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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 17: Daughters

P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c

Lumine huffed, Paimon hummed, Kratos glanced (or glared, really) as they were all moving around Liyue with a single goal in mind: resource-gathering.

While it was true that the battle with Osial had hardly seen any proper damage in the harbor, that didn't mean that the Qixing had opted to adopt a more 'pacifist approach to reconstruction'.

There had been some losses with their fleet, and the arsenal at their disposal was barely strong enough to face a divine monster. With the assistance of the Adepti, the mortals had sought to collect material to better improve on the old design and to arm themselves for a new potential issue.

Osial was indeed gone, but he wasn't the only deity trapped under the stone forest. And some of those entities that may eventually wake up held a degree of 'companionship' with the Water God.

Everyone was moving like a well-oiled machine, with the blonde traveler carrying material with a silent Shenhe while Paimon looked around as if lost in that sea of workers getting wood, ores, and other materials needed for the upcoming threat.

Out of them all, Kratos was the only one that truly didn't like what he was seeing.

It was one thing to not intervene against a divine threat, but for him to learn that Osial had been just the tip of the iceberg had unnerved him. The 'pact' he signed with Zhongli, albeit not written or magically-binding, was enforced through the means of the land's own legality on the topic - a contract was a contract.

And Kratos loathed it.

It was childish to an extent, his mind taking him back to when he first wielded the title of 'God of War'. He had used it so carelessly to expand Spartan influence upon Greece, his glory magnified through his homeland's own achievements.

Alas, that was the source of his first divine downfall but it hardly matched what he had in mind.

He wanted to defend this land for it was unfair for some divine monsters to trouble mortals.

One could make the case those deities were not as strong as those in the Greek or Nordic regions, but that didn't mean they were too easy for mortals to slay.

Even if he looked at Shenhe, the girl smiling with pride and yet relief, he couldn't really say she was a good example for peak human might.

He had a long talk with her about it. That and much more. There was much to talk, to expand, to understand- he had learned much from being a father to Atreus, to be the lone parent to take care of this novel responsibility.

He thought back to his wife and his daughter. He remembered how much he had disregarded concerns as something he wasn't to be concerned with.

In Sparta, the man was in charge because he wasn't always certain to survive wars. But in the Norselands, Kratos felt like he had learned this wasn't how it was meant to work.

He experienced grief, yet also pride. Despair, but joy. Parenthood was a new path to claim, and one that helped him to grow wiser beyond what centuries of isolation had granted him.

And when Kratos questioned Shenhe's brazen claim of being 'his daughter', he realized there was more than just boldness behind the comment. It wasn't sarcasm, or a lie, or a joke. It was what the girl felt to say in a moment where her life's continuation felt in jeopardy.

Even more, Kratos realized it wasn't the same as it had been with his previous children. He tried to think of Calliope and Atreus as examples, but neither matched Shehne for a simple and almost foolish reason - she was not a daughter of his through another parent, she was daughter of his by them being so similar and yet 'different' where that truly mattered in that bond.

Shenhe was like... him. Or like he used to be. A unstable being, a figure that didn't have someone to look at.

He may have been made aware of Zeus being his father, but it hardly mattered to him. Not when in Sparta there was a harshness that denied his youth's craving for a role model.

In a way, Shenhe was just like that. Lacking a 'mortal model'. For as much as Cloud Retainer did a fine job in teaching her the way of combat, she hardly did well in creating the means for Shenhe to be...

Human.

Something that Kratos had to create for himself- something he found it necessary for Shenhe to do the same.

So, he got to work. He made sure that the young woman was doing the chores she felt entitled to do here and now, but later, as 'the Girl and the Brat' departed to eat at lunch, he took her aside and the two walked.

They ate a bit, away from the rest, and he interrogated her.

Nothing was left untouched, any thoughts that could range from ideas for combat, or newfound interests, or her own questions. They talked and talked, mimicking what Kratos had done with Atreus through the years of his growth and... this made things easier to stomach.

It was still too early to say if he was doing this out of 'nostalgia' towards a time where he felt he had someone that relied on him, not as a commander but as a close familial figure.

That being said, Kratos didn't mind the new status quo. He doubted Xianyun was going to let him bring Shenhe to Inazuma, the destination following this last job for Liyue, but he could at least hope to bring her to Sumeru.

After all, knowing what he could from rumors the merchants had over the distant region deep into the woods and the sands, he needed all the inquisitive minds he could get in his party.

A clever man Kratos could be at times, he was not that confident with some of the more complex constructs that were akin to Daedalus' thrice-damned labyrinth...

Nahida frowned as she finished patching up the quiet old man.

Aaru Village had greeted her and Freya for the time being. While part of her wondered if the 'older' deity was planning to move once more upon arrival, there were clues that made it clear that the unusual deity was preferring a more settled approach.

Not without a reason, obviously. The village was... a sign of her inaction's ramifications.

Once this place was meant to be a 'middle ground point' for these people, a reunion of the desertfolks and the sages- such a shame it all fell apart.

Her arrival and personal investigation confirmed as much: the Sages of Sumeru City had failed her predecessor. And Nahida refused to let this slight go unpunished.

Not with Freya coercing her to adopt a more reactive approach. Sure, Nahida could not exactly punch the problem away as she couldn't 1) see herself using her fists in such a manner and 2) do much with those at the moment.

Freya had once more moved to 'change' that.

While there was no doubt that they both shared powers tied to nature, and Nahida's control was higher than the taller goddess, it was true that Freya could do much more.

The bow and arrow had been a most unexpected addition to her arsenal. Carved through a lone sapling that had been revitalized with Dendro, the curved bow served her faithfully as a flexible and yet rigid tool. One that Nahida didn't enjoy at first, but one that she learned to 'love'.

It was necessary. That's what she kept on nagging herself with. She had to learn this, she had to do so much- and she couldn't let the tiredness push her aside. She wasn't weak, but she was meant to do so much!

"Are you alright, little woman?"

Nahida was above sass, but she rolled her eyes at being called 'little woman' once more. Sure, she had warranted it by saying she wasn't a child one too many times without explaining why this was the case, but her infantile reaction had been rightful.

Unlike the 'punishment'.

"I-I am fine. It's just- so many."

Freya nodded, patting a pillow as Nahida knew what it meant. She had done it already, sitting as the taller deity took on the duty of curing more cursed elders and appearing nigh-endless with her stamina. She was impressive, and yet... today was different.

She huffed. "I can do it."

A smile perked on the motherly lady, and Nahida felt a strange feeling tugging at her chest - it was something she felt strongly about as the woman nodded in agreement, but warned her with a glance to not go too far.

So, Nahida went back to healing those people and to then help others with the chores of planting fruits in such an arid place. Much was to do, but she had to eventually start from somewhere.

She refused to be the 'Lesser Lord' anymore.

AN

Radish Goddess wants to grow up! Through the ways of Freya-mothering!

Still, the Liyue Arc is nearing its end. I know others want Kratos to explore some side-stories, but I feel like the Beisht one is the most relevant before their departure for Inazuma. Also... Should Daughter follow Dad to Inazuma and beyond or no?