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teaberrii · 22 hours

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Chapter 14: Time's Ticking

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

It’s been a few days since the strange text, and you aren’t sure whether to be relieved or nervous that’s all you received. Normally, you’d pass this off as a joke or an accidental text, but considering the circumstances, you just can’t. You’ve tried everything: texting back, tracing it, and alerting the police. But all you discover is that the number no longer exists, which makes you wonder if this is the work of magic.

Is it from Lan? Nanook? You doubt it. Why bother with a text when you've already met Lan? So, a sick prank from Childe, maybe? Or, is it the mystery man behind Lan and Nanook? The questions drive you crazy, and you wonder if this is the motive behind this ridiculous text. Once you've exhausted your options in figuring out this mysterious number, Dan Feng suggested something that caught everyone's attention at Bailu's apartment yesterday night.

"If Furina exists, it's safe to say that The Great Purge failed," Dan Feng said. "She wouldn't have managed to live this long."

Bailu sighed. "You know... I've been thinking. The mystery person behind Lan and Nanook's escape. What are they, exactly? A god? Someone like Furina?"

"Whoever they are, they knew about the teleporter," Neuvilette said. "That much is for sure."

"I think it's safe to say that they're behind this psychological game," Dan Feng said, nodding to your phone. "They're using magic, which means they found a way to wield it."

"But, couldn't they be like us?" Bailu mused. "They keep using magic until their power is completely gone?"

"Then, they should know how valuable it is to save their magic. Why would they use it on this?" Zhongli asked. "If we are assuming that Lan and Nanook are supposed to be doing the dirty work."

Neuvilette exhaled softly. "Perhaps they are like Furina. However, that wouldn't make sense either as we haven't seen her wield magic. She may have wrote The Book of Curses and lived for an abnormally long time, but that's about it."

You lean back on the couch. "Here's another thought. Who's to say other people didn't know about The Great Purge before it happened?"

Dan Feng briefly closed his eyes and nodded. “True.”

After a short silence, Neuvilette said:

“I suppose the question is... What caused The Great Purge to fail?"

"That's a loaded question," Bailu said. "Like... Where are we going to start?"

“Perhaps the place where we performed the ritual,” Dan Feng said. “The place where The Great Purge first started.” A pause. “My old home.”

You’re working at the office today while Dan Feng takes a little adventure back to the palace. Despite looking at your laptop screen, your attention is on your phone, hoping you’ll get an update in the group chat you share with the dragon gang.

A co-worker taps your desk, and you immediately look up. "He wants to see you now."

You got the message this morning that the team is getting a new temporary leader who’ll be supervising the group and the project’s progress. You don’t know much except that it’s a man, and he wants to meet the group members individually when he arrives later in the day.

You head upstairs, walking past busy-looking employees until reaching the quiet corridor. You aren’t sure why, but the closer you get to his office, you feel uneasy.

You knock once, and immediately a voice says:

“Come in.” You open the door and see a man with long dark blue hair with red tips and red eyes. He gestures for you to take the empty seat in front of him. “Take a seat.” So, you do, and he introduces himself as Yingxing.

“I… think we’ve met before,” you say, a little skeptically.

You’re trying to remember why he looks familiar when he says:

“Has Dan Feng mentioned me?” Your heart almost drops to your stomach. Dan Feng? How does he know about Dan Feng? He picks up on your confusion and slightly smiles. “Some people know me as Blade.”

Should you feign ignorance?

“Interesting name,” you finally say. “Why the alias?”

“Yingxing is a more fitting name for this generation, but you can call me whatever you feel most comfortable with.” His elbow is on the armrest, and you don't like the look in his eyes. It's as if he's studying you. "Dan Feng is looking for the Aeons, is he not?" He slightly leans closer. “Or, is he looking for you?”

Unfazed, you give him a deadpan look.

“I’m getting tired of explaining that I’m not someone from the past. How do you know about me?”

“I know he's secretly looking for the woman who betrayed him. He’s never admitted it, but I know he wants answers. And... you say you're not someone from the past, but it's telling me otherwise."

You narrow your eyes. "What's telling you otherwise?"

“I am not supposed to exist,” Blade says sternly. “When The Great Purge happened, it was supposed to rid magic from the world. But something went wrong.” A slight pause. “I would think you know about The Great Purge.”

“I do. I also know that you were the one who told Furina to write The Book of Curses." You cross your arms. "If anything went wrong, I would suspect you had something to do with it.”

“A bold accusation, but I suppose it’s logical.” You almost roll your eyes. “But it wasn’t me. I never wanted immortality.”

"...So, you're like Furina. You never died? You just continued to exist?"

Blade almost chuckles. "Ah, so you know that much already." Then, his expression turns stoic. "Immortality is possible if you know the right people." Right people…? “There’s only so much you can accomplish without external resources.”

“What do you want?” you ask. “You say you’re here because someone granted you immortality. Do you think it’s Dan Feng? Is that why you're asking about him?”

“I’d like some answers.”

“How are you so sure he’s the one responsible?”

“You sure have a lot of trust in him. I don’t know whether to call you courageous or foolish. If you are the reincarnation of the woman he hates… he’ll kill you.”

“I’m not,” you say bitterly. “So, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“So you say.” Blade leans back, and his eyes land on your necklace. “Who gave that to you?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You asked me earlier what's telling me you're someone from the past." He points to your necklace with his pen. "There's your answer."

◆◆◆

Pierro is working in his office when he gets a call. He reaches for the phone and hears his receptionist’s voice on the other end.

“You have a visitor.”

“I’m not expecting anyone today,” Pierro says. “Whoever it is can wait.”

“Are you sure, Sir? Tsaritsa is here to see you, and…” Pierro hears some muffled conversation. “She won’t take no for an answer.”

Pierro shuts off his monitor screen. “All right.”

It’s not like he has a choice.

Tsaritsa arrives shortly after in her familiar dark blue dress. Her hair, tucked behind her ears, is pulled back into a fancy braid, and her makeup is uncharacteristically bold with a dark red lip and gold smokey eyeshadow.

“I thought the event would keep you until late,” Pierro says, gesturing for her to sit on the sofa. He stands and walks to a long table near the large window. “Coffee? Tea?”

“I finished reading the diary,” Tsaritsa says. Pierro, who’s pouring himself coffee, stops halfway and puts the decanter back in its place. “And I want to know more about the woman your ancestor mentioned… Idrila.”

Pierro turns around with his cup. “That impatient, huh? It can’t wait until later?” When she says nothing, he finds her silence a little suspicious. He turns around, pours her a coffee, and says, “Well, I don’t know how much I can tell you. I’ve never met her, obviously.”

Tsaritsa coughs, and he doesn’t think much about it until it starts sounding a little violent. Pierro turns around holding two cups of coffee and sees her hunched over with her hand over her chest. But what almost makes him drop the cups is when he sees blood on her hand. He quickly puts them down.

“Hey,” he says, running over to her side. “Are you okay?” He puts a hand on her back. “Did you take your meds?”

“I’m fine,” she says calmly, reaching over to grab a tissue. She puts it to her mouth and straightens up. “...I’m fine.”

Pierro, one of the few who knows Tsaritsa has more than just a weak body, still looks worried. “Are you sure? Have you been taking your medication?”

Tsaritsa looks at him, a look that screams that he’s asking the wrong questions. “I said I'm fine, Pierro."

Pierro frowns. “I’ve noticed, you know. You’ve been coughing a lot more, and your fatigue is getting the best of you. I wouldn’t be surprised if the others are picking up that something is wrong.” He sighs. “Have you been seeing your doc—”

“Why do you think I’m here?” Her question takes him by surprise. “I know it’s getting worse.” She sighs to compose herself. “But, you and I both know there is no cure.”

It was late at night, and Nanook was heading back to his room in the mansion when he saw the door of Tsaritsa's room ajar. As he got closer, he heard her cough. Once. Twice. And…

He stopped and peeked inside.

Tsaritsa was standing, hunched over her table. An old-looking open journal was off to the side. Nanook quietly opened the door, not wanting to startle her, but then he saw the blood on the table.

“You’re getting worse," he said. Before Tsaritsa could react, Nanook was already by her side. “It’s escalating.”

Tsaritsa's hand groped for the drawer as she took a breath. Finally, she got it open, and her hand shakily took out some pills. When she had trouble opening the bottle, Nanook helped her and watched her down two pills.

“...I’m fine.”

“Really?” Nanook asked, not convinced. He glanced at the blood. “This says otherwise.”

“What are you doing here?” She grabbed the journal and closed it. Nanook realized it was the journal from Pierro. “It’s late.”

“Well, I heard you coughing, and”—he looked at the blood—”do I need to say more?”

“It’s nothing,” she answered calmly. “I’m getting better.” Then, she put a hand on top of the journal. “You knew Pierro’s ancestor, didn’t you?”

Nanook slides a hand inside his pocket. “So, that old geezer mentioned me after all. Should’ve known.”

“This woman that you and Lan were so fond of…” Tsaritsa faced him. “Idrila. She was sick, and after she poisoned herself to end her suffering, both of you wanted to bring her back to life.”

“Why are you so curious?” Nanook asked skeptically. “I thought what you wanted from that journal was to learn more about that pretty boy so we can get rid of him.”

“And I did learn something,” she answered. “But, this is my first time hearing about another woman.”

Nanook scoffed. “You sound like an obsessive ex.”

Tsaritsa suddenly grabbed him by the throat, but Nanook didn’t flinch. “Let’s stop playing games, shall we? Regardless of your reasons for staying in the human realm, I kept you around because you promised me one thing… You could find a cure.”

“And I haven’t stopped looking.”

“The sickness that Idrila had… She began coughing blood in its early stages.”

Now, Pierro understands.

“You don’t…” he begins. “Are you saying you have the same illness as her? That’s ridiculous! If what the journal says is true, it wasn't normal.”

“Wouldn’t that explain my circumstances?” Tsaritsa asks bitterly. “You’ve been with me since the beginning, Pierro. You, out of all people, should know how many times I’ve been told ‘I’m sorry… I wish we can do more.’”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s magic.”

The silence drags on… and on… and on.

“It’s because of Lan and Nanook, is it not?” Pierro asks. “Because of who they are and what they did, it feels like anything and everything can be explained because of magic. I know you want an explanation. I would, too. But this isn’t healthy.” He sits next to her and puts an arm around her shoulders. “We’ll get through this together.”

Will they, really? Tsaritsa has her doubts. Still, she knows Pierro means well unlike the others she met in her life.

She never knew her birth parents. Those at the orphanage never told her much about them either. It was a rainy night when they found Tsaritsa wrapped in a blanket in a large basket at the entrance of the orphanage. So, her childhood memories were with the kids who accepted her despite her weak body. But that didn't make life any easier as she watched them leave for loving homes. Pierro was the first. Arlecchino was the second, and Columbina was the third.

“Oh, I wish we could adopt her, but you see, we’re looking for…”

Tsaritsa believed she heard it all. Every single excuse one could think of for not wanting her, and all of them were about her condition. So, when a family decided to adopt her, she was over the moon until she discovered the truth.

“Is she asleep?”

No, Tsaritsa wasn’t. She was upstairs with a perfect view of her adopted parents in the living room below. But, they couldn’t see her as it was dark, and she blended in with the darkness.

“Yes,” her mother answered.

Her father sighed. “We… should’ve waited. Don’t you think? If we found out sooner you were pregnant, we wouldn’t have this problem.”

“Oh, it’s a little harsh to call it a problem, right? We were told that I couldn’t get pregnant… So, this should be a great surprise. Besides, Tsaritsa is a good kid for her age.”

“But, I’m thinking about the future. Now that we’ll have a child, I would like them to take over our business.”

“And… What about Tsaritsa?”

“I… I don’t want to assume the worst,” her father said. “But, will she live long enough to see the day?”

And since then, before Dan Heng’s mother was even born, Tsaritsa already hated her. But not as much as she hated her adopted father.

“You say it can’t be magic,” Tsaritsa says. “But do I need to remind you that it still exists? Lan, Nanook, and Dan Feng’s existence is enough proof.” She turns to Pierro. “Idrila was born with a weak body, but her condition was purposely made worse.”

“That doesn’t explain how you could’ve gotten it,” Pierro says.

“Did you read until the end?” Tsaritsa asks. “Before she died… She had a child.”

Pierro’s face goes pale.

◆◆◆

Bailu arrives at one of the largest hospitals in the city. She has her hands on her hips as she stares in pride that the hospital she helped to get off the ground is still doing well.

Despite being born with a condition that stunted her physical growth, Bailu easily soared above her classmates in terms of knowledge and talent. She was only ten years old when she graduated from one of the most elite universities in the nation and after two years of work experience in the field, she entered medical school. Graduating early, she had many great job opportunities but chose a small clinic, Bubu Pharmacy, that was just starting to get off the ground. With only two employees, Bailu was attracted to the idea of building something big from scratch. And it wasn’t until she brought someone back to life that Bubu Pharmacy completely changed.

It was a slow and rainy day, and Bailu was enjoying her usual conversation with her co-workers, Herbalist Gui and Baizhu when someone entered. As soon as they heard the bell, they spun around, shocked to see a drenched woman carrying a bleeding, young girl on her back.

“Please…” the woman muttered. She would’ve fallen to the floor if Baizhu hadn’t caught her. “Please help my daughter.”

“Y-You need a hospital!” Herbalist Gui said, a little shaken.

“There’s no time for that,” Bailu said, examining the young girl. “She’s… She’s already dying.”

The woman grabbed Bailu’s arm. “Please… Please save her.”

Bailu remembers the day like it was yesterday. The woman and the young girl were victims of a hit-and-run, and they wouldn’t have survived. Yet, the young girl did, and while it was thanks to Bailu, she didn’t like to mention it… as she took the woman’s life to save her.

“Did it…” Herbalist Gui said quietly, his eyes wide. “Did it work?”

The young girl and the woman were lying next to each other on a large table. Bailu stood on one side while Baizhu stood on the opposite.

“Bailu,” Baizhu said, and she looked up at the young girl. “You’re shaking.”

Bailu looked at her gloved hand covered in blood. It was true.

Suddenly, a painful groan grabbed everyone’s attention. Bailu almost gasped as the young girl’s eyes fluttered open.

“Wh… Where am I?”

“Oh, my God…” Herbalist Gui muttered. “She’s… She’s alive!” He looked at Bailu. “You did it!”

Except, Bailu wasn’t sure what to feel.

The young girl, confused and disoriented, finally saw her mother next to her. “M-Mom…!” She held her hand, and Baizhu saw the moment her heart dropped to her stomach. “You’re… You’re so cold.” She looked at the worried faces around her. “Who are you? Why is my mother—”

“She’s gone.”

No one expected Bailu to be so direct. Not even herself.

“She’s gone…?” the young girl repeated, and her voice barely above a whisper. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

“She gave up her life… to save yours.”

“No… That’s…” She looked from Bailu to her lifeless mother. “That’s impossible. You can’t—”

“That’s what we thought,” Bailu interrupted. “But you… You’re living proof.”

“This is huge,” Baizhu said quietly. “I never thought this could be possible.”

“How?” the young girl asked, her fists clenched. “If what you said is true, how did you do it?”

Bailu never thought she’d say it, and it felt more surreal after she did.

“Magic.”

They soon learned that the girl was named Qiqi, and with no other relatives, Bailu, Baizhu, and Herbalist Gui took her in and treated her as one of their own. But it wasn't long before they realized that transferring her mother's life to hers had consequences. Qiqi had stopped ageing, and she was physically stuck as a child. This had grabbed the attention of the locals and the media, and soon, Bailu was being pulled in all sorts of directions to research this strange phenomenon.

But Bailu had made one thing clear: She didn't want to do it again. She knew that Qiqi and her mother were supposed to die that night, but she played with fate at the desperate request of Qiqi's mother and won with conflicting feelings. By now, only a few individuals had access to developmental research about magic. Bailu was one of them. But instead of researching more about taking someone's life to give to another, she followed her interests in immunity and immortality, hoping that no one would ever have to give their life to save another again.

Despite times changing, Bailu is happy that Bubu Pharmacy—now Bubu Hospital—still retained its traditional look and feel. Baizhu, Herbalist Gui, and Qiqi would be happy knowing that Bubu Hospital is alive and well. As Bailu takes the elevator to the uppermost floor, she walks down the quiet corridor, not wanting to reminisce about the past… again. She has done it far too many times, knowing it doesn’t make the pain of losing them any easier.

She also doesn't want to remind herself that losing them has made her a murderer.

“Tsaritsa? Is that her name?”

Bailu stops. Did she hear that correctly? She takes a few steps back and peeks into the room. A man with long blonde hair sits with one leg crossed over the other in a chair. But it’s the man standing that grabs Bailu’s attention.

It’s him. It’s Nanook.

“I have reason to believe she’s Idrila’s descendant,” he says. “And you… You were her doctor, were you not, Luocha?”

Luocha? Why does that name sound so familiar?

It was a slow day for Bubu Pharmacy, so Bailu spent it working on her research. Baizhu was in the room next to hers, and he hadn’t come out since she saw him walk in this morning. Curious about what he was up to, Bailu left the room, saw Herbalist Gui and Qiqi attending to a couple of customers, and then softly knocked on Baizhu’s door.

“It’s open.”

Bailu opened the door and peeked inside. “Whatcha workin’ on?”

“Oh, you know…” Baizhu sighed, his eyes still on some experimental equipment on his table. “I don’t know if you heard… but the princess of the nation developed a strange illness.”

“I’ve heard bits and pieces, but not entirely sure what it is she got.”

“It’s supposed to be confidential,” Baizhu said. “They don’t want to cause any unnecessary panic.”

“Figures,” Bailu muttered.

“But, as much as they want it to be confidential, we won’t get anywhere if we don’t share information.”

“She’s losing blood, isn’t she?”

“Rather than losing, it’d be more accurate to say something is draining her blood,” Baizhu said, and Bailu raised a brow. “They say it’s because of a spy from the neighbouring nation.”

Bailu wasn’t surprised that those in power would want to direct the blame to others, and what better scapegoat to use than their biggest enemy nation? As she never liked those in power, she never bothered with remembering names or faces. Leaders were all the same. Greedy. Power-hungry. Two-faced.

“Do they want you to use magic to cure her?” Bailu asked.

“Well… That’s the thing,” Baizhu said quietly. “There’s no magic that can. Not right now, at least. Perhaps it also has its limitations or more research needs to be done.”

“Huh… How interesting that not even magic can provide a solution.”

“They’re bringing in another doctor to see if he can provide some insight,” Baizhu said. “I’m meeting with him tomorrow.”

“Really? Who?”

“Someone named Luocha.”

“How long are you going to keep standing there?” Luocha’s green eyes meet hers through the crack in the door. “You’re welcome to come in.

The door suddenly slides open.

“Well, well, well,” Nanook says with a small grin. “Look who it is.”

End notes:

And the mystery deepens...

I promise to make the timeline a little clearer lmao. But, for now, Bailu and Dan Feng would've been human in the same time period but Bailu "died" before the invasion happened. For some reason, this chapter was kinda difficult to write. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed learning more about Tsaritsa and Bailu. And damn this chapter was hard to name lol.

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

#dan feng x reader #dan feng x you #hsr dan feng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #imbibitor lunae

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teaberrii · 8 days

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Chapter 13: The Archons

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

Chapter 14

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

#dan feng x you #dan feng #dan feng x reader #hsr dan feng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #imbibitor lunae

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