School and work joined forces and decided to ruin any semblance of enjoyment I had over the last month or so, and I am only just now finally getting the chance to finish this monster. We are so close to the end now. I had hoped to get this thing finished by the end of this month but it wasn't meant to be. I can say it will be finished before the year is out.
Before we get into it, I want to go ahead and do some promotive work that is completely of my own accord. If any of you guys enjoy my fic, please check out Operation Prison Break by Fireblitz113. Their grasp of Genshin's characters as well as the world itself is nothing short of incredible, especially in regards to how they weave international characters into one single cohesive fic. Oh, and there's plenty of Aerina if you squint hard enough. Either case, go check it out!
Note at the end, let's begin.
Disclaimer: Genshin Impact and its characters belong to Mi-hoyo and Hoyoverse; I own nothing.
There was something off about this place.
Sure, ancient ruins by themselves weren't exactly cozy at the best of times no matter how well preserved they were. One could only look at King Deshret's Mausoleum back in Sumeru for that example.
But even there Aether hadn't felt a sense of… unease like he did now. There was only one other time he could name where he had felt this on edge and it was during their search for Fontaine's Greatest Thief back in Liyue, shortly before their first encounter with Lumine.
At the mere thought of his wayward twin, Aether had to force back a pang of longing.
He still didn't understand just why Lumine was leading the Abyss Order, nor did he understand why she wanted him to see the rest of the nations before they met again. But whatever it was she found in her travels he was determined to uncover, no matter how long it took him.
His journey hadn't been easy by any means. Countless battles and foes had barred his path more times than he could count, but he'd also gained some incredible new friends some closer than others. And yet, still he found his eyes drawn back to the silvery-blue-haired girl walking just ahead of him quietly.
She was an enigma to him still, but their little moment back there had given him another insight into the girl behind the mask. The fact that he'd earned enough of her trust to trust him with her beloved hat was a milestone in his book.
Oh, and the kiss.
He could still somehow feel the ghost of Furina's soft lips on his cheek, stoking the embers within once more into a raging inferno.
The question of why burned even more so in his mind no matter how hard he tried to rationalize it. Of all the things he'd expected her to do as thanks, that was the absolute last.
It wasn't that he wasn't happy about it, oh no. If anything, he felt as if he could float right alongside Paimon right now with how giddy her actions made him. But more than anything he wanted to know what it all meant. Obviously their relationship had taken a very large step just now; could they really be considered friends still?
Moreover, did he want them to be just friends now?
Aether gave a quick shake of his head to clear it, turning his attention back to their surroundings.
The cavern they ended up in had soon led them into a more civilized section, leading into a long corridor with several sets of locked doors on either side. Paimon kept flying to each of them to see if they could be opened to no avail.
"Ugh, all these locked doors! Why can't we ever find some magic open-all key or something?"
"Does the stone slate from Sumeru not count?" Aether asked, his voice bouncing for a moment in the empty space.
"Ugh, don't you remember how many hoops we had to jump through to even get it to that? Not enough clearance, not enough clearance – BLEGH! Paimon never wants to hear the word for as long as she lives!"
While Aether chuckled, he spared a glance over at Furina again, but the archon continued onward, never looking back. It was uncharacteristic of her to be so silent at times like this, but he wasn't sure what he could say, especially with the kiss still fresh on his mind.
As he pondered how best to broach the subject, the trio emerged into a large open chamber this one ringed with bookshelves with a small study area in the center of the room. Furina brushed past the two, walking over to the table and stroking her hand across the surface, coming back with her white glove darkened. "Furina...?"
The archon seemed to still at being addressed, rubbing her fingers together before speaking. "It would seem we are the first to set foot here in ages…"
Aether wasn't sure how to take that response but fortunately, Paimon took that moment to chime in.
"Uh… Paimon's not so sure of that."
Aether hurried over to where his buddy had flown, finding her hovering around the wreckage of a clockwork meka, the machine still sputtering sparks. "Someone just destroyed this thing."
"But who could be all the way down here? We don't even know how we got in!" Paimon exclaimed, incredulously.
Several worrying possibilities came to mind just then but only one of them seemed the most likely, as well as the direst. But if that were true, what could they want here?
"There's only one way to find out. Furina, let's go!"
Silence. A quick glance back in her direction showed the archon still standing in front of the desk, staring at her fingers.
"Furina!"
She jolted, almost jumping in place at the address. "Huh?! What is it?"
"I don't think we're alone here after all," Aether said, choosing not to comment on her strange behavior... at least for now. He'd long since learned she wasn't one to be forthcoming unless she herself saw reason to be. "Stick close to us just in case."
The warrior expected a number of responses from Furina, most pertaining to her usual bratty persona she liked to flaunt as much as humanly possible but what she said next sent an involuntary chill through him.
"Then let's find them."
"Uh, is that a good idea right now?" Paimon asked nervously.
"That matters little. These interlopers are trespassing on my realm and shall be dealt with post haste," the girl stated firmly, storming up to them with a steely look in her mismatched eyes. "And if you are having second thoughts, then I shall go on myself."
Now Aether felt his heels dig in at her words, clenching his fists a bit. "I'd ask you not to put words in my mouth like that, milady," he bit out.
"Then there should be no issues. Let us not dally, Traveler," Furina said, all but blowing past the two of them and further into the ruins.
"Geez! What's her deal?" Paimon commented with a shake of her head.
"I have a feeling we're about to find out," Aether said before taking off after her, Paimon close to follow. Following Furina's silvery tresses, he eventually joined her and found themselves standing inside a massive cave, dotted with various ruins along the cliff edges.
It was quite a sight to be honest, but Paimon's gasp prompted him to follow her gaze… and his eyes narrowed.
Far below them was a small tribe of hilichurls all scouring the ruins for something which, by itself, wasn't out of the ordinary. Hilichurls were everywhere after all. But it was the figure in the middle of them that had Aether's fury rising.
Garbed in a fluffy and puffy white and red coat was the telltale visage of an abyss mage, its unnerving chant audible even from this distance.
Aether grimaced.
His worst fears had been confirmed.
But why here? Did Khaenri'ah have anything to do with this place?
A growl from next to him brought his attention to Furina, but the girl was already racing off down the slope. "Furina!" he called out, but she either didn't hear him or flat out ignored him. Judging from her pace, it was likely the latter.
"Come on, let's go after her!" Paimon urged, flying off with Aether close behind.
Surprisingly, Furina proved to be very agile even with that dress of hers, leaping from ledge to ledge on her way down, Aether only barely managing to keep up. Landing with a tuck and roll, he sprinted after Furina before the foes ahead could notice her, but he was too late.
The hilichurls shot to their feet with a sharp cry, grabbing their weapons while the abyss mage turned fully to the trio, wrapping itself in its bubble of energy.
"What's thissss? A lost little girl perhaps?" the mage hissed tauntingly, floating in place.
"Furina get back!" Aether shouted, putting himself in front of her, drawing his blade with a flourish.
"…and the Prince to boot. How fortuitous. Her Highness has been worried sick about you, Prince. Must you continue with this bout of defiance?"
Aether clenched his teeth, his mind already throbbing with thoughts of Lumine. "If you know where my sister is then tell me!" he demanded, pointing his blade at the mage.
The mage giggled. "Oh, are you attempting to give us orders, Prince? I'd be happy to tell you… provided you lay down your arms and come with us. There's really no need to get violent here."
Furina bulled her way to the front suddenly, finally addressing the mage. "You! What are you louts doing in this place! I demand answers!"
"And just where do you get off giving me orders, little girl! Only our Princess is fit to command we of the Abyss Order! But since I'm in a charitable mood I'll tell you; after all, it's not like you can do anything to impede us, especially with the Baptist leading us. This place was once host to a special experiment and the Order is quite keen on learning just what that was. All our efforts are to serve Her Highness after all, and the secrets of this place are sure to please her."
Whenever the Abyss Order was involved, nothing good would ever come of it. The attempted invasion of Mondstadt… the upside-down Statue of the Seven… and the botched restoration of the hilichurls' former states down in the Chasm. All these events had only served to paint the Order in an insidious light and their intentions here were sure to be no different.
But if so, does that mean they know what this place is?
"ENOUGH!"
Furina's command broke him from his thoughts, drawing his attention to the furious archon, glaring daggers at the assembled foes.
"I care not what your intentions are with this place nor of this vaunted princess of yours. Fontaine is forbidden to the likes of you, filth! Begone!"
The hilichurls around the mage grew more and more agitated as the situation degraded, even though the mage continued to giggle.
"So sure, are you? Then perhaps you should attempt to remove us yourself, girl."
"I intend to!" Furina sneered, drawing forth her rapier and rushing towards the mage before Aether could stop her. She managed to cut down two hilichurls that got in her way before surging towards the mage.
"Fool! A mere blade isn't enough to harm us!"
"The only fool here is the one who dares to besmirch the name of the hydro archon!" the god declared, drawing upon the element of hydro to bear down on the mage's pyro barrier.
But, to everyone's shock, just before her blade made impact the hydro energies faded away like wisps of smoke, leaving only cold metal to bang harmlessly against the shield.
Furina's eyes went wide in horror, staring at her blade in shock. "W-what…?"
The mage cackled at her shocked visage, raising its wand up to conjure a spell. "You were warned, now witness true power, brat!"
"Maelstrom!" Aether shouted, calling forth a surging globe of water to block the spell whilst standing to Furina's defense. "Furina, are you alright?"
The archon didn't answer, an expression of sheer disbelief now scrawled across her visage.
The hilichurls clustered around the abyss mage, growling and baying for their blood while the mage just giggled.
"Archon, you say?" the mage hissed gleefully. "Well, that changes things. As it so happens, we've become very interested in the power you gods can wield and wouldn't mind getting a closer look. Surely you won't mind, right?"
Aether gritted his teeth, glaring at the abyss mage and the hilichurls as they closed in on them. "You're not touching her."
"Hehehe! We shall see Prince. GET THEM!"
The tribe let out a chorus of war cries and charged, banging their clubs against their shields as they fell upon the trio. Aether fended off the first wave with no issues, but the abyss mage forced him to leap away to avoid being hit, sending Furina flying a few feet as well.
"Furina get up! You need to fight!" Paimon urged, squealing frightfully at the sight of a few hilichurls charging towards them before fading away into her dimensional pocket.
But Furina just stared at her hands as if seeing them for the first time, lost in her own mind.
Just as the clubs were about to pummel her, something on the archon's face changed and in a flash of steel, she drew her rapier and forced the masked warriors to back off. The god of hydro panted slightly, gripping her blade tightly whilst leveling a fierce glare at the foes gathered before her.
"How dare you make a fool of me…" the archon muttered darkly.
"Yah!" one of the hilichurls cried, advancing on her with its club held high. The downward swing met only air as Furina pivoted and slashed her blade upwards, slicing straight through its mask, ending its miserable life.
The others growled threateningly at her, but she was far from intimidated. "Follow in your fellow's example and acquaint yourself with my blade!"
Thus began a delicate dance of death of which the archon was the star, pirouetting and thrusting her weapon through the forms of many hilichurl warriors.
Seeing how its tribe was getting cut down, the mitachurls that had been guarding the abyss mage grunted aggressively before hefting their massive axes and trotting over towards the girl, intent on pulverizing her.
"Furina – agh!" Aether cried out, only to fall back on his instincts and back dash out of the kill zone of the mage's spell. Good thing too because the trio of floating fire-spewing masks would've cooked him in his boots otherwise.
"Your worry for the god is to be commended, Prince, but you shouldn't forget about your own opponent!" the mage hissed reproachfully, safely tucked inside its barrier.
Aether called on the power of hydro and fired off a salvo of water from his finger, the bolt impacting the pyro shield with a mighty splash. The mage within squawked indignantly at him, casting another fireball in his direction that he evaded. Another quick salvo from him and the barrier vanished, the mage falling on its rear with a groan. Aether didn't hesitate; he rushed forward, evading another barrage of fireballs and the mage squealed in fright, trying to keep him back but it was for naught. Three powerful slices were all it took to end its miserable life, the mage sent flying briefly before falling in a heap, its body vanishing into nothing.
Without a second thought, he turned and prepared to go help Furina who was now beset by a mitachurl, the other one seemingly dealt with at some point. It was clear that the beastly warrior held the upper hand even though the archon gracefully avoided each of its bulky swings, her own strikes doing little but aggravating it.
Something had to give and fortunately, he knew exactly how to get the big lug's attention.
Furina gritted her teeth, doing her best to parry the beast's blows with each swing making her arms feel like they were about to fall off. Fight or flight was hammering away at her resolve with each passing moment, screaming at her to leave this to someone more skilled – like Aether.
But she all but pulverized such a notion. Even still, this fight was made all the harder due to her powers suddenly vanishing, which still left her at a loss.
Why… why had her divine authority let her at such a critical moment? Before she could call on her powers with ease but now she struggled just to even get a faint reading of it!
She had a few ideas as to what caused such an occurrence, but she couldn't confront the culprit yet. Not while this monstrosity did his utmost to cave her skull in.
"ARGH! How dare you-!" she shrieked, as the monster batted her sword aside once more. She made to raise her blade again, but she was too late; the mitachurl hefted its axe high, aiming to swing it down-!
-only for something to cleave right through the peak of its fluffy mane, causing it to stiffen. Bits of fur fell in tattered ribbons before them, the mitachurl whirling on the one who dared to interfere in its hunt with an outraged grunt.
"Furina, now!" Aether shouted, now bearing the full brunt of the mitachurl's ire.
The god didn't hesitate; she brought her own blade to the fore once more, landing a powerful strike upon the mitachurl's exposed back, her blade sinking deep into its flesh.
The beast let out an agonized cry that devolved into a weak moan, its body going and limp and flopping down to the ground before dissipating into nothingness.
Furina panted heavily, sweat pouring down her face, the blade in her hand now feeling as if she were trying to lift the Oratrice itself. "Is… is that all of them?" she asked no one in particular.
Much to her annoyance, Aether didn't look the slightest bit winded from the clash, sheathing his blade as he glanced around. "I think so, but I'll to a quick sweep to be sure. Are you ok?"
"Fine, just… make sure we're safe," she ordered weakly.
To his credit, he didn't seem to be ready to press her on what just happened and merely gave her a nod before heading off, leaving Furina by herself.
Well, almost.
What did you do?! She screamed mentally.
That power isn't a toy for you to just throw around whenever the mood strikes you, Furina.
And just who are you to judge how I wield my powers!?
Little girl, those powers never belonged to you.
All the fire Furina had was snuffed out at those words.
What… what nonsense are you speaking of? The power I wield is my divine right by the Seven! It is mine to do with what I please!
Are you listening to yourself, child? You are only proving my point by throwing this tantrum.
TANTRUM?! You dare to-!
ENOUGH CHILD! Instead of focusing on the act, perhaps you should reexamine the reasoning behind my actions. After all, it wasn't just you that you put at risk now was it?
The voice's words drew her up short, her eyes widening with mounting realization.
But… but he would've-
Saved you? Is that how you intend to live your life? To rely solely on another's means of defense rather than cultivating your own? This power you have been blessed with is not a luxury little girl, it is a responsibility. And until you understand what that responsibility is – just who you are to use to for – consider yourself grounded.
And then, like the warmth leaving her body during a chilly night, she felt the voice vanish along with its presence.
Wait a second! I'm not done with you! Return what belongs to me this instant!
But the feeling was gone. No, not gone – muted.
She tried again and again to summon the power like all the other times, but it refused to heed her command. All she could call on was her sword, but it seemed lifeless almost without any of her power swirling about it.
"…ARGH!" she screamed in frustration, stabbing the blade into the ground, yanking on her hair a bit.
"Furina?"
"WHAT?!" she shouted at the Traveler who jumped a bit, holding his hands up as if she was about to attack him.
"We're safe for now, but I wouldn't count on there not being more of them," Aether explained, keeping his distance.
More of these dregs then? It was bad enough that savages had made this place their home, but she wouldn't stand for the Abyss Order skulking about… especially if they somehow knew the truth of this place.
"Then we have work to do, Traveler," she hissed out, tearing her blade out of the ground. "I won't stand for their presence here."
"Wait, before all that, what the heck happened back there Furina?" Paimon suddenly demanded, popping out of her dimensional pocket. "First you took off and left us in the dust, then your powers just went poof!"
Furina balled her hands into fists, willing herself not to rip the little fairy's head off. The question was innocent enough but between the outrageous actions of that strange voice and now the Abyss Order's interest in this place, she was close to melting down.
Furina gritted her teeth with a growl. "That's not-!"
"That's not important right now," Aether suddenly said, finishing her statement much to her shock. Before either of them could question him on it, he started looking around for something. "We need to get Furina to safety then we can come back to deal with the Abyss Order."
"But-?" Paimon tried, but Aether gave her a sharp look. "Ok you're right. We should get Furina back home anyways. Neuvillette and Clorinde have to be worried sick by now."
They were right of course. She should leave this in their hands since her powers had been… restricted. But she couldn't; this was too important, too vital to sit out. Furthermore-
I don't want them to see any more of this place than necessary.
"You will do no such thing," she finally said, getting their attention. "My current state aside, I will not stand by and let these heathens do as they wish on my watch. It is my intent to purge these ruins of their presence and I expect you to abide by my wishes."
"You're sure about this?" Aether asked calmly, his gaze intense.
Furina's words died on her tongue, suddenly feeling a wave of uncertainty. But like the waves of the sea, it was only fleeting. "My word is my bond," she replied waspishly.
Aether said nothing, merely walking right up to her and staring her down. It was times like this that Furina had to marvel at their difference in height, having to stare up to see those mesmerizing irises of his. "Then I want you to promise me a couple things: you won't run off on your own like that again, and to leave the mages to me. This isn't about your lack of power," he quickly said, cutting off any upcoming tirade from her, "but simply that you aren't used to fighting them. And without elemental energy, you'll tire yourself out long before you can break their barriers. That aside, we have a better chance at stopping them if we face them together so please promise me."
If it had been anyone else telling her this – all but ordering her to stand aside – she would've put them on trial just for the notion let alone the act of trying to get in her way. But the blond in front of her had been nothing but understanding of her and knew how she felt about this.
Truthfully, she was still annoyed but not just because of being told to step aside. Current disposition aside, Furina had been clamoring at the chance to fight alongside her devoted chaperone as his equal rather than the damsel she was used to playing. Even if she'd never admit it aloud, she wanted to be someone he could rely on – just like she had come to rely on him.
Their circumstances, however, called for necessary precautions. Aether was right, no matter how much she disliked it.
"Very well. You have my word as the hydro archon-"
"I want your word, Furina. Not your station's," Aether cut her off firmly, stunning her.
She blinked a few times at him, feeling her heart speed up once more as she averted her gaze briefly.
"…I promise," she said quietly.
Aether was silent for a long, terrible moment before he finally spoke again, but the question he asked was indeed the one she'd been dreading. "I just have one more thing to ask, and you don't have to say it if you don't want to. Do you know what this place is?"
Furina worked her mouth around a reply, trying to put together a convincing cover for herself but everything she came up with sounded half-hearted at best. Much as she wanted to keep some things to herself, the god didn't want to betray the newfound trust of her companion.
"I know that this is a terrible place," she simply said, and hoped that was enough.
Judging by Aether's relieved sigh, it was… for now at least. But the truth was sure to come forth at some point.
Even though the full extent of it was but a figment even to her.
And that terrified her on so many levels.
Now more than ever Aether was convinced Furina was hiding something, even if she didn't know what. Her admission did little reassure him, but it did allow him to put his faith in the reluctant god once more.
So, they ventured deeper in, finding a path via a cave system that led to more ruins, though the devastation here was prominent. Very little had survived the passage of time, and whatever books had been on the shelves had long since been reduced to dust. Paimon had learned that the hard way when she tried to grab one off the shelf, only to have it disintegrate in her hands.
Their path wasn't without obstacles; there had indeed been more abyss mages and their hilichurl pawns, even a lawachurl! That particular instance had proved challenging but together with Furina, they had managed to bring it down.
As for the god herself, she had become strangely morose the further they went. Her movements were staggered, almost forced, but she didn't let that hesitation show on her face. Her eyes gazed clearly ahead, focused on some unseen objective or perhaps she was simply lost in whatever memories this place held for her.
As they came upon another room, Furina suddenly stopped and stared at something in the corner that only she could see.
"Furina?"
The archon remained silent, but the way her face shifted from stoicism to shock was enough to grab her by the shoulders.
"Furina!"
"Huh? Oh… oh it's you Traveler," she muttered, blinking a few times.
"Are you alright?" he asked her for what seemed like the millionth time.
But before she could answer, Paimon suddenly chimed in from somewhere nearby. "Hey, Paimon found one!"
Aether exchanged one more look with the god before heading over towards his travel buddy, finding her thumbing through a tome that lay upon a dusty desk. The book was clearly worn and looked to be ready to fall apart at any moment, so he opted to leave it on the desk. "What is it?"
"Paimon's not sure really. The wording is all jumbled, but Paimon remembers seeing something about subjects."
Aether swore he heard Furina gasp, but Paimon was already going on before he could address it.
"Oh wait, here's something. Preliminary examinations proved inconclusive. Subjects #199-210 failed to respond to initial stimuli and thus are deemed to be… scrapped? Uh, Paimon's not sure what it means by that, but it can't be anything good!"
For some reason, Aether felt himself flung back to their investigation of the old medical facility in the desert with Alhaitham. The records back then were also in bad shape but went along the same lines as this. That connection alone was enough to unnerve him, but the voice behind him nearly made him jump in shock.
"It means they were disposed of," Furina stated matter of factly.
Aether whirled on her with wide eyes, finding her staring at them with a dull expression. "D… Disposed of?"
Furina stared, her eyes vacant and yet somehow they were filled with an unfathomable sadness.
It tore at his heart to see her like this.
But before he could say anything, Furina's eyes darted to something, her steps taking her toward the end of the corridor to a set of rooms beyond.
Aether suddenly had a sickening feeling, one that for once had nothing to do with the Abyss Order. "Paimon, stay here and see what you can find."
"Wait, but what are you-?"
"Please," he stressed, giving her an imploring look.
Paimon sighed explosively. "You two… Oh fine, Paimon will stay behind but you be careful! There's no telling where those rotten mages or hilichurls could be lurking."
Aether nodded and quickly dashed after where Furina had gone, only catching a glimpse of her fluttering twin tails disappearing behind another corner. He put more speed into his pace, sliding around a corner hoping to find Furina but she had seemingly vanished.
"Furina!"
No answer.
That sickening feeling only intensified.
He had to find her before the Abyss Order did.
The corridor he'd ended up in played host to a set of rooms, two on each side for a total of six. She had to be in one of them!
Aether picked the door to his left and surged inside, sliding to a stop as he noted four inactive clockwork meka within, arrayed against the wall like statues. "Fur-!" He tried to call out, but the door suddenly slammed shut behind him.
Then, a voice began to play via the intercom.
"Parameters established. Beginning experiment trial #1108. Scenario active."
As if woken from their slumber, the four meka thrummed to life, their bodies shifting and clanking as they strode forth. The quartet slowly advanced on Aether, the blond drawing his blade with a practiced ease.
"I don't have time for this!"
The first pair stomped forth; their batons arrayed with pyro as they swung but Aether was already moving. He rolled under their swings, popping back out from behind them and unleashed a storm of slashes that severed their legs and arms at once. The armored sentinels toppled forth onto their front, briefly attempting to resume their task but soon fell silent with a few sputters and sparks.
Before he could catch his breath, the third meka nearly pulverized him with its shield forcing him to leap to the side. The meka managed to clip him with the shield, sending him stumbling. The meka charged forth, intent on finishing him were it not for the seasoned warrior springing forth to land a neat uppercut to the mechanical menace, staggering it.
Aether called on the power of hydro and channeled it to his hand, firing forth a jet of water that soaked the meka. While it did little to harm the mechanized creation, it did give Aether enough to charge in for a flurry of strikes that ended up cleaving the entire thing into scrap.
That left the sole meka, dancing on its blade-like legs for a solitary moment before it surged forth, spinning like ballerina. The traveler dove out of the way of the blades, feeling the air churn and swish behind his head, somersaulting into a crouch.
Then, the meka began to glow with the tell-tale light of electro, arcs of energy surging from its body now.
Aether allowed himself a smirk before he summoned his elemental power once more, collecting it to his free hand. "Maelstrom!" A swirling, churning whirlpool like before plowed forth just before the meka could divebomb him, the reaction killing whatever momentum it had. The powerful waves of hydro caused the electro-infused meka to sputter and spark, its body jittering violently before it exploded into fiery shrapnel.
Silence reigned immediately afterwards, Aether turning to glare at the now opened door leading to the next room. He let out a growl, sprinting through expecting another fierce fight… only to slide to a stop, his eyes wide with shock.
The room was littered with the remains of meka but judging from the degree of rust each of the wrecks had, they had been dismantled long before he ever got here. What's more, unlike the room he'd just been in, this room held seven of them!
He swallowed a bit.
Even that would've been pushing the limits of what he could handle at once…
Suddenly a cry tore through the air – Furina's.
"Furina!" he shouted, sprinting through the door to the next room, finding a similar sight. But now the sounds of battle filled the air along with the shouts of the archon. "Furina, hold on! I'm coming!" he yelled, hoping she'd hear him, but the shouting continued on her end. He pushed himself to move faster, quicker – whatever it took to get to her before she was overwhelmed.
Finally, he arrived at what he hoped was the last room and froze at what he found.
Furina was fighting against long odds, even for him… and she was winning. The ease she moved with her weapon was almost startling to see, watching her flow between enemies like a vicious ocean current, her blade dealing doom to all that lanced upon it.
Already there were at least three wrecks around her, but she was still surrounded by four more. Just as he made to charge in after her, what Furina did next absolutely stunned him.
Stabbing her blade into the ground, three pillars of light – of pneuma – appeared above her head before lancing into each of the three meka that had been ready to clobber her. The ousia-aligned meka shuddered upon being struck, stumbling backwards with their limbs dangling for a moment but it was all that was needed for Furina to cut them down with a flourish.
The sole meka that hadn't been struck by the attack didn't last much longer than the others; Furina thrust her blade deep inside the meka with surprising ferocity before yanking it out, performing a roundhouse that sent it flying towards the wall.
What am I seeing here…? Aether wondered, spellbound.
Furina wasn't supposed to be this skilled. Sure, she had confessed to Clorinde teaching her the basics due to a bout of boredom at one point, but it had been rudimentary. But this display easily put her on par with some of the most experienced warriors he knew – even Bennet would have trouble with her if this was her true skill, and Aether considered him the Adventurer between them!
Oblivious to his presence, Furina continued her path of destruction, cutting down another duo of meka with practiced ease, finally ending the clash…
…that is, until a hole in the floor slid open, and a massive construction specialist meka rose up to face her.
"Furina!" he cried, racing forth to aid her but she was already moving. The massive gear that served as its main weapon came down in a mighty crash, nearly crushing both her and him had he not moved in time. The god was already attacking the construct before he could get his bearings, but her strikes seemed to be doing little to it at first.
Gritting his teeth, he charged into the fray his blade at the ready, hoping to at least get this thing's attention. The machine ignored him at first, whirling its massive gear around like a flail for a moment before Furina's scream ripped through the air.
"FURINA!"
There was no time to go check on her because now the machine had decided it was worthy enough as a threat, the machine looming over him with its arm held high. He only just managed to leap out of the way before it slammed down on him, the strike enough to send him sliding.
"I have to keep its attention on me and not Furina," he muttered aloud, grasping at the power of hydro once more. There wasn't much left because of his previous fight but it would have to do. He couldn't let that thing go after her.
"Hey, over here you pile of rust!" he shouted, firing off a salvo of hydro at the mechanical titan. Water impacted the meka, stopping it in its tracks for a moment before it began to glow a bright white.
Oh no.
The familiar flare of cryo erupted from its apex, the entire machine now coated in a frosty shell as the power flowed to its peak. Aether was already moving by the time it began to shower him with razor sharp icicles, each impacting behind in a shower of icy flurries. His legs began to burn with pain, but he forced himself to press on to keep ahead of the hail of impending death. A second's delay was all it would take for him to meet an early icy grave.
The world flew out from under him just then, his feet landing on something the wrong way, knocking him off balance, sending him careening towards the ground harshly. He groaned, pushing himself up, just as a shadow loomed over him, finding the crane's gear ball poised to crush him into paste.
He shut his eyes tight, bracing for a violent end… only for Furina's cry to tear through the air once more, followed a mechanical groaning that forced his gaze back to the machine. The gear crashed down to its side, its body going limp like all the other times its arkhe alignment had been disrupted. The machine whirred to a low hum before it simply died out, rendered useless.
Aether scoured the area for Furina, finding the archon there pointing her blade at the meka with hard eyes. Forcing himself to his feet, he chuckled. "That was a little close, even for my liking," he remarked jokingly. His legs ached from pushing himself the way he did, but it wasn't anything he couldn't walk off. What mattered now was checking to see if Furina was alright. He walked towards her, smiling. "You really had me worried when you left like that. But I guess I didn't need to be. If that's what passes for the basics you mentioned, then I might have to-!"
Only his instincts kept him from being cleaved in half by Furina's sudden strike, the blade's path blowing some of his hair out of the way. "Whoa! W-wait, Furina-!"
"RAGH!" she screamed at him, attempting to bisect him once more forcing him to draw his blade. But astonishingly enough, Furina managed to disarm him and send his trusty weapon skidding across the floor, leaving him to only dodge her furious strikes.
"Furina snap out of it! It's me!"
"RAGH!"
Each swing grew dangerously closer to hurting him with each pass; it was like she was still fighting the meka!
"Furina wait! Wait!" he cried desperately to get her attention, ducking each of her swings until she had him backed against the wall. Gritting his teeth, he threw up his hands and just barely managed to catch the blade, struggling to hold it from cutting his face open. Normally such a feat would've been simple but having to strain himself against an onslaught of dangerous meka had left him tired. His arms shook as they attempted to keep the blade at bay, but Aether's attention was drawn to Furina's expression.
The picture of outright fury looked almost feral on her, her eyes wide and pupils dilated was unnerving, even more so when she actively snarled at him.
"DIE, DIE, DIE-!" she screamed at him, her lithe arms trembling from all the exertion she was putting into their clash.
"Furina! Furina…! MY LADY!"
As if those words were the trigger for her, Furina's face distorted, her snarl all but vanishing as the look of rage was soon replaced by shock.
"A-Aether?" she uttered groggily, blinking a few times before she realized what she was doing. "AH!" She dropped the blade as if it had scalded her, taking a few steps back with her hands held up high.
Aether lowered his arms with a groan, panting slightly. "Furina…" he called out to her, but she was already speaking.
"I…I… I'm sorry." She grabbed her face as if she planned to claw it off, her eyes going wide with horror. "I… nearly… Oh Celestia no, no, no, no…!"
"Furina!" He rushed forward to grab her by the shoulders, shaking her to get her attention. "It's ok. I'm fine."
She shook her head wildly, starting to thrash in his grip. "No! No, let me go! Let go of me!"
"I won't! Listen to me, I'm ok!"
"But I… I nearly… I could've-!"
"But you didn't!" he finally shouted at her, stunning the archon. "The fact I'm standing here like this is proof enough, isn't it?"
Furina stared at him, her eyes welling up with unshed tears before she flung herself into his chest, starting to sob. It was all he could do to keep standing, but he still managed to embrace her slightly. They stayed like that for a few moments before the sobbing subsided, though she still clung to him.
"Furina…"
"Don't. I know what you're going to say, so just don't."
Aether sighed, staring down at her sadly. He didn't want to press her, but he had to know - for both their sakes.
"You know what this place is, don't you?"
Furina stiffened, her grip on his vest tightening before she let out a long, suffering sigh of her own.
"…I was born here."
Aether's stomach dropped at that. "W-what?"
This… this was her home?! But this place is in ruins! How-?
"Shocking isn't it? That the esteemed, magnificent hydro archon comes from such squalid conditions," she stated, some of her old flair entering her voice but it was more subdued than ever. "Though to say I was born here would be a stretch I suppose."
Aether had so many questions to ask regarding that but the only thing he could come up with was:
"How can you use both alignments? I thought that was impossible."
Furina stilled at his query before she chuckled quietly. "Why, because I survived of course."
His head spun with all the implications that statement held, but all he could think about was how Furina had handled herself. That kind of skill was something only gained through experience, years' worth even! But she'd always come off as someone who wouldn't dream of lowering herself to drudging about the land in search of battle.
Just what did he know about Furina?
"Traveler, I can't tell you why, but this is a terrible place and if the Abyss Order intends to use it for any reason, I can't allow them. There are dark secrets here but more than that, if they somehow stumble upon the work done here…" she shook her head a bit. "I have to stop them, alone if I have to."
"What?!" Aether shouted, stunned.
Furina stepped away from him, turning to face the wreckage of the meka. "I won't drag you along on this crusade of mine. This is my cross to bear, so please leave if you so wish. I won't blame you if you do."
Leave? She… wanted him to leave her behind? After all they'd been through?
His fists clenched tightly, his face screwing up into a snarl.
"I thank you for getting me this far. I had hoped not to face my demons today, but c'est la vie. I suppose the past couldn't resist coming back for another haunt."
Aether stormed forth, taking the girl by her shoulder and spinning her around to her shock.
"W-what are you-?!"
"Have you already forgotten my role here, my lady?" he asked with a hiss, glaring at the girl. "What did you call me all this time?"
"My… my chaperone. But that doesn't mean you-!"
"None of that!" He cut her off, her mouth shutting with a click. "What kind of one would I be if I left you to take all of this on alone? What would I tell Neuvillette or Clorinde?" His grip on her shoulder tightened almost painfully, his eyes narrowing to slits as he forced out the words. "…or, do you really have no further need of me?"
The words might be harsh, but he had to make her understand what her words had done to him.
The look of hurt on her face flashed too fast for him to catch before it shifted to one of outrage, poking a finger into his chest. "Do not dare to put words into my mouth, Traveler! I never uttered once such a thing!"
"And yet you're trying to send me away?"
"Because this is not your fight!"
"You are my fight!"
Furina stilled, her face going blank with her eyes wide as dinner plates. "M-me?"
"Yes, you idiot! Do you think I would've put up with your bratty antics up to this point if I didn't care about you like this! And now you want to send me away because you don't want to get me involved? You made me involved the day you came to meet me, Focalors."
She just stared at him, her eyes searching him for… something, he didn't know. But the blush that sprang across her face soon after relieved him somewhat since he was sure his own was mirroring it.
Never would he have imagined pouring his heart out like this, but Furina both infuriated and excited him. She wasn't like all the others he'd met during his travels; she was someone he wanted to know more about, to understand, to be there for her for anything she might have trouble with.
Furina was important to him, perhaps nearly as important as Lumine. The thought of her going off alone to face the Abyss terrified him on a primal level.
Even so, he refused to break his gaze from hers as she stared right back, just as stalwart. Their staring contest lasted for what felt like an eternity before she finally sighed.
"What an unruly chaperone I've acquired," she grumbled.
"Would you have me any other way?" he countered, and to his delight, it elicited a small giggle out of her.
"Not for the world," she replied before closing her eyes again. "…are you sure about this? The things you could learn going forward about me might change how you think about me, how you perceive me, as well as whatever notions you've carried regarding my circumstances. What if you find out I'm lying to you?"
The answer was obvious.
"I'd trust you."
Furina gasped, meeting his gaze with wavering tear drop-shaped eyes that seemed to glow with an emotion he wasn't familiar with. Then, she twirled on her heel and scoffed. "Hmph! But of course you should! After all, my dear chaperone should do as his lady desires and nothing else! Anything else would serve as an utter embarrassment."
The change in her persona was obviously forced on her part, but Aether was for once relieved to see that side of Furina surface again.
Furina glanced over her shoulder shyly, turning back a few times before she turned fully to him and held out her hand for him to take – he didn't hesitate. Her fingers curled slightly around his while he returned the gesture, her eyes never leaving his.
"Is everybody alright?!"
The two sprang apart at Paimon's call, Aether's face burning as he called out. "Y-yeah, we're in here!"
He could've swore he heard Furina muttering something about intrusive, nosey fairies but he decided to pay it no mind.
They still had work to do.
Whatever the Abyss wants here, whatever it has to do with Furina… I'm not letting them have their way, nor am I letting them get to her.
So... let's talk.
Apologies for the long wait, but as I mentioned above, school and work cooperated to ruin my enjoyment. I've had next to no time to write in between my course work, sleep and work. I'm taking the day off here to get this out finally since you guys deserved it.
Anyways, 4.2 dropped and well... I expected to get hit with the feels train, but apparently the train got retrofitted and made sure to not leave evidence this time.
Furina's circumstances were mostly unsurprising - a lot of us knew she wasn't really the archon, or not yet at least. But the truth was horrifying to say the least. As it stands, Furina is now the oldest living human character (Qiqi doesn't count since she's a zombie now, though I might be forgetting someone) in the series as easily one of if not the most emotionally scarred. 500 years of having to put on an act, never once allowed to slip to anyone what the truth really was. I thought Jeht's story was soul-wrenching (which by the way I have played, and she is my favorite world quest character of the game itself) but this broke me.
So that being said, 471 wishes later, my wife has come home and shall be spoiled till eternity. I'm sure I'm not alone in that sentiment.
I have some things to say regarding Focalors too, but I'll save those for later.
Needless to say, canon has gone straight out of the realm of incorporation. Furina IS the archon my story and that's how it'll stay. I have a backstory I want to write here and Hoyo's retcons aren't getting in my way anymore. However, I will incorporate some aspects of canon Furina's kit into here like her ability to use both arkhe alignments although she doesn't get that from a vision, obviously. I touched a bit on that here but the truth will come out next chapter.
I only hope it's not cringeworthy. It's a bit out there, but this idea wouldn't go away.
The only thing left to do is follow through. I still intend on making a canon fic right after this one so don't worry. Just gotta come up with the right idea out of the several I have already.
Well, all else said, just in time for Thanksgiving so I hope this - what I hope to be double-length chapter - makes up for the lack of updates. The next one should be out sometime next month after the semester ends.
In closing, canon Furina adores Blubberbeasts so technically my story is somewhat canon :3
Anyays, till then,
Take care and gobble, gobble, gobble.