The city was ablaze, scores of huntsmen fought against endlessly advancing tides of Grimm, beset on the side by terrorists aided by renegade machines While atop a monolithic clock tower another battle was being waged as two figures clashed in a conflict of ideas, and destinies.
Six small fireballs formed in a circle behind Cinder, as she sent another streak of fire toward Pyrrha, who barely avoided it. The Fallen Maiden sends another stream of fire the young redhead's way, this time, Pyrrha managed to raise her shield in time to block it.
She lept towards Cinder, powering through the flame, spinning around she slashes Cinder's arm with her spear. However, Cinder catches the blade and pulls, slamming her palm into Pyrrha's stomach while sending a burst of flame from her palm, blasting Pyrrha away.
Pyrrha slams into a wall falling her hands and knees. She quickly gets back up facing Cinder with determination in her eyes. The Dark Maiden propels herself forward with flames jetting from her hands in an attempt to slam into Pyrrha's abdomen, but the Invincible Girl dodged into the air wrapping her own arm around Cinder's.
As Cinder slowed to a stop, Pyrrha positions her feet on the wall behind her and pushes off, flipping herself over Cinder. Using the momentum to throw her enemy across the floor.
Back and forth this struggle continued, with the momentum shifting between the two combatants before Pyrrha launched herself toward Cinder putting her into a chokehold with her spear at the Fallen Maiden's neck, only for Cinder to flex her now supercharged semblance, snapping the blade into pieces.
She drove an elbow into Pyrrha's stomach. Lining it up with the Grimm Dragons assault upon the structure. As the windows shatter Pyrrha goes flying across the room. Giant cogs and debris crash down into the office gouging out parts of the floor and destroying furniture. Cinder let out a wave of Magical flame to incinerate any errant shards, while also hampering any effort Pyhrra could make to counterattack.
Watching from behind the wall of flame takes the chance to throw her shield at the Fallen Maiden who backhands it away with contemptuous ease. She then looks up in surprise to see a multitude of giant cogs floating in the air around her. Using her polarity, Pyrrha directs her shield to knock Cinder's feet from beneath her and then slams a cog down on Cinder's abdomen to pin her to the floor.
She calls her shield back to her arm, then brings the cogs together into a pile on top of Cinder. However, Cinder blasts them away with a powerful burst of fire, sending them in all directions. One of the cogs flies toward Pyrrha, who raises her shield to block, in vain. The force of the impact slams her into the remains of a wall, taking away the last of her Aura.
Cinder forms an obsidian bow in her hand. Rasing it and nocking an arrow before releasing it, in desperation, Pyrrha charged forward throwing out her shield at the Fell Maiden in a futile attempt to stop her. As though the arrow shatters upon impact with the side of the reforms on the other side through the power of Cinder's semblance, before finding its mark in Pyrrha's ankle.
The invincible girl collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. She attempts to pull herself to her feet, but the crippling injury proves too much. as Cinder moves to stand before her. "It's unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours. But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined."
Pyrrha locked her gaze in one final act of defiance. "Do you believe in destiny?"
"I do." a voice came from the side. Cutting off Cinder's own response, caught by surprise she spun around but was too late to avoid a block of ice that flew into her sending her crashing across the rooftop and away from Pyrrha's vulnerable position.
Pyrrha looked in shock at the figure standing by the ruined elevator shaft. "Jaune? How did you get out of the locker...that block of ice, you awoke your semblance?" Jaune stayed silent as he continued to observe the fallen Cinder, who was slowly getting to her feet having to brush rubble off of herself to do so.
Seeing this the tournament champion began to panic "Jaune, you have to run, Ozpin couldn't stop her and neither could I. I know you just unlocked your semblance, but she's too powerful to fight right now, please, I'll try and buy you some time, but you've got to escape and get to Goodwitch or Oobleck they'll know what to do-"
She was interrupted by Cinder now fully free from the rubble "I don't know how you made it up here, but that little trick with your semblance? That was the last mistake you'll ever make, you will die screaming boiled from the inside out, while your little whore Nikos watches. And your corpse will drape the side of this tower as a permanent warning to others who would try the same. but you'll be one of the lucky few to be killed by a Maiden"
Cinder had made similar threats to others before, always delivering on the grisly ends she laid out for the targets of her ire. But in this instance, she was met with a reaction that was radically different from the norm. Jaune laughed. Jaune Arc, the bottom of his class, bottom-ranked in combat, and failing in history along with Grimm studies laughed in her face.
"I'm sorry, it's just been so long since I've had to face someone with an attitude like yours that I forgot how these interactions tend to go, although in your case I suppose hot air must have been included in the list of Maiden powers"
A fireball sent his way was quickly dispersed by a blade of ice "mmm how would Tartaglia put it? You should be honored to face me, very few get a chance to square off against someone of my stature" he paused in thought for a moment before continuing
"Now then, amuse me."
Cinder hissed at the insults the supposedly worthless student sent her, pulling up her bow and starting her assault with a wave of arrow fire
"Disappointing." Jaunȩ̴̨̳͈̗̟̰̙͎̬̞̙̒̄̍͜ continued his advance, listlessly batting away Cinder's attacks "your actions here have upset months of careful planning" a jet of flame was swatted like a fly "So many carefully preparations up in smoke because you decided to throw a tantrum to try and get what you wanted" A volley of arrows, disintegrating mid-air in an attempt to strike his blindspots only to be frozen halfway through the process, clattering to the ground like hailstones.
"But I suppose I should thank you." This more than anything prior caught Cinder off guard causing her to pause in her attacks.
"You see, all those plots and plans? They would have all been useless if I hadn't been able to procure the key I needed. And then you decided to come out of whatever hole you were hiding in, saving me the trouble of digging you out" He paused as his foot brushed against Pyhrra's shield, glancing down at its wielder, something akin to pity flashing across his face.
"Sorry for all the lies Pyr, but it was necessary for the sake of my mission, don't give me that betrayed look, it was never supposed to go down like this. After all, I unlike some people know that there is a time and place for a little thing called subtlety"
Having said his piece, he turned his gaze back towards his adversary. Cinder had not been idle while he had been giving his little monologue. Signaling the Grimm Drake to begin another assault run on the tower she flexed a small amount of her wind magic to levitate into the air in preparation for its collision with the ruins, turning back towards Jaun̸̮̭͎̻̝͔̘̔͛͌͊̍̌̀̈́̅̇̈̑͜é̷̱͎̦͓́͊͜ͅ, readying several fireballs as she did so, only for them to sputter out in mid-air, her mouth dropping open as several innocuous ornaments on Jaư̵̫̔͒̑̑̄̅̿͠n̸̮̭͎̻̝͔̘̔͛͌͊̍̌̀̈́̅̇̈̑͜é̷̱͎̦͓́͊͜ͅ's clothing began glowing varying shades of blue while waves of water and Ice rose around him.
"Impossible, THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE, ONLY MAIDENS HAVE MAGIC… wait...Could it be that Ozpin? No... no, he lost too much power… then...wha... What are you?"
Jä̷̧̨̧̞̝̩̟̥̭̘̰̞̦̯͚̏́̕͜ư̵̫̔͒̑̑̄̅̿͠n̸̮̭͎̻̝͔̘̔͛͌͊̍̌̀̈́̅̇̈̑͜é̷̱͎̦͓́͊͜ͅ gave no response, instead sending her into an even deeper spiral of shock as his body began to lift itself into the air. Wisps of water gathering around his legs like tentacles, his armor plates falling off as they were replaced by watery tendrils, that constricted around his limbs forming into paradoxically cloth-like armor coverings.
Dark blue gauntlets formed around his wrists, with blade catchers of pure water, a chest piece adorned with a lazurite gemstone. And a helm forming around his head, taking the form of a cap, with jade chunks forming over the eyes.
As his armor finished forming Crocea Mors ascended into the air to orbit its master, the shield and sword pair spinning faster and faster until they met mid circuit shattering into thousands of fragments.
With but a wave of his hand he froze the fragments mid-air before they coalesced into the singular form of a glaive… with a blade made of pure ice. He took a moment to admire it giving it a swing that sent a burst of frigid air across the ruined tower top, before finally turning his gaze back to Cinder,
"You who hasn't even begun to plumb the true depths of your power… Cannot even begin to comprehend the extent of mine."
J̶̫̣̩̆̌̋a̶̧̝͓͉̱̬̦̠̎̇̅̓̈́̉͆̋͛́̑̕͘u̵̢̙̳̳̥̘̼͍̍͌̈̋̍̚n̶̝̗̻̙͚̥͐͆̇ȩ̴̡̹͈̖̠̤͔̲̊̀̓̄̎͜͝ ̸̗̙̿͛̋͆̅̍̈́͒̔̅͗͝A̸̹͕͇͕͖͎̟͚̪̱̯͍͈̯̔̀̌̅̿͗̽̇̿̄̈́̑̿̕̕͝ř̵̛͈̥̝̇̓̍̋̋ç̵̹̝͉̮̱̤͆͛̾̽̽͗̍̿͂̔̅̽̒͐͜ Burattino: 12th of the Fatui Harbingers
Cinder's already present scowl deepened even further at these words, noticing Drake's rapid approach she opted to distract him by circling his position in lieu of an answer while he continued to speak.
"You have no hope of matching me." Cinder's scowl deepened even further at the insult, but on the inside, a smirk threatened to spill out onto her face as the paradoxically silent Dragon drew closer to its prey, before her attention was wrenched back to her opponent as he spoke his next words.
"But I shall take no chances." he pivoted around stretching out his arm towards the Dragon, which by this time was all but upon him with wide-open jaws
"FOUL LEGACY: THE FATAL FROST"
For the span of a heartbeat, there was silence, before the silence expanded even further as a brutally cold pall was drawn over the tower top scene. On the outskirts, a young girl assailed the side of the tower, originally she had tried to run up the sheer side, but a blast of frigid air had tripped her up, forcing her to climb the rest of the way.
Finally Ruby managed to pull herself up over the side of the building, before freezing in place both literally and metaphorically, as her silver eyes widened at the surreal plateau in front of her. The woman she had fought with at the dance floated in the air, her arms hanging limply at her sides, her jaw dropped, and her eyes wide open.
But it was the scene on the opposite side of the field of battle that kept attention locked in rapt silence, Pyhrra lay sat out on the ground, her back against a small outcropping of rubble as her expression ironically mirrored the one on the other fall maiden's face, as a figure towered above her, a huge glaive held behind his back in one hand, while his other was outstretched, tendrils of water flowing out from his gauntlets, wrapping around the struggling Grimm Dragon and holding it in place midair. Ruby's thoughts sped faster than her semblance ever had while she tried to comprehend what she was seeing.
"Ursa was stronger than you, ever before I gave Dottore his corpse."
The voice cracked through the frozen air, and Ruby's thoughts slammed to a halt, the voice was modified like it was bouncing between speakers but there was no mistaking it, after all, she had heard it thousands of times before, that was Jaune's voice.
The question on the tip of her tongue was stolen before it could escape her lips by the fell maiden who still hung in the sky.
"This… this is impossible, no one has the power to stop that Grimm it has dominated and destroyed entire empires...it was personally placed by Salem centuries ago to prepare for this assault….who...no.. what are you?"
The figure spoke with Jaune's voice… Jaune, it was Jaune. Somehow Ruby knew that deep down despite not being able to truly believe it. Turned his head away from the gnashing jaws of the dragon, cocking his head at the floating maiden as if considering something. Before clenching his fist shut.
Immediately the frustrated growls of the Grimm took on a more pained tone as the waters wrapping it began to constrict, the growls began to take on a more panicked tone as a massive pillar of water arose in front of it and started pushing its way into the Dragon's throat.
Ruby had never heard of a Grimm screaming before, it was something that was never considered in the realm of possibility. But as she watched icicles burst through the skin of the Grimm from within its own body, from the back, traveling slowly to the front….there was no mistaking the sound.
She had seen horrific imagery before on her way to the tower, men and women lying dead on the streets, whether by the claw of Grimm, the weapons of the White Fang, or just collateral damage from the city itself.
But she never expected that it would be the death of a Grimm that caused her to retch up what remained of her lunch. Not even the monsters that took away her mother deserved to die that way.
Uncaring of his fellow leader's reaction Burattino addressed Cinder's question. "Ah, my apologies, I neglected to answer your question earlier. Forgive me."
He turned to face her fully, a dripping piece of the Grimm Dragon freezing in mid-air before shattering on his shoulder. "I, am Burattino, head of the Artifact Acquisition division."
"Artifact Acquisition division?" for a moment Ruby looked around the bleak arena in an attempt to find the speaker, only to realize that it had been herself.
Looking back she unconsciously curled in on herself as she realized that she was now the center of attention. "Yea Rubes" the nickname that just yesterday made her feel the warmth and affection of her first friend, now just sounded wrong coming out of his mouth.
"The Artifact Acquisition division of the Fatui, a proud and mighty office given to me by the Queen herself, in order to procure the necessary items with which to enact her dreams." as he paused, "She entrusted me with my task after hearing legends about an item of great and necessary power hidden within Vale-"
t was at this moment that Cinder interrupted, her mind hyper-focusing on one word he had spoken "Queen!? You...you also serve Sale-" only to interrupt herself with a scream of pain as an icicle pierced through her leg, breaking her focus and bringing her crashing to the ground
"Think of that as an encouragement to never again speak of that pathetic witch in the same breath as the glorious Tsaritsa. She is nothing in comparison to our Archon."
Cinder lay collapsed on the ground as he approached her, pain radiating from the icy dagger still stuck in her leg, the phrase "you are nothing" unconsciously flashing repeatedly through her mind. Logical thought was replaced by fury as she looked up at this 'Burattino' literally seeing red as flames spilled out from her eyes as her semblance superheated the ground around her.
She prepared to blast him with the full extent of her power, only to be stopped in her tracks as a single tendril of water wrapped around her wrist. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she suddenly felt a void encompass her, not being able to feel her semblance or her maiden powers, like her very soul had been sucked into a dark abyss.
"I see you're feeling its effects"
Burattino's filtered voice echoed throughout the ruined tower, he tapped the gem on his chest
"My Delusion, given to me by Pedrelino, taken from the remains of the ancient hydro god Pontus after his cataclysmic clash with Perses an ancient pyro god. A mere touch from one of its tentacles has the ability to seal away non-deific magics."
His helm dispersed into droplets, while another watery rope wrapped around Cinder's neck languidly forcing her to look up at him as he delivered his next words.
"You have been completely defeated, you have no hope of an escape, but if you assist in my task then I Burattino give my word as a Harbinger that you will be unharmed."
As a gesture of goodwill, he relaxed the bindings around her, allowing her to breathe freely once again. Gulping down air she looked back up at him with tears in her eyes
"What *cough* do you need me to do?"
A wicked smile spread across Burattino's face "Do you remember Nikos' question from a few minutes ago? About destiny?"
Cinder's face twisted in confusion "yes, but what does have to do with any of this? It doesn't have anything to do with me?"
Burattino took a step back plunging his glaive into the ground and leaning on it as he replied
"it has everything to do with you, or rather...who you are. You see destiny is quite an immutable concept, quite often used interchangeably with fate. once it sets you on a path it seems that there is nothing you do that can change it."
After a short pause, to let his statement sink in he continued. "Even gods are slaves to it, at the whim of those who rule above. But for such an immutable concept it is… surprisingly mutable, by the concept we call free will, or in other words, Choice."
Cinder's eyes snapped wide open, realization spreading across her face
"I see you understand. I am of course speaking of the Relic of Choice, it rose to the Tsaritsa's attention after Pulcinella came across a mention of it in an old storybook I had in my possession. A crown once worn by a long line of kings, it had the power to defy the natural orders of the world. Those fated to die lived. And those fated to live died. Rebellions and insurrections destined to overthrow the rulers failing despite having almost insurmountable numbers at their backs."
"Judging that further investigation was necessitated, they decided to send me to track it down due to my...unique nature amongst the Fatui. Breaking through our neighboring domains was surprisingly simple, even if your gods still directly involved themselves in mortal affairs the Abyss is home to many intertwining pathways. And now, we have arrived at the culmination of it all."
He held out his unarmed hand to her "Aid in my endeavor and you will be granted the opportunity to willingly become part of something much greater than the petty plans that you have participated in so far, you shall be the key that unlocks one of the final locks on the path to the final achievement of the Tsaritsa's dream. You shall be the key that unlocks the power to defy the Celestial Gods themselves."
Cinder gazed out his outstretched hand, trembling she reached out towards it as the kind smile on Jaune's face grew wider, only to be wiped off as she swatted his hand away. Her eyes sharp as she defiantly got to one knee.
"Whatever you offer me, no matter how many promises you make. It won't make any difference compared to what Salem will do to me if I go along with it. So go ahead, do your worst. After all, you can only kill me. While Salem...Salem can do much worse."
For a few tense moments, all that Burattino did was stare at his hand before he replied. "If only that was the case, I'm sure that if I let Dottore or Pedrolino have any time with you, then you would quickly be aware that the suffering Salem could inflict wouldn't even come close. But I am just a bit too soft-hearted to subject you to that fate."
With his other arm, he once again pulled his glaive out of the ground, spinning it before letting the blade's edge come to rest against the side of her throat. Cinder shut her eyes dry swallowing as she resigned herself to her death.
"Luckily, I never needed you to be conscious in order to open the Relic's Vault." Cinder's eyes shot wide open, as she reflexively raised her hands. But it was too late, as the end of the glaive whipped around and hit her with a butt made of ice. Cinder collapsed like a sack of potatoes, Burattino proceeded to throw her over his shoulder as he turned to regard the other two witnesses to the whole series of events.
"I'm sorry it had to happen like this, please believe me when I say that this was never meant to be the plan. But I guess that saying 'no plan survives first contact' is perennially true." Jaune let out a heavy sigh as a small smirk danced across his face. "I wish our time together had been longer, it's been quite some time since I have been able to relax as much as I did when I was with you guys and the rest of the teams. But I guess that's just how the cookie crumbles." slowly he began to approach the corridor that formed between them, heading for a hidden staircase that had been uncovered in all the excitement. "Just know that no matter what you think of me, or my actions, I will always think of you as my dear friends."
As they struggled to make a response Ruby and Pyhrra both came to the realization that their movements had been restrained by icy locks formed around their limbs during the earlier monologue. And while they tried to come to terms with this whole chain of events, Jaune Arc sent them one last sad smile… Before Burattino descended the stairs.
Some Time Later
A lone figure wandered amongst a raging blizzard, coal-powered streetcars passing by as they made their way to the steps of an elaborate palace. As they reached the top they stopped in front of the giant doors of hoarfrost, before long 3 figures in red came out. with two taking up positions at each side of the doorway, keeping their rifles in low ready positions. The third figure struck a curious sight as they were adorned with an elaborate fur-collared jacket, and had a beaked mask sticking out from their hooded face.
"Who approaches the holy palace of the Tsaritsa, the honored leader of Snezhnaya?" The guard paused as he got a closer look at the mysterious figure before snapping to attention "My apologies Lord Archaeologist. I was unaware that you had already returned from your assignment."
Jaune quickly put the man at ease. "There's no need for apologies Iosef, I only just arrived back and was on my way to give my report to the Tsaritsa, is she available?"
"The Tsaritsa is currently in a meeting with Lord Pulcinella, I believe they are discussing recent events in Mondstat and Liyue. But they will be more than willing to put a pause to that in order to receive your report." Iosef dutifully responded.
"Thank you Agent Iosef, would you be willing to pass along a missive from me to the Jester? Tell him I have acquired some info that might lend some insight into the phenomena of inert Visions reactivating."
"A request given to me by a member of the 12 overrules any other order. I shall proceed to the Message Division headquarters at once to dispatch this missive."
Jaune patted the Agent on the shoulder "Many thanks, I will see to it that a few casks of Fire-Water are assigned to your rations later as a reward, just make sure to share them with the others in the barracks"
"You are too kind Lord Burattino." Unsurprisingly Iosef was joined in his reply by the other two door guards.
A short while later, the returning Harbinger made his way through the labyrinthine halls, and out into an elaborate throne room. Empty for the moment, save for two figures, one sitting high upon a towering throne gazing down upon the empty hall, resting one against their chin, and languidly holding a turquoise queen piece in the other, the other occupant stood leaned over a table to the side of the throne steps sorting through papers with the help of a yellow rook paperweight.
Jaune made his way towards the throne, steps echoing throughout the hall before he was frozen in place by the imperious stare of the seated figure, quickly ducking to one knee he bowed his head and waited to be addressed.
For a few minutes, silence reigned once again, only disturbed by the shuffling of paper by the second figure who finished shorting through the stacks before finally addressing the still kneeling youth.
"Ah, young Burattino, I am pleased to see that you have returned from your assignment unharmed. I trust that you were successful in your 'archaeological endeavors."
The returning Harbinger lifted his head to reply "Thank you for your concern Pulcinella. Although there were a few complications on my mission, that led to me, unfortunately, having to cut my expedition short. However, I was able to acquire the main objective." at this he reached down to his side and withdrew a cloth bundle before placing it on the steps before him.
Pulcinella having left his place by the table picked up the bundle unwrapping it revealing a golden crown inlaid with red gemstones. He looked it over for a few moments before passing it up to the seated figure as they began their own examinations of the ornate piece of regalia.
Evidentially she liked whatever it was she saw, as after a few minutes she gave a small nod of approval to the still kneeling Jaune and placed the crown atop her own head, a burst of frozen air washing over the room as icicles jutted down from the windows.
Pulcinella turned back towards the younger member of the 12 "It appears that you have been particularly successful in your endeavors this time young Burattino. The Tsaritsa is most pleased with the prize that you have brought her. while further tests will be necessary to determine the full power of the artifact, for now, we are both dismissed. I will hear the rest of your report on the way to the canteen as I'm sure you are hungry after your long journey."
Having said his piece he motioned for the younger man to rise before they both departed the room, leaving the Tsaritsa to return to her vigil over the empty hall, a thin blue layer of ice slowly spreading over the once golden surface of the Relic of Choice.
A few minutes later
Jaune and Pulcinella sat in a side room separated from the main cafeteria of the palace, while the younger man had multiple dishes set out in front of him, The Roosters side of the table save for a glass of Fire-Water that he was nursing.
After a few minutes, the elder Harbinger decided to raise a question that had been on his mind. "So, explain to me what you meant in your report when you mentioned 3 other relics on the level of the Crown."
The younger Harbinger paused at this, quickly finishing off the small plate of Pelmini he had been attending to before taking a sip from his own glass of liquor as he replied.
"Yes, since the information about the Crown was discovered by means of an old storybook of Vale's legends that I had in my possession when I first arrived here, I elected to spread out my net to encompass tales from the other nations. In doing so I discovered mentions of phenomena that reminded me of the legends of the Defiant Dynasty. Specifically tales about the Wise Kings of Mistral, the Warrior Lords of Vacuo, and the Sorcerer Kings of Mantle. The last of which I believe will be of no small interest to Dottore and Pedrelino."
Pulcinella mulled over his statements, refilling his glass as he did so, before replying "You would have had Dottore hooked just by your descriptions of those Atlesian Paladins you fought, unfortunately, both he and Pedrelino are in Inazuma at the moment, running Delusion field tests and recruitment drives among the refugees of Baal's Vision hunt. So if we want more information on those Relic's you will be on your own."
At this, he looked up and met Jaune's beaming gaze "Unless of course, you manage to stabilize and streamline the Travelling process?"
Jaune's grin grew wider as he replied "We no longer have to worry about the dangers normally associated with Abyssal travel, on my return trip I Chose a safe path, it leads straight into the basement of my division's headquarters. I also made sure that the Chosen path would be safe, and hidden from the prying eyes of the Abyss Order."
The elder Harbinger cracked a chuckle at that, "Sometimes I worry that you take after me a little bit too much, but that might just be because of Signora's comments on the matter, like that witch would know how to raise a kid." he muttered before continuing "Speaking of raising kids, did you drop in on that family of yours. while you were over on Remnant?"
Jaune shook his head, draining his glass while he did so "No, that visit seems more like a job I'd have Tartaglia do, after all, I'm just a humble archaeologist going around hunting for artifacts, he's the one heading up the debt collection division."
Pulcinella broke out laughing, refilling Jaune's glass before speaking again "I suppose I'll have to send him a message with that assignment after he finishes tying up loose ends down in Liyue. But for now, Jaune, why don't you tell more about that 'food fight' between your teams over at Beacon."
Jaune gratefully accepted his glass, toasting his senior, before diving into the more mundane details of his time on Remnant.
Authors Note: Yay, first published fic and all the usual shit, this arose out of an idea I have had for a while about a Genshin/RWBY fic and I only really narrowed it down to this concept a few days ago, I started yesterday and finished today. I wanted to try and let the information I give the readers bleed in through the interactions without outright stating it in the dialogue.
I'm sure that you all can understand the main idea behind this story, Jaune at some time in his youth fell into the Abyss and spent some time there before coming out into Teyvat where he was taken in by Pulcinella, similarly to the way that Childe was recruited. but whereas he still had a family around him Jaune had no one and his relationship with his family is also not quite on the up and up as I imply towards the end of this chapter.
As of this moment, I am unsure as to whether I will try to add to this or not, if I do it will be some time in the future as I want to wait for the next major Genshin update so I see whether they touch more on the Fatui in it or not.
Ciao~~