Chapter Text
[Lumine]
Flashes of light glittered off of the piles of gold coins strewn about the grand room.
The marble floor was icy under my bare legs.
My sword was heavy in my limp hand.
Weariness dragged at my every limb.
Disbelief numbed my brain.
It was difficult to see how I could go on.
For a man that I had once called a friend had turned against me in a quest to obtain the power of a god.
He had brought all of his strength to bear in this fateful duel, even going so far as to let malefic powers corrupt his body.
And the cyclopean demon that had taken the place of the man was now hovering in front of me, his gargantuan blade fizzling with electric energy.
I had already fought two forms of him.
How could I muster the strength for a third?
For my body was battered from the arduous fight.
For my psyche was shattered from the cutting betrayal.
The demon who was once a man swung his blade at me.
He didn't care that I had fallen to the ground.
He didn't care that I was on my knees.
For it seemed that the man who was once a friend wanted me dead.
Some way, somehow, I raised my sword to deflect what would've been a death blow. The impact sent a shock surging down my arm.
Oh-
If this was the power behind one hit, how could I possibly go on?
Hopelessness caged my will, forbade me to act, and I could only watch as the demon brought darkness down upon me.
I woke with a scream, clutching the sheets. My breathing eventually slowed as I realized where I was, within the safety of Mondstadt. Not back in danger at the Golden House in Liyue. I sighed, burying my head in my hands.
Ever since I had been backstabbed by the ruthless Fatui Harbinger, Childe- or Tartaglia, who cared- and almost swept away by the subsequent flooding of Liyue Harbor, horrific nightmares of those events had been haunting my sleeping hours, to the point where I dreaded going to sleep at night. Sometimes I dreamed about the great hydra-god, Osial- whom Tartaglia had summoned to draw Liyue's patron god out of hiding- and other nights, like tonight, I dreamed about the near-death experience that had been my duel with a demon.
It was made worse by the fact that, every week, the bastard insisted on inviting me to a duel in the same place, though I'd long since stopped answering his letters. How callous was he, not realizing how much he'd affected me?
I shuddered and curled up into a ball, wrapping my arms around my legs. Oh, it certainly wasn’t the only thing in my journey that had shocked me- among others, there was when the Raiden Shogun, the shogun of the island country Inazuma, had utterly annihilated the Fatui Harbinger Signora before my eyes and then dueled me- but this one in particular...
Shaking my head, I sat up and wrapped my hands around the glass of water on my bedside table. I shouldn’t be thinking about these sorts of heavy things, especially if I wanted to try to sleep again tonight. And I needed the sleep; I was going on an expedition with my friend Bennett tomorrow.
A few gulps of the icy water helped to wash away the worst of the memories. I lay back down and wrapped the thick covers tightly around myself in an attempt to stave off the autumn chill. The warmth from the blanket slowly sank into me, soothed me, and delivered me back to sleep, right into the hands of my waiting nightmares.
I was so tired that I actually walked into a tree.
“Are you okay? Geez, is my bad luck rubbing off on you that much?” Bennett piped up, rushing over to my side.
“No, no...” I rubbed my head where it had collided with the unyielding trunk. “I’m just really tired. I... didn’t sleep well last night.”
He frowned. “You don’t have to stay- get some sleep!”
“It’s alright... I can stay.” Rarely did Bennett have someone to accompany him on his quests for treasure. The white-haired boy believed- as did the denizens of Mondstadt- that he was extraordinarily unlucky, so not many people were willing to team up with him. Because of that, whenever Bennett went exploring, I often went with him to ensure he wasn’t lonely. Personally, I believed his ‘bad luck’ was brought on by nothing more than a negative state of mind, although I had to admit his life did seem like nothing but a series of unfortunate events.
Bennett’s emerald eyes gleamed with gratitude. “Thanks, Traveler!” he gushed, using the epithet all my friends used for me (despite knowing my real name).
As we continued walking through the dense forest known as Whispering Woods, he said, “Oh yeah- did you hear about the ten million Mora commission?”
I skidded to a halt. “Say what now?” There was no such thing as a ten million Mora commission. Most of them fetched rewards in the lower thousands, maybe ten thousands, a rare few being worth a hundred thousand or so. The highest I had ever seen- one million- had led to fighting the incarnation of a god on one of Inazuma’s islands. So what could possibly top that?
“Yeah!” As Bennett tried to turn to face me, he tripped over a protruding tree root and fell flat on his bottom. I rushed over to help him, but he waved me off and scrambled to his feet. “Happens all the time, don’t worry! ...Anyway, yeah, the commission was posted this morning. I tried to sign up for it, but the pencil I was using broke, and Katheryne didn’t have any extras...”
“What could possibly fetch such a high reward?” I questioned.
“Something about the largest domain found in all of Teyvat. Umm...” He rubbed the back of his head as he thought. “Apparently all the teams sent in before were completely wiped out, and the one person that survived was driven insane. They weren’t able to get many answers out of him, but the ones they did... I guess they didn’t like what they heard.”
He paused before continuing. “Say, you should try to sign up for it!” he suggested. “For someone as strong as you, it’d be a piece of cake!”
I was intrigued by what Bennett had told me about the commission. Domains were ancient structures littered all over Teyvat, filled to the brim both with treasure and terrors. No one knew of their origin; the prevailing theory was that they were left behind by ancient gods. Most domains were usually one large room, some a few rooms, and a rare couple completely breaking the norm and being islands amongst the clouds. Knowing this, I tried to picture the ‘largest domain found in all of Teyvat.’ Maybe it was something like ten rooms or so. And what could possibly be inside that domain that was so bad that it took out entire teams of seasoned adventurers?
“Maybe I will,” I said. “Do you know how many people signed up for it?”
“Oh, there was a massive crowd at the Adventurer’s Guild building this morning when it was posted. There’s talk that this is gonna be the largest expedition in history. Oh, I hope I get to participate...!” Bennett balled his hands into fists with excitement, almost bouncing in place.
“Maybe you can go with me to sign up,” I offered.
“Ah...” He looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. “I couldn’t do that; who knows how my bad luck would affect you? Maybe all the spots will be taken, and we’ll both be out of a fun commission!”
I clapped him on the shoulder amiably, causing him to look up at me. I met his gaze with a small smile. “You worry too much, Bennett. Let’s go sign up together later, and whatever happens, happens. Anyway, aren’t we supposed to be looking for treasure?”
“Right! Let’s go!” His doubts dismissed, Bennett whirled around and charged excitedly up the path we had been traveling on.
I laughed; despite his beliefs about his bad luck, he was still a good-natured person at heart and it was infectious. “Hey- wait up!” And so I went, running after him, my sword and I ready for a taste of adventure.
[Tartaglia]
All was quiet.
All was still.
For the world was waiting with bated breath, waiting for the coming dawn.
And so it came, a blaze across the horizon that burned the night away. Indigo faded to rose, rose faded to gold. The brilliance of the heavens was reflected in the softly rippling seas around the awakening city.
Ah...
Liyue Harbor.
Surrounded by land and sea, this place was Teyvat’s booming center of commerce. The terraced city sprawled over a respectable amount of land, going from docks equipped to handle boats of all shapes and sizes, to a panoply of shops and restaurants on the tier above, to the government buildings on the highest terrace. High, high above the city, high enough to see lands distant, floated the immense Jade Palace, reconstructed after...
My face twisted in a grimace as guilt from the past surged into the present. Not too long ago, this city had once been half underwater as a long-imprisoned god had risen from the depths of the ocean and ravaged the land.
Because of me.
I still remembered when I had walked amongst the wreckage for the first time- at night, so that there were no accusing glares to face. Worthless trash had been strewn about the city, mixed up with precious memorabilia, all soaked beyond repair from the might of the destructive god. Buildings too close to the ocean had been utterly devastated: walls caved in, ceilings crumbling, furniture all washed away.
Not to mention the funerals.
So many of them, so many I’d lost count.
Killing hilichurls or other monsters didn’t bother me so much, but this... I hadn’t meant to cause this much destruction to the city, to people’s lives.
I’d gaze at the harbor from afar, from this watchtower that was supposed to watch over the harbor, and pay homage to the souls that were set free much too soon.
And sometimes... if the wind was right, I could just hear the parting words, as the departed’s family and friends said their final goodbyes.
Because of me.
The city had rebuilt itself at an alarming speed after the worst had passed, becoming much stronger than before.
But it shouldn’t have had to in the first place.
A sharp laugh from below snapped me out of my penitent thoughts. I glanced down; walking on the road near the watchtower was a group of four men. Their bandanas marked them as treasure hoarders, bandits that had infested every region in Teyvat with their greed for money.
And they were heading for the city, still drowsy from its slumber.
I frowned and summoned my usual weaponry from midair: twin knives formed out of rippling water.
I had been the destroyer of this city.
So now I should be the protector of this city.
I ran to the edge of the watchtower’s roof and leapt off, soaring through the chilly autumn air. I landed right in front of the group of treasure hoarders and chuckled as they stepped back in shock.
“Hey!” the man in front, a tall, stocky blonde, shouted. “What d’ya think you’re doin’, prettyboy?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” I fired back, gripping my knives. “Awfully suspicious of you, to be going to the city this early, isn’t it?”
“You’re the one who’s suspicious!” a dumpy man hollered. “Jumpin’ down from buildings and ambushin’ perfectly innocent people!
“We’s gonna check out that new ten-million Mora commission that was posted yesterday! We wanted to get a head start, sign up before...”
I didn’t hear much of anything else after ‘ten million Mora commission.’
Because that was impossible.
I’d only heard of one one-million Mora commission, and apparently that one had ended in a fight with the manifestation of a god.
So what the hell could possibly merit ten million Mora?
“There’s no such thing,” I stammered, dumbfounded.
“What, d’ya live under a rock? Everyone in Liyue was talkin’ ‘bout nothing but it yesterday!” Blondie argued.
Well, no wonder I hadn’t heard of it. I made it a point to stay out of Liyue Harbor during the day, as the citizens, each and every one, loathed me.
“How can I trust you?” I pointed out.
“Go on, go to the Adventurer’s Guild building- it’s right there, you can’t miss it!” The bandit jabbed his finger southeast, towards the city
“I don’t trust you enough to take my eyes off you for one second.”
"Well, you're a right bastard, you are!"
Blondie and his friends drew their knives, and I had to fight back a laugh. They were gonna try to fight me? Me, a battle-tested Harbinger of the Fatui? They had a better chance of finding a diamond in their soup than winning against me.
I twirled my blades around, the familiar excitement already surging through me. "If you want a fight, you've got one!"
The dumpy man snickered. "Steel beats water any day!"
Oh, they were fools.
Blondie was the first one to find out the absolute idiocy of his friend's statement. He charged at me first, his weapon held aloft. I parried his blow with one strike and knocked his knife out of his hand with another. A final stab in his direction sent him running.
It was so easy, I had to laugh.
The other three circled me warily. The large one in particular had murder in his eyes, but after the way I had soundly defeated his friend, he wasn’t making any aggressive movements..
"Are you really so afraid of the prettyboy and his water?" I mocked them.
Abandoning their previous caution, they shouted angrily and hurled themselves at me in unison.
Dumpy was the first to go. One look at the manic energy in my eyes and he ran, without even raising a hand against me.
The other two put up a little more of a fight, but it was still over in seconds after I'd disarmed them with no more than a flick of my wrist.
Ah...
Another exhilarating fight, much too quickly brought to an end. Treasure hoarders always put up a tough front, but when faced with a true warrior, they ran away without a second thought.
When my blood had cooled, I realized that to light blue the gold in the sky had given way, that the dawn had gone down to day.
The harbor was awake, soon this road would be too. I had better go hide, else I risked the wrath of the denizens of Liyue.
But that ten million Mora commission had piqued my interest... I would definitely have to do some snooping around later.
Liyue Harbor was indeed no safe harbor for me.
But even so, there was still one building that was like a haven.
Northland Bank, owned by my homeland, Snezhnaya.
I climbed the winding steps and crossed the bridge to the covered balcony around the bank. Nadia, the nighttime guard, was standing by the door, reading what appeared to be a letter as she waited for Vlad, the daytime guard, to arrive.
When she caught sight of me, she gasped and snapped to attention, the letter forgotten in her gloved hand. “Master Childe! It- it’s been a while!”
I laughed at her surprise, though privately I grimaced at the moniker. Really, it was difficult to take a name seriously when it was essentially child with a silent e. “Yes, it really has been, hasn’t it?”
“Um...” Flustered, she hastily folded the letter and shoved it in the pocket of her voluminous cloak. “Ekaterina just went out to grab a small snack, but if you’d wait just a moment-”
I waved my hand, cutting her off. “I’m not here for money... not this time, at least. I’m looking for information. There’s a particular rumor whose credibility I’m trying to verify, and as I know you like to frequent the docks in your spare time... I thought you’d be the perfect person to ask.”
“Oh! Yes, of course... anything you need.” Nadia cleared her throat and assumed a more formal air. “What is it that you’d like to know?”
“I heard something this morning about a ten million Mora commission...”
She bobbed her head. “Ah, that one. Yes, it’s been the talk of Liyue since yesterday.”
“So it’s real?”
“Absolutely.”
“Do you know the nature of this commission?”
“Let’s see...” She tapped a finger against her chin as she thought. “There was a brand-new domain found in Wuwang Hill, behind a waterfall in a cave. It was found by a mining company looking for subrosium ore... They had a team of geo vision holders estimate the size of the domain with small-scale seismic waves and they found that the domain was unprecedentedly large, more than the size of the Wuwang Hill region.
“So, the mining company hired a large group of adventurers to check out the domain. Nobody returned. They sent in another group, and another... out of all of those, only one person of those survived. He was reduced to babbling about an ‘endless maze of nightmares.’” Nadia shook her head in regret for the lives that had been lost. I stared at her, trying to process this information.
She continued, “The mining company posted that commission yesterday morning, all over Teyvat. There’s talk that it’s going to be the largest expedition in history; adventurers near and far are dying to find out what’s in the domain.”
A domain so deadly that it had vanquished several teams of seasoned adventurers...
Of course I had to be part of the expedition!
“When does the expedition begin?” I asked.
“A week from the post date, so in six days. I can fetch you a map, to show you the location...”
“No need, I know the place you were speaking of.” I clapped my hands together excitedly. “You’ve been a great help today, Nadia. I’ll see to it that you get an ample reward.”
She flushed. “It’s no problem! Anything for an illustrious Harbinger such as yourself.”
I chuckled and turned to leave. “You’re too kind. Hey- check your mail in the morning, your reward will be there!” I tossed over my shoulder as I walked away.
In six days, Teyvat’s most dangerous expedition was going to begin.
And I was going to be there.