____________________
"That…wretched green abomination."
"Why are you looking so upset today,doctor? Did Regrator denied your request for additional funding?"
"No, not that. Apparently some deranged lunatic decided to pay one of my research facilities a visit, and by doing so, ruined one of the long term experiments being conducted by my younger segment."
"Oh, was it really that bad?"
"The younger me wouldn't be complaining about it nonstop if it weren't that bad."
- A conversation between Harbingers
____________________
(Chengdo's Town Square, The Following Day)
An entire day has passed since Artoria and her entourage had arrived in Chengdo, and already so many events had transpired in the last 24 hours.
The warm welcoming reception by the city...
The minor yet humorous incident involving Varka, Crepus and Liben...
The fearful confession of Beidou to her family about her past trauma...
The large city-wide festival that was held in their honor...
The awakening of a godling...
And finally, the tearful revelation of a mother to her beloved children amidst an endless field of flowers.
Now, a brand new day has come, and the group must once again embark on their journey south! Towards the nation's capital, towards Liyue Harbor!
The town square, which was once filled with joy and merriment a few hours prior, was now a cacophony of farewells and goodbyes.
The local populace of Chengdo had once again gathered in droves, not just to witness the departure of their nation's newest heroes but to give them the greatest sendoff they could ever muster!
Flags and banners of all sizes littered the main thoroughfare, with the people gathering and some already throwing flowers into the street even as the main host of the convoy had not yet arrived.
Though the entire event is technically a send off, the mood of the entire crowd felt more like a celebration than a farewell! After all, it's not everyday that a city gets to host both a hero's welcome and a hero's send off in less than 24 hours!
The entire Mondstadt diplomatic delegation, fully geared and ready to depart, were already waiting outside along with the additional personnel
Back in the town's square, various members of the visiting entourage were going about their routines, making sure that everything is in smooth order before they depart for the final stretch of their journey ahead.
"Make sure those horses are properly fed and watered! I want all of them to be at their peak condition! Also I want a squad of 8 knights guarding the rear of the convoy! We must make sure the safety of everyone on this trip including the journalists and Qixing officials who have joined us back in Wangshu Inn. Understood?!" Commander Yuan energetically shouted at his subordinates.
"YES, SIR!" The Eonian Guards who were present replied in perfect unison.
While the convoy's armed forces were making their final preparations, the civilian staff, particularly the journalists and their assistants, were busy going about their respective tasks.
"Alright people! We've got a lot of work ahead of us especially once we get back to Liyue Harbor! I want those articles about the Grand Master's victory over the forces of the abyss and her humanitarian relief efforts to be ready once we get to the press! The Rite of Descension is only 8 days away and we must be able to publish the special edition by that time! Got it!" A local journalist from the Feiyun Commerce Guild owned news publishing, The Jade Gazette, energetically shouted to her crew.
"Right away chief!" Her colleagues responded.
"Also, remember to catalog every action the Grand Master does in this trip! From the way she eats her meals down to the smallest detail! We need inputs people! Inputs!"
While the members of the Liyuen press were busy running around like headless chickens in order to catch their deadlines, their Fontainian counterparts, particularly those coming from the Steambird were a bit more... reserved.
"Alright, are all papers and letters from our clients back in Fontaine all accounted for?" Gagnepetit asked.
"Yes Madame! All are safely stored inside our carriage." His assistant replied.
"Good. Now, let's see if we can get one more quick interview with one of the local council members before-" The Fontainian journalist's train of thought was cut short when her husband suddenly came running to her, waving a bunch of papers.
"Ma chérie! Ma chérie! Big news! Big news! You won't believe the rumors that I've just got!" Galanopoulo excitedly said as he handed the papers to his wife.
"What is it this time, mon cher? Another baseless rumor about some ancient ruins being discovered or some poor merchant losing a large shipment of Silk Flowers due to the sudden appearance of ghosts?" Gagnepetit teased.
"No no, nothing like that! It's about an unexplainable event that purportedly happened last night! More specifically, something to do with the folks living within the towns and villages in the Bishui region!" The pink haired Fontainian journalist eagerly explained.
"Oh? You mean the ones who got affected by the calamity just recently? Didn't we already write several articles about them? What new information could you possibly have?" Gagnepetit inquired as she scanned the papers her husband gave her.
"Take a look at this! I've heard them in passing about an hour ago near the docks. According to some sources, there had been rumors already circulating as of this moment that the people back in the Bishui region, including the locals living within the villages and towns bordering the Qiongji Estuary had allegedly experienced a bizarre dream last night!"
"Bizarre dreams, you mean like nightmares or something? Galanopoulo, you can't seriously be expecting me to write an article about some bad dreams people are having." Gagnepetit said as she rolled her eyes.
"No no, not nightmares! In fact it's quite the opposite! According to the rumors, people had allegedly experienced the same pleasant dream last night! We're not only talking about a dozen or so individuals, no we're talking about entire towns and villages! And the similarities described by each resident is just too uncanny to be a mere coincidence!" Galanopoulo excitedly clarified as Gagnepetit's interest started to pique.
"They said that they all experienced finding themselves in what they could only describe as the 'most beautiful open field of grass and flowers they had ever seen' with lush green forest surrounding it and a bunch of tall snowcapped mountains seen at the distance. But!"
Galanopoulo briefly paused, trying to build up the suspense.
"But... the strangest thing about it all, was when they looked up into the clear blue sky, they could see a translucent image of an utterly gigantic golden tree with numerous branches spreading out across the entirety of the horizon in all directions!"
"A gigantic golden tree?" Gagnepetit inquired, her curiosity now fully engaged.
"Yes, a golden tree my love! Some of the residents even stated that the clouds themselves appeared to have been passing right in front of the tree and its branches which led many to conclude that the golden tree itself was way above the sky!" Galanopoulo explained.
Gagnepetit couldn't help but scratch her head in confusion. Okay, the fantastic description of a lush natural paradise is indeed tempting but an entire population experiencing the same dream? What is this, some sort of mass hallucination brought about by the Abyss?
A beautiful meadow, lush green forest, snowcapped mountain ranges and an impossibly large golden tree? If she didn't know any better, it sounded like the opening setting for those fantasy/sci Fi based light novels that the Yae Publishing House in Inazuma had recently been publishing! She's already starting to feel a headache just trying to picture out the entire scenario!
"Dear, are you sure these rumors could be verified? What if it's just another one of those false rumors made up by some bored local wanting to get some attention! I mean, the entire northern region of Liyue just recently experienced an unprecedented Abyssal attack. What's stopping a few people from making up tall tales in order to take advantage of the situation?" Gagnepetit voiced out her concerns all the while massaging her temples.
"That's the thing, love! We had multiple unrelated sources saying the exact same thing! Namely-"
"Fishmongers and sailors from this city's docks and marketplace don't usually constitute a reliable source of information, my dear," Gagnepetit sarcastically interrupted.
"Okay, okay but hear me out! There's one more phenomenal detail concerning those dreams! Those people who had apparently lost a loved one, may they be a family member or a friend, had all claimed to have seen them in that very dream, heck they even claimed to have interacted with them!"
Gagnepetit's eyes suddenly widened upon hearing those last words.
She quickly scanned through the papers her husband gave her which were namely scribbles pertaining to several accounts and testimonies about the bizarre 'dream.'
So many alleged testimonies with some containing vivid descriptions. And in the last page, at the left bottom corner was a sentence that appeared to have been hastily encircled by her husband.
'When the time comes, let us meet each other once again in the Resplendent Realm of Avalon.'
"The Resplendent Realm? Avalon? What does that mean, dear?"
"I don't know my love, but it is what most of the deceased have allegedly told their grieving loved ones before the entire mystical dreamscape slowly faded away as they begin to wake up."
Galanopoulo's demeanour and tone then change from a bubbly energetic one to a more solemn and empathetic one.
"Gagnepetit, they said that after they woke up, the people, especially those who had grieved for the loss of their loved ones, felt a certain sense of peace, as if the heavy burden of sadness and grief that they've been carrying for days had been suddenly lifted." The Steambird reporter crossed his arms and looked to the north, towards the direction of the Bishui Plains.
"My love, I personally believe that there's no way those rumors were all tall tales made up by some bored local, I think there's something else more to it, something deeper. If we look closely they all seemed to have dreamt of an-"
"Anafterlife.... It's like all of them suddenly received some sort of temporary pass to some sort of afterlife or a waiting place for souls..."
Galanopoulo's words were cut short when Gagnepetit began to seriously analyze the ramblings of her husband, muttering a possible theory behind the bizarre phenomenon.
All across Teyvat, different groups and nations have their own beliefs pertaining to the afterlife.
The people of Mondstadt believe that the Anemo Archon Barbatos guides the souls of the deceased as they slowly become one with the wind.
In Liyue, death is considered a natural process, surrounded by deep ritual and respect. The locals believe in a death god named Tao Dou that guards the border between life and death, and only with its permission can a soul pass to the other side.
Inazuma's beliefs are almost similar to that of Liyue, though the folks over there believe that if a soul could not find closure and begins to linger for too long, it will eventually turn into a Yokai.
Fontainians, such as themselves, believe that once a person dies their soul travels into the deepest part of the sea and will merge with the Primordial Pool of Life, where it is cleansed and returns to the cycle of Life and Death.
The Natlanese have their Night Kingdom.
And those living in Sumeru meanwhile, particularly those of the rainforest, believe that all will return to the Ley lines. It's an ideology that scholars, even the ones not from the Akademiya, believe to be the most plausible. Though the desert folks believe on another path, namely that the souls of the deceased will be guided into the eternal desert paradise created by God King Deshret known as the Golden Slumber.
Different nations, different beliefs.
And now this? Right after the failed Abyssal invasion? Something is definitely at play here.
The two Fontainian couple contemplated deeply in silence before finally deciding to further investigate the matter…only after they return to their press headquarters in Liyue Harbor. They knew that both of them are hard pressed on time with all the articles and reports that must be submitted before the Rite of Descension. However, if those rumors turned out to be true, then this could be one of the biggest scoops they've ever had in their entire journalistic career!
"Let's keep this in the back burners for now, dear. Right now, let's focus on the task at hand, namely getting back to our office in Liyue Harbor and having all these reports about the Grand Master's recent exploits published. Once we're done with that, we can then focus our attention back on this... bizarre phenomenon." Gagnepetit suggested.
***
It was around half past 10 in the morning when the Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius and her family finally exited the main doors of the Haifeng Hotel, and were once again immediately greeted by a massive crowd of adoring fans.
The local Millelith guards who were tasked to keep the ever enthusiastic crowd at bay once again formed a line leading towards the main convoy, their halberds held high as a sign of respect to the Mondstadt delegation.
"Thank you Grand Master!"
"You're my hero Lady Gunnhildr!"
"Please visit us soon!"
Loud cheers and applause erupted as the noble family lead by Artoria herself passed through the sea of people, with her five little Pendragon-Gunnhildr children waving back at the crowd with warm smiles etched on their adorable faces.
The little ones have certainly learned to adapt to the fame their mother had garnered, but unlike how they initially presented themselves during their departure from Wangshu Inn and their arrival in Chengdo a day earlier, their postures were now noticeably different, exuding a sense of grace and even dignity that wasn't present before. Though they still had that bubbly and youthful aura, the overall impression they gave off now felt more... noble, and the two eldest of the bunch, namely Jean and Beidou, best exemplified this change!
The two heiresses now carried themselves with a certain dignified poise and confidence befitting of their true status as they walked behind their beloved mother. The younger trio also followed suit, trying in their own little way to best emulate the elegance shown by their mother and older sisters!
Their beloved mother had revealed to them her most kept secret the night before, and by doing so she had also revealed their now shared divine nature. This newfound knowledge had not changed the way they see their mother but rather had changed the way they at least saw themselves.
'My dearest cubs, even with your godly state, each one of you is still unique and special in your own way, never forget that, but never ever let it get to your heads.'
'Always be kind and humble, and never let power and authority blind you from what's truly important.'
'With great power comes great responsibility, my beloved children. So I want you all to promise me that you will use your powers wisely and for the good of others.'
'And remember, no matter what happens...no matter the challenges we might face in the future...always remember that I will always love each and everyone of you with all my heart. With all my soul.'
These words had stirred a sense of profound change within them, especially for Jean and Beidou, who had now taken upon themselves to act as the best role models for their younger siblings.
They are the children of a hero, inheritors of her legacy.
They are the scions of the divine, beings born of love and grace.
Their mother loved them more than they could possibly imagine and they would do anything to make her proud!
After a few moments of walking, the group finally arrived at the foot of their carriage guarded by two Eonians who then opened the door for them.
Artoria allowed her children to go in first, and as the children entered they were surprised to see both their fluffy little companions Fou and Dvalin already waiting for them inside!
"Fou! Dvalin! You guys are here!" Squealed Barbara as Fou immediately jumped into the little princess' arms.
Dvalin however was literally dog piled by both Venti and Bennett, who were too excited to see their mini reptilian partner finally back from their short 'break'!
"Hey, why does Dvalin smell like perfume? And why is there a lipstick on his neck?" Venti innocently asked not knowing the horror the two magical familiars had gone through these past few days!
In reality, the two of them shouldn't even be back until tomorrow, and the only reason why the both of them are present right now is because they managed to escape the 'affectionate grasp' of their three lunar captors!
'We're so sorry King Boo! But sacrifices MUST BE MADE!' The two of them thought in unison as they shuddered remembering the look on Sonnet and Aria's faces as they chased them across the entirety of the Tower after they attempted a 'prison break'!
After hours of running away, the three of them managed to find a portal leading back to their mistress' carriage only to find their tormentors blocking their path.
With no other choice available, Dvalin and Fou, in a rare display of bravery and camaraderie....
PUNTED the Ruler of all Bangboos towards the duo of lunar goddesses and bolted straight out towards the portal!
'EHN-NA-NAHHHHH!!!' (Translation: YOU FUCKING TRAITORS!!!)
Excaliboo screamed as his little white pudgy body was grabbed by the two utterly deranged lunar sisters and was dragged into what can only be assumed as the shadow realm!
As if sensing the traitorous act, Sir Kay, who was comfortably chilling on Jean's lap just look at his two compatriots with a face that screamed utter disappoinment, an act which immediately earned him a growl coming from both Fou and Dvalin!
'DON'T JUDGE US YOU HARD-SHELLED BASTARD! YOU WEREN'T THERE! YOU DON'T KNOW THE HORRORS WE'VE BEEN THROUGH!' The two of them telepathically growled back towards the little privileged turtle.
"Oh my, well if it isn't my little buddies Fou and Dvalin! I thought you two wouldn't be back for another day or two?" Artoria chirped in surprise as she finally entered the carriage with Xiao (in his Birb form) securely perched on her right shoulder.
'MISTRESS!' Both familiars joyfully yelped as they jumped towards the arms of their master.
"Awww, I've missed you too my little friends! I hope my Ladies-in-waiting weren't too much of a trouble." Artoria said as she lovingly hugged them, unknowingly making the two of them shudder in horror!
After a brief moment of being snuggled by his creator, Fou began to utter a series of cute yelps which Artoria easily understood. It was a message from the Moon Sisters.
"I see, so she had already left yesterday huh? Good for her. May her journey be swift and safe." Artoria responded with a gentle smile.
"Who has left Mama?" Benny asked as he grabbed Dvalin out of his mother's arms, much to the protest of the minified Anemo dragon!
"Oh, it's just your Auntie Canon, Benny. I granted her a vacation leave from all of her duties back in Avalon after she voiced her wish to see the descendants of her people back in Nod-Krai about a few weeks ago. Naturally, as her benevolent boss, I graciously allowed her! I even gave her a 'substantial' travel allowance so that she could fully enjoy her break!" Artoria explained as she ruffled her little adventurer's hair.
The entire family then took their respective seats as one Yuan informed them that they were now ready to depart.
With a simple nod from the Grand Master, the Commander of the Eonians finally gave the final order to the rest of the convoy to move.
In a few moments, the entire column of vehicles and personnel began to slowly move forward, their departure officially commencing!
Cheers and applause erupted once again from the crowd as the convoy finally made its way into the open road southwards!
The Mondstadt diplomatic mission had now resumed its journey towards Liyue Harbor!
____________________
(Mondstadt Diplomatic Convoy, half an hour later)
Inside one of the Liyuen style carriages that trailed behind the main convoy, sat a mildly frustrated Qixing Magistrate, Yanjin who's currently pouring himself another glass of Dandelion wine.
"That damn perverted blighter. Where the hell is he?" He grumbled as he took a sip from his cup.
The old bureaucrat was having a terrible morning. Yesterday, he had to 'bail out' two of his profitable 'business partners' (underlings) Pian Zi and Li Bi, from the clutches of the local Millelith guards due to the actions of those visiting Mondstadters. Though the two weren't exactly amongst the highest earners within his little enterprise, they still contribute a hefty sum of monthly profit to his... 'lucrative business'.
He knew that those two are potential squealers by nature if put into some sort of torture. Having the likes of them chicken-out and confess about his involvement would only bring about catastrophic consequences to his group's entire operations!
Hence why he had to pay a large sum of money in order to bail them out, he even had to 'grease' the palms of the local law enforcement in order to expedite the entire process!
"And with them going to hiding for the next few weeks or even months, profits are expected to take a bit of a dip." He muttered before massaging his head in frustration.
"I gave them one job. One simple job, and they couldn't find him anywhere! Unbelievable! Those stupid fools!" He grumbled as he took another sip from his cup.
Before their release, he had specifically ordered them to find Lian Tong, the head of his 'Human Resources' division and one of his biggest earners. He personally detested Tong's personality and methods, but he couldn't deny the effectivity and profitability of his work...
It earned him millions.
"Not to mention his work allowed me to cozy up with some of our more... influential Fontainian customers. Customers with similar business interests that are comparable to ours."
'We're so sorry Boss! But...but we couldn't find him! We had searched every nook and cranny of this city but he's nowhere to be found! He and his men weren't even present in any of our safe houses!'
The old bureaucrat leaned back in his seat and sighed as he took another sip of his wine.
They couldn't find him.
Both Pian and Li had informed him earlier this morning that Tong and his entire gang were nowhere to be found.
"Haiya, keep calm. Just keep calm. Remember your blood pressure." Yanjin said to himself as he tried to calm down.
'Tong must've encountered some sort of problem, probably an unexpected one. He and his men must have been forced to leave the city in a hurry. He may be malicious and cruel, but he's not a fool. He'll probably contact me in the next few days and inform me about his whereabouts as well as a report for this month's revenue.' Yanjin tried to reason out as he took another sip from his cup.
The old man then looked at the window of his carriage and saw the vast expanse of the Sea of clouds to the east.
'If only my life is as calm and tranquil as the sea.' He mused to himself.
But alas, it is not.
Being the head of an extensive enterprise spanning across the entirety of Liyue and even beyond is no easy job, especially when paired along with his 'official' work as a senior bureaucrat from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
Thankfully, he had an unexpected help when his 'Superior' rose from the ranks and joined the Qixing more than two years ago.
That man....is shrewd, frighteningly so. He had the vision and the charisma to turn anyone to his side, but he's also as ruthless and cunning as they come.
It was through his Superior's help and generous donations that he was able to greatly expand his business all across the nation with little interference from the law.
But at the same time...
"I still have no clue as to why he'd want me to increase the scope of my network or expedite some transactions. It would be problematic if cracks began to form all because the system became too large for us to handle." The old bureaucrat thought out loud as he continued to stare at the sea.
"Well no matter. As long as the Mora keeps on flowing and he doesn't get angry, then everything's fine." Yanjin muttered as he took another sip of his wine.
____________________
(Pandemonium, Constituent - Domain: Delta, Tower of Beginnings, Avalon)
Dark.
Everything is dark and cold.
That's the very first thing Lian Tong thought as he regained consciousness.
There's also pain.
Merciless and nerve racking pain that is currently coursing through every inch of his body.
He couldn't see. The darkness was absolute. But he could feel that he was securely tied to what he could only describe as a chair.
"..."
He tried to speak, but his mouth appeared to have been gagged. The feeling of utter helplessness began to creep into him.
Where is he?
Why is he here?
Where are his beautiful and ever loyal lovelies?
He couldn't remember much on what had transpired before he had woken up. The last things he could recall were...that monstrous little girl...the flash of gold and the decimation of his men and....and that teal colored flash of light followed by unimaginable pain... and then...he heard a vague conversation before succumbing to darkness.
'Let us head back to Avalon.....souls of these wretches.....her ladyship's wrath.'
He couldn't fully remember the entire conversation but those few words were enough to send shivers down to his spine!
Then he jolted.
He jolted when he suddenly heard the sounds of heavy metallic creaking as if a very large iron door was opening just a few yards in front of him!
Then a sudden burst of bright light came, erupting from the said doorway as it nearly blinded the bound thug!
He tried to struggle but the bindings holding him in place were too strong, there is no way for him to escape!
Footsteps.
While still disoriented from the sudden flash of light, Tong heard multiple footsteps echoing through the dark chamber as their owners slowly approached him! Though one of them sounded a bit too... squeaky?
Tong blinked several times, trying to adjust his vision, and when he regained them, he became speechless.
Walking towards him, with an aura of utter superiority and grace, was none other than a woman whose beauty far exceeds those of any woman he had seen in his entire life...
Even the infamous and widely sought after Jade Madame of the Liyue Qixing whose beauty was said to be able to ensnare even the most stoic of men, looked like a common street wench compared to the goddess-like being that stood before him!
Hell, that unnatural beauty had even made him briefly question his own sexual preferences!
But such a conundrum only lasted for a brief moment, as he began to recognize who the woman was, and a look of pure and utter disbelief formed in his scarred and makeup laden face.
He saw her yesterday...well, he more like got a very brief glimpse of her as she passed by the crowd that had gathered around Chengdo's main city square.
It was her.
The newest heroine of Liyue! The so-called 'God-slayer' and 'Angel of Victory' who singlehandedly killed a dark god.
The Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius, Artoria Pendragon Gunnhildr...
....
Yet something was off...
Something about the woman before him didn't feel right.
Her hair was a few shades paler than before. More silvery than golden.
Her eye color was also different. Pale gold instead of that warm and stunning emerald green that he saw back on the square.
She's even wearing what could best be described as a street punk attire, closer to those worn by some street gangs in Inazuma! Complete with bandages strapped around her chest, trying to contain her voluptuous figure and a blue leather jacket hanging over her shoulder!
But the most profound change of all, was her overall demeanour and the suffocating aura of pure unadulterated hatred that flows around her!
Gone was the kind and benevolent goddess-like figure he saw back then in the streets of Chengdo, as if that woman was replaced by this... this... this incarnation of death whose very presence made him want to crawl and cry!
Even her very shadow seemed to be filled with unspeakable levels of malice, a dark abyss of pure wrath and destruction!
This...
This is no hero...
This...is an Executioner!
'Who...who the hell is this?! Why...why am I so AFRAID?!' Tong mentally screamed as he began to hyperventilate and palpitate. He's entire body trembled uncontrollably with his vision seemingly going dark!
The miniscule levels of aura (of destruction) being purposefully extruded by Alter was already taking its toll on the poor thug's very body and soul, threatening to extinguish them completely and driving him to the very edge of insanity!
Even in his precarious state, Tong was still able to notice two more beings calmly following the terrifying woman who calmly stood before him.
The first was another woman with an appearance and form akin to an ancient goddess from legends of old, though her beauty still pales to the terrifying woman who seemed to lead this entire procession.
She has luscious blonde hair akin to that of a waterfall of molten gold, an immaculate face that held no blemishes whatsoever and she wore a pristine white Toga-like dress.
She also sports a pair of glasses and was carrying what appears to be a set of golden parchments and a quill.
She initially had a kind and motherly facial expression when he first saw her entered but when she looked at him, her entire demeanor changed into one of pure disgust!
Then there's the oddest looking member of this trio.
Walking with a sort of haughty swag, was a creature he had never seen in his entire life! The thing looked like an oversized white rabbit with two long floppy ears, but its entire posture and aura screamed arrogance and power!
The small creature wore a luxurious looking blue cape and a golden crown perched on top of its head. But what's most surprising (and somewhat terrifying) was the oversized spiked mace that the creature was nonchalantly holding over its shoulder!
"Well, well, well, look what we have here. We have a guest! An unexpected guest but a guest nonetheless.~" Alter mockingly purred as her grin widened.
She began to circle the nearly incapacitated pervert, her steps slow and deliberate as she allowed her divine authority to slowly suffocate him.
Each step. Each of her every step echoed like the tolling of a funeral bell. She was toying with him. Enjoying the raw primal fear that emanates from every single pore of this wretched criminal's body.
She held back of course. The innate ambience of her nature as the Shade of Destruction was mostly held at bay for the sake of apperance. But the very small amount that she allowed to manifest was enough to nearly drive Tong into the brink of madness and death!
"Hmmm…Now dear guest, may you be so kind to at least introduce yourself to us. You know it's considered improper to leave your hosts without proper introductions, right?~"
Tong could barely speak as he felt being suffocated, the bindings seemed to have tightened around him and the very air that he breathed had become heavy as if it had turned into lead! He tried to speak but all he could muster were unintelligible gibbers!
"Hmmm? Unable to even say a single word? Oh how rude.~" Alter mockingly shook her head. She then turned to her assistant for aid.
"Aria my dear, could you be so kind and help out our poor partially incapacitated guest with the introductions?~" Alter asked with a sing song voice as if they were in a fancy tea party rather than an interrogation.
"With pleasure your highness." Aria spoke in a calm professional manner.
Gone was the usual kind and soft spoken goddess of the Eternal Moon, replaced by a stoic judge who had seen the very rotted soul of the condemned mortal before her.
With a snap of her fingers, the golden parchments that she carried began to glow and float around her. She then took her quill and with a single stroke, countless words began to appear across all the parchments. Words detailing every action and every sin that she saw the moment she peered into Tong's soul the moment he arrived in Avalon.
This is herDivine Authority, bestowed upon her by her most magnanimous Queen; 'The Guiding Hand of Souls', and it allowed her to see the very truth of a person's soul, to see all their actions and thoughts, all their sins and virtues.
She is the one who guards and observes the branches of Resplendence as it ferries the newly procured souls from Irminsul into the blessed realm of Avalon!
She is the Arbiter of Souls. The one who weighs each soul, and prepares them for her younger sister who would then 'robed' them with a body that reflects their truest form!
She is the Warden of Souls!
The Lady of the Tower!
And it is through her hands that the condemned are judged!
"Tsk...disgusting." Aria muttered with utter contempt as she gazed upon the floating parchments containing a detailed description of the mortal's sins.
She then proceeded to read them out loud.
"Lian Tong, 40 years old, male from Liyue Harbor. Once worked a hired guard for a school 23 years ago but was driven out after 6 months after being involved in a scandal with a minor."Aria spoke in a stoic authoritative tone.
"He later worked as a hired mercenary and was well known for occasionally backstabbing his allies. Had a fetish for underage girls and boys and would often prey on orphans or street children, kidnapping them...torturing them...then selling them to some deranged customers in the black market."
With every word that came out from her lips, Alter's grin grew wider and more vicious, her fists tightening as she barely held back her seething rage.
The very idea of someone harming a child is a concept that she abhorred to the very core of her being. She would personally tear the heavens asunder if it means protecting a single innocent child from harm. And this...this wretched creature before her had made it his life's work to defile and corrupt them!
'Control yourself, Artoria...control yourself... you are better than this...' Alter thought as she tried to reign in her rage.
Excaliboo too began to casually swing his spiked mace all the while silently looking at the captured criminal. Never once had he uttered a single word since he entered the room, but the way he gripped his weapon and the way he glared at Tong spoke volumes. He too wanted to punish this wretched excuse for a human being!
"...He would often have them physically and emotionally scarred for life, leaving some of them to die in the streets after he had his fill. He had a total of 274 confirmed victims, with around 67 of them dying from the horrific abuses that they've endured. And the list goes on." Aria continued as she turned the page.
"....and lastly, the attempted murder of a 13 year old boy named Liben followed by an..."
Aria paused, taking a deep breath as she knew too well the consequences of what she's about to utter. To her, and to her sisters, the very act of harming one of the Queen's beloved children is nothing short of blasphemous. An unforgivable sin that deserves the harshest of punishments.
"....an attempt to kidnap and rape her majesty, Princess Beidou 'Bellatrix' Pendragon Gunnhildr."
Aria spoke her piece and silence descended upon the dark cold room.
The silence was deafening. So much so that one could practically hear the frantic beating of Tong's heart as he felt the very last dregs of his courage and bravado shatter into a million pieces!
After a few moments, the silence was broken by a giggle coming from Alter, which then evolved into a full blown laughter....
But the tone sounded wrong, for there was no trace of merriment and those who've heard including Aria and Excaliboo felt an unexplained sense of impending doom as if the very gates of hell had just opened behind them.
"HEEEHEEEHEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" Her laughter echoed throughout the entire chamber like the screech of a thousand wailing souls!
It was a laughter filled with utter contempt and boundless rage!
A laughter that promised endless suffering and eternal damnation!
It was the laughter of a monster who embodies the very concept of destruction!
Alter kept laughing for what seemed like an eternity before she finally stopped herself.
"Ha...good laugh, good laugh. I haven't had a laugh like that in ages..." She sarcastically said as she wiped a non-existent tear from her eye.
She took a deep breath and deliberately cancelled out her aura, allowing Tong to gasp erratically as he suddenly found it easier to breathe. Shen then walked towards the criminal's left side and placed a hand over his shoulder in a manner that could best be described as gentle.
"Hey buddy, I don't know if you were able to hear what my dear friend here had said a few moments ago, because you were soooo busy gasping for air like a fish out of water.~" Alter cooed, a venomous smile etched on her face as she traced a lone finger along Tong's bald sweaty head.
"So, I'm gonna tell you a little secret.~" She added as she leaned in closer towards Tong's ear.
"You see my friend, Aria here has the ability to see the truest extent of a person's soul and mind, and through her we saw how truly rotten your soul is, when you and your buddies first arrived into our lovely little world!" Alter whispered.
"We've seen and cataloged every single crime that you and your friends have ever committed. All the connections and all your associates.~" She continued as she traced her finger downwards to the base of his neck.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you really are a piece of work, aren't you? To think that a single mortal soul could contain so much filth and depravity, you have my respects..." Alter mockingly praised before 'gently' squeezing Tong's shoulder with her left hand.
The gruesome sounds of squelch and crack echoed through the room as her grip tightened around Tong's shoulder, pulverizing the joint and breaking the bones and sinew!
The thug's scream of pure utter agony was cut short when Alter forcibly covered his mouth with her right hand, her grip was so strong that it made the poor criminal's jaw cracked!
"Shhh...shhh...quiet now... Isn't this how you played with that one boy from Minlin? Or that one girl from Chengyu Vale?" Alter shushed as she forced him to look directly into her golden abyss-like eyes.
"You know, Aria here was initially against the idea of punishing you physically. She believed that a quick and clean interrogation would do just fine, but as you could clearly see..."
Alter pointed towards the blonde moon goddess who held a face of utter contempt and disgust for the condemned.
"I was easily able to convince her that a more... hands on approach was necessary, especially after she almost vomited her guts out upon seeing the putrid state of your soul and memories! And so, we came to an agreement. Judgement and punishment is now in order!~" She explained in a sing song manner.
"However, we are not as heartless as one could imagine. There's always a proceeding to this kind of things. Yes! A proceeding! Hell, we could even lessen your sentence if you confess your sins right here and right now! And I mean ALL OF THEM! Every little dirty secret you have hidden in that wretched little soul of yours! So..."
Alter let go of the thug's jaw and pulled back, giving him some room to breathe and speak, albeit still in immense pain from his now dislocated shoulder.
"Do we have a deal, my dear Little Tong?~" She asked with a smile so sweet that it could give anyone cavities!
At this point, the 40 year old deviant's mental fortitude had been completely and utterly broken. All of that arrogance and flamboyance he once had, was gone. Replaced by an overwhelming primal fear.
Without any hesitation, Tong immediately began to desperately blabber his sins, confirming those he had heard from Aria were true! He also gave away the names of other of his associates, including some big-shot officials in Liyue Harbor.
He begged. He pleaded. He cried.
He begged for mercy. He pleaded for his life. He cried for his mother!
"Mercy! Please have Mercy! I'll do anything! I'll tell you more! Just please, spare me!" He desperately wailed.
Alter then stopped him. Grabbing a fist full of his hair, she forced him to look directly into her eyes once again.
"Mercy?~ You hear that guys? He's begging for mercy! How adorable!" She mockingly laughed as she looked at her companions.
Aria just shook her head in utter disappoinment. While Excaliboo began grinding his mace on the hard floor, sparks flew as the spiked weapon's sharp edges scraped against the stone ground.
"You ask for mercy when you yourself have not given any to your victims?" Alter's smile suddenly faded into a look of pure anger. Her golden eyes began to glow with terrifying intensity as her aura began to flare up once more
"Let me ask you this, Tong...."
"Did you give those children mercy when you defiled them for your own sick pleasure?! Did you give them mercy when you left them to die in the streets like some unwanted trash?! Did you gave them mercy when you sold them to those sick fucks in the black market like some worthless cattle?!"
She then delivered a powerful backhand slap across the criminal's face, sending him and the chair he's tied to tumbling to the ground!
"Answer me you crossdressing freak!" She shouted as she kicked the tumbling chair, causing it to spin uncontrollably in mid-air!
"I...I...I...I..." Tong pathetically stammered, blood gushing out from his nose.
"You what?! You what?! You what?!" Alter shouted as she continued to kick the spinning chair!
"ANSWER ME, YOU PATHETIC MORTAL!"
Tong's response was a gurgle of blood and tears. The pain, both physical and spiritual, was excruciating. He felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out.
Alter then grabbed the chair and firmly placed it back to the ground. She then leaned close, her face mere inches from Tong's own.
"Let me answer for you then."
"NO."
"You never gave them any."
"And so..."
Her face then contorted into a malicious grin once again.
"YOU SHALL RECEIVE NONE."
"All your sins are unforgivable, you piece of shit, but worst of all..."
Alter then raised her right hand glowing with corroding destructive energy.
".....YOU AND YOUR MEN DARED TO THREATEN MY DAUGHTER!"
With a single flick, Alter's glowing fingers gently tapped Tong's forehead.
And in an instant, the wretched criminal's head exploded into a fine pink mist!
His entire headless body slumped forward and would've fallen to the ground if it wasn't for the chains that bind it in place.
Aria, seemingly unperturbed by the gruesome display, simply snapped her fingers and an instant, a bright flash of light erupted from Tong's headless stump as the man's head re-formed in an instant.
Instant regeneration from death, yet he didn't not experienced True Death per say since the goddess of the Eternal Moon had made sure that his soul remained intact and tied to his body all throughout the entire process, ensuring that he will experience the pain and the sheer terror of death and rebirth over and over and over again!
Tong let out a bloodcurdling scream as the pain of having his head explode and then being revived back into life in an instant, washed over him like a tidal wave of pure agony!
Pure and unbelievably excruciating agony!
"Ehn-ne Watta-watta nah, Ehn-ne-Alt-mamah?" (Translation: Can I break his knee caps now Alter Mama?)
Excaliboo asked as he raised his oversized spiked mace, ready to deliver a world of hurt to the wretched criminal.
"Go ahead my dear, break his knees...no, better yet, break his bones. EVERY. LAST. ONE." Alter commanded as she crossed her arms and smiled, her golden eyes glowing with sadistic glee.
"NO! NOO! NOOOO!!! GYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The sounds of pure and unending screams of pain and suffering echoed throughout the mysterious dark domain.
Screams that joined the symphony of seven others who were also suffering the same eternal damnation on another undisclosed 'special' location within the quiet and obscure corners of the Tower of Beginnings.
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(Meanwhile, in another separate undisclosed location inside Pandemonium)
Seven figures hang by the cold stone wall in what can be described as a sort of medieval dungeon. Their arms and legs are chained by ethereal shackles, binding them and preventing them from escaping.
The men were almost stripped naked save for a pair of rags that they wore as loincloths.
Their teeth chattering continuously as their bodies shiver from the bone chilling cold of the dungeon walls.
"www...wwhereeee...areeee...we?" One of the men, the youngest of the bunch, asked through chattering teeth.
"I...I...I dddddoooon't knowwww..." The large burly man named Eptsy stammered as he tried to look around.
The place was dark, with only a few torches providing some illumination.
"Hhhheeeey, wwwheeeere's Biiggg Siiiss?" Another thug, a lanky one with a missing right eye, asked.
"HHHEEEELLLPPP! SSSSOMMMMEEEBOOODDDYYY! HHHEEEELLLLP!"
One of them cried out for help which was soon joined by the rest of the gang, their pleas for help echoing through the seemingly endless corridors of the dungeon.
Then all of a sudden, their cries for help were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a door suddenly slamming open from the other end of the hall, causing the torches to flicker for a moment.
The men squinted their eyes trying to get a better look at the doorway which was enveloped in darkness.
And then...
"Wwwwaaaiittt. Dddiid annnyoone hehehearrr ttthat?" Eptsy suddenly spoke out as he heard...music? It sounds like some sort of bubbly and upbeat pop music...
Fog then came out of the now opened doorway as the torches around the walls began to...flicker and change into a variety of colors, reminiscent of that of a modern-day nightclub back on Earth!
The seven convicts could only hold their breath as the weird tune began to get louder and louder. Then without warning, a figure draped in yellow and green strode out of the doorway, dancing towards them as he began to sing!
I got you with my winnin' smile~
I'm a livin' lesson in flair and style!
You just can't help but stare at my savoir-faire!
And I'm Nouveau, Deco, Roman-Greco, Rococo, Barroco!
Be-bop, hip-hop, flip flop!
SOMEBODY STOP ME!
Pretty Viridian faces like mine~
Don't come a dime a dozen!
I stand out of the crowd!
Babe, when they made me, yeah, they broke the mold!
Wholesome and kind, staid and refined~
Totally out of my mind!
ARCH-VILLAINS AND NE'ER DO WELLS!
Had better learn to decorate prison cells!
Green goes with anything if they ask, see?
Well there's one last thing I gotta sing about~
Open up wide and really shout
Ohhhhhhh, LOOK OUT!
THIS IS THE MASSSSKKKKKK!
SSSMOKIN'!
A person wearing a yellow overall suit and fedora had just made a bizarre entrance all the while singing and dancing to the tune of what appears to be a Broadway-esque musical, much to the absolute bewilderment of the poor convicts who could only stare in utter confusion and bewilderment at the sheer absurdity of the entire situation!
But the strangest thing of them all was the man's head! It's green all over with not a single strand of hair present! It looks gaunt so much so that the convicts could already see some of the skull's features! And yet, despite the ghastly appearance, the green skinned man's face was adorned with a ridiculously large and confident grin!
"HELLLLLOOOOOO BOYS AND GIRLS, IT'S ME! The one! The only! The incomparable, incomprehensible and utterly ravishing! THE MASK!~" The eccentric persona introduced himself before striking a dramatic pose!
...
....
The seven criminals continued to remain silent. Their minds still reeling from the utterly baffling and outlandish performance they had just witnessed. The green-skinned man however, took their silence as a sign of adoration and awe!
"Heh, I see, I see! You guys were so mesmerized by my magnificent entrance that you've lost your ability to speak! It is understandable, after all, it's not every day you get to meet someone as charming and handsome as moi!" The Mask cheerfully said as he took off his fedora and, again without warning, went to his knees and began sobbing!
Talk about a sudden turn of events!
"BUHUUUUUUUUUU! I..I would like to give thanks to my beautiful (and utterly terrifying) creator for...for giving me this wonderful opportunity to be able to meet you seven...wretched...ugly...smelly..." The Mask's happy face contorted into one of utter disgust as he took a quick glance at the convicts.
"...and utterly degenerate mortals! So please, a round of applause for her majesty's generosity! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!" He added as he clapped his hands in a very sarcastic manner.
...
.....
"Hmmm...tough crowd. Alright, alright, enough with the pleasantries! Let's get straight to business!" The Mask then pulled out a swivel chair out of his back pocket, and as he sat down, he produced a small stack of index cards.
"You see, when I was still ninneee, my papah took me into this old and damp prison where all the bad men and rapscallions were kept! He showed me how those grown ups play, like stretching their bodies in all sorts of crazy ways, dancing to the wonderful tune of whips, stoning and ahhh..oh! My personal favorite, WATER BOARDING!!!" The eccentric mad man began to shiver uncontrollably as he began to foam from the mouth from sheer sadistic ecstasy!
"Haaaa...ha...where was I again? Oh right! My papah then said to me, 'Son! When you grow up, would you be the savior of the broken, the beaten and the damned?' He said, 'Son! Will you defeat them? Your demons and all the non-believers? The plans that they have made?!'" The Mask said with a theatrical flair.
"Because one day, I'll leave you...a phantom...to lead you in the summer...to join the Black Parad-" He stopped himself, blushing a bit as he realized that he had gotten a bit too carried away.
"Aheheheh… my apologies ladies! Looks like I'm a little bit too excited! Anyway, where was I? Oh right! My papah's basically said to me that 'Son! You worthless green faced freeloader! If I don't see you as a Jail Warden before I die, I'll disinherit you and all your future children!'"
"So! Here I was! My papah was truly a great full-blooded American Patriot! You know the type, he goes to church every Sunday, sings the star spangled banner whenever he's drunk and beats his children for no reason!"
The green faced fiend then scattered his deck of cards in the air as multiple poofs of colorful smoke erupted from each card. What came next truly made the eyes of the seven unfortunate souls widen in terror!
Multiple colorful contraptions manifested from the smoke, each of them medieval and barbaric in appearance!
Thumbscrews.
Pears of Anguish.
The Rack.
The Spanish Chair.
And many more!
"Hehehehehehehe....Hehehehehehehehehehe...Oh! I almost forgot about this!"
The Mask then pulled a thin metallic stick from his chest pocket. The glistening metallic rod has the same length as a pencil but thinner. It has bumps, noobs and pointed ridges all over the length.
It looked simple, but a foreboding aura emanated from it.
"Girls, did you know that her Majesty forced me this morning to watch an animated show or anime (as all the cultured gentle men calls it) named Overlord? Huh? You don't know what an anime is? Oh you savages! But don't worry, it doesn't matter anyway. What matters is that I watched it and I saw this weird bloated tentacle monster that was dressed up like a stripper waving an instrument similar to this! He said something about kidney stones and pee holes or what not! I wasn't listening intently to be honest because I was too busy admiring her majesty's legs!" The Mask squealed like a little school girl as his face turned red. (Punish me my wrathful mommy!)
"Ahem...anyways, since we have all these lovely 'sports equipments' just lying around doing nothing, I've decided that we're going to play a little game! LET. US. HAVE. SOME. FUN. SHALL. WE?~"
The Mask's face then contorted into a wide and wicked grin as screams of pure and unending agony began to fill the dungeon, all the while being accompanied by the bubbly upbeat music that started it all!
(End of Chapter)
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[The Mask]
- 'Chaotic Shenanigans Incarnate'
- Specie: Angel (Fallen???)
- Creator: Artoria Pendragon (Shade of Destruction)
- Constellation: None (I wish I have one *cue sad noises*)
- Birthday: June 30th
- Affiliation and Allegiance:
- Avalonian Pantheon
- Pandemonium (according to my Queen, I'm the Warden there! Horray!)
- Avalon and Mondstadt
- Sumeru Akademiya (I'm planning to file an application as a teacher or even a Matra!)
- The Fatui (I heard that there are some FUN people over there!)
- Special Dish: (Wait,...I have one?!)
- The Mask is an entity created by Alter, the Avalon's Shade of Destruction after being inspired by a spontaneous idea after watching 90s Earth Cartoon nonstop for 24 hours. Alter named it based on the original Dark Horse Comics character from Earth, and was given a small portion of her power.
- Alter designated him as an angel (Avalon's first Angel) but under the subcategory of 'fallen' to better reflect its chaotic nature.
- Regardless of his bizzare personality, the Mask is utterly loyal to the fault to his creator (which includes her family, friends and associates) and to all of Avalon and Mondstadt.
- Being the literal embodiment of the chaotic side of destruction, The Mask is the most bizzare and unhinged being to have graced the surface of Avalon and Teyvat, and would prefer to torment his enemies rather than out right killing them.
- (Spoilers) From the moment that he was born, The Mask sensed that his destined BFF is found somewhere up North, and he took it upon himself to make that said BFF's life a little more fun and exciting!
_____________________