sunsethw4

[sunsethw4]

Even after a year, this is the closest we've gotten to a shirtless sprite...

#i go crazy for this man #ikevil #ikemen villains #william rex

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 13: The Archons

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

A car and cab pull up to a large neighbourhood with tall high-rise apartments with multiple swimming pools, luxury lounges, and gyms. You aren’t surprised, considering Furina’s wealth and status. Soon, you and the dragon gang are behind Signora as she presses a couple of buttons on a call box.

“I’ve been expecting you! Come on in.”

As the gates start opening, Dan Feng notices Zhongli's skeptical look.

“Is something wrong?” Dan Feng asks.

"Oh, it's... It's nothing," is the answer as Zhongli follows Signora inside.

"My sixth sense is telling me otherwise," Bailu says quietly.

You walk past a diamond chandelier in the lobby and politely nod at those at the receptionist's desk. Eventually, you’re standing in front of a tall door that looks identical to the others on the brightly lit floor. As soon as the door opens, you see a short, young woman with fair skin and eyes with different shades of blue.

“You…”

Everyone turns to Zhongli who looks like he's seen a ghost.

Furina smiles. “Long time no see, old friend.” She opens the door wider. “And of course, my dear Chief Justice.” 

"Old friend?" Bailu asks, looking from Furina to Zhongli. “Do you two know each other?”

“It’s… a long story,” Zhongli says, sighing.

Finally, she looks at you. “Why do I have a feeling we’ve met before?”

“I can assure you we’ve never met,” you say calmly. “But… You knew Dan Heng and his mother.”

“Ah!” Furina’s smile turns nostalgic and sad. “Were you his girlfriend? I remember…” Then, she said your name, and you nod. “He mentioned you.”

“If I may,” Neuvilette says, his arms crossed, his stern gaze never leaving Furina. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Furina pushes the door more. “I know, I know. It’s been… What? Centuries? Surely, we’ll need more than one afternoon to catch up.”

“I understand all of you have some kind of history with each other,” Signora says, entering Furina’s insanely large flat. “But, I hope we won’t deviate from our focus.”

“Ah, yes." Furina walks to the kitchen. “Lan and Nanook… Our notorious Aeons, am I correct?”

“Before that,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “I need to know. Why are you here? How are you alive?”

“Now, now, Chief Justice, I know you must be ecstatic to see your old pupil.” Furina grabs some fancy-looking teacups and starts pouring tea from an elegant-looking teapot. “Take a seat, and I’ll tell you about my little adventure.”

You, Dan Feng, and Neuvilette take one couch in the living room while Zhongli, Bailu, and Signora take the other. After putting the tray of cups and biscuits on the glass table, Furina sits in a large, blue armchair where a white cat is sleeping at the top.

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we? My name is Furina. In this world, I’m in the luxury business. But, I was once a lawyer”—she looks at Neuvilette—”studying under the great Mr. Chief Justice.”

Neuvilette frowns. “But that was centuries ago.”

Furina picks up her teacup and smiles at him. “I’ve been around much longer than you think.”

“Longer than Lan and Nanook?” Signora asks.

“Correct.”

Bailu frowns. “How? With magic?" 

“She was once a god." Furina smiles. Bailu looks from Zhongli to Furina and back to Zhongli until he says, “Before the Castle of Dragons… Before any of the gods existed, there were the Archons, the original gods who created life.”

“The Archons…”

Dan Feng looks at you. “Do you know something about them?”

“There’s a lot of folklore surrounding them. My parents used to tell me stories of them when I was a kid…” You look at Zhongli. “But those were just stories… You’re saying they really existed?”

Furina chuckles. “You’re looking at one of them.”

“Is that true?” Dan Feng asks Zhongli with obvious surprise. “You... You kept this a secret from us this whole time?”

“There was never a reason to bring it up.”

Bailu scoffs. “Yeah, I guess just randomly dropping the fact that you’re one of the original gods who created life is too much for us to bear.” She slaps his leg. “How dare you!”

Neuvilette sighs. “This is what happens when we don't talk about our pasts.”

“That’s ‘cause we want to stay away from all the gloom and doom!” Bailu says. “Heck, if I were one of the original Archons, I’d flaunt it.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Neuvilette deadpans.

“It sounds like something happened to them,” you say, taking a biscuit. “I mean…" You look at the dragon gang. "You're gods. If none of you knew Zhongli and Furina were Archons, what happened to them?”

“You catch on fast,” Furina says, leaning forward with curiosity in her eyes. “You’re supposed to be human, right? Sounds like you know quite a bit."

Signora has one leg crossed over the other. “Well? Don’t keep us in the dark.” She looks at Zhongli. “Is she right?”

“There was what was known as the Archon War,” Zhongli says, after a pause. “There wasn’t just a few of us. There was an Archon for every aspect of life. Some created terrain such as mountains and another made the seven seas. But, when it came time to decide on a ruling party, a consensus couldn’t be reached.”

A gavel hitting the block echoed throughout the large courtroom but failed to silence the overlapping conversations completely.

“We agreed upon a democratic vote,” a woman with long, dark violet hair said calmly, but her patience was wearing thin. “All of us should respect the result.”

Someone scoffed. “Respect a result where it’s skewed?” They glared at her. “You may have won, but the combined votes of the opposition clearly show they do not want you in power, Ei.”

“Please stop fighting,” a man said. “This will get us nowhere.”

Another stood up. “Screw the votes. Why are we deciding amongst ourselves? We should let the people, those we preside over, decide who should rule. We're doing this for their future, are we not? Whoever we decide on bears the responsibility of paving humanity's future."

“That is absurd! Do humans have the knowledge or common sense to decide on a proper ruling party? They are prone to bias and rely on feelings.”

As a war of words broke out, a man in a brown and white cloak watched from the sidelines before making eye contact with another who was also watching in silence: a slim, young woman with long white hair and light blue streaks.

“Instead of solving our conflict rationally, a war broke out to determine the strongest of us all,” Zhongli continues, picking up his tea. “And it wasn’t just us who suffered. Because of our actions, we also caused great grief to the humans. Crops failed to grow due to absurd weather, night and day became indistinguishable, and many natural disasters shouldn’t have happened.”

“Many died in that war,” Dan Feng says, “and only seven survived. Am I right?”

“I should have known you would know something about it.”

“I’ve read about it. But while there were details of the Archon War, there wasn’t a lot on the Archons themselves.”

“Well, you’re right. Only seven survived, but we didn’t escape unharmed.”

“We were much too weak,” Furina says, putting her teacup down and picking up a biscuit. “If we didn’t do something, we would cease to exist as we couldn’t carry out our duties as gods anymore. Those who survived still wanted to live… so, we used the last of our strength to split ourselves apart.”

“Wait a minute…” Bailu narrows her eyes. “Are you saying there’s more than one Zhongli? More than one you?”

“Not exactly,” Zhongli says. “It would be more accurate to say that we split from the power we had left which poured into repairing the damage of the Archon War. We were left as a human when we separated from our magic.”

“With all of your memories as an Archon?” Neuvilette asks.

“Gosh,” Bailu mutters. “Would that be a curse or a blessing?”

“Is that how magic was born?” Dan Feng asks. “Through the remaining powers of the Archons that seeped into different parts of life?”

Furina smiles. “Of course, there’s no solid proof… but I’d say so.”

“But… If all of you still had your memories,” you say, “how come you didn’t know each other?”

“We took on different forms and names as Archons,” Zhongli says. “While we still have our memories, we never crossed paths again since we became human.”

“I saw the look in his eyes at the door,” Furina says, slightly chuckling. “We recognized each other instantly. Perhaps that’s how it is if we ever meet the other Archons.”

“Now, hang on a darn minute,” Bailu says, turning to Zhongli. “How’d you end up at the Castle of Dragons if you’re already an Archon? You lived a human life as Zhongli and then became a god again?”

“I can ask the same for you, Furina,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “Your appearance now is how I met you. You also know who I am, which means you have memories of your life as a lawyer. The Archon War didn't happen during my time. So, I have to ask.” He looks at her. “Are you a god? A human? What are you?”

Furina finishes her tea, but before she pours herself another cup, she refills everyone else’s. “After becoming Furina, I remained human for a while until I recovered my magic." She picks up her cup and takes a long sip. “And since then, I retained this form without getting older."

“You can’t be serious,” Bailu says, frowning. “I spent a good portion of my life researching immortality and all it takes is a little Archon magic? I feel cheated.”

Furina chuckles. “Not exactly, my little doctor friend. It wasn’t just any Archon magic. It was my magic. It was like I recovered myself as a god. Except, I never changed to the form I once took. I'm stuck in this body.”

Dan Feng turns to Zhongli. “Why do I have a feeling you never tried recovering your Archon magic?”

“At one point, I did, but… I let it go.”

“Why?” Bailu asks.

“That is a story for another time,” Zhongli answers, to Bailu’s dismay. “When the Archons became human, we were treated as such. We weren't special because of our pasts. So, the story of how I became a god shares a common theme similar to yours."

After a moment of silence, Neuvilette turns to Furina. “Well, this explains how you knew so much about magic.”

Neuvilette couldn’t believe his eyes. Did a textbook—his textbook—just teleport from one place to another? But, more importantly, why was his pupil responsible? He closed the door to his study, and she spun around. 

“Chief Justice! You scared me! You could’ve said something earlier.”

“I just got here.”

Furina looked at the silent clock on the wall. “Much earlier than anticipated, but I shouldn’t have expected less.”

Neuvilette walked to the table. “What were you doing?”

“I think you knew exactly what I was doing."

Neuvilette looked at his textbook on the coffee table. “You… made something teleport.” Then, his attention went back to her. “Since when do you know something about magic?”

“It's impossible not to know something about magic, don’t you think, Chief Justice? It’s humanity’s flashy new toy.”

“But not a lot is known about it,” Neuvilette said skeptically. “How would you know how to wield it?”

Furina smiled. “I’ve been dabbling. What? Are you interested?” She chuckled. “I could mentor you if you want.”

But, Neuvilette didn’t look pleased. “It’s dangerous.”

“Are you talking about black magic? If so, then I agree.”

“All magic is dangerous,” Neuvilette emphasized. “White magic, if used for the wrong motives, does that not count as black magic?”

Furina sighed. “We are far too early to distinguish between white and black magic. But, you make a valid point, Chief Justice. I wonder how our laws will change as magic gets more developed.” She picked up his pen. “Could you imagine the possibilities if we could make people teleport?” Neuvilette narrowed his eyes. “It could change the world.”

You can’t put your finger on it, but something is tugging at the back of your mind. You remember Dan Feng’s story of the surprise military attack and your dream about eavesdropping on an important conversation. Could the woman who betrayed the brothers know something about teleportation? But, before that, you need to know…

“Was that ever made possible?"

“Hm?” Furina asks. “You mean human teleportation?” A pause. “It was."

Your heart races, and you’re about to ask another question when Signora cuts in.

“What about the Aeons? Do they know who you are? Who you were?”

“Lan and Nanook were humans when I was an Archon,” Furina answers. “They became who they are as a consequence of their actions, but we’ve never met before.”

“Hm… Guess they kept a pretty low profile,” Bailu says, picking up a biscuit.

Furina takes a long sip of her tea. “From what I know… They were the first to experiment with dark magic.”

Dressed in a long, black, dark blue robe covering her from head to toe, Furina had recently recovered some of her magic, and because of that, she could sense when any magic was being used. Her foreboding gut feeling took her to a large cemetery in the middle of the night. She stood in front of a large, wrought iron gate. As she stepped forward, the gates eerily opened as if expecting her. The cemetery was quiet except for the soft steps of her shoes against the pavement. Flowers, most of them fresh, were neatly placed on some of the graves. As she got further in, she began hearing voices.

“Goddamit, Lan, you aren’t doing it right.”

“I’d love to see you try, Nanook.”

Furina looked around but there was no one in sight. So, she continued walking in the direction the voices were coming from.

“Perhaps… we need more than just her skull.”

“Great. And where’re we going to find that?”

Two men stood on either side of a grave on a small hill underneath a dead tree. One had longer hair and held an open book while the other held a candle and a small, round gold mirror.

Suddenly, the one holding a mirror said:

“Who’s there?”

The other turned around and narrowed his eyes. Then, he turned back. “Did you see someone, Nanook?”

“I saw something,” Nanook muttered. “Wait…! It might be—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not how this works.”

“How would you know? We’re following instructions from some unknown book where it might be all fake for all we know.”

“Magic exists,” Lan said sternly. “You saw it. I saw it. If normal magic can exist… Why not push it to its boundaries?”

“It was obvious that they were trying to bring someone back from the dead,” Furina says.

Bailu pours herself more tea. “Who?”

“A woman named Idrila.”

Dan Feng immediately looks at her. “Idrila….?”

“Do you know her?” Neuvilette asks.

“She was a princess who lived a short life,” Furina answers, to everyone’s surprise.

“Her parents were at odds with mine,” Dan Feng says. “Her military was the one who invaded us.”

“Invade?” Bailu asks, eyes wide. “So… Was she still around when it happened?”

“No, but it added to the tension. There were rumours that someone from our side poisoned her." He looks at Furina. “You sure are knowledgeable about a lot of people’s lives.”

She chuckles. “Are you suspicious of me?”

“You knew about us,” Dan Feng says. “My brother and I. Yet, we’ve never met you.”

Furina glances at you. “I guess you knew about that because of her.”

“Dan Heng showed me your book,” you say. “The Book of Curses.”

“Clearly, Lan and Nanook weren’t the only ones dabbling in black magic,” Signora says. “I may have thought you were crazy before, but now I have to ask. What made you write something like that?”

Furina finishes her tea and puts down her cup. Her eyes land on Dan Feng. “I knew about the plan you and the Stellaron Hunters came up with to erase magic.”

“How did you know?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “That information was confidential.”

“The Stellaron Hunters suffered a similar problem to how the Archon War started. There will always be a majority, but there will always be someone with different opinions.”

The moon was full; the night was calm. Furina, holding a small oil lamp, stood at the shore of a large river that stretched into the abyss under the night sky.

“You’re early.” Furina spun around, startled that she didn’t hear the tall man approaching behind her. “Don’t be alarmed,” he continued. “I only just got here.”

Furina put the oil lamp on a large log. “Shall we get straight to business then? What does a Stellaron Hunter want with a human?”

“A human?” His red eyes shone in the night. “You are far from human. I saw it myself. You were using advanced magic. Magic that has surpassed human knowledge. You're not a human. Not completely. Am I right?”

“Asking questions when you know the answer…” Furina crossed her arms. “Is this the nature of the Hunters?”

He looked at the lake. “Soon, we’ll be living in a world devoid of magic.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dan Feng… the sole survivor of the massacre that left his nation in shambles. He wants to rid the world of magic, and most of us are in agreement.”

“I take it you aren’t, considering you’re here.”

The fire in the oil lamp flickered.

“I’m not a stranger to his family,” the man said. “So, we’re acquainted. But I know he is not doing this for the good of the future. He’s doing it to restrain himself. He wants to use black magic to revive his dead family and rebuild the life he once had. He cannot accept what has happened, but he knows bringing the dead to life...”

“Has serious consequences,” Furina finished. “The chances of something going wrong is through the roof.” She sighed. “So, he’s running away from his desires? Is that what you’re saying?”

The man scoffed. “He wants to wipe the world of magic but keep our memories of it alive. It doesn’t make sense if we cannot continue using it. It’s simply being sentimental.”

“Someone sure has some strong feelings.”

“But the majority of us agreed upon this decision,” the man said without a change in his stoic tone. “Dan Feng says he won’t wipe our memories, but who’s to say he won’t.”

The flame flickered again. “Are you looking for a protection spell?”

“I wouldn’t want to fight magic with magic. We all know where that led us.”

“The Book of Curses is more than just a book about magic,” Furina says. “It’s also about our history… of how things came to be.”

The conversation between you and Dan Heng comes flooding back.

“So…” Neuvilette begins. “It was this man who asked you to document everything… Who was he?”

“Blade.”

Everyone turns to Dan Feng who has a stern look.

“What gave it away?” Furina asks amusingly.

“Right.” Bailu sighs. “So, where does this leave us now? We know about the Archon War, Lan and Nanook’s strange past to Idrila who was at odds with Dan Feng's family, and Furina’s book. The big question remains… What are we going to do about our black magic mischiefs?”

“Finding out more about Idrila would be a good place to start,” Zhongli says. “We know she was a princess… but what about her connections? Why would Lan and Nanook want to bring her back?” He looks at Dan Feng. “Have you met her before?”

“No. My brother and I were too young at the time to attend any political meetings. I’ve only heard about her and her sickness.”

“Sickness?” you ask.

Dan Feng and Dan Heng were walking towards the banquet hall for dinner when three maids turned the corner talking amongst themselves.

“Oh, yes, I heard… They were afraid her sickness would be contagious.”

“That would be frightening. I heard it was making her as pale as a ghost!”

“Perhaps that’s why there’s so much buzz about advances in medicinal magic… Still, is this really a good idea? What if we’re playing with fate here? “Upon seeing the brothers, she stopped and bowed. “Good evening, Young Masters!”

“What were you talking about?” Dan Heng asked.

“What is this about a sickness?” Dan Feng added.

The maids glanced at each other, and one of them said:

“The princess of—”

“It’s nothing, really,” one of the other maids interrupted. The brothers glanced at each other. "Dinner should be served shortly. You should hurry. Your parents are waiting.

“What do you think, Bailu?” Neuvilette asks. “You were a renowned doctor. Have you heard of anything like this?”

“Well… There are tons of illnesses that can make someone pale. But it sounds like it’s either just the beginning or a side effect of something.” Bailu looks deep in thought. “I told you before that we were experimenting with immortality. Before that, we were researching immunity. What if we could make people immune to literally every single illness? Or, at least to just develop mild symptoms.

“We’d make millions selling this magic medicine. But, it was way too good to be true. In other words, there could never be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ to medicine since infection takes different forms. But now that you mention it… Ah!”

“What is it?” Dan Feng asks.

“A colleague of mine was researching a strange illness that"—Bailu looks disturbed—"drains people's blood."

“Drains…” Neuvilette begins.

“...Their blood?” Signora finishes. "Do I want to know how that works?”

“It’s like…” Bailu hums quietly as she wonders how to explain it in simple terms. “...Like Death is living inside of you. Your blood slowly stops running to different parts of your body and then once it stops at the heart… you just… die.”

“Well, now that that nightmare is ingrained in everyone’s minds, is this an illness that’s inherited? Can someone get infected? If not…” Signora looks at Dan Feng. “Why would there be rumours of someone poisoning her?”

“If I remember correctly,” Dan Feng says. “She died earlier than she should’ve.”

“Does this illness still exist?” you ask. “If we could find records of it or anything about it, might give us a better understanding of this woman… and possibly her connection to Lan and Nanook.”

“Now that you mention it…” Bailu says. “The hospital I used to work at is still around.” She smiles. “Maybe it’s the perfect time for me to say hi.”

“I’d be concerned if someone remembers you,” Neuvilette deadpans.

Signora sighs. “I guess this is all we can do right now.”

“Hey.” Noticing Dan Feng is looking at her, Furina turns to him. “You met Dan Heng and his mother. Then, have you met the others? Tsaritsa… Pierro… Childe?”

“Not personally… I know of them but Dan Heng and his mother never talked about them.”

“Did you ever tell Dan Heng about his past self?” you ask. “You gave him that book, after all.”

“I wanted him to find out for himself,” Furina answers. “But, I don’t think he did. Perhaps he treated everything like it was fiction.”

“Why?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “Why would you want to make him remember what happened?"

Bailu looks at him worriedly. “Brother Moon…” 

“I—”

A loud ring interrupts Furina. She stands, walks over to the counter, and looks at the caller on the screen.

“...I’m sorry,” she says to the group. “This conversation will have to wait.”

And you think it’s for the best.

After saying your goodbyes, you and everyone else are at the apartment’s front entrance when Signora asks:

“Keeping Idrila a secret from Tsaritsa… What do you all think?”

Neuvilette nods. “Not until we have more information.”

Bailu’s hand is in a small fist, and she pats her chest. “You can count on me! I’ll get something for sure.”

“Is the hospital where you’ve been disappearing when you visit every dragon year?” Zhongli asks.

“Oh, well, you see…”

You and Dan Feng are standing a little behind the group, and as Bailu talks about her hustle, you glance at him.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks at you. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” He sighs.

“I had the same question,” you say quietly. “Why did she want to make Dan Heng remember? And… I remember what you said before about people being doppelgangers upon their reincarnation.”

“In short, it has to do with how they accepted their death at the time they died. If they can’t accept it, they can be reincarnated with the same face and name, which signifies a continuation of their life. If they accept it, they can be reincarnated as a new person, which means a new start.”

“I don’t know how Dan Heng died back then… but”—you sigh—”it sounds like he has unfinished business or something.”

“My impression was that she murdered him…” Dan Feng says quietly. “But”—he puts a hand to his head—”I suppose I can’t say that with confidence considering he was already dead by the time I found them. But, she was the only one with him. It wouldn’t make sense for my brother to kill himself. Or, someone else killed him and spared her." He sighs. "But that doesn't make sense either."

“With the way she died, it sounds feasible to say that she was poisoned.” You quickly look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make all these assumptions when there’s nothing to go on.”

“No… It’s something I never considered before because”—he closes his eyes for a brief moment—”I wanted to blame someone. All I have are pieces of what happened, and if I convinced myself that she murdered my brother, I'd have closure."

“Then… Let’s gather the missing pieces and start putting them together.”

“Hey!” You and Dan Feng look ahead and see your friends in front of a cab. “Are you two lovebirds done chit-chatting over there?”

You sigh with a little smile. “It's not like we have a choice now."

Dan Feng smiles at you. “You’re right.”

As you and Dan Feng head to the cab, your phone buzzes with a message. Without stopping, you take it out of your pocket and…

Dan Feng, a short distance away, turns back. “What is it?” When he doesn’t get a reply, he walks over and sees the chilling message on your screen from an unknown number.

Found you

End notes:

Still thinking about how I wanna push Jing Yuan in here XD and Blade may or may not get an appearance next chapter (finally)

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

[sunsethw4]

Victor would use kaomojis when chatting

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 12: What Haunts Us

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

After taking him up on his offer to get a bite to eat, Dan Feng suggests a nearby restaurant that recently opened. So, here you are, walking next to Dan Feng with your hands in your coat pocket.

“It’s a little late for dinner,” you say, breaking the silence. Then, jokingly, “Did no one want to cook?”

“Bailu did, but I wanted to take you out.”

You almost stop at the unexpected boldness. You open your mouth but can’t find the words, so you make a joke instead. “Is this some sort of mind game where you treat your victim to a meal before you kill them?” Dan Feng glances at you without turning his head, and you awkwardly face forward and quietly say, “Well, you did say you want to kill me.”

“And here I thought we were on the same page. You’re my friend unless proven otherwise.”

You clear your throat. “So… Bailu cooked, but you still wanted to go out and eat?”

Dan Feng was staring at his phone, the conversation between you and him was open on the screen. Finally, he sighed, turned around, and Bailiu and Zhongli stood upright.

“You might want to give him some space,” Neuvilette said, quietly sipping his tea from the sofa.

Bailu pointed to Dan Feng’s phone. “You didn’t ask her!”

“Are you nervous?” Zhongli asked.

Dan Feng scoffed. “I’ll ask her once you two stop breathing down my neck.”

Bailu and Zhongli looked at each other, and it was Bailu who said, “Yeah, he’s nervous.”

“Why don’t we invite her over for dinner?” Neuvilette asked. He looked at Bailu. “I thought you out of all people would want her to taste your cooking that’s”—he raised his hands to make air quotations—”'out of this world'.”

“We can always invite her over,” Bailu said. “But, Brother Moon needs to make his move!”

Dan Feng rubbed the space between his brows. “You have way too much time on your hands.”

Zhongli chuckled. “You like her, though, don’t you?”

Dan Feng looked off to the side, and Bailu and Zhongli smiled at each other. “She’s human,” Dan Feng finally said. “A human with a strange connection to the woman from my past.”

“You know what your biggest flaw has always been?” Bailu sighed. “You never live in the moment. You’re always thinking about”—she changed her voice so it sounded like she was mimicking him—”what’s going to happen next? What about the future?” She looked at him like an older sister chiding a younger brother. “Yeah, she’s a human. But, you like being with her, don’t you? Just enjoy the time you have with her.”

“As much as I’d like to agree with that sentiment”—Neuvilette looked at Dan Feng—”it might be you who gets hurt in the end.”

“Don’t forget about her,” Zhongli added. “Who knows? She might take a liking to you too, if not already.”

“And... Do you really want to keep her at a distance?” Bailu asked. “Besides, if she does like you or whatnot, it should be her choice whether she wants to stay away or not, right? She knows what you are now! I’d say just focus on what you want. For anything to happen, it’s a two-way street.”

The silence eventually grew too much for Bailu to bear.

“What? Why’s everyone all quiet?”

Neuvilette took another sip of his tea. “Would you like to grace us with more wisdom, Master Bailu?”

She threw a pillow in his direction, which he swiftly dodged without putting down his cup.

“She wants us to spend time together,” Dan Feng finally answers. He’s expecting you to be surprised. Maybe blush a little.

But instead, you say, “Yeah… I hope it’ll get us closer to figuring out why I’m having these dreams.” When you see him slightly frown, you raise a brow. “What? Aren’t you curious too?”

“Let’s… not talk about that right now.”

“Then, what do you want to talk about?”

“You.”

The unexpected response stuns you into silence, and you almost stop. It doesn’t help that he’s still looking at you, too.

“M-Me?” you ask with a small chuckle. “Well, you know plenty. I should be asking about you.”

“You can ask anytime. But tonight…” He smiles at you, and your face unexpectedly warms. “It’s about you.”

Upon reaching the small, cozy restaurant, Dan Feng opens the door for you. Once you and Dan Feng are seated at a table near the back of the restaurant, you open the menu. After ordering, Dan Feng looks at you and asks:

“You said your father was a language professor… What about your mother?”

“She was an academic researcher,” you say. Then, with a little smile, “They went through undergrad and grad school at the same university but didn’t meet until they started working there.”

“Funny how life works sometimes.”

“Yes,” you say, looking down, and Dan Feng instantly senses something is wrong. “That’s... where they also died. It was an accident… in one of the labs my mother was working at.” You quickly look up. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

“No.” His gaze softens. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“But… that was how Dan Heng and I got closer.”

It had been nearly two weeks since you were back at school. Anyone who’d seen you would say you looked like a zombie: dark circles under your eyes, and your hair was frizzy and messy like it hadn't been combed or washed in days.

You were folding your parents’ clothes in their room when your grandmother softly knocked on the door. You turned and saw her faint smile.

“Your friend’s here to see you.”

“Friend?” you asked, turning back. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“He said you hadn't been answering your phone. He sounded like he was worried.”

“He…?”

“Dan Heng?" Your grandmother gestured for you to come out, but you didn’t. "Do you know him? He said he’s a friend of yours.”

“Ah… Yeah." Then, quietly, "We're not that close."

“But he still came all this way.” Your grandmother walked in and sat next to you. “You haven’t been out of the house for a while. Why don’t you go and get some fresh air? It’ll be good for you.” You sighed and stood, knowing there wasn’t a point in arguing with your grandmother. You walked out of the door and heard your grandmother say, “He should be right outside.”

And she was right.

“Hi,” he said, as soon as you opened the door.

You still weren’t smiling.

“I… got your address from Stelle,” Dan Heng quietly admitted. “I hope you don’t mind.”

You stepped out and closed the door. “I’m fine,” you said. But, your tone screamed that you weren’t. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”

Dan Heng reached into his bag and pulled out a folder. “You missed quite a few classes, so I photocopied my notes for you.”

You took it and slightly smiled upon seeing the cover decorated with stickers and doodles of what you liked. Then, when you opened it, you were pleasantly surprised to see the organized, color-coded notes.

“W-Wow,” you finally said, flipping through the pages. You also noticed a little cartoon at the bottom corner that seemed to move as you continued going through the notes. You chuckled. “What’s this?”

“It’s… something I thought you’d like,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I understand school is probably the last thing on your mind.” You looked at him, but he was looking off to the side. “And… I know nothing I can say can make things better. But…” His eyes meet yours. “If there’s anything I can do, please ask.”

Your sad smile doesn’t go unnoticed.

“It sounded like he made you feel better," Dan Feng says. "And it sounds like he came prepared.”

A waiter comes with your food and sets them on the table.

“Prepared?” you ask, after the waiter leaves.

“The notes. The little cartoon. I applaud him for his efforts.”

You look up at him with a smile without lifting your head.

You and Dan Feng eat in silence before you stop. You wipe your mouth with a napkin and scoot slightly closer to the table.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks up from his food, and you ask, “What was it like back then? There was magic, right? What… What happened to all of it since, well, there’s obviously none now.”

“And here I thought you would be curious about Dan Heng in the past.”

“I am,” you admit. “But, considering what you told me… I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to ask.”

“Based on what you told me about him”—Dan Feng quietly scoffs—”he sounds like the brother I used to know. But, the one I knew was a military general."

You almost spit out your water. “Military general? And, um, what about you?”

“I was in academia.”

“Ah… So you didn’t lie to me back then.”

“I didn’t lie about everything."

You point your fork at him. “Did you know you can get in trouble for posing as a police officer in this world, Mister?”

“Oh, so does that mean you’re going to tattle on me?”

You chuckle. “If you tell me what I want to know… I won’t.”

Dan Feng smiles. “Guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

You take a bite of your food. “I’ve been curious… If magic existed back then, why isn’t there any mention of it now? We have so much information about our history, but nothing mentions magic or is even taught in schools.”

“It’s because of The Great Purge.”

You blink once. “I’m sorry. The Great… What?”

“The Great Purge,” Dan Feng repeats. “It was when we used magic… to get rid of itself.”

“But… Why? And we…?” You put down your fork. “Did you cause it?”

“I was against it,” Dan Feng says, “but for the wrong reasons.” He put down his chopsticks. “I wanted to bring my family back to life.” The look on your face tells Dan Feng what’s on your mind. “The woman I’m looking for… She didn't just kill Dan Heng. She also killed my parents." A small pause. "She destroyed my home.”

The attack came out of nowhere.

Dan Feng was in his bed, eyes wide, and his muscles taut as he stopped the blade from slitting his throat. An armed man, someone whom he’d never seen before, was on top of him, desperate to make the final, lethal blow to his throat. But Dan Feng was stronger. He pulled the covers and took his chance when the man stumbled to the ground. With one swift kick to the head, Dan Feng knocked him unconscious and took his blade. He was about to kill him when he heard a blood-curdling scream outside.

He rushed out and saw a maid stabbed in the throat. His blood ran cold as she lifelessly fell to the ground, and his gaze hardened when the armed soldier charged at him. Dan Feng swiftly dodged his attacks and impaled him with the blade. As he ran to his parents' room, he heard screams, metal clashing against metal, and smelled the strong stench of blood.

His body trembled, and his heart raced as he ran past the dead maids he talked with just yesterday night. What in the world was going on? Why was this happening? Where did this attack come from? His mind was a blur. But as he neared his destination, he pushed his questions aside. The important thing was—

His heart instantly dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw, what looked like, bloody handprints on the door of his parents’ chamber. He immediately slid the door open, and despite being prepared for the worst, his world still came crashing down when he saw the bed full of blood.

Dan Feng ran over. His father was already dead, his throat so badly cut that it almost looked like he was decapitated. His mother lay next to him, hanging onto her life by a thread.

“M-Mother…!” Dan Feng tightly gripped his mother’s hand, his own hand trembling, eyes wide in disbelief at the gruesome scene.

Blood continued dripping from the bed to the floor. Upon noticing the gaping wound on her stomach, he sprang into action, but his mother’s hand stopped him.

“It’s… It’s too late.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked desperately. He chose to ignore the blood from her throat. “I can fix this! I—”

“Find your brother,” her mother said weakly. Then, she slowly lifted her other hand, revealing a familiar necklace of pure gold and white jade. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “It was her… She…” A cough and Dan Feng held his mother’s hand tighter. “Your brother’s in danger. Please… Dan Feng… Find him. Save him.”

“It still bothers me to this day how the attack happened," Dan Feng says, looking at his food. "It was just… It was so sudden.”

“I’m so sorry,” you say quietly. “But… how did you know it was because of that woman?”

Dan Feng closes his eyes for a brief moment. “The necklace my mother was holding belonged to her. I gave it to her as a gift. And… She admitted it herself when she died.”

Red clouds. Orange sun. Dark blue skies. It was as if the massacre on the ground had painted its way to the heavens. The strong stench of blood was everywhere one went, and even in demolished buildings, one could still see and hear flames licking away at the debris. The screams had stopped, and what was left was a silence devoid of life.

Dan Feng walked toward a dead man and a woman in a forest on the outskirts of the palace. The man, his brother, lay face up and was impaled with a weapon known as the Cloud-Piercer. It was his brother’s favourite. The woman was holding him in her arms and sobbing into his chest. She was once  the woman both of them loved. But now…

“I’m sorry, Dan Heng.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. She coughed, and her blood landed on Dan Heng’s hand. As soon as she saw Dan Feng, she quietly said his name. 

"Get away from him."

"I—"

"I said get away from him."

She slowly stood.

"Tell me you didn't do this," Dan Feng said, his voice low.

“I… This wasn’t supposed to happen. I tried to stop it." She began to sweat and her face quickly grew pale. "I… He was… He was supposed to…” A cough and blood landed on the forest floor while dripping from her lips. “I’m sorry. I—”

He grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Why?" His knuckles turned white. "Why would you do this?!"

“I wanted to protect you… and Dan Heng." Her voice was getting increasingly weak, and her lips turned a faint blue. “I’m sorry… This wouldn’t have happened if…”

“If what?!"

More blood fell onto her clothes. Before she could answer, her body suddenly went limp, and she would've collapsed if Dan Feng didn't catch her.

"You can't die," he said, his voice breaking. "You—"

She opened her mouth, but her voice was gone. Dan Feng said her name. Once. Twice. But, the life had left her eyes, and once her hand fell to her side, he looked down and screamed.

You can’t find the right words no matter how hard you try. You can’t even begin to imagine how frustrating that must’ve been. Dan Feng gives you a kind look and nods at your food.

“Your food’s getting cold.”

"That... That doesn't make any sense," you say quietly.

“Yeah, you're telling me,” Dan Feng mutters.

You’re about to finish the rest of your food when a thought suddenly hits you. “Hey…” Dan Feng looks up. “The man she supposedly mentioned… Do you think he’s the one who gave Lan that note?”

“I never would've thought the two were related, but since you said Lan's looking for a woman… It’s possible.”

You sigh as you go back to your food. “And the plot thickens…”

“If it’s true, this person would’ve been using Lan and Nanook. But, my question is why he would be looking for her.”

“Maybe… the same reason as you initially. To kill her?”

“But… Why? Assuming this man was manipulating her, it sounded like he achieved his goal."

You rub the space between your eyes. “I guess we don’t have enough information to go on. Maybe it's best to stop playing Sherlock.”

You’re about to go back to eating when Dan Feng says, “Whatever the reason… I won’t let him have you.” You look at him without tilting your head, and his eyes meet yours. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Um, well, it just…” Your face feels warm. “I appreciate you looking out for me even though, you know”—you quietly scoff—”it was just yesterday you wanted to kill me.”

“Guess you’re not going to let that go anytime soon.”

“Oh, definitely not,” you deadpan.

Dan Feng smiles, but it could’ve been a smirk. “What about I get you dessert to make up for it?”

You narrow your eyes and pick up the menu you’d asked the waiter to leave behind when you first ordered. “Not afraid I’ll pick the most expensive one?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t bring you here in the first place.”

You keep your eyes on him as you open the menu. Eventually, you order a chocolate strawberry sundae, but you feel a bit nice, so you say:

“We can share this… if you’re okay with that.”

Dan Feng slightly leans closer. “You sure?”

You also lean closer. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t ask.” He chuckles, and then you go back to your food. You and Dan Feng finish up and order dessert when you bring up The Great Purge. “So, who started it…? And… Why?”

“They were called the Stellaron Hunters, a group that people thought only existed in history and folklore.”

“Stellaron Hunters…?” You can’t hide back a little smile. “Off topic, but sounds like a guild from a video game or something.”

The waiter arrives with the dessert; it’s bigger than you imagined. You and Dan Feng pick up a spoon and start digging in.

“That’s not too far off,” Dan Feng says. “After the war ended, a new era began. New people had to be put into power and rebuild the nation. So, I was working with the Hunters who became the lawmakers of our time. The parliament, if you will.” It hits you now that you’re talking to an ex-prince or king. Dan Feng looks at you without lifting his head. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing,” you say. “Um, so… After what happened, they decided to get rid of magic?”

Dan Feng takes a bite of the sundae. “That’s right. Black magic was even more rampant at the time. People were using it to do all sorts of misdeeds. It was too widespread and too chaotic to control. There were theories and speculations that our enemies used magic to infiltrate undetected.” He sighs. “But, there was no evidence.”

“I bet many people were against it,” you say quietly. You finish one of the chocolate strawberries. “I wouldn’t be surprised if normal magic was integral to people’s lives.”

“You’re right. The convenience and just human habits… No one wanted to go back to an era without magic. It was a life people thought would be miserable.”

You’re about to take another scoop of the sundae when you say:

“Wait… Does that mean… You wiped their memories?”

“We wiped everyone’s but our own,” Dan Feng admits. “And our excuse was so we and those that came in the future wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.” You’re down to the last strawberry when Dan Feng looks at you. “It’s yours.”

“Well… Even without magic, wars still happened.” You eat the last strawberry. “And technology is the closest thing to magic, I’d say. So… people will always find a way.”

“A double-edged sword, I suppose.”

You chuckle. “You mean… People’s determination to innovate is great, but they don’t think about the consequences?”

“Humans are weak against their desires, so even though they’re thinking about the future, it’s often through rose-coloured lenses.”

"Hey, don't gods have desires, too?" You look at him skeptically. "It doesn't seem like you're too different from us."

"We're not too different except we can control our emotions at will."

"Seriously?" you ask, eyes wide. 

"But that requires magic."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it."

You and Dan Feng leave the table and head towards the counter where he beats you to pay for everything. Once again, he opens the door for you, and soon, both of you are returning to the apartment, not noticing rain is on the horizon.

“I guess Furina wasn’t part of the Stellaron Hunters,” you say. “That would make things too easy.”

“No, she wasn’t. She also wasn’t mentioned during my time with them.”

You and Dan Feng are waiting to cross the road when you feel a drop on your head. And another… and another until…

A hand is above your head, the only cover against the pouring rain.

“Come on. We can take cover over there,” Dan Feng says.

And soon, you’re running across the street with your hand in his.

Both of you are standing underneath a building, watching the rain flood the streets, but you can hear your heart thumping in your chest. Does he know that he still hasn’t let go?

Suddenly, Dan Feng’s phone buzzes with a message, and you can’t ignore the disappointment when he finally lets you go.

R U OK?

And then a worried-looking, anime-like sticker.

Dan Feng quickly replies to Bailu and slips his phone back into his pocket.

“Looks like the rain isn’t going to let up…” you say. Then, jokingly, “Should we run back anyway?”

Dan Feng notices a nearby convenience store. “Let’s grab an umbrella.”

You and Dan Feng head inside just as a woman with a young child buys an umbrella at the counter. When you and Dan Feng head over to the stand, lo and behold there’s an umbrella.

Just one.

“Guess the rain took everyone by surprise,” you say.

Dan Feng picks it up and heads to the counter. After leaving the store, Dan Feng opens the umbrella, and you aren’t surprised to see that it’s only big enough for just one person. Regardless, he looks at you and says:

“Come on.”

So, that’s how you and Dan Feng end up walking a little too close together. But you notice that he keeps the umbrella more on your side despite you telling him it’s okay. So, by the time you’re at the front entrance, his shoulder is soaked.

He notices you looking at his shoulder and says:

“It's just rain. I'll be fine.”

As you’re waiting for the elevator, you glance at him. “Thanks for dinner today. Let me treat you next time.”

He smiles. “Looking forward to it.”

The elevator doors open, and you step inside. “Hopefully by then, this entire mystery will be solved.” You turn to him. “You said you were here for only a year… Was that the truth?”

“I have a year to get Lan and Nanook back to our realm. If I don’t, I’ll be stuck here.”

“Does that… Does that mean you’ll become human?” you ask.

Dan Feng turns to you. “It doesn’t work that way. Technically, I’m not supposed to exist. So…”

You stiffen. “So… You’ll what? Disappear?”

“Gradually.”

“Then… What about Lan and Nanook? They’re not supposed to be here either, right? Is it possible to wait until they just disappear?”

The elevator stops and the doors slide open. “They can still return. They’re supposed to. They wouldn’t be banished like I would be.”

“Sounds unfair to me,” you mutter, stepping out. "They killed people and still get to return?"

“Regardless”—Dan Feng faces you—”I intend on making the most of the time I have now.”

“You could’ve told me this sooner.”

“You mean after I found out we were friends?” Dan Feng quietly scoffs. “Yeah, that would really bring up the mood.” Then, he smiles. “Hey. Stop with the frowny face.”

You still don’t look happy. “I’m not.” Then, you quickly head to your flat. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And…” You look at him before heading inside. “Thanks for dinner again.”

As Dan Feng heads to the flat opposite of yours, he wonders if getting close to you is really the best thing to do.

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

[sunsethw4]

I don’t know if you guys have noticed this

But in ikemen series there’s always a character who loves you from the start / childhood/ past live

And it was blanc for ikemen revolution 🥲

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 11: The Truth

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

Dan Feng suspects something's up before you open the door, and your body language confirms his suspicions. You aren’t smiling, and the look in your eyes tells him you’re nervous and anxious. It isn’t long before you break eye contact and step into the hallway.

“An odd place to chat,” Dan Feng says, “but I’m sure you have your reasons.”

Yes, you do.

You glance at the security camera with a perfect view of the entire hallway. As you and Dan Feng’s place are the only two flats on the floor, it’s the best place to chat where you aren’t sure what will happen.

“Lan told me what happened on that plane,” you say. “He and Nanook cursed it, apparently.” Dan Feng narrows his eyes. “I don’t know how curses work, but… I’m hoping you can tell me.”

Dan Feng quietly says your name.

“He told me you’re one of them,” you say. “I… I don’t know what to believe, but I think it’s safe to say that something weird is going on, something that I can’t logically explain.” A small pause. “I didn't believe him until he pulled some magic trick out of his sleeve to make me think otherwise. And the dreams and what I felt..." You sigh. "Tell me the truth. Who are you? Why are you really here? And… What’s your relationship with Lan?”

Dan Feng quietly exhales and looks you in the eyes. He shouldn’t be too surprised that it comes down to this. Maybe he’s a little too naive to think you might dismiss Lan’s claims as ludicrous. Still, Dan Feng never thought Lan still had some magic left in him.

“All of us are gods," Dan Feng says, "but we are not the same.” You cross your arms. “Lan and Nanook are Aeons who have been punished for their crimes in our realm. They were imprisoned but escaped, and we were sent here to take them back.”

“And by ‘we’, you mean—”

The door behind Dan Feng opens, but he doesn’t look back. Bailu, Zhongli, and Neuvilette step into the hall.

“We are known as the Dragons,” Neuvilette says. “And our home is the Castle of Dragons.”

“Oh, but we don’t breathe fire or anything,” Bailu adds as if this is an everyday conversation about mundane things. She makes peace signs with her hands and puts them behind her head. “We have like horns and stuff, but we’re not that scary. Not like the dragons humans show in their movies and books."

Your back is against your door, your hand on the handle.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Zhongli says reassuringly.

“Is there another reason you’re here?” you ask, looking at Dan Feng. “I’m not saying I believe everything Lan says, but I just want to hear both sides of the story. He says you’re looking for a woman, the same one he might be looking for.”

This gets a reaction out of everyone.

“Wait,” Bailu says, frowning. “Lan’s looking for a human?”

Dan Feng steps toward you but stops when you gesture for him to stay where he is.

“I wouldn’t say I’m looking for her,” Dan Feng says. “Our main objective is to find Lan and Nanook and take them back where they belong. Meeting you that night was not on my agenda.”

Your grip on the handle tightens.

“I told you about a woman, the one my brother and I loved,” Dan Feng continues. “I had to know if you were her reincarnation.”

First gods and now reincarnations. Everything is going too fast.

“Why…?” you ask skeptically. “Who is she?”

“She's the reason why I’m a god,” Dan Feng says, his eyes darkening. “She is the reason I couldn't die.”

“But I’m not her,” you say, your voice slightly trembling. “I’m not. So…” You put your hand to your neck, remembering that horrific experience. “Please stop whatever it is you’re doing.”

Dan Feng narrows his eyes, and he almost takes another step toward you. “Did something happen?”

“I don’t know what magic or whatever it is you did,” you say, not looking at him. “But, you appeared in my room… You looked angry, and, well… You tried to choke me.”

“I tried to choke you?” Dan Feng asks, eyes wide.

You slowly look at him. “Are you saying you didn’t?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Dan Feng says sternly.

“W-Well… It happened."

Neuvilette sighs. “This is concerning. We might need to look into this.”

“Geez,” Bailu says worriedly. “You don’t think we have an evil Dan Feng 2.0 running around, do you?” She crosses her arms and looks up. “Well, maybe the better question is why did that happen?”

“There are still so many things we don’t know,” Zhongli says, scratching the back of his head. “First Furina and now this…”

“Did you say Furina?”

Everyone looks at you.

“Do you know her?” Neuvilette asks.

“Not personally. She was friends with Dan Heng’s mother, and he told me about her.” Your attention falls on Dan Feng. “I wanted to ask you about her.”

“We're likely in the same boat,” Dan Feng answers. “I only know about her through Signora.”

You glance at everyone. “Does she… also know the truth about who you are? Signora, I mean.”

“No, but we plan to.”

Unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng notices the subtle annoyance that flashes across your face. You don’t want your feelings taking control, but has this been his plan all along? To tell Signora? And what about you? If you didn't call him out, when did he plan on telling you the truth?

“I’m not surprised,” you finally say, not looking at him. “Signora and Dan Heng’s mother were close, so she must know about Furina through her.”

“What did Dan Heng tell you about her?” Neuvilette asks.

“It’s not what he told me about her,” you say, taking out your phone. “It’s what he showed me.” You walk up to them and show them Furina’s book on your phone. Dan Feng stands in front of you while the others crowd around you to get a better look. “Dan Heng was reading something called The Book of Curses. It’s supposedly written by Furina, which… I can’t even begin to explain. But, there’s been rumours about her that she’s supposedly crazy.”

“The Book of Curses…” Bailu mutters. “How interesting.”

“Do you, um, have something like this in your realm?”

You hate how awkward you sound.

“We do,” Dan Feng says. “But there is no author.” He leans in to look closer, and your eyes linger on him before it falls onto your phone. “Have you read it?”

“No,” you say, switching to another tab on your phone. “But Dan Heng showed me this.”

This time, it’s the uncanny sketches on your screen.

Zhongli narrows his eyes. “That’s…”

Bailu looks from your phone to Dan Feng several times. “Holy moly… That’s you, Brother Moon!”

“Or, is it Dan Heng?” you ask quietly. “The first time I saw this sketch, I couldn’t understand why Dan Heng would be in here. Furina has never met Dan Heng before the dinner, so… if she really did draw this, she drew it without ever meeting him.” You look at Dan Feng. “I thought the other man was something like another version of Dan Heng.” Dan Feng’s eyes meet yours. “I don’t know if that’s the case anymore.”

Everyone’s eyes are on Dan Feng when he says:

“I’ve never met Furina before, so I can’t answer why she would draw something like this.”

You cross your arms. “You say you’re a god, but… Have you met Dan Heng before?”

The silence is short, but it feels awfully long.

“He was my brother," Dan Feng answers. "The Dan Heng that you know was a reincarnation of him.”

Again with the reincarnations.

“And did you plan on keeping that a secret too?” you ask. “First, the assumption of me being a woman from your past and now Dan Heng being the reincarnation of your brother?” Realizing you let your temper slip a little, you quickly compose yourself. “Anyway… is this…” You swipe to another sketch. “Is this the woman you’re talking about?” Dan Feng’s eyes widen. “Looks like I was right.”

“We need to talk to Furina,” Bailu says.

Zhongli nods. “Yes, but how will we get in touch with her?”

“I’ll do it.”

This time, everyone turns to Neuvilette.

“Do you know her?” you ask.

“I don’t,” Neuvilette answers. “Not in this period at least.”

Neuvilette’s steady footsteps echoed throughout the large courtroom. He was still dressed in his lawyer attire: an elegant dark blue robe that fanned out at the sides and long black boots. It wasn’t long since his last trial had finished, and, of course, it was a clean, swift victory for Neuvilette.

“You wanted to see me?” he asked, stopping in front of a tall man wearing a black eye patch over his left eye.

The man had been staring at the beautifully carved statues of the God and Goddess of Justice when Neuvilette asked the question. He turned with his hands behind his back, and his stoic and sharp gaze landed on the most promising lawyer in the nation.

“I have a new assignment for you,” the man said.

“Well, I’m all ears.”

The man looked past him. “Come in, Furina.”

Neuvilette turned just as someone pushed open the large gates. He looked confused when a young girl with soft white hair and blue streaks walked in. Her hair bobbed up and down as she walked, and it wasn’t until she stood beside Neuvilette that he noticed her eyes were different shades of blue. He found them beautiful, not that he would ever say it out loud.

“This is Furina de Fontaine,” the man said. “Do not be deceived by her appearance. She recently graduated from the same law school as you.” In other words, the best law school in the world. “I want you to mentor her.”

Did Neuvilette hear that correctly? Mentor? Him? He glanced at the woman, and she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye with a little smile.

“Mentor?” Neuvilette asked. “Surely, there’s someone else more… fitting for the job. I—”

“There’s no one I would think is more fitting for the job than you,” the man interrupted. “You’re the best of the best, Neuvilette, something that you take pride in, I’m sure.”

“Or,” Furina said, facing Neuvilette. “Are you afraid I’ll take your top spot?”

“Wow… Bailu says, surprised. “I like her spunk! So, did you mentor her?”

“Yes,” Neuvilette sighs. “The Furina in this world may be a reincarnation of the one I used to know.”

“Well, here’s a thought,” you say. “What if… she’s the same one? Is that possible?”

“This has to be centuries ago. A human can’t live that long.”

You nod at Zhongli. “Yes, of course. But… If gods and reincarnations exist, it might be possible for someone to live longer than they should through magic.” Then, you sigh. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

"You're getting a hang of this quite fast," Dan Feng says.

You exhale softly. "Am I? I'm just thinking back to the rumours..."

You were sitting near the back of the large lecture room when you overheard a conversation between two classmates in the row in front of you.

“Did you hear that Furina is going to be the representative speaker at this month’s seminar?”

“I did,” her friend said dully. “Strange that they would pick her… Kinda don’t want to go.”

They took out their laptops and put their bags on the empty seats beside them.

“What? Why not? It’s easy credits.”

“Well, yeah, but isn’t she sort of… crazy?”

You didn’t see it, but one of them rolled their eyes.

“I’m sure it was a publicity stunt. There’s no way what she could’ve said is true. Past lives? Gods? Magic? It’s all just to get attention.”

"Unwanted attention if you ask me. But, I guess you're right... Who cares if she's crazy? Easy credits."

“Well, now we really need to talk to her,” Bailu mutters.

Zhongli looks at her. “What is it, Bailiu?”

“It’s something us doctors were researching for a very long time,” Bailu says.

You know this is beside the point, but you still can’t hold back. “A doctor?”

Bailu smiles. “Surprised, aren’t ‘cha?” She clears her throat. “But anyway, way back then, we were researching whether we can extend someone’s life. In other words, we were looking into human immortality.”

“Er… This might be a dumb question,” you say. “What do you mean by human immortality?” You glance at everyone else. “Are all of you naturally immortal because you’re gods?”

“Bingo,” Bailu answers. “But a human is not a god and vice versa. We were looking into whether you could live forever as a human! Exciting stuff, huh?"

“What did you find?” Zhongli asks.

“We had a breakthrough when we extended someone’s life by two years,” Bailu says. “But, even then, it took a lot of magic… dark magic.”

“It was why it was banned," Neuvilette adds. “We dealt with quite a few cases involving dark magic, though those were easy to win as it was illegal.”

“So,” you say, “It’s impossible that Furina is the same woman from way back then?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible,” Neuvilette says. “Dark magic, or black magic as some people like to call it, was illegal, but that didn’t stop people from using it. However, the Furina that I knew… she would never use black magic.”

“Sounds like you had a lot of faith in her,” Dan Feng says.

“I mentored her,” Neuvilette says with a soft sigh.

Bailu chuckles. “Aw, don’t tell me she's Neuvi’s first friend.”

“She was a woman with a lot of potential,” Neuvilette admits. “There weren’t many women in law back then, and those who were, unfortunately, left early in their careers.”

“I guess the question now is… How will we get in touch with her?” Zhongli asks.

“Signora is planning on reaching out to her,” Dan Feng says. “That’s one way.”

“Are we leaving it to Brother Moon then?" Bailu asks. "Furina may not be our priority, but we might be able to get some valuable information from her.”

Dan Feng looks at you. “I understand this is a lot to take in at once, and… I apologize for hiding things from you, but you’d be of great help to us.”

You aren’t smiling when you look at him. “I hope this means we’ll be honest with each other.” You don’t mean to sound annoyed. In fact, you can reason why Dan Feng kept it a secret, but something is still nagging at you. “Even if you didn’t want me around, I’d still want to know why I saw what I did.”

“I want to know as well.”

Bailu looks from you to Dan Feng before turning to Zhongli and Neuvilette and pointing at the closed door.

“We’ll leave you two to talk,” Neuvilette says, opening the door.

Soon, you and Dan Feng are the only ones in the hallway.

You have so many questions, yet you don’t know if you want to know the answer. The reason he saved you… Is it because he thought you were the woman he loved? He said it himself, didn’t he? He had to know if you were her reincarnation. But why is he looking for her? To rekindle an old flame? Perhaps have another chance with her in another life because she chose Dan Heng over him? Or… is it not as ‘romantic’ as you think?

“It’s true I saved you for my own purposes that night,” Dan Feng says. “But—”

“I don’t look like her, and… I doubt we have the same name,” you interrupt. “Everything is the complete opposite of Dan Heng. So why…”

“Reincarnations can be a tricky thing. Under some circumstances, the person can be a doppelganger of their past self and even share the same name. But that doesn’t apply to everyone.”

“Why not?” you ask. “What makes one different from the other? Or is it by chance?”

“In short, it has to do with how they accepted their death at the time they died. If they cannot accept their death, they can be reincarnated with the same face and name, which signifies a continuation of their life. If they can accept it, they can be reincarnated as a new person, which means a new start."

"That oddly makes sense." Still, you're surprised that there's a deeper picture behind reincarnations.

“The woman I’m looking for murdered my brother." A chill crawls down your spine at how calm he sounds. “I couldn’t kill her myself, and that drove me insane.” Finally, you look at him, and his eyes darkened. “I never thought, not even for a moment, that she would get the chance to reincarnate after what she did. But then you appeared.”

You step back. “Then… What I saw earlier…”

“There are still so many questions,” Dan Feng says. “Which is why I wanted to get close to you.”

You cross your arms. “So, you can kill me.”

“Yes.” When he sees you stiffen, he says, “I’m being honest with you.”

“Of course.”

“While there are similarities, you’re also a bit different from her.”

“Because I’m not her,” you mutter.

“But that doesn’t explain the dreams and what you saw,” Dan Feng says. “There's reason to believe you’re connected to her.” He looks at your necklace. “It might be related to your necklace.”

You hold it tightly. “How? Dan Heng had it custom-made, so it wasn't like it was passed down. Besides, I’ve had it for a long time… It’s not until—”

Dan Feng slightly tilts his head, curious about why you suddenly stopped. “Not until?”

“It’s not until I met you that the dreams started,” you finish quietly.

“I think it’s best if both of us keep an open mind. You don’t want to be the woman I’m looking for, and frankly… I wish you weren’t.”

“You wish I wasn’t…?”

Dan Feng awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. “Do you want me to kill you?”

“That’s… What kind of a question is that?” You frown. “Of course not.”

“It pains me to say this, but you don’t make the humans seem so bad,” Dan Feng says, looking you in the eyes. Then, he looks away. “Take that as you will.”

You raise a brow. “Do you have something against us, sir?”

His silence speaks volumes, and you don’t question it further.

Dan Feng feels something on his cheek, and when he turns back, he realizes you poked him. "Innocent until proven guilty." Upon seeing his confused look, you roll your eyes. "You said it yourself, didn't you, 'Brother Moon'? There's no proof that I'm her, so unless there is, I think I should be treated as, well… the friend you've known all this time."

His little smirk takes you off guard. “Of course.”

“Well, glad we got that out of the way.” Dan Feng looks at you closely, which finally makes you ask, “What?”

“You looked annoyed when I first mentioned Signora. I’m curious as to why.” When you remain silent, Dan Feng continues, “I thought we wouldn’t have any more secrets between us.”

“It’s not really a secret,” you mutter. Then, you sigh. “It’s nothing.”

“If it’s really nothing, you wouldn’t have been annoyed.”

You frown. “Are you always this stubborn?”

“I don’t think we should tell Signora everything,” Dan Feng says. “At least, we should tell her the truth about who we are because she’s too involved. As for Dan Heng being my past brother and your dreams… That’s a separate matter.”

You're not looking at him when you nod. Again, unbeknownst to you, Dan Feng sees a little smile. 

“Sure,” you say. “I mean… I don’t think we’ll have to start from scratch, at least.”

He smiles. “Then, that's what we'll do."

“Ooh, I think they’re done fighting.” Bailu’s faint muffled voice comes from behind the door.

A small chuckle. “Their first fight.”

“Don’t you two have anything better to do?”

Dan Feng opens the door and Bailu stumbles out. Zhongli stands near the door, and Neuvilette is by the kitchen counter, his hand in the beef jerky bag.

“Um… Hi,” Bailu says sheepishly.

“Let me guess,” you say, looking from Bailu to Dan Feng. “Bailu is not really your sister, is she?”

She puts her hands on her hips. “I’m his self-appointed sister!”

“She does her job well,” Dan Feng says, “for the most part.”

“Hey!”

◆◆◆

A couple of days later, all of you are at Signora’s penthouse in a calm and highly secure neighbourhood. You’re not surprised that Signora looks at you and the rest of the dragon gang like you’ve lost a few marbles after telling her about who they really are. You also tell her about what happened in Lan’s office that day, which still sounds like something out of a fiction novel.

“At this point,” Signora says, sighing, “I think I’ll believe anything.” She looks at Dan Feng. “So? Do you have any magic tricks up your sleeve?”

“He would’ve,” Bailu answers. “If he didn’t use it to save a certain someone.”

You and Dan Feng glance at each other.

Signora puts down her tea. “Ah, yes. I wonder who that could be.”

“Anyway,” you say, “Do you think you can get in touch with Furina?”

Signora smiles. “Who do you think I am?” She crosses one leg over the other. “Better come prepared. We’re meeting her tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” Zhongli asks, surprised. “That’s… fast.”

“Well, when I mentioned a certain someone”—Signora looks at Dan Feng—”she seems pretty eager to meet him.”

“Considering the sketch… I wouldn’t be surprised,” you mutter.

“I wonder how she’ll react once she sees Neuvilette,” Bailu says, glancing at her friend who’s been silent this entire conversation.

“I guess we’ll see,” Signora says. “But from a promising lawyer to owning a luxury empire… That’s quite a jump.”

“And what about Childe and the others?” Dan Feng asks. “Do they know anything about what’s going on?”

“I haven’t heard anything worth mentioning,” Signora answers. “Nor did I tell them that we’re meeting Furnia tomorrow.”

“But, it’s dangerous for you, is it not?” Zhongli asks. “From what you told us earlier… Tsaritsa is making a clear threat on your life.”

Signora sighs. “If my hunch is right, she only wants Lan and Nanook to stay. If I make it clear that I’m not on your side, I doubt she will cause harm.”

Bailu leans back on the couch. “So… You’re not on her side, but you’re not on our side either? I mean…” Bailu looks at you. “She’s already told us what Lan told her about what he did to Dan Heng and his family. It was the pilot and a freaky curse. Is there something else you’re after?”

“Even though I still own My Fair Lady, it's still a part of Lunae’s large corporate umbrella that’s controlled by Tsaritsa. She refuses to give it up, and maybe if I learn who gave Lan that note, maybe I can somehow use that against her.”

“Sounds like a stretch,” Neuvilette says. “But… I do wonder why Tsaritsa doesn’t just let it go.”

“It’s a problem she’s always had,” Signora says. “It’s something all of us know about it. She… has trouble letting things go.”

“Guess that would explain her relationship with Lan and Nanook,” Dan Feng says quietly.

“And the rest of the family,” you add.

“Are you still in contact with them?” Dan Feng asks.

Signora nods. “I drop by the mansion from time to time. Last time I went… They were talking about a man named Sampo and—”

“What?”

Signora glances at the shocked faces. “I… take it you know this man.”

Bailu groans. “Ugh… Sampo? Really? He just multiplied that family’s craziness by like a hundred times.”

Zhongli looks at Dan Feng. “You told us Sampo was the one who called you about Lan getting that note, right?” Dan Feng nods. “Could someone from the family have told him about the note to get in touch with you?”

“We were thinking it could be Childe,” you say, glancing at Dan Feng. “It seems like he’s the one who would want the Aeons gone.”

“Well, I can deduce why he didn’t contact you directly,” Signora says. “He doesn’t want to risk Tsaritsa finding out.”

“So he’s using the Reaper…” Neuvilette says with a small scoff.

Bailu has a deadpan look. “Don’t know if that’s a death wish or what.”

“What else did you hear?” Dan Feng asks Signora.

“Something about a journal that belonged to Pierro’s great-grandfather.”

At Dan Feng’s silence, Bailu leans forward to get a better look at her friend’s face. “What is it?”

“Pierro is someone I’ve been curious about,” Dan Feng says. You can see the gears turning in his head. “There used to be a military general with a similar appearance and the same name as him.” He looks at Signora. “Where is the journal now?”

“With Tsaritsa.”

“Oh, great,” Bailu deadpans. “Should we try clawing it from her dead hands?”

“Now, Bailu,” Zhongli chides. “Violence is never the answer.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Neuvilette advises. “For now, let’s talk with Furina first.”

◆◆◆

Later that night, you’ve just finished an evening meeting for the upcoming project with Lunae. You close your laptop, lean back on the couch, and close your eyes. So much has happened over the last couple of days that you still haven’t had time to process it all. While you usually work from home, due to the project, you occasionally go to the office, but you haven’t seen Lan since that day.

Your eyes snap open upon smelling something like burnt wood and blood. You quickly put your hand over your nose and mouth, and you quickly stand while looking around the empty room.

“I’m sorry, Dan Heng… Dan Feng…”

You spin around. Are you going mad?

When your phone suddenly buzzes, you almost jump. But it’s thanks to that interruption that the smell goes away. You pick up your phone and read the message from Dan Feng on the screen.

Care to join me for a bite to eat?

End notes:

A big earthquake hit the area I'm living in a few days ago, and I'm still shaken and paranoid lol. For the first time, I was legit scared for my life. All is well now though.

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @boomie-123 @sunsethw4

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 10: Furina de Fontaine

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

Somewhere in the city, Sampo and Childe sit across each other, each with a hot drink. The cafe is abuzz with overlapping conversations, so their silence goes unnoticed until Childe’s eyes go from the window to Sampo.

“Are you still thinking about what I said?”

Should Sampo call himself lucky that he met someone like Childe? A man who knows about the Aeons but also wants to get rid of them? After getting kicked out of Dan Feng’s room at Wangshu Inn, Sampo was almost at a loss, and he never thought his job as a reaper would have gotten him out of that pinch. It was years ago, but Sampo had taken the life of a man outside a bar who had stumbled onto a busy road in a drunken stupor. Yet, it’s that experience that Sampo learned about pubs and bars, sometimes frequenting them when he visits the human realm.

And it’s at a small pub that he met Childe, a man who had one too many drinks but was sober enough to still make sense of the world. At first, he rambled about a woman named Tsaritsa, but it was the names Lan and Nanook that caught Sampo’s attention.

“They don’t belong here, you know,” Childe drawled. “They’re a pain in the ass and just because they did her one favour, she can’t get rid of them.”

And now they’re here. Face to face once again but with a similar goal.

“I don’t know whether to call you crazy or mad,” Sampo finally says. “But props for getting your hands on that note.”

Childe smiles. “Oh, it was quite an interesting find. Lan should really learn to keep his doors locked." He finishes the rest of his drink. “We’ll need all the help we can get.”

“Yet, you have no intention of working with them.”

Childe puts his elbow on the table, his hand underneath his chin. “Who? Dan Feng?” He quietly scoffs. “He’s also not supposed to be here in the first place.” Then, his dull blue eyes turn dark. “I hate all beings like you.”

“I see you think with your heart and not your head,” Sampo says flatly. “Pity. Or… is it because you’re afraid of upsetting this woman you call Tsaritsa?” Childe leans back. “You still trust her more than you trust Dan Feng. And without her… sounds like you’d be nothing.”

“You’re walking on thin ice,” Childe says through gritted teeth.

“You just want the Aeons out of her hair so things can return to ‘normal’, whatever that means,” Sampo continues. “But you can’t trust anyone in that family, can you?” He sighs. “Human bonds truly are weak and so pitiful.”

“You’re the one to talk. Gods are no better.”

Sampo crosses one leg over the other and smiles. “And if you’re not careful, we may meet again… except this time it’ll be under drastically different circumstances.”

But Childe remains unfazed. Instead, he asks:

“How did you become the reaper?”

Sampo puts his drink back on the coaster. “Is this relevant?”

“It’s natural to be curious. You must have some wild stories.”

“Stories that should be kept in the dark.” Sampo crosses his arms. “More importantly, you should be worrying about yourself. This woman, Tsaritsa, had Lan and Nanook kill a family, which means she’s capable of doing it again. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get caught in the crosshairs?”

“Why else would I have you do my dirty work?”

Sampo quietly scoffs. “You’d be naive to think you can avoid suspicion forever.”

“Is it just me, or…” Childe smiles. “It sounds like you’re worried about me.”

“Think what you will,” Sampo answers flatly.

“Worse comes to worse… It’s not me who you might meet under different circumstances.”

Sampo raises a brow. Is Childe hinting at what Sampo thinks he is?

◆◆◆

One knock.

No response.

Two more.

Still no response.

So, Rostam puts his hand on his wife’s door and says:

“I’m coming in.”

Once he pushes the door open, he sees his wife sitting at her desk with papers scattered about and a large manila envelope dangerously close to falling off the edge.

Rostam walks up to her, making sure his footsteps are loud enough so she isn’t startled by his sudden appearance. He comes behind her and puts his hands on her shoulders as his eyes scan the papers.

“It’s dinnertime, love,” he says. “What’s keeping you in here?”

“This is supposed to be evidence,” Signora says, slightly shaking her head. She spins her chair around, and Rostam lets her go and sits on the edge of the bed. He holds her hands. “Evidence that she was going replace me if she were still alive.”

“Dan Feng’s mother?”

Signora nods.

Rostam looks at the papers. “But… Is there a point in looking into this now? She’s gone.”

“I had the same thoughts,” Signora says, sighing. “But, I was still curious.”

“I assume you got this from Tsaritsa." Signora nods. "It’s possible she's doing this to mess with your head.”

“Wouldn't be surprised.”

“With all that’s going on,” Rostam says, “it’s hard to trust anyone.”

“Yes,” Signora mutters. “You’re telling me.” She spins her chair to face her desk. “There is some truth in what she said, though. They did want to sell My Fair Lady. But, it also says I’d be put onto a different management team on another company to boot sales and brand image.”

“It looks like a business strategy rather than something out of ill will.”

“What I don’t understand is the person they want to sell it to.” Signora points to a name on paper, and Rostam leans in to look closer. “This woman… While I haven’t personally met her, I have heard a lot of interesting rumours about her.”

“Furina de Fontaine?” Then, it’s as if it hits him. “Wait a minute… The Furina de Fontaine?”

“The woman who runs a luxury empire? Yes.”

“I… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the rich all have connections.” Rostam looks at his wife. “And what are these rumours you’ve heard?”

“That she was insane,” Signora says after a small pause.

“Insane…?"

Signora starts gathering the papers and putting them back into the manila envelope. “I don't remember any specifics,” she says with a small sigh. “I never bothered with them.” With her desk clean and the manila envelope in her hands, she turns to her husband. “But, I know at one point, people thought she should be put into a mental asylum.”

“That’s… crazy.”

“Yeah,” Signora says with a small scoff. “You’re telling me.”

“But… Regardless of the rumours, she’s done well for herself.”

“Yes, which is what baffles a lot of people.” Rostam is the first out of Signora’s room as she turns off the lights. “Her capabilities have caught worldwide attention, and many people have called the rumours a ‘stain’ on her reputation.”

Signora opens the fridge while Rostam begins setting the table for dinner.

“And how did they start?” Rostam asks, putting two plates on the table.

“Can’t tell you,” Signora answers, pouring her and her husband some drinks. “Regardless, I know she and Dan Heng’s mother were close, and you should know I’m not one to ask about gossip about others.”

Rostam and Signora sit opposite each other. “A rumour as interesting as that would pique anyone’s interest. Wonder what she thought about it.”

Signora sighs. “Well, it’s too late to ask."

Rostam picks up his chopsticks and grabs Signora some of her favourite food onto her plate. “Did anything else happen at Tsartisa’s place?”

“Besides a threat to my life if I don’t cooperate with her? No, nothing else.”

“She has another thing coming if she thinks she can do anything,” Rostam says sternly with a frown. Then, he sighs. “Why do I sense you still don’t want to let this go?”

“I have no intention of digging my own grave,” Signora says. “And I’m not going to say I’m doing it for justice.” She stabs her fork into a piece of meat. “I do, however, want to know the truth of what happened and why.”

◆◆◆

Dan Feng comes into the living room with his phone in his pocket. It’s been staying close to him as he’s yet to hear the details of your meeting with Lan, which is strange. Well, at least Dan Feng knows you’re okay from your voice message earlier.

“Your face looks better.” Dan Feng stops and turns toward the kitchen where he sees Neuvilette standing by the kitchen counter with a glass of hot tea. “You looked troubled earlier.”

“Did I?” Dan Feng asks.

“You tell me.” Neuvilette quietly sips his tea. “Is it because of her?” When Dan Feng remains silent, Neuvilette continues, “I take it you finally heard from her.”

“I have,” Dan Feng says calmly, sitting on a tall chair at the counter. “She’s having lunch with the team.” A pause. “Including Lan.”

“Is it just me, or… are you a little too worried about this woman?”

“Worried? I’m not worried.”

Neuvilette grabs his friend a cup, pours him some tea, and puts it in front of him. “You said you had a personal reason for keeping her close. Does it have something to do with how your brother died in this world?”

A pause.

“There’s a possibility she might not be the woman who I thought she was.”

Neuvilette regards his friend for a brief moment. “Is that good, or am I missing something?”

“Tell me, Neuvilette, what do you think about reincarnations?”

“I’ve read about them,” Neuvilette says. “But, it’s sometimes hard to tell whether someone is truly the reincarnation of another. It’s like putting together a puzzle.” He takes another sip of his tea. “Are you looking for someone?”

Dan Feng tightens his grip around his cup. “A woman who my brother and I knew when we were humans.”

And that’s enough to answer half of Neuvilette’s questions.

“And if I may ask… What happened to this woman?”

Another pause.

“She killed herself."

The front door opens, and Bailu’s sing-song voice instantly changes the atmosphere.

“We’re baaack! And we brought snacks!”

The door opens a little wider, and Zhongli enters the apartment with bags of groceries. Dan Feng gets off the chair, and Neuvilette walks to the door to help his friend.

“Traffic was terrible,” Zhongli says, passing a bag to Neuvilette while Dan Feng grabs one from Bailu.

“But we made it out alive!” Bailu follows Dan Feng to the kitchen where he puts the bag on the counter. “Did anything happen while we’re gone?” Dan Feng and Neuvilette glance at each other. “Oh!” Bailu turns to Dan Feng. “Did you hear anything from your girlie friend?”

“Girlie friend?” Dan Feng deadpans.

"Well, last time I called her your girlfriend, and you went all"—Bailu lowers her voice—"'she's not my girlfriend.' So, girlie friend, it is. Doesn't sound as serious."

“She’s having lunch with her co-workers,” Dan Feng says calmly.

“Lan included,” Neuvilette adds.

“Did she say anything about her meeting with him?” Zhongli asks.

“No.”

“Nothing? At all?” Bailu asks, surprised. “Like… she just shot you a simple text that she’s having lunch with one of the most dangerous gods out there?”

Neuvilette opens one of the bags, secretly looking for the snacks Bailu mentioned. “Well, what else can she do?”

Bailu looks at the clock. “But, didn’t they talk for a while?”

Zhongli opens a bag and takes out a bag of beef jerky. “Let’s wait and see.” He passes it to Neuvilette who looks at it curiously. “This isn’t something we can rush.”

“Lan probably planted some weird ideas into her head,” Bailu says, sighing. She takes the bag from Neuvilette who’s having trouble opening it and rips it open. She takes a beef jerky for herself before passing the bag back to him. “But she should know that he’s going to say something strange.”

“Maybe even the truth about us,” Zhongli says quietly. “But… No one would believe that. No human, at least.”

“Here’s a thought…” Neuvilette taste-tests the beef jerky and with a satisfied nod, he nibbles a part of it off and swallows it. “What if she’s not?” He looks at Dan Feng. “What if she’s a reincarnation?”

Bailu slightly raises her hands. “Whoa. What are you talking about, Neuvi? Where did this come from?”

“A conversation Dan Feng and I were having before you came back.”

“And what if she is?” Zhongli asks. “A reincarnation would still be human. They wouldn’t know the truth about gods, magic, and the like.”

Neuvilette passes Bailu the beef jerky bag and she reaches in. “But,” she says, “they could get their memories back, can’t they? I read about that somewhere…”

“There hasn’t been any evidence that they do,” Dan Feng says.

Bailu takes a bite of a long piece of jerky. “Well… Why don’t you take the initiative and text her?” She puffs out her chest. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, and that won’t cause any anxiety or anything,” Neuvilette says flatly, taking the jerky bag back from Bailu.

And that’s when Dan Feng’s phone buzzes with a message. Everyone watches in anticipation as Dan Feng pulls out his phone and reads the text on the screen.

“Well?” Bailu asks carefully after a moment of silence.

“It’s not from her,” Dan Feng says, and the others sigh. “But…” Dan Feng looks up. “Have any of you heard of someone named Furina?”

The jerky bag drops onto the counter.

Bailu looks from the bag to her friend. “Neuvi…?”

“Who told you that name?” Neuvilette finally asks.

Everyone glances at each other.

“Signora,” Dan Feng answers.

“And how does she know that name?”

“You’re scaring me, Neuvi,” Bailu says, a slight quiver in her voice. “Is Furina someone you know?”

Neuvilette takes a small breath. “Perhaps.”

◆◆◆

“Tell me,” Lan said. “Do you believe in gods?”

Perhaps it was his words or his stare, but something compelled you to sit back on the couch, which made you believe you lost your mind.

“And what does that have to do with anything?” you asked flatly.

“Everything,” he answered like it was obvious. “The man you thought was on your side all this time… He’s one of them. One of us."

“Okay,” you said, scoffing. “You’re completely out of your mind.”

“How do you think your boyfriend died?” Your gaze hardened when you looked at him. “It’s unexplainable.”

“Where’s your proof?” you asked flatly.

Lan leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees. “Nanook and I… We cursed the pilot before they left.” His gaze turned sharp. “As soon as that plane took off, they were done.”

“Right… And how did you ‘curse’ the pilot? Wave a magic wand?”

“Please,” Lan said with a scoff. “This is the real world, not one of your fairytales.” Then, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

You gasped when your teacup suddenly shattered into pieces, the coffee pouring perfectly into the small circle on the center of the plate.

Lan sighed and stood. “A pity that this is all I have left. Well, then again, at least I can still do something, unlike Nanook." You slowly looked at him, and he smiled. “The pilot crashed that plane, and when he did, our curse engulfed the entire plane like flames.” You clenched your fists. “It even ate away their bodies. Interesting how some curses work, huh? But, rest assured that it was a painless death.”

“Why?” you seethed. “What would you gain from killing them?”

Lan walked toward you until he was at arm’s length. “I need to find someone, and I had to find someone to help me while I’m in this pitiful realm.” He suddenly grabbed your wrist and pulled you toward him. “And just like Dan Feng, you just might be the woman I’m looking for.”

Then, the phone on his desk rang.

You still aren’t sure what to think.

You’re sitting in front of your computer, looking up anything you can find about gods. While you encounter the common stories and lore, there’s nothing about Lan, Nanook, and… Dan Feng. After some time of coming up empty, you sigh and lean back in your chair. You want to believe Lan is messing with you, and you wish that is the case. But with the cup suddenly shattering and your strange dreams, you’re having second thoughts. You've always been fascinated by deities and their stories, but can they truly exist? 

You look at your phone beside your laptop. You’ve thought about asking Dan Feng, but the scare earlier still makes your hair stand on end.

You'd returned to your apartment and were changing into something more comfortable. After closing your closet door, you spun around when you saw Dan Feng appear behind you. But he wasn't there, only his reflection. Yet, he looked far from the man you know. His eyes were bloodshot, and there were veiny horns on his head that were red as blood. Your hands flew to your neck as there was a tightness in your throat that numbed you.

But all you felt was Dan Heng’s necklace.

Suddenly, just when you were on the verge of losing consciousness, the numbness disappeared. When you looked at your reflection in the large mirror, he was gone, but you saw a handprint on your neck before it vanished.

What in the world was that?

You put your elbows on the table with your hands entwined and Lan’s words echo in the back of your mind: And just like Dan Feng, you just might be the woman I’m looking for.

You remember the late-night conversation with Dan Feng about reincarnations and his one-sided love. If there’s truth in Lan’s words, does this mean Dan Feng thinks you’re that woman…? A woman from his past? A woman from…

You gently put your hands on your boyfriend’s shoulders, and he swiftly turned around. You quietly chuckled, careful not to make much noise as you were in the library. Dan Heng had an open book in front of him. At first, you thought it was a textbook from one of his classes until you sat next to him.

“Magic and reincarnation?” you asked. “I didn’t know you were interested in these kinds of things.”

“Ah, it was a book recommended to me.”

“By who?”

“Furina de Fontaine.”

You sighed. "You really live in a completely different world. That woman is like... a billionaire." You scooted closer to him while Dan Heng got close enough for you to lean your head against his shoulder. "You and your mother went to dinner with her, right? How was it?"

He kissed the top of your head. “It was good.” He closed the book, giving you a peek at the title: The Book of Curses. “This is quite interesting.”

“I trust that it’s not a bunch of strange superstitions, right?”

Dan Heng chuckled. “No. It’s supposedly based on history. Origins, scholars, sorcerers, and the downfall of how magic all ended.”

“Sounds like something straight out of fiction.”

“I thought so too. But, well…”

“Wait a minute.” You leaned in for a better look, and that was when you saw it: a faint name strewn just below the title: Furina de Fontaine.

“She wrote this?” you asked in disbelief. “I…  I don’t mean to sound rude, but you’ve heard of the rumours, haven’t you?”

“I have,” Dan Heng said. “So has my mother.”

“So… Why would she recommend this to you?”

Dan Heng opened the book again and went to a page. Your eyes widened when you saw sketches of three people. Two men with an uncanny resemblance to Dan Heng. The one on the left was a replica while the one in the middle right had longer hair with elf-like ears. The last one on the right was a woman with a soft look in her eyes.

“Is that…” You looked closer at the two men. “Is that you?”

“The thing is… I’ve never met her until that night.”

Your hair stood on end. “Wait, so… you mean she somehow drew you without ever meeting you? And... Why are you in this book?"

You quickly open a new tab and look up The Book of Curses. After scrolling through multiple websites, you finally find the book by Furina de Fontaine. But while you can’t get access to the entire book, there are a few scanned pages available, one of which is the sketch of one of the men that resembles Dan Heng. Except, this time, it isn’t your past lover you see.

◆◆◆

When Childe returns to the mansion that night, he’s not expecting to hear an annoying, familiar voice from the living room.

“When are you going to introduce your new friend to us?”

Childe stops and looks at the young man sitting on the couch. His feet are on the table, but a book covers his face until he lowers it, and then Childe sees Scaramouche’s snarky grin.

“We’re all dying to meet him,” he continues.

“What friend?”

Scaramouche closes his book and puts it beside him. “You’re too old to be playing dumb, Tartaglia.” Childe glares at him. “Oh, sorry. I forgot your real name is off-limits.”

“Are you so bored that you're spying on people?” Childe asks, standing behind the couch opposite Scaramouche.

“I’m just trying to keep the peace, believe it or not,” Scaramouche says. “We don’t want any surprises sneaking up on us now that we already have unwanted ones running around.” His eyes land on Childe. “Did you know Signora came over?”

“I suppose Tsaritsa gave her all the details about selling her business to Furina,” Childe deadpans.

“Is that friend of yours a friend of hers? Are they both total nut jobs?”

“Nut jobs?” Childe asks, scoffing. “With what we know about Lan and Nanook, they’re far from nut jobs.” He puts his hands on the top of the sofa. “All these years of people saying belonged in a mental asylum… Furina might’ve been the sanest out of all of us.”

Scaramouche rolls his eyes. “Oh, please.”

“That man,” a voice says from the shadows of the room before he walks out. “He can’t be trusted.”

Without turning his head, Scaramouche looks at Pierro. “Fancy seeing you here this time of night. Isn’t it way past your bedtime?”

“Sampo is a man who doesn’t play by anyone’s rules,” Pierro says.

“How do you know who he is?” Childe asks, narrowing his eyes. “Have you met?”

“Stop getting involved with him,” Pierro says, ignoring Childe’s question. “If you know what’s good for you… and this family.”

Pierro turns around, but Scaramouche’s order surprisingly stops him. “You’re not just going to leave after saying that, are you?” He stands. “Explain, Pierro. What do you know about this man? Is he a god?”

“I don’t know anything about him,” Pierro says dryly. “But, if you must know, I’ve read about him.”

Scaramouche sighs. “It’s that memoir, isn’t it? Your… great-grandfather’s?”

“Funny how we’re labelling Furina as the crazy one when there’s a candidate that’s just as qualified,” Childe mutters.

“You’d be wise to watch your tongue,” Pierro says, his voice low.

Childe steps back and raises his hands as if surrendering.

“Let me put the two together,” Scaramouche says. “You’re saying you know of that man through your great-grandfather’s journal?”

“How do you know it’s the same guy?” Childe challenges. “Might just be a doppelganger.”

“Sampo is Death,” Pierro says. “Am I wrong? Or, has he not told you?”

Childe crosses his arms and looks away.

“Death?” Scaramouche repeats in disbelief. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? He’s… what? The Grim Reaper?” He looks between the two men. “Well? Don’t just stay bloody quiet!”

“He was the one who made a deal with my great-grandfather before the war,” Pierro says.

Scaramouche sighs. “Okay. I know it’s a bad omen to speak ill of the dead, but can we trust the words of a man who’s been fucking dead for god knows how long?”

“That’s quite cordial coming from you, Scaramouche,” Pierro says flatly.

“Oh, I know,” Scaramouche mutters.

“Where is this journal?” Childe asks. “I want to read it.”

“I do too,” Scaramouche says, sighing. “I feel like it was just yesterday we were labelling you and Furina as the crazies.”

Childe puts a hand on the sofa. “Yes. I remember you told us about this journal a long time ago. We all dismissed it as something ridiculous even when you showed us the man who looked exactly like Dan Heng.”

“Yes, well, it’s with Tsaritsa,” Pierro answers.

“Oh, of course,” Scaramouche says, rolling his eyes. “Ladies first, huh?”

◆◆◆

Dan Feng is reading in the living room when he hears footsteps. He looks up and sees Bailu in her comfy pyjamas.

“Have you talked to Neuvi?” she asks, sitting on the couch adjacent to Dan Feng.

He puts his book down and shakes his head. “Haven’t seen him.”

Bailu looks down. “Oh.”

“Are you worried because of the conversation earlier?”

“Well… When I think about it, none of us really know much about each other, even though we’ve been together for like… what? Years and years and years?”

“It’s reasonable, I think.” Now, Dan Feng looks down. “We might not be aware of individual circumstances, but it’s no secret that all of us suffered. Or else we wouldn't be here.” Then, he looks at her. “If we wanted to talk about it, we would’ve done so by now.”

Bailu sighs. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.” She leans back. “But, it makes me wonder… Who’s Furina? Is she someone like us…? If Neuvi supposedly knows her, then that means she isn’t human. So… Who is she, and what she is doing here?” A gasp. “Could she be the one who released Lan and Nanook? Or knows whoever did?”

Dan Feng doesn’t get a chance to reply as his phone buzzes. He takes it out of his pocket and sees a message from you on the screen.

We need to talk.

End notes:

I've been playing Persona 3 Reload, and it's taking over my life. Anyway, writing bratty Scaramouche gives me life lmao And... Is everyone's pasts connected...? HMMM...

Hope y'all enjoyed this update <3

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

[sunsethw4]

mfw i wont even pull on a single banner in 2.1 because if i dont spend every last pull i get my grubby hands on for boothill and his lc i WILL go insane. his animations are so good im actually gonna *** and *** and **** ** *** ****. the things i would do to this cyborg robocowboy man.

(boothill animation/gameplay leaks under the cut!)

like are you seeing this. his legs? during his basic attack? 180 degrees? doing the split? you’re joking. the subtle tongue thing he does in his idle and ult? you’re Joking. the arch? the poses? the way he plays with the bullets? you’re JOKING. im OVULATING. holy fucking Fuck. fuck. FUCK im writing smut as soon as i get the motivation to sit down and type away. i need to mess with him until he’s short circuiting And overheating. and until his screws come apart because of how fast im thr—

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 9: Suspicion

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

Signora walks up the stone steps of the mansion and pushes the door open. The mansion is quiet, as predicted. She walks toward the living room, her footsteps quietly echoing throughout the house. As soon as she turns the corner, she sees a young man sitting on the couch with a book in his hands.

“Tsaritsa is spoiling you,” Signora says flatly. “Don’t you have school, Scaramouche?”

He shoots her a dirty look. “Looks like the traitor’s back.”

“Take a seat, Signora.”

Signora turns at the sudden voice, but she already knows who it is. Tsaritsa stands behind her in a dark blue dress. She walks past her, and Signora cautiously follows her. Tsaritsa takes the giant armchair while Signora sits on the couch opposite Scaramouche.

“Congratulations on your wedding,” Tsaritsa says. “I’m sorry all of us couldn’t attend the festivity. But I’m sure Childe made up for our absence.”

“Yes,” Signora says flatly, crossing one leg over the other. “He sure enjoyed himself.” She glares at Scaramouche. “Pardon me, but do you have to be here?”

“He does,” Tsaritsa answers.

“You heard the lady,” Scaramouche says with a mocking grin.

“Then, let’s skip the small talk, shall we?” Signora asks, turning her attention back to Tsaritsa. “What was so urgent that you couldn’t have called?”

“I’m sure you’re aware we have an imposter on our hands.”

Signora softly sighs. “And I’m sure you heard that from Childe.”

“Whose side are you on?”

Without turning her head, Signora shoots Scaramouche a look.

“Side?” Signora asks with a scoff. “I’m on no one’s side.”

“You were the closest to the brat out of all of us,” Scaramouche says.

Signora quietly scoffs just as Tsaritsa cuts in. “What Scaramouche is saying is that he hopes you won’t let your emotions get the better of you.”

“Word from the mutt is that you’re being all buddy-buddy with the imposter and his girlfriend.”

“Ah, I see where this is going,” Signora says flatly, ignoring Scaramouche and looking at Tsaritsa. “You’re scared that I’m helping the cute little imposter. Well, Tsaritsa… You wouldn’t have anything to worry about if you really had nothing to do with what happened to Dan Heng.” Signora leans back. “Are you scared of who this man is? Or… Are you scared of what he’ll find?”

Tsaritsa’s stoic look never leaves. Instead, she regards Signora with a stern look. “You should be worrying about yourself, Signora. This man… The imposter. He’s not who he says he is.”

“I don’t care who he is,” Signora says. “I just want to find out what happened to Dan Heng.”

“Then what if he was one of them?”

Signora slightly narrows her eyes. “One of who?”

“One of the people who isn’t supposed to exist.”

“Is this some kind of joke?”

Yet, underneath her unfazed exterior, she’s asking all sorts of questions. She knows about the two suspicious men who entered Tsaritsa’s life a little before the accident and with Tsaritsa keeping their profiles low, Signora doesn’t know much about them besides the gossip that she heard from different people in the family. Columbina described them as “foreigners” while Childe said they’re “businessmen from out of town.” Regardless, no one tells her more, which is to be expected as she’s been growing distant from the family even before what happened to Dan Heng.

“Is this a confession?” Signora continues, “Whatever it is, it sounds like those men should be in jail.”

The mocking smile on Scaramouche’s face makes her want to punch him.

“Good luck with that,” he says. “Just because there’s a confession doesn’t mean they’ll be arrested. You still need evidence.”

“If it weren’t for them, Signora,” Tsaritsa says, “do you really think My Fair Lady would be where it is today? They pretend to be your friends… but all they do is end up stabbing you in the back.”

“I am where I am today because of their help,” Signora says, referring to Dan Heng’s family. “I owe them a lot. Whatever grudge you have against them… Don’t drag me into it.”

“Did you know they were going to sell it?” Tsaritsa asks calmly. “After promoting you and getting you to put in the work, they were going to kick you out and give the company to someone else.” Signora narrows her eyes. “Do you want evidence?” Scaramouche tosses a wide manila envelope on the table. “It’s up to you whether you want to see the truth.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Signora challenges.

Tsaritsa’s eyes turn dark. “The imposter doesn’t belong here. I won’t tolerate anyone who’s helping him. You’re smart, Signora. I’m sure you understand what I’m getting at.”

So, it’s either Dan Feng or her. Signora glances at the envelope on the table. If there’s truth in what Tsaritsa is saying, then Signora is stuck between a rock and a hard place as Tsaritsa’s motives are anything but pure.

“Fine.” Signora takes the envelope off the table. “But answer me this. Who are those men? What happened on that plane?”

Scaramouche’s eyes flash towards Tsaritsa.

“Dan Heng and his family are gone,” Tsaritsa answers. “But, what happened after the crash is a fate worse than death.”

Well, that leaves Signora with more questions than answers.

◆◆◆

A couple of days later, you’re still getting resettled into your parent’s old apartment. But, at least all the big things are out of the way, and it’s just cleaning and personalizing the space to make it feel like yours again. Dan Feng texted you earlier today, asking if you need help unpack. In response, you jokingly invite him over to help you. And you’re surprised that’s exactly what he does.

“What are you expecting me to do?” he asks, helping you reach a spot on an old bookshelf in the small den to wipe off the dust. “Sit here and enjoy tea while watching you clean?”

You smell the slight musky scent of his cologne. “Well, no, but—”

You turn around, and Dan Feng’s standing behind you. Your face warms as you see a view of his bare chest. Your eyes follow the necklace that disappears into his tank top, and then you hear:

“Cat got your tongue?”

You immediately look up and see Dan Feng looking at you. Then, you playfully jab him.

“Well, you’re standing a little too close.”

Dan Feng reaches past you and takes a book off the shelf before stepping back.

“I never knew you were into historical novels,” he says. He smiles slightly as he goes through the book. “Brings back memories.”

“Memories?”

“Ah… I meant that I read this book a long time ago,” he says, closing the book. “It was one of my favourites.”

In truth, Dan Feng knows the novelist who penned the famous novel that continues to become a popular adaptation and inspiration for popular culture.

“Really?” you ask. “Have you read the entire trilogy?”

“Of course. Have you?”

“Of course.”

Dan Feng smiles as he hands you the book. “Then, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind a pop quiz.”

“And what do I get if I beat this pop quiz?”

“Anything you want.”

You slightly narrow your eyes. “Let’s be serious, shall we?”

“What do you want?” He glances at the necklace around your neck. “Besides getting to the bottom of what happened with Dan Heng.”

You turn around and put the book back on the shelf. “If I remember correctly”—you face him once again—"you’ll only be here for a year."

Dan Feng slightly tilts his head. “Since when would you like me to stay?” he asks teasingly.

“I never said that.”

“Then why bring it up?”

“I mean…” You take a small breath. “We’re friends now. And—”

“Oh,” Dan Feng says with a small chuckle. “Are we? I didn’t get the memo.”

You give him a deadpan look, and he smiles at you.

“I… I just think it’d be nice if you could stay,” you say, avoiding his eyes. “But, if you can’t, hey, it’s no big deal.”

Dan Feng walks until he’s in front of you. “I’d need a reason to stay.”

“Guess the scenery isn’t enough.” You slowly look at him and meet his eyes. “So? What about that pop quiz?”

And that’s when his phone goes off.

You resume cleaning while Dan Feng pulls his phone out of his pocket. The unknown number on the screen makes him slightly suspicious, but he eventually faces away from you and answers the phone.

“Hello, my little dragon friend.”

Sampo’s voice takes Dan Feng completely off guard.

"What the—"

You turn towards him, curious about the shock.

"Seems like human technology is the closest thing to magic nowadays," Sampo drawls.

“How did you get my number?”

“Oh, I still got a little magic left in me. Maybe not as much as I want, but hey, guess I can’t complain in a magicless, dull world like this one.”

“Why are you calling me?” Dan Feng asks flatly.

“Because I got a little piece of information that I think will interest you. This Aeon business… It no longer just concerns you after all." Dan Feng slides a hand into his pocket. "It’s not just Lan and Nanook we’re dealing with,” Sampo says with a hint of seriousness that’s unlike anything Dan Feng has heard. Sampo looks at the piece of paper in front of him. “There’s someone else.”

“Someone else…?”

Sampo looks at the ginger leaning against a car in front of him.

“No idea who," Sampo says.

“Well, what does this person have to do with them?”

Sampo looks at the piece of paper in his hand. “I think he’s controlling them.” Dan Feng’s eyes go wide. Again, you look at him. But this time, you walk over. “Look, I don’t know all the details. But, I’ll send you what I know.”

Then, the line goes dead.

Somewhere in the city, Sampo slips his phone inside his pocket and looks at Childe who gives him a little smile.

Back at your place, you look from Dan Feng’s phone and back to him.

“Is everything okay?” you ask. “Who was that?”

“A… An acquaintance, I guess you can call him.”

“An acquaintance? Well… What did they want?”

“He said it’s not just Lan and Nanook we’re dealing with.”

You don’t like the sound of that.

“So… There’s someone else? How do they know?”

“I know just as much as you,” Dan Feng mutters.

Then, his phone buzzes, and it’s a picture message. Dan Feng doesn’t try hiding his phone, so you get a good look at the chilling message on the screen.

Time’s ticking

You and Dan Feng glance at each other.

This was a message to Lan.

But from whom? And what is it supposed to mean?

“If this is proof that there’s someone else…” you begin. “I mean, anyone could’ve written this as a sick prank.”

“We shouldn’t disregard it, though.”

“What is it supposed to mean?” you wonder. “Sounds like they’re on a deadline for something.”

And does it have anything to do with why they escaped?

Dan Feng glances at you, wondering if your curiosity is something he should be careful about. But another thought hits him. How does Sampo know about this mysterious message? From Lan? Or someone close to him? And now that they have a new character in the shadows to worry about, what is this person after? 

“Whoever leaked this to this acquaintance of yours,” you begin, “it must be someone close to him.” When Dan Feng looks at you, he can see the gears turning in your head. “You don’t think it’s our Carrothead, is it?”

That almost cracks a smile out of him.

“‘Our’ Carrothead?” Dan Feng asks with a quiet scoff. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

You sigh. “I’m just wondering if this has anything to do with what happened to Dan Heng.”

“I don’t know,” Dan Feng answers quietly. “I wish I had an answer for you.”

◆◆◆

Dressed in black flare pants and a white blouse, you walk into the lobby of a large building—the headquarters of one of Lunae’s subsidiary companies and your temporary place of employment where you’ll work with the team on the design project for the next few months. There’s a large, open coffee shop to your right where you see people talking about work or lounging with co-workers. To your far right near the back wall is a small crowd waiting for an elevator—eight total with four on either side.

“Hi,” you say, reaching the receptionist’s desk. Then, you give her your name. “I have a meeting with the creative director.”

The young man grabs an iPad and taps through it a few times before looking at you. “Yes, I have you scheduled with him for this afternoon.” After a couple more taps, he opens a drawer and hands you a transparent card. “His office is on the top floor.”

“Thanks.”

So, you take the card key and head to the elevators.

It feels like it’s just yesterday that you’re getting resettled in your parents’s apartment, but days fly by and before you know it, it’s already time for you to meet Lan.

The conversation with Dan Feng in your apartment is still on your mind. While you’re dying to know about the message and what it could mean, you haven’t done anything to act on your curiosity. If Childe is the one behind the mysterious leak, why would he tell you anything about it? And how does he know about Dan Feng’s mysterious acquaintance? This leads to your biggest question. Who is Dan Feng’s acquaintance? You only have a name and a brief statement of how Dan Feng described him.

Sampo.

“He’s… neither friend nor foe.”

No one, including Dan Feng’s friends, wants to elaborate more on him, which raises your suspicions. You’ve even tried searching him online but came up with nothing. So, you drop it, despite the red flags you’re seeing. And that’s not the only suspicion nagging at you.

It was a chilly evening when Bailu invited you to their flat for dinner. Just a few days prior, Caelus had called it a “fated coincidence” that your flat and Dan Feng’s were right across the hall from each other. Bailu had also positive things to say about this “fated coincidence.”

“It’ll be so much easier to see each other!” she had said.

So, here you were. Sitting across from Dan Feng at a dinner table with plates of food on the table that was supposedly prepared by Bailu.

“Yeah, these guys don’t know how to cook,” Bailu said. “They’re still newbies at the craft.”

“We’re learning,” Dan Feng said calmly.

“And where did you learn how to cook, Bailu?” you asked.

“I taught myself! And now I’m teaching these guys.”

You’d wanted to ask more but this wasn’t the topic of discussion for the evening. Why you were really here was to discuss what to do with Lan.

“So, if the creative director is Lan, how will you nab him?” you asked. “I suppose you can’t just waltz into his office and cuff him.”

“Yes,” Zhongli said. “It’s… a little more complicated than that.”

You put your bowl down. “I see. I actually tried looking up information about him and Nanook online... There’s usually a list you can look up for wanted people.”

Neuvilette, who had been casually drinking his tea, put his cup down. “It’s a lot more complicated than you think. They’ve changed names and appearances. Frankly, we don’t know if they still look like the people we remember.”

“They must know we’re after him,” Bailu huffed. “But, don’t worry”—she looked at you—”I know you’ll be safe.”

“I, well, I hope so,” you said. “I would think if he kidnapped me, it would attract local maybe even national attention. I doubt that’s what they want.”

“We wouldn’t let you get kidnapped in the first place,” Dan Feng said. “But, it’s possible he’s acting on an agenda different to Tsaritsa.”

“You mean… The crazy family doesn’t know what they’re up to?” Bailu asked. “But… Why? I thought they’d be in this together.”

“There’s also that note you told us about,” Zhongli said. “If Lan is acting on a different agenda, would that mean no one knows about that note?”

“Or, is it him and a traitor?” Neuvilette asked.

Bailu reached over and grabbed a large piece of salmon with her chopsticks. “Well, why don’t we look at it this way? Is there a possibility of a traitor? If yes, who and why?”

You never get an answer, but something is nagging at you. You’re still not getting the full picture. Something’s missing, and it wouldn’t bother you as much if the suspicion falls on Lan. No. It bugs you that part of it lies with the group you’re supposed to trust. But one thing’s for sure. You feel safer with them, and you’ve learned to trust your gut more than anything.

The stares you get when you swipe the card that’s different from everyone else’s doesn’t go unnoticed. And as predicted, you’re the last one to get off the elevator. The sound of your heels echoes softly on the marble floor as you walk to the single room at the end of the brightly-lit hall that’s of a beige and white colour scheme with an antique placed in front of areas where the walls were a dark brown.

You reach a dark brown door at the end of the hall, and you hear something like drawers closing and papers shuffling from the other side. 

You knock once.

No answer.

Twice. 

Still no answer.

You’re about to knock again when you hear:

“It’s open.”

You enter and see a man standing in front of a large monitor. 

“Did I come at a bad time?”

He shuts a drawer. “No. you’re right on time.” Then, he gestures for you to sit on the couch and walks to the table with a coffee machine. “Coffee? Tea?”

“I’m okay, thanks,” you say, sitting on one of the black couches.

Regardless, he starts up the coffee machine and says:

“The team you’ll be working with will be arriving a little later, but I’ve been hearing a lot about you.” He leans against the table while facing you. “Your work and reputation are among the best in the industry.”

“While I’m flattered, surely you didn’t call me here just to compliment me on my work.”

“You’re right. I want to talk to you about Dan Feng.” You slightly narrow your eyes as he says your name. “How much do you know about me?”

Is this a trick question?

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re technically my boss at this point,” you say calmly.

“Dan Feng and I… No. Dan Feng and us. We go a long way back. Did he tell you?”

Looks like this is far from the work-related conversation you’re expecting. 

“How do you know Dan Feng?”

Lan’s smile is unsettling. The coffee machine comes to a stop, and he turns around.

“He and his friends were the ones who put us in jail.” The casual tone makes it sound like it’s part of a daily routine like cooking or laundry. You feel oddly trapped as he walks towards you with two cups of coffee. As if you’re playing right into his hand. “Oh, I’m sorry.” He puts a cup of black coffee in front of you. “Did that scare you?”

“What are you doing with Tsaritsa?”

Lan sits on the opposite sofa across from you. “We met by chance.” He quietly sips his coffee. “She helped us in our time of need.”

“Then, she’s also a criminal.”

His eerie smile almost makes your palms sweat.

“But, she’s better than them, at least.” Lan nods at your coffee. “You’re wasting a perfectly good coffee.”

You still don’t pick it up.

“What did she make you do?” you ask through gritted teeth.

“Do what?”

“She had you do something to the plane Dan Heng was on,” you say, clenching your fists. “Didn’t she?”

“You’re making some wild assumptions here.” Lan crosses one leg over the other. “What do you think she had us do?” He sips his coffee. “Come on. Give me your best shot.”

“You killed someone,” you say sternly. “And you’re treating it as a game?”

How fucking insane.

“Isn’t that what life is? One big game?”

“We’re done here,” you mutter, standing.

“Oh, but are we?”

The dangerous look in his eyes chains you to your spot.

“Even if you go to the police, they’ll never figure out how he was killed,” Lan continues. “Even if you have a confession, it won’t work without evidence.” A small, amused grin. “The human law is truly interesting.”

“Human law…?” you quietly ask.

“Looks like no one’s told you.” Lan puts his coffee down. “If you take a seat, I’ll tell you the truth.”

You look at him skeptically. “About what?”

“About who I am. Who Dan Feng is… because he’s been lying to you since day one.” He nods at your coffee. “Then you’ll know who your real friends are.”

Tag list: @lunavixia @sunsethw4 @boomie-123 @aerithsthingss

[sunsethw4]

Chapter 8: Late Night Talk

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

Dan Feng was heading toward the military training grounds when he caught his best friend standing outside the chamber belonging to a general. Her back faced the wall, and when Dan Feng got closer, he heard faint conversations from the room. When he said her name, she immediately turned to him, and that was when he saw how pale she looked.

“Are you looking for Dan Heng?” he asked.

It was the only logical reason why she would've wandered here as Dan Heng spent much of his time training with the growing military. By now, Dan Feng and Dan Heng had known her for years as her father had become a trusted friend and was still their calligraphy teacher.

“Dan Feng…! I—”

The door slid open, interrupting her. A tall, muscular man shot the girl a disapproving look.

“Who are you?” he sternly asked. “What are you doing here?”

"I-I'm sorry! I—"

Dan Feng calmly walked up beside her. “She was looking for my brother.”

"She shouldn't be here," the man said, frowning. "You know that, Dan Feng."

"I came here on my own," the girl said quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

Dan Feng took her hand. "I'll keep an eye on her." Then, he led her elsewhere  before the man could ask more questions.

You followed them until you heard another man quietly asked:

“Do you think she overheard us?” You turned back and saw two men. The one who had asked the question stood just behind the muscular man. “It’d be a problem if she did.”

“We’ll deal with her later.”

Deal with her later? What was that supposed to mean? But, you didn’t dwell on the thought as you hurried to catch up with her and Dan Feng.

Once they were a distance away, she quietly said:

“I wasn’t looking for Dan Heng.” Their eyes met. “I was looking for you. The maids said you were at the library, but I didn’t see you there. So, I thought you might’ve been at the training grounds.”

“You just missed me,” Dan Feng said, not fully understanding why he was strangely happy she was looking for him and not his brother. But then, his rationality kicked in. “Why would you take the long way?”

“Oh… That’s…”

Her mouth was moving, but you couldn’t hear anything, despite standing a short distance away. Dan Feng, however, didn’t seem to question anything further. Yet, you saw how he looked at her with warmth and care. It was a gaze that reminded you of a budding, pure adolescent love.

Suddenly, another strong wind nearly knocked you off your feet. Your arms were over your face, and when the wind subsided, you slowly put them down and found that woman standing in front of you.

Okay. This wasn’t creepy at all.

You looked around. Where did Dan Feng go?

“I didn’t mean it,” you suddenly heard her say, and your attention returned to her. “Please… Tell him I didn’t mean it.”

Your eyes fly open, and you immediately sit up, greeted by the shadows on the walls and the soft rain hitting the window. Another dream. That much is obvious. But, why does it feel you’re somehow getting involved? Does that make sense? Are you losing it? Why are you having these weird dreams in the first place?

You think of Dan Feng.

It’s not strange to dream about people you know or have seen. It is, however, strange that you’re seeing Dan Feng and Dan Heng as kids… and now you���re seeing Dan Feng as a teenager when you’ve never met him back then. But the biggest mystery is…

Who in the world is this girl?

Suddenly, it hits you. Are you dreaming about the woman Dan Feng is in love with? Was in love with? Earlier at the elevators, you and Dan Feng are interrupted by tourists. Yet, just before that, you still learn what the woman looks like, and it's eerie that she fits the description of the girl in your dream.

You grab your phone off the nightstand. Before you know it, you have the texts between you and Dan Feng open on your screen. What? Are you going to text him?

Hey, I just had another dream about you and that girl. 

You delete it shortly after writing it. Then, you turn your phone face down on the bed while slightly shaking your head. You remember the curiosity in his eyes when you first mentioned your dream, and his words come back to haunt you.

“Did it mean something? Trigger something?”

Trigger… what? The only thing you can see it triggering is a creepy time progression. You’re thinking about whether or not to mention this dream to him when your phone buzzes.

Are we sending good morning texts to each other now?

You’re confused at the weird text from Dan Feng until you see that you accidentally sent him a heart emoji when you put your phone face down on the bed. 

That was an accident.

You’re biting your bottom lip upon seeing those terrifying three dots that mean someone is typing something.

I’ll take your word for it.

You almost sigh out of relief, feeling glad he won't go on about how ridiculous that excuse sounds. Heck. You probably won’t believe it if someone said that to you.

But you were thinking about me.

Your hands, still holding your phone, fall onto the bed. Unbeknownst to you, your cheeks are a little red. Your phone buzzes again.

What’s keeping you awake? I’m all ears.

Should you tell him about your dream? Maybe not seeing his face will make it a little easier…?

I had another dream.

You quickly put your phone down, remembering to shut off the screen before you do in case of another accidental heart emoji. Your phone buzzes faster than you anticipated.

Do you want to talk about it?

Perhaps now is a good time to continue that conversation about Dan Feng’s mysterious lover.

Yes.

“Are you normally up this early?” he asks as soon as the line goes through. 

"Early or late?" you deadpan. “Trust me, I wish I wasn’t." Your head hits the pillow. “I… didn’t wake you, did I?”

“Interrupted a bathroom break, but I’ll live.”

You lie back down on the bed. “Could you tell me more about that woman?”

“You dreamt about her?”

“Yeah… and you were there, too.”

“And what about Dan Heng?”

“He wasn’t there this time,” you say quietly. “It was mostly just the two of you in addition to two guards? I think they were guards, and…”

As Dan Feng listens to you, the more awake he becomes. He remembers this. Vividly.

“I thought I might bump into you along the way,” she said in response to Dan Feng’s question about why she took the long way instead. “I wasn’t sure if you'd be at the training grounds after all.”

“Well, you found me,” Dan Feng said, noticing a small leaf that was in her hair. He reached toward her but stopped just before touching her. “You have something in your hair.”

“Oh, do I?” She tried to get rid of it herself, and Dan Feng chuckled as her efforts were futile. “Is it gone?”

He took her hand, guided it toward the leaf, and gently swiped the leaf away.

“Now it is.” He let her go. “So, why were you looking for me?”

“I need a model.”

“A model?”

She nodded. “For one of my designs. Dan Heng already agreed to model for one of them, and—”

“You already asked my brother?”

It shouldn’t bother him. So, why did it?

“I’m creating two designs,” she said, a little blush spreading across her cheeks. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you have the, um, right figure that will work well with the clothes. Dan Heng’s a little different, so he’d look better with the other clothes I’m designing.”

Ah. So, it was about finding the right model.

“Sure. I’d be happy to.”

“Really?”

Dan Feng scoffed. “No, silly. I lied. You can ask Dan Heng.” She gave him a deadpan look, and he smiled. “Of course.”

“And then she appeared in front of me,” you say, dragging Dan Feng back to the present.

“Appeared in front of you?” 

You sigh. “Look, I’m not crazy.”

“I never said you were.” You hear something that sounds like he’s sitting upright on the bed. “This woman… We’ve known each other since we were kids. Just like you and Dan Heng.”

“Sounds like a childhood love story.”

Just like you and Dan Heng.

“Not exactly,” Dan Feng says after a short pause. “She chose my brother… over me.”

How… What are you supposed to say to that?

“But, in the end, they both passed,” he says after a short pause.

Your eyes widen. “Oh… I’m… I’m so sorry.”

“The fact that you’re dreaming about her… It’s fascinating, honestly.”

“You asked me before if my dream triggered something,” you say. “It sounded like you had something in mind.”

Again, you hear something shift.

“Sometimes, our dreams and memories are connected. I was entertaining the possibility that you were dreaming about something that happened to you.”

You quietly scoff. “Well, okay. I can buy the whole ‘our dreams and memories being connected’, but"—you roll onto your other side—"I think it’s established that the woman I’m dreaming about is not me.”

“Here’s a question. Do you believe in reincarnation?”

“Are you… Are you really trying to have a philosophical conversation with me at like four in the morning?”

A soft chuckle. “It’s the perfect hour for unhinged thoughts.”

“Well, please. By all means.”

“I believe in it," Dan Feng says.

“Any reason why?”

Not that he’s seen it or anything…

“It gives you hope, does it not?”

“Does it?” you mutter, sitting up and leaning against the bedframe. “I don’t know… If it were me, I probably wouldn’t want to come back. Not as a human, at least.”

“Then, what would you like to be?”

“A swan,” you say after a pause.

Unbeknownst to you, your answer surprises him as that isn’t the answer she once gave him.

“Not as unhinged as I thought.”

You chuckle. “You think? Well, what about you?”

“I wouldn’t,” he answers calmly.

“You… wouldn’t?”

“I wouldn’t want to reincarnate.”

“I can see that,” you say after a short silence.

Again, your answer surprises him.

“Going back to your dream…” Dan Feng says. “After she appeared in front of you, did she say anything?”

“Oh, now you’re curious?” you tease. “Um, well… She said she didn’t mean it. To tell ‘him’ that she didn’t mean it. I... Maybe she's talking about you."

Back in Dan Feng’s room, he’s gripping his phone tightly.

“That’s it?” he finally asks.

“That’s it.” Then, after a short pause, you say, “I can’t help but think it has something to do with what that guard said. They’ll deal with her later? Scared that she overheard them? I…” You take a small breath. “I don’t know. It makes me wonder what she overheard.”

“I wonder if you’ll dream about that next,” he finally says.

“I’d rather not,” you mutter. “This is too creepy for me.”

“Too creepy that you can’t sleep even though you got it off your chest?”

“Um, yeah, a little,” you say, sounding like you’re stating the obvious. “I’m dreaming about you and… a woman from your past in some kind of weird alternate reality? Yeah, I can definitely fall asleep after that.”

“Then, why don’t I tell you a story?”

“A story?” you ask. Then, skeptically, “And how good are your storytelling skills?”

“I'll let you be the judge.”

You start making yourself comfortable. “Someone sounds confident.”

“So, are you ready to hear a little about magic?”

Little do you know that he’s about to tell you more about his past life with slight changes to the names.

It was a quiet and cloudy late afternoon. The ground was damp with small puddles scattered around the palace courtyard from the light rain this morning. Everything was as it always was. Quiet. Peaceful. Calm. But that wouldn’t be the case if some people knew what Dan Feng was up to…

“My, you learn fast.” A middle-aged scholar, who was also Dan Feng and Dan Heng’s teacher, was watching the elder brother effortlessly making a feather float at just seven years old. “You and your brother are talented indeed.”

“This is too easy,” Dan Feng said, controlling the feather with his hand and then allowing it to fall gracefully onto the wooden table. “Surely, there’s more to magic than making something float.”

“I know how overly ambitious you are, but you’re already doing magnificently well for your age. And, don’t forget, there are limits to magic.”

“Like what?”

“The more advanced, the more it can take a toll on your body,” the man answered. “There are also a lot of unknowns right now, so we have to proceed with caution.”

“But… You know what else it can do, right?” The old man regarded him with a look that said he wasn’t naive. “I can keep a secret. It’s not like you’re teaching me anything dangerous.”

“I’m not afraid you’ll tell other people,” he said calmly. “I’m afraid you’ll go off and try it yourself. Worse if you drag your brother into it.”

Dan Feng rolled his eyes. “You worry too much.”

“Do I?”

“It’s worse if you don’t tell me,” Dan Feng argued. He put his elbows on the table. “Can we teleport? Or… Make things appear out of thin air?”

Suddenly, the door slid open, and Dan Feng’s mother walked in. Her eyes were sharp, and she regarded the scholar with a look of disapproval.

“This isn’t what you were supposed to be teaching him.”

“It’s not his fault,” Dan Feng said. “We finished our lesson, and I wanted to learn.”

“Magic isn’t something you’re supposed to dabble in. It’s dangerous.”

“It’s just a simple spell.”

His mother sighed. “I should’ve known you’d find other ways to get what you want.” Dan Feng smiled proudly. Then, she nodded at the door. “I’d like to have a word with him in private.”

“He’s not in trouble, is he?” Dan Feng asked, looking from his mother to his teacher.

“No.”

However, Dan Feng didn’t leave right away after stepping out of the room and sliding the door shut.

“I’ve received word that Penacony is developing something big using magic that’s beyond our imagination,” he heard his mother say.

Penacony…? That was the nation on the other side of the ocean of Xianzhou.

“Yes, I’ve read about it," the scholar said. "It’s… a little concerning how much they know.”

Dan Feng slightly turned his head toward the door.

“They’re progressing too fast. We need to start moving faster if we want to remain competitive as a magically advanced nation.”

“I do not want to assume the worst, but it makes me wonder where they’re getting all of this information from. We’ve already restricted their informational resources and supplies to continue testing certain types of magic.”

“Yes… I have my suspicions, and—”

“Brother?” Dan Feng spun around and saw Dan Heng with his hands behind his back. “What are—”

Dan Feng had put his hand over his brother’s mouth and quickly dragged him away before the door slid open.

By the time you open your eyes the next morning, you almost jump out of bed. You slept straight through breakfast, but at least you still have an hour before you have to check out. You just finished your daily morning routine when a knock comes at the door. They can’t be kicking you out already, can they?

But as soon as you open it, you’re surprised to see Dan Feng, and he’s holding some food in a brown paper bag with the logo of the coffee shop close by.

“Before you ask… I almost slept through breakfast,” Dan Feng says. “Got there at nearly the last minute, and I asked if you had already come down. After checking their records, they said no.”

“So… You went through all the trouble to buy me breakfast?” you ask skeptically. “It isn’t poisoned, is it?”

Dan Feng scoffs with a small smile. “It is partly my fault you stayed up so late.”

You take your breakfast from him and let him inside.

“I blame you for leaving it on a cliffhanger,” you say, opening the bag and seeing a medium-sized coffee and a hearty sandwich with a cute pudding cup for dessert.

"At least you fell asleep." You walk past him, sipping your coffee and putting your breakfast on the small counter as he pulls out his phone and leans against the counter. “Bailu keeps asking me if we’re coming together.”

“Why?”

“I guess she misses you, but she’s too embarrassed to say so.”

“Well, why not?” you ask, reaching for your wallet. “Split the cost.”

You hand him money to pay him back for your breakfast, but he just looks at it. You gesture for him to take it, but he asks:

“Did I ask you to pay me back?”

“Well, no… but—”

“Keep it,” Dan Feng says.

You slightly narrow your eyes. “You’re not going to ask for another tour around the city, are you?”

“It’s on me.” He pushes himself off the small counter and walks until he’s in front of you. “The next time we go out, it won’t be because of anyone owing the other anything.”

You aren’t sure why, but you can’t hold his stare. “Sure. Sounds good to me.”

You can still feel him staring at you when you hear him chuckle.

“I’ll let you finish packing,” he says, walking towards the door as your phone suddenly buzzes. “And I’ll call for a cab.”

“Wait.” Dan Feng turns around, but you’re looking at your phone. “Looks like we may know the identity of the creative director I’m meeting.”

Dan Feng walks over until he’s beside you. You slightly lean in his direction to show him a message from your boss that your meeting with Arashi, the creative director, is confirmed for next week. There’s also an address to the office you’re supposed to meet at.

"I found it surprising I couldn't find anything about him online," you say.

“Regardless, it's not a very good cover-up."

“You think it’s one of those people Zhongli and Neuvilette looking for?”

“I don’t think it’s one of them.” He looks at you. “I know.”

It’s then you realize how close you two are. Your heart unexpectedly hammers in your chest; your breath gets caught in your throat, and your face begins to warm until you look away.

“It’s because of the character of his name, right?” you ask.

“Oh? Have you studied kanji before?”

“My father was a language professor. So, he taught me growing up.” You can tell that Dan Feng looks intrigued. “ It’s also how I got into Chinese calligraphy.”

“Really? Well, why didn’t you say so?” Dan Feng asks with a little smile.

“You never asked.” He gives you a deadpan look, and you gesture back to your phone. “Let’s not get off topic.”

He leans slightly closer. “You started it.” Then, he walks past you, grabs the small memo pad off the desk, and writes the character for Lan. “This can mean mist or storm, depending on how you read it. And in Japanese—”

“Storm means Arashi.”

“Bingo.”

You exhale softly and sit on the bed. “Let’s not jump to conclusions so quickly. There’s a chance we might not be right. If he is Lan, I’m sure someone like Childe would’ve told him about you and me. So… Why bother hiding his identity this way if he knows we’d figure it out?”

“You’re assuming that they know everything about us.” Dan Feng faces you and leans against the table. “I don’t know how much Tsaritsa and her family know about you, but Lan and Nanook… They know very little about us. Us… being myself and the others you met.”

“Ah… So, he wouldn’t know about your special ability.”

Dan Feng almost chuckles. “Special ability?" That’s a bit of a stretch.”

You shrug. “It’s a skill, at least.”

“How much do Tsaritsa, Carrothead, and the others know about you, anyway?”

“They know a little about my family like how my father is a professor, but if you’re talking about nitty-gritty details like he was a language professor or me knowing kanji, I never mentioned it to them.”

Dan Feng glances at the necklace around your neck.

“Did Dan Heng ever tell them?”

“He never told me he did. They also don’t strike me as people who’d be interested in that. Frankly”—you frown—”they saw me as someone dating him just for his money.”

“And now all that money is in the hands of people who never should’ve gotten it to begin with,” Dan Feng says, walking towards you. “Perhaps you got lucky that you didn’t marry into a terrifying family. They would’ve come after you next if you weren’t on that plane.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” you mutter, standing.

You’re about to walk past him when he says:

“I’d like to believe there’s a reason for everything.” You glance at him. Is he going to say what you think he’s going to say? Dan Feng turns his head towards you. “Without meeting us, you’d never find out the truth. You’d never be able to move on.”

You turn to him, but the hotel phone interrupts you before you can get a word out.

◆◆◆

You and Dan Feng haven’t spoken much since that little conversation in your hotel room. Yet, here you are, sitting next to him in the taxi as it weaves through the city. You’re sitting on one end and him on the other. The taxi driver looks into the rearview mirror.

“It’s no good for a beautiful young couple to be giving each other the cold shoulder," the driver says, catching you and Dan Feng off guard. "Nothing is healthier than communication!"

You aren’t sure whether to find it endearing or awkward that a taxi driver is giving you advice on romance.

“We’re not a couple, actually.”

“Oh! You aren’t? I’m sorry! It’s just… the vibe you two give off reminds me of when my wife and I would fight sometimes.”

“We aren’t fighting.”

You and Dan Feng look at each other, taken aback by the calm synchronicity.

Once again, the taxi driver looks from you to Dan Feng and back onto the road. “Noted." He smiles. "Not fighting.”

The taxi pulls up to a high-rise apartment equipped with an indoor pool, gym, and a large outdoor garden. As soon as you and Dan Feng get out, you hear:

“Oh! They’re here!”

By the time you have your belongings and Dan Feng slams the trunk of the taxi shut, Bailu is already a short distance away with Zhongli and Neuvilette coming behind her. But, they aren’t the only ones there.

March, Stelle, and Caelus are also not far behind. You aren’t surprised as they told you yesterday that they’d come to help you with the move.

“You two got a whole welcome party,” Stelle says, walking up to you.

“Looks like they were telling the truth after all,” Neuvilette says.

“Why would we lie?” Caelus asks.

“Well, at least the staring contest in the lobby was quite entertaining,” Zhongli adds.

March sighs. “I guess I’ll give it to Bailu.”

Caelus nudges her. “You got distracted by the hot—”

“Anyway,” March quickly interrupts as she walks up to help you with your luggage. “No need for introductions. We already know each other.”

Bailu nods. “The cotton candy girlie is right. We overheard them saying Dan Feng's name, so I had to interfere to see what it was all about!"

Neuvilette sighs. "Bailu gave us quite a scare after we saw her talking to random strangers."

“Caelus,” Stelle says, frowning at her brother who’s blatantly staring at Dan Feng. “What are you doing?”

“I just… Wow. He does look exactly like Dan Heng,” Caelus says, intrigued. “It’s kinda scary.”

“Who are you?” Dan Feng asks flatly.

Caelus puts his hands on your shoulders. “Her childhood friend.”

“The four of us grew up together,” you say, “along with Dan Heng.”

“Yeah, but we came into each other’s lives at different times,” March adds. “I didn’t meet them until our early years in college.”

“College is still considered one’s childhood?” Neuvilette asks. “Surely, one must be old enough to handle themselves by then.”

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” March says, rolling her eyes.

“Anyway,” Dan Feng says, gently pushing you forward, and making Caelus drop his hands from your shoulders. “Let’s go.”

Caelus quickly catches up to you. "We're not getting introductions?"

"Later," is Dan Feng's nonchalant reply.

◆◆◆

A few days later, Lan arrives at the office where a white envelope is waiting for him on the top of his desk. He picks it up and flips it over. No name or address. As soon as he sits down, he calls the front desk.

“Yes?” a woman asks as soon as the line goes through.

“Did you ask someone to deliver something to me this morning?”

“No, sir. No one has been up there. Is something wrong?”

“No,” Lan answers, putting the envelope down. “Don’t worry about it.”

After the call ends, he slowly tears open the envelope and sees just two words written in cursive.

Time’s ticking.

End notes:

Man, I feel like I'm behind on my updates. This chapter took me longer to write, and I'm not sure why. This felt like a... 'Getting to know each other' chapter plus some more lore. Things will start picking up in the next chapter when you meet Lan, and more hints about our mystery man will be revealed, too. A hint is that it's a man who I never written for before. Idk if that helps since there's a bunch of people who I've yet to write for lmao but this guy hasn't appeared in any of my stories yet.

Also, I noticed a funny typo in one of my earlier chapters where I wrote 'contact' instead of 'contract' lmao. If you spot any typos or odd punctuation, please let me know LOL it's likely an editing blunder that I missed.

Tag list: @lunavixia @sunsethw4 @boomie-123 @aerithsthingss

[sunsethw4]

⌕ honkai: star rail - dan heng.

like or reblog if you save/use.

[sunsethw4]

dan heng will be the most ethereal bitch in the room and then you try to take a pic of him and he turns into ✌️😐

[sunsethw4]

"You suffered. I'm sorry."

[sunsethw4]

THE SILLIES

kemono pajama together trio

[sunsethw4]

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩 (𝘛𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘳’𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯) — ☆

➠ G.I. characters x gn/fem reader, but it’s based off of a song from each of Taylor Swift’s albums ♡

➠ monthly updates (hopefully) , will update this list once the respective fic has been posted !!

here are the line-up with summaries :)

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

JANUARY – Debut

Stay Beautiful by Kaedehara Kazuha

“And when you find everything you looked for, I hope your life will lead you back to my door."

✧ …

You love nothing more than to get lost in the labyrinth that are his eyes, the sweet feeling of basking in his presence fills you with the selfishness of wanting to keep it like that.

But you soon find that your path with Kazuha was one that welcomed acceptance.

✧…

"You're beautiful, every little piece, love."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

FEBRUARY – Fearless

Hey Stephen by Venti

"I could give you fifty reasons why I should be the one you choose."

✧ …

Venti has always been a musical genius. He learned how to express himself through the means of songwriting and singing.

It just so happens that his whole collection of emotions are filled with the thought of you.

✧ …

"All those other girls, well, they're beautiful, but would they write a song for you?"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

MARCH – Speak Now

I Can See You by Wriothesley

"And we keep everything professional, but something's changed, It's something I like."

✧ …

The fortress of meropide is and will always be a place of professionalism for the Duke.

Although he can't help but feel a sense of restlessness whenever he would pass by you in the hallways, acting as if both of you passed by no one in particular.

It wasn't the kind of restlessness that would agitate him to no end, but rather the kind of restlessness of impatience and the dying need to let loose of his desire for you.

✧ …

"And I could see you being my addiction. You can see me as a secret mission."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

APRIL – RED

Stay Stay Stay by Thoma

"I was expecting some dramatic turn away. But you stayed."

✧ …

You knew you were always a flawed individual, not having a good control over your violent sentiments, always ending up bursting in strong anger.

Although amidst the outburst of your volcanic emotions, Thoma always sees the beauty through your flaws.

He knows and understands every part of you, even better than you do.

✧ …

"All those times that you didn’t leave, it’s been occurring to me. I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life. "

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

MAY – 1989

"Slut!" by Lyney

"Lovelorn and nobody knows. Love thorns all over this rose. I'll pay the price, you won't."

✧ …

Being a noble in Fontaine never proved to be easy. Ever since being born with a sin now forgiven, you have always had your life spread out in front of you.

You never bothered making a choice for yourself, why would you when people already did that for you anyway.

But your emotions made itself apparent after feeling the lingering want and need for Fontaine's magician.

Now you're facing the words of others that regard your feelings for him.

✧ …

"You're not saying you're in love with me. But you're going to."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

JUNE – reputation

Call It What You Want by Xiao

"My baby's fit like a daydream, walking with his head down, I'm the one he's walking to."

✧ …

With the sudden death of your reputation, no one was willing to turn a sparing look towards your direction.

It did bother you, but as time passes you find yourself detaching from the drama.

After all, why wish for hundreds of people's gaze when you can have Xiao's sole attention.

With the death of something so crucial, he made you feel the most alive.

And he knows that you don't need to have him save you, but have it be only mentioned, and he is willing to forget everything and run away with you.

✧ …

"You don't need to save me. But would you run away with me?"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

JULY – Lover

Cornelia Street by Kaveh

"I hope I never lose you, hope it never ends."

✧ …

You were the greatest thing that happened to him. Your existence felt like a reward that was given to him by the heavens after years of silent suffering.

Though it slowly irks Kaveh that things in his life are becoming a bit too good.

Usually when it happens, fate does something bad to balance his life out. But he knows this is never the case, whatever the source of his misfortune is, it just wants to toy with him.

And he knows that you might be next in line for it. He can only hope to never lose you.

Not when the very city he lives in is filled with the thought of you.

✧ …

"That's the kind of heartbreak time could never mend."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

AUGUST – folklore

august by Shikanoin Heizou

"Wanting was enough, for me it was enough."

✧ …

Summer was always supposed to be a season you looked forward to the most.

It only made you feel elated with the presence of Heizou, the guy you swore you were in love with.

Summer was always the best for you.

But soon after having been faced with reality, you found that summer served only as a painful reminder of what could have been.

✧ …

"To live for the hope of it all. Cancel plans just in case you'd call."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

SEPTEMBER – evermore

tolerate it by Zhongli

"You're so much older and wiser and I wait by the door like I'm just a kid."

✧ …

He was so wise. So sentient, so formal. And you were just there. You never knew why you were there exactly.

The man you knew to have been there for your protection against the thorny pricks of barbed wires in your life, now slowly fading away to merely just a man.

And when he does, you now just realize the existence of a gaping abyss between you and him.

You give him the best of your everything, yet he only spares you his tolerance.

✧ …

"I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

OCTOBER – Midnights

Midnight Rain by Neuvillette

"He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain."

✧ …

Having chosen to be the Iudex for Fontaine's court system, Neuvillette already had his path sprawled in front of him.

Turning to a different path was a bad idea that he knew he shouldn't have considered, for it only led him back to his initial path, although now bearing more weight than he originally had.

He became more aware, he wasn't going to put his position at risk for something like relationships, or even marriage.

The only commitment he was willing to take upon was overseeing the nation of justice, nothing else.

Not even you.

✧ …

"He stayed the same, all of me changed like midnight."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

NOVEMBER – Unreleased

Need by Dainsleif

"Passion is a passing thing, It's accidental chemistry."

✧ …

He only has time for short-lived bursts of events.

Perhaps he only prioritizes his fallen nation to pay attention to anything deeper than fleeting feelings.

Dainsleif believes that everything is deceptive and lasts not for eternity. But he soon grows to realize that you two were nothing like that at all.

And he slowly realizes his need for a passion of something worthwhile and long-lasting. His need for you.

✧ …

"Lust is a liar, a short-lived fire. It ain't what you and I are at all."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

DECEMBER – Single

Christmas Tree Farm by your favorite !

“In my heart is a Christmas tree farm where the people would come to dance under sparkles and lights.”

✧ …

What's a better way to celebrate the Holiday than to celebrate it with them?

✧ …

"Sweet dreams of holly and ribbon, mistakes are forgiven. And everything is icy and blue, and you would be there, too."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

archer’s notes …

hi!! this is my first time posting on tumblr, so I hope my layout kinda makes sense 😭 I’ve been writing genshin fics for a while now (wp : riminiscence) and I figured that I really like writing with a taylor swift song in mind…

hearts / reblogs / follows are very much appreciated ★

[sunsethw4]

op on tiktok today said the equivalent to the anemo boys are the imaginary men and that haven’t left my mind since then HEAR ME OUT

yes they have scara, xiao, kazuha and all of the other incredibly popular anemo boys but in the other hand hsr is???? because damn they have dr ratio, luocha, welt, il dan heng AND ALSO soon aventurine? alexa play daddy’s home by usher (it kinda shows that i do in fact main imaginary men in hsr…)

#fabu’s talks #genshin impact #honkai star rail #anemo boys #imaginary men

[sunsethw4]

DADDY’S HOME

#fabu’s talks #FUCKING FINALLY #happy birthday to me i guess #gepard landau #veritas ratio #hsr #fabu’s pulls #not twst related