CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: THE PEAKS OF SERENITY

Ganyu's original home had been very hard to get to, being hidden away from the world by the use of ancient qilin seals that could only be accessed by said species. The first seal had been again the face of a mountain just north of Mt. Hulao, having been covered by overgrowth of vegetation and being very faded by years of torment from the weather.

However, Ganyu had found and accessed the hidden pathway as if it were common knowledge to her, the seal having opened to a long cave littered with overgrown plants that radiated a icy-blue glow that matched Ganyu's hair color perfectly. It was unlike anything Keqing had ever witnessed, the cave having led them to a forest that mimicked the same blue coloration. It revealed a path that led them deeper into the land, the second seal having been the next obstacle to pass.

Once again, Ganyu had passed the ancient lock as if it were nothing, and had allowed them to proceed into a new place that seemed alien. There were trees that were contorted and twisted with healthy green leaves, bushes that were littered with berries that grew that same blue light, and, straight ahead, was a ring of mountains with one entrance at the front.

Thin hair-like strands hung from the outer faces of the peaks, glowing the same cold light as the vegetation in the first cave, and, upon getting closer, the long branches that grew from the outer faces adorned large pods that resembled canopies. They were decrepit at this point, but it was in no doubt a beautiful sight, the views before Ganyu's eyes starting to stir up memories that had long been forgotten.

"It's all coming back to me," she said in wonder, raising her arm to the sky and pointing out towards something. "That pod up there…that was mine. My mother would let me sleep with her in it every night, seeing I commonly had bad dreams. She'd hum some lullaby to help me sleep, and, before I knew it, it was morning again."

Keqing smiled at her beloved's precious memory, happy that Ganyu was starting to recollect a time where she was free and innocent without a care in the world. Ganyu was in a trance of remembrance unlike any other, continuing to speak of a past she'd buried thousands of years ago.

"Those berries, they're called Firefly Berries because of how easy they are to mistake for one," she continued, walking over and picking one from the bush. "They were my favorite thing to eat, because they taste sweet, but are very healthy for a qilin."

She plopped the luminescent fruit into her mouth and immediately smiled upon tasting her favorite childhood snack. She started to remember when she'd sneak off during sleeping hours to savor her tastebuds with them, up until she got caught by her mother. It was a silly memory that followed up with when she and the other young qilin would go off to pick them and bring them back to the main village. From there the adults would make a jelly out of them and serve it on Vasca Leaves that grew from the Trees of Life.

Ganyu's favorite dish and guilty pleasure as a child, seeing eating too much could cause obesity. Something that she had to fix by going on grueling hikes from the bottom base of Mt. Hulao all the way to the very top peak. A tread that took all day and had Ganyu's body back into shape after five times.

She turned back to Keqing and stated something that she felt was only fitting as her lover.

"Do you want to try one, my love?"

Keqing jumped, feeling as if eating a food that was sacred to the qilin was taboo.

"A-are you sure it's okay?" she answered. "I wouldn't want to offend any of your kind by doing so."

Ganyu giggled lightly, finding her beloved's reasoning fair, but she also knew it wasn't anything forbidden.

"You won't offend any of my kind. Don't forget, you're my beloved, therefore, you're family."

Keqing couldn't argue with that. She was Ganyu's most trusted and loved companion, so that made her one of her own kind, even if she wasn't actually a qilin. However, she trusted Ganyu, so she felt safe to accept the offer.

"Alright, I trust you," Keqing agreed, to which Ganyu followed by picking one of the small fruits from the bush and handing it to her lover.

Keqing accepted the offering, and stuck the treat into her mouth. Once she bit down and the fruit's inner juices adorned her taste buds, she immediately fell in love with the flavor. Upon splitting open the snack, a cool essence overrode her senses, the sensation being similar to the cool feeling that a mint leaf causes upon chewing it. Following the cold burst, a sweetness graced her entire oral cavity, causing her to jolt at the taste, and continuing to chew the delicious qilin delicacy.

Once she'd grinded the berry to a paste, she gulped it down and turned to Ganyu with a giddy smile.

"That was quite the experience," she commented, causing Ganyu to giggle.

"Delicious, isn't it?" Ganyu replied.

"Very. Thank you for allowing me to eat something precious to your kind."

"No need to thank me. Whatever is part of my adeptus heritage is now a part of you, my love."

Keqing blushed at the comment, walking up to Ganyu and pecking her lightly on the cheek. Ganyu giggled at the sentiment, returning back to the task at hand.

"Alright, that's enough messing around for now. Let's get back to what we came here for."

Keqing nodded, to which Ganyu answered by turning back to the main path and leading Keqing further towards the mountain entrance. Upon passing the opening to the inner center of the rounded mountains, a view of melancholy and dread came into view.

Homes.

Skeletons.

Remnants of what was once a bustling utopia of gracious and calm beasts in shambles.

A sight that immediately attacked Ganyu's heart and caused the painful memories of her last day there to replay.

Tears immediately filled her eyes upon noticing one specific skeleton that she knew the identity of. The one that had kept her and her mother safe from assured death.

Her father.

The day of the attacks started to play out before her eyes, causing her to cry mildly. Keqing immediately comforted her beloved, remembering the night that Ganyu had told of the very event that had caused the very remnants before her eyes. She put her left hand on Ganyu's right shoulder and rubbed it lightly in love and assurance that she was there to mourn with her.

Ganyu accepted the sentiment, allowing her emotions to escape her in relief. This is something she had needed to confront for centuries, and, now, she finally had. While it hurt like hell, it felt so good to cry out the trauma of her past. Finally, she could leave the past behind and not worry about having those nightmares anymore.

After a good amount of time, Ganyu finally wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I can now sleep peacefully without guilt," she said with relief. "Thank you, father, for keeping mom and I safe that day. It's been hard, but I've finally found happiness in love and friendship with my beloved Keqing after centuries of pain and loss."

She turned to Keqing with a smile, and addressed the next step of their reason for coming here.

"Come on. The thing I need to retrieve isn't far."

Keqing nodded in understanding, starting forward with her beloved. However, after taking a few steps, something made them stop dead in their tracks.

"T-that essence…it can't be…"

A voice spoke from among the ruins, the voice being mature and motherly.

Ganyu gasped at the voice, knowing immediately who had spoken.

"T-there's no way…that possibly can't be…"

From out of the ruins a lady with long icy-blue hair and a pair of long horns stepped out into the light, every aspect of her mirroring Ganyu perfectly. She was tall, had a mild amount of wrinkles around her eyes, and used a cane to walk.

There was no doubt who she was, and it became all the more apparent upon her eyes beginning to water with tears.

"M-my daughter…my little Ganyu!" she spoke, causing Ganyu to immediately begin to cry again, rushing forward and embracing her mother with love and emotion unlike any other.

Ganyu balled like a baby, having never expected to ever see her mother ever again in her life, but here she was, alive and well. The elderly qilin just embraced her child with unadulterated love and comfort, completely bewildered that her only child had returned there.

"Shhhh, it's okay sweetheart," she comforted emotionally. "Mommie's here…mommie's here always."

Ganyu just continued to cry, embracing a reunion she had longed for for so long. She was in her mother's arms again, warm and safe again after over three thousand years. Keqing just let the two be, just as amazed by the sudden unexpected encounter as Ganyu. She thought that all of the qilin were dead except for her beloved, but now it was possible that more lived with this discovery.

The two embraced one another for a long time, up until they finally released their hold on one another and looked into each other's eyes. Mother and daughter were together again, and it was all because of fate.

"Look at you," Ganyu's mother stated. "You grew into a beautiful lady after all these years. No doubt you have your mother's looks."

Ganyu giggled at the compliment, just allowing her mother to talk to her.

"I…I can't believe you're here, mom! I've missed you so much!"

"And I have missed you too, sweetheart. I never thought this day would come, but you have made it back to your home."

Ganyu wiped her eyes again, jumping at the sudden realization that she had yet to introduce her beloved.

"O-oh! Mom, let me introduce you to someone very special to me," she stated sheepishly. "This is my partner and beloved, Keqing."

The elder eyed Keqing with judgemental eyes, after all she was a human; the very species that had nearly eradicated the entire qilin race. Ganyu grew worried at her mother's expression and demeanor, scared that she might attack.

However, she didn't pounce or saying anything negative, only smiled.

"Greetings dear," she greeted. "My name is Regora. I'm Ganyu's mother."

Ganyu was bewildered, but she was also relieved her mother had accepted Keqing with open arms.

"I do apologize if I scared you for a second, I was simply reading your soul, and saw that you are someone with a pure heart. Therefore, I have no reason to judge you harshly."

"T-thank you," Keqing replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Regora."

Regora just smiled and bowed in acceptance, following with something that was expected.

"You must have so many questions, sweety, so allow me to answer them over some tea," Regora explained. "Please come with me, I just brewed a pot."

Ganyu and Keqing nodded and started to follow Regora to wherever she'd taken up residency after that tragic day thousands of years prior.

The walk to Regora's residence had taken no more than five minutes, the abode being nothing more than a small hut occupied by a handmade bed, teapot, and some spare clothes. It was sad to see someone so accepting and caring living so poorly, but it was clear she'd known how to outlast the years, given that she was still alive and kicking.

Regora had poured Keqing and Ganyu a cup of some kind of tea neither of them were familiar with, seeing, as a child, Ganyu hadn't drunk tea as much as she does now. Drinking tea was more of an adult habit than a child's, so both of the lovers had no idea what they were in for.

Their server joined them on the wooden floor, pouring herself her own cup carefully. She then sat the pot in the middle of the circle they'd formed, taking a subtle sip before starting her explanation on how she was somehow still alive.

"I suppose I should start from the beginning, the day I had to make the hardest decision that no mother should have to make. Somehow, some thugs got through the seals and attacked us with the sole intent of murder. We were drastically unprepared, believing that we were safe from outsiders, but, I suppose fate had different plans. We shifted into our beastly forms and took the offensive, but were surprisingly subdued quickly by our foes' tactics.

Your father, Fatorus, stood his ground to protect us, but, eventually, his body succumbed to the blows. Out of pure instinct, I knew what I had to do, even if it broke my heart. I turned to you and told you to run and not stop until you were safe. It hurt so much to watch my only child leave, but I knew you'd die if I didn't make that decision. As for what happened after, I transformed and attacked without any hesitation.

I took some hits and suffered some wounds, but I aimed for their heads and tore them off as fast as possible. I was hoping to force them to retreat out of fear, and it worked. They left and never came back again, but the damage had already been done.

I attempted to heal your father back to health, but the wounds had been too much. I grieved majorly, having to tend to my own battlescars, which were mild in comparison. After I was healthy enough, I headed out to find you, but came up empty after centuries of searching endlessly. I never wanted to give up, but age began to take its toll on my body. I slowly lost my ability to walk normally, and if I stayed out too long searching, I'd become ill.

I-I'm so sorry, Ganyu…but I had no choice but to stop for the sake of my own safety. I just hope you can forgive me…"

Ganyu shook her head, putting a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"Mother, you don't need to be sorry for anything," she said sympathetically. "You saved my life and gave me a longer life to live. I've met so many good people, experienced so many amazing things, and have found happiness because of your decision that day. Please, quit blaming yourself. I'm here now, safe and happy to be with you again.

I love you and always will, and will never blame you for age making it impossible for you to have continued to search for me. The fact you still wanted to look for me, despite your health, is enough for me to know that you always cared and only did what you thought was best for me."

Regora wiped her eyes of her tears, and met her daughter's gaze. A wave of relief suddenly came over her at her child's confirmation that she didn't blame her for anything.

A relief she'd been searching for for millenia.

"Thank you, sweetheart," she said with clear reassurance, picking up and taking another sip from her teacup. "You do not know how much this means to me. I finally have clarity, and can sleep peacefully at night. However, there lies the greatest curiosity in my mind; how did you find your way back here? You were much too young to know how to access the seals, so how did you break them without teachings from the elders?"

Reality came back to Ganyu instantly, remembering why she had come here in the first place.

"Oh! Well, I recently had an epiphany, and, in it, I learned how to do so. However, my reason for coming back wasn't to confront my greatest demons, but to obtain something that can help me better my qilin abilities."

Regora made an expression that clearly showed that she knew exactly what her daughter was talking about, taking another sip and setting her cup off to the side.

"I see, and I understand. However, I must know what you'd need something like that for. What you seek is a very sacred treasure, and must only be used for certain reasons. Not to mention, while you are an adult now, do you believe you are ready for such a thing?"

"The simple answer is that I must be ready, mother," Ganyu stated sternly. "This concerns the entire world, and, unless our enemy is stopped, all of us will perish."

She followed up by explaining the entirety of what had happened since the night of Liyue Harbor's destruction, making sure to include every critical detail to convince her mother that she must let her do what she'd come here to do. At the end of it, Regora was shaken, shocked that such things had become her daughter's reality. It hurt her heart, and that was enough to convince her.

"My daughter, I am dearly sorry for everything that has happened to you and your partner," Regora stated. "You've grown into a responsible and strong lady, and I'm so proud of you for all you've done. This predicament more than meets the qualifications of using what you seek, therefore I will take you to it and teach you how to use it."

"Thank you, mother," Ganyu thanked, happy that her mother had not changed at all after so many years.

Regora got to her feet and stated one thing before taking off to fetch the treasure Ganyu needed to gain an advantage in her current reality.

"After you two finish your cups, I'll guide you to the greatest treasure of the qilin race," she explained.

"If I may ask, what exactly is this thing?" Keqing cut in, her curiosity burning to know the identity of this ancient relic.

Ganyu and Regora's gazes met instantly, her beloved nodding her head as if to confirm something important. Ganyu's mother nodded back, turning to Keqing to confirm whatever she and her daughter had agreed to.

"The Talisman of Ascension," Regora confirmed. "The only thing that can unlock a qilin's true potential. A delicate process that can be dangerous if the host is not ready, but I believe, given what I've heard, Ganyu is ready to ascend past her current potential."

Keqing nodded her head in agreement, then she and her beloved were left to finish their cups. It was a quiet five minutes of slowly sipping down the unique brew, both of them knowing that what came next would be a challenge that only Ganyu could conquer with her strength and will as a qilin.

Regora had led the two lovers back to the ruins of the once-qilin society, standing before the littered remnants of the past and awaiting further instruction from their guide. It was clear that she was reminiscing about the times when her fellow brothers and sisters were still alive and wandering the village without any worry, times she wished she could have back, but knew that was impossible.

"Mom, are you okay?" Ganyu asked worriedly.

"Yes dear, nothing more than a lady enjoying what once was the great pastime of the qilin race," Regora responded, her voice carrying a hint of emotion. "Forgive me, the relic is under these ruins where the main Elder Temple used to be. They were the ones who guarded it until a qilin turned the proper age for the process. Allow me to change form real fast so I can have the proper strength to lift this clutter."

Ganyu shook her head instantly, knowing her mother was not in good enough health to transform.

"No mother, you're not in the right health to do that. I'll change and do the job, okay?"

Regora felt emotion ping her heart, but knew very well that her daughter was absolutely right. Therefore, she swallowed her pride and allowed her child to take her position.

"Very well, sweetheart," she agreed. "Just be very gentle, you don't want to accidentally break the talisman while moving the debris."

"Got it," Ganyu assured, then, with careful focus, began to change into her adeptus form.

Just like in Inazuma, she grew the height of a monolith and became covered in icy blue fur that was as thick as a lion's mane. Regora was quite impressed at her daughter's form, having not seen her that way ever since Ganyu was just a toddler. She was so proud that she smiled brightly, her daughter beginning to move aside all of the resting ruins of the Peaks of Serenity.

As promised, Ganyu was very delicate with the litter, shuffling it aside with care, up until nothing but the ground was visible.

"That'll do, sweety," Regora commanded. "I can handle the rest."

Ganyu nodded her colossal head, and quickly reverted back to her regular self. Regora had already limped her way over to the target spot, having stopped to look it over.

"Restala brimora tisor!" she exclaimed in a very foreign language that the lovers could only guess as some ancient adeptus language.

She tapped her cane against the ground, and, in a sudden burst of light, a new entrance had come into being, opening wide to where it could be accessed.

Ganyu and Keqing met up with Regora, only to find what looked like a gaping maw with a staircase just visible in the light of the area. Using some kind of qilin art, her horns began to glow, confirming they were about to engage deeper below the current ground level.

"Stay close to me," Regora directed, walking onto the staircase and leading her two attendees down.

Ganyu and Keqing followed closely, eventually falling into nothing but a sea of black, the lighting of Regora's horns being the only thing guiding them the right way. It seemed like they'd been walking for at least twenty minutes, up until Regora stopped dead.

She tapped her cane's base on the ground again, immediately causing something to happen that neither of the two lovers had expected. A path that illuminated a blue glow appeared before them as if it were a guild leading them to their preferred destination.

Regora confirmed that theory true upon her next statement.

"The Elder devised a path that could only be activated by a qilin to assure safety for the talisman. This entire underground is a massive labyrinth, so please remain on the lit pathway, or this place might just end up being your tomb."

Ganyu and Keqing nodded in agreement, continuing further into the underground labyrinth and being sure to tread carefully. It took a long thirty minutes to reach the end of the path, having come to a door with three specific patterns across it that resembled the seals Ganyu had broken to reach the Peaks of Serenity.

"Ugh, we may have a problem, dears," Regora stated, putting a hand to her face in slight stupidity. "I forgot that there were three Elders for a reason; this door must be opened by three qilin all at once, and, unfortunately, there's only two here at the moment. Heh, they truly knew how to secure something that they knew that, if it ended up in the wrong hands, could cause the end of the world."

Ganyu wasn't ready to give up, seeing she'd come this far and wasn't going to let a clever form of security stop her. She put a hand to her chin, hoping to find a solution, but Keqing beat her to the punch.

"Wait, I think I might have a solution that might be just crazy enough to work."

Regina's eyes bulged in curiosity, open to anything that might progress their current predicament, so she just agreed.

"What's your plan?"

"Well, it's definitely a long shot, but I thought back to something Ganyu said earlier, and it just might be the solution," Keqing explained. "She stated that because I'm her lover, and we share a strong bond, I'm family to the qilin race in her eyes. Therefore, even though I'm not one by blood, maybe if Ganyu and I hold hands or something, it can fool the door?"

Regora expressed a look of doubt, but, given nobody had any better ideas, she was up for it.

"Not going to lie, sweety, that's quite a foolish suggestion, but also very clever," Regora complimented. "Let's try it."

Keqing smiled and nodded, to which Ganyu took her hand tight and positioned herself in front of the far right seal. Keqing took the middle seal, and Regora manned the far left, all three placing their hands on their respective seal.

"When you're ready, I'll start the process to break the seals," Regora instructed.

"Got it, but what should I do to break mine," Keqing questioned, to which Ganyu answered quickly.

"Just think of the memories you've had with me," Ganyu instructed. "Our bond is the key, and, the more you think of our memories together, the more energy is exumed."

Keqing nodded with a smile, confident that she could do it.

"Right. Thanks Ganyu."

Ganyu just bowed her head as an answer, to which Regora took action of preparing for the process of breaking the seal.

"On the count of three."

Keqing took that as her cue to begin the reminiscing, so she closed her eyes and went into a deep trance to remember all of her recent memories with her beloved.

"One…two…three!"

Keqing worked quickly, immediately finding the first most precious memory of Ganyu she treasured. The night they finally confessed to one another and made love together. She envisioned the feeling of her beloved pleasuring and exploring her with absolute curiosity and bliss, up until her body succumbed to it all. That was a night she'd never forget, and the next one was just as prominent.

The scream that had awoken her out of a short sleep, the moment that had strengthened their bond as lovers. That was the night her beloved had shared her most tragic and personal memory; a sign of absolute trust and true love. Next, came when Ganyu had served her dinner in Sumeru, followed by their first bath together, their night on the bow of The Alcor, and lastly, the moment where it all began.

The day of Keqing's initiation as the Yuheng, and when she saw Ganyu for the very first time. She had been standing with her back to her outside of Yujing Terrace, a sunset having adorned her as a background and caused her to stand out. While she hadn't know it yet, that had been the moment her spark for Ganyu had been lit in her heart, especially when she had turned to face her for the first time, and she had seen Ganyu's beautiful eyes.

At that time, she couldn't even say a word, because she was awestruck by the woman she'd laid eyes on. She had no idea how Ganyu had taken her likely-awkward-as-hell stare, but it didn't matter now, because they were together and loved each other dearly.

"Ganyu, come here and introduce yourself to our newest staff member," Ningguang had said. "You two will be working together a lot, so it's best you two get to know one another well."

That's when Ganyu had turned and Keqing had been lovestruck silly.

"Oh, coming, Lady Ningguang!" Ganyu had said, and had hurried to meet her new co-worker. "H-hello there, my name is Ganyu. I-I'm the head secretary for Yujing Terrace. It's a pleasure to meet you."

And Keqing had just stood still, probably making Ganyu heavily uncomfortable, up until Ningguang had knocked her out of Cupid's influence on her senses.

"Lady Keqing, aren't you going to say anything?"

She had jumped back to reality, having cleared her throat to regain her composure.

"M-my apologies, Lady Ganyu. T-the sunset is just quite appalling that I lost focus for a second. M-my name is Keqing, and I'll be working alongside you as Yuheng. I-it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

After her bumbling, all Ganyu had done was bow respectfully as a response. It had been a very awkward start to a growing bond, but after a few times working out in the field, she and Ganyu had grown close as colleagues.

She was so deep in her memories that she hadn't even realized that, once she opened her eyes, they were radiating a glow as bright as the sun. Not only that, her plan had succeeded, and the seals had all been broken.

She was flabbergasted.

She'd managed to, through probably the most absurd plan she'd ever devised, managed to surpass ancient magic older than her entire family. There was no doubt that she was the former Yuheng, seeing only someone like that could make something so comical actually work.

"I can't believe that actually worked," she stated as a way to congratulate herself.

"Nor can I," Regora added. "Huh, it seems my daughter sure has something truly special."

"More special than you can ever imagine," Ganyu chimed confidently.

Keqing blushed at the compliment, rubbing the back of her neck shyly.

Regora broke the flood of graces by reestablishing why they were there in the first place.

"Alright, now comes the most dangerous part. The ascension itself."

Across the room in front of them was three things. Closest was a stone pedestal that housed one thing that resembled an oversized mora, then on the far side was a golden statue of a qilin that had a provided seat in the center between its two front legs. Last, was hieroglyphs that told a story of an ancient past that was plastered on all three of the walls, most likely something in relation to what was about to occur.

"I'll only ask one more time, Ganyu," Regora said in a very serious tone. "Are you sure you want to do this, because once the process starts, there's no going back."

"Yes. I must do this for the safety of Teyvat's people," Ganyu decided.

"Very well, then please take the talisman and stick it into the slot in the middle of the statue's forehead," Regora instructed. "From there, you will seat yourself in the middle second of it and await the qilin god to connect with your psyche. You will be on your own from there, so good luck and do your best to earn the knowledge of the talisman. Whenever you're ready, sweetheart."

Ganyu nodded her head and walked forward to the pedestal supporting the talisman. After taking a long breath, she took the talisman from its resting spot and placed it in the slot positioned on the statue's forehead. Once the relic was in place, Ganyu took another deep breath to calm her nerves, then sat herself in the provided throne, awaiting whatever was to come next.

At first, there was nothing but silence, until Ganyu suddenly felt a surge of ancient power attack her senses. A sensation that overwhelmed her instantly and knocked her unconscious.

The trial of the talisman had officially begun.