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It’s only human nature to covet something what others have.
At least, that’s what Nicole reflected while standing in the balcony in her room in Mondstadt, watching what lies below.
At this time of the year, the streets of Mondstadt were supposed to be teeming with people doing their usual business, with some visiting from places around Teyvat. To Nicole, it felt surreal to see the once vibrant streets as barren, with only a few signs of life being the knights and members of the Church of Favonius distributing wood and basic amenities to the households. She then spotted Varka giving out orders as the others knights gathered in formation before him, after which the latter gave their salute and proceeded to do the former’s orders.
Since Nod Krai, the silent mage observed the Grand Master’s prowess in rallying people for a cause. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly how he does it, nor fathom what compels people to listen and follow him. Sure enough, the same people have seen the silly side of Varka, but when things get serious, he rises to the occasion and does what is needed to do.
Nicole sighed; she could see her breath in the ranging blizzard. The sky, which was supposed to be bright and sunny, was as dark as a winter night.
She recalled what happened a few weeks ago. Something unexpected had occurred. At the tail end of spring, several people had spotted dark clouds looming in the horizon, loming towards Mondstadt. While at first, it was disregarded as a sign of another spring storm, a usual happening with the changing of the seasons. But, instead of rain, snow began to fall. People were anxious, though some still tried to reason out that it might be a botched work of a vision holder, or a powerful witch, or someone similar.
‘The nerve of these people blaming the witches,’ Nicole thought.
To make things worse, several attacks from the Abyss were reported across Mondstadt. At first, it was still manageable, but as time goes on, the frequency began to increase, with hordes of these abyssal creatures charging towards the city. The Knights of Favonius managed to drive away their enemies, and Varka had ordered immediate evacuation of the peoeple living outside the city walls, and to the knights to aid them. Nicole heard that Diluc had offered his home as shelter as well. As of now, the threat was kept at bay.
A new crisis is coming.
Almost immediately, Alice called for a conference in the floating isle in the Falcon Coast.
“... and the threat of the Abyss is, once again, upon us,” Alice said. It was a rare occasion that Alice become this serious, as she oftentimes finds a way to be her usual self. “I fear that they are getting bolder, too, and I’m quite surprised they managed to do something of this scale. Barbie also saw that some attacks emerged in other places as well.”
“Dvalin and I took to the skies to look for clues that would help us eliminate the root cause of the problem,” Venti remarked, “I thought that they had revived an old foe or awakened some ancient being. But so far, there’s none.”
Alice then turned to the Grand Master, “Varka, what’s the situation from the ground?”
“I’d have to concur with you, Alice,” Varka replied, “The Knights of Favonius are still capable of fighting off the Abyss. Lately, however, their numbers are increasing and getting fiercer. Even worse, the locations where they pop up are getting closer to the main city.”
Alice turned pale. “Klee..”
Varka smiled a little, at least, to give Alice a bit of reassurance. “The walls of Mondstadt are still able to fend off our enemies and to protect its citizens. Besides, I won’t let them.”
Aliced breathed a sigh of relief. Understandably, she is still worried about her daughter’s safety. Nonetheless, she gives her full trust to the Grand Master’s words.
“But still, the Abyss could appear inside the city, like the ones which occurred inside that magic bubble.”
Thus, the silent witch spoke directly to their minds. All the attendees of the conference knew little to none of the present machinations of the Abyss,
“In that case, I’ll use my powers to prevent them from doing so,” Venti stated, “I’ll come up with something to extend the reach of my powers as far as I can.”
“Would you be alright exerting that much, Barbatos?” Varka asked worriedly.
To which the Anemo Archon replied, “At these times, there’s no reason to hold back. My people need me more.”
“But what if it’ll plunge you to a deep slumber once again?”
“In that case,” Venti chuckled, “I’d like anybody to promise me to greet me with a bottle of a finely aged Dandelion Wine as thanks.”
“We’ll do our best so that won’t happen, Lord Barbatos,” Nicole said telepathically, “I can conjure some spells to strengthen your powers too, as well as provide a shield or force field as aid, just like how I did in Nod Krai. ”
Varka turned towards Nicole and smiled, “I guess I owe the Hexenzirkel once again, considering I cashed in your good will.”
“Rest assured, Grand Master,” Nicole replied, “Consider this as an act of a former envoy of the Heavenly Principles. It’s not everyday that I get to display the powers remaining in me.”
At the very least, the air surrounding the meeting became a bit lighthearted compared to before. “Thank you, my dear Nicole,” Alice finally said, “Would you be doing the same thing to other nations?”
“A great idea, to be sure. But I’ll have to check the situation, as well as if the leaders are amenable with this proposal. They might have their own ways to address the situation, but it doesn’t hurt to try and extend our aid. Also, this way, we’ll have more information regarding the situation of the Abyss in other places too.”
“I’ll have Barbie to help you with that,” Alice remarked, “She’ll give us updates through the Dodocommunication device while she continues her divination.”
“If I could excuse myself from our gathering, ladies, and Barbatos,” Varka said as he stood up, “I’ll have to meet with the Knights, and likely with Seamus, to strategize and come up with contingency plans should our circumstances come to worse… I mean, not that I do not trust your abilities, of course.”
“No offense taken, Varka,” Alice replied, “Better to be safe than regret in the end. My apologies too, for not offering a small feast. I’ll make it up to everyone after all of these ends.”
Varka nodded, and thanked the mages for their hospitality. Nicole watched him as he jumped off the floating isle and landed on the nearby cliff. Just like that, he was gone like the wind.
After spending an hour or so coming up with their plans to address the grim situation they are currently in, Alice dismissed the meeting. After all, they all have work to do.
In the span of two weeks, Nicole managed to visit all the places in Teyvat to do her task, while surveying the extent of the attacks by the Abyss. In her dialogues with some prominent figures in the different nations, most of them were receptive with the aid she was offering, while some had already have plans in place. There were even a few who offered their own solution, such as the use of a pocket dimension to relocate the masses in case the situation becomes uncontrollable.
Now, Nicole had returned to Mondstadt in preparation for the protective mechanism that she and Venti had conjured.
It was just a light snow when she left, but upon her return, it turned to a blizzard. Due to this, it was imperative for her to relay the information she gathered, but she also wanted to check the current situation regarding the citizen. So, rather than teleport to him straight away, she walked through the city streets; that way, at least, she could see how the people are farring with the crisis.
The winds were howling in Nicole’s face as she traversed through the snowy path. Of course, as someone who was once an envoy of the heavens, and even more so, a powerful mage, negating the cold is nothing but child’s play. Right now, however, she needed to conserve her power for what is about to commence.
During her walk, Nicole spotted some knights conversing while gathering themselves for warmth. At first, she didn’t want to delay what she tasked herself to do, but as soon as she heard Varka’s name, she decided to stop and listen in for a bit. She was still, after all, a curious woman. She hid behind a narrow alley between two houses.
“Thank Barbatos that the Grand Master returned to Mondstadt,” a young knight said, “I wouldn’t really know what to do honestly.”
“Why? Didn’t you trust the Acting Grand Master while he was away?” said another, who looked like older than the rest of the group.
“Don’t be so harsh on him, he’s just a new recruit. You a veteran?”
“You can say that,” the veteran replied, “I was a member of the Grand Master’s expedition.”
“That’s so cool! You had many adventures?”
“Well, we had several highs and lows, here and there,” answered the veteran knight, “I must confess that, at first, we had relied too much on the Grand Master; but, later on, we managed to improve ourselves so that he wouldn’t worry too much.”
He paused a bit, then continued. “When we found out about his situation with the fragments, Andrius, and the peril he had to face, we were so worried that he won’t be able to come home with us… no, we refuse to come home without him…”
Nicole froze. The words of the veteran knight resonated with her deeply. Reverence like this is few and far between, especially when directed to another human being.
“Stand a few seconds more, and you’ll probably be an icy statue.”
Nicole jumped out of surprise and turned towards the direction of the voice. Standing behind her is the towering figure of Varka, the subject of the knights’ discussion, and also her curiosity.
Nicole gestured to Varka to keep quiet. She felt her cheeks getting hot that she was discovered, even more so, by the Grand Master. “What’s wrong?” the man asked. He then took a peek and saw the knights that were gathered by the bonfire. “Ah, eavesdropping on others, hmm? Quite a naughty act, don’t you think?” Varka teased. “Now I wonder what piqued your intere-- Hey! Take it easy, Miss Nicole!”
Nicole didn’t let him finish his sentence and hurriedly shoved him to the other end of the alleyway. “And it’s rude to sneak up on a lady, Mr. Varka!”
‘The only good that came out of this cold weather is how quickly my face recovered,’ Nicole thought.
The cold winds began to die down a bit, and the traverse in the snow became easier than before. Perhaps, Venti had a hand on it, perhaps not, but any change should be noted, just in case.
After their minor diversion, as Nicole put it, she began to relay to Varka she has discovered. His easy expression turned immediately to seriousness in a blink of an eye. A trait that she, admittedly, found fascinating.
“I’ll take note of these,” Varka said, “Thank you very much for your aid, Miss Nicole. You have no idea how helpful this is to me… no, to all of Mondstadt.”
“No worries, I’m just doing my part,” she replied.
‘Yes… my part,” Nicole thought. She had walked in the lands of Teyvat for good knows how long, and witnessed countless civilizations rise and their ultimate ruin. What difference would it be for her if the same fate befalls in the current era, then? Her fellow mages, she was sure, can and will survive this calamity. Does she expect something more? Something to change?
The Grand Master smiled. “Would you like me to escort you back to your room in the headquarters?” he offered.
“No, thank you. I can just… no, but actually,” Nicole paused. She took a deep breath, and continued, “I’d like to accompany you, Grand Master, even just for a while.”
Varka paused for a bit. He was a bit hesitant to have a lady of great importance to suffer in the cold while he patrolled the streets.
Seemingly reading his thoughts, Nicole assured him. “The cold isn’t that bad now, and I can manage myself. I am a mage of the Hexenzirkel, after all.”
A pause. “Please do not worry too much about me, Grand Master,” Nicole added.
Varka sighed, finally giving in with her request.
As they patrol the streets of Mondstadt, Nicole was quietly observing him on the sidelines. How he interacts with others. How they respond to him. Still, at the close proximity, she couldn’t fathom his ways. How deep his love and dedication to Mondstadt was. Most especially, at least to her, how the people reciprocated Varka’s devotion, and the way they lean on to him. Maybe it’s their way of gratitude? But the word isn’t enough to describe the they regarded the Grand Master.
It is almost on the level of a god.
This reverence shouldn’t even be an alien concept to Nicole. There was a time, when her kin was still around, that she once guided people as an envoy of the Heavenly Principles. The people of long time ago would come to her and her sisters to seek answers to their inquiries. They built places of worship and offered to the gods in order to gain their favor. When they experience hardship, they turned to the heavens for relief, and the latter answered. Even with this love of humanity, as the Heavenly Principles claimed, there was a boundary laid down between the divine and the mortal; even she and her sisters, who had lived amongst humanity, there was a line that shouldn't be crossed.
…Would the same people wish for the wellbeing of their gods?
‘Quite a dangerous thought there, Nicole,’ she pondered. ‘Then again, nowadays, the Archons also receive such treatment…’
In this current age, the Archons are among those being revered and relied upon their people. Loved by the people, for sure, or at least, in her opinion. The gap between the Archons and men isn’t as wide as that between the Heavenly Principles and humans, after all.
There are also other remarkable people living among Teyvat who receive the respect just as same as the Archons. Powerful shamans, the Adepti, and even a reincarnated hydro sovereign, just to name a few.
But Varka is neither of those.
If placed amongst them, he is as ordinary as he can be; could it be, that he is secretly inhuman?
‘That’s ridiculous, and disrespectful to the Grand Master,’ Nicole thought, ‘But describing Varka as ordinary is also a disservice to him, too.’
The man had piqued her interest ever since she found about the result of his trial with the Hexenzirkel, which was overseen by Barbeloth. The former asked for a glimpse of the latter’s scryglass, and found a deeper meaning from the vision he saw. How can a normal person reject such fate? To choose hardship instead of glory?
Her musings were cut short when Varka suddenly stopped in their tracks.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Varka?” Nicole asked, “Is there any danger?”
Varka turned towards her and said, “It’s getting late, and your feet are probably getting tired with all these traversing we are doing. It’s better for you to rest, especially after you have travelled across Teyvat. And if I remember correctly, you and Barbatos are going to start that protective spell in a few days, no?”
Nicole wanted to protest, yet she found is a bit amusing that a man is worried for an entity like her. It was... quite endearing, to say the least.
His logic is sound, too, so in the end, Nicole finally agreed and was personally escorted by Varka to her room in the Favonius Headquarters.
“I hope this room is warm and cozy enough for you,” Varka said, “If we had time, I could have asked Noelle and the others to accommodate your preferences to make it more comfortable.”
“Oh no, it’s perfect, Grand Master,” Nicole replied, “I don’t want to impose. Besides, comfort would be one of the last things I would worry about.”
When she entered the room, she noticed Varka just standing near the doorstep. “Would you like to come in just for a bit? At least, warm yourself by the fireplace before you set out.”
“Oh, thank you for your offer, but I must decline,” Varka said, “Besides, I wouldn’t want to barge to a lady’s room.”
“And this lady is inviting you in,” Nicole retorted with a smile, “You wouldn’t want to decline my hospitality, do you? You’d probably be setting out again to patrol the city streets, and before that, it’s best for you to warm up and rest for a bit before doing so.”
Varka laughed at her remark. “Touché, Lady Nicole. As expected by a wordsmith.”
“What does being a writer have to do with that?”
“How your mind works, perhaps.”
When Varka entered, and with Nicole’s permission, he placed two armchairs by the fire. Nicole took her place, and so does he.
“Ahh, this is neat,” said Varka as soon as he sat, “This weather is perfect for a glass of fire-water from Snezhnaya.”
“My apologies, Grand Master. The best I have is tea,” Nicole said, “Though I have a liking with spicy food… perhaps we can make something out of it for you.”
“Haha, oh please, no,” Varka replied, “I am already barging inside your room and I have the nerve to ruin your tea? Alice might not invite me again if she hears about this.”
There was silence between them, with only the fire crackling being the sound echoing in the room.
Alas, Nicole turned to Varka spoke in his mind, “It’s truly fascinating how you handled everything, Mr. Varka. Mobilizing everyone is a considerably short time is no small feat. I hardly heard any complaints.”
“Oh that? Oh, um… I mean, thanks for the compliment, but, I mean, we did had several complaints, to be honest, haha,” Varka answered as he faced Nicole. “The people are very considerate, too! I’m glad that they are very cooperative with the efforts of the Knights and the Church of Favonius.”
Nicole noticed how he diverted her praise supposed to be for him. “You still led the operations, right?”
“And they wouldn’t be a success without the collective efforts of everyone.”
At one point, Nicole wanted to dissect Varka’s brains in order to study the way he thinks. Even the mysteries of the old civilizations are easier to decode than him. She cannot, and maybe will never fathom, the being that is the Grand Master. The one who was supposed to be the hero of Mondstadt, yet rejected everything for the sake of his love of the nation where he lived…
That unconditional love he has for Mondstadt… is probably something that a being like her couldn’t have, let alone understand.
But why does she ask about this to herself? Does she want to be as beloved as Varka is to Mondstadt? To receive those same reverence… the same sincerity that the people have for the Grand Master? For someone who will think of her, to worry of her wellbeing, to receive all sorts of well-wishes?
…
‘Perhaps, I am getting a bit… greedy.’ Nicole thought, ‘Besides, I am perfectly content with what I...’
Her musings were once again cut short by Varka. “The feats you are describing… well, anybody can do it, not just me as the Grand Master.” The man turned his gaze back to the fire. “Besides, this title can be passed to those who are deserving…”
It was as if the room turned cold when Nicole heard his words.
Quite ironic too, considering she described him as an ordinary mortal. Of course, they do have a shorter lifespan… but for some reason, she couldn’t imagine Varka dying, especially in this dire situation.
Her eyes lingered on Varka as he continued. “As Grand Master, people look up to me and lean to me for support, and I have full intensions to answer and become their pillar, if need be. As a knight, it will be an honor to give my life if needed be to protect my people.”
…
“May I confess something, Miss Nicole?” asked Varka, to which Nicole responded with a nod.
“Sometimes, in quiet moments like this, I find myself trapped by my own thoughts, plagued by doubts to no end,” said Varka. “During the expedition, there were a lot of times where I wanted to turn around and go home. But the matter at hand kept me going; Mondstadt’s safety is at stake. And now, it felt like I am, once again, embarking on another one.”
“I don’t want to die just yet, though I am ready to do so. But if I did, I’ll never get to see the sunshine hitting the walls of the city, or wait for nightfall and drink with my friends… will I get to see you again?”
Nicole couldn’t muster anything. She watched as Varka turned towards her with a gentle smile. Yet his eyes tell a different story; it cannot hide his melancholy. “I’m sorry I bombarded you with some unnecessary stuff... I'd wish for you to forget them, but it’ll probably impossible for you. But please, Miss Nicole, can this be something between us?”
Again, Nicole was out of words. Her image of him as a paragon of humanity began to crack. He was really, after all, only human. But for her, she prefers this rather than a perfect specimen. All of the aspects of humanity, both their virtues and their flaws, are equally precious. Especially his.
She was a bit glad that he poured out his inner turmoil to her; she felt like she was back being an envoy once again, but also not exactly that. This time, however, it’s not out of her duty bestowed by the heavens to her. This time, she's doing this out of her own volition, of her own desires, though seemingly betraying her own thoughts prior.
Nicole rose from her seat and walked towards Varka. “Your secret is safe with me, Mr. Varka. In turn, you must promise me something.”
Varka was about to stand, but Nicole put her hands on his shoulders, beckoning him to remain seated. He just watched her silently. Suddenly, she planted a kiss on his forehead.
“Wait, wha--?” the man could only muster. He was too flabbergasted with what Nicole just did. However, he could feel his cheeks burning because of the gesture.
Nicole met Varka’s eyes, which were once filled with sadness, but now with astonishment. “I learned that a kiss in the forehead meant protection or something. Consider it as my spell specifically for you.”
“And the promise… is..?”
With this, Nicole wrapped her arms around Varka in an embrace, her head rested on one of his shoulders.
“Promise me to come back alive.”