Ren
"Master, is this really appropriate?"
"Of course. You want him to heal quickly, do you not?"
The voices filtered in slowly. Ren's brain was still sluggish, but he was able to recognize the familiar voice somewhere above him.
A part of him was too tired to do anything. His body was heavy, and he wanted to return to deep sleep. But then he slowly remembered everything that had happened.
Mt. Aocang. A woman with a spear broke his sword. He remembered summoning Yǔnjié. Then Ganyu's voice saying his name.
'Where am I?' He thought sluggishly.
He became gradually aware that whatever he was lying on was very soft and warm. Above all, it was very, very comfortable. So much so that he couldn't help but bury his head deeper in the cushion.
Slowly, he opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a large piece of fabric close to his face, moving slightly with his slow breathing.
He moved his head slightly and realized that what he was lying on was moving too. A pit started to form in his stomach as he very slowly turned his head upwards.
Ganyu looked down at him at the exact same moment he looked up at her, and for two seconds, neither of them moved or said anything.
Her expression went through several stages in rapid succession. Surprise, relief, then a red hue that started at the tips of her ears and moved downward with alarming speed.
Ren was fairly certain his face was doing something similar.
"You're—" Ganyu started.
"I'm—" Ren started at the same time.
Neither of them finished.
The silence that followed was the loudest seconds he had experienced in his life.
He quickly scrambled upright.
"Sorry!" he said immediately, "I didn't— sorry, I wasn't—" He got himself to his feet and took a few steps back and then stopped because his ribs reminded him sharply that they had recently been shattered. He pressed a hand to his side and breathed through it.
Ganyu had stood up as well, sporting a furious blush that turned her face a shade so red that Ren thought she might pass out.
"I-It's alright!" she said, all too quickly, while refusing to make eye contact. "It was merely a practical way for me to accelerate your healing with Adeptus Arts. Sorry for surprising you."
"N-No! It's perfectly fine, thank you. It definitely helped." Ren said, only for Ganyu's eyes to widen slightly and for her blush to grow more furious. "I-I mean, thanks for the healing!"
"Y-Yes, it's no problem! I understood it the first time…"
They both looked in slightly different directions for a moment.
Ren cleared his throat and looked down at himself. His upper body was wrapped entirely in bandages, covering him from his waist to his shoulders. He pressed carefully against his side. The pain was still there, but considerably less than it should have been given that the last thing he remembered was his ribcage collapsing inward.
He looked up to ask Ganyu how long he'd been out and stopped.
'This isn't Mt. Aocang…'
He took a look at his surroundings. He was standing on a small island. An actual island, suspended in open air, with nothing beneath it.
Surrounding it were more islands of different sizes, connected by bridges that glowed faintly gold and transparent. Several had waterfalls running off their edges, the water falling downward into open sky, catching sunlight as it went.
It was one of the most beautiful things he had seen since arriving in Teyvat.
"Ganyu," he said slowly, still in disbelief at the sight. "Where are we?"
Ganyu opened her mouth.
"You are in One's domain," Cloud Retainer said, stepping forward from behind him. "One thought it best to move you somewhere more suitable for recovery than a ruined clearing."
Ren gawked at her.
Then back at the islands.
Then back at her.
'Am I inside a Domain Expansion?!'
/ — /
Ren had to stop the urge to summon any of his shikigami. He tried to keep his breathing controlled and analyze his situation.
He pushed his senses outward carefully, just a thin extension of awareness to feel for the texture of the energy around him.
It was Adeptal energy that he had long attributed to people like Ganyu. It was everywhere, pressing against his awareness from every direction.
But none of it was actually directed at him.
He had never encountered a Domain Expansion before. But his father had told him enough about them to know what to look for.
A Domain Expansion was the manifestation of a sorcerer's innate technique, expanded outward into a territory to trap the opponent.
It was the peak of Jujutsu Sorcery.
The most terrifying part wasn't the boost of power it granted, but the sure-hit effect. Inside a domain, any attack from the user didn't just lock onto you.
The attack didn't even exist until the moment it landed. There was no hope of blocking or dodging the attacks. The instant it came into existence, it had already hit you.
His father had told him that the way to recognize an actual Domain was the feeling of someone else's CE enveloping your body from the outside, wrapping around you against your will.
Ren pushed his senses deeper, checking every surface of his own being. He couldn't sense anything that was trying to cover him.
He exhaled slowly in relief. 'It's not a Domain Expansion.'
Even if it was, he technically had an Anti-Domain technique. But using it would require both hands to maintain, and even then, it was so unrefined that it wouldn't hold up against something of this scale for very long.
A fact that his father always seemed to nag him about.
Using it against a real Domain Expansion from an opponent on the level of Cloud Retainer would have been a very short fight. Heck, it couldn't even be counted as a fight.
He was very glad he didn't have to find out.
The energy around him was only ambient. Analyzing it with a clearer head, he could sense that this space wasn't just a creation using Adeptal Energy. It was a mixture using something else that he didn't understand.
But past his fear, he couldn't deny the sheer beauty of the construct that surrounds him. Now that he wasn't worried about a Domain ending his life, he could absorb the scenery in its entirety.
The islands hung in the sky, connected by glowing golden bridges that only added onto its beauty.
He was still taking it in when Cloud Retainer stepped forward. He turned to find her watching him with a pleased expression.
"One notices your panic has subsided," she said.
"I wasn't panicking," Ren said immediately.
Xianyun's expression made clear she didn't believe that. "Most who enter One's domain for the first time are struck speechless by its beauty," she said, her tone carrying an immense amount of pride and satisfaction. "One constructed it over centuries. The bridges alone required seventeen years of refinement."
Ren tried to look calm, but couldn't help but look in more awe at the constructs. "It's… certainly worthy of being called a work of art."
That seemed to stroke her ego more. "One is aware," she said, which wasn't quite a thank you but close enough.
Ren let that sit for a moment and then remembered more pressing matters.
"Wait. What happened to the woman who tried to kill me?"
"Oh, Shenhe? She's One's other disciple."
"Your other—!" He stopped. Looked at her. Looked at Ganyu. Back at her. "She's your student?"
"She is."
"…The one who nearly killed me."
Xianyun actually winced slightly as she realized the direction of the conversation. "...Yes."
Ren felt a spark of irritation rise at that answer.
"With all due respect," he said, straining to keep his voice even, "why did you take so long to intervene? I nearly died, you know?!"
Xianyun didn't flinch, but it was clear that she was surprised at Ren's outburst.
From the side, Ganyu closed her eyes and looked away. It seemed that she was expecting something like this to happen.
"If I hadn't blocked that last hit, I would be dead right now with a gaping hole through my chest." He said, his voice slowly growing angrier but not outright yelling.
"Did you plan to have us fight like that?"
Xianyun's eyes narrowed slightly. Not exactly in anger, but something adjacent to it. It was clear that she wasn't accustomed to being spoken to this directly.
"One had intended for you and Shenhe to meet at some point," she admitted. "However, her appearance today was not something One arranged. It was entirely unexpected."
For the first time since meeting her, Ren was able to hold her gaze. She didn't look like she was lying, so he accepted the explanation as it was.
"But that still doesn't explain why you took so long to intervene." His eyes moved briefly to Ganyu as he said it.
The half-qilin looked away immediately, not willing to face him. The action spoke much more than what could have been said.
Xianyun stepped in before he could come up with any weird conclusions.
"One held Ganyu back," she said. "That decision was One's alone."
She paused before speaking again. "One was still wary about the nature of your energy. One had not had the opportunity to observe it under genuine pressure before, and One allowed that curiosity to consume One's judgment."
Xianyun paused again, and she had the decency to look apologetic. "One did not anticipate the severity of your injuries. For that, One sincerely apologizes. The blame lies entirely on One's shoulders."
Ren had to hide his surprise from showing. After all of his interactions with Cloud Retainer, he always thought of her as someone who wouldn't admit to her mistakes so easily.
Ganyu looked deeply uncomfortable, her eyes on the ground. Even Xianyun, for all her composure, was slightly nervous to see how he would respond.
"One also finds it fit that One offers compensation for your distress," Xianyun added, "Name what you will."
/ — /
Ren held his angered expression, but internally, he was overjoyed.
'Jackpot!'
It was true that he was furious at Shenhe. She had attacked him without provocation, nearly killed him, and had shown absolutely zero interest in stopping until Xianyun physically pinned her down. That anger was real, and it wasn't going away anytime soon.
He was less furious at Cloud Retainer, but still angry. Letting curiosity override common sense while someone was actively getting their ribcage shattered was not something he was going to forget in a hurry.
But the sorcerer in him, the part that saw every dangerous situation as an opportunity to grow, that part had a completely different read on the entire situation.
Fighting Shenhe had been terrifying. It had also been the most genuinely challenging fight he'd had since arriving in Teyvat, and he couldn't lie to himself about the fact that some part of him had found it enthralling.
She was so far above him that every second he stayed standing felt like an achievement.
He was still afraid of dying, and he needed to get home. His journey had barely started before it almost ended permanently in a mountain.
As for Ganyu. He was… only slightly annoyed at her.
For all her strength, her nature was that of someone soft and kind. He knew that she most likely wanted to intervene, that her first instinct had been to rush and help him.
The only reason she didn't was that Xianyun held her back.
Knowing that, there was no way he could actually be angry at her. But he couldn't let that show on his face.
This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
He'd make it up to her somehow.
"I have three demands," Ren said, looking directly at Xianyun. He had no idea where the confidence came from, but he decided to roll with it.
Ganyu's head turned toward him so fast that he was worried she might snap her neck. Her mouth opened slightly as she gawked at what Ren had said.
While Xianyun went very still, her eyes widening just slightly at his words.
For a few moments, it was tense. No one said anything, and Ren's bravado was starting to slightly give way to anxiety.
Then the corner of Xianyun's mouth curved upward in a small yet visible smirk.
"How greedy," she said. But the insult sounded more like a compliment than an actual insult.
"Very well. List your demands."
Ren took a deep breath before speaking, "First. I want you to teach me more about your Adeptal energy and techniques." He held up a second finger. "Second, I need a new weapon. Shenhe shattered my sword." Third finger. "Third, I want your knowledge on anything involving teleportation."
Xianyun's expression only grew more and more pleased for some reason, and that somewhat unnerved Ren. But he held his gaze, unwavering against the centuries old Adeptus.
"It will be done," she said.
Ren nodded slowly, keeping his expression composed while internally sighing with relief at the fact that she hadn't vaporised him for his sheer audacity.
'Oh, archons, she actually said yes! I didn't think I'd make it this far! Alright, keep it together.'
"I'm glad we could put this behind us," he said.
Xianyun nodded, but then she started walking towards him. Her expression hadn't changed, but that only made Ren's heart start to race again, and he had to consciously stop his feet from stepping back.
She stopped when she was close enough that he had to make an effort to hold her gaze.
"One is curious," she said quietly. "Why teleportation, of all things?"
"I-I need it to get home," he said, cursing internally at himself for stuttering.
Xianyun nodded slowly, as if that answer confirmed something she had already suspected.
"One wonders," She whispered, "Why would you need teleportation to return home when you possess a creature capable of flight? Or why had you not hired a ship to bring you back home?"
Ren's heart hammered in his ears, but before he could respond, she leaned her head next to his ear, close enough that her next words were for him alone.
"Could it be," She whispered slowly, her breath lingering against his ears. "That it is because you are not from Teyvat."
Ren actually lost the ability to breathe. Every muscle in his body went still simultaneously. His mind, which had been running at full speed since he woke up, went completely silent.
He completely froze up next to her, unsure of what to do or even say.
Suddenly, Xianyun pulled back from him and laughed. It wasn't just a chuckle. She had a full, unrestrained howl of laughter that seemed entirely at odds with every interaction he had ever had with her.
From behind, Ganyu looked up with a deeply bewildered expression.
Xianyun composed herself, though the amusement didn't entirely leave her face, and leaned in one more time.
"One will keep your secret, outlander," she said quietly. "But One would suggest showing considerably more respect to an Adeptus such as herself in the future."
She held his gaze for just a moment longer. "Are we in agreement?"
Ren nodded so fast that his head hurt.
Satisfied, Xianyun straightened and turned, walking back across the island toward Ganyu with unhurried steps as if nothing unusual had happened.
Ganyu watched her approach with an expression between worry and complete loss. "Master, what was—"
"Nothing of consequence," Xianyun said pleasantly. "Come. There are more important things to discuss."
Ren stood exactly where he was and stared at the back of her head as she walked away. His body was still recovering from the shock.
He was convinced that this interaction had sucked many years from his lifespan.
'I don't think my heart can take any more of this…'
/ — /
Xianyun clapped her hands once.
"Now then," she said, her expression settling back into its usual composed satisfaction as she looked between the two of them. "More important matters."
Ren had regained his composure enough to step closer to the two of them.
Xianyun turned her attention fully to him.
"One will say this plainly," she began. "One did not expect you to last as long as you did against Shenhe. Nor did One expect the degree of creativity you demonstrated… You performed admirably."
Ren blinked. After everything that had just happened, a compliment was not what he had been bracing for. "...Thank you?"
"One does not say it to flatter you," Xianyun continued. "One says it because it is relevant to what One wishes to discuss."
She folded her hands. "The reason One had intended for you and Shenhe to eventually meet was due specifically to your control over your negative energy."
Ren frowned. "My control over it?"
"Your energy seeps outward constantly, like water through cracked stone. One noticed it during your first visit." She tilted her head slightly. "However, during this visit, One observed that the leakage had decreased. You are slowly but noticeably gaining control over it."
Ren hadn't realized anyone had picked up on that. He had been working a lot on his CE control and efficiency, mostly because walking around leaking CE was the fastest way to get noticed by people he didn't want noticing him.
"Before One continues," Xianyun said, "what do you call this energy of yours?"
"It's called Cursed Energy," Ren said.
Xianyun's brow rose slightly. "Cursed Energy…" She repeated, and Ren tried not to say anything about the very malicious sounding name. "...Very well."
She moved to the table that Ren swore wasn't there before and sat, gesturing for the two of them to follow. Once they were seated, she continued.
"Shenhe carries a curse. It is called the Curse of Calamity. It makes her prone to bringing misfortune and violence to those around her. It is not something she chose, and it is not something she can remove on her own."
Ren said nothing, carefully taking in every word.
"One crafted special red ropes to suppress the curse," Xianyun continued. "They keep her curse in check. However, the ropes do not come without cost. As a side effect, they suppress her emotions as well… She has worn them for a long, long time."
"One believes you can see where One is going with this."
"You want to see if I can help her control the curse. So she can stop being reliant on the red ropes."
Xianyun nodded. "Your Cursed Energy is vile and potent by any measure One has encountered. And yet you are learning to contain it. To pull it back, reduce its leakage, keep it from bleeding into the world around you."
She held his gaze. "If you can do that with an energy of that nature, One believes there may be something you can offer Shenhe. A method to control her curse, perhaps. Something she has not had access to before."
Ren sat with that for a moment.
He thought about Shenhe driving a spear toward his chest without hesitation. He thought about the force of a single blocked strike sending him airborne.
She was so far above him it wasn't a competition. The idea of him teaching her anything felt genuinely absurd.
And yet.
A part of him was already running the numbers on what it would mean to ask for something in return.
Xianyun had already granted three demands. Surely a fourth or even fifth wasn't out of the question.
This was a service, after all. His time, his knowledge, his willingness to get near someone who had recently tried to kill him.
But the thought of following through left a bad taste in his mouth before he finished it.
He looked at Xianyun's face. The sincerity there was genuine. She was asking him for something that mattered to her, for someone that she cared deeply about.
He looked at Ganyu.
Ganyu wasn't saying anything. But her expression showed that she was slightly expectant. She might not say it outright, but it was obvious that she, too, cared about Shenhe.
Shenhe was her sister in arms, after all.
"Alright," he sighed. "I'll help however I can." He paused. "But I want your word that she won't try to kill me again. Or attack me at all. If we're going to work on something like this, I need to know I'm not going to end up with a hole through my abdomen."
A warm and relieved smile touched Xianyun's face. "One gives her word," she said simply.
Ganyu looked at him with open surprise. "Ren, are you sure? After everything that happened today?"
Ren rubbed the back of his head. "It's better to have someone like that as a friend than an enemy," he said, and he was aware that it sounded like a deflection, but it was also genuinely true, and he wasn't going to elaborate further.
Ganyu smiled at his answer.
Xianyun looked between the two of them with an expression he couldn't fully read, and then said, "One thinks it would be beneficial for you and Shenhe to have a proper conversation. To begin things on a clearer footing."
Ren opened his mouth to protest. His body still hurt everywhere, and the last thing he wanted was to sit across from someone who had recently shattered most, if not all, of his ribs with their bare hands while he was in this state.
He needed some time to heal up before—
Then he noticed that Ganyu and Xianyun were both looking at something behind him.
"She's right behind me, isn't she?"
/ — /
Ren sat at the same table he had sat at when he ate with Xianyun and Ganyu. It was the same shallow body of water, with the tree casting a shadow over the table.
Everything identical to what had been a warm and enjoyable meal.
This was not that.
He looked to his left, where Ganyu sat awkwardly. And to his right was Shenhe.
Ren nervously moved his gaze to a point slightly to the left of Shenhe's shoulder. It was the safest direction that was technically not eye contact.
Shenhe had not uttered a word.
Her face had no scowl or visible expression of any kind. Just her pale eyes, fixed on him with an intensity that somehow communicated every single thing she wanted to do to him without a single muscle in her face moving.
'Aren't the red ropes supposed to suppress her violent tendencies?!' Ren screamed internally. 'Why does she look like she's planning the exact order she's going to tear me apart?!'
He reached for his tea, somehow keeping his hand completely steady. He was very proud of that.
Xianyun had announced she was returning to her domain to prepare another meal before joining them.
'Madam Xianyun… Please come back quickly.'
/ — /
Xianyun
Xianyun was back in the inner chambers of her domain, using one of her many machines to cook a quick meal.
"So," she said, to the room. "What are your thoughts on the stray?"
Two presences stepped forward from the deeper shadows of the chamber.
Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver materialized out of thin air. Both Adepti sporting conflicted looks on their faces.
"I remain hesitant," Mountain Shaper said. "His presence bears too much similarity to the remnants of dead gods. And to the Abyss."
He paused, letting his words sink in for a moment. "That alone is reason enough for caution."
Xianyun said nothing, not even looking the slightest bit worried.
That seemed to only irk Mountain Shaper, and she knew it.
"That said," he continued, choosing his words carefully, "I noticed something else. Something that complicates the matter."
Xianyun's hands stilled briefly. "Oh? You sensed that as well?"
Mountain Shaper nodded. "I traced his path up to your domain. Along the way, the creatures and remnants he passed—Hilichurls, concentrations of karmic debt from dead gods—they were pacified by his presence."
He narrowed his eyes further. "That remnant you sealed near the lower slopes. One that has been very volatile for centuries. When he passed it, it somehow eased its anger."
The chamber was very still.
"Somehow, instead of his energy attracting more filth. He was pacifying them,"
"Precisely," Xianyun said, and the word carried a satisfaction she didn't bother to conceal.
Moon Carver, who had been listening without expression, stepped forward.
"That changes nothing," he said flatly. "If anything, it makes the situation more dangerous, not less. There is no telling what he could become if he absorbs too much. What if he is consumed by it and becomes a monstrosity that harms the people of Liyue?" His eyes moved to Xianyun. "The responsible course of action is clear."
"One disagrees," Xianyun immediately said.
"Cloud Retainer—!"
"If that were to happen," she continued, as if he hadn't spoken, "One would personally see to the matter. One's instincts have not failed in several thousand years, and One does not believe they are failing now."
She looked at both of them evenly. "The stray is more useful alive than dead. One asks that you trust that judgment."
Moon Carver's expression did not soften. "I am still unconvinced," he said. "Cloud Retainer, why are you so insistent on keeping the boy alive? There is something you are not telling us."
Xianyun turned to face them fully.
And smiled widely.
It was not her usual composed expression, nor the amused look she sometimes sported. This was a mischievous smile that she made no effort to conceal, directed at both of them with complete transparency.
Both of them froze when they realized what their old friend was up to. Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper looked at each other as if to check that they weren't crazy. Then they faced her again.
"Cloud Retainer," Moon Carver said slowly. "You cannot be serious."
"This is—" Mountain Shaper started, and then stopped, and started again. "While I am willing to accept letting the stray live, this-this is entirely another matter—!"
"Enough."
With one word, the pleasantness was gone from her voice entirely. The sudden change made the two adepti stop talking immediately.
"One has given this considerable thought," Xianyun said with complete finality. "One's plan is decided, and One would appreciate it very much if neither of you were to interfere."
Both wanted to object, but knew better than to push her any further.
Internally, they both hoped for Rex Lapis to intervene in some way. To show their friend how crazy her plan was.
Their prayers were left unanswered.
***
Author Notes: Here's a little drawing for the last chapter.