Chapter 4 – Arrow of the Undivided

Ganyu cannot remember a single battle she fought that wasn't under a blazing weather.

It probably wasn't the best time to scale a cliff, but orders were orders, and if her Lord had summoned her here then he had a good reason to do so. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she slowly made out the imposing figure who was gazing at the endless plains below them.

Qiongji Estuary was an ideal place to station the troops at. The flat location allowed to see any signs of ambush beforehand, and while it was large enough to establish hundreds of tents, it could also be easily defended if the enemy were to launch a bold assault.
In the camp, Rex Lapis' banner was flown high, a constant reminder of their god's military prowess and willingness to protect his people. From the vantage point, she watched as the members of her company diligently trained in unison. Yes, as long as they stood under the Lord's shield, they could accomplish anything.
Ganyu was proud to serve such a strong and benevolent god.

Suddenly remembering that she was in that very same god's presence, she took a knee.

"My Lord, your humble servant has responded to your summons."

Given his lack of reaction, Ganyu assumed that he hadn't heard her. But just as she was about to repeat herself, the Prime of the adepti slowly turned around. "At ease, lieutenant. There is no need for such formalities."

"Understood, my Lord."

The god simply nodded and went back to his gazing. Even after years of fervent admiration towards him, Ganyu could never tell what he was thinking. Whatever thoughts rushed behind his deep amber eyes was a total mystery, which could be problematic when the fate of an entire nation rested on his shoulders. Maybe he was overanalyzing everything, or maybe his mind was completely empty.

"How is Cloud Retainer these days?"

Slightly caught off-guard by the question, she still managed to answer. "She... she is well, my Lord. She is keeping herself distracted with intricate machinery."

"Good. When at war, you can never worry too much about the health of your allies."

Another awkward silence befell them, only broken up by clamors coming from the camp. It seemed a few soldiers where testing their strength in a friendly bout.

The half-qilin was beginning to wonder why she had been summoned in the first place. She expected him to ask about the battle she had just returned victorious from, and she would have been glad to tell him all about. While a bit awkward at first, she had found the confidence in herself to lead men into battle, and every soldier was being fully supportive of their newly appointed lieutenant.
But was the ruler simply going to remain silent? Was it a test? Or had he just completely forgot about her presence?
She wouldn't put the last option past him.

"Lieutenant Ganyu, what do you think of this war? Give me your honest opinion."

Maybe he really was testing her. He already knew what her kind's stance on war was. The qilin are creatures who tend to avoid conflict, and she is no exception. But when faced with an event as sizable as the Archon War, she had no choice but to fight for the god she devoted herself to. If Rex Lapis were to come out on top, he would ensure peace and prosperity for the people, and many would not have to wield a bow the way she did.

"My Lord, I..." she hesitated. "I truly dislike this war. If there was another way for you to attain archonship, then it would have been my choice. But there is none, so for Liyue, and for you, I am willing to fight."

Morax took in her words, before letting out a tired sigh - had she perhaps given the wrong answer? Her Lord's face was still turned away, preventing her from reading his expression. A sudden gust of wind rushed past them, making his cape fly, and the Lord of Geo broke the silence.

"In order to win a war, Ganyu, there are three essential things that one needs." Three fingers rose up into the air. "The first one is strength. Without strength, one simply cannot defend themselves nor the people they care about."

The people they care about. Ganyu gulped with difficulty. Were the fall of the Guili Assembly and Guizhong's passing still eating away at him?

"The second one is wisdom. By controlling wisely your words and your actions, you can not only greatly reduce the number of dead and wounded in battle, it also ensures that you will be a fair ruler for your people. And the last one... is determination. If you do not have a good reason to defeat your enemies, you will always be bested by those who are more driven than you."

She politely smiled. "My Lord, if I may, you already posess all three."

"You flatter me." he chuckled. "I certainly fight for a reason - which is to protect my people, of course. But am I truly strong? Am I truly wise? I suppose we can only let time be the judge of that." He finally turned around, and his amber eyes gazed deep into hers. "I have a question for you, lieutenant, and I want you to think about the answer you're going to give me."

The atmosphere tensed up around the both of them. Ganyu held her breath.

"Your bow and you Vision. Are you really making proper use of them?"


Gasp!

Ganyu woke up in a cold sweat. Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest. It was incredibly difficult to make out her surroundings, as her usually sharp eyes were blurry. She tightly gripped the Vision at her waist with her shaky hands.

"Calm down, calm down."

Thanks to the cold emanating from the divine orb, she managed to get her breathing under control. She laid back down on the bed and wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. The wooden ceiling was different from the one she had back home. Turning her head to the side, she noticed that the furniture in the room was elegant, yet unfamiliar.

"Right. I'm at Wangshu Inn right now, not Qiongji Estuary. The Archon War is over, and Rex Lapis won. Now I'm chasing his killer with Lady Keqing."

Okay, but what did she just see? A dream, perhaps?

No. It couldn't be. She remembered that scene way too well, one of her few memories that wasn't hazy in the slightest. During the Archon War, she did scale that cliff after being summoned by Rex Lapis. He did ask about Cloud Retainer. He did explain what was necessary in order to win a war.

But he never said anything about her bow, and she hadn't even received her Vision back then.

"It doesn't make sense..."

Her bow and her Vision. The first one was a weapon made for wounding and killing from a safe distance. The other was not only a sign of recognition from the gods, it was a source of elemental power that greatly heightened her capabilities. What could he possibly mean by 'a proper use of them'? As far as she knew, they only served one purpose - fighting. And it was exactly what she had used them for.

She would have liked to put more thought into it, but an impatient knocking at her door snapped her out of her reflection.

"Ganyu, you're awfully late." Keqing announced from outside. "Breakfast in five minutes, and then we're leaving."

Tactful as always, that one. Still, it would be best to heed her advice. After quickly washing her face in the bathroom – or rather splashing it with water, she headed down the stairs for breakfast.

Rather than breakfast, she was greeted by a not-so-happy Keqing who was waiting for her with her arms crossed.

Ganyu scanned the lobby, still feeling a little sleepy. "Huh? Where's our escort, Lady Keqing?" she yawned.

Keqing pinched the bridge of her nose. "The soldiers are outside, ready and waiting. Waiting for half an hour now."

"Well, let me just go get some breakfast..."

"I lied." the Yuheng admitted. "There's no time for breakfast. If you're hungry, eat a sunsettia while riding your horse."

Before the secretary could object, her superior grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her outside. The Millelith were indeed waiting, the sight of Ganyu's sleepy face and bed hair eliciting a few chuckles from some of them. After helping the half-adeptus mount her steed – or rather, throwing her on the horse like a sack of potatoes, Keqing mounted her mare and took the lead.

"Men, we're moving out! If my estimations are correct, we should reach Jueyun Karst this evening. Make sure you don't fall asleep in the meantime, Ganyu."

Not a chance. Ganyu would probably be awake for a while after that strange dream. But for now she couldn't afford to dwell on it too much. Shaking her head to fully wake herself up, she spurred her steed forward.

But perhaps her instincts had dulled since the Archon War, for she did not sense the piercing eyes stalking their departure from the inn's roof. Xiao was not one to pay much attention to mortal matters, but the sight of a human official and the Guardian of All Living Things heading to Jueyun Karst with an escort of trained soldiers piqued his interest. Perhaps it had something to do with that sudden change he'd felt in the wind a few days prior. Something big was going to happen, he could tell.

"What is the meaning of this, half-breed?"


"Ugh, Paimon can't take it anymore! Let's take a break and eat something, okay?"

"You're literally floating, how can you be tired?"

"Beh! Details!"

Aether rolled his eyes and focused on his second travel companion. "What about you, Shenhe? Feeling tired?"

"I can do this all day." the exorcist replied.

At first he'd wondered how someone who had never lived with humans could be more reasonable than Paimon, but then he remembered that his emergency food was never reasonable, especially when it came to food. On the other side of the spectrum, there was Shenhe, who could eat literal grass for her three daily meals. Not that he would actually let her do that, of course.

With Paimon's complaints ringing in their ears, they finally made it to the top of Mt. Aocang, and the scenery immediately took Aether's breath away. As if the sunset-colored trees by the pond were not enough, the surrounding area was just as beautiful. Amidst the clouds, he could see the Huaguang Stone Forest with its straight, lance-shaped peaks, or the amber-ridden Mt Hulao, as well as many lofty peaks that the illuminated beasts called their home.
Liyue's landscape had been scarred by numerous battles, but it somehow made it all look even more beautiful in his eyes.

"I like this place."

Shenhe's voice snapped him out of his contemplation, and he realized that he had unknowingly walked to the edge. "No wonder, it's beautiful. The adepti certainly live detached from the mortal world."

He didn't just mean that they were good with real estate. Jueyun Karst was filled with a mythical aura, beyond the seven elements, an elusive power that clearly wasn't human-friendly. The Karst was a place made for and inhabited by the divine, and mortals were certainly not welcome here.
But even with most of his power sealed away, he wasn't a mortal by any means. Well, he'd probably have a fair bit of trouble proving his claims if an adeptus were to question him, but dimensional gods don't have to play by Teyvat's rules, right?

"Master once told me that your best memories are the ones you share with others." She quickly glanced at him. "I think I'm beginning to understand what she meant by that."

"I guess she's right." He gazed longingly at the clear sky above them. "Only when I got separated from my sister, did I realize just how much I hate being alone... But I can't afford the time to be thinking about that. Where's your master?"

Shenhe pointed at a flight of steps leading up to a domain built directly in the mountain. "Her abode is over there. But before we enter, I should mention that Master loves complicated machinery. It might be a bit of a problem."

"A problem? I don't really see how it could-"


"What the hell is this..."

Aether gazed at the contraption in a mix of awe and horror. At first glance, it just looked like a big floating cube, but there were so many complex gears, levers and pipes that it looked like an alien machine. The constant noise, the clicking of gears, and the many puffs of smoke emanating from within made the mechanical monstrosity look alive.

But the most surprising thing about the machine was its size. The cube was way bigger than any of Mondstadt's windmills, and to top it off, this massive thing was right in the middle of the adeptal pathway they were currently standing on.

Aether took a quick look down and immediately regretted it. Below their feet was his old friend, the endless void. Great, now they couldn't even go around it.
Cloud Retainer's love for machines was clearly a problem, but Shenhe didn't look very surprised.

"Master, I'm back." she called out. "There's one of your machines in the way, should I push it into the void?"

"Most certainly not!" a voice replied replied, coming from behind the contraption.

After a sudden shake, the cube rose into the air and out of their way, making even more noise than before.

"Do you even know how hard one has worked on this Cor Lapis-powered reactor?"

That sounded like an adult woman. Well at long last, he would get to meet Cloud Retainer, The Unfettered, the Custodian of Clouds, one of Morax's old allies, and...

A bird?

Okay, maybe it made a tiny bit of sense. If the Geo Archon could take the form of a dragon, his friend could be a Sweet Madame ingredient if she wanted to.
He just wasn't expecting to see a crane land gracefully on the giant cube. Aether had officially seen it all.

"Master, I've brought guests who wish to speak with you." Shenhe announced. "They don't have a Sigil of Permission, but I can guarantee you that they are trustworthy."

The adeptus raised an avian brow. "Trustworthy, you say? One has rarely heard you describe your fellow human in such a positive light."

"Aether saved me, I trust him blindly." the disciple explained "As for Paimon... she hasn't done anything bad so far."

"Hey! What do you mean, so far?" the fairy protested. Everyone did a very good job of ignoring Paimon.

"Interesting... Well, if you two are really Shenhe's friends, you shall be granted entry to one's abode. But my workshop is hardly a suitable place for talking. Please wait for just a moment."

Retainer unfurled her white wings, and a sudden flux of adeptal energy began to swirl around them. Her feathers glowed with mystical light, reaching a brightness that was unbearable to human eyes, forcing Aether to shield his vision. When his eyes opened again, the Traveler was left speechless.

They had been teleported to a rocky island floating in the middle of the void. But what impressed him was the natural scenery, that made the exterior pale in comparison. Golden-leaved trees that grew right out of a story book were interspaced by a crystalline river, which upon reaching the edge of the island cascaded down into the void. Under their feet was divine grass swarmed by countless fireflies, dancing amidst the mystical realm in a splendid light show. A small beaten path led up to a stone table under a tree, which just happened to be a perfect replica of the one outside of the domain.

With a solemn wing motion, Cloud Retainer gestured for her guests to take a seat.

"An artificial realm..." Aether whistled as he sat down. "It usually takes some pretty high-level magic to create and sustain a space like this."

"The way of the adepti leads to many abilities that some may consider unnatural, young one." Retainer tried - and failed - to remain humble. "Subspace Creation is an adeptus art, no more, no less. The illuminated beasts of Liyue manipulate adeptal energy at will, and can use its power to create pocket dimensions such as this one."

The Traveler raised a curious brow. "But that's still a huge amount of energy, even if you call it an art. I understand that you don't need to worry about it leaking when manipulating it for a short while, but what about long term?"

Paimon and Shenhe sat politely outside of the professionals' discussion, looking at whoever was speaking.

The adeptus was pleasantly surprised. "You seem to be quite knowledgeable about these things. For long-term use, we break up the energy into special slips known as Sigils of Permission. When contained like this, the energy can be used under certain conditions only, but it becomes harmless to mortals. We entrust these sigils to those who are allowed within Jueyun Karst, for we can sense adeptal energy from very far away."

So it was similar to elemental sight. By marking humans who have earned their favor, the adepti could tell the difference between guests and trespassers without having to leave their abode. That was handy.

A growl from Paimon's stomach and a glare from its host quickly reminded him that he was getting off-topic.

"Sorry, I got a little carried away there." He apologetically winked at his travel companions. "Cloud Retainer, as much as I would like to discuss the properties of divine power, I actually came here to ask for your help. I'm currently a wanted man, over a crime that I didn't commit."

The crane gave her guests and disciple a questioning look. "Hm? One knows nothing of human laws. Maybe little Yanfei could be of some assistance, but Shenhe should not have brought you to me for mortal matters."

Aether spoke with difficulty. "Yeah, about that... it's definitely not a mortal matter. I'm a suspect for the murder of Rex Lapis."

If a bird's anatomy allowed it, the adeptus shrugged. "Why would these foolish humans charge an educated individual like you with such a baseless accusation? Do they want to replace their god so badly, to go as far as wishing him an early passing? Preposterous!"

"Early passing? Wait, does this mean that-"

Aether looked at Paimon, who then looked at Shenhe, who in turn looked at Aether. They knew.
Cloud Retainer didn't know.
Oh lord, that just made everything a lot more complicated. If she had been working on her weird machines this whole time, she could very well have missed the huge uproar caused by the Geo Archon's death. From a human perspective, the adepti were just a bunch of magical homebodies who never informed themselves about what happened in the outside world.

Aether took a deep breath. In order to make the pill easier to swallow, he would have to be as tactful and as respectful as poss-

"Master, Rex Lapis was really killed. Just not by Aether." Shenhe blurted out.

Even Paimon kept her mouth shut, eyes wide open. But the worst was yet to come.

The crane blinked rapidly, as if she did not quite hear Shenhe. "You've never had a sense of humor, child." she spoke slowly. "But one would quite appreciate for you to not jest about this matter."

''She's telling the truth.'' Aether sighed, his head buried in his hands. "Rex Lapis... is dead."

Silence. Just an awkward, dreadful silence. But not for long.

"WHAT?!"

A powerful gust of wind swept across the island, as Retainer's wings unfurled once more in a fit of rage. The Traveler was genuinely worried that he or Paimon would get pecked.

"THIS IS THE HEIGHT OF MORTAL FOLLY!" she screamed to the heavens. "REX LAPIS, ASSASSINATED?"

"Master..." Shenhe tried in vain.

"THESE POWER-HUNGRY HEATHENS HAVE FINALLY MADE THEIR MOVE, THEN! BUT ONE WILL NEVER LET THEM HAVE IT THEIR WAY!"

"Um, can Paimon say something?"

"THE MIGHTY AND ILLUMINATED ADEPTI SHAN'T STAND FOR THIS!"

"Cloud Retainer, please calm down and listen to what I have to say."

"IT IS TIME THAT MORTALS LEARN THEIR PLACE, ONCE AND FOR ALL! BLOOD SHALL REPAY BLOOD!"

Oh, great. War talk. Just what Liyue needed right now. If he really wanted the adeptus' help, he was going to have to make her calm down. Which wouldn't be easy, considering that she was screaming at the top of her avian lungs. But he could be noisy too.

Raising his palm over his head, Aether channeled as much Anemo as possible in one single point. Palm Vortex's incredible instability, combined with the large amount of power surging, forced him to hold his wrist with his left hand. Paimon and Shenhe preemptively covered their ears, as he concentrated the element into a tiny orb the size of a marble.

And then released it over their heads.

The Anemo blast was powerful, but also extremely loud. The thousand winds released all at once howled in a manner similar to the Dragon of the East's battlecry, a shrieking sound Aether only knew too well. By releasing it over their heads, he'd managed to get Retainer's attention while causing minimal damage.
That being said, quite a few trees were missing half of their branches.

"Cloud Retainer." He spoke softly, almost out of breath. "I know these news are very troubling for you, but I need you to listen to me."

The adeptus looked him up and down. For a brief instant, he thought he'd seen a tear form in the corner of her eye. "One does not think so. Our business here is finished, outlander."

"Wait-"

He blinked, and the three of them were outside. Cloud Retainer had just kicked them out of her abode, without even giving him a chance to explain his predicament.
Ah, his journey through Liyue was just going so well.

"What the hell?!" he pounded on the domain's door, but it did not budge. "Ugh, you've gotta be fucking with me!"

Shenhe's sympathetic hand landed on his shoulder. "If Master doesn't want us to be in her abode, then she must need some time to grieve her lost friend. It's a pity, I really hoped she would hear you out. Maybe if I hadn't told her right away..."

"No, it's not your fault Shenhe." he pinched the bridge of his nose. ''I understand that she needs time, but that's exactly what I'm running out of. Well, that, and patience. I really, really hope she'll have calmed down by tomorrow."

Paimon worried about other things, though. "Okay, but what are we going to have for dinner? Paimon hasn't eaten since..."

Aether deadpanned. "Let me guess, since lunch?"

"Exactly! Can you believe it?"

Yeah, he could. Paimon's obsession with food, no matter the situation, was pretty on-brand right now.

"Pilgrims leave food offerings around here all the time. Let me look around and see if I can find where Master stores them." Shenhe offered. "She already said that as her disciple, I could help myself whenever."

"Sure, let me help you out." he tried to smile despite the circumstances. "You're helping too, Paimon, come on."

The fairy mumbled something about a certain blond traveler never letting her catch a break, but still followed them. A good hearty meal would probably put everyone in a better mood, at least the Traveler hoped. And after a good night's rest, he'd be able to devise a plan to get on Cloud Retainer's good side. The adeptus wasn't really a bad person, and seemed pretty interested in the knowledge he had accumulated during his travels. She was pretty much his last resort anyway, and this minor setback was not enough to break his spiri-

Danger. On his left. Coming at a very high speed.

Conjuring his blade, he blocked a purple object that was hurled straight at his head.

"Not yet. Something else is coming, fast."

He took a step back, just as Keqing blinked to her Lighting Stiletto. Thanks to his preemptive dodge, the Electro slash narrowly missed him, and he countered by thrusting his blade forward and parrying with the hilt.
Nearly losing her footing, Keqing recovered immediately and delivered an upward kick aimed at the Traveler's arms. The hit caused him to stagger for only half a second, but that was all the time she needed. In this instant, she had regained the advantage.

The opening immediately disappeared, however, when she sensed the murderous intent behind her. Coming from behind, Shenhe swung her polearm and hit nothing, just as Keqing blinked away.
The Yuheng reappeared a few meters away, and the smile on her face clearly spelt trouble. At this exact moment, several Millelith soldiers emerged from the bushes and surrounded them, earning a panicked squeal from Paimon.

Aether found no comfort in how familiar he was with the situation, and grabbed Shenhe's wrist to prevent her from going on an absolute rampage.

"Surrender without making a fuss okay?" The lilac-haired woman asked, or rather ordered. "Then these brave men can all go home, without having to use force."

"Pass." was all the Traveler offered for an answer.

The Yuheng's lips curved up into a devilish business smile. "Guess I have no choice then. Men, prepare to attack!"

"Wait, something doesn't add up. I beat up a bunch of Millelith before, what's making them think this time will be any different?"

Now that he gave it some more thought, there was something strange about this whole situation. For example, why were the Yuheng and her men surrounding them in such a large circle? He could easily walk fifteen steps before reaching one of them. And why were they taking so long to attack? Wait, they were not even showing signs of going on the offensive at all!

As if they were all just... a distraction.

His instinct made him look up, and he saw it. A swarm of Cryo-infused arrows about to rain down upon them.

"Shitshitshitshitshit!"

"PAIMON! SHENHE! MOVE, NOW!"

Aether knew he didn't have enough time to dodge, so he pushed his friends back with Anemo to get them out the attack's range. Half a second later, Ganyu's Frostflake Arrow bloomed on him. Paimon and Shenhe watched in horror as their friend was struck in the chest by a massive explosion of Cryo energy, his limp body being engulfed in a cloud of dust and mist.

And a lone scream of pain pierced the starry sky.


Cliffhanger time! Muhahaha!

Hey, that was a pretty long chapter! Hope it makes up for the previous one.
I'm feeling a lot better now, and ready to write the next part! Now that I think about it, there aren't a lot of fics where we see Ganyu fight. It's going to be a bit of a challenge, to be creative with her abilities while making sure they're lore-accurate, but that's for the next chapter.

Keqing fans might have noticed that she's being very antagonistic and surpisingly bent on finding the killer of a god she hates, but I'm going to explain her behavior soon.

I hope you enjoyed the read, I'm brainstorming for new story ideas rn, since Fly is complete. And as always, reader input is more than welcome.

See ya and stay safe!