Every nation has that one person who excels over the others. Whether it be in economics, combat, literature... or archery.
Inazuman Bayler Velice has sailed over the crashing waves to attend Mondstadt's first archery competition to claim a victory...
Amber and Fischl were perfectly in sync with each other. They grabbed their bowstrings, equipped their arrows, and charged their elemental energy all together. Because they were both Vision-wielded, they were not required to use regular arrows.
Purple and orange sparks emitted from the tips of their bows. Both were bright and equally dangerous it be around. Still, neither archer was scared of their powers.
Amber bent nearly in half to aim at her target. She kept her feet glued to the earth, but the rest of her body was focused on the yellow bullseye it could accomplishment. Fischl was doing the same thing, only her feet were active. Her pacing was maddening for Bayler to watch.
Finally, after Amber knew she could get a good shot, she released the bow string smoking from the heat. Her shot split into two, trying to tea farther and farther away from the grasp of their twin, and only one hit her target. It left a brown scorch mark in the target. An eight was what she scored.
Fischl matched her exact score. She lowered her bow and did a little dance. "A perfect shot for the Prinzessin!"
Bayler gritted his teeth. "You aren't even close to the bullseye!" he shouted. A few snickers shot through the crowds, and a few others turned their heads to frown at him disapprovingly. "We were all thinking the same thing. Don't look at me like that."
Whether or not Fischl heard it, she paid no mind to the backlash. She was saying something to Amber, whose expression was stony. Bayler narrowed his eyes at the girl dressed in purple, but he didn't want to create a scene.
The Knight raised her arm above her head. "Next shot, commence!"
The same sequence repeated at the command of the Knight. Everybody watched with their breaths held, too scared to make a wrong move in case they'd startle one of the competitors.
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Finally, with a pop, Amber released her second shot into the eighth ring. Another scorch mark followed the first, and a burning scent carried on the wind. It was a good thing the targets weren't made from leftover straw from the stables.
Amber looked out at the crowd and waved. Her cheerful smile resulted in a rise in applause as people cheered her on. Bayler smiled to himself, happy to see she was enjoying herself. Unlike Fischl, who was continuing to use her time to boast and play about. What was with that girl anyway?
The crowd suddenly went deadly silent. Bayler turned his head to see what the problem was, when he looked directly at Fischl's target. A mine was what she had just scored while everyone was too reoccupied to watch her.
Fischl pivoted on her foot, faced the audience, and threw her arms above her head. "I will not fail you, my faithful fans! I will be certain to claim this victory!"
Oz was flying nearby. "Mein Fräulein, you still have one more shot."
"I knew a grand victory would fall upon us today!" Fischl declared. She spun back around and instantly took another shot without the Knight's order nor warming up.
The electro energy fell short. Bayler cringed at the result, for he had made the mistake a thousand times before. Her shot hit just below the third line. Two pitiful points.
Amber looked elated. She warmed up a shot and made sure to shoot her shoot while Fischl was down. This time, her consistent eight was a blessing. Three marks in the eighth ring. 24 points against 19. Amber was the winner.
"Congratulations to our very own Outrider Amber on making it to the final round!"
Pure delight spread across her face. She covered her mouth with her hands and dropped down to her knees, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. He'd never seen her so happy before.
Bayler cut through the array of people to hug her. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed joyously at her victory. "I knew you could do it," he murmured into her ear. She squeezed him tighter and giggled quietly.
"Tune in next time for the final battle between Bayler and Amber! One shot each, and only one can come out on top!" The Knight declared once more, and suddenly neither Amber nor Bayler were happy.
Amber pulled away from him to look up with bleary eyes. "You and me...? Against each other?" she murmured quietly.
His blood ran cold. He couldn't go against her! No, he'd ruin her life by winning. Very rarely did he ever miss a shot, and he couldn't bring himself to throw a match either...
Bayler gave her a small, innocent smile. "It'll be okay, right? Nothing either of us have to worry about."
Her eyes flooded with more tears. "But you have so much to fight for... I can't take a victory from you, not after everything you've been through."
"Worry about it later," he reassured her. Bayler pulled her close to his chest before she could respond. A warm embrace to overshadow the fear pulsing through their bodies.
The crowd was beginning to circle around them.
"Congratulations, Amber!"
"I can't wait to see Bayler in action again!"
"What's happening here...?"
Their voices cut through their concentration. Amber gently pushed him away and stood up. She adjusted her clothes and sighed deeply. "Thank you, everyone for your congratulations."
Bayler remained on the ground where he wasn't the center of attention. He smiled at the kind words being showered over Amber. She deserved every one of them, especially after that match.
But he couldn't help but keep thinking about the situation they got themselves into. He was notorious for his bullseyes, and with only one shot, he couldn't afford to miss his target. The new position in the Knights would mean he could move on from Inazuma... but what about Amber? She had to be fighting for some reason too.
Takeda was already out of the competition. Both Bayler and Amber felt guilty about that. Where one dream was nurtured by victory, another was smashed into a thousand bits.
Whose was next?
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