𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 [G.Impact x Fem! Reader]

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈; 𝐆𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫

"This will be the last time I'm here" you inhaled, regretting it immediately as the frozen air hitted your lungs like a strab. But you couldn't know whenever it could be feasible or not.

Every nation in Teyvat had an area scarcely visited by locals. The Chasm, which mines were said to drive mad those who dared to venture into them. An Inazuman island with an ancient summit that was concealed by an eternal storm and Sumeru's desert hosted golden ruins forgotten by time. As for Mondstadt, it was said that the icy mountain hid many secrets under layers of ice.

You summoned a map from your pocket dimension and noticed, with the sinister relief of those that are aware that their travails will soon end, that the camp should've been near.

I'll take a break, you remembered thinking as you walked towards a torch with shameless quick steps. But still... you looked around you. You were inside a tent, a spacious one, typically used by wanderers and Adventurers. How the hell did I get here?

Your mind was fuzzy, immersed in the mist of oblivion. I had a break, a Fatui soldier attacked me, then... Then what?

You touched your forehead, looking for an eventual wound. You didn't seem injured. What the hell happened? The ink in your skin was burning. "You look like shit" someone behind you commented, before your eye met a pair filled with sarcasm.

"You're the one behind this"you said with accusative words and the cadence of a question.

"You talk too much" the Balladeer silenced you, his eyes snapping towards you. He clicked his tongue "You're lucky that bastard seems to favor you"

You gazed at him expectantly. "Save your questions" Scaramouche replied noticing the question buried in your eyes "You looks so pitiful that it's disgusting" And with that he left the tent.

Lunatic bastard. You stared at the Harbinger's silhouette as it disappeared behind the tent. You traced the mark on your skin, the one he left a few centimeters under your collarbone.

"But I have a condition" you recalled what the Balladeer said. In the memory he stood up, wearing a benign smile. You copied his movements. "You'll have to show me how devoted you are" when he spoke these words you felt yourself sinking in condemnation.

You bit your inner lip."How?"

A laugh of cruel amusement left Scaramouche's lips. "I just need to know how loyal you are" something sinister glistened in his eyes "No need to be afraid"

"Come here" he commanded. You obliged, walking towards him as you fought your own hesitance and turned it into a phony confidance.

"More"

You blinked. "Huh? Gh-" he grabbed the collar of your shirt and pulled you towards himself. His gaze was harsh, just like his grip. You stared at him in awe as he watched you attentively, his face apart from yours, separated by a few measly inches. "What the hell?..." you asked with a curt, breathy laugh of defiance.

You felt the jolt of an electric shock. Then the world became numb.

You didn't know what happened afterwards. The only thing that occupied your mind was the feeling left by the electric shock, as you tried to calm yourself inhaling and exhaling, controlling your breath.

Maybe you had screamed something or maybe you had thought you were dying, but you didn't know. The only thing you knew was that once you came to your senses you were miserable like a beaten dog.

You smiled with amusement, stopping tracing the black mark. For a while it had assumed the purplish colour of Electro, but by time its ink had turned black, like a normal tattoo.

By the time you came back to your senses Scaramouche was hespectantly looking at you, the spark of human comprehension lacking in his indigo eyes. "Go to my camp in Dragonspine the next two days"

You nodded, not trusting your own voice.

When he dismissed you, you dashed out of the meeting room faster than a student after hearing the bell's sound at the end of the school day.

You remembered yourself recalling as you left the Hotel some words in a popular dialect you learnt during your travels. You huffed and cursed the Harbinger's name under your breath.

₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪

Much to your relief no one seemed to notice your presence in the Fatui camp. You didn't mind, preferring to read on the sidelines a book from Liyue rather than the Fatui's presence.

"So you're not a recruit?" the cryo cicin mage asked skeptically. Or rather, most people.

You shook your head. "No, I'm Lord Harbinger's guest". You glanced at the book you were interrupted from reading. Ugh, just when Klein managed to run away from Dunn Smith...

"A guest, you say?" she paused, her mouth slightly agape as if she remembered something. "Wait, so you're that person?" she didn't give you time to reply, however. "Well, uh, that bas- I mean, Lord Scaramouche instructed me to take care of his guest, but he didn't go into details... But he was clear about one thing, he wants to find an artifact under the knight's custody"