28th of the 2nd Cycle
Aether groaned as he opened his eyes, blinking away the blurriness as his senses came to life.
He pushed himself up and off the bed - before collapsing to the floor as his legs gave out from under him. Grunting, he grabbed the headrest and shakily pulled himself up on unstable footing. As he stood up straight, he felt a sharp pain dig into his back - as if someone had stabbed him.
"Gyak!" he involuntarily screamed, falling onto the bed.
The door suddenly opened, slammed against the wall, and someone rushed in.
"Good sir, you mustn't get up yet!" someone shouted, "Your back and legs are still injured!"
Aether rolled himself onto his back, sweat running down his forehead. Turning his head over to the side, he saw an elderly man with long white hair - and an equally long white beard - dressed in grey robes. The man rushed over to him and put thin but firmed fingers against his neck, and fussed over him for a moment.
"What… happened?" Aether asked.
The man began stirring something in a wooden bowl, glancing at him.
"You have been unconscious for nearly a sennight," he answered, "You suffer from severe fatigue, mana exhaustion, three broken ribs, several pulled muscles in your legs, and a snapped spine."
"You're a physician, then?"
The man bowed, "Zhu Ju, the resident military physician of Qian'an, at your service. We have been housing you and your companions while you recover."
"Recover…" Aether's eyes snapped open, suddenly clearer than ever, "Hu Tao and Mona–!"
He struggled to sit upright, only for the old man to push him down with a surprisingly strong grip, steel in his voice.
"Lie down, sir," Zhu Ju ordered, "Your companions are recovering just fine, you are the first to wake."
"Recovering just fine?" Aether incredulously asked, "One of them was half-dead the last time I saw them, literally!"
The physician's face twisted into an impenetrable expression.
"They are just fine sir," he insisted, "Relax, and recover."
Aether slowly breathed out, closing his eyes. He checked all of his systems; his energy stores were not fully replenished, but recovering well enough - and still sufficient for what he was going to do next.
He pushed Anemo into his legs, lightening the strain on his muscles - then used Geo to brace his ribs into position. Aether sweated heavily as he did so, drawing the attention of the physician.
"Sir!" he exclaimed in alarm, "What are you doing!? I told you, you are suffering from mana exhaustion-!"
"I don't have mana… good master," Aether rebuked through gritted teeth, "Let me…!"
He found the Geo he had previously used to brace his spine, finding it in a terrible shape. Clearly, in the heat of the moment, he had been careless and haphazard in applying it - for now that the Geo had crystallised, the Element had actually bent his spine out of shape and locked it in that position.
Manipulating the Geo, he thawed it back into ardour and reapplied it - this time carefully shaping it around his vertebrae to fill in any missing parts.
Aether pushed himself back up, opening his eyes to see the man frozen - staring at him, wide-eyed. Ignoring the man, he swung his legs off the bed, gingerly placing his bare feet on the wooden floor and cautiously standing up. As he slowly put weight on his legs, he could feel them weakening - thus he hastily poured more Anemo into them, until they felt light enough to move without trouble.
"How…" the physician muttered, "I had suspected… but to see it firsthand…"
Aether half-smirked, "Haven't seen anyone like me before, hm?"
"Not at all," he shook his head, "As a physician, I am obligated to advise you to rest… but I doubt you will listen."
"No, I will not," he agreed.
Zhu Ju placed the wooden bowl on the nightstand, turning around and beckoning him.
"Just like the soldiers," he sighed, "I suppose you wish to see your companions? Please, follow me."
"Thank you."
Turning left down the corridor, Aether found dozens of doors lining the hall - and realised he was in a military hospital. The walls were white and barren, with a cold breeze rushing through from an unknown origin. As the ambled, he could hear groans of pain and suffering from behind the doors.
He suppressed a flinch when an ear-rending screech suddenly erupted from a door on his, slightly ajar. Zhu Ju paused his steps, turning left to close the door. Aether peeked over his shoulder, through the door - to see a man being operated on, chained to the bed as he writhed about screaming. Then, the door was shut and the sounds of agony were muffled.
"Excuse me for that," the man smiled apologetically before retaking the lead.
All Aether could think of, however, was the cause of the casualties. Qian'an was one the safest places in the Republic, a man-made fortress built within a natural fortress. Unlike on the wild frontiers where the Millelith constantly feuded against bandits and hilichurl tribes, there shouldn't be any conflict within the heartlands of Liyue.
Aether wracked his head, trying to recover any memory of what could've caused this. Then it hit him like a speeding carriage - the Fatui. The Harbinger - Tartaglia if he recalled rightly - must've broken through the fortress town's defences somehow, which meant this was not an insignificant attack, but a major raid - one planned through fully.
"Good master," Aether called softly, "What has become of the Fatui, and the Harbinger?"
"Expelled and hunted down," Zhu Ju replied without looking at him, "We captured many, though some managed to escape. As for the Harbinger, Miss Hongfa has revoked his Vision and the Lady Yuheng has imprisoned him."
"Hongfa?"
"Miss Yanfei," he clarified.
"You can revoke Visions?"
"No mortal can," the physician shook his head, "Only the divine can do such a thing. However, the revoking of Visions as punishment was written in the Divine Law of Li Yue. The Divine Law is upheld by Rex Lapis, as such, when Miss Yanfei invoked the scriptures, she was able to confiscate his Vision."
"If that's the case, who decides whether the act is justified?"
"Rex Lapis, of course."
Aether stared at the back of the man's head, as if trying to perceive his expression through white hair. Did Keqing and Yanfei already inform the people of the results of their investigation? He would've thought they had only informed the Liyue Qixing first, then a plan could be made. Or, he mentally added, Qian'an doesn't know of Morax's supposed death yet.
After all, it has not been long since the Rite of Descension, and it was still spring. The spring thaw meant that all the once-frozen roads were now muddy and sodden, thus it was the worst time for caravans and merchants to travel overland. The news couldn't have spread very far from Liyue Harbour yet, much less beyond the reaches of Mount Tianheng. It was possible the Qixing may have actively suppressed the information until a suitable strategy could be formed.
Aether decided not to pry, but there was something else he wanted the know.
"How did the Fatui break through the defences?"
The man smiled bitterly, "They attacked from our blindspot - they scaled the mountain behind the Golden House and attacked us from the rear while a smaller group distracted most of the soldiers by attacking the front gate."
"...Hn."
Exiting the building, he squinted as the Sun's harsh glare bore down on him. Looking around, Aether recognised the military district in its fullness - the orderly buildings and the wide, beaten dirt roads meant to facilitate large marching columns.
They crossed the road and entered the building opposite them - another military hospital, but meant for female soldiers, most likely. Curiously, Aether had noticed that unlike the Knights of Favonius, the Millelith hosted much fewer women - perhaps it was the culture, or a law. In any case, there were much fewer occupied chambers within the new hospital.
The physician approached a door on the right and opened it, and Aether followed him in. It was an exact copy of his own room - completely barren save for a bed and a nightstand. Mona was lying on the bed, fast asleep. Her chest rose and fell gently as she breathed lightly.
"Mana exhaustion, a dozen broken ribs, and a half-crushed windpipe," Zhu Ju told him, unprompted, "The former two will heal in time, but she will likely never breathe right again, much less talk."
"But she is a Vision Bearer," Aether fumbled, "Can't she- I don't know… heal herself?"
Zhu Ju glanced at him, "Visions are inexplicable things. How they can be used depends entirely on the bearer, not by any science or thaumaturgy. I am a physician, science and thaumaturgy are my guiding principles, thus I cannot confirm nor deny what you asked."
Aether ran a hand through his hair - and realised that it was still untied. He fumbled with his golden locks for a while, beginning to braid it yet letting go over and over - until he gave up and just let it fall. He turned to the physician, who just looked at him amusedly - before offering a long scrap of cloth.
He took it cautiously, "Thank you."
Zhu Ju stroked his beard, staring at Mona's sleeping form, deep in thought as Aether tied up his hair.
"I suppose your theory does have merit," the old man mused, "Countess Hu is well-known as a miracle healer, able to burn away any infection or plague - but that doesn't apply to Miss Mona's injuries does it…? Perhaps Miss Mona can use her Hydro Vision to soothe her throat, however…"
"I'd like to see Countess Hu now," Aether interrupted the man's mutterings.
"Hm? Ah- right, of course," he turned around and made for the door, "Please follow me."
In the next room, he immediately saw Hu Tao's fractured form lying lifeless on the bed, completely naked. He rushed over, scanning her form. Half her body had been burnt away, revealing stark white bone underneath - half her face, so that only her right eye, nose and half of her lips were left - the rest only a grinning skull.
There was no flesh from her left shoulder to her waist, revealing her heart - which could be seen pulsating in her revealed ribcage, pumping ethereal flows of blood. Her left lung was also perceivable, expanding and retracting as she breathed - her stomach, her kidneys, all visible. The flesh and skin of her left arm was completely gone, leaving behind bone. Her right arm too, up to the elbow, was a stark white bone - nary a scrap of meat hanging on.
At the edge of the flesh, embers glowed and small flickers of flame licked the air.
Aether had never seen anything like it - how, was all he could think of, how is her heart still beating, how is she still breathing?
He slowly turned to look at Zhu Ju, who was staring at her body.
"How is she…?"
"This is out of my expertise, I'm afraid. I've done all I could to stabilise what I could see, what's left is out of my control?"
What he could see? That was a strange choice of words. Aether shakily reached out, hesitantly prodding at her ribcage - and to his surprise, he felt his digits make contact with an imperceivable solid layer just above her bones. Running his fingers down to above her stomach, he could feel the layer continue - as if there was still skin and flesh, but it was merely invisible.
"Miss Hongfa told me that the countess had opened a 'gate to Diyu.' Perhaps this gate was merely an illusion created by her Vision, but she had insisted it felt real."
"Could a mere illusion do this?"
The physician bore a conflicted expression, "Not… rightly. If she did truly open a gate to Diyu, then I must suspect that the gate led to Bianjie, not Diyu."
"She called them 'damned souls,' the butterflies that came out."
"Damned souls…" the old man stroked his beard, "Lord Ronove is well known for being a fair god. If she truly released the souls of the damned, then she must also exchange something in return…"
"You know quite a bit of miracles, for a physician."
"I was trained by the countess' grandfather, in Wangsheng," he smiled, "I think that what she did went against her ethics, and now she is paying the price."
"So we can do nothing but wait?"
"Nothing but wait," Zhu Ju agreed, "This young lady is fighting her own battles, we best leave her to it."
The physician turned and left, leaving him in the room alone with Hu Tao. Aether scanned the room one last time - and his eyes were caught on a certain red staff of yew leaning against the wall. Slowly, he crept over to it and cautiously gripped the haft.
Aether swiftly withdrew his hand, hissing. Looking down, he realised his hand was scorched down to the bone - and the flames were creeping up his forearm. Hastily, he grasped his wrist with his other hand and applied a dose of Geo to snuff out the fires. Bringing his skeletal hand up to eye level, he carefully touched it to feel his skin still there, just invisible.
He covered his hand with a thin layer of Geo to hide the bones.
28th of the 2nd Cycle
Aether found Keqing in the mustering grounds, watching over a unit of soldiers practising their drills.
She was wearing a traditional male robe, a shenyi - using a cane to stand upright. Yanfei was by her side, crossing her arms while deep in thought.
"My Lady Yuheng!" he made sure to call her by her title, "Miss Yanfei, hail!"
Keqing's head swivelled to face his, eyes widening imperceptibly.
"Sir Aether, good to see that you are awake!"
Aether exaggeratedly looked up and down her body, before raising an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you should be walking about?"
"The Lady Yuheng insisted against the physician's advice," Yanfei informed him with a slight smile, "And it appears you did too."
"Guilty as charged."
Keqing's amused look melted away into a more sober countenance. As expected of the Lady Yuheng, once the preliminaries were over, she cut straight to business.
"I have sent a raven to Yuehai Pavilion informing them of the events that have taken place," she said, "There has been a lack of reply yet, oddly. However, I have decided that we will return to the City once Miss Mona and Countess Hu are fit to travel."
"I'm afraid… that would take a long time…" Aether trailed off.
"Well," Keqing mused, "Then I suppose we will depart once we get a reply. Hopefully it would not be long, the faster we get our prisoner to Heji Hall, the better."
Something sparked in his mind, and he snapped to face Yanfei - who was taken aback by his reaction.
"Is it true that you invoked the Divine Law to revoke his Vision?" he questioned, "Doesn't that mean-"
"Yes," Yanfei interrupted, "The fact that Rex Lapis approved the judgement means that he is alive. However, it could also mean he has handed his authority to a proxy before his death."
"Who could proxy for Rex Lapis? An adeptus?"
Yanfei shrugged, "If nobody else, the Lord of Law holds complete authority over all matters concerning judgement and justice. The Divine Law is simply a facet of the Heavenly Principles, after all."
Heavenly Principles? Where has he heard that before? Aether's face twisted as he furrowed his brows, digging deep into his memories. That's right, when he and his sister were trying to leave, they were stopped by a strange god.
What was their name?
He could not recall - perhaps the god never told them. But then where had he heard of the Heavenly Principles? And the Lord of Law… that's right, Paimon did mention something about the Law. The Lord of Law must be some sort of divine arbiter, then - and the Divine Law was something Morax created to extend their influence…? No, that doesn't make any sense - perhaps it was a collaboration, like Diyu.
Arbiter… something about sustaining…?
Why was his memory so gods damned foggy?
"Sir Aether?" Keqing snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Hn- huh? Oh, yes?"
"Do you wish to visit the prisoner?"
"No… I don't think that will be necessary," he declined, before turning to Yanfei, "During the fight, how did you turn into an illuminated beast?"
Yanfei shot him a puzzled look, "I did… not? I mean, I am half illuminated beast - but I am nowhere as powerful as Jiangzhong Tianhua Zhenjun, who can do that sort of thing."
Aether turned to Keqing for help, giving her a look - but all she did was shake her head in response with an equally puzzled look, as if she doesn't recall anything of the sort. Suddenly, it struck him that Keqing had only regained consciousness after Yanfei turned back into a humanoid, so it made sense.
"No," he insisted, "I am certain you were a full illuminated beast."
"What did I look like, then?"
"A lion with scales, the rear limbs and horns of a goat, and the front limbs of a dragon."
"Well, that is a xiezhi - an illuminated beast of which bloodline runs through me - but I'm afraid I cannot give you any answer," her mouth twisted, "Perhaps I unconsciously invoked the Divine Law, I could only do that if I called on my illuminated beast bloodline."
More about the Divine Law, yet still so far away from answers about the unknown god - too far.
"But you passed judgement without Rex Lapis?"
She shrugged, "My ancestors were the arbiters of the first draft of the Divine Law of Li Yue, it would not be strange if I could enforce the Divine Law without Rex Lapis. That being said, let's leave it as a theory, hm?"
Aether was about to press more into the Divine Law and the Heavenly Principles when a soldier suddenly interrupted them - rushing in to speak with Keqing. As the soldier whispered in her ear, her eyes widened for a split moment, before sharpening.
"Thank you," she muttered back, "Prepare for the landing."
"Anything interesting?" he asked.
"The Jade Chamber has come."
Yanfei's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, while Aether just stood confusedly. The Jade Chamber sounds like a building, so how does it 'come?' A walking building?
Keqing noticed his puzzlement, and cleared her throat.
"The Lady Tianquan's personal floating palace."
"What?"
Yanfei choked a laugh, but before anything more could be said, the world suddenly got a whole lot dimmer. Aether stared downwards, and realised a great shadow was smothering the sunlight - large enough to be cast over the entire military district. His gaze snapped upwards, and beheld the polished stone underside of a massive floating island.
The mustering grounds were swiftly cleared out as the Chamber descended. Two dozen mages rushed forwards, stomping the ground and thrusting their palms upwards - and thick ropes of rock bolted out of the earth, impacting the Chamber and pulling taut.
Now more eye-level, Aether could see the structure in its entirety. Built on a stone platform shaped like a circular upside-down ziggurat was a massive palace. In the centre of the platform was a great pagoda with golden tiled roofs, surrounded by three smaller pagodas to the sides and rear, which were connected by roofed stone walls. The left and right pagodas were connected to the central body by arched bridges which were also roofed.
"That's strange," Keqing muttered, "The Chamber came from the northwest, not the east."
The stone ropes pulled the Chamber down until its bottom was merely a few feet from the ground, but remained floating. A golden stream of light flowed out of the landing platform, snaking down to the earth like a great ribbon. As the light settled, it turned ethereal, nearly imperceptible.
Keqing stepped onto the light - and the light hardened under feet, revealing a transparent golden bridge displaying zhuanshu runes. Aether and Yanfei followed her up the bridge, the bridge forming under their feet with every step until they reached the Jade Chamber, stepping onto the circular landing in front of the main pagoda.
Awaiting there was the Lady Tianquan and Lady Ganyu - along with two great cranes, one black and orange, the other white and blue. There was also a massive stag of fiery tenne fur, with great antlers of stone amber - and all of them were colossal, standing twice as tall as any grown man.
Upon sighting them, Yanfei swiftly prostrated herself before the adepti while Keqing put her hands together and bowed.
"Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun," they greeted the white crane, "Lishui Dieshan Zhenjun," they greeted the black crane.
Aether mentally translated the titles - the Perfected Lord who Retains the Clouds by Borrowing the Wind, and the Perfected Lord who Guides the Waters to Shape the Mountains. He internally decided to refer to them as Cloud Retainer and Mountain Shaper respectively.
Lastly, they greeted the stag, "Xueyue Zhuyang Zhenjun."
The Perfected Lord who Carves the Moon and Crafts the Sun - Moon Carver, he decided.
"Rise," the stag bid them.
They rose, and the stag turned to him, "Doth our illustrious selves not hest courtesy?"
Aether bowed his head slightly, but it was all he offered.
"I am not below you, nor your god - I greet you as someone to another, nothing more."
"Foolish mortal," the black crane snarled, "Who doth thee bethink thou are?"
"Peace, Mountain Shaper," the white crane urged, "Behold closer, and see this gent art nay mortal at all."
The black crane paused, and met his eyes - before suddenly ruffling his feathers and looking away.
"My lords," Yanfei hesitantly spoke, "What beseeched you to appear before us?"
"I shalt allow this Lady Tianquan answer in our stead," the stag responded, before turning away and leaving with the other adepti.
The Lady Tianquan watched as they left, before returning to address them.
"Shall we talk inside?"
"Most certainly," Keqing answered.
Inside the Jade Chamber was somehow more luxurious than the exterior. Opulent gold and jade splendour complemented the dark wooden floor and walls, illuminated by a massive paper-wood lantern which hung from the centre of the room, hanging into the atrium. In the atrium was a wooden staircase spiralling down to the lower levels - which they walked down to.
The staircase hugged a large green glowing column in the centre of the hall, covered with a paper wallpaper that allows light to shine through. Aether noticed the column pulsating ambiently, catching his attention and curiosity.
"What is this thing?"
The Lady Tianquan glanced at the column, before focusing back on the staircase.
"It is the beating heart of the Jade Chamber, and what allows the structure to fly," she informed, "Pure plaustrite, a special element that is lighter than air. The stone foundation the Chamber sits on is in actuality a great chunk of plaustrite cased in lightweight stone."
"Never heard anything like it."
"Well, it is terribly expensive - lest there be multiple Jade Chambers floating about," the Lady Tianquan laughed lightly, "Shall I give you a tour?"
"We have no time for that," Keqing cut in, "The right wing is for intelligence, the left wing is for sleeping quarters, the rear wing is for offices, the upper floors are for navigation. This hall is for the Lady Tianquan's work."
"Sharp as ever, my Lady Yuheng," she smiled, "But you are correct, we are on borrowed time."
She swiftly led them into her office, a spacious chamber dominated by a long desk and high-backed wooden seat. Numerous shelves were placed on and against the walls, holding what must be priceless items and memorabilia, as well as rows and rows of books. On the right side was a wall plastered with dozens of papers and bamboo strips.
The desk too, was filled with countless scrolls and other paperwork, but the Lady Tianquan honed in on one in particular - a crisp sheet of rice paper and a certain strip of bamboo, handing both to Keqing.
The Lady Yuheng received it, eyes scanning the rice paper. Aether peeked over her shoulder, seeing neat columns of Yuezi numerals - the written language of Liyue - written in some sort of pattern.
"What is this?" Keqing asked.
"Intelligence," the Lady Tianquan replied, "Encrypted. The bamboo strip holds the encryption key."
Keqing's eyes began to dart from the paper to the bamboo over and over, slowly translating what was written - until her eyes narrowed into slits as she looked back up at the Lady Tianquan.
"The Fatui will cause unrest at the Golden House," she read, "Why didn't you inform me?"
"I only received it a day after you left," the Lady Tianquan admitted, "Sending a raven would've been too risky - it could've been shot down, or be received by a Fatui mole. If I sent a rider, the Fatui would've noticed. So instead, I attempted to scry you, but clearly you never received it."
"You know how unreliable scrying is," Keqing scolded the most powerful woman in Liyue, "If the Fatui had any thaumaturgical capabilities, they could've noticed and intercepted it!"
"Scrying?" Aether couldn't help but ask.
"An experimental type of long distance communication," Keqing sighed, "Using magic, long waves of mana carrying information could be sent and received by two parties. However, it is notoriously unreliable - the waves of mana could be blocked by mountains, storms, flocks of birds, just about anything. And worse, any mage noticing the wave could intercept and read the message."
"Indeed," the Lady Tianquan tapped her desk, he dare say sheepishly, "We suspect the scrying was blocked by Mount Tianheng - but you must understand, I was desperate to get the information to you."
Keqing frustratedly scratched her cheek, crumpling the note in another hand and slamming her closed fist on the desk.
"Alright then, why didn't you just send over this Chamber!?"
The Lady Tianquan calmly reached over her desk and picked up another rice paper note and encryption key, handing it to an increasingly heckled Keqing.
"This is… Fatui in the Guyun Stone Forest? What in seven hells do they want there?"
"I received this report from Haiwei Fortress a sennight ago," she told them, "I've sent the Crux Fleet as well as several squadrons of our own ships to reinforce the fortress."
"Hah?" Keqing retorted, "Why didn't you just kick them out?"
The Lady Tianquan sighed, "To do such a thing would need a unanimous decision within the Qixing. We were not unanimous, to say the least. However, everyone agreed to pre-emptive measures."
"Pre-emptive?" Keqing shook her head, "A dozen pirate ships and a handful of military vessels?"
"A few hundred military vessels," the Lady Tianquan mildly corrected, "And the Crux Fleet aren't pirates, they're privateers on the Qixing's payroll."
"They're on your payroll," she rebuked.
"Not for long, anyway," the Lady Tianquan mused, "Imagine my surprise when their captain informed me she has another client."
"Uh, my Lady Tianquan?" Aether cut in, "Could you return to the topic at hand?"
"Hmm?" she hummed, "Ah, yes- you can call me Ningguang, by the way."
"...Sure."
Ningguang clapped, the sound like thunder.
"When we received your raven, we obviously discussed our next course of action."
"Yet you didn't send a reply," Keqing stated.
Ningguang ignored her, "This Harbinger was clearly after something in the Exuvia, and after he failed to retrieve it he ordered his subordinates to carry out their 'contingency plan,' am I correct?"
"Right."
"Swiftly after, the Fatui started causing trouble out in the Guyun Stone Forest - under which was the ancient god Osial, who was sealed away by Rex Lapis millennia ago."
"That's just a coincidence," Keqing returned.
"In any case, I left thereafter to seek an audience with the Mighty and Illuminated Adepti in the Jueyun Karst - bringing Lady Ganyu along to ensure I don't… die," Ningguang trailed off, as if something else caught her attention.
"But the adepti joined you?"
"Hmm," she hummed, "They suspect someone has been trying to unseal Osial for some time - and the only people we know in the Guyun Stone Forest are the Fatui. That's two coincidences."
"Fine, they are trying to unseal an ancient god - why?"
Aether and Yanfei silently stared at them, moving their heads back and forth as the two women were trapped in their conversation. It was as if they were watching two archers loose arrows at each other turn by turn. Aether felt trapped between a dragon and a lion as the two argued over- well, he didn't even know what they were arguing about. Truthfully, he felt incredibly out of his depth.
"That's what we've been trying to find out. In any case, it is clear this is a test, and Rex Lapis will not aid us if what you mentioned in your raven was correct. Thus, I have sent our fleets not for the Fatui, but for Osial."
Keqing massaged her temples, "I will order my columns to leave for Liyue Harbour at once in order to reinforce the city."
"Will you bring the injured?"
"Definitely not," she shook her head, "We have no time to spare, and it will be safer in land. Have you begun evacuating the city?"
"Only Chihu Rock and lower areas like the harbourfront - we are evacuating them to higher ground on the Yujing Terrace," Ningguang told her, "In any case, does that mean you will be leaving Countess Hu and Miss Megistus behind?"
Keqing paused, mulling it over for a while.
"Yes," she finally decided, "It will be safer for them here."
"Are they not a signatory of our contract?" Ningguang asked rhetorically, "You should send them with the columns to the Harbour so we can swiftly finish our deal."
"They are unconscious-"
"Sir Aether should decide no?" Ningguang smiled at him, "Is he not part of their party?"
Aether froze like a deer before a lion, his mind racing to figure out what the Lady Tianquan was playing at. Because while he knew next to nothing of this manner of intrigue, he was still certain - certain - that there was a correct answer to what she was asking.
He sucked in a breath, eyes darting between the two Qixing.
What if he said no? That would mean Hu Tao and Mona would be left behind - and it would be safer for them, away from a potential battlefield - even if he wasn't quite sure what the battle was about. The Fatui? This new god named Osial? In any case, it would also mean that he could finally shake off Mona - granted only if he could secure transport fast enough…
Wait a moment.
"To finish this deal…" Aether said slowly, "Does Countess Hu and Mona have to sign it?"
"They do," Yanfei affirmed, "As they are the signatories."
Damn it all, so close too.
"I am all for bringing them along - they can travel with the column," Aether finally decided.
Keqing pulled a frustrated face, but nodded grudgingly nonetheless. Meanwhile, Ningguang bore a satisfied smile - and it admittedly ruffled Aether to not know how he unwillingly helped her.
Suddenly, the lights dimmed - as if something was sucking in all the light. They swivelled around to the entrance of the office to see Jinpeng striding in with his ever-expressionless face.
"Xiao," Keqing nodded.
"General Jinpeng," Ningguang greeted, "How can I help you?"
"You can do so by making haste," Jinpeng rasped, glancing at Aether, "The seal has been broken, and the Lord of Waves has been set loose along with his ilk."
Author's Note:
Very rushed ending, but understand that I only have 10 chapters for each act - not that it is any excuse, I admittedly spent way too long getting to the main plot. I'll probably have to revise the act some time later. Sorry about the scuffed plot, it is not as clean as Act 1.
Rewritten on 5/7/2022