Hold over Myriad of Worlds

We arrived at the feet of Favonius Cathedral. While certainly lacking compared to the Palace in Hold, it was still one of the most impressive buildings on this side of Teyvat. Entering inside, we walked past a row of benches and approached the altar.

-"To think that Barbatos have worshipers."

-"Ningguang, I think that stranger is to worship him in such solemn cathedral."

-"That's true. I can't connect the image of Venti and this place."

-"Girls, don't slander someone's belief."

-"Yes, guests, please don't speak ill of lord Barbatos."-spoke a young nun from the side.

-"Sorry for that. I simply can't connect the image of him in my head with this place."

-"As foreigners, you may not be aware of Anemo Archon's deeds."

-"Sorry for disrespect. You are?"

-"My name is Barbara."

-"We simply heard stories of Barbatos from Geo and Dendro Archons. Our image of him was a little different than the one portrayed in this place."

-"I see. If you wish, I can tell you about some of the legends surrounding the God of Breeze and Hope."

-"Thank you for your kind gesture, but we don't have much time. After a quick look, we have to go back."

Just as we were about to start heading back, a familiar scream echoed in the cathedral.

-"Big Brother!"

-"Little Klee, don't scream here."

-"Sorry."

-"Finished your job?"

-"Yes."

-"Klee, don't run away like this."-A blond woman entered, followed by Lisa, whom I met in Liyue.

-"Sory Jean. Klee just felt Big Brother here."

-"Big Brother?"

-"Oh my. Yue, long time no see."

-"Indeed. How have you been, Lisa?"

-"Good. I just lack some companion in a library."

-"Ehem, Lisa, mind introducing me?"

-"Ah, yes. This is Yue. We met during my mission in Liyue. Yue, This is Acting Grand Master of Knights Jean."

-"Happy to make an acquaintance."

-"Likewise. What brought you here to Mondstadt?"

-"I'm on a date."

-"Date?"-Jean looked surprised. After checking left and right, she saw Ningguang and Astraea.

-"I'm Ningguang, the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing. Hmm, it was a long since I introduced myself as such."

-"My name is Astraea, a pleasure to meet you."

-"Yes, I didn't expect a leader of Liyue to come here directly."

-"As Yue said, we are here privately, so there is no need for formalities."

-"I see. It's still an unexpected meeting."

-"You tell us that. Yue was almost adopted by your little Knight."-Astraea smiled softly and looked at Klee, who had been telling me some story during their talk.

-"Sigh. I'm sorry for any disrespect she may have committed."

-"No need. It was interesting to see him being so awkward around her."

-"We will head back. Jean, if you want to restart our negotiations, contact me directly."

-"I will do so. Have a safe way back."

-"Thank you."

I bid farewell to Klee, promising her to visit in the future. We traveled back to Hold and spit up. I went looking for Fu Xuan. It didn't take me long to find her making some readings on Omniscia.

-"Fu Xuan, do you have a moment?"

-"Yue? Give me a few minutes to finish."

-"OK."

I sat nearby and waited. After around six minutes, Fu Xuan sate next to me.

-"Why are you looking for me? Did something happen?"

-"You may say so. Are you all right?"

-"Yes, there are no side effects of revival. I've been undergoing regular checkups to make sure of that."

-"While I was a little worried about that, this time I meant something else."

She stopped for a moment, then sighed and leaned on me.

-"Yue, what do you want me to do."

-"Stay by my side, now and ever."

-"Then don't let me go."

We sat in silence, simply enjoying what was almost lost. After being interrupted by members of the Divination Commission, Fu Xuan suggested going to Loufu.

-"Do you plan to cleanse Abundance on the remaining ships of Alliance?"

-"Yes. I calculated that I would need a month to do so, and as such, I'm compiling everything that requires less time."

-"Is that so? Then what are your plans for now?"

-"Spend some time with you, then I'll go find Jingliu after she is done with her teaching session."

-"Good. Then help me do some tasks."

Fu Xuan is rather busy, making readings for everything from military strategies to finding new resources. Having the possibility to foresee possible problems is too important to pass.

I stayed to help in the Divination Commission until late evening when, after excusing myself, I went back to Hold. Arriving in a dojo built near the military base, I could hear clanks of weapons hitting each other.

Inside, many people were surrounding one arena in which Jingliu was fighting against a group of opponents. Among them were members of Astraea familia, younger members of Loki familia, and a few others I don't recognize.

-"Keep form! You have too many openings."

-"Sorry."

-"Don't apologize, do better!"

I took place by the door and watched a one-sided beating going on.

-"Think what you are doing! Don't let your enemy read your movements."

Not even ten minutes later, only Jinglui was left standing.

-"Power without control is harmful. You should think about that."

She then saw me standing and approached.

-"Master. What are you doing here?"

-"I was looking for you. How about sparring?"

-"It would be my pleasure."

We moved to the largest arena while the crowd, hearing about the coming duel, started making a commotion. Soon, even more people were standing around to see our fight.

-"Rules?"

-"How about pure combat, Master?"

-"Good."-I manifested my crystal sword.

Jingliu also created her ice sword. Silence enveloped the spectators, but they weren't important now. To me, only Jingliu matters now. She also had only me in her eyes.

I started walking forward, and when I arrived at the center of the field, Jingliu started her attack. Our swords clashed, and while keeping a defensive posture, I started parrying all oncoming slashes.

I stood still while Jingliu was attacking from every side and angle she could. This continued until I was able to throw her away with the counter, making distance between us.

Deciding to change the tempo, I went on the offensive, using my strength advantage to push her back with every attack. Jingliu couldn't parry my blows without being affected by the impact.

We continued using different techniques, exchanging the role of attacker and defender between us until we became locked in a stalemate. Widening the distance between us, we again stood at the starting positions.

-"Continue?"

-"No, that is enough, Master."

-"Great fight."

After the sparring, Jingliu returned to those she was teaching and explained a few things they should focus on. Seeing the attention of students she was receiving, one could imagine how respected she was as one of the best fighters in Hold. She ended her lesson and walked with me toward High Grounds. 

-"Your popularity is impressive, Jingliu. You've become an idol for all warriors."

-"It's the same as in the past when I was Sword Champion."

-"Not exactly. Back then, your popularity was from your strength. Now, you are respected as a teacher."

-"Isn't this the same?"

-"If so, why do you call me a Master and not other strongmen in Hold?"

-"..."

-"I know you don't care about fame, but I'm happy you regained the respect."

We entered the White Villa and sat on the balcony of my room with some tea. No words were needed between us. We relaxed for some time, after which we moved to the room. This night was used to prove our dedication to each other.

The next morning, I started preparing breakfast in the Palace. Our morning gathering expanded to seven people, and while I was making food, the rest of the girls surrounded Jingliu, making 'girls talk' that I dared not to eavesdrop. When I served the dishes, everybody was sitting prim and proper, only a slight red hue to some faces betraying the nature of talk behind my back.

-"Enjoy your meal."

-"Thank you, Yue. It would seem that yesterday's talks went well."

-"Yes, I'm happy that both Jingliu and Fu Xuan agreed to join me here."

-"You are one lucky man, don't ever forget that."

-"Well, after absorbing Permanence, I got Hyperthymesia along with the power, so don't worry about that."

-"Perfect memory, huh? For you, it's quite useful. For most, it can only be a curse."

-"Anything interesting happened recently?"

-"Yes, actually, my friend and rival wrote to me some time ago to meet me near Kyoto. I saw her yesterday, and she wanted to act as a mediator between us and Chaldea."

-"Did you agree, Nobunaga?"

-"We arranged a meeting for today to hear the demands of both sides. I'll decide what to do after that."

-"Who do you plan to take?"

-"Me and Jing Yuan as the main party. For guards, I don't have a preference, so I left choosing them to him."

-"Let me tag along. I don't believe that lot much and want to monitor them."

-"I don't mind, but your appearance might escalate things."

-"I'll be there as a fox. Just keep me in your arms."

-"OK. We will leave after the meal."

-"Then I'll join as a guard."

-"Good. Anyone aside from Jingliu and Yue want to join?"

-"We are busy today. Just consider taking Tingyun to help with the talks."

-"Hmm... Good idea. Can you pass a message to her, Ningguang?"

-"I'll inform her."

-"You reminded me about something. Be sure to make around a week of free time in two months."

-"You want to take us somewhere, Yue?"

-"Yes, I was invited to Penacony a while ago. It's a nice place to play a little, so why don't we go there together."

-"I want to go!"

-"While not as enthusiastic as Elysia, I'm also interested."

-"Then it's confirmed. This outing to Penacony is our first family trip."

We talked a little more about some nonimportant subject, but breakfast was quickly over.

I was now being held by Nobunaga in my fox form, while she was walking toward the meeting point. Next to us were Jing Yuan and Tingyun. Meanwhile, Jingliu, Yanqing, Kiana, and Mei followed as guards one step behind.

Our meeting point was a teahouse built in a scenic spot nearby. The serene atmosphere over a quiet lake is perfect for relaxation, but this time, one could feel slight tension hanging in the air.

-"Nobunaga. I'm thankful you agreed to my proposal."

-"Kenshin, no need for formalities. Let's go and see those 'Heroes'."

-"Sigh. Do you even want to come to an agreement?"

-"You see, they killed a person who is close to me, and while Yue saved her, he was almost lost because of it. Not to mention that it was gods they listened to who made the move."

-"I'm well aware how you despise those who do god bidding without thought but try to understand them."

-"I meet many people following gods who made me change my mind on that. I just hate hypocrisy and their lack of awareness."

-"Who are you to judge us ignorant! It was you who brought the alien god who almost destroyed this world."-Shouted a kitsune dressed in a blue kimono.

-"Tamamo, please calm down. I'm sorry for her outburst."-Said a knightly woman who carried a banner into combat.

-"Nah, I don't care about enemies cries."

-"You!!!"

-"You both, please calm down."

Everybody sat down. Nobunaga's friend, who was called Uesugi Kenshin, was in the middle. We were on her right, while Chaldea's group was on the left.

-"Then let's start with short introductions."

-"Yes. I'm called Ritsuka Fujimaru. This is Jeanne d'Arc, the Saint of Orleans, and this is Tamamo-no-Mae, ruler of Kyoto's reverse side."

The Gudako whom I met before spoke as the representative of the group.

-"I'm Oda Nobunaga, titles don't matter. This is Jing Yuan, general, and this is Tingyun. What should I call you? An accountant?"

-"Well, this fits... Let's just say that I'm responsible for the economic aspect of negotiations."

-"You heard her."

-"Yes. Then, allow us to start. We want to negotiate peace and return to the right track of history."

-"We are done then. I know my 'right' history and believe me, I don't want that to happen, and don't even get me started on the rest."

-"Why don't you understand that your actions are destroying the world?!"

-"Who said that? You? Sorry, I don't have a habit of listening to people who are used as pawns of gods."

-"Then would you allow us to show the consequences of your actions?"

-"How do you plan to do this?"

-"Chaldea has limited ability to show the future. We will use that."

This surprised me. Every divined knows the risks of divining somebody's future. Reading the past is safe, but the future can easily backfire.

This is the reason why Fu Xuan only reads the future of objects, as this is much safer. I can bypass this limitation by nature of being the emanator of Finality.

-"Are you sure? I'm not good at that subject, but even I know that what you plan to do is stupid."

-"We are confident."

-"I'll let you try then."

We went outside, where Chaldea was preparing the technique they mentioned. Nobunaga passed me to Jingliu, after which she went to the place they told her to.

-"Ready?"

-"Just do it."

They started making the divination but were unable to show any results. This was not strange, as Nobunaga has the protection of Hold. Even Chaos can't overcome it. With this fiasco, their position in these talks becomes even weaker.

"Heh. It appears you can't know if I led this word to destruction. You simply oppose me because some god told you to do so."

-"But how can you know you are right?"-Asked confused Gudako.

-"I don't. Isn't it normal to not know the future?"-Refuted Nobunaga.

-"..."

-"Have you anything more to say?"

-"Sigh. We still want to reach peace. We'll stop acting against you, but allow us to make sure that this world is safe."-Spoken Jeanne.

-"But don't let that god return here. This land belongs to Lady Amaterasu."-Said Tamamo.

-"You are in no place to negotiate that."-Answered Nobunaga, taking me back from Jingliu.-"In truth, I don't want to negotiate with you. I'm here only because of Kenshin."

~"Nobunaga. I believe that this negotiation has already changed its nature."~I spoke suddenly, surprising many present.~"Something is approaching this place. Another group who has a similar nature to those two gods."

-"Haha. They were thrown away?"

~"I'm not sure. Get ready for combat."

-"You heard him."

-"Roman! Da Vinci!"-Shouted Gudako, but there was no response.

-"No way..."

-"My magic power supply was cut off!"

~"What do you want to do now?"

-"You are Yue, right?! Can you reach Chaldea? They are in a place where if systems are disconnected, they will be destroyed."-Gudako was in a panic.

~"I can, but why should I help my enemies?"

-"We can negotiate with you..."

~"No. Surrender or leave."

After my declaration, silence followed. It was Jeanne who spoke finally.

-"We will surrender, but you are to treat us with every right."

~"I don't need to abuse captives. Follow us."

We quickly returned to camp outside Kyoto and started preparing for a fight.