"... Hu Tao, Qiqi is here."
As far as Hu Tao could recall, the little zombie had never announced her arrival any other way.
"Oh? Nice to see you again, little one. Shall I breathe my last today?"
"Not yet… Still early."
Everyday, the same conversations and the same responses. Hu Tao had grown tired of such stagnant repetitions but—given enough time—even hellish boredom could develop into an acquired taste. At the very least, the future appeared a little more tolerable since then.
If only she could be allowed to spruce up her home a little. Slivers of gaps in the walls of her sea-facing shack permitted the entry of the briny sea breeze. It kept everything within Hu Tao's reach sticky, and herself ever feeling soaked.
"Liyue still the same ol' same ol'?"
"Hm? … Mhm, very peaceful."
"My folks?"
"The same."
The same conversations and the same responses, everyday. Hu Tao may be used to it now, but the template-like exchange used to rouse her suspicion badly. She was not sure at all if she had ever been listened to properly, until a random experiment one day—during which Qiqi produced a proper, corresponding result—somewhat soothed her anxiety.
"How's Baizhu?"
"Dr. Baizhu…? His toes turned up…"
"Huh? Huh."
Mhm, such endearing, child-like innocence.
The owner of Bubu Pharmacy always had an especially weak constitution, so Hu Tao was not particularly surprised by the news of his passing. In fact, he will not be missed. Unfortunately, despite their grudges, it was in her nature to pay her last respects to the departed no matter who they are. The environment was not conducive for the formalities involved to be observed, hence she could only spare him a thought.
On the last day they met, Baizhu seemed full of life—His complexion flourished, his Vision glistened and his dendro-powered tricks withstood Hu Tao's hellfire confidently. She, on the other hand, had been careless enough to be outsmarted by the heretic, thus failing again to lay his 'proof of concept' to rest. It was fortunate to hear that, in the end, he never received the eternal life he so desired.
"Life is really impermanent, huh."
'Impermanent…? Hu Tao you… You've been living for a long, long time with Qiqi, hehe."
It was a red flag, but Hu Tao had not thought much of the answer then. She had been more relieved that Qiqi had not merely been giving template answers, even if it seemed more likely that the little zombie would have been unable to memorise them in the first place. Thinking back, she probably should have taken that statement much more seriously.
Setting her carrier down, Qiqi began to prepare the one dish she always made for Hu Tao: No Tomorrow.
"Got anything nice today?"
"Um… Got lost a few times."
Hu Tao had already expected so, based on how she had not eaten in days. Qiqi never had a great sense of direction, but she never let Hu Tao guide her around either. As a result, there were periods when she'd show up late, sometimes absent for a day or three. Not that it bothered Hu Tao too much; A little starvation had yet to kill her. Qiqi will always show up again on the morrow, the second morrow or the fourth one nevertheless.
The meal would start with the first bite of rice personally spoon-fed by the chef. These moments always filled Hu Tao with bliss, as though she could ascend to Celestia at any moment. Such were blessings compared to the animosity from before. However, there would always be a ceremony waiting for her afterwards. It was apparently the actual blessing intended, despite how it always left her feeling disillusioned.
It used to take hours for the procedure to be completed. Physical incompatibilities aside, Hu Tao once struggled accepting the invasion of Qiqi's bone-chilling powers. Penetration would begin subtly, until Hu Tao could feel naught but stinging frost. The pain would incite her will against her wishes, and fuel its desire to invoke the flames she once wielded. Alas, without her Vision, not even a spark could be conjured. The gemstone hung within sight but out of reach.
Hu Tao was unsure whether Visions would respond to the calls of hollowed husks anyway.
The power of cryo would eventually shatter her consciousness with an excruciating photokeratitis spell, eventually flash-freezing her body and providing a brief respite from her state of existence. By the time she reawakens, Qiqi would have been long gone and her room would be cleansed by the earliest rays of sunrise, as though the agony from before had merely been a bad dream. At some point, having grown weary of acknowledging such experiences, Hu Tao began writing them off as recurring nightmares. The human psyche had always been susceptible to frightening itself, after all—Though the excuse forever left Hu Tao feeling incompetent. Moreover, despite being fully aware of the underlying logic, the nightly horrors never ceased.
The happy-go-lucky prisoner stared at her shoes. The exterior was indistinguishably rotten, and the lovely fabric that once cushioned her feet had long smeared into a plaster-like layer no softer than bricks. It was an understatement to describe her footwear to be 'past their prime'. Naturally, Hu Tao thought of replacing them.
"..."
The mere consideration left her unable to breathe. It was as though she had been plunged into the freezing depths where light did not shine. Her consciousness would have surely crumbled if not for the crushing pressure, but the void never ceased its beckons. At times like this, Hu Tao would wonder whether Qiqi's powers had reawoken within her to cause such anguish. Sometimes, it would feel as though her heart was stabbed by a million needles. Yet at the same time, the twinge she felt would seem nothing more than a mere scratch, for her soul had been stagnated from the purgatory of living in limbo.
Hu Tao felt fine, yet nothing seemed right. Her life was one of peace and stability, but somewhere within her was a desire to raze it all to the ground—To upset the status quo. What was wrong with living undisturbed? Before Hu Tao could consider the query logically, her senses were enraptured by the imaginary stench of charred wood and metal in her nostrils. Nonsensical imageries filled her mind until they were gradually replaced by past sceneries dear to her.
"Wangsheng..."
The spark that set Hu Tao's heart ablaze were the soothing notes of incense and other offerings, and she could almost feel the ashes bleed between her fingers. Like a fledgling prepared to take flight, the desire to regain her honour soon spread their wings. Excitement crackled her feet into a feverish dance accompanied by the clinking of the chains attached at her ankles. Her chest could burst from how much energy welled up within her, perhaps even scream from how long it took her to regain her sanity She would have seized her Vision back in an instant if her wrists had not been bound behind her.
But! Surely Qiqi would be wiling to hear her out? Hu Tao's eyes lit up the moment she heard the door crack open.
"Qiqi!"
"Hu… Tao…"
The little zombie's gaze dimmed from the enthusiasm.
"No."
"I haven't said a thing?!"
A sheet of frost dampened Hu Tao's spirits.
"Just… No."
"I'm begging you, Qiqi!"
A surge of panic tugged against rust-coated chains determinedly. However, despite their deteriorated state, they remain unconvinced by their charge's vehemence. On the other hand, Qiqi herself was overwhelmed by how heated the situation felt. She raised a hand to her face as though to shield it, when the back of her hand brushed slightly into the adeptus talisman that saved her life.
For a brief moment, Qiqi wondered what she should do. The thought lasted only until she took another look at her captive's face. Thereafter, it was overwritten by the simple desire to punch it. Alas, a single fist might not be enough to hold the annoying Wangsheng director down this time…
Hu Tao's expression froze the moment Qiqi swiped the air with a two-finger gesture, calling upon the elements to summon a blade.
"I hate you."
The mere statement made Hu Tao's blood run cold, but she was not willing to give up just yet. There was no way she could return to the inert lifestyle she once 'enjoyed'. To be silenced yet again… She was unable to accept such a fate.
"Q-Qiqi… Eternal life may not be that big of a deal to you, but I was once the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Extending the lifespan of living beings and violating the cycle of life and death… They are the greatest taboos! Let me pass on already, please… Stop pouring your power into me!"
"But… This is Qiqi's… Revenge."
Before Hu Tao could begin to make any sense of the revelation, Qiqi's sword plunged deeply into her guts. Cryo-laced talismans swiftly fanned out and onto the body rendered immobile, layering and encasing it within a mummified patchwork of adeptus power. Upon contact with the ever-present ocean breeze, the elemental reaction between the ceremony and the environment's natural humidity instantly froze her solid.
It would be a while before Hu Tao wakes up again.