guy saw that underneath I was wearing nothing but the lingerie set the crazy vampire woman had picked out. That's when he placed his hands on mine.

"Alright," he whispered with a sigh. "Keep it, you need it more than I do."

"Thanks," I said immediately, relieved but still nervous. "Keep the money. I don't care, I just want to cover up."

"Fine."

He left before I could say anything else. I tried to get some warmth by rubbing my hands and arms together, but my legs felt frozen. I didn't know where to go. Some noises nearby made my heart race. I found some boxes in a small space under a tall building and a space there for myself so I tried to curl up into a ball, hiding my head between my legs while leaning my back against the wall. At this point, I didn't care about the cobwebs in the corners of my cubicle. As long as no one found me here, I was fine.

My ears started ringing just as the adrenaline was leaving my body. Sleep and exhaustion took over, and I could only close my eyes. I tried to ignore Morax in my head. I was so tired that I just wanted to sleep and let my body rest. However, that was my downfall, as on the verge of sleep, I barely heard footsteps approaching me.

My eyes remained closed until someone moved the boxes hiding me. I jumped at the noise, and when I turned around, I found myself face to face with Albedo's worried eyes. I don't know what scared me more, his appearance or what Diluc told me about him.

"Good heavens! You're the girl from Diluc's tavern." He knelt beside me and took off his jacket, offering it to me. "What happened to you?"

I barely had any strength left; I just wanted him to go away and leave me alone.

"Nothing. I don't want it." I tried to push his hand away.

"Come on. Don't be like that... You can trust me."

"Leave me alone"

I was so focused on the jacket that I didn't notice what his other hand was doing. And when I realized, something had already poked my neck.

I couldn't scream. My hands moved to his, but it was as if everything was in slow motion. He simply moved the now empty syringe aside and placed his hand behind my head. I tried to hit him, but my body failed me. He simply pulled me closer to rest my head on his chest and hug me. My hands pressed against his chest but eventually fell into my lap, just like my eyelids.

"Shh... Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

• • • • • • •

I don't remember much from then on. I woke up in a brightly lit white room. For a moment, I thought I was in the hospital, that it had all been a horrible nightmare.

However, it was strange to find a nurse with green hair and ears.
The girl looked closely; I could barely make out any features of her face as she touched mine. She pressed against my cheek, eliciting a small hum from me to confirm I was awake.

I opened my lips to speak, but I couldn't form anything. As soon as she came, she disappeared from my field of vision. I wanted to turn my head to follow her, but it was impossible when I felt a grip on my forehead and head.

I blinked and regained some consciousness, enough to see my surroundings and make out the metallic walls, stained with blood like the ceiling from which a bright light hung. I immediately tried but noticed the same bindings holding my head in place were also holding my wrists and other parts of my body. Terror coursed through me as the girl returned with another person, Albedo.

"From the moment I saw you," he commented as he brought some kind of cart. "I knew there was something strange about you... So much geo element but no vision."

The nurse approached him to whisper something.

"Thanks, Sucrose." He turned topet her head as if she were a dog. She smiled. "How about you give me some hydro and electro flasks and stop bothering me?"

She nodded and left for a few seconds. She soon returned to put something in the cart and stood next to the wall, arms behind her back, facing forward.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, Albedo was at my side.

"I wonder how someone is able to achieve something like that."

He pressed a button, and the bed I was laying on slowly raised my upper body, allowing him to get better access. I looked down to see straps bonding my wrists, waist, legs, and feet to the metal bed. I wasn't wearing Diluc's lingerie, but a white gown buttoned across my chest. Albedo held a small, glowing purple bottle. I barely resisted as he stroked my neck with his other hand, feeling the rocks on my neck.

Then I felt anger, a tremendous anger that stirred my entire body. Anger that made my hands tremble as I felt the leathery texture of his glove slide down my neck, touching my jaw with amusement.

Albedo suddenly pulled his hand away and frowned, then I saw horror in his expression. Glowing yellow rocks were spreading out from his gloved fingers, just like the ones Morax conjured around my neck, the ones he was touching a second ago. He took off his glove as quickly as possible and threw it to the ground before the curse could reach him, the rocks landed and scattered across the marble floor as if it was a plague.

The nurse approached, frightened.

"Master Albedo!" she shouted and grabbed the purple potion, throwing it to the ground.

Upon impact, the flask shattered, and the liquid inside splashed onto the glove and surrounding area, the rocks began to fragment and lose their shine at the contact.

"What was that?" he asked, massaging his chin. He looked back at me, bringing his other gloved hand to my neck but not quite touching it. "That was close. It feels like... It's pure geo power." He pulled his hand away as if it burned. "Something only the archon could do."

He frowned. His nurse, Sucrose, rushed over, a scalpel in her hand that made me try to struggle against my restraints again.

"Master? The geo archon?! That means she's a spy!" she exclaimed. "Shouldn't we kill her?"

"I don't need your opinion, nor have I given you permission to speak or move. Let me think."

Albedo looked up at her for a few seconds before picking up a piece of dead rock from the ground, touching it between her fingers as the nurse returned to her place on the wall.

"Incredible," he smiled. The stone barely had a shine, but in his hands it seemed to regain its power. His geovision at his chest also shone brightly as if powering it. "I wonder how it will feel with all the power in my hands." He turned to approach me. "Sucrose, come here."

Finally finding my words, I tried to shake my head as he grabbed a pair of pliers.

"Stay back."

Sucrose had approached me as well. She carefully used an eyedropper to drip a bit of the same potion onto me. My vision turned red. All I could feel was pain and fear, as if claws were tearing at my vocal cords. I screamed like I'd never screamed before, all I could think about was making this stop by any means necessary. I couldn't even feel Morax's panic inside me about the pain I was feeling.

• • • • • • •

I was so tired I could barely open my eyes, and when I did, my vision was blurred. I couldn't feel anything in my body, not even my fingers or lips.

• • • • • • •

The sounds were distant, but close behind me, I made out the silhouette of Albedo talking to someone, taller than him and darker. This figure then approached me, and I soon recognized Kaeya. His voice was so far away, my eyes couldn't hold it any longer and closed again.

"It's over. You're coming with me."

Chapter Text

The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself in an unknown room. This time it was warm, the closed curtains letting in a bit of daylight in. In front of the bed, there was an unlit fireplace, next to me a chair covered in clothes, and on either side of the double bed were wooden tables. Painfully, I raised my torso, trying to get out of bed. It was as if my body was asleep, and every movement hurt like a thousand needles stabbing me. I let out a moan that I immediately silenced.

I didn't want to make a sound; I didn't know where I was or who had brought me here. So I was careful with how my feet touched the wooden floor as I approached the chair, where a dress, was resting, and stockings, which I suppose were better than the nightgown I was wearing.

I didn't notice the mirror until I saw myself. Last time I was wearing a lingerie set; now I was wearing a white nightgown that reached my thighs. My hair fell behind my back, combed and clean.

But I wasn't bothered by the thought that someone had bathed me while I was unconscious. My attention was focused on my neck, now wrapped in bandages, and then I realized how much peace I felt. I was worried and terrified, yes, but I no longer had the feeling that someone was watching me or was behind me at all times.

As I touched the bandage, a sharp pain made me pull my hand back with a groan. With more care, I felt the rocks no longer there, and in their place a healing wound. Memories of Albedo's lab flooded back, but I could barely recap what had happened. This meant he'd done it. He lifted Morax's curse.

I changed my clothes and put on some boots that were near the door. However, before leaving, I approached the window to get a glimpse of where I might be, but I didn't see the city of Mondstadt anywhere; instead, I was in some kind of grape farm, a vineyard.

I didn't go outside without a weapon; I didn't know if Albedo would be around to continue his horrible experiments, so I grabbed the fireplace poker with both hands, ready to attack whoever approached me.

I looked up and down the hallway before entering the hallway, which could only belong to a mansion. To my right, there were three more closed doors, and at the end of the hallway, a lamp and window. And to my left, an opening to a larger room. On the floor, there was a long rug that stretched from the window to beyond the room, so I had no problem keeping my footsteps silent.

I thought this was Albedo's house, but a painting made me question my hypothesis. It looked like a family, the man and one of the children had bright red hair, and the other had blue hair and a dark complexion.
"How are you?"

A voice startled me. I spun around as quickly as I could, raising the poker to attack my assailant, but he grabbed my wrist to stop me.

"Is that how you say good morning?" Kaeya loosened his grip, but he was wary as he looked at me with a raised eyebrow. My chest heaved with rapid breaths as I recovered from the shock.

"I thought I was at Albedo's house," I admitted as Kaeya guided my hand to my side to release the metal stick. "Sorry... and thank you for getting me out."

"Albedo wanted to kill you after he extracted those rocks from you." He put the poker aside before walking to some stairs, motioning for me to follow, and putting his hands in his pocket. "You're a spy for the Geo Archon, aren't you?"

"No, no," I said immediately. "He forced me."

The stairs led to a fairly large living room, which also served as a dining area. On the table was what looked like breakfast, with some eggs, meat, and tea. My stomach growled the instant the smell entered my nostrils. Morax was no longer stalking me, but something told me I should get out of that house as soon as possible.

Kaeya approached me, and when I saw his hands raised towards me, I kept my distance. However, he insisted, pulling me closer.

"Shh, let me see." He moved the hair away from my neck to inspect the bandages, but without warning, his hand clasped my neck tightly, drawing a whimper from me as he squeezed my wounds. He smiled. "You know I can imprison you right now, right? A spy from Liyue, willingly or not; a prostitute fleeing her master on the streets; Thief... Now I understand a lot of things."

"What do you want?" I frowned.

"Answers." His grip moved from my neck to my wrist and forced me onto the table. He pressed my hand hard on the table and trapped me against it. I tried to push him with all my might.

"What the fuck are you doing?! Let me go!"

He pulled out a knife. I screamed when I saw the tip pointing at my hand pressed against the table. Suddenly, he stabbed it into the wood, inches from my skin. Any closer and he would have pinned my hand to the floor. Seeing the knife, I spotted the dagger Childe gave me and Diluc took from me at the brothel.

Tears filled my eyes. Kaeya maintained his grip and leaned against the table, trapping me even more.

"This dagger is from Snezhnaya. Where did you get it?"

"From a friend," I said trying to keep my voice strong.

“A friend… A Fatui, perhaps? You surprise me more and more. But I highly doubt you’re one of them.” He leaned even closer to me, causing me to lean down under his weight.

“Let me go, you crazy bastard!” I used all my strength to stand.

“Relax. You just have to tell me where their base is. Why would anyone give this kind of weapon to someone like you? Did you steal it?” I could feel his breath against my shoulder. “We can play this game as long as you like, or you can answer my questions.” He placed his lips on my shoulder, pulling the collar of my shirt to kiss my skin, and smiled when I shuddered. “Why would Archon Morax have possession of a whore like you?”

My free hand touched something hard, barely processing what I’d achieved and slammed the object into Kaeya’s head with all the strength I had. Something cracked and exploded into pieces, and he jerked away with a groan, clutching his head before he fell. I took a deep breath and grabbed the dagger to yank it off the table.

I didn't wait for him to recover; I ran out the front door and didn't stop. I didn't even look back when I heard people shouting. Vineyard workers stopped their work to look at me, but they did nothing. I never let go of the dagger as I ran through the grape fields and headed into the woods, away from the path and trails where people might be.

I didn't know how long I ran, but when I stopped hearing the shouts and footsteps, I finally slowed down to breathe. My lungs burned, and every breath hurt, making my throat drier and drier, but I had to relax to think clearly.

I continued walking for I don't know how much longer. I rounded a cliff, but the forest only grew darker and darker, even though it was morning. I swore the atmosphere was even heavier and colder, and I stopped seeing more and more animals. Everything here was dead.

Then, footsteps, frantic footsteps, headed in my direction. I barely had time to turn around before someone knocked me to the ground and covered my mouth. His body was heavy on me as I tried to scream and bite his gloved hand. I moved to use the dagger, but my attacker twisted my body so I was exposed to him, pressing my arm against the ground as I tried to wriggle free. He wore a hood hiding his face, but with a neck move, he removed it, revealing his orange hair and blue eyes, looking at me with concern.

Childe.

Chapter Text

Childe gently released my arm when he saw I'd stopped resisting and made a gesture of silence, placing his finger to his lips and pointing at the forest as he got off of me, staring straight ahead at the one walking by.

We both crouched down to see a small clearing where a path led, decorated with bright blue berries growing from flowers near the trees. I looked at Childe in confusion, but then a huge monster appeared practically out of nowhere. I had to stifle my surprise when I saw the giant with black skin and a mane of the same color. He had pure red symbols tattooed on his arms. He must have been about three meters tall and made of pure muscle. I tried to find his face, but a tribal mask prevented me from doing so. The monster looked around, and I couldn't help but crouch down as if he could see us through the leaves.

A little while later, he left, walking along the path and stepping on the berries that had fallen from the bushes. Childe moved carefully but held his position. He didn't relax until a minute had passed.

"That was near..." he finally sighed.

"Childe."

I looked at him as if I were looking at a ghost, and in a way I was. The last time I saw him, he was being attacked by guards. I thought he was dead, but he survived.

"Are you okay?" he asked, helping me up. "Your neck."

"Yes... Yes, I'm fine. What are you doing here? How are you?"

"I came looking for you. I managed to get out of Liyue a few hours ago. I was worried sick about you. I left you alone and without help... I'm sorry. But I'm glad to know you've sorted that out."

We started walking. Childe led me a canteen, which I drank down. At his side, I let my guard down and decided to follow him, happy to see him again.

"What happened to you?" He pointed at my neck. I touched it gently and took a deep breath.

"Too many things. But I'll be fine. Honest," I insisted, seeing his furrowed brows. "I just want to get out of this place as soon as possible."

"Yeah, alright. We have to move. Rex Lapis probably sent someone to kill us both. We have to move to Sumeru. We'll go to the port of Mondstadt and from there we'll get a ship."

We arrived at a camp some time later. Childe finally put away the bow he'd been carrying the whole way and sat down.

"I'm back."

Three other men looked up. They were wearing long black coats and masks covering their eyes.

"Is that her?"

"Yes."

A young man with black hair stood up with a faint smile. "I heard you had trouble in the city. I should have been there to protect you. I'm sorry."

I frowned.

"Do you know?"

"Rumors travel fast. They're looking for you. And we also know roughly what happened to your neck."

Childe handed me a skewer with a fish stuck on it.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through this. I don't know how you're still alive. The Fatui will protect you from now on. Here, you must be hungry."

"Thank you."

Another man with blue details on his vest leaned toward me. "How's your neck?"

"Better. I was asleep when they took it." I began to eat heartily. "It was some kind of connection to Morax. A way of ensuring I kept the contract."

Childe took a breath.

"He put a curse on you. Yes... I've seen him do it more than once in the past. What did he want you to do?"

"Steal something. The heart of this country's archon."

"The anemo gnosis," the brunette in the group confirmed.

"He wants to free the Archon Barbatos," Childe said, and I nodded. "Fuck... I thought so. He was asking me about Jean's movements in the city. I suppose you might have had a chance if you weren't so influenced by her power."

The raven-haired man noticed my expression.

"It's Grand Master Jean," he explained. "Mondstadt revolted against Barbatos years ago, and she stole the gnosis. Nowadays, she keeps it with her at all times, and... I'm afraid it wouldn't be possible to take it away from her without killing her. She's the ruler of Mondstadt, but she's not the archon. She's still just human."

“The gnosis is a tool,” Childe continued, handing me a second fish. “A treasure that grants the archon the power necessary to rule their nation. The problem is that Jean, a mere human with an anemo vision, stole the gnosis from Archon Barbaros during a battle and imprisoned him. They were going to destroy the gnosis, according to my sources, so Barbaros would become even weaker. But… Jean likes power. She was invincible. She is invincible.”

“And can’t the same be done to Morax?”

“Morax has already won his battle. Barbatos, on the other hand, was at war with the people of his nation, a rebellion. Morax wouldn’t allow that, and he has his adeptus. And Stormterror, Barbatos’s dragon, died many years ago, so he was alone.”

Brunette stood up when I finished the second fish, finally satisfied.

"I'm afraid Barbatos isn't being held back, but contained. Jean and his people exiled him to an island with the help of alchemy. And without gnosis, he can do nothing but drown if he tries to escape. That, and cause storms."

"That's why we need to leave Monstadt as soon as possible," Childe said as he packed up the camp. "And Morax wants your head, so we won't even set foot in Liyue."

• • • • • • •

"Do you want water?"

I nodded quickly, carefully bending down so I could scoop water from the river with my canteen.

We'd been walking for half a day, just finished lunch and continuing on our way. I drank while Childe and the man with the blue details poured water on his hair and neck, trying to cool off a little.

A shiver ran through my body, and I felt my skin prickling.

I looked behind me, into the forest, getting up to search through the trees and bushes, trying to find something.

I wasn't the only one who noticed. Childe, beside me, summoned two water swords and stood in front of me. He shushed loudly for the others to shut up and pay attention.

Silence fell between us; we only heard the water of the river and the sound of the wind, and my heart raced.

A whizzing noise, and then an arrow struck Bluecoat right in the forehead, barely giving anyone time to react. I remember screaming as I saw the fatui's body fall into the river. It wasn't deep, so the water just continued flowing over him as if nothing had happened, carrying his blood.

As we started moving, a large number of blue threads appeared out of nowhere, running across the area like a spider's web. The threads tightened, and magic caused them to wrap around us, binding our arms and legs. Panic quickly made me pull on the threads, but they were so thin and incredibly strong that they sank into my skin. Childe cut them easily with his daggers. I turned to see him pull hard on the ends of the threads, tracing their origin in the forest.

And its source suddenly appeared. A woman with short, dark hair became visible out of nowhere. She was pulled by the threads emerging from her hands, but she immediately corrected her position by drawing her bow. Childe did the same. From my limited knowledge, it was water against water. I recognized the woman from the same one who had been on Morax's terrace after I'd been captured the second time.

I tried to grab the dagger from my belt to cut the ropes while the other two Fatui did the same. I fell into the water with a groan as Childe and the woman took cover against each other. As I got wet, my limbs freed themselves, and effortlessly, the threads unraveled around me. I raised my head to see how the water was the cause of it. Being threads of the water element, they vanished into their own element.

"Go to the water!" I shouted to the other two Fatui, who were on the shore.

I looked around, dagger in hand. Childe searched for the woman with his bow raised, while his companions tried to approach the river. But something went wrong. The threads around my companion tightened so much that, before Brunette reached the water, they cut through flesh.

Like a piece of chicken, the threads pierced Brunette's legs completely. There was a moment of silence before screams filled the forest. Black-haired man dove into the water in fear, and Childe threw his body over the threads that had severed Brunette's legs to grab them before they disappeared and find the invisible woman.

I ran to his aid. Black-haired man and I grabbed the wounded man's arms to drag him into the water as he screamed in pain. I couldn't stop staring at his legs. His calves had remained on the grass, dripping blood onto it while the blood from Brunette's thighs flowed downstream.

I heard another scream, this time behind me. As I turned around, I saw our attacker in the river near us being electrocuted. I immediately moved away from her along with Black-haired. Childe was on the other side of the river, holding the wires tightly and somehow electrocuting them.

She fell into the river. I heard a name behind me, what I assumed was Brunette's name. Black-haired was crying over the death of his friend and comrade, who wasn't moving anymore, while Childe gave him orders in a tone I hadn't heard from him before, completely desperate and harsh. I got as far away from her as I could, but she regained consciousness quickly. As I approached Childe, she threw an ice potion at his legs, forming crystals that trapped him to the ground.

Chapter Text

I felt a tub, Black-haired dragged me back into the river to run while Childe tried to break free from his prison. As we ran, I turned my head to see Childe trapped, but I didn't see the woman anywhere; where her unconscious body lay, there was nothing now. Childe pointed from his position behind me, but it was too late.

Someone grabbed me, but this time she picked me up and placed me on her shoulder with incredible strength. A strange blue aura enveloped us as she ran faster and faster, moving away from the river. I was barely able to scream.

I gripped my dagger tightly and plunged it into the woman's back, barely hesitating. She screamed and fell to the side, taking me with her down a small hill. We both rolled for a few seconds and finally reached the bottom of the slope, hurt.

I was in pain, but as soon as I saw the dagger on the ground, I crawled to pick it up. I caught the woman getting up with a grunt and glaring at me before summoning her bow again. She aimed at me but froze when she saw where we'd landed, between two tribal huts.

She turned around just as a head poked out curiously. A monster's mask glared at us, shouting to warn its companions. She cursed and made a move in my direction to bind my arms before turning to the monsters and killing them. I tried to use Childe's dagger to cut them down, but it was impossible to do so without water.

A noise next to me caught my attention. I saw one of those monsters approaching me, its head tilted. It carried a spear that it used to support itself as it walked. It followed me as my body tried to drag itself away from the creature, or whatever it was.

"Stay back. No!" My back hit the wall of one of the cabins, and the monster was on top of me. I screamed as I felt its claws on my legs, lifting my dress as I tried to kick it away. Then it gripped my thigh tightly to stop me. Its hands were ice-cold, its skin rough as leather, and like a zombie, it slightly pushed back its mask to open its disgusting mouth; its sharp teeth were stained with blood and black liquid, just like its lips and chin, and its tongue was a dark greenish color.

I panicked when it brought its mouth close to my stocking-covered thigh. I screamed even louder and bucked harder against the strings, reaching the point where I was sure the thin strings were cutting me, but I couldn't think of anything else. It opened its jaws as it dug its claws into my leg, ready to take a bite out of my flesh. "No, no, no! Help!" I continued to scream.

Then the monster let out a guttural sound before falling on top of me, an arrow lodged in the back of its head, and my kidnapper behind it, her bow still raised, blood dripping from her arm and forehead as she gasped for air.

I turned it around in complete disgust, letting the body fall to the side. Before I could move away, the woman grabbed me and lifted me in the air for a few seconds before throwing me back to the ground. My body hit the ground, cutting off my air.

"Enough." She stood on top of me, grabbing my hair. Before I could say anything, she slammed my head hard into the ground. "I should have killed you with the others. But Rex Lapis wants you alive, for some reason." She hit me again. "Though he didn't say anything about you being unharmed."

I could hear every blow inside my head, sand digging into my forehead, though I had to thank any god who could listen to me that it wasn't hard rock.

She fell silent suddenly, just as I felt her weight disappear from my back. The ropes disappeared from my arms and legs, but I barely moved. My vision was obscured, and I struggled to think beyond the pain in my head. I finally turned around to see the woman in the air being strangled by another figure.

Diluc's red hair whipped around in the air as the woman tried to defend herself, clawing at his face in vain. The man's arms were too long. He held his position until she finally lost consciousness. Through the clouds of confusion and darkness that blinded me, I saw him discard the body, letting her fall to the ground.

"Let's go."

My whole body began to shake. I returned my gaze from the woman to Diluc, whose expression was unreadable. This time, he was carrying a giant sword slung across his back. He extended his hand. "More will come. Let's go." He had easily killed a Morax soldier, what would he do to me?

I swallowed and shook my head, getting up as quickly as possible so I was roughly at eye level with him. Diluc raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

Then we heard a shout from up the hill. "Stop!"

The next second, Diluc was at my side, holding my shoulders to pull me towards him. I saw Childe running in our direction before we were both engulfed in flames of fire. Instinctively, I held onto Diluc tightly, praying he wouldn't let go or push me into the flames, but he didn't loosen his grip. Our bodies were covered in heat and light. I looked at Diluc for his reaction, but he was calm, though alert. I noticed flames coming out of his back. They were wings of fire.

I had barely recovered from my shock when we rose into the air. Diluc moved to leave the ground, now hugging me, the air leaving my lungs as my feet left the ground. We were attacked by water arrows, and one of them hit Diluc. We hadn't gained enough height, so we both fell. I rolled on the ground, far from Diluc's arms, and Childe came to my aid. "I'll hold him back, trust me, go!"

At first, I didn't think so. When I saw Diluc get up with his sword, I ran as fast as I could. But I stopped afterward, feeling a hint of guilt leaving him alone. When I turned around, I saw fire fighting water in the distance. I had to trust him; I was sure he'd make it.

But I wasn't going to be there to find out.
• • • • • • •

I didn't know exactly how long I'd been walking. I followed paths and the signs to Dornman Port, avoiding people and merchants, as well as monsters, both humanoid and others straight out of a fantasy horror novel.

Who knew how many times I could have died one way or another? Every second I regretted having gotten myself into this madness, having entered that damned abandoned building. Now I didn't know if I was even going to return; I was simply being guided by Childe and the Fatui to where they wanted.

I ate fruit from the trees and water from any stream I came across. At every sound, I drew my dagger and got off the roads, more than once I saw merchants carrying their wares in carts with some escorts, some even carrying a floating winged slime instead of using wheels.

Although I had to admit that this world also had its beautiful things. As I stopped to drink from a river, a bright blue butterfly landed on my hands to drink as well. Although it wasn't an ordinary butterfly, its wings were quite large and its body seemed made of glass. It flapped them and drank a little from my hand before leaving.

A water slime emerged from the surface, but this time I was prepared. I immediately stepped back and grabbed a flower I saw before that was freezing the water. I threw it at the monster and the slime froze just like the water beneath it. I didn't wait for its friends to come by so I ran downstream.

As I passed through some trees and left the forest, I could finally see the immensity of the sea. The sand was fine beneath my feet, and the sea breeze hit me gently. In the distance, I saw some boats approaching. I followed them with my eyes and then finally found the port.

Chapter Text

In this world, I hadn't been among so many people. The port was bustling with life, with so many trading opportunities around. The presence of children running around kind of helped me relax, unlike in the capital city. It was also daytime, so there were no dark corners. The smell of fish was much stronger here, and seagull-like creatures circled boats trying to steal food. I looked around as I approached the dock.

"How long do you think it will take us to get to Sumeru?" someone asked, getting my attention. "With that storm... and pirates? They don't pay us enough."

I approached a pair of sailors who were loading things onto a ship. "Last time it didn't take us long, two days," the other replied. "But that was because Barbatos was quiet for some reason; normally it's four."

I tried to get closer, but someone placed a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and turned to see a woman with a basket.

"Miss! Do you want some apples?"

"Uh, no, thank you."

"Are you sure? They're top quality."

"I just don't have any money," I quickly informed her. "Thanks again."

"I should have started there," she grumbled and left, continuing on her way. I returned to the couple, who were still loading crates, but their conversation had ended. I moved toward the merchandise to look for a way to infiltrate. Some of the crates were big enough for me to fit inside.

Four days wasn't that long; I just needed a little food and water. I could hide and steal food from time to time.

It was a crazy plan.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of soldiers approaching the woman with the apples. I looked up to see them asking her something, and she pointed to the spot where she'd spoken to me. The soldiers looked at my old position and marched toward it. They were looking for me.

I barely had time to react. I grabbed a crate and saw that it was full of water bottles. I started throwing them into the sea to make them sink, but I didn't throw them all, just enough to fit my body inside. I carefully grabbed the lid as I got into the crate and curled into a ball inside. I settled among the bottles carefully and tried to relax. Just in time, the soldiers arrived; I took out my dagger just as a precaution.

I heard the guards talking to them about me. They hadn't seen me yet, but they were looking for me. Probably for Kaeya.

They nailed the lid of the crate I was in shut. I couldn't stop my heart as I tried to control my breathing. I was afraid they'd discover either the bottles or the shift in weight in the crate, but the workers carried me without a problem. I had to hold onto the sides of the crate to keep from moving too much as the bottles rattled against each other.

They left me in a dark place; the spaces between the wooden planks made it hard to see where I was, so I tried to make a hole with the tip of my dagger to see outside. It looked like some kind of storage room.

"Have you ever seen the Archon Dendro?" asked a sailor who had left another crate.

"No, she rarely leaves her palace. Just focus on your work."

I felt the ship rock from side to side, rested my head on my knees while listening to voices above, and soon the wind took the ship, taking us deeper into the ocean and further away from the mainland. As I looked through the porthole, all I could think and pray was that Childe was okay. I hoped to find him inside Sumeru in a few days.

I also hoped for calm waters, but that wasn't the case. After a few hours at sea, a gust of wind suddenly hit the ship, shifting all the crates in the storage room, even mine. I braced myself against the walls of the box before leaning forward to see the other side. I could see a small porthole through which the sky was blackened by clouds.

More wind battered the ship. Up above, the sailors were shouting among themselves, but I could barely make out any words other than "hurricane."

"Barbatos," I whispered.

Everything around me was moving; I even hit one of the walls. I screamed, thinking that somehow, I would end up crushed or thrown overboard. I gripped my dagger tightly to pry the lid open. Slowly, it opened enough for me to open more easily with my bare hands, but I remained trapped inside the box.

The sailors struggled, and I heard thunder and shouts, but no one came to my hiding place. For now, I had to trust that it wasn't going to sink the ship.

I wondered then if it was possible that Barbatos had recognized my presence or if this was merely a coincidence. Could even archons communicate with each other?

It took another four or five hours to get us away from that storm. I felt like throwing up and was mustering all my energy to avoid it. Little by little, the waters calmed and the sky turned blue again, leaving the clouds behind.

The staff came to check everything was okay, put the crates back in place, and even placed them on top of me, closing off my only exit again, making it much more difficult.

• • • • • • •

I woke up when I heard the ship rumble, shouts and orders coming from above. I tried to see what was happening, but the sound of a cannon shot made me scream and move away, fully waking me up. I couldn't see anything because of the lack of vision in the hollow, and it was dark outside.

Thuds on the deck kept my chest on edge, as if several things were falling to the floor like in a storm, but this time the weather was calm.

And then, laughter. Deep, jocular laughter over the screams and groans of the sailors. Then I realized what was happening a few feet above me: pirates.

My luck was getting worse and worse. I tried to hit the box above me to knock it to the ground and get out of there, but footsteps made my body freeze. Little by little, I approached my window to see the visitor. He had giant arms and an exposed chest, paint decorating his face. Behind him, a young man with white hair and dark clothes accompanied him.

"What did these have?" the man asked.

"Cider, mostly. Water and other supplies of interest. We'll take it all."

To my surprise, it seemed to be the thin young man who was in charge. They began carrying away crates and other bags that were there without anyone stopping them. It was at that moment that I assumed they had killed the rest of the crew to steal their merchandise.

They carried me outside; I stayed completely still so they wouldn't discover me. I had no idea what they were going to do to me, but I had to get out of there as soon as possible.

Finally, they left me and other crates in their ship's warehouse. It smelled much worse; there was seaweed and even skulls that I didn't even want to pay attention to. The same people who had entered the warehouse stayed to inspect everything, opening the crates one by one.

My breathing quickened. With every movement the pirates made, my heart skipped a beat. I gripped the dagger tighter and tighter, ready to defend myself if necessary.

I was going to die; I'd had enough.

The footsteps were the loudest thing in the room, louder than the creaking of the wood as the ship rocked or the waves crashing against the hull. The sound of metal above me made me raise my head at the same time the lid of my box was removed, revealing me. I found myself face to face with the white-haired boy. His skin was pale, and his eyes were a deep red that somehow reminded me of Diluc, but he had sharper, more Asian features.

We both looked at each other, his in surprise and mine in fear.

Chapter Text

We both looked at each other, his in surprise and mine in fear.

"What's in that, Kazuha?" his companion asked.

He was silent for a moment. My hands trembled as I held the dagger. He looked at it for a moment, but then smiled slightly, signaling me to be quiet and winking at me.

"Same here. Bottles of cider," he lied before closing the box again. My heart was racing as he secured the nails.

When they left, I immediately tried to open it. I used the dagger as a crowbar again, but I couldn't get it to budge. I tried harder and harder, until I was hitting the lid with my fist, and it started to hurt.

I was done; I couldn't get out. That pirate had made sure of that. Thousands of thoughts kept my body trembling for I don't know how long. My throat felt dry even after drinking some water from the bottles I had with me.

I didn't know how much time had passed when footsteps were heard in the storage room. My gaze lifted before I bent down to check who had come, but I couldn't see anything.

The footsteps approached me before the person sat on the box, and my body jumped in fright.

"It must be hard not being able to move from that spot. You're scared, don't worry, I won't hurt you," the young man's voice from earlier crooned. "Besides, you need my help, admit it."

I couldn't get a word out when suddenly the edge of a sword pierced the box, just inches from my nose. I screamed as I felt the cold metal touch my skin. I swore it had even cut a few hairs on my forehead.

"Okay, okay. You win," I sighed heavily. "Don't tell anyone. Please."

"Why should I do that? You're a stowaway." He got off the box and began removing the nails. "Why shouldn't I take you to the captain right now?"

"I need to go to Sumeru," I explained when he finally opened the lid, revealing his laughing face.

"We're not going to Sumeru, honey. We're going to Inazuma. It's a bit far from here."

I stood up with difficulty after being stuck in that box for so long, looking around at the room where I was. It smelled awful, and I might have even seen a rat.

"Inazuma? Where is that?" I asked, raising my weapon in his direction.

"You don't know? Well, it's very, very far." He tilted his head slightly. He slowly approached me with the katana he'd used to open the box. With every step he took, my heart skipped a beat, but I held my ground despite the gentle movement of the floor. A breeze from the windows ran through my body, sending shivers down my neck. He laughed.

I moved as quickly as I could. He smiled as I lunged at him, dagger raised. Metal clashed with metal as he raised his katana to stop me.
I could see his grin as he slashed at me, catching my dagger and sliding its edge down before it reached my arm and shoulder. I moved far away, but my legs collided with a barrel, causing them to buckle and my body to lean on it. The sharp pain in my limb was recognized by my brain then, and my throat let out a faint whimper at the sight of my torn sleeve and blood staining the fabric.

However, I don't know how I did it, but my attacker's cheek was also bleeding, a shallow cut that surprised both him and me.

I tried to ignore the pain in my arm so I could swing my weapon and deliver another cut, but he gripped my arm tightly so I couldn't move it, dropping his sword in the process.

"Stupid girl," he snarled, using his other hand to check that I had indeed drawn blood.

His grip on my wrist tightened even more, his fingers turning white as I tried to jerk and kick away, but he was too close, and his body positioned between my legs. The discomfort soon turned to pain, along with the pain that flooded the rest of my arm.

Finally, with tears in my eyes, I gave in and dropped the dagger, which fell with a thud.

"Fuck you," I growled.

"That's better." He gripped my other wrist tightly as I struck him. "Stay still, or you'll hurt yourself more. Or worse, the people above will find out. And you don't want that, do you?"

"Why are you hiding me?"

"Because I have plans for you," he whispered, lifting my wrists. "And you better not resist, because your options are being used by the entire ship, killed by the captain, or being a good girl and staying with me until Inazuma."

Bile ran down my throat, and I was about to spit on his face. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Relax, I won't do anything to you. For now, I'll take you to my room." He pulled me down the barrel, but didn't let go of my wrist. I could feel the blood running down my arm, but I had other things to worry about.

Kazuha tied my hands in front of me and gathered his katana and the dagger into his pocket. However, he stopped dragging me down the stairs when he noticed my arm was still bleeding, staining the floor. He turned to me to check the state of the cuts on my forearm and shoulder, ripping the sleeve completely. A stifled cry escaped me when I saw that the wounds were deeper than I imagined. They didn't seem serious, but they weren't to be taken lightly either.

"That's what happens when you try to attack without having a fucking clue," Kazuha said quietly, using my own dagger to cut through a portion of my clothing and gain enough fabric to wrap around my arm, squeezing hard. "Don't resist, honey, you don't know how to fight. I could kill you right here and hunt a shark with your meat."

I simply frowned at him before he dragged me back. Fearfully, I climbed the stairs and we reached the deck.

It was nighttime, and the wind blew harder than I imagined, even though the ship wasn't rocking much. I was surprised by the incredible darkness that lurked. If it weren't for a few lights here and there coming from candles, I wouldn't have seen anything past my nose. My legs trembled at the thought that in some corner I couldn't see, someone was watching us.

Kazuha led me wherever he wanted, without asking or speaking to me. I didn't see anyone on the way to our destination, nor did I want to. Entering through a hall, we went down some stairs and finally arrived at a room. Large for a pirate ship, with a bed, wardrobe, trunk, and a fairly clean desk.

When he closed the door, I felt free to step away from him, but I didn't. I let him lead me to the trunk; it was too small a space for me, so I tried to argue, but when I opened it, I could see how it led to a small room, a kind of hiding place formed by an unused space on the ship.

"I used it to hide rum," he smiled before pushing me down.

"It smells awful in here."

"It's the rum." Carefully, I lowered myself into the space, and Kazuha joined me. He hunched over and used a hook from the ceiling to hang my restraints there. I pulled as soon as he let go. He laughed when I couldn't.

"I'll get you flowers if you want. You know, to give you a better view."

"Don't pretend you care about me," I said hatefully.

"Obviously, I will. I know what city girls like you like." He slid his hand up my leg to my thigh, gripping it tightly to pull me closer. "Though I'm afraid I can't do what your body wants," he whispered.

I spat at him, using all the saliva I could.

He stepped back, closing his eyes as he carefully wiped his nose and cheek with his hand. Then he looked at me with his crimson eyes; for a few seconds, he said nothing. And I regretted my actions.

"Well, that's it," he murmured. "I'll come back tomorrow. We'll see what you're up to when I get back."

Then he pushed himself out of the room with ease and closed the lid, allowing me to plunge into complete darkness.

Chapter Text

The next time I saw Kazuha was when he woke me up. I was so tired after what I'd been through and the journey that I only had to close my eyes to fall asleep. I didn't remember dreaming at all when I opened my eyes and saw Kazuha touching my face. He had a bottle of water in his hand and a faint smile on his face. I moved my head away from his hand with a jerk, my hair covering my face until Kazuha moved it away.

"Good morning, honey," he greeted. "I brought you some water, do you want it?"

I nodded, hoping I could also release my restraints. I could barely feel my arms, and my whole body felt damp and hot. He brought the bottle closer to me, and even though I could feel him laughing at me, I drank carefully, letting him tilt the bottle so I could drink.

"We'll be arriving in Inazuma in a few hours." He wiped my lips and chin as I frowned at him. "Are you hungry?"

I hadn't eaten much. The day before, I'd only eaten berries, and that had an effect on my stomach. At the mention of food, it rumbled loudly. Kazuha gave an amused smile.

"I see, too bad," he laughed and got out of the trunk.

"H-Hey!"

He closed the lid behind him, leaving me back in the darkness. This time, I wasn't sleepy, so the minutes turned into hours and felt like an eternity. I wanted to scream, thought about screaming. But I didn't know who would hear me.

Kazuha came back after a while, bringing me a piece of extremely hard bread that I struggled to bite. Then he left again and didn't return for quite some time. On one hand, I was glad I was alone, but on the other, I was desperate for him to let me put my arms down.

"We've arrived."

"Please, let me go," I begged as soon as I saw him. "I can't feel my arms, please."

"Calm down, I'll do that." He approached me to remove my hands from the hook. I couldn't help but let out a soft moan when the blood returned, but I wasn't able to move them. "I wish you would make those little noises for me every morning. But they've offered me so much money for you, I can't let it go."

My eyes lifted to look at him in surprise. As soon as I opened my mouth, Kazuha tied a piece of cloth around my head, causing me to bite it and unable to utter a word other than a few sounds.

I immediately struggled back, processing that Kazuha was planning to sell me to someone else. I continued to make as much noise as possible while weakly pounding my strapped fists against his chest. But he simply ignored me and dragged me out of the trunk, where he placed a bag over my head.

As I moved, I resisted. I couldn't see where I was, nor did I want to know. I couldn't tell if they were watching me or not, if there were people on deck or just the people on the dock was making the noise. I tried to scream in vain. The strong wind pushed me forward.

My shoes touched sand after a while, and Kazuha pushed me to the ground, where it was barely possible to cushion my fall. The noise of the people had diminished, and we were far away.

"For your own good. Behave yourself." As I tried to lift myself, he pressed his weight on me through his wooden shoe. "He's an old friend of mine, very interested in seeing you. Don't ruin it for me."

I groaned in pain before he moved away, clumsily trying to get up as best I could. I wanted to say something, to insult him, to curse him. But as I blurted out incoherent words, he just laughed.

"Here they come," he announced and placed his hands on my shoulders to keep me upright, his amused tone immediately disappearing to turn more serious.

I heard footsteps approaching; I couldn't say how many, but more than two. I could feel his presence a few feet away.

"Mister Kaedehara," said one of the strangers in front of me. He wasn't too close, but he wasn't too far either. "What are you bringing me today?"

"Look at that, I thought you'd bring one of your henchmen today." Kazuha squeezed my shoulders. "You honor me with your presence."

"You described some good merchandise, and I had to see it for myself."

Suddenly, I felt a tug, and I immediately raised my hands to my chest, trying to prepare for an attack when I felt my back colliding with Kazuha's chest. "First the money," he warned. "Then she's yours."

Another voice spoke, this time female. "You're asking a lot for what she is. That girl isn't worth more than twenty."

I didn't say anything, but beneath the bag, I frowned. Not that I was going to complain.

"Remember me. Please. How much did your dear boss here pay for you?" Kazuha countered behind me.

I heard movement toward us, and my heart leapt at the distinct sound of a sword scraping against something, being drawn. But it went no further.

"Calm down, Shinobu," the same deep voice spoke.

"That's right, calm down, Shinobu. If you behave, you can even keep a souvenir."

There was silence for a moment. I heard someone a little further away on the pier talking about missing cargo from a ship. Couldn't they see what was happening on the beach?

For a moment, Kazuha let go of me. I debated running away. But blindly and with barely any balance, my death sentence would be sealed, if it wasn't already.

"Why shall we care about that?" the woman asked.

"Not much, consider it an extra. But with a little feeding and training, this young woman can be useful to you. As bait, as prey, as a toy."

When his hands returned to my shoulders, I squirmed, disgusted by his words.

"Stay still," he warned, and I obeyed.

There was a conversation on the other end, whispers I barely understood.
"Ten thousand," they finally announced.

"Thirty." Kazuha began rubbing my shoulders and hips as if he were a salesman with his car. I squirm under his touch.

They were really going to sell me out; I had no idea how I was going to get out of here. A sea separated me from home, and I didn't have a ticket.

"Without checking the merchandise, Kazuha? Not her face, not her body."

I felt my cheeks wet.

"Twenty thousand. Not a mora more, not a mora less," the pirate continued. "Just imagine breaking her in, taking away her freedom from a girl who'd had it only... two days ago? I doubt anyone will come looking for her."

"Deal," the other said after a few moments.

I heard a bag of money, and immediately afterward, I was shoved until I collided with something, my hands touching skin, a chest. I immediately tried to move away but got dragged by the restraints on my wrists.

"A pleasure. Do whatever you want with her."

"Let's go, before someone comes. Shinobu, keep her."

The one holding me before directed me to someone else. Other hands dragged me, but I tried to pull them along while complaining about the gag.

"Come on." Suddenly, more arms grabbed me. I screamed as I felt my body rise from the ground into some kind of carriage.

Without warning, the bag was taken from my head. The light blinded me for a moment, causing me to lower my head with eyes closed. But a hand grabbed my chin to force me to look forward. To make me look at the man who had bought me.

He had long, slightly disheveled white hair. But what caught my attention most were his horns, blood red like his eyes, piercing me. The chest I had bumped into earlier was his; he was wearing an open jacket, exposing his abs. Beside him was another man wearing blue clothes and black hair. His arms were crossed, watching my every move.

Beside me was the woman who spoke before. She had green hair under a hood and black clothes. She was looking at the dagger Kazuha stole from me, Childe's dagger. That must be the extra he gave them

"I suppose you're very confused," the boss said. "Calm down, there's nothing to fear." I immediately pushed his hand away from my face with a push of my arms. "You now belong to Arataki's gang. So you're going to treat me with respect. I'm your boss now."

We advanced through a forest. I looked around to see elements that reminded me of Japan, the same thing that had happened to me in Liyue with China. Why was it so similar yet so far from my world?

"She's your superior," he continued, pointing at the girl, whose name was Shinobu. "But I am your superior. My name is Arataki Itto. If you have to obey orders, they'll be mine. Is that clear?"

I remained silent, simply glaring at him with all the hatred in my body. He insisted. After a few seconds, I nodded.

"Fine. I'm going to take that off. If you try anything, you'll never see sunlight again."

I nodded again and waited for him to finally cut my gag with a dagger. I shook my head so it fell from my shoulders, finally free to cough and speak. But I had to spend a moment swallowing and breathing.

"How can you do this?!" I tried to speak. "You're making a mistake. Please."

"Stupid," Shinobu said. "You're not going anywhere. You're a slave now."

"You're monsters."

The slap hit me before I saw the white-haired man's hand. The impact alone made my head spin sideways, and soon the burning sensation spread to the side of my face. I let out a small whimper as I brought my hands up to brush against it, confirming that he had indeed slapped me hard. "Boss," Shinobu leaned in. "She's scared. I know how that feels. Please go easy on her."

"You were once a demon's slave," he retorted with a frown, his expression turning grim. "I'm nothing like that man."

"Then prove it." They exchanged glances, and Itto remained silent for a couple of seconds before letting out a sigh. Shinobu looked out of the carriage as we passed through a sort of red archway.

"We'll be there in an hour," he finally said. "I'll give you some clothes, and for now, you'll wash ours. Then I'll see what else you can do."

Finally, the man traveling with us looked up to see the road. "Boss."

Both Itto and Shinobu looked up. She turned to see the rest of the way. When I turned my body, I also saw a pair of men on the road, wearing some kind of samurai armor. The horses stopped.

One of them, who had blond hair and a kind of black headband like his shirt, approached us. Itto carefully grabbed a blanket that was at our feet. When I uncovered what was underneath, I saw a giant sword.

"Lord Thoma."

"I don't think that carriage is yours." He approached us from my side, and we exchanged glances for a moment. "Would you be so kind as to get out?"

Chapter Text

"Lord Thoma."

"I believe that carriage isn't yours. Would you be so kind as to get out?" He approached us from my side, and we exchanged glances for a moment.

Shinobu stood, ready to draw her weapon from its sheath, but a flash of light dashed in front of me. We all jumped at the sight of a metal star embedded in the carriage with a dull sound.

Then everyone drew their weapons, but suddenly a gust of wind caught us by surprise. I felt the carriage rise in the air and immediately jumped before the wind knocked it sideways. Everyone on it fell to the ground, and when I looked up, I saw other soldiers appear out of nowhere and surround us. Among them, a man of blue hair and white clothes emerged, a vision of the same color as his hair flashing from his waist. His gaze was sharp as he looked at us all.

My hands were still tied, so getting up was more difficult than for the others. They moved away from the carriage to fight. I heard swords clashing behind me as I reared up to flee. It was my chance.

However, the blue-haired man stood between me and my exit into the forest. I immediately took a few steps back when I saw him approaching. But Shinobu stood between us, her gaze fixed on the man. I could see her hands shaking.

"Kuki," the man said with a smile. "What a lovely meeting. Have you considered coming back with me?"

There was a playful tone in his voice, as if he were mocking her. She snarled before lunging at him. Behind me, the fight was still raging. I turned just in time to see Itto crushing bodies with his giant broadsword. The sound of breaking bones and screams of pain paralyzed my body. I couldn't escape. I only saw blurry silhouettes around me.

Shinobu was fighting against that man, he had a slight smile on his face as he blocked her attacks with ease, water danced around him blinding Shinobu enough to not see how he moved and making her miss, blood fell from her face and side while the cloak she wore got torn.

I didn't know what to do, I just moved. I ran towards them when the blue-haired man's back was turned. My ears were ringing, preventing me from hearing what was happening around me. I climbed up a cut log to jump over him. My arms pulled, and the ropes trapping my hands began to tighten around his neck as I pulled and pulled, climbing onto his back. The next thing I felt was a tree trunk slamming into my back again and again. He pushed back with all his might as he tried to tear my hands, cutting the air to his lungs.

I don't know how many times my body collided with the tree. My head began to hurt more and more until my vision blurred. I didn't have enough strength to continue and stop him from tearing me from his neck.

I fell to the ground, gravity seeming to have increased as I tried to look around or move. After a few seconds, I spotted him grabbing Shinobu by the neck. She had dropped her weapon to fight him with her fists, but it was completely useless. My eyes widened as I discerned water, floating water entering Shinobu's mouth. He was drowning her with his powers.

I tried to get up. I owed no one anything, I shouldn't have to worry about that woman; she had bought me with the demon.

There was a yellow flash, and I finally managed to regain consciousness and sit up. I could see a glow in my vision at the same time Itto reached for the water man, lifting the ground like an earthquake so he could reach him with his sword.

Everything happened very quickly. He let go of Shinobu, who fell to the ground without resistance. There was a brief struggle that ended quickly. They threw something at Itto. Some kind of net that, when it caught him on the ground, began to burn his skin. He screamed in pain as he tried to remove the net in vain.

"Kill the other one," I heard the blue-haired leader somewhere in the area, his voice muffled.

More people appeared; they looked more formal, like soldiers, led by a woman with a red mask. The blond man who had stopped the carriage earlier made Itto's henchman, bloodied and almost drained of energy, kneel. With a sword, he slit his throat. I immediately looked away. There was only death everywhere I looked.

I had to get out of there.

"Thank you, Lord Kamisato. Good work," I heard the masked woman's voice behind me.

I crawled as best I could to get away from them without attracting attention now that there wasn't a fight blocking my way; I just had to get closer to the path that led to the beach. However, pain shot through my leg. I felt it tense up and my body spasmed. Pain ran through my entire body like an electric shock.

"Is that her?"

I turned around to look at the woman and the man in white approaching. He squatted down beside me. He looked curiously at the bandage on my neck as I saw the mark I'd made with the ropes on the same area. A small sense of victory gave me the strength to pull his hand away when he tried to touch me.

"Yes. It's her," he said. "Very good work, little one. But I'm afraid we can't just let you go."

I sat up. He acted quickly and stepped on the ropes binding my wrists above my head, trapping me on the ground and leaving me defenseless.

"I had nothing to do with this," I spoke quickly. "I just..."

"Shhh," he interrupted me with a finger to my lips as he leaned over me, the urge to bite him increasing the more he spoke to the woman. "Kazuha has kept his end of the agreement and brought the bait. I'll see to it that he receives the corresponding payment." He leaned down to touch my face closely. I shook my head vigorously. "Although... I think I'll miss this slave. I could keep her."

"The description of the girl from Liyue fits her." The woman came by, as did some of her soldiers. "The best option is to take her to the commission for questioning. So step back."

Her words made my breath catch in my throat. After what happened with the woman in Mondstadt, I thought they'd given up looking for me. But it seems Morax has put a price on my head.

The man's face was incredibly close to mine, his hand replacing his foot on my ropes, pinning me to the ground as he moved closer to my ear.

"Don't move."

I didn't know I was holding my breath until he stood up and released my wrists. I took a deep breath and carefully tried to protect my chest with my hands as he spoke to the woman. I didn't understand what he said. But it was enough to scare her. She looked at him with terror on her face as she took a step back.

"Fine... let's go."

Within seconds, they were gone. I watched as they took Shinobu, still unconscious, and a weak Itto to wherever they were going.

I tried to be quick. With the help of a rock, I tried to cut the ropes that were preventing me from defending myself. Little by little, I managed to cut them.

"What did I tell you?" He grabbed me by my hair to pull me around. I let out a small, stifled cry as I stood up. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I wiggled as hard as I could to escape his grasp. Then I threw the dirt I had just scooped up from the ground to his eyes.

He immediately let go of me to bring his hands up to his face. As soon as he groaned, the blond man, whose name I thought was Thoma, held me down while others approached.

"Are you all right, my lord?"

He raised his hand and carefully formed a ball of water to wash his eyes and chuckle softly. Thoma held me tightly as I tried to push him away, seeing Kamisato approaching me.

Without warning, he grabbed my neck and squeezed, pulling me towards him as my hands began to scratch his. It hurt, my neck began to burn to the point where I could even feel my lips swell. The seconds dragged on before he let go, tears of pain welling in my eyes before he removed the bandage.

I tried to cover myself, but the mark was still too deep and visible; there was nothing I could do to prevent them from noticing it wasn't a simple mark or bruise. When I touched my neck, I felt blood.

Cool, buoyant water enveloped my neck. For a second, I thought I was going to drown, and my body tensed even more than it was, but a slight movement made me realize he was simply cleaning my wound. He threw the bloody water onto the ground. "What is your name?"

I didn't get a chance to respond; I felt the water soaking my neck transform into painful needles that pierced me. I screamed in pain and felt a layer of... ice cover part of my body, making me feel weak and aching. The blue-haired man, for his part, simply laughed, looking away behind me.

"It's finally over, brother," said a girl behind me. I turned and saw she was about my age. She was accompanied by two women in kimonos. "I can't wait for him to be boiled alive, maybe in a bean stew," she smiled before fixing me with icy eyes.

Little by little, I melted the ice with my hands. Her lighter blue hair and cold eyes made me think that she was the one responsible for turning the water to ice.

"We'll have to see what happens," the other continued, cleaning his katana. "We don't make the rules for now, Ayaka. Be grateful they hired me for this. I've wanted to see that demon scream for years. I hope I get the chance to torture him," he sighed.

"I can't wait. And who is she?"

"A friend, and our special guest." He smiled at the way I covered my neck for protection. "Thoma, take care of her. You know where to take her."

"Yes, sir."

A soldier approached him and handed him a piece of rope, which Thoma wrapped around the ones around my wrists. Then he pulled on it, dragging me with him. I could feel the leader's icy stare on the back of my neck. I resisted, began to scream, then to beg, to tell them I wasn't the person they were looking for. All my wailing fell on deaf ears, and another soldier even had to come and help drag me. Until I fell to the ground, so they dragged my body without care.

Chapter Text

We arrived at a house surrounded by a large wall in the middle of the forest. As we crossed the forest, I could see different blue lights that seemed to float, small fireflies disappearing as the group passed by. After being dragged along the ground, they let me get up so I could follow the group safely. I was getting used to the idea that I wouldn't be able to get out of there.

As I entered the garden, I saw several people wearing uniforms bowing to the brothers, owners of the estate, I guessed.

Thoma led me to a room, empty except for a small platform. There were no windows or any decorations. He quickly pushed me inside with a kick to my legs. But I managed to keep my balance.

However, I couldn't struggle against him as he approached. I took a deep breath as he cut my ropes. After several days of squeezing my wrists, I now had marks and chafing that raised my skin.

Ayaka also entered with us, fanning herself with a beautiful wooden fan as she watched Thoma use another rope to tie my wrists behind my back. I hated the way the material felt on my wounds. He also tied my ankles. When I tried to move, I discovered the ropes on my hands were tied to the ropes on my ankles, forcing me to kneel, unable to move.

"Ayato, are you sure it's her?" the girl asked when her brother entered through the same door.

"Yes. Absolutely." He squatted down in front of me, then showed me Childe's dagger in her hand. It seemed to gleam in the dim light in the room that came from behind him. "Let's start with the basics, shall we? What's your name?"

"Iris," Ayaka stood behind me as I thought about what I was going to say.

But my whole body was trembling. I'd seen what they could do. I didn't want to imagine what they might do to me to get answers.

"Very well, Iris. Are you a Fatui?" Ayato asked in a softer tone.

When he placed the edge of the dagger on my knee, gently drawing an invisible line up my thigh and pushing my skirt aside, I regretted the mark I'd left on his neck during the fight. My whole body tried to move away in vain, earning a slight cut. It barely hurt compared to what had happened to me, but a single drop of blood ran down my leg nonetheless.

"I'm not a Fatui. It's a long story." The man wasn't pleased with my answer. He moved the dagger to my neck with an impassive gesture. I leaned back. "It was a gift! A Fatui gave it to me so I could protect myself."

"We see how that turned out," Ayaka said playfully.

Ayato persisted. "Who?" he asked, and I remained silent for a few seconds.

The last time I saw him was fighting Diluc in Mondstadt. I didn't even know if he was alive or not. I wondered if it was worth saying his name or risking lying.

"No... I don't know."

I couldn't even finish my sentence before I was punched. Pain shot through my entire face as I fell to the side. I tried to move to the point where my hands were burning, but my position made it impossible without help.

"Don't lie to me. Not all Fatui have a weapon like this. The blade might resemble a katana, but it isn't one." He ran his finger along the edge. "However, the tip is like a sword's, and this hilt is covered in gold. Tell me who it was."

"Childe."

"Childe... Tartaglia. A herald of the Fatui." Ayaka pushed me back onto my knees. "Why would a herald give his weapon to a fugitive from Liyue?"

"I don't know," I lied, but when I saw Ayato move, I jumped, my voice shaking. "I really don't know! He rescued me from a death sentence! I broke a contract, and he helped me. He wanted me to join them."

Suddenly, someone rushed in, a man no younger than me, who bowed deeply. Ayato took the dagger away from me and stood.

"Speak."

"A thousand apologies, sir," the other continued nervously, "but your carriage to the shrine has been waiting for you for twenty minutes."

Ayato sighed.

"You catch me in a good mood. You may all go. Thoma, bring me paper and ink."

My gaze lifted to Ayato's just as he gripped my chin tightly, his hands ice-cold as his thumb gently stroked my healed wound.

"I'm sorry we have to cut our date short." He knelt in front of me. "A shame, really. But you're too good an opportunity to keep with you."

"What are you going to do?"

"I've heard that your Fatui friends are also looking for you. Young woman, bandage around your neck hiding a wound." I leaned away as I felt his fingers touch my past curse. "So I'll offer you to them for a price. If they don't accept it, it would be a shame for you."

"Fuck you." Before he could answer, Thoma entered with the things he requested. Ayato held the dagger delicately as his servant sat down to write.

"Write a letter to the Fatui of Inazuma, they will deliver it to Signora themselves. If she wants Tartaglia's girlfriend so much, let her come for her herself." I frowned at his words. "Give it to the Fatui spy we have guarding the gate, they'll learn not to infiltrate their people into my ranks."

Thoma wrote carefully. After a few seconds, he nodded and leaned closer so Ayato could read it and confirm that he had done it correctly. However, without warning, Thoma spun me around, my knees scraping against the floor before I felt a deep cut on my left hand. "Ah!" I cried, trying to wriggle out of Ayato's gloved hand, as he grabbed it and squeezed my palm tightly.

I felt blood trickle down my fingers, and no matter how much I wriggled, Ayato wouldn't let go. When he finally dropped it, I saw a bloodstain adorning the letter Thoma had just written.

While Thoma was preparing the parchment, the blue-haired man was cleaning the cut. Soldiers came shortly after the two left. They untied the ropes around my ankles so I could walk to another room. There was no point in resisting. They moved my hands to the front of me and left me in an empty room, with only a blanket to keep me from sleeping on the cold floor.

I don't know how long I struggled against the ropes; these were considerably softer than Kazuha's, but they restricted my movements much more. I searched every corner of the room, trying to find a way out. The windows couldn't be opened, and I didn't want to risk being heard breaking them—if they could even be broken.

The sound of the door opening startled me. When I looked up, I saw the silhouette of a short person. A girl in a kimono approached me with a tray of food, making my eyes widen in surprise. She remained silent as she knelt beside me, her black eyes looking at me kindly as she handed me a cup of tea. I wasn't a big fan of tea, but I didn't care. I drank carefully without burning myself and began to take food from the tray, not caring that my hands were tied.

There were several bowls: one of rice, another of chicken in sauce, and a soup. The girl placed it on the floor and sat with me, helping me eat.

It was the best thing I'd eaten in days.

"What's your name?" I asked after eating the soup.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not allowed to talk to you," was all she said, and she didn't open her mouth again.

After a while, I finished eating. I wiped my lips with a handkerchief, and the girl left, leaving me alone in that room after turning off the lights.

It was already nighttime, and there was nothing I could do but lie down on the blanket. The only way out was the door I'd come in through, and it was obviously locked.

I just hoped they could get me out of here or that the Fatui would think of something.

Chapter Text

Thoma woke me up in the morning, after a horrible night with barely any sleep. Light filtered through the closed windows, and I could smell the scent of firewood and dew coming from the bedroom door, now opened with a couple of people waiting.

"Good for you," he said, squatting beside me. "The Fatui have accepted payment." He grabbed my arm to force me up from my still dozing body. I felt the restraints on my wrists being loosened so they could be repositioned behind me. My body was still asleep, so before I could resist, he was placing my hands behind my back.

"I'm not going to do anything," I sighed carefully, my lips pursed.

"I know, but it's the Lord's orders."

The sun had already risen; outside in the garden, several people were working the plants or washing clothes. I saw Ayaka practicing her swordplay with a heavily built guard before I was led into some carriage.

"Good morning," Ayato came down to greet me. I stared at him. "I hope you slept well."

"Where are we going?"

"Not far, they're waiting for us," he smiled before Thoma got into the carriage behind me.

Then Ayato took out a piece of cloth and gave it to his companion. He approached me to put it around my head and jaw. I immediately pushed him away, but he grabbed my wrists to pull them apart and put the gag on me himself. I shook my head to resist, managing to land a kick.

"Goddess dammit," Ayato groaned. "Thoma, move away."

He immediately stepped aside, allowing me to spit out the gag.

"Let me-!"

The next thing I knew, I had the edge of Childe's dagger between my lips, brushing against my tongue, which made me freeze completely, like the rest of my body. Ayato stepped back with a sigh.

I tried to scream, but I felt how close the edge was to my lips and tongue. I immediately bit down on the dagger to keep it still and prevent it from hurting me. Terror fell over me as I looked at Ayato, who glared at me with disdain.

"Now shut the fuck up."

• • • • • • •

I didn't move for the rest of the journey. Escorts rode on horseback at our sides, keeping their heads high and their hands on their swords, so I assumed there were more guards behind the carriage. I didn't want to turn my head. We arrived at a clearing near a cliff overlooking the sea. My eyes widened in surprise as I saw people waiting for us, most of them wearing masks of various shapes.

I couldn't count, but there were probably fifteen or so. They all looked at me with concern or anger. I could barely make out their expressions as Thoma carefully helped me down. I backed away from him as much as I could with a small groan.

At the front of the group was a long-haired blonde. She didn't have any Asian features like Ayato or his sister. I could barely see her eyes until she removed her mask, revealing her icy-cold orbs that focused on the blue-haired man.

"We finally meet, Rosalyne," he said. "It's hard to get you out of hiding. I'm glad to see you at last."

"Get to the point, Kamisato. What we agreed on."

"Sure, I'll give you back our guest." Thoma held me up as I took a few steps forward. "In exchange..."

"We'll leave Inazuma," she finished, her face hardening as she looked at me out of the corner of her eye.

I wondered if she knew Childe.

"Good girl." Then they let me go, pushing me gently so I could hurry up to the Fatui. I immediately felt them surround me as they carefully removed the weapon from my mouth and freed my wrists. I was finally able to breathe deeply and massage my aching limbs. I turned to see the blonde.

"Thank you." It was the most sincere thank you I've ever said.

"Iris, right?" I heard fear in her voice, but her expression was firm. "We'll get you out of here."

Someone shouted.

"Signora!"

We both looked up to see several Fatui drawing weapons. I tried to stand tall, gripping the handle of my weapon tightly.

I saw several blue figures, as if made of water, and they had us surrounded. Immediately, the others began firing, making my heart race. Rosalyne grabbed me to pull me back.

We managed to escape the group of people trying to fight the water figures at the same time that it began to rain, soaking us even more. I could barely see through my hair obscuring my vision, as I followed Rosalyne completely blindly.

One of the figures stopped us, and because it was so close, I could see the tall figure of Ayato in the water, raising his sword at us as my savior stood in front of me. It all happened too fast. She raised her hand, and a stream of ice completely froze the water before the figure shattered into shards of varying sizes.

Then, instead of the figure, another person approached us. The first thing I noticed was her pink hair, long and dancing in the wind. But my attention immediately focused on her ears; they were large, like a fox's.

"Iris!"

Someone pushed me hard. I couldn't even see who it was before my body fell off the cliff. I felt myself rolling down the slope no matter how hard I tried to hold on to anything. Rocks collided with my body until I hit the sand. I couldn't tell if the screams they heard were mine or those of the group above me.

Everything hurt, but I had to get out of there as soon as possible. When I looked up, I saw someone else also falling down the cliff and the slope, but when they reached the beach with me, I realized their body was completely black, burnt and wet at the same time.

There was no one else following my steps, just the pink-haired woman and Ayato at the cliffside.

"Pathetic," she said, pushing another body with her foot.

I stood quickly and dashed away despite the pain in my legs, hearing Ayato shout and laugh behind me.

"Come on! Run away! Run!" he mocked.

Barking chased me, and I ran as fast as I could along the beach, trying to find any way I could hide. My shoes sank into the sand no matter how hard I tried. It had suddenly stopped raining, and when I looked back, I saw that the rain was only falling in the area where we'd been attacked, as if triggered by magic.

I headed for a city with purple roofs.

Arrows hit my path and sides, until one hit my arm. The sudden pain almost made me fall. I could feel my arm raw as my mouth let out whines of pain.

Finally, I spotted a huge entrance to a cave beneath the city, where the tide also lay. I immediately dove in, hoping to hide from the dogs and soldiers while I covered my wound, feeling the blood on my fingers.

I leaned against a wall, engulfed in darkness as I heard the dogs approaching. They were the first to arrive, and the soldiers held their spears high, shouting orders to each other as I watched.

Damn, the dogs were sniffing at some bloodstains that were right at my feet, where drops were falling from my arm.

A blue light caught my eye, and a portal appeared out of nowhere, drawing the dogs' attention. A woman crossed through it. I felt my body shiver as the temperature suddenly dropped, but I don't know if it was from the wind entering the cave or that strange portal.

I didn't move. The white-haired woman hid the upper part of her face behind a mask, but I knew she was staring at them. There was a moment when no one knew what to do. The soldiers turned their weapons and attention towards what appeared to be a witch or nun in white and blue robes. She looked anything but offensive, but she did nothing.

One of the dogs stopped barking to act. I could have sworn my heart stopped for a moment watching its jaws sink into the woman's exposed thighs. But it didn't. Instead, the dog was pierced by shards of a strange material that erupted from the ground, guided by the woman's hand. I remember letting out a strangled scream as the rest of the soldiers and dogs charged at her.

I'd seen the magic of this world countless times, to the point where I thought I was used to it, but... That was a massacre. Water covered the cavern floor, and everyone was immobilized by shards of ice. The woman fired some kind of bullet made of the same element at the people, tearing and piercing limbs before decapitating them, causing their screams to cease instantly before the sound of the spears falling to the rocky floor echoed in the cave. The dogs were luckier; the two remaining ones were thrown against the cave walls, killing them instantly without suffering.

When everything fell silent, I became aware of my rapid breathing, my moans of pain, and my pounding heart. She noticed my existence immediately; she didn't need to search for me.

"Come with me." Her voice sounded as regal as she was, but it held a tone of urgency. "I am a Fatui, I will take you to safety."

She held out a gloved hand to me; not a drop of blood touched her body despite having caused all those deaths. I didn't feel an ounce of empathy for the corpses a few meters away from us, only disgust. And for her, it was the same.

All those Fatui, all of them had died because of me.

The woman grabbed my wrist without waiting for my answer.

"Let's go."

Chill ran through my body as we passed through the portal, my eyes closing until we reached the other side.

Chapter Text

"We thought Kamisato would keep his word," the woman whispered, frowning as she bandaged my wound. "But when I saw her... Yae Miko. Damn, Rosalyne." She lowered her gaze for a moment.

We were on the other side of the island, far away, across the ocean I could see the mountain that separated Mondstadt from Liyue, and that giant mountain that kept coming my way on my journey through Mondstadt. Around us were some ruins that also served as a hiding place, and the clouds above our heads declared that a storm was approaching.

"You shouldn't be here," she commented.

I couldn't find the right words to express everything that was going through my mind and heart. "I'm so sorry about your companions."

"There was nothing you could have done." She took a deep breath, "the Fatui have lost power in Inazuma since the archon disappeared, but we continue to fight with a neighboring island. The pink-haired woman, Yae Miko, took control." Her eyes filled with tears. I meant to put a hand on her shoulder, but she pulled away. "I barely had time to react when he appeared. My... a friend protected me, and... It doesn't matter. You have to go. Rosalyne wanted you to get to Sumeru as soon as possible."

I explained what happened with Childe in Mondstadt and the pirates who raided the ship I was on. I spared her the details of how I ended up in Ayato's hands. "I just want to go home. This isn't my world. I have a place to return to, people who will miss me."

"From another world, you say?"

"I didn't know magic existed until a portal from a piece of stone dragged me here. There there are no monsters with staffs or living slime balls."

"So it's true... You're from another world. You can interact with the Irminsul."

More doubts appeared in my mind, but they vanished instantly when a shadow covered us both. I looked up to see a giant, long-armed machine with a single eye, a robot I'd seen before in Liyue.

"Watch out!"

I moved backwards at the same time an arm crushed the log we were sitting on. The impact caused it to fall to the ground as the Fatui attacked the enemy. I ran for cover behind a stone archway.

I heard her trying to dodge her attacks. The machine wouldn't budge under her water power, causing it to break through its defenses. She screamed as the machine pushed her against a wall of some ruins next to me.

Coward. "Pathetic."

"Come on! Run away! Run!"

They all died because of me.

I couldn't let anyone else die for me. The dagger Childe had given me had only been used against me, but it keeps coming back to me one way or another. I had to use it for myself; that's what Childe wanted.

I poked my head out; the creature was standing with its back to me, too focused to notice my presence. I barely thought before lunging at it, aiming for one of its legs, carelessly leaping to the ground, and severing one of the cables protruding from between its joints.

The machine immediately wobbled, and I barely managed to dodge a stomp on the ground as it stabilized itself. The lights on its head and back flickered.

I heard my companion's voice, but I couldn't even find her amid the chaos of the machine and the rubble of the ruins around us.

"The core of its back!"

The next thing my mind processed was moving my arms and legs to get out of the way so I wouldn't be crushed by the robot, which fell loudly to the ground. Its lights went out, the bulb on its back broken by my dagger.

"Well done," she said, using the same arm as the machine to get up. "Very well."

I'd done it, somehow I'd managed to defeat it. I couldn't help but feel a mixture of adrenaline and pride as I helped the woman sit up. Hopefully, she wasn't seriously injured.

"What is the Irmindul you were talking about?" I asked once we were sure there was no further danger.

"The Irminsul... It's a tree that contains all the information of Teyvat." She looked up the hill at a cherry blossom tree. "Like a library. From my own name to the origin of the world."

"Like the internet?"

"I don't know what that is. I'm not the best person to explain it to you anyway."

"I still don't know how that would help me get home."

She looked at me for a few moments, thinking about what to say. "I don't know either. Mr. Dottore can help you when you get to Sumeru. But you can't stay here. Let's find something to eat first before finding a way back."

I went in search of dry branches. As I walked, I tried to consider my options. If I tried to return to Liyue, Morax would catch me instantly, probably to kill me or keep me captive for the rest of my life. I didn't know what had happened to Childe or if I would ever see him again. I had no other alternative; my only hope was to continue being dragged by the Fatui, even if that put my life in danger, but it would be more so if I were left alone in a world I didn't even know half of.

The woman, who finally told me her name was Daria, had caught some frogs and a bird for us to eat. She made a fire by gathering some wires from the fallen machine, and we settled down to eat while she told me about her home.

"What's it like?"

"Sneznaya? It's very beautiful, but... complicated. The cold makes hunting a life-threatening mission."

"Is it that cold?"

"Very cold, but thanks to Her Majesty, the Cryo Archon, I can endure it a little longer."

When we finished eating, Daria led me through another portal. This time I tried to keep my eyes open, although it felt like opening them underwater. I could see a faint light in a bluish environment before we appeared behind a wooden house. The surroundings changed from the silence of the countryside to the bustle of a small town. We found ourselves in a sort of empty courtyard, devoid of people except for a black cat that barely paid attention to us.

"I can't risk being seen in this uniform. Here," she handed me a letter. "I need you to give this letter to a boy named Babak at the Sumeru Academy. He's my friend's brother. Will you be able to?"

"What will you do?" I nodded as I tucked the letter into an inside pocket of my dress.

"I'll go to Watatsumi Island, on the other side of Inazuma. Pay this to a ship with blue sails. They're merchants from Sneznaya, they'll know how to defend themselves against pirates." She also offered me a bag with some coins. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I wish we were more prepared; it would have prevented... many deaths." I decided not to say anything, nodding my head in thanks.

"We will help you get back home. We, the Fatui, fight for a better world; you are our chance to make it happen. The Irminsul will have answers to everything you might ask; it will guide you on your way home."

Daria disappeared shortly afterward behind a doorway, leaving me alone in that alley with the cat licking its paw as if nothing else mattered in its world, which it probably didn't.

I walked toward the main street, soon surrounded by Japanese-looking people walking more or less hurriedly. Around me were a few stalls where the clerks were trying to attract the attention of potential customers.

Some wanted posters caught my attention, especially because one of the people on them had ears like a dog's.

"Miss!" A woman blocked my path, making me jump in fright. "Would you be interested in this new release from Yae Publishing House? Three months before its release!" She smiled. "It's about the legend of the last mermaid of Inazuma."

"No, thank you."

She didn't insist any further; she whispered something to herself and stepped aside to address someone else. I glanced behind me for a moment to catch one last glimpse of her before continuing toward the port.

However, I felt something tug at me. It wasn't a strong tug, not at all, it was as if my clothes had caught on something. But when I turned around, I got a surprise. A hand was in my pocket.

"Hey!" Finally, something in common with my world. Something I could react to quickly.

I grabbed the wrist of the boy who was trying to steal Daria's bag of coins. He tried to escape, but I held on, immediately noticing how thin he was, his greasy hair falling across his forehead and his bones noticeable under my hand. He looked at me fearfully.

"It's not nice to steal from people."

"I'm sorry! Please don't take me to the guards!" he pleaded.

I stared at him for a few seconds, a wave of guilt washing over me. I frowned at his tears, truly scared and remorseful. I decided to let him go, and without taking the bag out of my pocket, I pulled out some coins to give to him, who looked at them as if they were a diamond ring.

"Don't do it again," I added.

"Thank you so much, ma'am! I'll never do it again! Thank you so much!"
He bowed profusely before running away without me being able to say anything else to him.

"Ma'am?" I repeated.

Chapter Text

I approached a boat with blue sails following Daria's advice. Several sailors and other helpers were moving boxes and ensuring everything was going smoothly. I avoided anyone who might be a guard, moving around the dock and among the people.

"Daria told me you could help me," I spoke to the boat captain, who stepped off the boat as I approached the crew.

He looked me up and down. He had a bushy beard that he scratched to guess my intentions. I then offered him the money, pressing my lips together.

"Daria, uh... After the massacre in Byakko..." He took the bag from me to look inside, frowning. "I'm sorry, but this isn't enough. Leave before I call the guards."

He dropped the bag at my feet, my heart stopping.

"N-No... Please. You have to help me!" I pleaded, I can't be left here after all that I've been through.

A voice sounded nearby.

"Dad!"

A small figure stepped off the boat. When I looked at him, I instantly recognized the skinny boy who tried to pickpocket me.

"It's the money lady!"

The captain raised an eyebrow. "Do you know her?"

"She was the one who gave me the ten thousand moras when I tried to rob her. She didn't turn me in."

He looked at me again, his gaze changing to a more genuine, less threatening one. "Wow... Thank you very much for letting him go. If anything happens to..." he sighed. "They're following you, get on board quickly." He pointed with his chin behind me. When I turned my head, I saw some men talking among themselves while looking at us.

It seems Ayato had put a price on my head as well.

I quickly gave him the money and followed him onto the boat. I didn't trust them, but I trusted this haunted island even less.

• • • • • • •

I wrapped the scarf around my neck, hiding the marks the geo archon had left on me. Everything around me had changed. What used to be cherry trees and Asian and purple yews were now leafy green trees and rounded roofs of the same color, with pointy details and white bricks, though a little worn.

I said goodbye to the crew, including Nikolay and Stepan, father and son who treated me like just another one of their own on the voyage. While it's true that I had paid for my passage, people like them are what one should fight for.

I disembarked at what I was told was Port Ormos, Sumeru. The atmosphere was radically different from Inazuma; there, the tension was constant, much more closed. Here, there were more groups of people from different cultures and ethnicities.

There was a market at the port that I stopped to see. My stomach was content enough not to feel hungry at the sight of the meat roasting and the smell of spices filling my nose after being fed on the boat.

I had to get to the city, to the north. Nikolay warned me that I couldn't get lost and the path was relatively safe to follow alone, without asking anyone for help. I approached a group of people gathered around a stage, simply out of curiosity and to get a glimpse of what awaited me in this nation. On the other side, high up, there was a platform with two poles, from which two people were hanging by a rope tied around their necks. They would have been dead if not for the small stool under their feet. My hand instinctively went to my neck; this was an execution.

"Today we sentence Samir Marrash and Muna Sapag to death," said a man reading from a scroll as he walked easily across the platform. The people around me cheered, while others booed. "For the trade and contact with encapsulated knowledge."

Others remained silent, looking at the judge with hatred and rage. He continued.

"You all know the consequences of this act. Let this be an example to all. Anyone who interacts with or has information about anything related to the knowledge capsules will be punished." He placed his hand on a wooden lever. The couple immediately tried to scream and free themselves from the rope. Some applause joined in, silencing the screams. The judge pulled the lever, and then they both fell into the void, the rope immediately grabbing their necks, breaking them.

I quickly looked down, trying to erase that image and the sound of the bodies falling from my mind. The cheers soon died down as I left the scene, leaving the port behind and heading to the city.

I didn't know what these knowledge capsules were, but I imagined it was some kind of magic that stored and transported pure knowledge to share with other people. I somehow recognized the similarity to the internet or books, but in a more direct and, I suppose, invasive way.

Without looking behind me, I continued north, following the signs at the port entrance. It was flat terrain, yes, but something was strange about it; the atmosphere didn't quite fit: I heard whispers around me, people hiding in alleys, people on the ground begging for money. A little later, I realized. Ritou might have been a similar place, with its ships, its dealings, and merchants, but at least there was noise and some bustle. Here, everything was silent despite the crowd.

Finally, I left the place and entered the countryside. Nature welcomed me with open arms as it lifted the air and the leaves from the ground.

As I walked, I carefully observed the people I passed along the way. They looked at me, and I looked at them, but they didn't speak to me. Some were carrying empty carts, others were carrying people or weapons, and others were carrying products on pack animals, pulling the muzzle.

There were much stranger animals here than in other places. They reminded me of some mammals and birds from my world, like ocelots or crocodiles, but, as always, all of this was more magical and fantasy-like.

At least the river water looked good. I went closer to it so I could get a drink before reaching the city, even though I knew I might regret it later. The heat and humidity were much more noticeable than in Inazuma, making me feel thirsty by the second.

I frowned when I saw something moving in the water. I took my hands away from my mouth to carefully move away from the shore, but before I could create a safe enough space, something launched itself at me.

A flash of blue made me try to cover myself with my arms, falling on my back with a scream that soon turned to rage. As I reached for my weapon, I made out what was "attacking" me, if you could put it that way.

It was a mushroom, a large, round, blue mushroom, trying to toothlessly bite my arm. This transformed its curious bite into an innocent pinch that I didn't even notice. I exchanged glances with the creature, and it tilted its head, watching before letting go, falling into my arms, which I held out to hold it.

It didn't make a sound, but when I reached out to touch its fat head, filled with what I assumed was water, it leaned closer, seeking caresses. Its head was soft, like jelly, and I didn't squeeze too hard to not hurt it. Its eyes were innocent and large, full of sparkle; perhaps it was young for its species and didn't know there were much more dangerous things out there.

I smiled slightly, and the small mushroom absorbed the water that soaked my hands and the water dripping from my chin, causing me to laugh a little.

I placed the creature on the ground and proceeded to wash my arms and neck, and drink again. When I got up to continue on my way, I discovered it was following me a few feet away, floating in the air like a bubble.

"Are you coming with me?"

Chapter Text

"Your mom?" I stopped to wait for the mushroom to reach me, looking around for another of its kind.

But as I looked around the area, searching for bushes and possible hiding places under tree trunks, I found what I was looking for: another mushroom of the same color on the ground, inert and even much thinner and deflated despite being larger than the little one, clearly lifeless. My companion also came over to check, but I stopped him.

"Fuck..."

I grabbed the mushroom in my arms and walked away from the body of what I assumed was its mother. Maybe it wasn't well, but I let the mushroom follow me and land on my head as I walked toward the enormous tree I spotted in the distance. Now I had a little friend, and quite adorable indeed.

"I'm not very creative with names," I said, looking up. "So I'll call you Droplet."

• • • • • • •

It took us a couple of hours to approach the city, and during that time, I mostly passed by merchants and various carriages with weapons, guards keeping watch in the surrounding area. The landscape consisted of vast fields of beautiful green, scattered with jungle. The accumulated humidity of the jungle and the enormous rivers made me sweat constantly, especially with Droplet by my side. There were a couple of moments when I saw dark spots in the distance, areas in the jungle where everything was withered, and that area extended to the mountains like a plague, the only thing separating it from the road was the river itself. There, I could see different creatures, such as the masked indigenous people who were all over Teyvat, and other animals fighting each other rabidly.

The road was safe, to my surprise. At no point did they attack us, and all the passersby continued after glancing at me and Droplet, somewhat confused by having a floating mushroom in my arms.

However, as I approached the city, I discovered that they used the adults of Droplet's species as a means of transporting goods, tying them with ropes to tiny crates so they could drag them through the air. The mushrooms looked exhausted and beat, not as shiny as him.

The city of Sumeru reminded me of a typical Middle Eastern town. Different aromas filled my nostrils, and the bargaining and advertising from the various stalls made it difficult to focus on the low-volume conversation two men were having next to me as they exchanged black bags.

"What are you looking at?" one of them said, noticing my attention on their interaction. I immediately turned around to continue walking.

I squeezed the letter Daria gave me in Inazuma tightly. According to her, I had to find Dottore, or they would find me instead. I assumed then that the Fatui here knew of my fate and that I might be around here, but first I had to get to the Sumeru Academy to deliver it to this Babak.

Droplet hid under my hair and snuggled into my neck and shoulder as we reached a plaza overlooking the river. It was perhaps a mile or two wide, and there were a few fishing boats and rowboats around. Turning around, I saw a group of similarly dressed, imposing, soldier-like people with curved swords hanging from their belts, and someone walking confidently among them toward the other side of the plaza.

It was a man in dark clothes, with gray hair despite his youthful appearance and pale complexion. The shape of his arms indicated that he was strong, and the scars in different places on his bare shoulder and face showed that he had a serious and unconcerned character. On the side of his temple, a strange green symbol shone, like those of some other citizens of this city and the guards who accompanied him; the only difference was that his was green and everyone else's was blue. And his vision glowed the same color as his symbol, so I assumed he had plant powers or something similar.

Maybe he was the god of this place, like Rex Lapis. At least he was an important person by the group that surrounded him.

Droplet beside me trembled slightly. He didn't give me good vibes either, but nothing in Teyvat did.

He soon passed me by, and I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. This city was a labyrinth, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I asked someone around here for directions to the academy.

It seemed pretty obvious, because the stall owner I asked looked at me strangely before pointing up. I turned my body to let out a small "ah" when I saw that there were actually several buildings among the branches of the giant tree in the middle of the city. As if it were a scene from Elden Ring.

I quickly thanked the lady and headed for whatever path led higher, climbing stairs and slopes until I reached a bench so I could rest. After being on a boat for hours and hours and walking here from the port, I needed a moment to appreciate that I was still alive. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I saw the expanse of the jungle surrounding the city, large parts of it withered, completely black or purple.

I could tell I was near the school because people were wearing the same uniform: a green tunic with bright leaf and flower details. They all glanced at me as they passed by because Droplet was taking a nap on my lap. I could already imagine that floating mushrooms weren't very welcome as pets, which further emphasized the heartlessness humanity in this world.

I figured hiding Droplet among the bushes and moss on the tree bark was safer than continuing to carry him with me to the academy. "Wait here, Droplet, okay? I'll be right back."

I gently stroked the mushroom's head and turned around to continue climbing and ask a group of students.

"Excuse me, do you know who Barak is? Where is he?"

One of them looked me up and down. "He's probably in the library, always studying his own stuff." He crossed his arms. "And who are you, sweetheart?"

"Postal staff," I said immediately, taking a step back. "Thank you."

I entered through the first door I saw, large and luxurious, demonstrating the level of acquisition of the academy and its students. It wasn't difficult to see that they all came from wealthy families from the rest of Teyvat. Perhaps Barak was a rich kid like the rest?

I tried to find the library. When I saw a boy enter through a door, I could see the room on the other side, which was surely what I was looking for, given the number of shelves and books. I quickly approached to enter as well, but a woman stopped me. She also had a sword on her belt. I wondered if security personnel needed to carry weapons at a university.

"I'm here to deliver a letter." I showed the envelope, which fortunately had nothing on the outside to give away its origin.

"You're not the one who normally delivers mail."

"Yes, it's just... It's urgent. Family emergency," I made up.

"Oh yeah?" She lifted her chin slightly; she was taller than me. "And where's your authorization? Has it been checked?"

All the possible situations in this city ran through my head. Surely everything was strictly controlled, and distrust was a daily occurrence for these people, so I had to be convincing.

"Of course. They spent a long time searching the letter for something strange or a message, and... When they finally finished, I barely had time to put on my uniform. If I don't deliver this today, I'll be punished."

She came even closer to me, and I couldn't help but reach behind my back, where I had hidden my weapon, to grip it tightly. I wasn't going to be able to pull it out here in the middle of everyone. I wouldn't last three seconds without being thrown to the ground or arrested, but it gave me the confidence to stand my ground.

"Alright," she finally said, stepping aside to let me in. "But you have two minutes, no more."

"Of course." I took my hand from behind my back and walked forward, entering the library.

I had never seen anything so impressive; the walls rose several meters up to a stained-glass window in the ceiling. It was as if a cathedral had been transformed into a cult of knowledge and wisdom. The shelves held thousands of books at a time, and to reach the highest places there were stairs and various walkways, leaving space in between so that daylight could fill every corner of the place.

Despite being so large, it was easy to find the student I was looking for. He was alone, bent over a book in a language he didn't know.

"Are you Barak?"

He turned quickly to look at me before eyeing me suspiciously. His complexion was dark, but he had sharp, large, Japanese eyes, and his dark curly hair peeked out from under his cap.

"Yes... Who are you?"

"I was told to deliver this to you." I took out the unopened envelope and placed it next to him on the table.

"It's from Daria..." He carefully opened it to read inside, his brow furrowed. I saw tears in his eyes as he clutched the letter tightly. His voice cracked as he spoke again. "Are you a Fatui? And you dare to come in here?"

My heart skipped a few beats, my body tensed as I watched him stand up in alarm, shaking his head. He hid the letter between the pages of his book.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered. "Help! A Fatui has infiltrated!" Barak's scream echoed between the walls of the library, instantly alerting everyone. The door he'd entered through swung open.

"What the hell, dude?!" I hissed at Barak before starting to run, crashing through the tables as other shouts filled the library, ordering me to stop.

There was no point in claiming otherwise; it wasn't a fatuous statement, nor was it going to be one, but one student's testimony was enough to make half the academy and security personnel turn on me, a loser with a weapon and no permit to be there.

I pushed a security guard who was trying to stop me from reaching the exit, a few meters away. He grabbed me by the shoulders and tried to stop me, but I pushed him against the edge of the platform that separated the lower floor from the one we were currently on, causing him to lose his balance and fall below, since there were no railings. I barely looked down and went through the large gate that led to a lobby with a beautiful fountain in the middle.

I continued running toward the exit, which was open, but as soon as I crossed it, my body collided with another person who was about to enter from the other side. The impact was so strong that I fell to the mossy ground of the tree outside, my hands taking the weight of my body against the rough wood. I groaned in pain; there was a bloody scratch on my palms now.

I looked up to see who I'd crossed paths with, and turquoise eyes stared back at me. It was the man from earlier with his guards, on the ground beside me, immediately sitting up and stopping his guards from reaching to help him. His hair was messy now, and the book he was holding laid on the ground. But he didn't stop looking at me, his eyebrows raised.

Chapter Text

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. The man's turquoise eyes opened in surprise, and the glow of the thing on his temple turned red for a moment, just like his eyes. It wasn't from the collision or the fall; it was as if he'd realized something upon seeing me, as if he had recognized me, but at the same time, he didn't.

I stood up without looking away, afraid he might do something sudden or attack me, but he was completely surprised, frozen.

It was when the academy guards appeared that he came out of his trance, and so did I.

"Fatui!" they shouted, pointing at me, and the gray-haired man's guards turned to chase me, but I was already on the run.

"Droplet!" I called.

I advanced up the stairs and giant ramps of the tree trunk as my beloved companion appeared at my side, clutching my hair with his tiny paws and attacking my pursuers with bubbles. He might have seemed harmless, but as I turned a corner, I saw those who had been hit by the bubbles screaming in pain, trying to cover their eyes—acid bubble beam.

"Well done," I smiled slightly.

I went deeper into the city to hide from the guards, hiding Droplet so he wouldn't be so noticeable and I could blend into the crowd. But it wasn't enough, and I knew it, so I tried to get through the stalls and people to get between the houses, passing under the sheets hanging in the alleys.

I was more than used to escaping from people now.

But I wasn't prepared for the surprise attack. A hand covered my mouth, and a body pressed against my back to hold me tight. I immediately tried to scream and pry his arms off me, kicking the air as the stranger hissed at me to be quiet. "Don't scream."

His body left my back, soon replaced by a wall. He pinned me down tightly, forcing the air out of my lungs. I looked at my attacker and saw only a brown head, black eyes staring at me in amusement, and a handkerchief covering his mouth and nose.

Droplet fell to the ground from the movement, and a similarly dressed companion of the attacker stepped on him to keep him there, laughing softly.

"It must not be this way."

Instead of directing my efforts to remove his arms from me, I reached for my dagger and pressed it against his side while growling. He tensed his body, and in reaction, he moved his hand from my mouth to my neck. The other grabbed my wrist with the dagger as my air was slowly cut off, the pain of what was once Morax's curse joined the closure of my windpipe.

"You're not going to do that," he whispered, noticing I was trembling. I opened my mouth to try to get what little air I could breathe. "Open your legs."

His knee sought a space between my thighs. I immediately tried to scream as fear took hold of me. Tears filled my eyes as I squeezed my thighs tighter to avoid him. His strength on my body and wrist increased to the point where I could only drop the dagger. But that was the last thing I was going to do. My vision blurred, and all I could hear was his laughter and mockery. I tried to stab him with what little strength I had left.

"You can't." His mouth moved closer to my face, leaning over me so I could smell his scent of pure disgust. "It doesn't matter what you do. Open up."

A voice sounded nearby.

"She can't. But I do."

When I realized, the other attacker was lying dead on the floor, and the body that had been trapping me against the wall fell to the ground as well, taking me with it. Air filled my lungs before I began to cough violently, inhaling as saliva dripped uncontrollably from my lips.

Beside me, the man's body stared at me with wide eyes, an arrow in his forehead and a small amount of blood running down his head. The arrow came from a crossbow carried by a woman with a blue cloak, her hood revealing only her blonde hair.

She approached the other body to retrieve a sword stuck in his back, ruthlessly stepping on it so she could remove it easily. My head was quickly covered by Droplet, who approached to see if I was okay while I tried to sit against the wall to catch my breath.

Droplet threw small bubbles at the corpses again, causing them to release a small smoke upon impact and turning the flesh red.

My gaze returned to the woman, my savior. My hand never let go of the dagger, ready to fight if necessary. But she put away her weapons, the sword hidden beneath her still-bloodstained cloak. She held out her hand as if she hadn't just killed two people.

"I'm with Childe. Are you okay?"

It took me a minute to regain my breath and my senses enough to take her hand. She helped me up and removed her cloak to place it around my shoulders. She was a woman in her forties, with a steady, equally lackluster blue gaze. Her blonde hair was tied back in a braid that fell over her shoulder, wrinkles beginning to merge with scars, giving her a powerful and serious look. Droplet, still nervous, lunged at her to bite her hands; she simply grabbed him like a volleyball.

"No, wait, let him go, he's with me," I said quickly, taking the mushroom in my arms to hug him. "Thank you."

She nodded.

"I assumed that mess at the academy was your doing." She sighed as she carefully lifted my chin so she could see my neck. She removed the bandages that hid the marks, and I couldn't help but step back and hide them with the hood of her cloak. "Come with me. I'll take you to the Doctor. And I'll put fresh bandages on you. My name is Noema."

"Iris," I replied, although she probably already knew. "Where is Childe?" She helped me climb over a wall and jump to the other side so we could leave the city unseen. "The last time I saw him was in Mondstadt."

"We've had trouble contacting him. He's still in Mondstadt, but we don't know if he's locked up or hiding."

I followed her through the jungle; the way she moved with her sword in hand made me feel infinitely more secure.

"And you won't help him?" I frowned.

"You're our priority. Don't worry, he'll be fine. He can survive on his own," she said before silence fell between us.

Droplet settled on my shoulder so she could brush twigs and weeds away from me.

"Hasn't anyone from Inazuma accompanied you?" she asked somewhat nervously, as if she genuinely hoped Droplet wasn't my only companion.

"You don't know?" I asked, but her silence gave me the answer. "It was a trap. They killed everyone, except Daria, as far as I know. She was the one who helped me get here."

"And Signora?" She turned to look at me, her tone becoming more urgent. "Rosalyne?"

I pressed my lips together as images of her wet, charred body returned to my mind, and I shook my head.

"Fuck..." she whispered.

The silence this time lasted for several minutes until we reached an abandoned house. A young man came out, a crossbow raised. I stopped instantly, but Noema moved on. The young man sighed and lowered his weapon.

"Is that her?" he asked, and she nodded. I moved closer to enter. "Welcome, sorry we didn't find you sooner."

I didn't know what to say, so I nodded. There were three other people inside, one sharpening a weapon, another loading a pistol, and another reading various notebooks. The one with the notebooks was the first to approach. He wore comfortable jungle clothes and had curly blue hair. His eyes were red, and he smiled at me with certain affection.

"Good afternoon, Iris. I'm Doctor Zandik, but you can call me Zandik. This is Liam," he indicated the one sharpening the spear, "and Andrey," the one preparing the pistols.

I shook the hand he offered me before he invited me to sit down. They gave me a canteen and something to eat while Noema cleaned her weapons and stocked up. Zandik watched Droplet as he floated, exploring the terrain.

"Nice float mushroom," he said, leaning in.

I wiped my wet lips.

"You don't know anything about Childe?" I asked, my lips pursed. "You're his colleague."

“I fear he has been captured.” His expression became worried. “But he’s still alive, otherwise we’d know. We haven’t received a letter from Mondstadt yet; they’ll surely use him as a hostage sooner or later.”

“But they could be torturing him right now! What if they sell him to Morax?”

“Then he’ll be done for.” Noema crossed her arms, and silence fell between us as we stared at her. “What?”

“That’s why we have to hurry,” Zandik sighed. “Our queen, the Tsaritsa, foretold that a descender would arrive at some point, just like the rest of the archons.”

“And that they could change things,” I added. “I already know that story. Though I don’t know exactly how yet.”

“Exactly. You can help us bring light to this world, without slavery and murder. The Irminsul is a tree that holds all the knowledge and rules by which the world is governed." Zandik began to drink from a cup of tea. "And now it's tainted, poisoned, which makes everything... like this. But it's possible to purify it."

Liam finished sharpening the spear and placed it on a table.

"Those of us from here can't influence it without losing ourselves. The rules of Teyvat don't affect you here, outsider, so you're the only one who can."

Chapter Text

"I won't do anything until I'm sure Childe is safe."

Too many people had died because of me, and I wasn't going to let Childe be another one of them. He had saved my life several times.

Zandik looked at me with a serious expression and sighed.

"He'll be fine, you have my word. If we hurry, maybe we can solve everything before anything happens to him."

"We need to go to the desert to look for a relic," Noema said, crossing her arms. "It'll be a trip of a couple of days or so, then we'll return to Sumeru."

"After what happened in Inazuma, there aren't many of us left. We can force her," Liam said. "We can't waste any more time."

"Liam," Andrey, who had been silent this whole time, frowned. "Please."

"I'm with him." Noema took a step forward. "We only have ten people in Mondstadt. If we leave now, we have a chance. I'm not going to wait any longer for her to make a decision."

I glanced at Zandik, who had ducked his head to avoid meeting my gaze, and in that moment, I knew he was with them. I stood up.

"Don't you care about Childe?" I asked. "Really?"

"Iris," Zandik stood up too. "We have to go now. We're not here for this. Childe would have wanted us to continue with the plan."

I left the room with Droplet behind me, running a hand through my hair, carefully untangling it as the door behind me opened again. I didn't turn around to see who it was.

"We're leaving," Noema said before the other three appeared with their backpacks.

"Do I even have a choice?" I asked into thin air.

Zandik placed a hand on my shoulder. At any moment, that gesture would have been comforting, trying to make me feel better or an invitation to share my worries and fears. But not here; in this context, it felt like a possession, to keep me from running away.

"No." His voice was calm, and it made my blood boil. He gently pushed me forward to start walking.

"I can walk on my own."

It was enough for him to remove his hand. I moved forward while Noema and Liam went ahead, their weapons within easy reach of any enemy who might surprise us. Zandik walked behind me, and Andrey at my side, forming a sort of formation so nothing could happen to me.

I looked behind me to see Zandik. He wore a white shirt and gray pants, with some blue details, like his hair. He wore a coat over his shoulders like a cape. I wondered if he had a hidden weapon or if he was simply a healer, a doctor with considerable knowledge of magic and the Fatui's plan. He had no vision.

The plants and other flora in this place were enormous, some twice my size, and others so large they reached the height of trees. However, despite the beauty of the place and its nature, the corruption reached everywhere, even consuming houses and shacks.

"What is that?" I asked, looking at the remains of a house that stood in a withered and rotten area. "It's everywhere."

"A disease," Andrey sighed. "A withered poison that has been spreading for decades. If you get close, you begin to feel pain, nausea, and can fall into a coma."

"You can also die, or go mad, aggressive," Zandik added. "If you don't have anyone who can save you, you're done for. It also attracts monsters." He grabbed Droplet, who was approaching the area without me noticing. "It makes them... rabid, so to speak. It wouldn't affect you anyway."

• • • • • • •

It took us hours to reach the desert border. It was already dusk, and the only thing saving me from the heat and humidity was a paper fan Noema offered me and several dry baths from the river we were following.

The border looked like a stone wall, but instead of something human, it was like a natural disaster. The mountains, some twenty meters or higher, were curved, as if battered by the wind time and again. The rock wall was thinner than it might have seemed at first, and as we got even closer, I realized it wasn't rock, but wood.

The only easy way in was through a settlement, a small village that served as a border control before crossing to the other side. But we avoided it.

"We can't let them see us."

So we had to pass through the wall, going through the narrow passages and climbing the wood and bark to get through layers and layers of the wall.

Finally, when we reached the other side, I was grateful for the lack of light because we were greeted by the sight of an immense desert of fine sand. Various piles of sand rose and fell, only revealing the peaks of a few buildings. There was a giant hourglass-shaped pyramid in the distance, as well as various mountains. If it had been daytime, I would have surely been blinded by the paleness of the sand reflecting the sunlight.

It was still a little warm. To my surprise, the cape Noema had given me was made for such situations because, despite walking for hours in the sun and humidity, I hadn't felt the need to take it off.

We went behind a small mountain where the wind and sand wouldn't reach us. There, Liam and Andrey took various clothes out of their backpacks, holding them for us all so we could change.

"It's better if we don't wear these clothes, especially you," Andrey commented, offering me a pair of pants.

I was finally able to change after so many days. I desperately needed a hot shower, not the freezing water of a river or lake.

After changing into loose, thin pants and a matching shirt, I sat on a rock with Droplet so I could pet him while my other hand ran over my neck, feeling the rough material of the bandage Noema had used to cover my marks. I looked at the ground, remembering how it felt to lie in bed after a long day and snuggle up under comfortable, warm blankets, without having to worry about being killed tomorrow.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked the group, looking up.

"We're going to what used to be an empire. Ruins." Liam bandaged his knuckles and palms. "They barely have access; the main entrance was destroyed years ago."

"But there are other ways in. Almost the entire city was buried under sand, so we've located several entrances. However, only a descender can find what we're looking for."

"And what do we need?"

"You'll know that when you see it."

"Well, that's a plan."

When we were all ready, we continued on our way. The moon was the only thing lighting our way, so every noise, every subtle sound, put each of us on alert. At one point, we were even attacked by some monsters, mushrooms like Droplet, but larger and more aggressive, which we managed to kill. One of them caused a small burn before I sank my dagger into its head. Droplet helped me soothe the pain almost immediately. The cold gradually worsened, so when the moon was already high in the sky, we settled into a small cave, sheltered from the wind and possible prying eyes.

Taking advantage of the fact that we had obtained some mushroom meat, we cooked it inside a cave. Noema lit a fire while the rest of us lay out sleeping bags. While dinner was being prepared, I approached the cave's exit so I could see the outside, making sure no light from the campfire could be seen from afar. I sat down and looked up at the sky, gazing at the stars while resting my cheek on my knee, feeling my eyelids heavy.

"Thank you for accepting this." I turned to see Dr. Zandik approaching with water and a piece of mushroom on a stick. He sat down next to me.

"It's not like I have a choice."

"I'm sorry about that, I really am. But we can't let this opportunity pass us by."

I looked back up at the sky. "Many people have died because of me."

Zandik remained silent for a few seconds.

"It won't be in vain."

I made a tiny noise of agreement without even opening my mouth. The food tasted a little bitter and gelatinous, as if I was eating cuttlefish. After a moment where we both stared up at the sky, Zandik turned to me.

"What's your world like?"

Chapter Text

After a moment where we both stared up at the sky, Zandik turned to me.

"What's your world like?"

Remembering my home was more complicated than I initially thought. The faces of my loved ones, their voices... How I spent my time laughing with them thanks to the internet, and the way I would search for anything on my phone to resolve a question, the same phone I used to take photos to capture the moment and have a snapshot of my favorite places.

Zandik listened to me attentively, without interrupting or asking questions. Glancing at him from time to time, I could imagine him trying to project in his mind what a world of technology would be like, where everything is easier. Of course, there were evil people, people dying, and places like this where freedom was limited by the selfishness of others, and he understood this perfectly, though with some sadness.

He also told me about Teyvat. He told me about how the Abyss invaded Teyvat years ago and how the gods of this world tried to prevent it. But they were unsuccessful; the Abyss destroyed an entire nation near Sumeru and spread. Making the gods forget how beautiful the world was, what they once were, and instead filling it with selfishness, ambition, and darkness.

The war with the Abyss continued until a powerful alchemist was defeated. But that didn't stop the Abyss from expanding equally, albeit more subtly.

Over the years, the archons' indifference, their cruelty toward their own citizens, and the constant tension between nations also corrupted the habitants of Teyvat. When the only way to survive is through stealing or threats, that becomes the norm. And the archons didn't care.

"And what about you?" I finally asked. Zandik shrugged.

"Well, our own archon suffered too. But Snezhnaya is different. Being so isolated and distant from the rest of the nations, we were able to prevent it well enough. We've been researching for years and years, slowly making enemies and forming small alliances to expand."

"We began investigating. The very spot we're standing in now was a hotspot for the war, as the place where the Abyss emerged from isn't far from here. After... getting our hopes up about the Irminsul, we set off to find the artifact that could purify it, to go back in time to fix what happened."

"A long time ago, the desert was ruled by a monarch who was also drawn to the Abyss, more specifically by something else: a piece of knowledge, that drove him mad. He ordered the creation of a powerful relic to store that knowledge in a safe place."

I don't know at what point I stopped listening; my eyes eventually closed as I rested my head in my arms. Little by little my ears closed from what was around me and the next thing I knew I was lying down, with a blanket wrapped around me and my body plunged into darkness, my eyes still felt heavy but the truth is that I felt very comfortable in the sleeping bag, a light weight on my chest indicated that Droplet was on top of me sleeping too.

• • • • • • •

They woke me up as soon as the sun began to rise. Everyone packed their things again, and I helped clean up the remains of the bonfire and any traces that would have indicated we'd been there. Zandik and Andrey went ahead this time, while Liam and Noema kept an eye out for possible hiding places behind trees or the walls of collapsed buildings.

It was horribly hot. As the hours passed, the chill of the night completely disappeared, allowing light and heat to bounce off the sand. I was barely able to see where I was walking without blocking the sunlight with my hands and narrowing my eyes. I simply followed Zandik, hoping it was only a short distance, but I knew it wasn't.

We were getting closer to the gigantic pyramid I saw last night, but the closer I got, the further it seemed to get. As we climbed up and down the sand hills, all I could think about was cursing whoever designed this landscape.

The water was running low. We thought we'd come across a small lake of drinkable water along the way, but to everyone's surprise, it was dry, and my throat tightened even more.

"Can we rest?" I gasped, closing my eyes. I swallowed.

"We'd have to seek shelter," Noema replied. "We're too exposed here."

"I suppose you don't know," Zandik looked back at me. "Hydro mushrooms store a lot of water."

He glanced slightly at Droplet with a raised eyebrow, causing me to look at him in horror. I understood what he meant, and I would never do that to him.

We carefully made our way down a dune, but as I was looking at Zandik, I didn't realize there were ruins beneath us, and one of the walls was sticking out of the ground, causing my foot to trip and fall down the hill. My scream was heard for an instant before my body collided with the sand, so fine that my body continued downward without me being able to stop it until I reached a more stable place. As I tried to get up, I felt each grain of sand scrape against my body, face, and hair, giving me a feeling of discomfort I really didn't need.

"I hate the desert."

"Are you okay?" Zandik asked, climbing down to join me with the rest.

But another raspy voice answered.

"There you are."

We all immediately looked up, and just above the mound of sand we'd come from, the figure of a young man appeared, dressed in Egyptian clothing designed for the desert. His long white hair moved in the wind, and I saw crimson red eyes that shone in the sun.

But what I noticed most was the spear he held in his hand, resting on the ground.

Zandik, who had grabbed my forearm to help me, tightened his grip.

"Open fire!"

He didn't need to repeat himself; Liam and Andrey immediately raised their weapons to fire at the stranger, though he didn't seem so strange to my companions, seeing their immediate reaction. My ears rang from the gunfire as Zandik lifted me to my feet and ran, Noema providing another line of defense with her sword raised. I couldn't help but look back to see how the boy with the spear advanced with incredible speed. In a couple of seconds, he had already reached Andrey without a single bullet passing through him.

I didn't scream, barely made a sound when I saw Andrey's blond head fall to the ground, his body soon afterward, staining the sand crimson red. I barely had time to react when Zandik pulled me harder, forcing me to run faster in the direction of the pyramid.

The gunfire continued behind me as we passed through a massive stone archway, but as we crossed the other side, the ground began to shake, the sand shifting beneath my shoes, causing them to sink in before I realized it. Looking around, I saw both Noema and Zandik looking behind us, trying to locate Liam, whose gunfire could still be heard along with the sound of clashing metal and screams. We finally saw them fighting a few meters away from us.

The boy looked thin compared to Liam, who was two heads taller than me and about as strong as a boxer. I'd seen how he handled his gun and the hammer behind his back, and I knew he could kill with one punch if he wanted, but somehow the other boy was a match for him in combat. And he'd finished Andrey off so quickly... one move, and everything that made him Andrey was gone.

The ground began to shake more, and the sand shifted from side to side. I screamed Zandik's name as I backed away from him, my legs completely buried.

"Iris!"

Noema threw herself at me, her arm outstretched to grab mine, while Zandik was also swallowed by the sand. We spun in a circle like a whirlpool, but this was hotter, each grain of sand scraping my hands as I tried to get out and push it away from my neck. My breathing grew faster and faster as I realized I couldn't move as my body buried itself in the sand.

All I could hear was my own desperate screams.

I didn't want to die.

Please.

I could only breathe for a few seconds before the sand completely covered me.

Chapter Text

I felt like I was dying.

The sand pressed against my body as I dragged myself, barely able to move.

And then I fell.

First, my back hit the ground. I didn't know how many feet I fell, but upon impact, I felt the air rush into my lungs, only to be immediately replaced by sand falling from the ceiling. I began to cough violently and shifted my body to the side, one hand trying to wipe my sweaty, sand-covered face.

After a few seconds, I finally felt confident enough to look around, painfully moving away from the hole in the ceiling to stand up without more sand falling on me.

I was in a dark room. Sand covered most of the floor, and I could barely see a few meters beyond me if it weren't for the faint purple and red lights emitted by the plants and roots in the room, although it was somewhat strange that there was flora here considering it was underground. The walls were a sandstone shade and decorated with details of different colors, forming reliefs and sculptures embedded in the material.

Turning around, I saw Zandik behind me, unmistakable because of his blue hair. He was on his knees with his back to me, looking at something on the ground. As I got closer, I saw it was a body, Noema. My heart leapt at the sight of her face covered in sand, her mouth and eyes completely open, drowned and stuck in a gesture of pure terror and pain.

Zandik trembled, his shoulders tensing as he clenched his fists. And that's when I realized the flora in this place was indeed strange. It was emitting a faint purple haze that became more noticeable as the sand dust dissipated. The same haze that was present in the corrupted areas of the jungle Zandik had warned me about.

You can also die, or go mad, aggressive.

“Zandik, I’m so sorry,” I said carefully, looking around as if the plants were about to attack us. “But we have to go. Now.”

He turned to look at me.

“You think so?” He gave a small laugh. “Do you think I’m going to follow your orders? Please.”

He left Noema's body behind and stood in front of me, causing me to take a step back as I immediately felt intimidated by his tall stature. I looked at his face and gulped, remembering the lack of water that had made my mouth dry. "Are you... okay?"

His red eyes stared at me for a few seconds before he agreed. For a moment, they reminded me of the young man who had just attacked us.

"You're right. Let's go."

Without further ado, he grabbed my arm to pull me out of the room. I tried to push his hand away and keep a distance from him.

"Let me go. There's no need to drag me." I frowned and yanked my arm out of his grasp.

Looking up at him, I saw how the marks of his fingers had become more pronounced on my skin, turning it a more reddish color.

"I'm sorry." Zandik looked at me with concern, his gaze changing as we left the area. "No... I don't know what happened to me. Sorry, it's just..."

"I know," I tried to say, carefully covering my forearm. "Don't worry."

"Let's avoid corruption."

As I passed through a hallway, I noticed a small blue mushroom wriggling in a small hole, trying to get to the other side.

"Droplet!"

I immediately went over to help him out. It was definitely my beloved companion. I smiled in relief to see he was okay after everything he'd been through and hugged him tightly, feeling the water coating the little mushroom stick to my chest and soak my clothes. He floated beside us. When I looked at Zandik, he simply looked away, his lips pursed.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened," I repeated in a whisper, referring to the rest of our companions.

"This is what we're up against. Everyone knew going with you is a risk," he said shortly. "I just hope he doesn't know where we are."

"Do you know him? The one who was chasing us."

"Yes, I know who he is. He's what we call the "General Mahamatra" here; he's a Sumeru soldier who usually watches over the desert. And he has... an electro vision, along with other ancient supernatural powers, which makes him even more dangerous."

We continued through the ruins. Dottore held a lighter in his hands, which we used to light the way. Everything smelled of dust and sand, and we repeatedly ran into cobwebs. Zandik was disgusted, but Droplet spat some water on him to clean himself.

I was used to visiting places like these; I knew what I was up against when I entered abandoned places to explore, so I understand how to avoid weak areas and places where our passage could affect them. However, this was like an expedition to the ancient pyramids, only with monsters in dark corners and skeletal remains in the corners.

We fought a couple of robots. Their condition was deplorable, but we didn't want to risk getting hit by a laser beam in the back, so we made sure they were completely destroyed.

We went through a narrow hallway, where we had to go one at a time to advance. The ceiling was covered in black roots and dripped water on us.

"We have to get out of here; the room above is corrupted," Zandik urged.

I was ahead, so I moved forward as quickly as I could, holding the lighter up in my free hand to avoid any obstacles.

However, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Droplet float to the top of the room to examine the roots.

"Droplet, no!"

But it was too late. The small mushroom began to tremble as a spark of unknown liquid hit his face as he approached the root. Zandik grabbed my hand to pull me away from the mushroom, which fell to the ground and prevented me from getting closer. I could do nothing but watch as Droplet's beautiful blue transformed into a pale gray, almost purple. I tugged at the doctor's hand as I watched him suffer. "Zandik, we have to get him out of there."

"It's too late. Monsters are quite susceptible to corruption." He frowned and moved us out of the way just in time to avoid an acid bubble.

Droplet floated up, towering over us. He looked at us, but it felt as if he was also staring into space. His pupils were dilated, making his eyes appear completely black, making such a small and harmless creature seem threatening and completely possessed by madness.

I was barely able to scream before Zandik took a step forward. I saw a flash of silver, and Droplet fell at my feet. His body bounced against the sandy ground and rolled until he collided with some fallen bricks beside me. My eyelids opened in fear as I realized he wasn't moving, he wasn't attacking, he wasn't doing anything.

It was then that I saw a small dagger stuck in his head.

"That's it, it won't bother us anymore," Zandik's voice was barely distinguishable from my thoughts.

He'd killed him so easily it was eerie, especially when he approached Droplet to kneel on the ground and begin cutting him over and over again. I immediately moved in to stop him.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

"Getting supplies." He turned to me, and I had to step away from the scalpel in his hand. "It'll be good enough for us, it's nothing."

"How can you cut him like it's nothing?"

I could have sworn his red eyes glittered as he smiled weakly.

"This is nothing. I've killed and tortured people three times your size."

He stood up, stuffing some pieces of the mushroom into his saddlebag and sinking his teeth into another, the scalpel still in his hand as I stared back and forth between him and the remains of what had once been my friend. There was no blood, but that didn't mean it was a gruesome sight. My hands shook as I blinked away the tears from my eyes.

It was then that I turned my gaze to Zandik that I recognized the substance around us again. Drops from the surface above fell to the floor and over us, spreading a faint purple mist, a dark color with red hues like the roots in the ceiling.

"It's affecting you."

"I'm fine. Come on, time to go."

He advanced on me and grabbed my arm tightly, dragging me as we continued down the hallway. My free hand quickly went for his to pull him away.

"Let me go, Zandik! You're hurting me."

"I won't tolerate any more of your whining," he snarled.

He never let go of the scalpel. I glanced back one last time before I tried to break free from his grasp, but Zandik didn't flinch. His fingers tightened around my arm, to the point where his nails dug into my skin. My heart pounded with fear, not for the ruins or the monsters lurking within, but for Zandik.

I didn't even know where we were going; I could barely see through the darkness, and somehow Zandik was following a path in his mind that only he knew.

"Let me go!" In a moment of desperation, I shoved Zandik against a pillar. The back of his head hit the rock, distracting him long enough for me to finally wrench his hand from my arm with all the strength I could gather. He screamed in pain as I forced his fingers open unnaturally, and he glared at me as I pulled away from him, holding his hand as if I'd truly hurt him.

I felt the corruption around us, my breathing ragged as I stared at him in fear. "Iris, come here."

I shook my head. "I-It's getting to you, Zandik."

"Come here, I'm not in the mood for games... Iris." His voice lowered to a deep pitch, making my entire body tremble despite the heat. "Ah. I see, you want to go on your own, right? You're with them, aren't you? Aren't you?!"

"I'm not with anyone." I increased my distance from him, my hands holding the dagger in his direction, ready to strike.

"Oh, really?" He smiled slightly. "We'll see about that. Don't resist. It'll hurt less."

He started walking toward me and pulled another weapon from his inside pocket. My hands froze; instead of attacking, my legs moved my body to run. I followed the only path available, with Zandik hot on my heels until we reached a huge room. Light filtered through holes in the ceiling, and there was no corruption anywhere, but there was a giant monument against one of the walls. What I would recognize at any moment was an Egyptian god sitting on a throne, his posture rigid and regal, holding a spear.

Shortly after reaching the room, Zandik's body lunged at me. We fell to the floor, and the man was quick to position himself on top of me. My hands immediately hit him and tried to push him away from me as I screamed, my noises echoing off the walls and ceilings. Syringes with a strange liquid fell from his pocket. Zandik spoke with a smile. He grabbed one of the syringes and held it to my neck. My hands went to his arm to try to stop him.

"I rarely get an opportunity like this. You'll be a perfect specimen," he whispered, with shocking calm and a tone that chilled me to the core.

Chapter Text

I screamed as my hands fought against his. Little by little, I managed to push the tip far enough, and with a single push, I managed to force him to turn the needle in his direction. I screamed as I fought against his strength, my hands shaking just like his.

A knee to his groin gave me enough leverage to shove the syringe into his own neck, my thumb injecting the mysterious liquid into it.

Zandik trembled. I pulled my hands away from him when I saw his expression change to one of panic. He tried to pull it away, but it was too late, and he knew it. "Fucking bitch..."

His hand went to my head, gripping my hair tightly to slam it against the ground. I barely made a sound until I felt a horrible pain at my side. When I put my hand there, I could feel the hot liquid of blood and the handle of what was my own dagger that had fallen to the ground. I gasped in the heavy air of the ruins before Zandik slammed my head hard against the ground again.

My eyes were open, but I couldn't see anything. The little light that had been illuminating the room dimmed like a black cloud. Zandik's weight fell on me before my head hit the ground again. His grip loosened, and his blue fur brushed against my neck and jaw. I felt pain, but I didn't even know where.

I didn't even know I passed out until I woke up. Screams pulled me from the darkness that had engulfed me, causing my eyes to snap open. I didn't know where I was; the sky was crimson red and the ground was blue like a starry sky. My attention shifted from the screams to the collapse beneath me. The platform I was standing on began to crack due to an earthquake. Unable to see the exit, I got up and ran in a random direction. It was then that I saw a huge crimson moon floating beyond the platform.

The shouts turned into words, but there was no one around me; it was as if the sky itself was screaming at me.

"There must be something more I can do!"

"First of all, on behalf of the Knights of Favonius, we are grateful."

I stepped aside just as a pillar fell beside me, almost tripping in the process. Clouds surrounded me like ghosts.

"As you may have noticed, the age of the Adeptus is drawing to a close, and the age of humans is at its dawn."

I could see someone in that ghost—was it... Xiao? He was talking to a man who reminded me of Morax. Xiao seemed to smile slightly, almost gently, while the man who resembled the Geo Archon sipped his tea very calmly.

"Lumine!"

On the other side, I saw Diluc in a tavern cleaning a beer mug. There were no prostitutes, and instead a cheerful bard with black braids and green clothes playing the lyre.

"When you reach the end of your journey, as I did, you will see for yourself the true nature of this world."

The little light there was ended ahead, but I had no choice. I entered the tunnel of darkness where everything around me fell silent. Adrenaline forced me to keep running without stop. I could only hear my breathing.

I found myself in a cave, and soon after, I appeared at the other exit. There was no longer a threatening red sky nor an earthquake shattering everything. I kept moving until I found a tree several hundred feet high rising from a floating rock. It shone like a holographic figure of celestial color, its canopy reaching far beyond what my eyes could see.

I approached it across a path of floating rocks. Looking down, I could only see a vast abyss. The voices from before continued to echo around me, this time mingling with each other without me being able to discern a word.

As I reached the trunk, a patch of darkness stood out among all the brightness. I looked down and saw something stuck in the bark, blocking the beautiful celestial glow from reaching the area, giving it a grayish, almost rotten color. My hands went to what looked like a necklace, made up of beads and green gems between each one. Nailed to the trunk was the largest jewel of the necklace, shaped like a teardrop with the tip sunk into the tree and the same color as the rest.

I turned my head slightly in confusion, wondering why such an object would be in a place like this, stuck in a beautiful tree. So I gripped it tightly to pull it back, using all my body weight until it finally came out. The necklace weighed heavy on my hand, and as I looked at the teardrop-shaped jewel, my face was reflected in it.

Then I looked back at where the necklace had been and realized the glow was fading. The decay of the tree spread throughout the trunk, causing it to lose its luminosity. Quickly, the wood turned to stone, and the ground beneath my feet began to shake. I watched it shatter and tried to get out of there any way I could, but my feet fell, taking me into the abyss below. I screamed in terror as my hand reached for the sky, but there was no one to save me. My body was plunged into darkness and hit by the wind of my fall.

I took a strangled breath. My body was lying on the ground, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Dr. Zandik kneeling beside me. I had returned to the ruins, and the memories of what happened came flooding back: how he had stabbed me in the side and chased me through this tomb. I lifted my body and immediately moved away from him, causing the fresh wound to burn at my side.

"Wait, wait," Zandik said hurriedly, showing the needle and thread in his hands. "I'm not finished. Please stay still."

He slowly approached me. I didn't take my eyes off him, trying to find any strange reactions or behavior that would make his crazy state of mind show up. I carefully lifted my blood-soaked shirt so he could return to what he was doing. I wasn't feeling any pain, at least.

I didn't say anything, just watched his working hands and his focused expression. On one side, my mind was trying to process the dream I had, and on the other, I was tense that he might attack me again.

"I had to use my last potion to save you," he continued. "Thank the gods you managed to stop me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't put me to sleep. I'm so sorry," he sighed, and it seemed genuine.

Finally, he looked up from the now-closed wound, and as he did, his eyes stopped on my chest, surprised.

"Iris," he called carefully. "Where did you get that?"

I looked down and noticed something new hanging around my neck. It was the necklace from my dream, the one I had plucked from the beautiful tree. I carefully held the teardrop-shaped gem in my hand.

"I think," I cleared my throat, feeling my voice a little weak. "I think from a dream... I dreamed with the Irminsul."

It was obvious that tree was special, powerful. And this necklace was too.

"That's what we were looking for." Zandik raised his eyebrows and smiled euphorically. "You got it, Iris!"

In my mind, I was trying to process those people who were so different from what I was used to in this world. They seemed happier... Nothing compared to this. I looked at Zandik, who was finishing bandaging my side with a smile on his face.

"I also saw people I know from here. But they were different."

"Don't tell me what you saw," he warned, tying it off. "It can change the destiny."

I carefully touched the affected area and sighed. But a shadow behind Zandik entering the room caught my attention.

"I do love a good chase."

My companion turned around when he heard the voice, coming from an all-too-recognizable young man. It was the same one who had chased us earlier, the one who had killed the Fatui.

I grabbed Zandik's hand, and he quickly got up, helping me stay on my feet as he stood in front of me. I looked around for an exit that would put some distance between us.

The doctor urged me to run, and I was grateful that I could barely feel my wound. He pulled me along while the boy behind us moved forward calmly. When I looked back, a flash of purple light looked back at me. I barely had time to react before I was hit. Zandik and I fell to the ground, and a weight got on top of me. When I opened my eyes, a spear shaft pressed against my neck, squeezing and cutting off my air.

I looked at my attacker as I tried to kick, my entire body burning as my lungs gasped for oxygen. I was barely able to look beyond my nose, my vision and strength slowly fading.

And as quickly as it came, the pressure disappeared. My ears were barely able to pick up the sound of my body coughing and gasping for air. When Zandik helped me up, I saw our attacker's body on the ground, a rock beside him.

"Is he dead?" I asked between breaths, not that I cared in the slightest. "What did you do to him?"

"He's not dead, but we will be soon as long as we're here."

I nodded, my hands going to the necklace around my neck. It felt heavy on me, like a presence trapped inside. But it was something different from what Morax had done to me, it gave me security despite what had just happened.

Chapter Text

After hours of walking without stopping, we returned to the jungle, where we stopped at a small Fatui camp, there were a couple of people whose names I didn't even want to remember. There, Zandik announced the death of our companions, a price to pay for continuing with the plan. My eyes were fixed on the ground while my hands tried to comb my hair, ravaged by sand and sweat. My clothes were stuck to my body, and once the adrenaline drained, I could feel it scraping against my skin with every movement I made.

I drank all the water I hadn't drunk the previous day. I had refused to eat Droplet's meat, and Zandik didn't force me. With my stomach full enough, I went to bathe in a small river, sufficiently protected from the gaze of strangers. Zandik accompanied me for my safety, holding a sword as I removed my clothes, but the necklace remained on my chest as I refused to take it off.

My moan caught the doctor's attention, but as soon as he saw that I was fine and was only struggling to tear my clothes off my body, he turned his gaze to the ground, giving me some privacy.

The water was icy cold, but I didn't care.

When I finished, it was getting dark. I changed into shorts and a long-sleeved blouse that wrapped my body in two pieces of cloth, forming a bow behind my back that one of the Fatui helped me tie. I also got a scarf made of delicate, dark green fabric to hide the marks on my neck.

They didn't come with us. The next day, Zandik and I set off for the city of Sumeru once again. As time passed, my legs felt numb as I walked, the pain of running and walking for so long gave away to a mild burning sensation I was already accustomed to.

“For years, the goddess of the dendro element, Rukkadevatta, has been corrupted by a… disease,” Zandik explained to me on the way. “Like many other creatures of the nation.”

“Like Droplet?” I looked at him, not wanting to forget him.

“Yes, but worse. The exposure has been much more gradual, coming from her own mind. We don’t trust her. But she’s the only one who can give you access to the Irminsul.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I’m afraid I can only go so far. We tried for decades to achieve what you did in a few hours.” He held a branch high so I wouldn’t bump into it. “King Deshret’s necklace holds the cure to remove the Irminsul’s corruption, and she knows it.”

We approached the city walls, where I pulled my scarf over my head to make a quick hood. I looked up and saw the academy perched on the enormous tree. It truly was a work of art, although some walls affected by the desert haze.

We approached a group of people focused on something, all of them watching a scene between a red-haired girl and a man I instantly recognized.

It was the man from the academy, the one with that shiny device on his temple. His height dwarfed everyone else, and his muscles flexed as he crossed his arms. He was accompanied by three people in robes and carrying spears, just like the first time I saw him.

"So who's that?" I asked silently, not taking my eyes off what was happening. As some soldiers forced the girl to her knees, I frowned.

"The goddess's right-hand man, a scribe with money and power."

The young woman tried to resist the soldiers.

"I haven't done anything wrong, Mr. Alhaitham. I have over twenty dancers under my care, they need me!"

The man called Alhaitham looked impassive.

"We've found clothing and remains of illegal immigrants in your... little hole. You're covering for them."

"I don't know anything!"

"I know, but one of your dancers does. And if she doesn't admit her crime, you're responsible for everything that happens in there."

I turned to Zandik, who pressed his lips into a thin line before speaking.

"I'm afraid we can't do anything," he whispered. "Let's wait until he's finished to talk to him."

"Is it necessary to talk to him? I ran into him when I got here, I don't know if he'll remember me."

The redhead spoke.

"Fuck you, you son of a bi...!"

She didn't have time to finish; the sound of a slap was the next thing we heard.

"Hey!" My mouth moved before my mind could stop it, and immediately the passersby turned to me. My cheeks burned, but I hoped none of them had realized it was me. But my hope didn't last long.

Alhaitham's eyes narrowed on me for a second, breaking that mask of coldness to what seemed like recognition. I felt the descender shield crack with every passing second until Zandik placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Bring her here," Alhaitham said.

The guards' arms were soon pulling me in. Zandik followed close behind, though he was blocked.

"She's innocent," I tried to explain to the tall man.

I didn't resist as the guard pulled me forward, leaving me only five feet away from him, who towered at least a head over my head. The device on his temple flickered as he looked me up and down.

"And who are you?" he asked, his tone taking on a much more dangerous tone that sent shivers down my spine.

"Iris," I replied simply as Zandik's blue hair appeared in my field of vision.

"How about we take this somewhere more private?" Zandik said from his position, without taking his eyes off the gray-haired man.

Alhaitham then focused on my companion, his expression changing to one of anger or, I dare say, rage. "How about you tell me what you're doing here, Fatui? I could have you executed right here."

"Try it if you dare."

For a moment, the question recurred in my mind: Why do people hate the Fatui so much when all they want is to make the world better?

"Zandik," I called his attention, so he could realize this wasn't the best place to do this.

He took a deep breath. "Okay... We have it," he continued in a calmer tone, his red eyes shining in the sun. "We've got the vaccine."

The answer was almost immediate.

"I don't believe you."

The necklace felt heavy under my clothes; I didn't dare show it to a stranger, especially since the last time I did, I provoked an ancient Egyptian soldier to try to kill me. I was relieved when the doctor didn't tell me to show it.

The gray-haired man straightened his back, trying to look taller when he looked at me, and his expression went from indifference to one of annoyance, but also curiosity. Suddenly, arms wrapped around both of us again, two men pulling me up.

"Hey!"

"Very well, you'll take Miss Nilou's place instead." Alhaitham looked at us indifferently before walking his way.

I pulled the guards to my sides while kicking in the air, but my attempts were useless as we were dragged along. I tried to look around for Zandik, but instead my eyes fell on the said Nilou, who, as soon as she was released, ran off, a sympathetic look in her eyes before she darted into the crowd.

"Don't you have anything better to do?!" Alhaitham shouted at the citizens, who immediately followed the redhead's footsteps to pretend nothing had happened.

"Zandik!" I called to the Fatui as I tried to twist my body to make sure he was there. Instead, I received a groan from him.

As we were dragged to who knows where, we climbed to an upper level of the city. Where the citizens hid or ran away as soon as they saw Alhaitham and his companions. I looked behind me once more and saw Zandik with a cut on his cheek, but searching my gaze determinedly, his brow slightly furrowed as if he wanted to send a message to my mind without saying anything.

Then we continued climbing around the tree trunk, occasionally resisting, but to no avail. Until Alhaitham turned when I managed to stomp hard on one of the men holding me.

"Iris," he said. "You're the descender from Liyue, aren't you? The fugitive."

I spat in his face.

He closed his eyes for a moment before pushing his tongue against the inside of his cheek in an act of self-control. "The manners of your world aren't the best, I see." Without me being able to stop him, he pulled the scarf around my neck, removing it and using it as a handkerchief to wipe his face.

I felt the air on my skin and the scab of my still-healing wound. But my attention was focused on the street. It was completely deserted, with no one strolling around, not even spying from their hiding places. A cloud of paranoia ran through me as I thought they could do anything to us and there would be no witnesses. He reached out to position his fingers on my neck before tilting my chin up to look into his eyes. I felt a burning sensation.

"Don't touch her," Zandik warned from behind me.

He pulled his hand away, and I resisted biting his fingers.

"What did you see?" he asked then, his tone calm, so much so that his change of attitude surprised me.

"What?"

"What did you see when you got it?"

I knew what he was talking about. Alhaitham was referring to the dream I had before I woke up with the corruption vaccine resting on my neck. Where I saw a world similar to this one, where once there was terror and corruption, then there was safety and friendship. It was all so different that he couldn't let go.

My expression also relaxed at the memory, and comparing it to reality hurt. I didn't want to imagine what it would feel like if all the pain you'd suffered throughout your life could be taken away by someone from another world. But I didn't feel sympathy for the man before me; he was one of those who instilled that fear.

"I'm not going to tell you," I said softly.

He sighed and nodded, but I couldn't tell if he respected my decision or was addressing his guards, as we walked back down the deserted street.

However, I assumed Alhaitham believed us. He knew I had the necklace in my possession and was taking advantage of his superiority to have his soldiers escort us wherever we were going. We continued up the great Sumeru tree.

"We're going to the Sanctuary of Surasthana," Zandik spoke from behind me.

"Are you surprised, Doctor?" Alhaitham replied.

"I'd be more surprised if you were able to walk more than ten feet without puffing out your chest."

He didn't respond. We continued walking until we finally reached a building I thought was the academy, but it was something more. The highest point in the city was a dome-shaped structure with tall golden doors that slowly opened as Alhaitham walked.

I managed to turn to look at Zandik just in time for the doors to close behind us, and that's when they let us go. I glanced at one of the men holding me and shook my arm, trying to ease the pain I felt from his particular grip. The guards then disappeared through the same door.

I swore this space was much larger on the outside than it looked from the outside. We were greeted by a huge room, difficult to describe in words. The interior lacked windows, but that didn't mean light was unknown there. The walls shone like emeralds, decorated with traces of gold that reached the ceiling, surrounding metal petals that descended to the floor in different shapes and orientations, marking the center of the space with a floating altar where the ghost of a leafless tree could be seen. Around the circumference of the dome, you could walk on a platform that gave access to a bridge connecting the center and also other doors to rooms whose functions I couldn't even imagine.

The first thing that caught my attention were the metal petals enveloping the tree as if they were a shell.

Or a cage.

A figure was waiting for us in front of the tree. Despite the distance between us, her height was the most striking feature, as was her long, flowing silver hair, just like the tail of her white and green dress.

My labored gasp was the first thing to break the silence between us, and soon a hand found my shoulder. My body jumped to separate me from the owner, and Zandik nodded at me, helping me take the first step toward the goddess of wisdom.

As we walked forward, I tried in my mind to think of the best way not to screw up in front of a damn goddess, but all of it was in vain once she turned to greet us.

"It's time, isn't it?"

Chapter Text

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it echoed through the room, producing a quiet echo accompanying the sound of our footsteps.

I had thought the goddess would be a beautiful being, perfect in appearance like Morax, regal and commanding.

But it was quite the opposite. I think I've looked better on hungover mornings.

The word that defined the goddess was sick. Her skin was pale, even gray, her eyes lifeless like a shell of what they once could have been. Her black veins stood out beneath the beautiful dress, as did her thin figure.

As I stood looking at her, I didn't realize that both Alhaitham and Zandik had knelt beside me until they were already rising back to their feet.

"You must be Iris," she continued, keeping her eyes on me. "A descender from another world."

It was difficult to find my words. "That's right."

“Greater Lord Rukkhadevata,” Zandik spoke. “We are ready to end this once and for all. What we promised years ago.”

“Promises that fall into the hands of an innocent foreigner,” she replied, barely moving, then sighed. “Show it to me.”

I raised my hands to remove the necklace hidden beneath my clothes, its gem reflecting the green lights emanating from the tree in the center of the room. I saw a faint expression of longing in the goddess’s eyes at the sight.

“We cannot back out again, my lady.” Zandik looked upset, almost desperate.

I could see the doubt in her eyes, but it was also fear.

“I have gone through a thousand hells to get here.” I held the big gem of the necklace tightly. “I just want to go home, and if that requires healing your world, then so be it.”

Rukkadevatta turned back to the tree. “You have seen it, haven’t you? What would happen."

I didn't say anything, and that was answer enough.

"What was it like?"

"It was..."

"Don't answer." Zandik then grabbed my forearm. "That's something we'll only know when it happens. If you say it... It won't happen."

"All this assumes she survives long enough." Alhaitham took a step forward. "And the corruption doesn't kill her first."

"She will, I'm sure of it."

"I'm here." I turned to him. "If a god didn't kill me, a tree won't either."

"You overestimate your capabilities, child." He narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms, and I did my best not to look offended at the word. "That dagger isn't going to help you in there. Perhaps we should wait and make sure she's ready."

"Is that hope I hear in your words?" Zandik smiled. "Not long ago, I remember you denying any possibility of success."

"That's enough." Rukkadevatta sighed, and we turned to her. "We don't know what's going to happen, except for her. But if she's so determined to achieve it, so be it." She finally approached me, at least three heads taller than me. "The world of Teyvat is in your hands, Iris. I hope you can bear the weight."

For a moment, I completely regretted being here, and that spot in the corner seemed like a perfect place to lie down and curl up to forget everything that was happening.

But I forced my body to continue. I just wanted to get this over with. And if I died, well, I would have lived an adventure worthy of a movie.

"I'm ready."

"Good." She raised her hands to her chest, and a light emerged from it. The beam slowly took the form of a small green object, shaped like a chess piece with a kind of crown on top. "Prepare for the worst. The Irminsul's poison will try to manipulate you into losing your mind."

The piece floated over my hands holding the necklace, which glowed as brightly as the piece itself, resonating with its power, so much so that I had to look away to avoid being blinded. My hands burned in response to the power unleashed between the two forces.

I looked back, Zandik and Alhaitham keeping a safe distance a few feet away from us. He nodded.

"Good luck, Iris," I heard him say. "I'll see you on the other side."

The next thing I felt was Rukkadevatta's hand on my forehead, and then my whole world faded into light.

• • • • • • •

I couldn't feel anything. There was no wind, no heat, no cold, I couldn't even feel the ground beneath my feet as I walked. It was a cave, but the lack of touch as I placed my hand on the rock walls betrayed the illusion of this place.

I advanced through the dark cave until I reached the outside, where I was greeted by an enormous cavern the size of a football stadium, even bigger than that. I'd say it was nighttime, but I could see the ceiling of the cavern high above thanks to the light coming from the enormous tree. And "tree" wasn't a word that did justice to what lay before me.

It was like a living being, breathing and stretching its arms high in the air, trying to reach beyond the limits of the cave. Its leaves were an intense color, as if the sunset resided in them instead of chlorophyll, displaying colors from pink to orange. The trunk was dark, almost black, which was remarkable. The roots extending from its feet were the size of a truck and reached even into the cave I'd emerged from. I felt a weight in the air that made breathing difficult, as if lacking oxygen, ironic considering the tree before me.

I stepped closer, placing my foot carefully on the enormous moss-covered root and approached the Irminsul. The tree was floating, so beneath me was a void I was 98% sure I wouldn't survive.

I heard something behind me, and when I turned, I saw the tall figure of Rukkadevatta.

"Here's the vaccine." I held the necklace in my hands, carefully untying the knot at the back so that only the teardrop-shaped gem remained, or the arrowhead, depending on how you want to look at it. "I just have to... inject it, and it'll all be over, right?"

"That's right."

I made a sound of affirmation, returning my body to a space between the roots that gave me access to the trunk. Up close, I could see what looked like purple veins, pulsing their way up to the treetop and as far as my vision could see. Up here, so close, it was almost impossible for air to reach my lungs; it was as if a hand was squeezing my chest.

"Iris," the goddess spoke. "No one will remember you."

I paused for a moment.

"You're not going home."

My heart skipped a couple of beats; I felt the weight of my lungs expand until they pressed my entire body against the ground, sinking my stomach deeper into the emptiness beneath us. Her words unleashed a tornado of thoughts in my mind as I tried to process what I had heard.

"You're going to change the past. Did you really think the Fatui wouldn't lie to you to get you to agree to help them? I took you for someone less naive."

Each word hurt more than the last. It took my body several seconds to remember how to move and turn to face the goddess.

But immediately something launched itself at me; I had no time to react, and I felt an incredible pressure on my neck. A vine covered in withered flowers wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air and pressing me against the tree. My hands immediately went to it to tear it away, but the goddess was impassive.

"No." My lips parted, but I couldn't make another sound.

"You are not the first in this world. And you won't be the last, either. But you will certainly be the most useless."

Rukkadevatta approached me patiently, pressing my neck in just the right way so as not to break it but also not to make me faint. All my strength was in my hand to hold the cursed magic gem and not let it fall.

Then something pulled me up from the ground, something hard was growing out of my feet and around my legs, trapping me in a completely rigid boots made of wood bark.

No, no, no.

Is this how it would end?

I was alone, no one to hear me or come to my rescue. Not this time.

I thought of my home, my family, and the people who were probably worried sick wondering where I was; perhaps they'd already held a funeral for me.

No.

No, not like this.

If I was going to die, this would all be for nothing. So I had nothing to lose.

Clutching the weapon in my hand, I risked losing it and sank the sharp edge into the wood around my torso before my arms could get pinned.

I felt barely any resistance; the point of the gem sank easily into the bark covering my chest. So easily that I stabbed myself as well.

I heard the goddess's scream before I realized the pain.

"No!"

I felt my flesh tear open and a weight press between my ribs. Now I couldn't even breathe. My vision went completely blind as my body lost strength. Something embraced me amidst all the cold around me.

I was falling, or so I thought. I no longer felt the ground beneath my feet or the heavy presence of the goddess near me. And my eyelids were too heavy to open.

And suddenly, all the air returned to me. My lungs demanded air in a gasp that made me cough. Instinctively, my body turned sideways to cough against the ground while my arms held me. I opened my eyes to see I was in a completely different place, where there were no boundaries, and my eyes failed to find even a wall.

Everything was so quiet it was frightening. And right now, I was terrified.

I held nothing in my hands, not even the dagger strapped to my waist. When I stood up, I saw a blue tree behind me, or rather a hologram of it. It was the only thing in the room besides me. It was large, but not as large as the tree I'd seen before. This one couldn't have been taller than thirdteen feet. If it weren't for the lack of leaves and its computerized, digital appearance, I'd say it was just a normal tree. There was no magic present, and I didn't feel like anyone else was there.

I couldn't even hear the sound of my footsteps, and I even thought I'd lost my hearing somehow.

"Don't do it."

The voice gave me a small heart attaack. I immediately turned to see Childe standing before me, and the wave of relief made my shoulders drop and relax. I'd never been so happy to see someone.

"Childe..." I moved away from the tree to join him.

"It's a trap, Iris."

I stopped dead in my tracks. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly and looked at him, doubt creeping into my mind. "How did you get here?"

"It's a long story. Take my hand, I'll get you out of here. It's a trap."

I turned my gaze to the hologram behind me.

"Iris!" Childe was running toward me, and I stepped aside just in time to avoid him grabbing my arm. I let out a small gasp of fear before pulling away from him. In that moment, I saw his lifeless, whitish eyes with half-drooping eyelids.

"Childe," I called.

"We're all... We're all going to die. Don't do this, Iris!"

As I created more space between him and me, he became more desperate and more inhuman. But as I saw different shadow clouds take shape, I started to run.

There were screams all around me.

"Iris!"

"Don't let us die!"

"Please!"

Each one was more agonizing than the last, so real that my heart sank as I recognized the screams of different people. Some I recognized as Zandik, Ayato, Daria, and others I couldn't even distinguish.

As I got closer to the tree, I could see a floating screen. Perhaps this was a twisted way of remembering my world. If only I could touch it...

"That's enough."

That voice froze me in place. I thought I'd never see it again. The old wounds on my neck began to burn fiercely, making me groan in pain and try to hold my head because I thought I was really being decapitated right there.

I didn't turn around to see the Geo Archon behind me; I forced my entire body to move forward and focus on raising my hand. When I touched the screen, it shattered beneath my palm, and with it all the voices around me comming to a stop.

My eyes closed involuntarily, and my body fell to the ground before I had time to react.