He supposed he had already gone through all five stages of grief by the time he reached his fifth cycle. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and now…
Acceptance
By now the Descender had already accepted his neverending reincarnation as an inescapable fate. His fourth cycle had led him to be unexpectedly killed by the hands of the Traveller's twin, Aether. In his fourth cycle he became a Knight of Favonius and was the tutor for the two rascals who went by the name of Diluc and Kaeya.
At least he lived long enough to see them grow up.
Einstein once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. He guessed he must truly be insane when the first thing he did upon realising he's in his fifth cycle is to head back to Mondstadt in the faint hopes that someone would be able to remember him. Nobody did. The Cavalry Captain and Kaeya's predecessor wasn't him. The two rascals weren't trained under him either.
It's like he never existed, as per usual.
Expecting this to happen was one thing, to have it verified that it really was true was another. The Descender was disheartened once more and embarked on another journey, this time heading for Liyue Harbour. While he lived in Liyue in his second cycle he never did get the chance to actually visit the heart of Liyue, so he might as well do so now.
After which, wherever he might go next… he will decide upon it when he gets there.
He climbed atop Mt Tianheng, resting with his back against the rocky cliff under the shade of a tree to appreciate the wondrous sight of the bustling city below. The sight was worth the climb, but it's a pity he had forgotten to purchase a kamera with him before he made this trip. Now, he could only commit the image to memory.
"Whoever you may be, I suggest you go back to where you came from."
He had sensed hostile presences for quite a while now, silently stalking after him in order to wait for the opportune moment to strike. They don't feel human, so he guessed his stalkers to be monsters, but highly intelligent ones.
The bushes rustled. Hilichurls emerged from their hiding spots, not intending to conceal themselves any longer.
He sighed, still sitting down leisurely with his back against the wall. He's tired of this bullshit.
"You had your chance."
"Ya!"
The hilichurls responded in a loud cry and for once, the Descender was almost hopeful that the Khaenri'ah citizens-turned-monsters actually understood him. He was in for a great disappointment when they charged at him instead with their primitive weapons.
His left thumb lightly pushed against the handguard of the rusted dull sword he picked up on his trip and attached to his belt. Dealing with these monsters had always been simple, one slash was all he needed.
That slash never came. Somebody else beat him to the punch.
"Incoming!"
A violet flash of lightning blinded the monsters. A young woman teleported in between him and the monsters in the blink of an eye, the merciless slash of thunder cutting down the monsters before he could do so. She was already right next to him without even so much as giving the fallen monsters a second glance.
"Are you alright?! The Millelith might be patrolling the place but the upper parts of Mt Tianheng are not entirely safe, you should be more careful…"
She continued to rattle on and on in concern and the Descender simply stared at her in mild surprise. It's impossible to not recognise her on sight. Her light purple hair is simply too striking, especially how she tied them into waist-length twin-tails, topped by small odango-style buns resembling cat ears at both sides of her head. Her pale lavender dress and dark blue skirt was also her signature attire similar to how he remembered her to be in his home world.
The Yuheng of Liyue Qixing, Keqing.
"Thank you for your concern, but I am fine," he replied and got up to his feet, easily towering over her by at least a head. "Thank you for slaying these monsters. If it helps to assure you, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, which was why I was confident enough to make this climb."
She finally spotted the shoddy sword attached haphazardly to his belt. From the expression on her face, he figured she does not believe that such a mediocre weapon would be able to defend him from harm.
Not like he blamed her for thinking that way. The sword he picked up really was on the verge of belonging to the trash.
At the same time, he's also curious. Most of his combat skills that he acquired were from centuries before the canonical timeline. How would he fare against a Qixing in this modern day and age? Especially Keqing, who was famed for her dedication to honing her skills with a sword and anything else that she strived to perfect once she set her mind to it.
"You don't seem to believe me," he mused. "How about a spar?"
"Fine," she agreed after a moment of contemplation. "If I win, do not venture into such dangerous areas again in the future without the correct equipment."
She's quite the mother hen, isn't she? He cannot help but think to himself.
"And if I win… I cannot think of anything just yet. I will take a rain check instead."
"As long as it is a reasonable request within my means to fulfil," she agreed as she drew her personal weapon, Lion's Roar. The blade of her sword began to crackle with the merciless power of electro while he lazily unsheathed his weapon from its moulded sheath and took an equally lazy stance that's full of openings.
He's not taking this seriously at all, is he? That's fine, she will make him regret it. The wind silently blew past them and their duel started on an unspoken signal.
"Don't blink."
She hurled a Lightning Stiletto at blinding speed and blinked in front of him within slashing distance. The number of people who she encountered and managed to react to her swift attack numbered to less than the fingers on both hands, the number of people who managed to properly defend or evade her first strike numbered to less than five. That's how fast she is.
That was why she was so taken aback when the man in front of her not only managed to parry her strike, but also made his counterattack almost immediately. Their battle ended as soon as it had started.
"Checkmate," he singsonged and her body froze in disbelief, unable to comprehend how he's suddenly behind her and why his blade is pressing against her neck instead. She didn't even see how he did that.
"Who are you?" She cannot help but ask after she graciously admitted her loss and their duel ended in his victory. He took one look at the clouds as if in remembrance before making his reply.
"You can call me Xun."
"Xun? As in… search? Or…"
"The character of my name means continuity, or a never ending cycle."
He nodded. She took the hint and stopped pressing for an explanation, but her respect for this unknown formidable swordsman rose by several notches.
"You don't look like you are from this area," she attempted to make small talk to get a better understanding of this enigma, hoping to know just who he really is.
"I came from a place far away."
"How far? Fontaine? Snezhnaya?"
"Much further than that," he replied with a fond smile, his gaze still fixated onto the bustling city below. "I'm still trying to find my way back but… never mind."
"Is there anything I can do to help?"
He shook his head. If even Nahida wasn't able to help him figure out why and how he came and the reason for his repeated reincarnation, he doubts Keqing would.
"So you are a traveller, I take it? Where have you been so far?" She asked curiously and took a seat right next to him. She could understand why he enjoyed looking down at the city from above, it's truly a beautiful sight.
"Sumeru, Mondstadt. If you are referring to Liyue in particular, I've been to the Huaguang Stone Forest, and I guess the Chasm as well.
"The Chasm? Wasn't the area sealed?"
"Was it? I guess I must have missed the keep out sign," he hummed thoughtlessly and a frown marred her face. He definitely had sneaked into the place.
"So how about you? Who are you and why are you here?" He finally asked her the question she had been expecting him to ask long ago.
"You can call me Keqing. As for why I'm here, you can say that I'm on a journey with the purpose to better understand what Liyue and her people need. I'm not sure if you are aware, but the position of Yuheng had recently been left vacant and I… I plan to run for the position."
He blinked his eyes twice and looked at her in surprise. Keqing is not yet a member of the Liyue Qixing? Guess he must have been dropped into this world a little earlier than he imagined to be. No wonder she looked a little younger as compared to his initial expectations.
"All the best," he offered his best wishes, not like she would need it because he knew she would eventually become the Yuheng.
"Thank you," she accepted with a smile. "Actually, if you don't mind, do you have any opinions on…"
And thus began their long conversation. Keqing is serious when it comes to her work and she made it a point to gather the opinions of others as much as she could before coming to a decision. While Xun may not be a Liyuen she would not dismiss his views entirely either.
She found herself surprised and fascinated by his views on certain matters. He seemed to know a little of everything and is very well-learned. However, that's to be expected since Xun had seen and learnt many things from Irminsul in his third cycle. The brilliance of Sumeru scholars, the history of each continent and their underlying problems, the conflicts that plagued the land, and so forth. His fifteen years in Sumeru were not spent idling away in vain.
Their conversation continued until they had to put it to a temporary stop when the sun started to set and their stomachs started to riot to make their displeasure known. They easily hunted a few pigeons and roasted them over a fire and she was wowed at how he made wild game so delicious with minimal garnishes.
While she was never a picky eater, she was never able to cook something as delicious with the fishes she caught.
Their conversation continued long after dinner and she couldn't even remember how and when she slept, only waking up late the next day to find that the sun had already risen high up into the sky and his coat was covering her like a blanket.
She had never overslept like this before ever since she was eight.
She was feeling a little embarrassed to show that side of her to him but he didn't seem to mind. She invited him into Liyue Harbour and volunteered to be his guide. By this point a thought had taken root into her mind, that outsider or not, Liyue needed talents like Xun. It's not everyday she would have the chance to run into a highly learned individual like him who seems to not only be familiar with almost every area and industry, but has his own views and solutions to some problems that have been troubling the nation for years and even decades.
"Xun, please, work for me!"
Her reasoning was simple. If she were to be the Yuheng it would be impossible to handle everything alone. She would need capable people by her side to assist her.
Xun would be a great asset to her and her dream. Problem is, she had no idea what she could offer to make him choose to willingly stay and work for her. He doesn't seem to desire anything and such people are the hardest to convince.
"And what do I get in return?"
"I will need to know what you want in order to do that."
"I…" He trailed off before shaking his head. How would Keqing succeed in helping him where even an Archon had failed?
But, he did make a request.
"If I suddenly disappear one day without any trace, do not look for me, do not seek vengeance for me," he decided after much thinking. For all four of his previous cycles he had met with an untimely death and he had a feeling that this would continue for all of his subsequent cycles. Death by Eremites, death by monster horde, death by another monster horde, slain by the protagonist's twin… who knows what other fancy ways he would die this time and at what time?
If his untimely death is inevitable, then he could at least preempt her in advance so that she would not waste time looking for him.
"And of course, I expect to be handsomely rewarded for my services."
It's no secret that being Keqing's assistant is an extremely demanding job in itself. As such, he doesn't think he was asking for too much with that request. Keqing was a little put off by his weird request, but readily agreed nonetheless.
As expected, Keqing was nominated to be the Yuheng of Liyue Qixing. She dove right into work in an unstoppable frenzy, much to Xun's lament. He had already expected her to be an insane workaholic but he never expected her to be this insane.
Already, thirteen assistants had come and gone ever since her inception to the Qixing.
She became the Yuheng only three months ago. None of his colleagues are from the same batch as he was when Keqing first hired them. None of them were able to keep up with Keqing's pace.
"Forty five percent of Liyue's overall revenue comes from the shipping trade. However, different merchants use containers of different sizes to ship their goods and this created a lot of wasted time in loading and unloading of goods and also wastage of loading space. As such, we propose the standardisation of shipping containers…"
The Qixing meet regularly to decide on many affairs that govern Liyue. In one such meeting, Keqing decided to bring up one of the many brilliant suggestions that Xun had proposed on their very first meeting at Mt Tianheng. It was an idea that seemed unnecessary at first glance but when looked back in retrospect, a highly overlooked brilliant idea to revolutionise the shipping industry.
"It sounds like a great idea, but I prefer if we could first test this out on a smaller sample group before deciding if we should implement it across Liyue," Uncle Tian voiced his support after much careful consideration and turned to his fellow Qixing to seek their opinions on this matter. "What do you guys think?"
"I'm in, but I'm more interested in who thought of this idea in the first place," Ningguang, the Tianquan, spoke in the silky voice that people knew her for as she lazily fiddled with her pipe while turning her eyes on the Yuheng. Keqing had made it clear early on that this wasn't originally her idea.
"It's made by one of my assistants," Keqing answered, not intending to claim Xun's work for her own in the first place. Ningguang gave her one of her knowing smiles, which Keqing only knew the reason for days later.
"Ningguang! Xun is my assistant! Stop trying to headhunt him over to your side! He's mine!" Keqing would often angrily huff when the Tianquan brazenly strolled into her office and offered Xun to work for her instead, purposely doing so right under her nose. Does she really treat her as though she's invisible?!
"Are you sure you do not want to give my offer a little more thought? I can offer three, no, five times the price Keqing offers you-"
"Ningguang!" There was the shrill metallic sound of a sword being drawn followed by the crackling of electro. Ningguang wasn't afraid in the least.
"Let me know if you change your mind. I will be back next time–"
"There won't be a next time!" Keqing angrily declared as she blinked across her table to stand in between Ningguang and Xun, her Lion's Roar pointed at the Tianquan in furious warning. How dare she poach Xun right in front of her?! This is done on purpose!
Ningguang simply gave Xun a sultry smile before she sashayed out of Keqing's office. The smug look on Ningguang's face infuriated the Yuheng even further.
"D-Don't fall for her trap! That woman is all about money! To her, Liyue is just another huge marketplace for her to conduct her businesses!" Keqing immediately warned her only assistant (everyone else had already resigned by this point) to stay away from Ningguang. A brilliant talent like him shouldn't be working under that mora minded woman, that would be such a waste!
"I-I can double your pay!" She immediately offered when he did not make an immediate reply. "T-Triple!" She immediately added when he still did not answer her.
"Relax, I'm not going anywhere," he released a fond laugh at seeing her uncharacteristic flustered behaviour. "I did promise you that I will help you when you become the Yuheng. I plan to honour my end of the contract."
"You'd better…" She muttered, still not very confident because it's true that Ningguang could offer him much more than she could. Ningguang is a walking personification of a bank.
Still, she immediately changed her work location with immediate effect the next day to prevent Ningguang from seeking Xun out again, bringing him along as well. Their work brought them to Qingce, where there had been complaints about the waterworks and since this falls under Keqing's job scope as she's also in charge of Livelihood Management as the Yuheng, she decided to take this chance to make a visit to the northern part of the nation and only return after a month or two. Ningguang should have ceased with her poaching by then.
"You really should take a break every now and then."
It was late into the night and she was burning through the midnight oil as per usual. She was so engrossed in her work that she was unaware of what's going on in her surroundings until she felt him draping a coat over her shoulders and placing a warm cup of tea on her table. This had started to become a common occurrence between them ever since he first agreed to work under her when they first met years ago.
"I will be fine. I will just finish going through this document and then I will–"
"Go straight to going through the next document, and the next, and the next, and the next… You are not fooling me, Keqing. I have worked for you long enough to see where this is going."
"Are you the boss or am I?" She crossed her arms under her chest, cheeks cutely puffed up like a chipmunk and glared at him threateningly. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't look the part.
"It's the job of the subordinate to remind the boss if the boss started to do something stupid again–"
"I'm not stupid!"
"Especially so if she's going through documents at the expense of her health–"
"I'm not! I'm perfectly healthy!"
He simply pressed his finger at a specific point at the back of her neck and a sense of soreness immediately assaulted her body.
"Stiff neck," he flatly intoned before pressing the same finger down at her right shoulder, "stiff shoulder. If it wasn't inappropriate to do so I would press your back as well to make my point. You had been sitting too long at your desk, Keqing. Go get some rest."
"Fine, fine. Seriously, you are more of a mum than my own mother," she grumbled under her breath but obediently put her documents aside nonetheless. She patted her own shoulder and he understood her hint. She released a content sigh when his masterful hands started to massage her shoulders and work out all the stiff kinks in them. He always had a way to release all the accumulated tension in her shoulders after a long day at work.
"And you say that you are not overworking yourself," Xun remarked in fond exasperation when Keqing nodded off barely five minutes after he started to massage her shoulders. He gently lifted her in a princess carry and entered the adjacent room in her office. Keqing had set up a small bedroom in her office at Yuehai Pavillion just in case she needs a place to crash when she's pulling another all nighter. This is not the first time Xun had to carry her back to her bed whenever she fell asleep at her desk late into the night.
He gently lay her on the bed, untied her hair for her so that she wouldn't be uncomfortable, before pulling the covers over and tucking her in. It's hard to imagine that such a young girl not even two decades old is shouldering the responsibility of overseeing and governing Liyue and doing such a good job at it. Her professional and responsible attitude was what garnered his respect for her and convinced him to stay as long as he did.
"Sweet dreams."
Xun's work was one that was done behind the scenes, but Liyue Harbour soon came to know the Secretary of Yuheng who played a pivotal role in many of the policies that were recently implemented over the years with great positive effects to their lives. He had a hand in many of the policies that were implemented that had benefited them. The new healthcare act made it much more affordable for the common folk to see a doctor when they were sick, the shipping containers act made it so much more efficient to load and unload goods for transportation, new roads were paved into and out from Liyue Harbour to many places that were otherwise inaccessible to most before, promoting trade and maximising efficiency for the millelith in performing their duties when they had to travel from one end to another thanks to the reduced travel time from the paving of new roads.
"The Yunlai Swordsmanship focuses on swiftness, accuracy, and viciousness. Speed is our bread and butter and as such, we have a heavy focus on the speed of our slashes and lunges. The aim is to not let our enemies take a breather."
Somehow or another they had worked with each other long enough through the years to be great friends with each other, close enough for her to willingly impart her Yunlai Swordsmanship to him that she took great pride in mastering.
"Isn't your sword style Guhua's…?"
She looked at him in uncertainty. There were obvious traces of the Guhua Clan's famed "Rain Cutter" that had been deemed an imperfect relic of the original sword style, but his seemed much more refined and complete than what she remembered seeing from the remaining practitioners of the Guhua arts.
No, it's not just that. She's sure that she wasn't imagining it when she saw the traces of Favonius bladework in his strikes earlier. There were a few movements that also looked eerily similar to several swordplay she remembered witnessing from travelling Sumeru warriors who she happened to chance across.
"I've been to many places," he answered with a secretive smile, knowing that it would infuriate her if he never gave her an answer.
"Fine," she answered with a loud hmph and turned on her heels. "Remember to practise what I taught you today, I will test you on it next week!"
Oh he will be begging for her mercy then. She's not planning to go easy on him because when it comes to the Yunlai Swordsmanship, she's the master and he's the student.
"Powerful seismic activities near Tianqiu Valley?"
Xun frowned after hearing the verbal report that Ganyu made to him. Coincidentally, most of the Qixing were not at Yuehai Pavilion at the moment due to their respective work. Even Keqing is currently away at the Lisha area to conduct survey work and had left him behind to help her with the administrative duties while she's gone.
Thus, it was no surprise that Ganyu had turned to him for advice when she was unable to locate any of the Qixing at short notice.
Tianqiu Valley… Could it be…?
He had forgotten many things after so many reincarnations, spending close to a century living and dying repeatedly in an unending cycle. Thankfully, the wealth of information he gleaned from Irminsul in his third cycle was hard to forget and there's one piece of information he remembered that gave him a very bad premonition.
Wasn't Tianqiu Valley the area where the Primo Geovishap slumbered?
"Where's Uncle Tian?" Xun immediately stood up from his seat and Ganyu was a little shocked by his overreaction. She immediately understood that things might not be as simple as it seems. Xun was looking for Tian, the only Qixing currently still in Liyue Harbour and thankfully, Ganyu knew just how to find him.
"If what you said turns out to be true, I'm afraid we have to act immediately."
The expression on Uncle Tian's face was as grim as Xun's the moment Xun told him his worst fears. Xun does not have the authority to order a lockdown and evacuation of the city, but Uncle Tian does. Only he can do what Xun cannot.
"Evacuate the citizens to the southern end of the city, contact the rest of the Qixing to return immediately and contact the adepti for their assistance, mobilise the Millelith using my authority under the Liyue Defense Act, Section Nineteen," Uncle Tian immediately made his judgement without any hesitation. "Send in a scouting party to further verify the cause of the seismic activity. Hopefully, it's a false alarm, but if not…"
Liyue might be in greater trouble than they thought.
"You are very composed," Ganyu cannot help but remark as they stood at the foot of Mt Tianheng, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. She had never seen Xun in combat before. Heck, she never knew that he could fight until today where he said that he can contribute to the defence of Liyue as a combatant.
However, as a participant of the Archon War she could tell from the composed look in his eyes that he's no stranger to conflict. These are the eyes of a veteran that had been through and seen too much.
He simply gave her a silent smile in reply. It was a tortuously long wait but the seismic activity got increasingly frequent and everyone in Liyue Harbour could feel it getting closer and closer to their homes.
"Seriously…" Ganyu heard Xun mutter under his breath when the giant form of the Primo Geovishap came into view from where they were standing guard at Mt Tianheng. The Secretary of Yuheng drew his sword, the Blackcliff Longsword. The secret to craft the blade had been lost to time, yet the Secretary of Yuheng was somehow able to create a perfect replica of it by himself.
Ganyu watched as the Secretary of Yuheng stood in front of the Millelith standing guard at the entrance of Liyue. She could tell most of them were intimidated by the presence of the Primo Geovishap, yet they still stood firm regardless of impossible odds. None of them were planning to run at the first signs of danger.
Xun raised his sword into the air and shouted.
"Millelith, in front of you is the Primo Geovishap, the Earthshaker Dragon that once raged with the King! You are the only thing between it and your loved ones behind you! Will you yield?!"
"Never!"
"Will you surrender?!"
"Never!"
"What is the motto of the Millelith?!"
"Where the Millelith stands guard–"
The Primo Geovishap paused in its tracks, took in a breath and roared. The Millelith pointed their weapons at the behemoth as one and roared their sworn oath in response.
"Evil shall never prevail!"
The Primo Geovishap started to resume its march to Liyue Harbour, gradually picking its speed until it broke into a charge. The same goes for the Millelith, who yelled their war cries as they made their charge as well with the Secretary of Yuheng taking the lead.
"Do not cluster together! Space out and take turns to attack! It's not very agile!"
Hydro swords fell like piercing rain and succeeded in making the beast scream in pain. The Millelith adopted a guerilla tactic as planned, taking turns to distract and attack the beast from different angles with Vision wielders doing their best to either mitigate the worst the beast could offer or dish out the most powerful attacks they could muster.
Throughout it all, one man stood at the forefront, forcing the Primo Geovishap to focus most of its attention on him due to the massive destruction he could inflict on the Primo Geovishap if left to his devices. If anybody from the Millelith once complained that he's nothing but a bookish paperpusher who could only do his work from behind his desk, none of them had any of such thoughts now.
"Group Three, pull back! I will provide support fire!" Ganyu ordered as she continued to fire powerful arrows of ice one after the other to cover her comrades' escape for those who were barely managing to weather through the onslaught of the Primo Geovishap. She knew of this beast, a vassal of Rex Lapis' trusted comrade Azhdaha before he went mad from erosion. It seemed that the Primo Geovishap had started to go rogue as well now that Azhdaha is not there to keep a leash on it.
The problem in defeating this beast lies in getting past its impossibly thick hide to injure it.
"Keep your eyes on me, damn lizard kebab!" Xun roared when he saw that the Primo Geovishap had the intention to smash another group of Millelith into paste who wasn't able to keep up with the battle. Winds swirled and howled and he flew, much to the surprise of everybody present.
"How is he able to use more than one element?" Ganyu heard one of the Millelith whisper in awe and she was the same too. How was this possible?
"Kyougen: Five Ceremonial Plays!"
A singular compressed vacuum grinded the beast into the ground, stunning it momentarily. Ganyu immediately took this chance to nock an arrow, took aim, and made her shot. Her aim found true as she succeeded in shooting an arrow right into its left eye.
"It's releasing its Elemental Breath, scatter!"
Ganyu immediately shouted out for everyone to hear, all too familiar with the Primo Geovishap's battle habits when it was still an ally under the control of the Dragon King. Not everybody could react in time, however, and Ganyu was already prepared to see many brave men fall in front of her eyes until she spotted a figure zipping right at the Primo Geovishap at blinding speed.
"With sword…"
Nobody present could mistake that signature sparking of electro for anything else, the signature technique of the Yuheng.
" – comes shadow!"
Powerful slashes of electro disrupted the Primo Geovishap from following through with its attack. A hydro lance manifested in Xun's free hand as he pierced it right into the beast's opened jaws, causing it to roar in pain and raise its right claw to smack him aside in its rage. The Secretary of Yuheng disappeared with another blink of electro, much to everyone's disbelief and awe.
The impossibility of him being capable of using their Yuheng's signature techniques and swordsmanship aside, the incredulity of him possessing the ability to use more than one element aside, that man was actually able to fight the Primo Geovishap to a standstill all on his own.
"Stop spacing out! Archers, take aim and fire at the Geovishap's left foot!" Ganyu immediately ordered, the fiercely combative side of her that had lay dormant since the end of the Archon War slowly resurfacing in this battle. Their combined shower of firepower caused the Primo Geovishap to roar in pain and took its eyes off Xun in that short while, and it was enough for him to capitalise on that opening and inflict another blow on it.
Another spark of electro could be seen, this time not originating from the Secretary of Yuheng. Phantom slashes suddenly rained all over the Primo Geovishap and the Millelith cheered at the entrance of another formidable fighter.
The Yuheng had arrived.
The Yuheng and her secretary fought side by side in a waltz of metal and lightning, the colours of the element lighting up their masterful bladework in a brilliant dazzle. The sword of the Yuheng was fast and unforgiving while the blade of her secretary was smooth like the flow of water yet unpredictable from one moment to the next, constantly changing between different distinctive styles that some of the more experienced soldiers could vaguely identify. Eremites' bladework, Yunlai Swordsmanship, Guhua's Rain Cutter, even Mondstadt's Favonius Bladework… Watching the couple fight alongside each other against such a powerful foe was like witnessing an impossibly deadly and beautiful dance of death.
Ganyu pulled on her bow, her mind focused and her bowstring stretched in wait for the fleeting opportune moment for her to fire her arrow. That moment eventually came and her mark found true once more, blinding the Primo Geovishap in its remaining eye.
Xun held a lance in one hand and a sword in another, manifesting many Hydro copies of his weapons as they pierced through the battered rocky hide of the beast from all angles. Keqing vanished in a blur and struck powerful slashes on the shattered parts of the Geovishap's armour, further breaking them and finally cutting into its soft flesh underneath as the electro-charged reaction further aggravated the injury.
"All Schemes to Know!"
A series of Dendro elemental reactions unexpectedly erupted from the Geovishap's injury and Ganyu fired her last and most powerful shot right at its exposed neck just as the Geovishap raised its claw and smashed it down in Keqing's direction in one last act of vengeance. A large cloud of dust was kicked up from the resulting action and when it finally settled, the Primo Geovishap lay dead beneath the foot of Mt Tianheng.
They had succeeded in protecting Liyue Harbour.
"Xun! Keqing!"
Ganyu called the names of her colleagues and friends repeatedly when she did not spot them through the dust. If anything happened to them…
"W-We are here!"
She heard Keqing coughing through the smoke. When Ganyu finally arrived she saw Keqing being protected underneath Xun, who at the last moment had used his body to shield Keqing from the Primo Geovishap's wrath when he realised that she wouldn't make it out in time.
"X-Xun? Hey, don't scare me…"
"Stop shaking me, it hurts," Xun groaned and Keqing couldn't help but release a choked laugh in relief. She would never forgive herself if he died trying to save her.
News of the Millelith's victory resounded all over Liyue Harbour before the sun set. Tales of the Secretary of Yuheng's feats started to spread across the city, each more ridiculous than the last. Some were even asking if he would one day join the Qixing as well once a current member retires from their position.
Said secretary had no idea what's going on outside. Right now, he's being confined in bed under the watchful supervision of the Yuheng and has no rights nor say about what he can and cannot do for the next few days. You are a patient, she would say. You shouldn't be moving around, she would remind him as she puts her desk right in his ward where he's being attended to by Liyue's best doctors so that she could personally supervise his recovery while not neglecting her work.
"Three broken ribs, a fractured femur, slight concussion, dislocated shoulder," she would list out for him whenever he tried to argue otherwise and smiled at him in a deceptively sweet smile to dare him to try and get out of bed.
Perhaps she was feeling a little guilty since she's partly the reason for his current plight, but when she saw how restless he was acting for being confined to bed for nearly two whole months and only able to get up from it to use the restroom, eventually relented in her impossibly strict orders.
"A-After you recovered, let's… Let's attend the Moonchase Festival together."
Her eyes were shifting and guiltily looking anywhere else but at him. Her hands were behind her back, her fingers in a continuous loop of nervously interlocking and unwinding themselves from each other, her entire body was fidgeting nervously.
"... Is that an invitation to a date?"
"I-It's not, you idiot!"
Oh how she would regret ever saying that later on.
The sun rose and fell, the days came and went. Before long, she looked back and realised that they had spent more than a decade with each other. They had experienced many things together, but one constant that did not change was that they were always by each other's side.
She's turning twenty-nine soon. She would be slowly entering past her prime at this stage of her life, yet…
"That idiot, why hadn't he asked me out yet?" She would often lie in bed with her face buried into the pillow in the privacy of her bedroom, her legs childishly kicking up and down in frustration. She's sure that she's not the only one who is harbouring romantic thoughts for the other party, she's sure that he felt the same way for her too so why hadn't he made the first move? He doesn't have to do anything fancy, all he has to do is to open his mouth to pop the question and she would just say yes either way!
"Would she say yes?"
On the other side, a certain Descender was also giving this question serious consideration. He had long since stopped having expectations ever since he realised that any bonds he forged in any cycle would be brutally forgotten when he passed on and entered the next cycle. It was why he did not take initiative to forge any close bonds with anybody else in this cycle and kept a strictly professional relationship with everyone.
But a certain "cat-eared" girl had somehow wormed her way into his heart without him realising. Without knowing it herself, she's starting to unknowingly convince him to try and take the next step forward, to try and hope for a future that he never dared to dream until she occupied a space in his closed heart.
If she says yes, I will tell her about my reincarnation status, he decided as he browsed through the dresses on display at one of Liyue's most luxurious clothing stores. Her birthday is coming up soon and he finally found the best gift for her. She always did love to shop and she has a fondness for beautiful dresses.
He believes that she will look divine in this dress, the Opulent Splendour. He knew that this was the dress for her the moment he laid his eyes on it, vaguely remembering it to be her personal dress when this world was just a game.
He had the store assistant wrap this dress nicely in a box for him as he took his leave, walking through the streets of Liyue under the darkness of the night.
However, some uninvited guests just have to break the peace.
"I know you guys are from the Fatui. Come out, don't make me invite you out myself."
Shady figures emerged from the shadows and Xun frowned. Skirmishers of various elements, electro and cryo cicin mages, mirror maidens, and even Pyro agents… what an impressive lineup they have for him tonight. It's not unexpected, he had foiled countless plans of the Fatui in his work so he was not surprised that they hated his guts enough to send two entire legions worth of soldiers to get rid of him. What's more concerning was how they managed to slip past the patrols and infiltrate deep into the city to seek him out.
"Ah ah, you might want to put that away," one cheeky Pyro agent mentioned when Xun brandished his blade. Xun's eyes widened in shock and fury when more Fatui soldiers brought out struggling children, gagged and tied and under their complete mercy. These despicable scums are using the children as hostages against him.
"Fatui… You really are the lowest of the low."
"Why, thank you," the supposed leader of the group, that same Fatui agent, did a mocking bow in his direction. "Now if you would please put away that dangerous looking sword…?"
"Let the children go."
"And if I don't?"
"I will avenge them, your deaths will be as painful as realistically possible."
"Hur hur, the Secretary of Yuheng indeed…" The agent laughed and waved his hand flippantly in the direction of his underlings, who understood his intentions and released all of the children at their mercy except for one.
"This is for insurance. I hope you understand cos, I do have to report to my superiors later about the completion of my mission."
Xun's eyes narrowed, contemplating if he would be fast enough to reach the last remaining child and bring him to safety. Sadly, the answer was no. There were too many enemies present and they had wisely kept their distance from him. Even with Keqing's Stellar Restoration, he would not be able to snatch the remaining child away from their hands faster than they could kill her.
He looked back up at the sky. It's the full moon tonight, a beautiful night to die.
"This Moonchase, the next, and the ones after the next… Let's attend them together too!"
"Don't you ever dare leave me for Ningguang! You belong to me, remember that! You are mine!"
"Hey, let's have a dance on my birthday, okay? It's a promise!"
The grip on his sword loosened and he let it fall onto the floor with a dull clank.
Sorry Keqing, I will have to renege on that promise to dance with you on your birthday
"Do me a favour, don't let the child see what's going to happen next."
"Sure. Contrary to popular belief, we Fatui aren't entirely heartless."
The pain was temporary. A blade ran through his heart in a sickening squelch from behind, courtesy of another Fatui agent. The Fatui soon left, their mission completed successfully, as the body of the Secretary of Yuheng lay bleeding on the street of Liyue under the glow of the full moon.
The box… thankfully it's not stained with my blood.
It was with these last words that Xun departed this world. When someone was finally alerted of the murder by the distressed children it was already too late. The body of the Secretary lay cold and lifeless, his blood stilled. Those present would never forget the heartwrenching cries of their Yuheng when she caught wind of the news and arrived in a flash of lightning, hugging his corpse close to her as regrets swallowed her whole.
As the years passed word has it that for every year on her birthday the Yuheng would wear a dress that she would only wear once a year. She would do nothing but sit at a lone pavilion at Yujing Terrace, looking up at the moon in silence and gazing upon Mt Tianheng, only leaving after the sun rose the next day. Word has it that she never married nor did she ever fall in love ever again until the day she passed away peacefully in her sleep from old age, wearing the same dress that she was known to wear once a year.
However, her legacy left a lasting impact on Liyue even long after her passing. People sang praises of her being a visionary and having the ability to foresee problems ahead of time and finding its corresponding solutions. Fewer would remember her partner, the Secretary of Yuheng, who assisted her through the first decade of her political career as Yuheng and made many equally great contributions to Liyue as well, the man who fought the rogue Primo Geovishap and protected its citizens from danger.
The Secretary of Yuheng was but a fleeting star in the endless skies, shining under the bright glow of the Yuheng star, unknown and forgotten once it burnt out.
And it shone once more, in a different world, in another cycle.
– Tales of a Hundred Cycles, Vol V
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"Are you alright?! The Millelith might be patrolling the place but Mt Tianheng is not entirely safe, you should be more careful…"
He immediately seeked her out when he woke up and found himself in his sixth cycle. Their initial meeting coincidentally occurred at Mt Tianheng as well, in a very similar fashion to their first meeting. This time, at the foot of the mountain at one of the millelith's outposts where it was stationed.
"Keqing…"
"I am Keqing, but I don't remember meeting you before. Have we met?"
"I…"
"This is the Yuheng of the Liyue Qixing. Know your place and keep your distance!" A millelith sternly introduced when he mistook him to be another of their Yuheng's crazy admirers.
"We… promised. Our dance."
Keqing's face immediately turned stone cold.
"Sir, I do not remember meeting you before. If you are here to hit me up, I'm afraid you found the wrong girl. Like the millelith said, know your place and keep your distance."
Those words stung Xun's heart far greater than he imagined. She did not remember him, same as everyone whom he met before in his previous cycles.
She is not the Keqing he knew and loved. His Keqing was left behind in another world, in another timeline, who would forever be waiting for him to return in vain.
He should have never fallen in love with her. If he didn't, he wouldn't be feeling so hurt right now.
"R-Right…" He half-choked, half-laughed in a voice that got everyone around him a little concerned. "I… apologise. I had overstepped my boundaries, it's just… you looked a lot like someone I knew and I cannot help but see you as her."
He turned and left, not wanting to stay here for a single second longer.
"I don't know who she is, but I believe she wouldn't want you to remain like this," she spoke, causing him to pause in his steps. She has no idea what this unknown man had been through but she had witnessed people who once lost their loved ones and how loss can affect them.
If there's anything within her abilities that she can do to help, she wouldn't mind helping.
"Perhaps," he laughed, the sound of it hollower than a hollowed tree trunk. "But this is no longer your concern. She would forever remain out of my reach, in a world that I can no longer return."
The Descender left Liyue, embarking on a journey that left him nothing but sorrowful memories that were too painful to remember. He took a ship to Inazuma, The Crux, and sailed to the land of eternity in order to forget about the woman who he once loved.
He never was able to forget her.