With a loud crackle, Xiao's shoulder snapped as it collided with hard rock; his entire arm throbbed with his pulse. He was in Liyue, so he knew where he was, but the information came slowly. He retained his mental faculties, but he couldn't access them. Ordinarily he could report distance down to the number of paces, even with account for your step size. Now he couldn't even notice the scuffling of Lumine's shoes.

Muttering beneath her breath in a language he didn't recognize, she suddenly shouted his name. Thankfully, he could at least understand that. Morax loomed over them as Lumine half tripped on top of him, and she suddenly embraced him like he was dangling from a cliff face.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea how stupid that was? Oh! Sorry!" She quickly scrambled to her feet, and at the same time as Morax she asked,

"Where's Venti?"

"Uhh…" He was still processing the unsolicited embrace. Barbatos had been holding him while they flew, but then he grew lethargic halfway. It was only through Xiao's vision that they managed to succeed with a final push, but then his memory blanked at the moment they surfaced. "I-I don't know. I swear he was with me-"

"Lumine." Morax's face dripped with sweat, and he caught the Traveler by her scarf, "Take a seat."

"Are you kidding me? I have to go back! He could still be down there!"

"With Xiao here, the seal has closed by now." She stopped. "What's the last thing you can recall?"

"I used my vision to propel us, and then I think we both crossed the barrier."

"I'll investigate the immediate area." Xiao couldn't read Morax's expression, although the sudden exit didn't bode well.

"We don't know-I don't know where the others are. I can't handle more deaths right now…especially not Venti. Xiao, what am I going to tell their families? Sorry, I thought bringing your only child to the Chasm would be a good idea! Now they've been slaughtered for no reason!" He hardly followed that, but even if he did he was terrible with words.

"Well, Chongyun should be fine. I think." He couldn't say the same for Noelle, and he just reminded her.

"Should I go look? I should go look right?" Xiao flinched as a sharp pain stabbed his calf muscle, and he reflexively kicked his leg out. An irritated wind sprite wriggled from between his leg and the rock face, and at first all they could do was stare.

"Barbatos?" He knew he wasn't human when he ascended to godhood, but Xiao had never encountered another wind sprite. Liyue wasn't particularly known for them. Instead of responding to his question the god drifted over to his shoulder. Of course it was broken. "Yeah, I know. I'm not immune to gravity." Surprisingly, Venti was incredibly expressive.

While Lumine called for Morax, he glared at him with stern discontent. Like an entire lecture could be communicated with a single blink.

"I don't know how old I am, but I know it's too old for this."

"The feeling is mutual." Zhongli wiped his forehead as he assessed their situation, "I presume you've overexerted yourself?"

Venti nodded.

"Is he going to be stuck like that?" Lumine took a quick shot of water and dumped the rest of her supply over her head. Her hands shook.

"It depends on the nature of his energy expenditure. Without a gnosis, his body won't be able to regenerate until he's had adequate rest." He plucked Barbatos from the air and he held his back pinched between his fingers. Venti struggled as he tightened his grip, and eventually he escaped with a scowl. "At the very least, he still retains some energy."

"At the risk of sounding rude," Lumine glanced between the two of them as her face emerged from between her palms, "aren't you dead? You aren't gods anymore."

"Without a gnosis, it's true that we no longer possess the strength of gods. But as members of the seven we are still granted immortality." Rex Lapis crouched beside Xiao and tenderly reached for his broken side. Upon confirming permission, he spoke with tea-time calmness as he identified the nature of the fracture. "Through the death of the exuvia I managed to rid myself of that curse, so regardless of my form a lethal strike will spell my downfall. It would seem Barbatos still retains his resilience."

Xiao spoke without thinking, although Morax didn't appear offended, "But Gods still die. They bleed like everyone else, so why isn't he dead?" Venti glared at them all from his central position. As if he could honestly contribute anything meaningful himself, he chastised them for speaking for him.

"During the Archon War, the gods you fought had already taken substantial damage. Not all were immortal either, so they fell easier. I'm assuming Venti hasn't sustained enough damage, and even so, overexertion isn't enough to kill either of us." Without warning, Morax relocated his shoulder with a quick shove.

He winced. The lack of anticipation helped. "His original form simply requires less strength to sustain."

"Great. So now we're down a god, and the Fatui are still at large. You better fix yourself fast, Stringbean." When Lumine pointed, Barbatos playfully hid behind Xiao. She began walking, "I'm serious!"


Noelle's entire body ached. She felt like a ball of sheets being shoved into a laundry chute, and the feeling didn't relieve itself naturally. Though she knew she couldn't complain. Without Chongyun she'd likely be dead, and even now her safety wasn't guaranteed. As she peeked from beneath her hiding place, she found a chaotic field waiting for her.

Monsters were strewn everywhere like jacks across the ground, the mess oddly reminding her of Klee's bedroom. The dark streaks in the dirt jogged her memory, because like gunpowder, pyro slimes often left trails of soot as they exploded. With the enormous steaming crater, she almost felt at home.

The air smelled like an approaching storm, and for a moment she almost believed she left the laundry on the line. The breeze carried with it an unfamiliar voice which approached with staggered steps.

"It was a pyro agent. One second he was in my periphery, and the next he was providing free amputations."

"How thoughtful."

"Right? I'll have to send a thank you card." The pair halted in front of the deck.

"I'm back. Are you okay?" In extending her a hand, Chongyun temporarily released his companion. The hydro user looked to be about their age, and he stood heavily on one leg while the other dripped with a concerning amount of blood.

"I'm fine. Um-"

"I know, it looks bad. We wanted to make sure you were alive first. I'm Xingqiu, by the way."

"Noelle. Maid for the Knights of Favonius." For once, she was the one being curtseyed to.

"If it weren't for your vision, I'd say this is a strange place to find a maid. Though you possess great prowess from what I've heard. I thank you for protecting my friend." Suddenly she felt nervous. She'd heard of the Feiyun Commerce Guild in passing, and from the looks of it Xingqiu was well versed in manners.

"Supposedly. If it weren't for Chongyun I'd be in far worse shape." Despite his heavy leaning, Xingqiu heartily placed a palm over his chest.

"All is fair in love and war. In the past few days, I've seen that no battle can truly be prepared for." That line sounded familiar to her, though Noelle couldn't place her finger on it.

"I suppose that's true. Thank you, Chongyun."

"Don't mention it." He already began leading them to a resting place. Perhaps he was fed up with the formalities, and she couldn't blame him. While she arrived at the roadside far before them, she couldn't bring herself to wait when it came to sitting beneath the shade afforded by a nearby, towering crane.

When Xingqiu delicately sat beside her she began examining his wound. The circumstances were certainly less than ideal, but her vision managed to clot the bleeding.

"You were hit pretty hard by that lawachurl. Is your arm okay?"

"It's swollen, but I don't think it's broken."

"That's a relief. I wouldn't wish this on anyone." It was strange for Noelle to feel like an outlander. The pair chatted beside her while she simply listened, knowing little of the places and the people they spoke of. But they didn't forget about her as most did.

"If you're worried about the others, I think they're probably fine. Venti and Zhongli are stronger than they look, and after fighting multiple dragons I don't think Lumine is bothered by a few hilichurls." Xingqiu smiled in an attempt to comfort her.

"That's good to hear." She probably looked worried about the battle, but in truth she was just trying to survive the lingering awkwardness. Was there anything else to say?

"How did you get here so fast?" Fortunately Chongyun picked up where they left off. "If you were at Dadaupa Gorge yesterday night, there's no way you would have made it here in time. Especially if you started this morning in Mondstadt's cathedral." At the mention of Mondstadt, Noelle perked up.

"That's true. That's a very far distance. Wait…how did you even know we were in danger? It's not as if there was anyone to report to the Knights." For some reason, Xingqiu suddenly grew uncomfortable as he fidgeted with the hem of his pants.

"It's a bit of a long story." Chongyun still pressed,

"That's right. You made an aerial entrance, so Venti must have helped right?"

"...yes."

"But Venti was the one who brought you to the cathedral in the first place. Which means he started today in Mondstadt too."

"Yes."

"And then he managed to make it back with you and Zhongli all the way to Liyue?" Xingqiu did not offer any information that Chongyun clearly worked to extract.

"I appreciate the curiosity 'yun, but I really don't think now is the time to talk about this." Chongyun didn't appear entirely convinced,

"Does this have anything to do with Khaenri'ah?"

"You mean the ancient civilization that fell 500 years ago? No?"

"It's just…Lumine was secretive about that too. I thought maybe you might know something we don't." The awkwardness in the air nearly became tangible. They were tense despite their obvious familiarity,

"I'm sure Mister Zhongli would know about that. In fact, I'm sure he can recount everything far better than I."

"But…you know about it."

"That's because I read."

"So are you going to tell us about it?"

"About Khaenri'ah or my mode of transport?"

"Either."

"..." The breeze whistled with sudden timing, "Noelle, is this your first time in Liyue?"

"Oh…um," Chongyun seemed to drop it, "yes. I actually haven't even made it into the city yet."

"Really? That's terrible! I mean, it's great that we have you here. It's just terrible that this was your first experience. When we regroup with the Traveler, we should do something a bit more pleasant." Before Noelle could reply, an unfamiliar figure emerged from the sky.

"Chongyun!" Her resemblance was so striking that Noelle immediately knew they were related; she glided down to meet them in a rush. Her attire seemed similar to Xiao's, but her temperament was not. As she nervously reached out to greet him, Chongyun suddenly jumped as if someone had dumped cold water over his shoulders.

"Auntie!" Her hand lingered in front of his forehead, but she pulled it away given his obvious discomfort.

"You realize your parents have been worried sick, don't you? I've been searching everywhere for you. What happened here?" She gestured at all the bodies littering the Chasm. A large number of them still dripped with melting frost.

"Oh, uh," he stood, "I ran into Adeptus Xiao and the Traveler. We've been working on exorcizing s-some demons, and I guess we lost track of time!" Chongyun nervously laughed. If he was afraid of her, Noelle couldn't see why.

"You look anxious. Is your yang energy acting up? Where are your popsicles?"

"I ran out." Now Xingqiu interrupted,

"You ran out? Why didn't you say something!" He leaned closer to engage in the conversation, and Chongyun tactlessly stepped in front of him.

"My yang energy isn't the problem."

"It must be. You're quivering. Wait here, I'll-"

"Stop!" His claymore materialized in his hand as she attempted to walk past them. The length of the blade completely obscured Noelle's view of the woman. "I'm-I'm sorry." He dismissed his weapon as quickly as he drew it.

"What's wrong then?" She glanced briefly between Noelle and what she could see of Xingqiu. With his eyes closed, Chongyun took a deep breath.

"We got stuck in the Chasm and a fight broke out. Ley lines have been acting up everywhere, and whoever is responsible is framing Xingqiu. I know you think I'm dense, but I swear he didn't do anything."

"I don't think you're dense, and I'm worried about you. Not him." She paused. "No offense."

"None taken." Unlike his face, his voice was mirthful.

"Since the attack on the harbor no one has seen you. A girl from the funeral parlor showed up and told us you had disappeared with an adeptus, and I know the adepti are trustworthy but we feared the worst."

"Well I'm not dead." Chongyun seemed to relax a bit, "And it isn't yang energy. I've actually been making progress with that. It's just a long story. Can you tell my parents I'll be home tonight?"

"Sure." Before she could leave, he gave her a quick hug.

"Sounds like a sleepover." Accompanied by almost everyone, Lumine grinned.