Sapientia Oromasdis 18: Dream of the Future  (Patreon)

Sapientia Oromasdis 18: Dream of the Future 

Beta’d and edited by The Grand Cogitator, October Daye, Dr_Feelgood, and Philosophysics

“Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a wonderful audience!” Lord Barbatos said, waving happily to the cheering crowd. He beamed at Nahida, then bowed to her. “And let’s give a big hand to our hostess this evening and the girl of the hour, Lord Buer!” 

There was scattered applause and a few confused looks, until Naomi leaned into the microphone and clarified, “He means Nahida.” 

That brought wild cheers and jubilant ululations from the audience, much to Nahida’s embarrassment. 

“Now, I think it’s time for gifts for the birthday girl!” Barbatos said, which made Nahida both giddy with curiosity and a bit worried. The Lord of Winds had a reputation as more than a bit of tricksters, and Nahida had to wonder what he was going to do. 

With a flourish, Barbatos produced a purple flower from nowhere that had Nahida gasp in delight. She had Farasha lift her up, then scrambled up on stage to accept the potted plant. 

“A Sumerian Rose,” Barbatos explained, kneeling beside her. “A bit of home for you.”

“It’s not home anymore,” Nahida told him, accepting the plant and hugging it tightly. “But thank you. I will treasure the memories.”

“And from Mondstadt…” Another plant appeared in a swirl of winds, and this time, Nahida could sense the Anemo energy within it. “Dandelion seeds. May the winds ever bring you freedom.” 

“Thank you, Lord Barbatos,” Nahida said, and attempted to bow, only to find a hand on her shoulders. 

“You brought freedom to your people, and these are your lands. Here, you bow to no one,” Barbatos said quietly. “And please, it’s just Venti.” 

Blushing, Nahida smiled shyly and nodded, barely able to believe what was happening. This was no simple mortal, nor was he just a regular god. This was the Bane of Tyrants, the Lord of Winds, the God of Freedom, the one who had reshaped Mondstadt to ease his people’s way, and one of the seven victors of the Archon War. He was everything she aspired to become one day. 

“Thank you,” she whispered softly, then on impulse, gave Barbatos a hug. He chuckled and gave her a squeeze back. Then he stood up and waved. “Well, that’s our set, but stick around, I hear there will be cake!” 

They were out in the orchards again, with a stage set in the middle for the show, and tables of food all around them. People began to talk and circulate, but Nahida remained on the stage with Barbatos for a moment. “I think the time has come for us to talk. I hate to leave the party early, but I can use the excuse that it is past my bedtime.”

That got an amused look from Barbatos. “I suppose for the responsible sorts, it is, but do you really constrain yourself to a bedtime? The night air is so refreshing, and the stars are out in the skies, even if we cannot see them!”

Nahida frowned up at the hidden stars, thinking of the false sky of her homeland. “Yes. I’ll have to do something about the light pollution. It is not well that the stars be hidden from us, for it would obscure our fates. And yet, mankind must have a light in the darkness to lead them on. Is that not what our role is?”

“Hmm, perhaps for you. Me? I’m just a leaf on the wind, blown as the breeze may take me,” Barbatos laughed. 

“You do yourself a disservice. Did you not root out the fascists from your own land, and restore peace and freedom?” Nahida asked. 

Barbtos nodded, but his expression was melancholic. “I had a helping hand with that. But I was too late for Cologne. It seems you and Beezelbul were able to be there for your people in their hour of need. I was… tardy.”

“You saved them from Khonsu, and it was not in our hands when we arrived,” Nahida pointed out. “Do you know who called us here?”

“Not a clue, I’m afraid. I take it you’re as baffled as Beezie and I are,” Barbatos chuckled. “Speaking of, I think it’s time we had that talk. Let’s find Keiga and Ami.”

They found Ami with a crowd of teens and children, standing on a table and recounting what Nahida was fairly sure were grossly exaggerated versions of her own exploits. 

“-and then, in the hour of twilight, I raised my sword against Maou the Golden, calling forth the sacred art of the Musou no Hitotachi my mother taught me! I struck him a mighty blow, and I thought he would perish! But nay! Only a thin line of golden blood did a draw! And Lo, the King of Demons was wroth, and would have smote me-”

“Mistress, Lord Buer and Lord Barbatos are here to speak with you,” Murasaki interrupted, appearing next to Ami’s left ear. 

“Huh?” Ami spun about, then spied the two archons. She blushed, then bowed to her audience. “My faithful friends, I am afraid I am called away! But fear not! You may hear more of my LEGENDARY EXPLOITS in the autobiographical account of Lightning Princess Ami, produced by Studio Madhouse!” 

There was enthusiastic applause as Ami hopped down, then hurried over. “Yes, my Lords?”

“We would speak with Beezelbul, can you contact her?” Nahida asked. 

Ami put a hand to her chest, and nodded seriously. “I bear my mother’s sword. She eagerly awaits your word.”

Interesting. Nahida reached out gingerly, and noted something shocking: Ami was an Allogene. She hadn’t embodied an aspect yet, and she had no Vision, but a great deal of power was invested in her, and not just the energies of the demons. Divine Belief was slowly infusing the girl. It hadn’t yet reached a critical mass, but it was growing. If she did receive a Vision, it would only be another short step before the girl achieved apotheosis. 

Combine that with the Hydro and Electro Dragons, along with the one known as Tsukoyomi…what a fascinating set of circumstances. 

Nahida had already thought of a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but now she had even more. 

“Then let us adjourn to the palace. Keiga already waits there. Go to your bedrooms, and lie down. I will summon you into my sanctum within the Dream,” Nahida told them. 

“Dream magic!?” Ami gasped, looking eager. “Is it like the Realm of Euthymia?!” 

“Similar in concept, but not in execution,” Nahida agreed. 

“OK, but I’m so excited, I don’t know how I’ll fall asleep!” Ami said, clenching her hands into fists and grinning.

Nahida considered, then looked to Murasaki. “Can you carry her?”

“Of course,” the little Demon… no… no, that wasn’t quite right. He was no longer properly a Demon. He was a spirit, and one unswervingly loyal to Ami and by extension Raiden unless Nahida was very wrong in her estimation of him. 

“Huh, what do you-” Ami began, then Nahida stood on her tiptoes and pressed a finger to Ami’s forehead. Her eyes rolled up in her head, and Ami slumped back as Murasaki caught her, shifting into his Kirin form, and then gently tugging the snoring princess onto his back. 

After that, Nahida led the small party back to the palace and went to her room, where she found an exhausted Qiqi already snoring, her thumb tucked in her mouth. She smiled and pulled a blanket over her sister, then lay down on the bed herself, and slipped into the Dream. 

Stepping into the Dream version of Baghdad was fascinating. In only a short time, the city had undergone a drastic change. Gone were the mostly utilitarian mud brick and mortar houses, the cracked pavement, and the somewhat clogged and polluted waterways. Instead, a living city made of houses that had been sung to life sprouted amidst giant mushrooms and enormous trees. The streets were now paved with smooth stones, and the waters pristine and clear. The whole city teemed with life, and at this hour, many of its citizens. 

Nahida could see the old and the young alike walking through their dreams, or in some cases soaring, as fantastical creatures and bright lights illuminated the streets. Unlike Sumeru City, the people of Baghdad dreamed, and for now, their dreams were mostly bright and joyous. 

“Interesting architecture! Reminds me of when I visited Port Ormos oh, two or three thousand years ago!” 

Whirling, Nahida found Venti sitting on the roof, strumming a guitar and gazing out at the land below. “It’s not yet a reality, but it is what I dream of building. A land and people in harmony with one another.”

“So, you’d give up on the wonders of modern technology?” Venti mused, plucking out a hauntingly familiar tune. Nahida placed it instantly: an old Eremite lullaby. 

“Technology is wonderful in many ways, but I must confess, I doubt its efficacy in giving people a better life.” Nahida turned back, then opened a window to peer into the waking Baghdad. Cars rumbled by as they spewed out poison, and electric lights blotted out the starry sky. “There are many things to keep and learn from, but at the same time, I think we should focus more on community and health than simple efficiency or productivity.” 

“Well said,” Venti laughed, then hopped down to stand on the balcony beside Nahida. He leaned on it, a melancholic smile on his lips. “I wonder about my own lands. How much to guide and steer them towards a future where they are truly free, and not bound up by machines. It’s a careful path to tread, but I’ll try to ease my children’s way along it, much as you plan to do.” 

“There are other plans to address first,” Nahida said, her mind flinching away from the dreadful future she foresaw. “But for that, we should consult Beelzebul as well.” 

“After you,” Barbatos agreed, and Nahida led him through the twisting palace corridors, straight lines rarely existed in dreams, and into a room that held a twilight mansion. 

Dark violet clouds hung in a twilight sky, as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. A dark gothic mansion with a hundred windows filled with smoky light sat atop a dark mountain peak, with flocks of ravens nestling along the eves. 

“MWAHAHAHAHA!” 

In a crackle of thunder, a flock of ravens dove down and then dissolved into Ami, now wearing a gothic lolita dress with lacy frills and long sleeves and an eyepatch over the opposite eye from earlier. “Welcome, strangers from afar, to the Immernachtreich! I am the Prinzessen des Blitzen, Ami Von Raiden! Do you come to participate in the Midnight Phantasmagoria?”

Behind Ami, Murasaki appeared in his smaller form, dressed in a little butler uniform with a monocle and tophat. “Mein Fraulein, these are the Archons who have come to speak with your mother.” 

“Hmm?” Ami blinked, then suddenly went bright red, and if Nahida hadn’t acted quickly, the entire dream would have destabilized. “O-Oh! Um, I forgot. Er, this, um, I just…”

“You have a rather astounding command of the Dream,” Nahida told her. “You must have been practicing with Beezelbul.”

“Oh!” Looking relieved, Ami nodded hastily. “Yes! I have been! I was, er, practicing just now…”

“Rather impressive practicing, if I do say so myself. Out of curiosity, do you know anyone named Fischl?” Barbatos asked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. 

“But of course! She is one of my handmaidens, who leads my band of assassin maids in- Er, I mean…” Ami coughed. “She’s, uh, a character in a book I’m, er, reading…”

“Well, when you finish it, I’d love to read it sometime,” Nahida said, which just made poor Ami blush even deeper. “But come, the Hydro Dragon awaits us, and even in the Dream we have only so long.”

The next room they entered was a bright and sunlit cove, reminiscent of Okinawa, with sandy beaches, and a colorful reef teeming with life. The Hydro Dragon sat on the beach in her human form, along with Tessa, while Bailu splashed about in a tidepool, two little inflatable water wings on her arms. That amused Nahida, because every so often, Bailu would flutter her arms and actually fly up into the sky a short ways before giggling and dropping herself into the water as her tail wagged excitedly. 

Upon seeing the others, Keiga and Tessa stood, bowing to the Archons. “My Lords, Princess. Is it time?”

“Yes, but I think we should meet here, within your domain,” Nahida told Keiga. “And you should remain as well, Tessa. I think perhaps it is time I explained to you my plans for you, and what being the Dendro Sovereign means.”

“Dendro King? But… I’m just a girl from St. Johns,” Tessa protested. 

“Aren’t you a robot?” Ami asked, frowning. “I don’t think you were ever just a girl like me.”

“You’re barely mortal yourself now,” Barbatos said, ruffling Ami’s hair and making her squawk in protest. While no one had been looking, he’d changed into a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts, with a straw hat and sunglasses, and a pair of green flip-flops on his feet. Nahida was sporting a sun dress and wide-brimmed hat herself, though her feet were bare as she preferred. 

“Huh? I mean, yes! I am the Lightning Princess, she who will one day inherit my mother's kingdom!” Ami declared, posing on one foot, and nearly toppling over in the sand before she windmilled her arms and managed to right herself with Murasaki’s help. 

“Then let us adjourn to the tent,” Keiga said, motioning to a pavilion with tables that had appeared on the grassy bank just above the sand. She glanced at her daughter, then nodded to herself as a pair of dolphins appeared in the shallows, clicking as they watched over Bailu, who squealed in delight and ran over to ride one of them. 

They all walked over to the tent, Nahida sitting beside Tessa, who looked embarrassed that she was wearing nothing but a bikini. She concentrated for a few moments and managed to get herself a sundress and hat, beaming proudly at the accomplishment. Keiga changed into a more formal kimono of pink and blue with patterns of fish and foamy waves upon it, then took a seat beside Ami, who was still in her overly fancy dress. 

“Thank you for all coming to visit me,” Nahida said, automatically taking control of the situation. They were, after all, in her lands, even if this was Keiga’s Dream. “I apologize for not making myself known earlier, but it took me some time to fully grasp the situation I found myself in.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it! It was pretty weird when I woke up in an alley in Munich. I wasn’t even drunk at the time,” Barbatos said with a wave of his hand. 

“No apology is necessary, Lord Buer,” Keiga said with a slight bow. “My mistress is grateful for your presence and wishes to offer an alliance. There are, however, some terms we must discuss.”

“Oh!” Ami sat up straight. “Should, um, should I get her? My mom, I mean.”

Nahida nodded, and Ami screwed up her face in concentration. Then, taking a deep breath, she shoved her hand right at her sternum, sucking in a sharp breath as she did so. To Ami’s apparent relief, her hand sank into her flesh, then drew forth a crackling blade. As she did so, Ami’s eyes glowed with purple lighting, and her expression suddenly shifted. Her muscles relaxed, and she didn't slouch in her seat so much as she no longer was so stiff and formal. The sword came all the way out, and Raiden laid the blade across her lap. 

“Lord Buer. We meet at last. Though I suppose you are not the Buer I would have known in my world, nonetheless, I greet you. How fares Teyvat?” The voice was still Ami’s, but the diction was more monotone and antiquated—that of an ancient of days, not an exuberant child of the modern age. 

“It was well, last I recall. Pardon, but did you imply that we are from different versions of Teyvat?” Nahida asked, suddenly very interested. “I had not received word that the Raiden Shogun had vanished, but she was only a puppet last I recall, and I don’t think the true Electro Archon had been seen in years, not since shortly after I manifested.”

“Indeed.” Beezelbul nodded to Barbatos, who winked at her. “We two are from different realities: he recalls the Traveler being male, I, female. Do you remember which of the Descender Twins visited you?”

“Descender Twins?” Nahida shook her head slowly. “I recall no such beings visiting Sumeru. The year was 504 AC, what was it for you?”

“Ah, it was 513 for me,” Barbatos broke in. “The Traveler wouldn’t have appeared for some years.”

“Hmm. For me, it was the year 2215 by the Imperial Calendar, in the month of Sakura,” Beezelbul said with a nod. That would have been 514 Moraxi by the New Calender. “Fascinating. The question is then, why the differing times?”

“That is not something I have been able to determine. Do you know why we were sent here?” Nahida asked, looking to her elders. 

Barbatos shrugged and grinned sheepishly, but Raiden nodded. “We were needed.”

“Eh, good an answer as any I suppose,” Barbatos commented, sipping loudly out of a coconut with a bright red bendy straw. By the scent, the drink contained rather copious amounts of alcohol. Nahida frowned at him, and Barbatos winked. She sighed but supposed in a dream at least, she wouldn’t forbid alcohol. Even if it was a useless toxin that Allah had been wise to prohibit. 

“For now, it will suffice,” Nahida agreed. She hesitated a moment, then said, “I do suppose the Simurgh, Leviathan, and Khonsu were great needs, but…”

“They are not the enemy. Merely his pawns,” Raiden said, and thunder rumbled overhead as Ami’s features twisted into a snarl of rage. Even here in the Dream, the Wrath of the Electro Archon was palpable, even through a mere projection. 

“Her pawns,” Nahida said softly. “The Warrior is but one half of a pair, though he is the larger threat.”

“Oh?” Barbatos set down his drink, and Raiden leaned forward in clear interest. 

Nahida looked to Tessa and Keiga, but they were already listening raptly. Tessa looked mildly confused, but Keiga was grim and clearly knew more than she had set so far. Nahida decided to elucidate for Tessa’s benefit and to fully lay her cards on the table. 

“Eight days ago, shortly after I confronted the Angel of Death, the being known as Scion appeared in my city,” Nahida began. Immediately, Keiga’s expression darkened, while Raiden’s assumed the sort of serenity that one only saw at the eye of the storm. Barbatos looked no less disgusted, outright throwing down his drink, but none interrupted her. “It was at this point that the Warrior revealed himself fully to me, and I grasped his true purpose.

“For you see, there were once two beings. They were not gods, but of a strange race of Demons that propagated themselves amongst the stars. They are like a swarm of locusts, devouring all they see, and ruining all they find, in an endless quest to endlessly multiply until there is naught left but their own kind in the entire cosmos.

“But like locusts, these creatures lacked all ingenuity and creative spark. They are utterly without connection to the Dream, and they cannot create, only destroy. Because of this, they seek out worlds upon which there are living things that possess intellect and wisdom, that the locusts might steal and devour themselves.

“In the process of doing this, a cycle that has repeated itself ten times ten thousand times, the locusts realized something: Time and space are finite, as is energy. At some point, their mad quest to spread themselves without ceasing must come to an end, as all things must. Against this natural order, the locusts have rebelled. Now they seek not just to multiply, but to find a way to create unlimited space and energy, so that they may continue their propagation without end, destroying even time itself in their pursuit to further their own kind.”

“Madness,” Raiden hissed, her expression still serene. The thunder and lightning that flickered all around them now told the true story: Beezelbul was beyond wrath now, for this went against everything she stood for. “This is Eternity itself perverted.” 

“I don’t think she’s come to the worst part yet,” Barbatos said grimly. No longer garbed in a tropical shirt, he was clad in green hunting leathers, a bow on his back, a hurricane in the quiver at his side.  “Please, continue.”

Sniffling, Nahida found she was weeping now, and Tessa put her arms around Nahida to comfort her. “I… saw all this. And more. It seems that the locusts travel in a mated pair. One that seeks to harvest all information upon a world, before using the life there as fuel for experimentation and hosts for their vile eggs. These are the Demons, the parasites that now plague our children. They grant them power, but at a price. A terrible price, as I know you have seen. But I fear it is even more terrible than that: their bodies, their souls, they will be fuel to spawn a thousand demons each, before the land itself is consumed as fuel, and a new swarm is birthed in chaos and destruction, flinging itself once more across the stars.” 

“But we have met only the male. The female has fallen. So we are given a stay of execution,” Beezelbul said, her eyes narrowing. “Are we not?”

“No,” Barbatos growled, his eyes glowing green as winds whipped the waves outside their tent, though the structure itself was still and the grave. “I think I know where this is going. But it is your tale to tell, if you can.”

“I… I can,” Nahida agreed, closing her eyes as Tessa’s arms squeezed tighter. “The female… she called herself Thinker. A perverse name, for she had neither thought nor wisdom. But she was cunning. Somehow, in coming to this world, there was a mishap. She was killed, destroyed. The male, who calls himself Warrior, was despondent. He had no love for his mate, but without her, he could not fulfill his purpose. He could not complete their Cycle of Propagation. And so, he fell into despair.”

Raiden’s eyes widened in sudden horror. “Until he met me.” 

“Yes. You were the first hint that perhaps not all was lost, that the Cycle could continue,” Nahida agreed, and shuddered at what she had seen in the King of Demon’s mind. “But he recognized you as a fellow Warrior. Not a Thinker. Still, he began to awaken. And then… then he met me.”

“No!” Tessa gasped, hugging Nahida tightly. “No, I won’t allow it! Nahida, you’re not saying-”

“Peace. Please, let me finish,” Nahida hiccuped, though tears were now streaming down her face. “He… he saw me, and he called me Thinker. He saw that I am the Branch of Irminsol, that I have become the True Tree of Life for this world. And… and he attempted to… to m-mate with me.”

An echoing boom of thunder nearly blew the tent over as Raiden hovered in the air, her face a mask of fury. HE WOULD DARE TO VIOLATE A CHILD!? 

BUER IS NO MERE CHILD. SHE IS ONE OF US, Barbatos said, the one called Venti was gone. No mere wind sprite, the thing that swirled in the tent and beyond it was a being to drive men to madness. He was no longer the playful bard, but the Bane of Tyrants. The fury of the Winds given form. BUT THIS IS A CRIME BEYOND ALL IMAGINING. 

The Hydro Dragon had taken on her massive draconic aspect, coiled about the tent protectively and rumbled threateningly, her child anxiously clinging to her scales, her sport forgotten. WE HAD ALREADY DETERMINED MAOU THE GOLDEN HAD TO DIE, BUT THIS IS WORSE THAN ANY CRIME I COULD HAVE IMAGINED. 

“There… there is some good news,” Nahida sniffed as Tessa squeezed her tightly, the Dendro Dragon’s own tears falling into Nahida’s hair. “His meeting with me… it has altered the Fate of this world. Before, the stars wrote that he would seek to destroy all Mankind within no more than a generation. Now… as much as centuries have been bought. It is a s-small price to pay.”

NO. IT IS AN UNACCEPTABLE PRICE. ONE THAT CAN BE REPAID ONLY IN BLOOD. Raiden decreed. It was odd, hearing the voice of a god out of the Electro Archon’s still mostly human daughter. Nahida did worry that Ami could still hear what was said, for she was very young still. 

YOUR SACRIFICE WILL NOT BE IN VAIN, LORD BUER, BUT WE WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH TO COME TO PASS AGAIN. The winds roared, fury in their every hissing breath. 

“If I can do anything to help my people… I will do it,” Nahida vowed. 

“Not that,” Tessa told her firmly. “Never that, Nahida. Some prices are too high.”

Nahida privately disagreed. What was her own life or virtue set against all of mankind? One for the world her family and loved ones lived in?

WE WILL SEEK HIM OUT, AND END THIS SO-CALLED KING OF DEMONS, Raiden stated, her sword bare in her hands now. 

“No!” Nahida shook her head, trying to wipe away her tears. “That will end only in disaster! He is strong! Nearly unimaginably so! Even if the three of us, the dragons, and all our children were to face him at once… our odds of success would be no better than 15.78%. Rounded up. Even then… in most scenarios… we suffer grievous losses, and the world is irreparably damaged.”

HE HAS YET TO FACE THE LIGHTNING’S GLOW. MANY A GOD HAVE I SLAIN BEFORE, Raiden snarled, her sword clutched in her hands. 

HEED HER WORDS. BUER IS WISDOM. CAUTION IS NEEDED. BESIDES: THIS COMES TO ANOTHER POINT WE MUST DISCUSS, Barbatos stated, his winds slowly gentling. 

Raiden was silent for a moment, her thunder echoing loudly. Then, slowly, she sank back into her chair, resting her sword on her lap. “Very well. I will heed caution for now. But if that monster so much as touches Buer again…”

“Then we will reconsider,” Barabatos agreed, a drink appearing in his hand, this time in a horn cup. He was dressed now as a bard once more, but he hadn’t put away his bow nor his quiver. 

The Hydro Dragon still looked furious, but she had returned to her mortal guise and was comforting her crying babe. She stood behind her mistress, eyes flashing, but she was content to listen. For the moment. 

“The others,” Nahida agreed, speaking what they were all thinking. 

“Others?” Tessa asked, looking around. “There are more? Wait, don’t tell me… there’s seven. Like in the game.”

“Indeed,” Barbatos agreed, grinning cheekily and sipping his drink. “I put that out as a hint. Well, for me, it was practically screaming the answer! Good to know at least some people are paying attention.”

“Hmm.” Raiden looked dubious but nodded. “At the very least, it would be good to have Morax and Murata. They are skilled in the art of war.”

“I wouldn’t count out Dantalion or Focalors,” Barbatos said with a slow shake of his head. “They are young, but Dantilion is cunning, and Focalors seemed to be playing against Heaven itself as well. I wasn’t there to see the end of their game, but…”

“Dantalion is a fool,” Raiden said with a snort. 

“I’m sorry, but… Dantalion?” Nahida looked back and forth, worried. “That is not the name of the Cryo Archon I know…”

“Truly?” Barbatos looked intrigued, leaning back in his chair. “Well, then there is more than one difference between our worlds. Still, the Cryo Archon is the Tsaritsa still?”

When Nahida nodded, he shrugged. “Well, either way, the Mistress of Snezhnaya would be a powerful ally, for she is a terrible foe. And if she has the gnosis…”

“You…you do not have your gnosis?” Nahida asked, shocked. That was the symbol of the Archon’s Throne, though not its power in entirety. Through a Gnosis, an Archon could render great works indeed.

“I never took up the Gnosis once Makoto passed it to me,” Raiden said with a shrug. “This fool seems to have lost his in a drinking game.”

“Well, it wasn’t quite like that, but, ah, I did give it into the care of the Tsaritsa. For I too wished to see certain tyrants fall,” Barbatos explained. 

“Interesting… then I am the only one so far in possession of mine,” Nahida mused. She looked up at Tessa and smiled. “Or at least, you have it. It is good that a Dragon once more bears their Authority.”

“Yeah… I’m still confused about that,” Tessa admitted. She reached into her chest, plucking out the emerald chess piece. “What is this, anyway?”

“Power and Authority, stolen from the Dendro Sovereign, Apep. It’s not all that makes an Archon, but it does represent a significant amount of power,” Nahida explained. “I gave it to you so that if the King of Demons does return, my people will not be without defense.” 

“The Gnosi were forged by Celestia, Heaven, after they had subdued the original Dragon Sovereigns of Teyvat and took away their powers,” Barbatos agreed. 

“They are a poisoned gift. Only a fool would rely on them,” Raiden stated. She nodded to Buer. “It is good to see you understand their… limitations.”

“A poisoned gift is a good word for them,” Nahida agreed. “But in the hands of their rightful holders, they could be a great asset once more.”

“Well, I’m not the rightful holder! You should take it back!” Tessa urged, offering the chess piece to Nahida. 

“No! It’s yours now. Keep it, and use it. It would be good for the Authority of Dendro to once more be divided between Gods, Dragons, and Mortals. Some may even receive a Vision if their Ambition aligns with yours. You will know when you have given one, though it is but a mote of your power, it is still noticeable,” Nahida told Tessa. 

Keiga shifted, glancing at Raiden. “You call me the Hydro Dragon. What does that mean?”

For a moment, Raiden only regarded her blade. At last, she spoke. “It was my intention to restore divinity to these lands. At first, I did not think I would see my peers arrive here. And from the first, I knew the Sustainer to be a grave threat to Eternity. I did not know the depths of his depravity, nor the full extent of his plans, but I could read the Fate of this world easily enough, and see that he was the one who brought about its destruction in only a handful of years. Thus, I began to forge weapons to fight him. Weapons such as yourself. And…” Raiden closed her eyes, then put a hand over her own heart. “... and my daughters. May Heaven judge me rightly for my sins.”

Keiga digested this for a moment, then looked down at her sleeping child on her shoulder. “It was your right. I am your sworn liege woman. And you say… Scion will destroy the world?”

“Inevitably,” Barbatos agreed, his expression stormy again. “I have searched through Time and fate, but found no way around it. It has been pushed back, but… still, it looms. Two lifetimes of a mortal man. No more.”

“And so many ways for it to come to pass much sooner,” Nahida said with a shudder. “It is why I was forced to act against Saddam. He was an obstacle to the path that could best lead to victory over Fate itself.”

“Fate has adjusted itself each time one of us arrives. By my reckoning, the hour draws near for the next to appear,” Raiden said, looking around at Nahida and Barbatos. “The question is this, then: Who next shall appear? And where?”

“Morax will appear in China. Of that, I am nearly certain,” Barbatos said instantly. “The Tsaritsa in Russia. The others, I am not so certain, but I have my suspicions.”

Raiden frowned again. “Such forthrightness is not like you.”

“None here are mortal, not even your daughter,” Barbatos said with a shrug. “We are all gods and dragons. Freedom as a concept does not apply to us. I do not worry that I will somehow impinge on mortal will, for what greater violation of their freedom could there be than death and domination?”

“A fair point, but you are ever one with a glib tongue and a taste for mischief. Has this then finally caused even your patience to reach its limits?” Raiden demanded. 

Barbatos chuckled humorlessly. “You were there the last time I was wroth, Beezie. Well. Do you remember what happened?”

“The world is still scarred by what you did to Decarabian. And it is telling that none other arose to challenge you for the Anemo Throne,” Raiden responded. “Good. I detest such games. Let us be forthright with one another. I have forged many weapons, seeking one that could destroy the Sustainer, but I have yet to find one.”

“One exists. I will be founding a school, and though I hate to focus on weapons of war… we shall research such things,” Nahida promised. “He seems to have little awareness or control over the Dream, and lacks any divine aspect. These are weaknesses we can exploit, though they are subtle.”

“Subtlety has never been my way,” Raiden said with a grimace of distaste. “But such methods do seem preferable to direct conflict. I will bow to your wisdom in this matter, though I shall not cease my search for a blade that could end this in a stroke.”

“What about turning the hearts of the Parasites? You’ve had some success in that,” Barbatos pointed out. 

Nahida nodded, then sighed. “Yes, but there are more demons than there are grains of sand on a beach. I could turn perhaps a dozen of them a day. If I had a thousand years, it would still not be enough, and the King of Demons could decide to end the world tomorrow. I will continue the work, but I must be cautious. For if I turn too many…”

“An avenue that leads to a dead end then. But continue down it nonetheless. I have stalked and killed several of the abominations and suborned others. They are disgusting creatures, but some have shown their loyalty,” Raiden stated and nodded to the corner where Murasaki had been sitting very still. 

“I serve my mistress now, Lord Ei,” the little spirit stated firmly. “You forced me on this path, but now, I walk it gladly. Given the choice now, I would choose Ami and yourself again and again. I will do everything in my power to aid Ami.”

“And what of the dead female, the Thinker?” Nahida asked. “I met one who had a fragment of her within them. It was… disturbing. It was placed there intentionally, I think.”

“The Yankees,” Raiden spat, her lips curling in a sneer of distaste. “They are reckless fools would would bring the grim fate of Khaenri'ah upon their own heads.” 

“Khaenri'ah was mighty before she was laid low. There is potential there,” Barbatos argued. 

“It’s a path of foolishness and madness. I will try to dissuade them,” Nahida said with a shake of her head. “She is no better than a dead god, and twice as corrosive to the soul. She should be left in peace, and we should be grateful she perished. If we could learn how…”

They talked and planned for long hours, until the sun rose. Then, Nahida bid them all farewell, and stepped out of the dream. She sat up in her bed, then went over to the window, and looked out at the sky as dawn painted it in bright colors. 

“The world is yet full of wonder,” Nahida whispered to herself. “As long as there is one person who yet dreams… there is hope.”

She smiled, and looked over at Qiqi, who still snored. She was not alone now. She had a family, and she had somehow been accepted as an equal by Barbatos and Beezelbul. She knew she wasn’t worthy.

But she would find a way somehow, anyway. 

Author's Note:

Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll! We will be having three interlude chapters after the next chapter, which is the final Nahida chapter of her initial arc. Chapter 74 will debut the new Archon.