CHAPTER 29:

THE SECRET OF THE GNOSES

They decided to leave the true meat and potatoes of the reunion until they made it to Port Ormos, Tashfin and his mercenaries left in the Forest Watchers' custody for now, on Tighnari's request. Harry wanted to surprise them with Sirius' survival. Andromeda and Teddy were currently in Mondstadt, where Andromeda was dividing her time between babysitting Teddy (with the help of Amber and Sucrose, two of the younger members of the Knights of Favonius) and helping the Acting-Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius, Jean Gunnhildr, with her paperwork.

Remus and Tonks were surprised by Sirius' survival and his new spouse (with Ei being part of the conversation via Communications Mirror), of course, as was Hermione. Luna was not really phased, but she rarely ever was. They were also let in on the Fidelius, and greetings were exchanged all around, with Harry, albeit with help from Nahida, Dunyarzad, and Dehya, telling the story of what he had been up to on Teyvat. Paimon, childish as she was, interjected with her own commentary from time to time.

In exchange, they told Harry of what happened. How Alice arrived some time back, and had spoken to them. There had been a witness to Harry being thrown into the Abyss, an Auror who had been injured by one of the Abyss Order. They knew Harry was still alive, thanks to both the Unspeakables and the Goblins, both of whom maintained separate means of telling whether he was alive or not.

After they were finished, Remus shook his head. "You've got yourself into another adventure, it seems, Harry. I know Dumbledore told us that Nahida was real, but…to think you're like her, an Archon…but what these Sages did, along with Il Dottore…is there nothing we can do?"

"Not for now," Nahida said. "But the letter Il Dottore left is a challenge. He specifically says that it will involve a clash not seen since the Archon Wars. While my predecessor settled things peacefully with her peers here in Sumeru, the fact remains that the Archon Wars was a bloody time in the history of Teyvat, where rival gods vied for supremacy. Venti, Zhongli and Ei have all fought in that conflict. For all that he wishes for the restoration of Irmunsul, I also believe Il Dottore wishes to test whether his new god, the modified Scaramouche, is able to defeat me. In terms of raw power, I am sure I am no match for Scaramouche, even before he was modified. He is also more experienced than I in combat." She then looked to Harry. "But remember what Barty Crouch Junior said to you when he masqueraded as Mad-Eye Moody."

"…Constant Vigilance?" Harry asked.

"…I meant just before the First Task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament."

"Oh! He told me to play to my strengths when facing the Hungarian Horntail!"

"Exactly," Nahida said. "I already have a few ideas. But in the end, I'm not much of a fighter. Even learning the magic from Earth, I'm not that powerful. But my strengths are in the world of dreams and the mind. That may not be enough to take on Scaramouche directly…but if you are fighting Scaramouche on my behalf, then that could be helpful."

"How is that?" Paimon asked.

"It's a secret for now," Nahida said with a wink. "But I'll need materials. Shazhaman, can I trouble you to get those?"

"I may have some already. Could you write a list?"

Nahida nodded, and began scribbling down a list. "The irony is, on Harry's world, there is a television show, like a serial version of the films Fontaine has been trumpeting of late. It's called Doctor Who. Part of the irony is that the main character is called the Doctor, and yet he is the opposite of Il Dottore in almost every way, save for a thirst for intellectual pursuit and a genius mind. The Doctor of that television series has one particular gift, being able to improvise all sorts of wonderful devices from seemingly ordinary items. Of course, so does another TV character called MacGyver."

Aether peered over her shoulder at the list. "I think I have a few of those items myself. I've picked up more than a few things during my travels. My dimensional storage can hold almost entire warehouses of stuff, and that's without going into the Serenitea Pot I picked up from Madam Ping. I mostly kept them in case I had to sell them for Mora, or if they were useful for alchemy. Thankfully, I've earned enough money from treasure caches, bounties and commissions from the Adventurers' Guild to pay my way, and to keep Paimon happy."

"Paimon thinks you can never have too much Mora, Aether," the pixie-like being said. "But are you sure you can't tell us what it is you're making, Nahida?"

"I need to be sure I can create it," Nahida said. "We don't have a laboratory or engineering workshop, so I'm not sure if I can get it to work. I'd rather not get people's hopes up. Aether, what materials can you give me?"

Aether seemed to pull handfuls of stuff out of thin air, ranging from what looked like the remnants of Slimes, to arcane electronics that came from the Khaenri'an robots. There was even something that looked like the Triforce from the Legend of Zelda games, but made of lightning rather than gold. Nahida nodded, picking one of the robotic components up. "Yes, this one will do nicely. It looks to be in good condition." She began assembling components on the coffee table they were gathered around, even throwing in an Akasha Terminal into the mix.

"Well, answer me this, then," Dehya asked. "Is it a weapon?"

"The short answer is no. The long answer is that anything and everything, from a certain point of view, could act as a weapon," Nahida said, even as her fingers danced along the components she was fitting together. She was using a mixture of Slime Condensate and something else as a form of solder. "You should know this, Dehya. Your records show you to be a master of improvised weaponry, and not just using your broadsword or unarmed combat. A bar brawl is a fine showcase of improvised weaponry. Klee, of course, uses a stuffed toy filled with explosives. And one of the legends of Harry's world, that of Queen Medb, shows how even a lump of cheese could be used to kill someone."

"…Cheese?" Dunyarzad asked, bemused. "Did she choke on it?"

"No, apparently the cheese was very hard, rock-hard even, and was used as the shot with a sling," Nahida said. "My point is, this is not a weapon in the conventional sense. But, coupled with what I have planned, it should give us the edge we need. It can do some direct damage, but its purpose is more indirect."

"What we need is information," Dehya said. "Whatever this thing Il Dottore has turned Scaramouche into, it's got to be tough as hell. Didn't those Eremites who were abducting the twins say something about Scaramouche being in a giant automaton, like the Ruin Graders?"

"The way they said that, I was wondering…maybe it's like a mecha," Harry said. On the confused looks of most of them, barring Hermione, Tonks, Nahida, and oddly enough, Alice, he explained. "Mecha is a genre of fiction from Japan, a country like Inazuma back on Earth. It basically revolves around warfare involving gigantic robots that are piloted by humans. I only watched one or two of the shows, like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Code Geass, but there's plenty of similar works like Gundam, Macross…you get the picture."

"A bit like those Ruin Golem things Khaenri'ah left all over Sumeru?" Scheherezade asked. "I believe those had control chambers of some sort. You've seen the one at Devantaka Mountain, haven't you, Harry?"

"You pointed it out to me on the way to Gandharva Ville," Harry said. "Similar sort of thing, but I reckon it'd have to be smaller, smaller enough that it could be concealed somewhere without causing comment. Probably too damn big for most people to handle, but still…assuming the torso or the head acts as a cockpit…maybe three to four storeys tall? The way Il Dottore penned that note, it must be somewhere accessible from the Sanctuary of Surasthana."

"I think there is a rather large cavern underneath the Divine Tree, which could certainly fit a workshop and a hangar of some sort," Nahida mused. The device in her hands began humming, and she smiled. "And it's working. I'll need to make sure it'll work on the day, but it's a proof of concept."

"And what is it? Can you explain, Nahida?" Harry asked.

"Not yet. Or rather, I'm not going to explain how it will be used yet. But I can tell you what it is. It's a more powerful version of the Akasha Terminal, only, it's capable of channelling Dendro energy to greater degrees. It won't be worn on anyone's ear. I intend to make it not unlike one of the constructs, able to move on its own. Now then…to disrupt Electro energy from a Gnosis…adjust this here…reverse the polarity there…assuming a not-dissimilar energy signature to my Gnosis…" Nahida adjusted a few connections. After a moment, she nodded, satisfied. "That will do, for now."

"An interesting little lash-up you have there," Alice mused. "Would it explode if tampered with?"

Nahida shot the dimension-travelling witch a flat look. "Yes, and no, I am not letting you touch it."

"Oh, I know better than to tamper with things that are needed to save the world," Alice said. "I'm just thinking of ways to build my own." Her expression became more solemn. "Still…you know that stopping the Balladeer is only half the battle? And I'm not speaking of Il Dottore, either. How will you be able to regain your power, the power that the Sages wielded in your name for half a millennium?"

"With difficulty," Nahida said. "It's still a work in progress, but by vanquishing the artificial deity that they have worked so hard to create to surpass me, I can strike a blow to them. With the help of our allies, we can do the rest…"


Harry's sleep was not without incident. In fact, when he woke up, he realised he was in Nahida's dreamscape again. Or what felt like it. Except…something was wrong.

He looked around, to see what looked like a window, looking out onto a warped landscape, with a strange tree in the background. Only, the telltale crimson tint of the Withering seemed to be throughout it. And there was a figure standing outside of that window. A very familiar figure.

Staring at the figure, he whispered, "Nahida?"

The figure shook her head. It could have been Nahida, but there was something more to it. And then, Harry heard Nahida say, from behind him, "That's not me, Harry."

Harry whirled to find his sister toddling up past him, going up to the window. Her eyes were filled with tears as she asked, "It's you, isn't it?"

Her doppelganger shook her head. "I am but a shadow of your predecessor, little more than an awareness of an awareness(1)." Her voice wasn't as high-pitched or childish as Nahida, though it felt ageless, possibly a child, or even an adult.

"…Rukkhadevata," Harry said. "…Mother…"

"Yes and no. I am…what's left of her, a ghost, linked to the Village Keepers, and barely holding the corruption of Forbidden Knowledge back," the former Dendro Archon said solemnly. "It took me time to gather my power enough to safely contact you both, without exposing you to Forbidden Knowledge. Hence…" She placed her hand on the window.

"…How much time do you have to speak?" Nahida asked.

"Not long. Long enough to touch your minds, and learn of what I need to speak of you about. You are on the right track. Unfortunately, to purge Irmunsul of Forbidden Knowledge, I must be purged with it, and with me, any knowledge of me. I will be erased from memory and existence, the history of the world itself rewritten, at least in terms of knowledge," Rukkhadevata's shade said. "I am sorry to impose this cruel burden on you, both of you, to commit matricide, and erase all knowledge of my existence from Teyvat. As Harry was born on another world, he will remember me, and through him, you will too, Nahida."

"…It's not fair," Harry said, his voice thick and hoarse with sorrow.

"No, it isn't. But…I should warn you about something, something I learned during my time as Archon. The Tsaritsa gathers the Gnoses, does she not? Through those Fatui, the fools she has under her banner?"

"Yes," Nahida said.

"…Morax did well in surrendering his own, even if the means by which he tested his people was questionable, and Beezelbaal discarded her own Gnosis, not that I blame her. I never found a means to do so, but…when you retrieve the Electro Gnosis from that false god…send it, and your own Gnosis, to Snezhnaya."

Harry's eyes widened. "What? That's insane! They could be using them as weapons or something!"

"They are poisoned chalices. Did you never consider how they were made?" Rukkhadevata asked.

"…How were they created?" Nahida asked quietly, though she clearly dreaded the answer.

"I learned when investigating them, and have kept the information out of Irmunsul. You must keep it secret too, lest Celestia unleash Asmoday upon Sumeru. In a twofold manner, by stealing the authority of the Elemental Sovereigns, the Dragons that once ruled Teyvat before Celestia vanquished them, and by infusing that authority into a specific medium, a medium capable of channelling any elemental energy. Not merely a Vision, either. What medium have you seen that can channel any elemental energy?"

Harry and Nahida looked at each other, and then shrugged simultaneously. "I'm afraid you've lost us," Harry said.

"Well, perhaps my wording was too vague. What I should say is…who have you seen capable of channelling any elemental energy?"

"…Aether," Harry and Nahida chorused simultaneously in realisation, and shock.

Rukkhadevata nodded. "Your companion is the Fourth Descender, as the Fatui dub those who have come to Teyvat from beyond this world. His immediate predecessor had their very corpse warped into the Gnoses. And with their death came a malison. The Gnoses are cursed artifacts, filled with the grudges of the Sovereigns and the Third Descender."

Harry and Nahida shared looks of horror. "But…that means…" Nahida whispered.

"If you can rid yourself of the Gnoses after the treacherous Sages and the Harbinger are dealt with, do so. Do not destroy them," Rukkhadevata said to her younger self. "Otherwise, Asmoday will come for you. She and Celestia in general have inflicted worst fates for lesser slights. Already, they have inflicted a most terrible fate for Fontaine, thanks to the unwitting hubris of Egeria. The prophecy spoken of is the sentence for Fontaine and Focalors. Do not let such a doom befall Sumeru, my children. If the Tsaritsa desires such cursed objects, then let her have them, and hope that her ambitions won't doom the world, merely Snezhnaya." Rukkhadevata looked to Irmunsul. "Deshret had a similar attitude towards Celestia as the Tsaritsa did, but he did not intend for Forbidden Knowledge to cause such a disaster."

"And we're cleaning up his mistakes," Harry muttered bitterly.

"True," Rukkhadevata said ruefully. "…But…before you go and confront the false god the Sages and the Harbinger created, I have one last request for you. The Village Keepers…they have been taken from Aaru Village. I suspect that the Sages, due to your stopping the dream samsara, have taken action. I don't know where exactly, but they have been taken by Eremite mercenaries. Save them, please. They're innocents caught up in this conflict."

"…Of course," Harry said. "But…can't we talk more?"

Rukkhadevata smiled sadly. "No. Sorry. We have a little time left, but not enough to speak with either of you for how much you want. And I fear the next time we meet…it will be for the last time. Again, I'm sorry, I really am, to foist such a cruel fate on you both. But…I am ready. My sacrifice has already been made. This is just the last step, to save Sumeru, its people, and the rest of Teyvat."

Harry wished he could go over and hug her, and he could tell Nahida did too. Nobody should be that resigned to death. He remembered when he heard about the Horcrux in his scar, and how, as far as Dumbledore was concerned, it would be impossible to remove normally without killing Harry. He had raged, he had despaired, and it had taken Nahida's calming words for him to consider how to fix that.

But now, it seemed that Rukkhadevata had given up. True, she was the Goddess of Wisdom, Nahida's predecessor, and their parent, and presumably she had considered this when making this plan. But still, for the world to be saved with the sacrifice of one person, even if they were willing…small price to pay or not, it was still monstrously cruel and unfair. Especially as they had to do the deed themselves, to say nothing of Rukkhadevata's very memory being erased from existence.

But if they didn't do so, Sumeru would be in danger, and so would all of Teyvat. And there seemed to be no other way around it. Not that either Harry or Nahida had to like it…

CHAPTER 29 ANNOTATIONS:

So, plans are being drawn up, and Harry and Nahida have learned some disturbing truths.

I dunno whether Nahida knew the truth about Gnoses (which was revealed in the Fontaine arc), but I would bet that out of all the Archons, Rukkhadevata probably knew the truth. I feel that Ei and Zhongli know or at least suspect the truth themselves, and possibly Venti, but Rukkhadevata is the one who was most likely to know the truth, hence her warning. I also suspect that Rukkhadevata knew about what happened with the prophecy against Fontaine due to what Egeria did, perhaps even knowing exactly why Egeria was condemned by Celestia.

Anyway, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out. But honestly, this upcoming update's looking good. And we finally have a character (Chevreuse) voiced by Erica Lindbeck in Genshin Impact! It's about time! And Navia's gameplay looks awesome!

Review-answering time! misaka2madoka: No. At most, we will have a small selection of them.

jiongu-naruto: Because Celestia are spiteful and arrogant bastards? What other reason be needed? Asmoday declares herself to be the Sustainer of the Heavenly Principles and gets in the Twins' way even though they were actually just about to leave Teyvat. She also claims she is against the arrogation of humanity, in other words, believing them to be reaching above their station, and seems to include the Twins on this. Given the punishment given to ALL denizens of Khaenri'ah for the Cataclysm, even though not all of them would have agreed with the war waged on the Seven and Celestia, to say nothing of the Prophecy inflicted on Fontaine for Egeria's act of creation, and of course, Enkanomiya, well, Celestia is not known for equanimity or mercy. They remind me altogether too much of the Lords from Dark Souls, particularly Gwyn and his government.

Dark Lord Xehanort: Hmm, food for thought, but for now, as much as I'd love to see Dori get a comeuppance Marauders-style, she's pretty much a background character.

1. Rukkhadevata is quoting Aldous Huxley's story Time Must Have a Stop, which Bob Baker and Dave Martin used as an inspiration for Omega for Doctor Who.