Archon of Cynthis [Book 1]

Chapter 25 - An Emissary

honestly i think im probably going to end up doing a chapter a day- it takes me hours. this one was short though since i mostly just had to use the liyue cutscenes

but

yeah

writing is hard :')

alsooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

im starting a kazuha x reader story- 

its aint getting published anytime soon btw

this story remains my priority <3

.

.

.

You and Xiao sat there for an hour, before he finally sat up on his own. You had eventually sat down, moving Xiao's head to your lap. His mask lay on the grass next to you. 

He stared at the sky for a minute, before looking at you. His eyes scanned your body, lingering on your stomach. "Did you heal?" 

You brushed a hand across, nodding. "It closed up. Now it's just a scar." 

He leaned his head onto your shoulder, his hair slightly tickling your neck. You held back a giggle. You distracted yourself by reached to your side and grabbing the black mask. You placed it in Xiao's hand. 

He gripped the mask, the teal eyes staring back at him. He lifted his head off your shoulder and stood up. You joined him. 

Xiao shook his head. "Why do you care for me?" 

"You deserve it," You whispered. 

"Karmic debt weighs upon me for eons of slaughter," Xiao said in a low voice. "I'm a weapon, and nothing more." 

You placed a hand on his wrist. "No, you're a person too. Just because you swore an oath with Morax to protect Liyue, that doesn't mean that you can't have someone to care for you." 

Xiao looked up, his golden eyes softening as he studied you. He suddenly lifted his mask, placing it onto your face. Your eyesight was engulfed with black, and you flinched. You heard a soft rustle, then a quiet voice whispering right in your ear, making you shudder slightly. 

"Thank you, y/n." 

Then the mask disappeared into golden flecks, and Xiao was gone. 

~

As you weaved through the busy streets of Liyue, you couldn't help but glance around. Now that Childe had attacked you right there, you were a lot warier. You stepped out the crowd, crossing over a bridge. Sweeping your gaze over the open area, your eyes snapped back to 2 males and a floating girl seated at a table in Third-Round Knockout. 

You walked over and up the stairs just as Zhongli mentioned ordering wine-fermented sweet rice balls for Aether. 

Aether sighed. "I guess I should have expected this..." 

Zhongli looked up, smiling slightly. "Ah, y/n. Care to join us." 

You easily put on a smile and slipped into the chair next to Aether. 

Tian, the storyteller, spoke up. "If it is to your liking, dear customers, I shall continue the tale of Lady Ningguang's Jade Chamber." 

"Hey, there's even a storyteller here! Great atmosphere!" Paimon exclaimed. 

"Besides fine wine, the excellent ambience is the reason why this place is so well-loved." Zhongli said. 

"As you all know, high above the land of Liyue lies a pavilion in the clouds, a palace in the mist..." Tian began. "What does it mean to have all-seeing eyes? This, my friends: Lady Ningguang's masterwork that bridges earth and sky." 

"Imagine. The weather is clear, and you gaze down from the deck on the world below... Behold! The glorious sights of Liyue Harbor, stretching out far and wide!"

(here's the story)

"These are but scraps of paper," Tian said. "and yet they guide Lady Ningguang's hand - such is their value. Merely grasping on or two of them will surely gift you a fragment of her wisdom - enough to stay a step or two ahead of your peers."

"Tianquan Ningguang... feels like we're hearing this name a lot." Paimon said. "Liyue locals talk about her, the Fatui hate her, she's most likely the one who hid the Exuvia, and we saw her at the Rite of Descension... Paimon wonders what sort of person she is." 

"At last, I have found you, you who returned from Jueyun Karst." A soft voice suddenly called, and you head snapped up. 

"Who's there!?" Paimon exclaimed. 

"Gotta go..!" Aether said, hands gripping the table.

"Wait! I am not with the Millelith, nor am I here to claim your bounty." The voice guided your eyes upward to see a young lady wearing different shades of purple. 

"However, I am an emissary of the Liyue Qixing. My name is Ganyu, secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion, and I have come specifically to meet you." Ganyu introduced herself. 

"Secretary?" You asked, recognizing her from a memory that flashed through your mind. 

"Well, in concrete terms, I am the corporate secretary for the Qixing. At the moment, I am serving as Lady Ningguang's special emissary." 

"Ningguang sent you? We were literally just talking about her..." Paimon gasped. 

"My apologies, you who have returned from Jueyun Karst... I am duty-bound and cannot extend my courtesy to you in full." Ganyu apologized. "But I have with me a letter from Lady Ningguang. She extends a formal invitation to you in her capacity as Tianquan. She invites you to her palace in the sky." 

"An official invitation...?" Paimon asked. 

"Lady Ningguang said this: Invite them to come here. I wish to meet them. At the Jade Chamber, together, we shall snip every one of these entwining dark threads." Ganyu said, then turned and practically disappeared. 

"And with that, the emissary who called herself Ganyu just disappeared..." Paimon sighed. "But we've recieved an invitation from the Liyue Qixing. Paimon still can't believe it!"

Paimon droned on to Aether, and you looked over at Zhongli. "She's half Qilin, right?"

He nodded. "I believe you two were friends a couple times." 

You turned back to Paimon and Aether. 

"Heh... an invitation to visit the Jade Chamber is a rare honor indeed." Zhongli chuckled. "You'd best be on your way now. But don't forget about the Rite of Parting. Once you've finished at the Jade Chamber, meet me at the Dihua Marsh." 

"Don't worry, we won't forget! Dihua Marsh. We'll see you there!" Paimon said. 

.

.

.

that was a quicker chapter 

have a good night guys love you