Genshin - The Voracious Vanquisher

"Urgh..." Illya rose from the ground, disoriented from the blast. She was glad it was wind that did it and not anything else. Otherwise, she couldn't be confident that she'd survive. A point-blank explosion was always extremely dangerous, especially with a nexus of power that volatile.

Looking around, she saw the others knocked out around them. She quickly moved to check their pulse, sighing in relief when she confirmed their continued existence. She didn't need to check the unconscious dragon; his labored breathing was audible at this distance.

"Times like this, I wish I knew some healing arts." She groaned, realizing that she'd need to trust their resilience. There were no obvious wounds that she could treat and any of the internal variety were way beyond her ability to treat. To the side, she noticed Venti awake and gazing up at the floating citadel with a haunted gaze.

'He must've saved them.' She thought, very much doubting that such a fall could've resulted in such a safe landing.

"So, what happened up there? I thought Decarabian was dead."

"He is." Venti affirmed gravely. "That's not Decarabian; it's a shade."

"A shade? Can you explain? Every world's different."

He nodded, "In Teyvat, Gods don't vanish when they die, their lingering emotions can pollute the land in perpetuity."

"I wonder how many gods died to reveal that nugget of information." She muttered, though Venti ignored it.

 "They're harmful, but manageable. They're like sludge in that way. The abyss shouldn't have been capable of releasing it. If I were to guess, I'd bet a keg of good ale that their tampering with the leylines went too far, creating a big enough gap to allow that facet of resentment to escape." He turned to Illya with a face that spoke of painful mirth. "You must've really spooked him if he resorted to drawing from that foul reservoir. It probably sat in his system, biding its time for an opportunity. When the abyss's hold over Dvalin's mind was released, I felt him lose consciousness. I believe that's when it seized its chance."

"You talk about it like it's a small piece."

Venti looked at him, this time with a worried smile. "It is. Decarabian was a powerful deity, capable of cutting mountains and carrying them with the wind alone. When we slew him all those years ago, he had long been weathered both mentally and physically after a long war with Andrius, the Wolf God of the North. It's even possible he let himself be killed… many of us certainly thought so at the time."

"So, what's the damage?"

"We need to get them back to Mondstadt." Venti seriously explained. "We'll need their help nursing Dvalin back to health. That shade's incarnation left him very weak."

"Will he be our weapon?" she asked, assuming the most logical path forward.

But she was surprised when Venti shook his head. "No, we freed him from the Abyss order. It'll be his choice what he does next."

"Can't you ask him for help?" Illya's asked with furrowed brows.

"The people of Mondstadt may, but I won't. As Archons, our principles define us, and we believe them with all our hearts. I won't free Dvalin only to bind him to my own service. That wouldn't be freedom, would it?" he explained with a knowing smile.

"Hmph…, how droll."

"Hehe, welcome to Teyvat my new friend." Venti exclaimed with half exuberance half seriousness."

She let out a smile of her own. "It's certainly been fun so far." She paused and turned to look at the sun setting behind the horizon. "You take the others back. I'll keep watch. I have the least value to gain by going to your city now."

"Are you sure?" Venti asked, knowing her type well enough to attempt to dissuade her. "The shade may not wait up there the whole time. You'll be in grave danger."

"Does it matter?" she asked without a hint of fear in her voice. "We need eyes on it and I'm the best we have right now. Unless you have super god powers you haven't shown us or Aether pulls out that sudden rush of energy, I'm the only one of us who could survive under that things assault."

The dragon's labored breathing fluctuated, hinting at its imminent awakening.

"Very well! With the wind at our back, your wait will be short. Worry not, when the breeze of freedom graces you next, the city of Mondstadt will be at its head."

It was a strange feeling seeing them take off on dragon back, the same dragon they'd just battled against. There was no hesitation, no grudge between the god and dragon. It was the rekindling of an old friendship.

'He must've been lonely.' She concluded from the two's exchange, seeing the muted excitement in the dragon's gaze.

As they vanished over the horizon, she turned back to the floating ruins. The platform they'd once battled on was crumbling by the second, succumbing to the effects of the dragon's scheme. Likely, the only reason it stood was due to the pulse bomb's anemo energy being consumed by the shade before its effects could fully take hold.

'It's a shame I needed to lie to him, but I don't know if he would've let me try it. After all, if this Decarabian is as infamous as they explained, their fear may cloud their judgement.' She remembered Venti's haunted voice. 'It certainly clouded his.'

The anemo gathered in greater quantities. It wouldn't be long now. They wouldn't make it in time. Realizing that, she pulled the severed blood spike from her pocket.

"It's not enough for anything big, but…" she muttered, praying that the boon she gained from this matched her need.

She raised it above her head and channeled her power into it. Her mouth opened wide, revealing a black hole within. The spike distorted, as spacetime flowed into the singularity. Despite still being solid, the blood stretched into a hair-sized noodle that easily fit within.

Her eyes glowed with a hint of cyan before returning to their original color. She felt the rush of anemo filling the emptiness that was her bottomless stomach. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as her body processed the veritable wealth of fresh DNA. She gripped her fists tightly, restraining herself from giving in to the wild discomfort from the 'millions of ants that crawled beneath her skin.' Contrary to what one would imagine, swallowing something with the intent to integrate its qualities – rather than just converting it into energy – was a tedious process that wasn't comfortable in the least.

 It wasn't a quick process, taking hours to complete. Gradually, the surrounding anemo became submissive. She couldn't command them; they didn't serve her like they did the others. Rather, they could no longer buffet her with the same power they once did. Not only that, but the meal brought with it a healing grace that mended her injuries and restored much of her stamina.

She smiled, satisfied with the effect. "Exactly what I needed." Her gaze returned to the floating fortress. Kneeling forward, she shot off into the sky. The winds no longer impeded her path, serving instead as food for her passive absorption ability. Not only that, but her speed increased enough to be combat capable. Had she had this ability when first meeting the dragon, slaying it would've been much easier.

When she arrived at the peak, she saw it. A cyan horse stood proudly before her. Dragon scales protected its entire body. Its flowing mane combined the prominence of a lion and a horse. Finally, a glowing cyan horn extended brilliantly from its head. Its gaze spoke of madness and fury; it was a crystallization of resentment and corruption given form.

Yet, she wasn't fazed. For when she saw the menacing beast before her, she also saw the sky behind it. Despite its quickly welling power, it was not complete. Dangerous? Yes. There was a vast reservoir of anemo there. Given the opportunity, such quantity could shred apart this landmass like paper. But, in its current state, it wasn't stable; it couldn't use that power at will.

In other words, she could try her signature technique, the greatest ability she gained from eating the narwhal. For from within the star swallowing beast's belly, at darkest depths of its bottomless maw, life doesn't cease; it merely takes on a new form. After all, despite its fantastical, bottomless appetite, even it follows the laws of conservation of energy to some degree.

She stretched her arms outward. A small black hole grew beneath her palms, expanding outward until it was a foot in diameter in front of her. An immense suction erupted from it, seizing the gathering anemo into its abyssal depths. Had the beast been corporeal, this wouldn't be possible. It was an ironclad rule that governed this power. But, in its nascent ethereal state, she had a chance.

Brief glimpses of memory flashed into her mind.

Love. The people of Mondstadt must be protected. Its words were as sure as the wind; it would keep them safe from this infernal war.

Fear. Andrius is a menace, his chilling winds devastate the land. He cannot be allowed to succeed. His would be a desolate kingdom no different from the icy tundra of Dragonspine. The cold is not a place to nurture life; the people deserve better.

Love. Galahad, Arthur, Theodoric, Gunthur… many brave souls have come and gone. They ride to our Windy City's defense against my challengers. The wind will honor their sacrifices.

Frustration. Don't they understand I'm protecting them!? The winds may be inconvenient – yes – but they're the only things keep our numbers high. Against Andrius's blizzards… against the monsoons, tempests, and hurricanes from the other divine contestants, humans stand no chance. They aren't like Morax's subjects or the twins' yokai; they're frail and easily silenced.

Love. Their spirit burns bright. Even amongst deepest despair, my people do not tremble. Even as their bravest and mightiest knights fall to the vile clutches of our enemies, even as the food rations run low, they are like beacons in the howling winds. They are my hope, my salvation, my… precious treasure.

Rage. These troubled times require a demon. Who will choose this bloody road if I do not. WHY CANNOT THEY UNDERSTAND THAT!!!????

Amongst the varying emotions, the collective resentment wasn't a monolithic hatred like she'd expected. It was a chemical reaction of love and despair. The positive and negative didn't cancel out. Rather, it was like fire. The heat of negativity was fueled by the sheer depth of love and fanned by the dense concentrations of elemental energy within Teyvat. The resulting inferno blazed without direction or intelligence; it was mindless destruction.

But… it also gave her hope. This was not natural. This resentment wasn't Decarabian's doing; it was a natural reaction that preyed upon the vulnerable remains of a fallen God King.

"My abyssal darkness may not be capable of purifying this directly like Aether's brilliant light, but our powers are like yin and yang; bits of each exist within each other. Within the heart of nothingness, shattered life is reborn anew. Let the sleeping god who held his people too tight experience this land anew."

And within the void core clenched within her palms, a budding, radiant light bloomed brighter than the stars above. Its rays shot out in all directions, casting away the remnant storm and painting the clouds in a spectrum of green, blue, and violet hues.

Back in Mondstadt, Venti, Aether, Jean, and Diluc stood outside the city with the addition of three other Knights of Favonius, Lisa, Kaeya, and Amber.

Lisa is a brown-haired woman wearing blue witch's robes with white and gold accents. She wore an electro vision on her as a necklace.

Amber wore a outrider's jacket with goggles hanging off her neck, rabbit eared bowtie on her head, and a pyro vision on her side.

Finally, Kaeya was a brown-skinned man in an outfit mixed between a knight and a buccaneer. He was a suave man that carried an untrustable façade, unlike the others whose cheerful expressions had chilled under the daunting threat leering over their city, 

"That's quite an adventure you guys had. Now, I feel like I've missed out." Kaeya jested, seemingly taking the grave news in stride.

"Really, I'm glad you're safe. You guys really came through for us." Lisa said, turning to Aether. "Especially you, cutie."

Aether shrank back with a roaring blush, unable to take Lisa's lascivious manner of speaking.

"Yeah. The traveler really came through. Dvalin's rage terrified Paimon." The little pixie added.

"Indeed. It's truly worthy of a song. I'll be sure to compose an epic in your honor." Venti added lightheardly, though those who'd went with him noticed that his exuberance was muted compared to their earlier encounter. They'd revealed everything else, but Venti's secret remained so. There was little need to reveal everything.

"Uh, shouldn't we be hurrying? Illya's still there and that thing's coming, isn't it?" Paimon worriedly replied.

Jean shook her head. "Dvalin got us here, but it'll take another few hours before Barbara and the church healers can restore him to health. She'll have to wait. Without his power, we couldn't battle that thing even if we arrived. Thankfully, he agreed to our plee for help."

"She's right." Diluc succinctly added. "Decarabian's a god with greater power than Barbatos. Even if this is a shade, battling it will require more firepower than we can muster, especially when its elemental energies are polluted with abyssal corruption and resentment. I also wouldn't worry too much about our friend. From what I saw in our short trip together, running away should be possible, especially if she uses that lance of hers."

"Worry not Paimon. Everything's going to be okay." Jean finished.

The group smiled when Paimon's distressed visage calmed under their two leaders' confidence.

"Another Outlander, huh?" Amber asked. "Isn't it strange that there's been so many lately?"

"Don't know." Venti honestly replied. "Maybe it's the hand of fate guiding the winds to a better tomorrow."

"Or maybe she followed the abyss." Diluc rebutted. "She told us that she gained traits from some abyssal capable of eating planets. What if she inherited more than just its strength."

"She did keep Dvalin's tainted crystalized blood." Venti helpfully added, having caught the snatch that no one else did.

"Did she now...?" Jean pondered. "Yes, that does lend evidence to Diluc's theory."

"You think she wants to eat the abyss!?" Amber exclaimed with equal parts shock and panic.

"I've seen strange things myself, but that can't be healthy." Lisa added, visibly disturbed.

"I wouldn't worry too much." Venti said, pointing at Aether. "See, our friend here could purify corruption. That's not a skill any of us have here. Maybe her own constitution offers her-"

Venti paused, his gaze snapping in the direction of Old Mondstadt.

"What is it?" Diluc asked, readying himself for the news.

Everyone tensed, waiting for the same. Amber, Kaeya, and Lisa did the same. Even if they had questions about what was going on with this bard, they knew better than to waste time on questions. If Jean needed them to know, she'd tell them. That was the trust they placed in her as knights.

"It's… vanishing. No, it's being swallowed…" Venti muttered, feeling his dominion over anemo returning to him. Decarabian's renewed hold was waning by the second.

"Within the heart of nothingness, shattered life is reborn anew. Let the sleeping god who held his people too tight experience this land anew" Like a whisper of wind, Illya's voice slithered into the ears of all within Mondstadt's borders though, only those of sufficient capacity could hear it.

"Urgh… what was that!?" Paimon frantically asked.

"Is… is that possible?" Diluc shakily asked. Stoic as he was, if he was hearing this right… this changed everything. Memories of the vile instruments wielded by malevolent fools bubbled to the top of his mind. Many nations struggled to contain the malevolent vestiges of the past. He's crossed the seven nations; all had their own struggles. Even the blasted fools who warred against an invincible enemy now resorted to twisted caricatures of the jeweled 'gifts' from the divine. If there was a better way…

"We'll just have to ask our new friend, won't we? Sounds like she's handling it in a fun way." Kaeya whimsically answered. Despite his lightheartedness, his gaze lingered on his former crimson-haired friend.

Jean turned to Venti. "What's happening? Is the threat gone?"

"…" Venti remained silent, his gaze harder than it'd ever been as he used all his might to gaze upon old Mondstadt. When he truly focused, the wind became his eyes and ears, granting him vision into all where its cyan breeze blew.

Eventually, he let himself relax, losing the building tension born from the unexpected revival of his old nemesis.

"I can hardly believe it... Not only the shade but even the resentment festering under old Mondstadt is gone." His frown slowly gave rise to an oppositely brilliant smile. "…in its place, I can feel a brilliant life waiting to be born."

"…" The group lagged, taking time to process his words.