How did it come to this…?

"Please, spare me!"

The atmosphere seemed to freeze around Keqing as she glared at the man with callous eyes, the tip of her sword perilously close to his neck.

A sudden downpour came when they had least expected it. Although drenched and muddied, they managed to track the elixir to a small house by the riverbed. It was close to the inn as Aether noted. He thought they might have been mistaken, but here they were, the elixir safe in his hands along with Shizhen's Sigil of Permission.

He just couldn't believe who had been the culprit.

The man cowering before them was the fisherman he had met earlier— the one that told him where to find an apothecary, still in his frayed clothing and peasant's hat.

"I know what I did was wrong, but please—" the man said, clamming up as Keqing poked his throat.

Having eavesdropped on their conversation with Shizhen, the man had followed them inside the domain without them noticing. He took the first opportunity he could to run away with the satchel while they were too busy fighting the treasure hoarders.

"Please, hear me out!" the man pleaded again.

"'Hear you out'?" Keqing glowered, raindrops pelting her face. "When had the Liyue Qixing ever listened to the words of a thief?"

"The Qixing?! That means you're… Urk— "

An arc of electricity shot from Keqing's blade and lightly shocked the man. "Choose your next words carefully. They may be your last."

Shrieking, the man prostrated himself at her feet, recognizing who she was it meant to cross her. "Please! Spare me! I beg you!"

"That's enough," Aether interjected before the situation got worse. Honestly, he couldn't stomach how such a grown man could be reduced to tears like that. He put on a friendly smile to try and dispel the tension. "We'll hear you out. But first, let's get out of this rain."

"T-Thank you!"

"Keqing?"

She had her eyes closed, but from what he could tell, she was trying to calm herself down. With a trusting nod, Keqing withdrew her sword and followed him inside the house.

A young girl holding dry towels greeted them at the door. She looked no older than seven or eight, yet the mature smile she gave told otherwise. Aether wouldn't describe her as malnourished— maybe it was just the anxiety or distress making her face pale.

"Welcome home, uncle," the girl said, her voice melancholic. Perhaps she wasn't thrilled at having guests? She bowed politely, regardless. "And welcome too, traveler, Ms. Keqing. Please make yourselves at home."

"Liling!" the man exclaimed. "What did I tell you about getting out of bed?"

Naturally, the commotion outside made her worry. Any family would, too.

Liling stumbled into her uncle's arms, hugging him tightly. A light cough escaped her lips as her uncle brought her to bed, sighing in relief after he checked her temperature.

It felt familiar to Aether. He took one glance at Keqing and realized how. She was being uncharacteristically indifferent to all this, quietly drying her hair with a towel. And as usual, Aether couldn't understand why.

"She's sick, isn't she?" Aether asked.

"Yes, for quite some time now," the man said. Calmer now, he stood a bit taller and held out his hand, remembering his manners. "You may call me Lei. I apologize for how I treated you earlier, traveler."

Lei shook Aether's hand firmly yet mechanically as if he was going through the motions.

"I hoped you wouldn't have to meet her," Lei said, still looking vacantly at his niece. "But it is as it is. I wanted to use the elixir to save my Liling. Surely you could understand. Tea?"

Looking at Liling's sleeping form again, a pang of guilt and sympathy stab Aether in the heart. It was almost nostalgic; it brought back vague memories he had long forgotten.

His sister had been confined to a bed once too, clinging to life from an unknown but fatal disease. The country they had traveled to was suffering from a plague brought about by a great evil. The two of them managed to stop the great evil, however at a cost. One he was glad they didn't have to pay.

Lumine touched his cheek. Her face was flushed a deep red and her eyes were barely open. She assured him she would be fine; told him that it makes her happy to know that he could worry so much about her. "Let me show my silly older brother how strong a little sister can be," she said.

And strong she was. She barely recovered from the disease thanks to a powerful restorative someone gave to them, as a reward for saving their country. It had been a gradual recovery, but soon Lumine was smiling brightly again. The recollection of it all reminded Aether of how much he missed that smile.

"That's how you met Dr. Shizhen," Aether said.

"Yes. I lost count of how many doctors I've consulted, but Dr. Shizhen stood out the most; I owe him a great deal. Unfortunately, he refused to give the Divine Peasant's Blessing to her, saying that it might negatively affect a child's constitution."

Lei dropped to his knees again, the desperation clear in his voice. "You can have the sigil back; I was planning on returning it to Dr. Shizhen anyway, but please, don't tell him about the elixir. Liling doesn't have much time left in this world if I don't give it to her."

Well if that's the case, the obvious answer would be—

"No."

Huh? "Keqing?"

"You cannot have the elixir," Keqing said, expressionless. "We will take both it and the sigil back as was specified in our contract."

The way she said it… This wasn't the Keqing that Aether had grown to know over the past day. No. It was the inflexible voice of the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing.

"...It's about the money, isn't it?" Lei asked. He appeared to have more business sense than he had let on. "If it is, I promise I will pay it— "

Keqing interrupted him with pinprick accuracy. "You can buy it off me for double the market price. No lower."

Double?!

"That's absurd!"

"That's my offer." Keqing narrowed her eyes at the man. "This medicine has been set aside for my own personal use; it is not something up for charity. If my offer is unsatisfactory for you, then you are free to look for alternatives."

That seemed to have struck a nerve. "I told you there aren't ANY alternatives! What is this? My niece is dying and all you are thinking about is how to profit out of it!"

The claim didn't even faze Keqing's calm demeanor. She gazed at him with absolute pity in her eyes, as if she was playing with a toy. "Mr. Lei, if you think this is merely about profits, then you are far more naive than I would have thought."

"What did you say?!"

"Tell me then Mr. Lei," Keqing said. Crossing her legs, she gently clasped her hands over it, in all appearance looking somewhat bored. "What right do you have for the medicine? And please don't reiterate that your loved one is sick; I have seen her for myself."

At this, Lei seemed lost for words. "I-I didn't have to money to— "

"The Liyue Qixing offers free medical services to any and all citizens of Liyue. Mr. Lei, I check the records for myself, and I do not remember seeing your niece's name anywhere. It is by no means a replacement for an all-powerful elixir, but I believe any illness could be treated with common medication if it was diagnosed early enough. Or, at the very least, it would alleviate her symptoms until a suitable cure could be found."

A cold gale of wind brushed past them from the open window.

Keqing tugged on her jacket's collar for warmth. "It is also quite drafty in here— certainly no place a sick person should be staying at, hm? The Liyue Qixing offers housing for the poor with rent that is adjusted on a per-family basis. Mr. Lei, if you had applied for it, I could have guaranteed warm beds for you and your niece to sleep on, along with a lit fireplace and a sturdy roof above your heads to block the cold. That sounds more conducive for her recovery, is it not?"

"I— "

"And lastly... Mr. Lei, you seem to be a fisherman as far as I am aware. Due to a record number of storms passing through Liyue, the seafood market had suffered tremendously— as was prophesied in the Rite of Descension last year. The Qixing, having been associated with the Rite for so long, are no strangers to the plight of those influenced by it. We offer business consultations and reimbursements should you ask, as well as financial aid to those struck by calamities."

Holding a finger to her chin, Keqing tilted her head curiously to the side. "If you were down on your luck, you could have asked us for assistance. We would have been more than happy to help, as is our obligation and our duty. It is odd, Mr. Lei. You told us that you have tried everything in your power to save your niece, but I am led to believe that was not the case."

"I was desperate— my Liling, I couldn't do anything for her— "

"Oh, but you could have. You simply did not try all the options available to you and chose the path of most resistance. And now, your niece is suffering for it. If you truly cared for her health, you would have not hesitated to come to us."

She held a hand to her chest, frowning as if in mock pain. "Do you have a vendetta against us, Mr. Lei? We of the Liyue Qixing only desire to help the citizens, regardless of our personal profits. We provided for you the necessary means to escape a life of poverty; you need only ask and you shall receive."

"And owe my life to you Mora-grubbing bastards?!" Lei spat out. He tried to look intimidating, but against Keqing's patronizing gaze, it appeared almost comical.

She shot him down with an equally cold rebuttal. "Mr. Lei, I have told you that this isn't about making a profit. This brings us back to my question: what right do you have to take the elixir from us? You have ignored all of our goodwill up to now, so how come? Did you have a change of heart?"

"Keqing, that's enough—"

A fist slammed the table in front of them. Infuriated, Lei screamed at them like a cornered beast. "Liling is going to DIE! Why can't you wrap your egotistical head around the fact that that little girl is going to DIE! Because of YOU!"

Keqing didn't even flinch. "You plucked the words from my lips. She is in grave danger, yes— but so have other children before her. There are hundreds of parents out there with sons and daughters suffering from diseases similar to hers. They exhaust themselves every day just to pay for the best medicine they could find. The Liyue Qixing has helped them all.

"Answer me, Mr. Lei," she said, her glare piercing. "What godly privilege do you have to steal that medicine away from the people who rightly earned it?"

There was no response. Only a soft whining as tears streamed down Lei's cheeks.

"Tell me your answer, Mr. Lei— if that even is your real name."

"Huh?"

"...I see." 'Lei' sighd. He had regained a bit of richness back in his voice. "So that's what this is about. I should have expected nothing less from you, Ms. Keqing."

Keqing bit her lip but pressed on. "Are we ready to talk past pretenses now, Mr. Chenglei?"

The man nodded. Whereas before he projected an air of aloofness and dispassion, now it was an aura of dignity and refinement— the signs of a well-educated and charismatic man. "It is true. By birth, I am Chenglei, however, I discarded that name long ago."

"He was once a well-renowned real estate mogul," Keqing said, finally acknowledging Aether was with them and looked confused. "Known for flaunting his wealth, he was infamous for his massive gambling addiction, especially when it comes to betting stocks during the Rite of Descension. By the luck of the dice, however, he never once lost and had amassed a fortune that rivaled mine."

"Please, not so loud," Chenglei said. "I don't want Liling to hear all of this on top of everything."

Keqing nodded. It seemed at the very least she was worried about Liling's health. "A fervent worshipper of Morax, he attributed nearly all of his good fortune to the gods, believing that they have bestowed upon him divine luck. He rode his successes as hard as he could for several years and was well along his way into qualifying for a spot in the Liyue Qixing, but it was that hubris that made him bet on something he could not repay."

"It was during the Rite of Descension," Chenglei said. "I thought I could risk more Mora than I had previous years because there would be an influx of foreign merchants coming into the city, but after a string of bad business deals, I lost all my fortune almost overnight."

He sighed, smiling at the nostalgia of days-gone-by. "It was a while later did I realize I played right into the hands of those far more cunning than me. Such a fool I was."

"Ever since then," Keqing said, "the name Chenglei has been synonymous with the risks of gambling in the upper echelons of the business in Liyue. His scandals exposed, the influence he once had diminished, and like the burning wick of a candle, the man himself slowly disappeared."

She rubbed her shoulder, suddenly sounding tired. "I've studied his case myself multiple times, using it as a frame of reference on how to handle businesses that were disadvantaged by the Rite. I never would have expected to find him living so close to the city."

Chenglei laughed self-deprecatingly. "Hah, it is good to hear that I have left some mark in history that could benefit Liyue. I'm glad."

"So…" Keqing spoke again, carefully drilling her words into the man like frigid daggers. "How does it feel to be so helpless, Chenglei? I imagine it is no worse than how helpless you made all those people feel when you took their homes from them— or those orphans when you robbed them of their lives."

Oh. Ohhhhhhhh…

"I… have no words," Chenglei answered, his head bowed solemnly. "I should have never submitted that land reform. No amount of forgiveness will ever wash me of that sin."

"Is that all…?"

Chenglei nodded.

"..."

Aether squeezed Keqing on the arm. Chenglei was already a mess; it would be too cruel of them to expect a more concrete reply from him so soon. "Keqing, that's enough."

She didn't look pleased but, eventually, relented.

It was a cruel, yet swift justice, delivered with all her might. Thorough and efficient, just like everything else. But…

Revenge feels empty, I know...

Chenglei grabbed the elixir and placed it closer to his side of the table. "I'll take your offer. Double the price."

He sat up straight, finally speaking with a hint of pride. "You were right that I have not done everything I could for my Liling. She deserves better. Let me prove it to you with a contract under the late Rex Lapis' name; I willingly offer my life to you until the price has been paid, no matter how long it takes."

"...Forget it," Keqing said.

"Huh?"

"Keep the elixir. I don't need it anymore." Now on her feet, Keqing turned to leave. She glanced at Aether, her expression edging between pain and satisfaction. "Let's go, Traveler."

Chenglei gasped, tears forming anew in his eyes. Gone was the composed former merchant, all that was left was Lei the fisherman, humbly groveling on the floor. "T-thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't mistake it as an act of mercy or kindness," Keqing said, her tone still malevolent. "This shall serve as proof that the Liyue Qixing does not abandon any one of Liyue, no matter who they may or might have been. That is all."

It didn't go exactly as Aether would have hoped, but at least it meant that Liling would be okay, right?

All's well that ends well, right?

"I knew it!" Chenglei shouted at the top of his lungs. "I knew that the gods would never have forsaken us!"

...Might have spoken too soon.

Keqing stopped in her tracks. For the first time ever, Aether heard her voice crack.

"...Excuse me?"

"My luck!" Chenglei rejoiced from his position. "I knew my luck would change someday; I only needed to believe hard enough! Rex Lapis heard my cries for help, and like a prophecy, my niece is saved because of the Archon's blessings! He gave it to me in the form of you two. Thank you both so much!"

"..."

Chenglei closed his hands in prayer. "O' mighty Rex Lapis, even in death you do not abandon your children. With this, only good days are ahead for me! Thank you so much for sending me your grace. I— "

It all happened in an instant. The table between them flipped violently, sending the wares shattering to the floor. Thinking fast, Aether grabbed the elixir as it was flung into the air. He looked back at the scene and saw Keqing hurl her chair towards Chenglei, missing his head by a hair's width as the chair fragmented into the nearby wall.

"Uncle!" Liling cried. The noises had woken her up. She ran towards Chenglei, but Aether stopped before she got too close. It was too dangerous for her to interfere now.

Keqing hoisted Chenglei up by the scruff of his shirt. It was a ridiculous show of strength of how a short girl like her can lift such a fully grown man. She snapped at him, her fangs bearing malice.

"The gods? You think I'm just some harbinger of Morax? I gave you that elixir. I was the one that saved your niece. I saved her from your own horrid lies. It was MY decision to spare her life. All of those were because of ME! I made it happen with my own two hands! The gods had NOTHING to do with it!"

Once again fearing for his life, Chenglei was rendered speechless.

With every word, she shook him. With every breath, she yelled louder. And with every second the storm outside continued to rage. There wasn't a hint of grace left on Keqing's face; only pure anger and hatred.

Liling wailed beside Aether. She couldn't understand what was happening. All she knew was that her uncle was in danger. It was clear from the worry on her face. Aether couldn't do anything more than to hold her protectively in his arms.

"All of those people I gave my best to. All of the suffering I took upon myself to rid of. All of those children whose dreams I have given back. Everything I have ever accomplished; everything you have never hoped to achieve. Are you telling me that I did all that because I was dictated by some god?!"

Blood and spit sputtered from Keqing's lips. She had bitten on it as hard as she could.

"I'm ME— a human being! I do EVERYTHING in my power so that humans like YOU can stand tall. And what do you do? You pray, and pray, doing jack-shit to help yourself! You incompetent, lazy buffoon! I KILLED Rex Lapis. I murdered him for the betterment of Liyue. His ideals will stay dead until you wake up and realize that you are NOTHING without him. Even when he's dead, you still cling to that hope someday he will save you, that destiny will somehow bend over backward just so you never have to suffer again. I. Can't. Help you. Anymore."

She shoved Chenglei to the ground, and it was at that point when Liling ran up to him and buried her head into his chest. The both of them looked on in terror, hugging each other as tight as they could.

Keqing loomed over them, her eyes glazed over in a zealous frenzy.

"Very well," she said, her voice a haunting whisper. A sword materialized into her hand as she held it up, jets of lightning gathering on the blade. The Vision thrumming from her waist emitted a terrifying glow. "If faith is all you have left, then so be it."

She spoke slowly as if her words denounced mankind itself.

"If it is your belief that only gods can decree who lives and who dies…"

SHIT!

"...THEN LET I BE THE ONE TO DELIVER UNTO YOU THEIR JUDGEMENT!"

The threads of electricity spiraled upwards, forming into an incandescent orb of pure Electro. With a deafening crash, it shot skyward, disintegrating the roof above. The heavens roared in righteous fury as it accepted it as an invitation, and soon, a blindingly vivid and purple light saturated the entire landscape.

The world silently awaited its gospel.

A thunderbolt, large enough to be seen from all of Teyvat, struck the land. It vaporized all within its radius. Not even the sounds of the storm could be heard.

…

None could survive the hammer of the gods. Yet, there was one who withstood it— a distant traveler, holding his sword aloft in defiance to the fates themselves.

Aether collapsed on the mud, groaning in pain as his body spasmed uncontrollably from the shock. He was unresponsive but very much alive. Behind him, Liling cried in her uncle's arms. The crystalline shield around them protected them from the static and rain.

"I-Impossible..."

Keqing's eyes widened in the realization of what she had done… and what she was a witness to. She staggered back and struggled to form the words. She has had her suspicions for a while but they were mere conjectures. Rumors that had idly drifted to her ears.

But with definitive proof right in front of her, she didn't know how to respond.

"Traveler… are you…"

There was only one explanation of why he survived when no mortal men could. It was undeniable.

Refusing to believe the truth she had spurned since long ago, Keqing ran away before she could finish her question.

"Are you sure you don't need any treatment? At all?"

Putting away his stethoscope, Shizhen adjusted the rim of his glasses and looked at Aether again. "There doesn't seem to be any external or internal injuries. By all accounts, you should be fine but that only makes me worried."

"I'm fine," Aether said. Nah, he felt horrible. It took all of his willpower not to pass out in a crumpled heap again. He sighed, content in the knowledge that he could tank a massive thunderbolt to the face and somehow come out unscathed.

He honestly did not expect to survive. His body moved on its own. He knew he had to protect Chenglei and Liling, even if it cost him his life.

"Traveler… Are you…"

What did Keqing say after that? He didn't hear her properly and it'll be awkward to ask her after she just tried to murder him. It was probably for the best if he left the question alone for a while.

Still, it would be good to let her know he was fine. "Dr. Shizhen, did you see where Ke— Ms. Yulia went?"

"Ah, the young woman." Shizhen nodded, an understanding expression on his face. "I saw her running into the inn a while ago. You can ask the innkeeper what room she's staying at. Traveler, did something happen? She seemed to be close to tears."

Ah. How should he reply?

"Nevermind," Shizhen said, a youthful laugh escaping his lips. "T'was only an old person's craving for gossip. I shouldn't meddle, hohoho."

"Thank you."

"No, I should be the one thanking you." Patting the Sigil of Permission laying on his desk, Shizhen bowed his head courteously at Aether. "You have done more for me than I could ever repay in my life. It is a shame you weren't able to retrieve the elixir."

"The bandits were pretty stupid. They took one whiff of it and thought it was rotted slime juice mixed with bad honey."

Small white lies, Aether thought.

Shizhen bought it, however, and chuckled heartily. "Perhaps I should market it as such from now on? Might keep them from trying to mug me ever again!"

"That wouldn't be such a bad idea."

"Thank you again, traveler. Send my regards to Ms. Yulia. I will have an elixir prepared for her as soon as possible. And, if you feel anything odd, please don't hesitate to consult me."

What a respectable man. Maybe it was just as Keqing said: he had strong opinions but that shouldn't sway Aether from the doctor's character. He was one of the kindest individuals he has met in this world.

And, if anything, talking to Shizhen soothed his nerves. He was going to have to talk to Keqing either way. Approaching that situation without some clarity of mind would just ensure that she wouldn't talk to him ever again. She was so headstrong that he would sometimes forget how fragile a girl's heart could be.

Too late to go back on it now. Aether was standing at the door to the room the owner pointed to him. Oddly enough, Keqing rented only one bed for both of them. Either she was trying to say that he's sleeping on the floor, or that she was too rattled to think of the implications. Aether had to wave off the owner's less-than-savory accusations.

"Protection's gonna cost you extra," the owner said.

Yeah.

No point delaying the inevitable, he supposed. He knocked softly. "Keqing? May I come in?"

There was no answer.

Thinking it would be fine, Aether gently opened the door and peeked inside. It was a pretty run-of-the-mill room, with a cozy carpet and a bed wide enough to fit two people. Somehow it was fitting considering Keqing's aversion to luxurious goods.

There was a large round window next to the bed. If one were to lay on it, they could see the stars in the clear night sky. The storm had passed by the time Aether woke up in Shizhen's house.

Apparently, Chenglei had brought him to Shizhen after he fell unconscious. It was sort of nice, considering they blew up his home. Liling was staying over in a friend's house in a nearby village, feeling a lot better now because of the elixir.

Small victories. He just had to deal with the consequences. Keqing was huddling her knees in the corner next to the window. She seemed unaware of his presence as he entered the room and tiptoed closer.

"Hey," Aether greeted.

No reply.

"I… just got back from Dr. Shizhen. He sends his regards and wants to let you know that he's gonna make an elixir for you as soon as possible."

"..."

"Liling is doing great. The elixir worked and she's healthier than she's ever been. She still needs some rest, but it won't be long until she's smiling again. Che— Her uncle brought her to a friend's house nearby, so you don't have to worry about them for now.

"..."

Aether couldn't see her face, but he can probably imagine it was red with tears. The Keqing he knew would cry her heart out after what she just tried to do. She wouldn't kill someone out of spite— she was too noble for it.

She was diplomatic… to an extent. Diplomatic for things that didn't concern him.

Still, he couldn't find himself blaming her. He was used to her bossy attitude and, damn if he had to say it aloud, actually liked it. Her straightforward manner with him made her stand out. He got hurt, yes, but thankfully, nobody died. Holding someone back when they are about to jump on a slippery slope was something friends do.

"Keqing. I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I forgive you."

...Still no response.

"Keqing?"

Worried, Aether prodded her arm. It was that slight nudge that toppled her to the ground with a heart-wrenching thud.

"?!"

He tried to shake her awake, but the moment his hands touched her skin, he reeled back. It was incredibly hot, almost like touching molten iron in the forge. Her face was flushed a deep red and she was gasping for breath. Her neck was bleeding from an itch that she tried to claw at. Keqing lurched and vomited all over the floor. Some seemed to have stuck in her throat as she coughed non-stop, retching in pain as the stomach acid spread to her lungs.

"Doctor!" Aether shouted, ignoring the burning sensation as he held her in his arms. "Someone get a doctor!"

Her swollen eyes opened the tiniest bit at his voice. Keqing looked at him tearfully and muttered one word in a cry for help. An anguished prayer.

His name.

"KEQING!"