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A long time ago, a contract was made. It was between two Archons — their identities unknown, the promise echoing from the top of the mountain. The cards were passed over from one's hands to another, and the story begins a thousand years later. There is also another story — that those who are especially loyal to the Geo Archon would be bestowed with a gift. Those who are lucky have been said to have the power to shake the earth, heal the sick, and purify the cursed simply through a drop of their blood. No one knew if this tale was true.
Let's begin, shall we?
There was once a young man, Chongyun, who wanted to be a hero. He learned the arts of exorcism and studied the supernatural for the entire twenty years of his life.
His best friend, Xingqiu, was a young heir of a well-known Commerce Guild in the city, wished to be a hero as well, but with more added mischievousness. One day, he said: Let us both explore that forbidden basement of yours, there's bound to be precious treasure there.
And so they both did. The seals burned, the locks removed, the doors freed — they pushed themselves over the magical boundary and found themselves looking at a glowing book on one of the shelves. It was the only light source in the pitch dark room. The book's cover was simple yet elegant, with intricate golden embellishments curving around on its edges.
His friend was hesitant to touch it, but he wasn't. The inexperienced exorcist took a step ahead and bravely placed a hand onto the book.
The whole room went dark. A sudden force of gale whipped against them, forcing them to duck down to avoid the unseen danger. They held onto one another as they heard swift sounds of objects flying away, and out of the basement. When it is finally quiet, they stood back up and found the empty book, with a card the size of their palms inside.
There are no words to describe how beautiful the portrait painted onto its surface is. It depicts an image of a spiritual bird, with its head bowed, looking as if it is showing its respect to someone. Its feathers are coloured gold and teal, the tail similar to a phoenix's. Such imagery was obvious — the two young men had understood the identity of the bird.
It's an adeptus, a long-forgotten myth. Ever since the disappearance of their Geo Archon, Rex Lapis, the adepti had vanished along with their beloved lord. None of the mortals had managed to meet any of them ever since then.
The heir of the Commerce Guild, the ever knowledgeable, pointed out the Fontaine elements in the art style. He had also spoken out the words written under the image on the card — The Hanged Man — after translating it to their language. Hearing such an ominous name, the exorcist decided to investigate the last and remaining card.
Before Chongyun had even touched the card, the adeptus moved in its portrait and glowed ever so brightly. Not a second had passed, but an unknown young man appears before them. In his hand, there is a luminescent winged jade spear.
Who are you?
With the sharp question thrown at them so suddenly, they answered him immediately. After they had introduced themselves and told of the unlikely tale, he had glared at them with the intensity of a thousand and one suns. Despite his expression, something in his voice made them feel safe. They did not feel the threat of an enemy, and their instincts were right — soon after, that man had introduced himself as Xiao, one of the guardian yakshas.
In other words, he is one of the long-lost adepti that the humans had forgotten. Unfazed at the lack of recognition from the mortals, he explained what had happened: they have unsealed all the adepti and gods from the book. Previously, they were sealed into the cards, much like the one he had come from.
The exorcist had asked why he had stayed and not left like the others, but the yaksha did not answer. Instead, Xiao paints up a bleak future for Liyue with his calm voice, a huge contrast with the potential destruction that may befall upon their homeland. Now that the both of them had understood the magnitude of the situation, they made a promise.
They will go on a quest to gather the lost cards and seal them back again. There must have been a reason, after all, they figured, for the book to be locked in the exorcist's family basement. The yaksha returned back into the card, its form floating gently onto the exorcist's hand. It had almost seemed as if he was being told, I trust you.
Their first day on the quest was spent in an unlikely place, the Guili Plains. Words were floating about that no one could venture close to the ruins of the old gods as of late. At night, there would be a haunting voice weaving through with the breeze. Chongyun was excited — it was his first experience, while Xingqiu was sceptical. Xiao was indifferent.
The three of them have decided: wait by the ruins and see for themselves. If it is a card in hiding, Xiao would guide them on the ways of sealing it. If it is an actual haunting, the exorcist could finally make use of the knowledge that he had learned.
The young exorcist's eyes sparkled — he has not gotten the chance of seeing a spirit or demon personally before. All these years and he has not seen nor spoken to any, a resulting cursed blessing of his strong yang constitution.
They made bets while Xiao stood guard, on whether it would be an actual card, a spirit, or a group of Treasure Hoarders. Not too long after, they heard the voice. It sounded sweet and light, the song resounded in the whole area. With Xiao's guidance, they walked closer to the centre of the ruins, a pavilion worn down to pieces.
A young lady could be seen gazing up at the glowing moon in the night sky. Her robes shimmered silver and gold, and her hair was as white as snow. She continued to sing even with the appearance of the trio as if entranced by the moon. It was only when Xiao had called out for her — Guizhong — that she stopped.
You called for me?
She had sighed wistfully that she had simply yearned for the Guili Plains in her memories, that she had lost her mind upon her freedom. It was only when Xiao had called out her name that she had remembered herself.
And that was how they had found their next card. She had playfully returned to her card form for the trio to see — a portrait of her could be seen, holding a glaze lily in her hand. As for her card, it was The Temperance. Guizhong, the gentle goddess that had stood by the side of Rex Lapis, invites herself to the team, with a sudden wink.
I'm well-versed with his allies and enemies, after all.
From then onwards, it was a journey of the unlikely four — two mortals, an adeptus, and a goddess. With the strength of Xiao and the wits of Guizhong, friends and foes alike had it hard in facing against them.
It was during times like these when the four had found unlikely solace in each other. Chongyun and Xingqiu have always been used to each other's company, but befriending an adeptus and a goddess was never something that they have expected in life. Although with Guizhong’s advice, the difference between a mortal and an immortal could still be seen in the battles. The ones that tend to be injured were the two of them. Whenever they get injured, Xiao would fight with a stronger ferocity while Guizhong would protect them with her shield.
At the end of such battles, a conversation would happen between the exorcist and the runaway spirit. With a solemn vow to heed the call of the exorcist when he is in need, they returned to their card form but refuse to appear as often as Xiao and Guizhong would do.
Whenever the exorcist and the heir get injured, Guizhong would lament how her creations were lost with time. Xiao had simply said nothing but would look at the two mortals before giving them a couple of Qingxin flowers. It had healing properties, this they know. These had happened often enough for them to understand — that both Xiao and Guizhong cared for them in their own ways.
Yanfei was another one that was happy to be unsealed, found smartly chatting away and resolving an argument between a few villagers. When Chongyun and Xingqiu had caught her attention, quite easily with their prominent hair colours, she had already figured it out.
You both are here for me, right?
And so they've gained another member, The Justice, on their team. Guizhong had warmly welcomed her with a few glaze lilies, while Xiao had nodded and introduced himself curtly. She integrated herself rather well with her easygoing personality and had proudly declared after a few weeks with them that she is their official legal advisor (no fees charged).
Their journey throughout Liyue had garnered more friends in the form of cards in this way, such as the lovely and shy Ganyu, The Star, and the gentle goddess Havria, The Judgement. Ganyu was hesitant about interacting with them at first, found singing to the glaze lilies at night, but as time passed, she warmed up to them. They found Havria quietly kneeling by her salt chalice, deep down in her old domain at Sal Terra. It was a sad sight, and it took them a while to convince her to leave the ruins behind.
All in all, it was a good thing for them to befriend more allies before meeting Rex Lapis' enemies. The first one was after they've left Sal Terra. There were rumours of earthquakes happening on the western side of Liyue. It would've taken them longer to reach Nantianmen, but thankfully, they had Xiao on their side.
And that was how they met Azhdaha.
I cannot forgive him.
A formidable foe, the stomps onto the ground were so strong that they could feel their teeth ache. Even with Havria and Guizhong's support, Xiao's combative power, the mortals struggled to defeat him. Left with no choice, Chongyun had to call for a few of the others that had been hiding in the magic book for help.
Moon Carver's appearance was expected, as he had vowed to help the humans when he is needed, much like how reliable The Chariot is. Cloud Retainer though, was a huge surprise, given her nature as The Hermit.
Finally, with the additional help from these two, Azhdaha — The Tower — was defeated. Weak from the battle, he did not speak a word as he returned back to his card form, presumably to rest.
Moon Carver and Cloud Retainer, much to the seven's surprise, decided to stay out of their card forms ever since.
Such encounters were too many after that. After their successful battle with The Death, Osial, it had almost felt ominous to receive the card. Not too long after their trek, Xiao had pointed out that there's another one in the same area — the final card. The rest have been awfully quiet. Even Guizhong's light humour and Yanfei's chattiness couldn't lift up the party's spirits, and the other adepti were naturally introverted.
Chongyun and Xingqiu had a bad feeling about the identity of the last card.
Following Xiao's trail, they found themselves by the ocean. It is peaceful, with no monsters or enemies around. They could even hear the wind rustling through the leaves.
Stay on your guard — Xiao had warned them. Not a second had passed when something flashed right at Chongyun, and he had thought that it was too late for him to avoid it. When he'd opened his eyes, he saw Guizhong's shield blocking off a sharp piece of rock right in front of him, shaped like a spear.
When the dust shield crumbled, and the rock fell to the ground, they see a figure not too far away. It is a man wielding a spear, looking at them with a fiercely stern expression.
Guizhong and Havria were the ones that had shown their reaction first — the Goddess of Dust had sighed while the Goddess of Salt shook her head sadly.
A thud had resounded right after. Xiao had hit the ground with the end of his spear, and when Chongyun had turned to see if his friend is alright, he could have sworn that he saw Xiao's eyes widening in shock. Cloud Retainer had flapped her wings a few times agitatedly, while Moon Carver shifted on his hooves. Ganyu took a step back, her body visibly shaking. Yanfei, along with Chongyun and Xingqiu, did not show any reaction aside from their surprise at the sudden attack.
The attacker's voice boomed across the area, so strong, yet strangely gentle that they could almost feel it resonating in their hearts.
Quite a party to visit my territory — the mortals and the adepti...
Xingqiu finally speaks out, remembering where he had seen that face before. It was from the ancient texts furnished with the portraits of the late Geo Archon. "You are —"
Without a warning, he attacks them with a shower of meteors. The adepti and the mortals had to weave around to avoid the meteors, with no time for the supports to conjure up shields to protect them.
The injuries that the adepti have gotten was already serious, let alone the mortals. Chongyun and Xingqiu kneel on the ground, leaning on each other for support. Guizhong and Havria ran towards them and conjured shields while Yanfei and Ganyu treat them.
I see that the cards are with you both, humans. And for that...
The stranger walked towards Chongyun and the group, chuckling as he slashes once at the outer shield conjured up by Guizhong. The goddess tensed with Chongyun still in her arms, warily watching him. Their eyes met for a moment, and it had almost seemed that he had something to say to her, but his face hardened at the sight of Chongyun.
I'll have to kill all of you.
Everyone froze at his threat.
Everyone, except Xiao. He puts on his Nuo mask and flickers to the front. Silent, his stance was clear. He is challenging the Geo Archon. He bows once and said, "I'm sorry, my lord."
Xiao's words had confirmed it — it's the Geo Archon that had attacked them.
When the battle had started, the mortals knew that Xiao would not be able to hold up that long. With their remaining energy, they summoned all of the cards that have been sealed back, both friends and foes, before they collapsed, unconscious in Guizhong and Havria's arms.
Despite the additional help, the Geo Archon shows no sign of struggle in the fight. He could dodge the slashes from the adepti and shield himself against the stomping of the elemental beings like Azhdaha. Eventually, most of them were struck by Rex Lapis' rock formations, prompting them to whisk back into their card forms.
The only ones that stayed to protect the humans were the seven: Xiao, Guizhong, Yanfei, Ganyu, Havria, Cloud Retainer, and Moon Carver. Although they fought bravely, it was no use.
Rex Lapis is too strong.
They... couldn't defeat him.
Weakened and injured, almost everyone were lying down, helpless and unconscious on the ground. Ganyu would have been able to stand along with Xiao, if not for the trick that the Geo Archon had pulled to catch her off guard.
Xiao uses his spear, leaning against it as a support, as he straightens himself up shakily. Rex Lapis walked closer to the adeptus, his golden eyes taunting.
"Why...? Is this all worth it in the end, my lord...?"
When blood was spilled that night, and Xiao was lost — Rex Lapis finally returned to his senses. Rex Lapis howled brokenly as if he was in pain. His knees hit the ground with a thud, the blood staining his hands as his gloved hands moved to cover the gaping wound on Xiao's chest.
The wound that he himself had inflicted on his loyal subject...
The curtain of rain started to fall upon them, with the thunder lighting up the now-dark sky. Rex Lapis held onto Xiao's body, shaking.
Chongyun was the first to wake up due to the cold of the rain. With no energy, he sees the dark sky above him, with the raindrops hitting right on his face. He opened his eyes as he heard the Geo Archon's voice speaking to himself.
If I had known... I would not have made the contract with her. It may have been a curse for the adepti to suffer from the karma inflicted by the evil of Liyue, but it is a fate worse than death to be frozen in time forever...
My friend...
I can no longer forgive myself. Azhdaha was right after all.
Feeling that something was off, Chongyun tries to move his body to look at the Geo Archon. He could only manage to turn his body to the side and sees a large bird by the Archon fading away in a flurry of gold and teal. His mind hazy, he wonders where Xiao had went off to.
He hears footsteps nearing. Chongyun stills himself, prepared to face his fate. Silence filled the moment, with only the rain as the background.
"...What is your name?"
The Geo Archon lowers himself down and looks right into Chongyun's eyes.
Chongyun was almost delirious, so he replied. "Chong…yun."
Rex Lapis closed his eyes for a moment. The rain wasn't stopping, making the sight of him looking almost pitiful. He opened his eyes and fixed his stare at Chongyun again.
"You and your friend are much better guardians than I would have done as the Geo Archon. I... concede. Please... protect the others."
He slowly placed a card onto Chongyun's open palm. It felt cold to the touch. The exorcist's gaze fell onto the card and sees the name — The Hanged Man — but Xiao's adeptus form is nowhere to be found in the portrait.
"Xiao... was my most loyal one. It was with his sacrifice that it had stalled my erosion." He bowed his head, avoiding Chongyun's eyes. "An apology would not suffice. Chongyun," he looks back up, his form glowing the same gold as his eyes and his terrifying powers, "... all I wanted was to protect Liyue and save the ones that have stood by me in the war from the pain... but I was wrong. Freezing time did not stop the erosion on my mind and soul."
Chongyun couldn't utter a word. Unbeknownst to him, Xingqiu had woken up behind him.
Rex Lapis sighed and turned his head towards Guizhong and the others. "Either way, it is too late. This is farewell, Chongyun. It was an honour to meet you both."
At this point, the Geo Archon glows bright and disappears in a flurry of golden lights.
All that was left behind was a card, The Emperor, without a portrait. Much like The Hanged Man card, it was as cold as the rain.
Chongyun was finally able to process what had happened after taking the other card in his hand. The only ones awake at the moment, Xingqiu and Chongyun both cried and mourned for their lost friend.
"Awww! Madame Ping, what happened to the exorcist and the heir?"
A group of children sits on the wooden floor, eyes bright. An old lady with a kind expression on her face seated on her chair laughs gently.
"That's another story to tell, little ones. But a little bird once told me... That it lives on once more."
*
The Hanged Man.
sacrifice, waiting, uncertainty, lack of direction, perspective, contemplation
Temperance.
balance, peace, patience, moderation, calm, tranquillity, harmony, serenity
Justice.
justice, karma, consequence, accountability, law, truth, honesty, integrity, cause and effect
The Star.
hope, inspiration, positivity, faith, renewal, healing, rejuvenation
The Judgement.
self-evaluation, awakening, renewal, purpose, reflection, reckoning
The Chariot.
success, ambition, determination, willpower, control, self-discipline, focus
The Hermit.
self-reflection, introspection, contemplation, withdrawal, solitude, search for self
The Tower.
disaster, destruction, upheaval, trauma, sudden change, chaos
The Death.
transformation, endings, change, transition, letting go, release
The Emperor.
stability, structure, protection, authority, control, practicality, focus, discipline
The Emperor, Reversed.
tyrant, domineering, rigid, stubborn, lack of discipline, recklessness
*