Work Text:
The past several hours had been something of a whirlwind for Phainon. Last he remembered, he had confronted Nanook and fell after only managing a scratch, drawing one drop of THEIR blood. So, one might understand the confusion he felt upon waking up seated on the throne of an entirely unfamiliar palace. His sudden awakening had greatly startled the two white-haired women who happened to be in the room at that moment. Following a frantic discussion where he initially drew his sword in defense and quickly dismissed his weapon when they fearfully fell to their knees in a show of devotion and loyalty, it was clear the two were entirely convinced that he had sacrificed a significant amount of memories for the purpose of awakening from an enchanted healing sleep faster.
Finding out that the two — who had identified themselves as Istaroth and Ronova — were his daughters, confirmed by them sharing (minuscule) portions of his coreflames and both having his mother's eyes and hair, was another shock. Although he already apologized for it, it made him feel even guiltier for drawing his sword and startling them so badly. Additionally, one of their sisters, Asmoday, had been missing for the past 500 years and another sister, Naberius, was currently alchemically merged with one of the people involved with the disaster that allegedly wounded him badly enough he had been put in the aforementioned enchanted sleep 500 years ago.
As for why he woke up now, ahead of schedule? The working theory was that it was in response to feeling an attempted creation and ascension of an artificial god, one that would attempt to usurp a nation's Archon that he had appointed. An Archon that he understood to be his great granddaughter through Naberius. Upon his request, they had crammed as many explanations about Teyvat, the elemental system, his granddaughter's — Kusanali, chosen name Nahida — history, and the enemies (particularly one Scaramouche and Il Dottore of the Snezhnayan Fatui organization) involved as they could before guiding him down to Sumeru. If the people and local Archon were unable to defeat the fledgling artificial god, then he'd be able to intervene.
According to his daughters, if all went according to the mortals' plans, Nahida would be able to purge Irminsul of forbidden knowledge at the cost of the memory of the original Dendro Archon's — her mother, his granddaughter — existence. The most likely consequence would be everyone believing that Nahida had been the original, and only, Dendro Archon. If he had woken up sooner, maybe he could have learned the skills needed to purge Irminsul of forbidden knowledge without losing Rukkhadevata's memory. Unfortunately, they simply didn't have the time for him to learn, even with Time's divine authority.
With the assistance of Trickery, Phainon concealed his divine presence before leaving Celestia. If no one expects the Heavenly Principles to awaken from his slumber and descend to the mortal realms personally, the 'lie' will remain 'real'. Night had fallen by the time he was notified that the would-be god was defeated and the memory of his descendant's existence was erased. As he approached the Dendro Archon's sanctuary, something felt off. There was a strange tinnitus-like ringing sound coming from within. Thinking quickly, he ignored the grand double doors and circled the building for another entrance.
He slipped in quietly through a smaller door and heard two voices coming from the main hall — that of a young girl and an adult man — noting that the ringing sound had stopped. The darkness of night had deepened the shadows within the main hall, and he slipped into them unnoticed. A young girl with white hair, aura shining brightly with Dendro, was having a tense conversation with a masked man. Two figures lay unconscious on the floor nearby: a young blonde woman and another small white-haired girl.
"Since you were in the Akademiya, why wait until now to show up? You could very well have stopped us and helped that 'fake god', Dottore," the young girl — Nahida — questioned the masked man.
"Simple, let me ask you this: Would any staff member ever help the subject in the middle of an experiment? It was my experiment, so why should I interfere with the results?"
Oh, this man made Phainon's skin crawl already, a sentiment his granddaughter seemed to share as she questioned the other on his research ethics and convictions, her voice quavering. The list of his crimes the Shades had given him had already reminded him of Lycurgus, and this had done nothing to help. Still, he was curious to see how she would handle it. She would not be in any true danger.
"Didn't you say you were here to negotiate with me?" Nahida questioned, narrowing her eyes at the Harbinger, "It's starting to seem like you intend to take it by force now."
The other laughed. "I'm merely stating a fact. After all, I'm also a scholar. Naturally, I hope to show the proper respect and dignity to the God of Wisdom."
"Your hypocrisy is built on absolute confidence. I understand your scheme, but…" she took out what appeared to be a purple chess piece and looked contemplatively at it, "What if I were to destroy the Gnosis now, and awaken the Heavenly Principles?"
The hall remained silent for a heartbeat, and Phainon raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Awaken… the Heavenly Principles? Do you think that's really possible?"
"The Heavenly Principles have been silent for many years, but the Gnoses are symbols of their control over Teyvat and all the laws. Will the destruction of a Gnosis attract the attention of the Heavenly Principles?" with a tilt of her head, Nahida continued, "And if so… how do the Fatui plan to deal with the consequences? Do you dare to gamble such a possibility with me?"
"Hmph, 'gamble'? How surprising. The word 'gamble' is the last thing I expected to hear from the God of Wisdom, but this is a clever move. You must have seen through me when I first captured your consciousness."
He did what? Among the other crimes Phainon had been informed of, this 'Dottore' had been part of that? Clenching his fist, he suppressed the sudden surge of anger. It's not as if the Harbinger was going to be leaving here alive anyway.
"As a scholar, I respect all possibilities. This has always been my principle and is an essential trait as an experimenter. Indeed, I can't ignore this possibility. So tell me then, what are your conditions?"
The more he spoke, the more Phainon was reminded of the Scepter Administrator he had temporarily beheaded so recently in his memories. The condescension and superiority complex grated on his nerves.
"This foreign Gnosis will only lead to disaster if it stays in Sumeru, but it is the prize I obtained after defeating one of your fellow Harbingers. As the one who initiated this cascade of events, shouldn't you pay the corresponding price?"
"Interesting. What price would you have me pay?"
"How about erasing all your other segments?"
"I see. If you think all those versions of me are worth a Gnosis… Then, deal."
Phainon watched as they threw more barbed remarks at each other as they discussed the termination of his segments. A similar concept to Nikador's split aspects? It seemed that waiting things out was the right approach. Killing the fragment that was physically here would get rid of the immediate threat, but wouldn't stop him entirely. He vaguely recalled Ronova griping about this man's method of avoiding death, but it had gotten lost in the deluge of new information that he hadn't completely processed yet.
He couldn't help but admire Nahida's quick wit and cleverness. For all that she appeared to be a child, it would be a mistake to forget that she is a five hundred year old god of wisdom. It reminded him painfully of Tribios and her shattered selves. Within a few moments, she confirmed the termination of the mad scholar's other selves and placed the chess piece in his hand.
As Nahida declared her intentions to take back control of the Akademiya and guide the people of Sumeru towards a brighter future, Phainon couldn't help but smile with pride for her. A smile which quickly dropped as the so-called scholar dared to ask for her Gnosis.
"Don't be greedy, Harbinger of Snezhnaya," she warned, glaring at him.
"No, this is a different transaction. If you intend to turn off the Akasha anyway, then there's no further use for the Gnosis of Sumeru, is there?"
'Oh, absolutely not.' Phainon had heard enough. And with how Nahida had gotten him to willingly neutralize the largest obstacle to killing him, he no longer needed to wait. He heard a sharp gasp from his granddaughter and saw her gaze snap over to where he was hidden in the shadows as he allowed the lie sustained by Trickery to drop. Dottore frowned and tilted his head as he observed her reaction.
"Hm? What is-" Manifesting from violet flames, three enshadowed masked and cloaked figures surrounded Dottore and pointed their swords at his throat, cutting off his words. One directly behind two off to either side at an angle, close enough that one wrong move would result in spilled blood. Nahida had yelped and quickly backed away at their sudden appearance.
A heavy silence pressed down upon the sanctuary hall as Phainon stepped between Nahida and Dottore, drawing his sword and completing the circle that surrounded the would-be Lycurgus.
"And what is the meaning of this? Who are you?" Dottore snapped.
Phainon let out a small huff and ignored the questions, turning his head to look at Nahida. His expression softened at this first close look at his great granddaughter. She stared wide-eyed up at him, her trembling hands stilling as she seemed to recover from the initial shock. He gave her a warm smile.
"It'll be alright, Nahida," Phainon said gently, "You did very well. I'll take care of this pest for you." He turned his gaze back towards the scholar and his smile fell, expression one of cold rage. "So, Il Dottore, the Doctor, Zandik. You do have some remnant of self-preservation after all," he derided bitterly, voice pitched low.
"Yes, having four swords pointed at one's neck tends to have that effect," Dottore drawled through gritted teeth.
"Oh, I'm well aware of that. For most people. You, though?" Phainon raised an eyebrow, "I had my doubts. Though truthfully, it doesn't really matter. You won't be leaving this place."
"And what makes you so sure of that? For all you know, I could have a few tricks of my own. The Electro Gnosis, for instance," Dottore tilted his head, "The Dendro Archon may not be able to make use of it in battle, but I have studied it for quite some time now."
A bluff, perhaps? But ultimately irrelevant.
"Hm. That Electro Gnosis?" Phainon jerked his head to the side, where another Flame Reaver shadow held the chess piece in the palm of his hand. In certain cycles, he learned a thing or two from Cipher. Whether the Dolos cat had intended it or not. His shadow approached and gave the artifact to Phainon. He held it up for a moment and gave it a cursory look before returning his attention to the matter at hand. Though the mask hid the scholar's eyes, they way he tensed up betrayed his shock.
"Tsk. I did not expect this from you, Lesser Lord Kusanali," Dottore jeered, gritting his teeth, "After you confirmed that I upheld my end of the bargain, too."
"Oh? Was there some term stipulating that it was not truly in the Fatui's possession until you left Sumeru? I heard no such thing," Phainon raised a brow, "You received the Electro Gnosis. The transaction was complete. If you lost it afterwards, my granddaughter bears no blame or responsibility. Besides, she knew nothing of my involvement until my blades were already aimed at your throat."
"Granddaughter…?" Archon and scholar both asked, confused. Phainon could understand. As far as Nahida knew, she had lost memories of the time before a cataclysm that happened 500 years ago. And any stories of the origins of the Dendro Archon could have easily gotten lost or faded over time. By her reaction when she felt the presence of his divinity, she seemed to know who he was, but that wouldn't necessarily mean she was aware that they were related. There was much Phainon would need to discuss with his newfound family, and much he would need to learn about this world and what had happened to him, and gods he was tired. He may have just woken up from a very long sleep, but today was a lot. He didn't want to drag this out much longer.
Golden light filled the main hall of the sanctuary as his halo appeared behind his head and two vast wings unfurled from his back, one a radiant gold and the other a deep midnight purple. His hair became threaded with pale sunlight and his blue eyes glowed a radiant gold. Nahida remained quiet behind him, observant eyes watching his every move, while the Harbinger seemed to pale.
"What? The Heavenly Principles?! Did you know of this, Lesser Lord Kusanali!" Dottore demanded, shaking. Rage? Fear? A mix of both? Phainon didn't really care. Nahida merely shook her head.
"You've caused untold levels of suffering for countless people. Now, you threaten my granddaughter under the guise of negotiating a transaction," Phainon stated, voice low and trembling slightly with a seething rage, "Clearly, you would continue your twisted experiments and cause more suffering if you are not stopped here and now."
In a gentler voice, Phainon glanced back towards his granddaughter and said, "Nahida, if you do not wish to see, close your eyes." The small goddess shook her head and stood tall (relatively speaking), a steely determination in her eyes. He wouldn't have blamed her if she did not wish to look and would have respected her decision regardless, but he couldn't help the little glimmer of pride upon seeing her resolve. He directed a hateful glare towards the Doctor, dismissing his sword.
Phainon raised his right hand, a singularity hovering in his grasp. Simultaneously, he dismissed the shadows and a larger singularity grew in the space above the Harbinger's head, the dark orb glowing a baleful red. The man barely had the time to scream as the intense gravity pulled and tore him apart, the room trembling with the force. Phainon closed his fist, crushing the singularity within his grasp and the larger one collapsed in on itself with a flickering of black-and-red cubes, leaving not even dust as the chamber stilled and gravity returned to normal.
He heard Nahida let out a shuddering breath behind him that instantly doused what little remained of his anger. Worried, he turned back towards her only to see her starting to bow when she noticed his gaze. Phainon shook his head, knelt in front of her, and gently rested his hands on her shoulders, his hair fading back to snowy white and his eyes returning to their sky blue once more. "Please, there's no need for that," he said in a soft-spoken voice.
"You… really are here," she breathed out, eyeing him with… wariness? Confusion? A mix with something else? He couldn't blame her. She'd been through a lot and must be exhausted, and her spark of divinity seemed so tiny compared to his. "We're… family?"
Phainon nodded his head and smiled warmly at her. "Yes, we're family. It's nice to meet you, Nahida, though I'm sorry it wasn't under better circumstances. I'm your grandfather, Phainon."
"I… regret that our meeting wasn't under better circumstances, too," Nahida replied, stunned, "I have so many questions."
Phainon pulled her into a hug — wrapping her in his arms and wings — and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, rubbing soothing circles into her back. "Honestly, you're not alone," he murmured, smiling softy as she hugged him back, "I woke up a few hours ago and lost my memories of Teyvat, a bit like you. Words cannot express it, but I'm sorry for not being able to come sooner. However, I am so, so proud of how you handled this."