CHAPTER ONE: RETALIATION

Raindrops trickled along the surface of Ganyu's horns as she rushed up the stone stairs leading back to Yuehai Pavillion. She was already soaked, having been rudely awoken by the natural chill of a barrage of raindrops while having her usual afternoon nap. It hadn't been her first encounter with an unexpected rainstorm while out in the wilderness, having become accustomed to the unexpected mood swings that weather can sometimes conjure out of nowhere.

She had been born and raised in the peaks of Liyue's many great mountains, so natural occurrences such as storms didn't even phase her. While her attire was soaked, this wouldn't be her first time returning to her workplace looking as if she had went for a swim with her clothing still on.

This was actually pretty common, and her fellow employees eventually learned to just accept it. However, her main boss, Ningguang, didn't take too kindly to Ganyu returning to her workstation without even drying off, so she had ordered Ganyu to at least dry herself off before even taking a step further past the mat all employees met upon stepping into the building.

Therefore, a new protocol was initiated to Ganyu's coworkers to provide her a towel, shall she ever return soaked to death. She was met with that very thing upon stepping through the entrance, a plain white towel being handed to her instantly.

Apparently her absence had been enough to assure the other workers to be ready upon her return.

"I sincerely apologize for the trouble!" she apologized, starting to dab herself as dry as she could muster.

"It's no trouble, Ms. Ganyu," her coworker, Tinyan replied with no sign of annoyance or negativity. "Please, don't worry about it. After all, this storm literally showed up without any warning, so you aren't the only person who has returned soaking wet."

Tinyan was your casual Liyue citizen, having short black hair, a skinny build, and dressed with the usual clothing of lower rank employees of Yuehai Pavillion. He had only been employed just recently, but his positive attitude and respect for higher-ups like Ganyu and the Yuheng, Keqing, was enough to make him seem like a longer-term employee.

"I see, but… I've just done this so much that it feels like a bad habit anymore," she confessed. "I just hate being a burden to all of you."

"Nonsense," Tinyan clarified. "You've served Liyue Harbor for centuries upon centuries, Ms. Ganyu. You are far from any burden to any of us, so please don't think for a second we see you as such. Just take it easy, and don't worry about it."

Ganyu could see he was being legitimate, so she just nodded her head, and continued to pat herself down with her provided towel. She still felt guilty, but she knew well that she couldn't win this conversation, so she'd just decided to cut it there to save time.

Tinyan returned to his duties elsewhere as Ganyu finished up her drying, far from even close to being ridden of all the rain her clothing had absorbed like a sponge. Regardless, she placed the mildly-wet piece of cloth somewhere another employee would see and dispose of it elsewhere, and made her way back to her office.

Upon entering her office, the scent of the Sweet Flowers she had picked and potted on her desk as decoration met her nostrils. It was an essence she delighted, the scent being sweet with just a hint of the natural aroma of nature she loved. It reminded her of her days before the Archon War, making her contract with Rex Lapis, and her job as the secretary of Teyvat's most wealthy leader.

Days she wished she could live again but knew they had long since passed. Those were times when things were so much simpler, up until things suddenly changed with all of the gods going at it for reasons unknown.

Abandoning her reminiscing of her days as a young adeptus roaming the peaks of Liyue and admiring the world's beauty, she walked to her desk and took a seat. The trapped rain in the fabric of her clothing gushed against her rear as she eyed her desk, multiple older documents neatly organized on one side, while on the other were new and untouched documents of all kinds waiting to join the other side of her workstation.

She started with the first one she saw, moving it to the center of her desktop and reading it over. It was the usual kind of workload she saw constantly every single day; ledgers, Liyue business taxing documentation, letters from other region's merchants and leaders wanting to make business deals with Ningguang, and documentation on shipments delivered to the harbor area by merchants or captains.

The majority got tossed away, seeing most deals proposed to Ningguang were non-negotiable, but she still read them over and organized them in a way that the person who would deliver them to Ningguang could understand.

It was the taxes and shipment documents that were the real annoyances, but Ganyu had picked up on how to do them efficiently in her years of working there, so she didn't really have any trouble with them anymore. The only time she did have actual trouble was when someone attempted to evade their taxes or if someone had incorrectly documented a shipment.

Luckily, her current workload had seemed to not have any irregularities, so she worked rather quickly. She was relieved at the work being not as taxing on her mental strength, already weighed down from that morning's stack of dried ink and paper alone.

While her escape to nature had been ruined by the storm, her slumber had been long enough to give her some strength back. Something that was evident enough upon the last dab of ink to her quill's end, and a celebratory long sigh of relief. She had finished her current stack of work, at least, until another stack took its place within a short time.

If she could've, she would've preferred to take a long nap, but she knew all too well that that luxury wouldn't come until later that night in the comfort of her own bed. Therefore, she just sat there in wait for someone to come along to fetch the finished work, expecting another workload to follow in their stead.

It took awhile, but eventually, the usual lady who delivered all of Ganyu's forwarded work to the boss high up in the sky walked into her office and began to collect the tower of finished scripture.

Her name was Xinhae, and she was a veteran of Yuehai Pavillion. Ganyu had known her since her first day of initiation into the building over two decades ago, and upon their first meet, instantly became great friends.

Ganyu had assisted her in much complicated matters that even she had struggled with while working her way up to current position in Ningguang's ranks. Their friendship had eventually turned into a senpai-to-mentor type of relationship, Xinhae having become a student to her colleague and friend after climbing higher in her occupation.

It had taken awhile, but eventually, the student had met her mentor's teachings fully, and ever since, hasn't struggled in her ascension up Ningguang's ladder.

"Afternoon, Ms. Ganyu," she had greeted kindly while collecting Ganyu's workload.

Ganyu smiled at the sight and greeting of her once-student.

"Afternoon, Xinhae!" Ganyu returned, enjoying the change of pace.

"I see that the storm managed to get you," Xinhae mused. "Must be uncomfortable in those wet clothes."

Ganyu shook her head, holding her smile.

"While it certainly isn't my preference, it isn't my first encounter with a rogue storm. I was raised in nature itself, so any effect by the rain to my body is basically second nature to me."

"Oh, that's right!" Xinhae replied. "I forgot you had originally come from the mountains of Liyue. Silly me!"

Ganyu giggled under her breath, assuring her fellow employee and friend that she hadn't taken offense.

"Don't worry, Xinhae. It's fine. I wouldn't get upset over something so easy to misconcep."

"Thank you, Ms. Ganyu," Xinhae accepted. "Oh! I almost forgot. I was told to inform you that Ms. Ningguang requires your attention in the Jade Chamber."

Ganyu's curiosity peaked at that, her mind searching for any specific reason that Ningguang wanted to see her. However, nothing came to mind, nor did she remember any recent message or conversation with her boss as of late that could've led to an unexpected meeting with her.

"Were there any details on why she required my attention?" Ganyu asked.

"I'm afraid not," Xinhae confirmed. "I was just delivered a letter from the Tianquan herself that stated such. If I had to guess, it must be a private matter that is confidential to only the higher-ups of Liyue Harbor."

Ganyu nodded her head in agreement, seeing that that was the most logical reason why she wasn't even informed or given any hint that Ningguang would be discussing some sort of matter with her in any way whatsoever.

"Considering it came from Lady Ningguang herself, I best not waste any time," Ganyu stated, getting up from her desk chair. "Thank you for the information, Xinhae."

"Just doing my job, Ms. Ganyu," Xinhae returned. "Best of wishes with whatever Lady Ningguang has planned for you."

Ganyu simply smiled, then she took off in a rush. Before she met the exit, she was stopped by Tinyan yet again, an umbrella held out in front of her as a practical barricade.

"Best have this before you go out into that monsoon," he advised.

Ganyu let out an awkward giggle, realizing that she had nearly just repeated her "bad habit" yet again.

"Hehe…right," she said, taking the folded up umbrella and unfolding it. "Thanks Tinyan!"

"Don't mention it," he replied. "Someone has to watch for you."

Ganyu just smiled, then she turned to the exit and stepped back out into the barrage of raindrops.

She was guarded by the roofing that extended past the entrance to Yuehai Pavillion and down both sides of the building's upper walkway, but where she was going she'd need protection from the raging storm and winds. She turned right towards the one person who Ningguang trusted to deliver whoever had the proper clearance; Bu'yun.

However, upon eying Bu'yun, a certain other umbrella-shielded attendee caught her attention, immediately recognizing them upon the sight of their hairstyle. The two points in their hair that gave them the appearance of having cat ears was something Ganyu was too familiar with, having worked with said person for many many years.

The Yuheng herself.

Keqing made eye contact upon the door closing behind her coworker, her eyes speaking that it wasn't a coincidence that they had met up unexpectedly.

"Oh good, you're here," Keqing said with assurance. "Looks like whatever the boss upstairs has in store is of great importance."

Ganyu met her colleague at Bu'yun's station, trying to keep a good amount of distance between them. She didn't hate or dislike Keqing, just found her behavior towards their god very disrespectful, so she just preferred to keep her distance unless the time called for them to work together.

This was one of those cases, so she tried to keep conversation as Bu'yun prepped their travel up to the Jade Chamber.

"I'm guessing this was just as much a surprise to you as it was to me?" Ganyu started.

"Indeed," Keqing replied. "Seems odd for Lady Ningguang to call us up so hastily without any sort of hint or preparation beforehand."

"What do you suppose it is?" Ganyu continued.

"Not sure. For it to be so sudden, it could be a situation that came out of nowhere that endangers the citizens of Liyue Harbor. I haven't experienced anything unnatural as of late, so whatever it may be, it went under my radar, and that's not good."

Ganyu nodded, the platform beginning to ascend into the sky, up to the Jade Chamber high above Liyue Harbor.

The winds were strong, but this hadn't been their first ascension in bad weather. They'd become adapted to the harsh conditions that Teyvat's unpredictable weather patterns could throw their way, so as long as they remained vigilant against the rain and winds, they could outlast the short trip.

They were at the Jade Chamber in less than a minute, stepping off the platform carefully and rushing to the entrance. Even with the umbrellas, both of them had been mildly soaked by the rain that the winds had captured in their hasty and violent travels. However, the rain didn't even phase them; they were more focused on Ningguang's reasoning for their attention.

Upon stepping into the building, Keqing and Ganyu did their best to clean themselves of the mild misty shower they'd endured in their travel to Ningguang's abode. They didn't want to anger any of the assistants in charge of tidying up the entirety of the structure, so they gave it their best effort.

After somewhat-cleaning themselves off, they made their way to Ningguang's office, finding their wealthy boss admiring her wall of multiple secret operations. Upon her two most valued colleagues making their presence, she turned to them with a smile.

"You made it. Very good, now we can get to work," Ningguang greeted.

"Forgive me, Lady Ningguang, but can you please explain why you called us here?" Keqing inquired. "We never received any sort of note or message to prepare nor had any sort of awareness that you needed to speak with us on any trivial matters."

"I apologize for the lack of awareness, but I didn't have the time to make any preparations," she explained. "You see, I had only received word this morning from one of my main inquirerers, Yelan, that there had been some unusual activity occurring within the perimeters of Liyue Harbor.

She did some investigating over the past week, and found that one of our main Millelith guards that guards one of the main paths into Liyue Harbor had gone missing. She searched any potential routes where any treasure hoarders or other enemies commonly reside, and even ambushed them to see if they had possession of our missing guard.

Even though she interrogated and managed to spill information from the camps' leaders, nothing of our guard's whereabouts was mentioned. Therefore, Yelan had no choice but to seek other tactics of where he had been taken, seeing her trail had gone cold.

She resorted to records made by any of the other guards that could be connected to the kidnapping, and once she made one, she immediately came to me for further action.

She attempted to keep the matter to a point where it wouldn't require my attention, but upon discovering something that had a connection to the date of the guard's disappearance, she feared that the situation may be more severe than just a kidnapped guard.

On that same day, an unusual looking person had exited Liyue Harbor, and from guard and witness reports, it was confirmed he came from Northland Bank and had spoken to the Fatui prior to his departure.

Due to our past dealings with the Fatui, it is in my best interest to investigate any sort of dealings between Fatui members, and considering their exit route was where our missing guard was posted, it seems very possible that our suspect may have had malicious plans in mind."

Both Ganyu and Keqing could see the reasoning for Ningguang's suspicions, but some things seemed a little too hasty for Ganyu's taste, not being in total agreement.

"Lady Ningguang, if I may, I think that this is too much of an assumption with little evidence to actually prove this suspect did actually ambush our guard," she objected, finding that Keqing was actually following her thoughts on the matter as well. "How do we actually know our suspect is part of the Fatui? He could've been a merchant looking to make a business deal with Northland Bank for all we know. Do we even have a record of this person of interest having any history with Fatui connections?"

Ningguang nodded in understanding.

"Very insightful as usual, and I'm glad you noticed those key things as well, Ganyu," Ningguang said. "I did indeed take those things into account, and Yelan did confirm with me that this suspect has ties to the Fatui.

His name is Reshav Starchovski, and he's originally from Snezhnaya. He's a part of the higher branches of Snezhnaya's government, and is considered a very well-trained official. He's more than capable of taking out a Millelith guard on his own."

"Alright, we have enough confirmation that he is definitely Fatui, however why would he want to take out or potentially kill a Millelith guard?" Keqing added.

"You are the Yuheng, which means your job is to make sure that Liyue Harbor remains free of any endangerment," Ningguang answered. "Tell me, Keqing, how do you think this whole matter escaped your surveillance?"

Keqing thought for a moment about the question, seeing that she had even mentioned that as a possibility to Ganyu.

Then it clicked.

"Because it wasn't documented by the guard that is currently missing!" she solved, fear staining her tone. "That means…

Ningguang nodded again.

"Yelan's spies investigated the entirety of Liyue Harbor and found that some strange activity had been happening in routes from Northland Bank to an abandoned mine just outside of the perimeter of Liyue Harbor. That means that some Fatui members got past the path that our missing guard was posted at, meaning dangerous Fatui members could've gotten inside our city's borders undetected.

The situation is unclear right now, but the fact they're potentially inside our city and need to be inside our city to proceed with whatever plan they may have at all means that it is to occur inside our borders. This potentially poses a major hazard to our citizens, but unless we figure it out, we can't be sure. The only solution would be to evacuate Liyue Harbor and expose them one by one.

However, if there is potential danger among us, any action could cause the trigger to be pulled, so rather than risking lives with a hasty retreat, my plan is to go straight to the source. We know they go back to that abandoned mine at night due to Yelan's persistence, so we go to them with a warrant and stop the potential plan before it even has a chance to go off, if there is one at all."

Again, the hastiness drew an unease from Ganyu. There was a lot of things that were risky with this plan, seeing the Fatui had straight connections to Northland Bank, and if they managed to miss even one person, Liyue Harbor could end up bursting into flames.

"Lady Ningguang, I feel were acting too fast, seeing the Fatui has lots of connections to Liyue Harbor," Ganyu objected again. "We can't miss even one person, otherwise they can make it back to set off whatever they may have ready.

We'd have to be sure every possible route is blocked off before we even try going to them in a very unusual area. They may figure out that we are on to them, and that could potentially be the alert to pull the trigger."

"I agree," Keqing added. "We barely escaped the wrath of two sea gods with our bodies intact and no casualties. If we go to them without trapping them in first, we are at risk of someone potentially setting off the fireworks."

Ningguang nodded yet again.

"I hear your concern and understand," Ningguang said. "Yelan has already made the proper arrangements in secrecy to Beidou, and has assured me that the shipment will not reach the Fatui's sights. It will be here in two days time, and will be cloaked as a delivery to Qingce Village for renovations to a home. In the meantime, to assure no word gets to the Fatui, Yelan has sent some of her best, as much as herself, to eliminate any spies or impostors along the routes we plan to send the supplies on.

That's where you two come in. I need you to clear a specific route that has a large number of Fatui camps. It's the last route needed for one shipment to get to Liyue Harbor unseen, so it's critical that we clear out any Fatui. You two are my best, so I trust that you can handle this without any sort of problem?"

Ganyu and Keqing nodded in agreement to Ningguang's request, having been tasked with much worse in their time.

"That's what I like to see," Ningguang chimed. "I'll have someone deliver a map with the route lined out as soon as I have the full details on everything. I imagine this won't be until tomorrow, seeing I only received word from Yelan early today.

Therefore, I want you to get as much rest as possible for the road ahead tomorrow. The Fatui are clearly unpredictable, so there's no telling what we may be up against. Good luck you two."

With a bow from both of them, Keqing and Ganyu took their leave, a ping of fear in their hearts at the potentially impending doom in their midst. The Fatui had been mad enough to awaken a sea god, so there was no telling what their potential plan could be. All that they hoped was that they could manage to stop it before it even had a chance to be executed.

At the moment of their departure, a single jagged bolt of lightning cracked from the sky like a whip, piercing their ears as they made their way back to Bu'yun and returned to Liyue Harbor far below. It felt as if the gods were sending a message or warning to them, and despite their past challenges with unspeakable threats, something felt different. Something Ganyu thought about deeply during the entire descent to Yuehai Pavillion.

Shivers engulfed Ganyu's body upon stepping into her usual spring that she loved to bathe in after a stressful day at work. While it was cold at first, her body quickly adapted to the temperature, becoming less frigid and more comfortable with the water's embrace to her bare body.

This was something she commonly did after a hard day or before something stressful, and in this case, it was both, the day ahead being one of absolute focus and today having been stressful enough. Missions like the one ahead were what called an occasion as such, seeing it loosened any tightened muscles and put her mind at a somewhat-ease.

She hadn't gotten this opportunity when Liyue Harbor had been put in danger by an ancient sea god that she had seen put to rest by Rex Lapis the first time centuries ago, and it was only due to the combined efforts of the Adepti and Liyue's strongest that they prevailed in triumph. It had been a sudden unexpected battle that nobody could've prepared for, and, only until after the fact, had she gotten a chance to relax after a hard-won battle.

She pondered on what the Fatui might be up to, but at the same time, she didn't want to know. While she was shy and contempt, Ganyu had a small part of her that anticipated the heat of battle. She didn't like violence, but if it involved protecting the people of Liyue Harbor, she had no choice but to follow the contract she had swore to follow.

Either way, she would fight for the people, contract or no contract. While she was an Adeptus, she was also human, so she had a duty to protect humans as well. She'd seen much tragedy, loss, and experienced such as a child, so she refused to let anyone feel that same pain she had seen and felt far too many times.

It was something nobody should have to experience, but so is the cruelty of life.

She dipped her head under the cool water and just stayed there for a second to take in the quiet. It was a peaceful calm that she enjoyed everytime she decided to just take a dip in this spring out of desperation for a short rest. No sound, worries, corruption, peril, good colliding with evil eternally; just peace and tranquility.

However, just like with reality's natural order, her peace eventually had to end. Out of breath, she returned back to reality, crickets being the only accompaniment upon her ascension back above the water's smooth and cold surface.

Moving her icy-blue locks from her eyes, she sat back against the banking and just admired the sunset out in the distance. She allowed her mind to drift away, remembering back when she would admire the resting of the sun with her adoptive mother, Cloud Retainer.

She had found Ganyu's amazement with sunsets silly, but at the same time, she knew Ganyu was a curious child discovering new things in her own innocent way, so she had entertained her adopted child's interest out of motherly respect.

Ganyu giggled at the memories, remembering them very well. Those were the ones she cherished the most, even if Cloud Retainer wasn't her real mother. She had been enough of a mother to raise her into who she was, so in Ganyu's mind, her adoptive mother had succeeded in her role that she never had to take.

The sun had nearly fallen behind the clouds, so she took that as her cue to start getting ready to leave. Standing up in the water, she stepped out onto the grassy banking. She had abandoned her rain-soaked clothing and had brought a second pair of clean clothes, these clothes being less work-oriented and more average clothes.

Once her underwear and bra were dressed, she moved to slipping on her other attire, then put on her shoes. Upon her redressing, she started to walk back to Liyue Harbor, but before leaving, took one last look back at her little paradise. Old memories swarmed her mind upon looking back, causing her to smile in melancholic joy.

"If only I could go back to those days," she pondered, letting out a sigh. "If only…

The memories faded, and upon the moon beginning its ascent into the night sky, Ganyu started her trip back to her home in the bustling city of Liyue Harbor.

A set of knocks met Ganyu's ears, waking her from her peaceful slumber. She was unsure if she actually heard knocking or if it had just been a fragment of her dream, but upon another set meeting her senses, she knew she hadn't been dreaming.

In fact, she winced in caution at the sound of the knocks. They weren't like casual knocks, but more frantic, as if the person were trying to warn her or get her attention in a desperate act. Half-asleep, Ganyu made her way to her front door and opened it to the sight of one of Ningguang's main Jade Chamber secretaries.

However, aside from the oddity of someone knocking on her door at a very late hour, her condition was horrible. She was caked with ash and had wounds that were leaking faint amounts of blood. It wasn't until Ganyu looked past her unexpected guest that she saw the reason why she had been abruptly awoken late in the night.

Fire.

There was unholy amounts of fire blazing the streets and many buildings of Liyue Harbor, the smell of a simmering campfire grazing the airways of the night.

Ganyu was instantly terrified, unsure of what was currently happening nor what caused it.

"What in the gods is happening!?" Ganyu questioned with fear.

Ningguang's secretary, Baiwen, through rough and violent coughs did her best to explain between desperate breaths.

"Ambush…Fatui…

Ganyu froze, remembering the discussion between Ningguang, herself, and Keqing earlier.

There had been a plan, the Fatui had caught on, and they were too late.

"We need to evacuate Liyue Harbor!" Ganyu ordered. "Where's Ningguang and the Yuheng?!"

"I…don't…

Baiwen was too weak to think or answer clearly, so she took action, running back into her abode to grab her bow. Upon her return, Ganyu grabbed Baiwen, gently lay her over her shoulder, then started down into the streets of the city.

On her trek, she had wondered why her god, Morax or the Adepti hadn't interfered. It was clear the situation was dire, and controlling the situation had gone out the window. The Fatui had caught them with the element of surprise, so they were drastically unprepared for this attack.

That didn't matter right now.

Ganyu's first initiative was to get Baiwen to safety, so she moved towards the outside of Liyue Harbor where she wouldn't be affected by the smoke and overwhelming heat of the many fires engulfing the entirety of the city.

Her breathing was hoarse and rough, so fresh air was a must to assure Baiwen a start to a recovery amidst the absolute chaos. She found a nice spot where she could hide Baiwen from any sort of enemy, up until she could hopefully resolve the ensuing hell upon the harbor, then took off back towards the city.

Upon crossing the bridge where she usually would stop to pet the stray dogs and cats, she was immediately met with a massive warmth that radiated from the inferno just ten yards from in front of her. It felt like the equivalent of being just outside the range of a dragon spewing fire in offense.

She brushed aside all of her fears, and armed herself with her bow, ready to take on any enemy who stood in her path. Armed and ready, she started into the city at a fast pace, immediately feeling the blazing essence of fire overwhelm her in her trek. Upon her pacing into the streets, she noticed something that made her stomach turn in horror.

It was quiet.

No sound except the roaring of the flames surrounding her was audible, and that was a sign that she may have arrived too late to save any citizens who had been victimized by this unexpected assault by the Fatui.

Regardless, she didnt want to risk anything, so she started into the first building; a restaurant that served only the wealthiest of Liyue and beyond. The doors to the entrance were already unhinged from their supports, having been broken off by some sort of powerful source, to which Ganyu had guessed some sort of bomb.

Her guess had instantly been confirmed upon her eying the inner side of the door, a black substance stained along the midsection of its body. Ganyu felt her stomach turn at the grim discovery, knowing that due to the residue of gunpowder being on the opposite side meant that whoever had set off the explosion was inside when it occurred.

From the amount of gunpowder evident on the door, Ganyu knew that this explosion had very well been powerful enough to kill or badly injure a large number of people. Therefore, her chances of finding survivors was low, but regardless, she still called out for any.

"Is there anybody in here!?" she called out loud enough for anybody to hear over the roar of the flames.

She listened for any responses, but after none came after a minute's time, she knew that casualties had indeed been caused by whatever the Fatui had used to turn Liyue Harbor into a fiery inferno.

While she felt emotion ping her ancient heart, she knew she had to keep searching for more survivors in the massive utopia before the fires could spread any further than they already had. Reluctantly, she turned back to the streets of Liyue Harbor and continued her pursuit.

She searched each building, finding nothing but the same exact sights that she had met in the first. Charred corpses, blazing heat, and smoke had littered the buildings' floors, having been killed in an instant by whatever the Fatui had planted out of the sights of the Qixing and other Liyue officials.

Ganyu hadn't seen something so tragic and horrifying like this since the Archon War. That historic event had led to many deaths, and the battlefields that the gods had clashed upon had been littered with the bodies of those who got caught in the line of fire.

She remembered walking the fields everyday and seeing nothing but the fallen corpses of humans everywhere she looked. If it hadn't been for Morax's guidance throughout all those years of tyranny, violence, and death, Ganyu most likely would've taken her own life to escape.

She was having flashbacks to those days with each attempt to save at least one lone survivor, and with each failed effort, her emotions grew more and more.

Was she already too late to save any lives?

…

…

"Ganyu!"

Then she heard a voice. A voice she recognized.

"Ganyu, is that you!?"

From among the flames, she saw a silhouette of someone, and upon seeing the two points atop her head, she knew she hadn't just been imagining a voice.

"Keqing?!" Ganyu responded back, carefully moving around the growing fires to Keqing's position.

Upon reaching her colleague, she was horrified. She gasped at the state of her coworker, a giant gash in her right shoulder, multiple small lacerations dressing her entire body, and her clothes and flesh covered in dirt and ash.

"What happened to you?!" Ganyu questioned.

Keqing struggled to speak, having lost a lot of blood from her current injuries.

"Enemies… th-they attacked w-without warning…

Ganyu didn't push for more. It was clear that Keqing had taken a hard hit at some point and had barely managed to escape the full impact of the strike. Nonetheless, she was still in no condition to fight or be treading in a battlefield of several hazards.

"It's okay, don't talk," Ganyu ordered. "You're injured very badly and need to not put any further stress on your shoulder, otherwise you'll lose more blood."

"I-I'll be fine…the harbor…it's under attack…you n-need to stop th-them…

Ganyu shook her head.

"Stop being stubborn. You need help before you bleed out. I'll stop them, but you need to get out of danger."

As a clear statement that she meant what she said, Ganyu moved Keqing up and over her right shoulder as gently as possible. She didn't listen to any of Keqing's objections if there were any, and moved towards the harbor area. She moved down the stone steps to where the recent imported loads from the harbor were stored for pickup, and looked out past the archway where she could see the wharf wide and clear.

Upon seeing a giant jade screen manifested and three somewhat-burly figures on the opposite side in the distance, Ganyu knew she had to hurry.

Her boss and Liyue's leader was in danger.

She looked around for a spot to set Keqing down out of harm's way, and quickly found a nice spot where she was shielded and safe from any crossfire. Keqing grunted upon the action, but Ganyu knew it wasn't any worry, so she just worked her colleague to safety carefully. After Keqing was secure, Ganyu armed herself and worked to the archway.

She knew she had to be stealthy, so she made sure not to go too far beyond the archway, and looked out towards the wharf again. Ningguang still had her jade screen up and the three other figures had not even budged, so that had been enough confirmation that they hadn't seen her.

She estimated the distance of her shot, knowing she had only one opportunity to kill them all to avoid any additional tricks. From experience with her archery skills, she knew she was at least sixty yards out, which was too risky to guarantee a hit to all three of them.

With her current position confirmed to be too far away, she eyed past the archway for any route to a position where she could still be hidden from harm but close enough to get a clear shot.

Not far out past her current position, she saw a tarfed stack of recently imported luggage from the harbor. It was tall enough for her to stand and within about forty yards of distance from her targets, so she decided to take it.

As stealthily as possible, moved past the storage area, jumped off the side of the steps past the archway to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb, and crouched in the provided shadows of the night. To be sure no attention had been stirred, she looked out to her targeted area of fire; her trio of enemies had not looked away from Ningguang.

She let out a long breath of relief, then returned to focusing heavily on her targeted spot to take her shot. Remaining crouched, she held her breath and quickly snuck over to her target area of fire. She had made sure not to drag her feet along the route, and upon reaching the area, she let out another long breath to calm her nerves.

She could hear what was being said by both sides upon preparing the shot, knowing she had to make this shot count.

"Did you really think we wouldn't retaliate after you made one of our Harbingers look like a fool?" spoke one of the three.

His voice was slick and sinister like a serpent, and was definitely not one Ganyu recognized. His voice gave her goosebumps as she moved into position, listening further to the conversation.

"I knew you'd retaliate, but not in such a way as this," Ningguang replied. "Why take your revenge on all of Liyue Harbor's citizens?! The Qixing were the ones who humiliated your Harbinger, not the citizens!"

"The answer is simple. Had our plan originally gone through without your interference, your precious city would've been lost to the ocean for eternity," the same voice explained. "We are simply accomplishing the very goal we had strived for from the beginning; eliminating Liyue Harbor from the map of Teyvat."

Ganyu couldn't believe what she was hearing. The Fatui and had planned mass genocide as a form of justice!? Had this been an order from the Tsaritsa herself?!

"You realize that by sinking my city, you lose a lot for your own country?" Ningguang claimed. Your majesty has business ties with Liyue Harbor through the Northland Bank, and by destroying that, Snezhnaya loses a lot of resources."

Whomever was the head of the operation responded by laughing, which wasn't a good sign.

"As far as I'm concerned with our ties to Liyue Harbor, I don't care," he mocked. "We were given a direct order to remove Liyue Harbor from existence by her majesty herself, so clearly she has no problem in cutting contact with your city"

"Then what could I offer you to prevent the destruction of my city?" Ningguang offered. "Name your price. I am sure I can meet your standards."

Another set of laughs permeated the night's breeze.

"It truly is a sight when the almighty Tianquan is forced to bid for the mercy of her empire. Unfortunately, this isn't an act of business, Tianquan; this is an act of vengeance for one of our own, so no amount of mora will save you."

"Then I can see that there's no point in continuing this conversation."

Ganyu could see it was her time to act, so she pulled back her arrow, using her vision to infuse her shot with elemental energy, took aim, and fired.

The arrow hit the enemy in the middle, and her snowflake arrows struck the other two like ricocheting bullets. The Fatui who had been the one negotiating with Ningguang was the only one who didn't fall immediately, but it was clear that he had been injured by the shot.

Taking advantage of the momentary stun, Ningguang followed up by attacking with her geo energy while Ganyu prepared another shot for the killing blow. Ningguang's attacks hit with a good amount of force, knocking back the cloaked enemy with each impact.

Ganyu infused her cryo energy into her second shot and fired again, hitting her target easily, along with the two additional snowflake arrows. However, the enemy remained on his feet, somehow maintaining his balance after the many hits.

Ganyu was shocked, her arrows usually able to kill enemies easily, but upon hearing him chuckle, any sense of victory shattered. From his wrists down, the veins of his body radiated an icy blue glow, as if he'd absorbed all of the elemental energy from Ganyu's snowflake arrows.

"Nice trick, Adeptus," he mocked. "My turn."

At a raging speed, he lunged forward at Ningguang's shield, shattering it like glass upon impact. Then, before Ningguang could even defend herself, she was met with a strike from the cloaked Fatui agent, his entire left arm puncturing through her abdomen like a newly forged sword's blade.

Ningguang was immediately stunned and stuttering in shock from the blow she had taken, and upon the mysterious enemy pulling his arm back, Ningguang's body started to become blanketed in a layer of ice.

It took mere seconds for Ningguang's entire being to become frozen, and upon the completion of the freezing process, the Fatui agent landed a singular violent blow to his victim, shattering her to pieces like glass.

Ganyu was horrified at what she had just witnessed, knowing it was her elemental energy that caused Ningguang's demise. She wanted to cry, but knew it was pointless; she was his next target, and that meant she needed to focus on getting away.

However, upon his response, she didn't have to even run.

"Be grateful that I used all of that energy on her," he taunted calmly. "I should actually thank you, seeing you gave me what I needed to finally shut her up. In return, I'll give you the luxury of mercy and a headstart in escaping this place before it goes into the ocean for good. I'd suggest you start running now, because you only have thirty seconds."

Ganyu didn't hesitate and took the offer, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him. She'd just witnessed his abilities firsthand, and she couldn't match his speed or powers. She ran from the wharf to the storage area to fetch Keqing, working quickly to maneuver her over her shoulder.

"Wh-what…are you…

"There's no time!" Ganyu ordered, running back up the stone steps, down the streets of the city, and towards the bridge.

She didn't think at all and just crossed the place where she'd come to pet and feed strays, contemplating on whether or not she'd done the right thing. She was clearly out-powered by whomever had murdered her boss to nothing but ice shards, so had she stayed, she most likely would've died.

But was that better than running like a coward?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden massive boom to her ears, resembling the sound of a giant's footsteps. The ground rumbled beneath her feet as she stopped and looked back, seeing only massive clouds of smoke and rubble erupt from the mountainside that the city clung to like a leaf to a tree branch.

The explosions came in intervals as she watched the city she had lived in for centuries begin to collapse into the ocean like a sinking ship. All of the supports the city had shattered, and now Liyue Harbor was nothing more than a landmark of ruins; a city built and expanded over the course of history that had been destroyed in mere seconds.

Ganyu couldn't believe the sight before her eyes, but she knew she couldn't dwell on it, knowing her colleagues were in need of medical help and assistance.

Her coworker had been quiet during the entire destruction of their home, speechless on what had just happened. It seemed impossible, but what was done was done.

"N-now what do we do?" Keqing asked, her voice full of sorrow.

"We find Baiwen then head for Wangshu Inn. We must inform someone of what's happened. Someone important."

"W-who?" Keqing questioned.

"Rex Lapis."