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teaberrii · 6 days

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Chapter 13: The Archons

You and Dan Heng are a match made in heaven until fate takes him away from you too soon. Years later, you think you moved on with a mutual friend who shared your grief and stuck with you during tough times until you meet a mysterious man with a striking resemblance to your past lover and a hidden motive. You’re determined to get rid of him, but how are you going to get rid of a god?

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

A car and cab pull up to a large neighbourhood with tall high-rise apartments with multiple swimming pools, luxury lounges, and gyms. You aren’t surprised, considering Furina’s wealth and status. Soon, you and the dragon gang are behind Signora as she presses a couple of buttons on a call box.

“I’ve been expecting you! Come on in.”

As the gates start opening, Dan Feng notices Zhongli's skeptical look.

“Is something wrong?” Dan Feng asks.

"Oh, it's... It's nothing," is the answer as Zhongli follows Signora inside.

"My sixth sense is telling me otherwise," Bailu says quietly.

You walk past a diamond chandelier in the lobby and politely nod at those at the receptionist's desk. Eventually, you’re standing in front of a tall door that looks identical to the others on the brightly lit floor. As soon as the door opens, you see a short, young woman with fair skin and eyes with different shades of blue.

“You…”

Everyone turns to Zhongli who looks like he's seen a ghost.

Furina smiles. “Long time no see, old friend.” She opens the door wider. “And of course, my dear Chief Justice.”

"Old friend?" Bailu asks, looking from Furina to Zhongli. “Do you two know each other?”

“It’s… a long story,” Zhongli says, sighing.

Finally, she looks at you. “Why do I have a feeling we’ve met before?”

“I can assure you we’ve never met,” you say calmly. “But… You knew Dan Heng and his mother.”

“Ah!” Furina’s smile turns nostalgic and sad. “Were you his girlfriend? I remember…” Then, she said your name, and you nod. “He mentioned you.”

“If I may,” Neuvilette says, his arms crossed, his stern gaze never leaving Furina. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

Furina pushes the door more. “I know, I know. It’s been… What? Centuries? Surely, we’ll need more than one afternoon to catch up.”

“I understand all of you have some kind of history with each other,” Signora says, entering Furina’s insanely large flat. “But, I hope we won’t deviate from our focus.”

“Ah, yes." Furina walks to the kitchen. “Lan and Nanook… Our notorious Aeons, am I correct?”

“Before that,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “I need to know. Why are you here? How are you alive?”

“Now, now, Chief Justice, I know you must be ecstatic to see your old pupil.” Furina grabs some fancy-looking teacups and starts pouring tea from an elegant-looking teapot. “Take a seat, and I’ll tell you about my little adventure.”

You, Dan Feng, and Neuvilette take one couch in the living room while Zhongli, Bailu, and Signora take the other. After putting the tray of cups and biscuits on the glass table, Furina sits in a large, blue armchair where a white cat is sleeping at the top.

“Let’s start with the basics, shall we? My name is Furina. In this world, I’m in the luxury business. But, I was once a lawyer”—she looks at Neuvilette—”studying under the great Mr. Chief Justice.”

Neuvilette frowns. “But that was centuries ago.”

Furina picks up her teacup and smiles at him. “I’ve been around much longer than you think.”

“Longer than Lan and Nanook?” Signora asks.

“Correct.”

Bailu frowns. “How? With magic?"

“She was once a god." Furina smiles. Bailu looks from Zhongli to Furina and back to Zhongli until he says, “Before the Castle of Dragons… Before any of the gods existed, there were the Archons, the original gods who created life.”

“The Archons…”

Dan Feng looks at you. “Do you know something about them?”

“There’s a lot of folklore surrounding them. My parents used to tell me stories of them when I was a kid…” You look at Zhongli. “But those were just stories… You’re saying they really existed?”

Furina chuckles. “You’re looking at one of them.”

“Is that true?” Dan Feng asks Zhongli with obvious surprise. “You... You kept this a secret from us this whole time?”

“There was never a reason to bring it up.”

Bailu scoffs. “Yeah, I guess just randomly dropping the fact that you’re one of the original gods who created life is too much for us to bear.” She slaps his leg. “How dare you!”

Neuvilette sighs. “This is what happens when we don't talk about our pasts.”

“That’s ‘cause we want to stay away from all the gloom and doom!” Bailu says. “Heck, if I were one of the original Archons, I’d flaunt it.”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Neuvilette deadpans.

“It sounds like something happened to them,” you say, taking a biscuit. “I mean…" You look at the dragon gang. "You're gods. If none of you knew Zhongli and Furina were Archons, what happened to them?”

“You catch on fast,” Furina says, leaning forward with curiosity in her eyes. “You’re supposed to be human, right? Sounds like you know quite a bit."

Signora has one leg crossed over the other. “Well? Don’t keep us in the dark.” She looks at Zhongli. “Is she right?”

“There was what was known as the Archon War,” Zhongli says, after a pause. “There wasn’t just a few of us. There was an Archon for every aspect of life. Some created terrain such as mountains and another made the seven seas. But, when it came time to decide on a ruling party, a consensus couldn’t be reached.”

A gavel hitting the block echoed throughout the large courtroom but failed to silence the overlapping conversations completely.

“We agreed upon a democratic vote,” a woman with long, dark violet hair said calmly, but her patience was wearing thin. “All of us should respect the result.”

Someone scoffed. “Respect a result where it’s skewed?” They glared at her. “You may have won, but the combined votes of the opposition clearly show they do not want you in power, Ei.”

“Please stop fighting,” a man said. “This will get us nowhere.”

Another stood up. “Screw the votes. Why are we deciding amongst ourselves? We should let the people, those we preside over, decide who should rule. We're doing this for their future, are we not? Whoever we decide on bears the responsibility of paving humanity's future."

“That is absurd! Do humans have the knowledge or common sense to decide on a proper ruling party? They are prone to bias and rely on feelings.”

As a war of words broke out, a man in a brown and white cloak watched from the sidelines before making eye contact with another who was also watching in silence: a slim, young woman with long white hair and light blue streaks.

“Instead of solving our conflict rationally, a war broke out to determine the strongest of us all,” Zhongli continues, picking up his tea. “And it wasn’t just us who suffered. Because of our actions, we also caused great grief to the humans. Crops failed to grow due to absurd weather, night and day became indistinguishable, and many natural disasters shouldn’t have happened.”

“Many died in that war,” Dan Feng says, “and only seven survived. Am I right?”

“I should have known you would know something about it.”

“I’ve read about it. But while there were details of the Archon War, there wasn’t a lot on the Archons themselves.”

“Well, you’re right. Only seven survived, but we didn’t escape unharmed.”

“We were much too weak,” Furina says, putting her teacup down and picking up a biscuit. “If we didn’t do something, we would cease to exist as we couldn’t carry out our duties as gods anymore. Those who survived still wanted to live… so, we used the last of our strength to split ourselves apart.”

“Wait a minute…” Bailu narrows her eyes. “Are you saying there’s more than one Zhongli? More than one you?”

“Not exactly,” Zhongli says. “It would be more accurate to say that we split from the power we had left which poured into repairing the damage of the Archon War. We were left as a human when we separated from our magic.”

“With all of your memories as an Archon?” Neuvilette asks.

“Gosh,” Bailu mutters. “Would that be a curse or a blessing?”

“Is that how magic was born?” Dan Feng asks. “Through the remaining powers of the Archons that seeped into different parts of life?”

Furina smiles. “Of course, there’s no solid proof… but I’d say so.”

“But… If all of you still had your memories,” you say, “how come you didn’t know each other?”

“We took on different forms and names as Archons,” Zhongli says. “While we still have our memories, we never crossed paths again since we became human.”

“I saw the look in his eyes at the door,” Furina says, slightly chuckling. “We recognized each other instantly. Perhaps that’s how it is if we ever meet the other Archons.”

“Now, hang on a darn minute,” Bailu says, turning to Zhongli. “How’d you end up at the Castle of Dragons if you’re already an Archon? You lived a human life as Zhongli and then became a god again?”

“I can ask the same for you, Furina,” Neuvilette says, frowning. “Your appearance now is how I met you. You also know who I am, which means you have memories of your life as a lawyer. The Archon War didn't happen during my time. So, I have to ask.” He looks at her. “Are you a god? A human? What are you?”

Furina finishes her tea, but before she pours herself another cup, she refills everyone else’s. “After becoming Furina, I remained human for a while until I recovered my magic." She picks up her cup and takes a long sip. “And since then, I retained this form without getting older."

“You can’t be serious,” Bailu says, frowning. “I spent a good portion of my life researching immortality and all it takes is a little Archon magic? I feel cheated.”

Furina chuckles. “Not exactly, my little doctor friend. It wasn’t just any Archon magic. It was my magic. It was like I recovered myself as a god. Except, I never changed to the form I once took. I'm stuck in this body.”

Dan Feng turns to Zhongli. “Why do I have a feeling you never tried recovering your Archon magic?”

“At one point, I did, but… I let it go.”

“Why?” Bailu asks.

“That is a story for another time,” Zhongli answers, to Bailu’s dismay. “When the Archons became human, we were treated as such. We weren't special because of our pasts. So, the story of how I became a god shares a common theme similar to yours."

After a moment of silence, Neuvilette turns to Furina. “Well, this explains how you knew so much about magic.”

Neuvilette couldn’t believe his eyes. Did a textbook—his textbook—just teleport from one place to another? But, more importantly, why was his pupil responsible? He closed the door to his study, and she spun around.

“Chief Justice! You scared me! You could’ve said something earlier.”

“I just got here.”

Furina looked at the silent clock on the wall. “Much earlier than anticipated, but I shouldn’t have expected less.”

Neuvilette walked to the table. “What were you doing?”

“I think you knew exactly what I was doing."

Neuvilette looked at his textbook on the coffee table. “You… made something teleport.” Then, his attention went back to her. “Since when do you know something about magic?”

“It's impossible not to know something about magic, don’t you think, Chief Justice? It’s humanity’s flashy new toy.”

“But not a lot is known about it,” Neuvilette said skeptically. “How would you know how to wield it?”

Furina smiled. “I’ve been dabbling. What? Are you interested?” She chuckled. “I could mentor you if you want.”

But, Neuvilette didn’t look pleased. “It’s dangerous.”

“Are you talking about black magic? If so, then I agree.”

“All magic is dangerous,” Neuvilette emphasized. “White magic, if used for the wrong motives, does that not count as black magic?”

Furina sighed. “We are far too early to distinguish between white and black magic. But, you make a valid point, Chief Justice. I wonder how our laws will change as magic gets more developed.” She picked up his pen. “Could you imagine the possibilities if we could make people teleport?” Neuvilette narrowed his eyes. “It could change the world.”

You can’t put your finger on it, but something is tugging at the back of your mind. You remember Dan Feng’s story of the surprise military attack and your dream about eavesdropping on an important conversation. Could the woman who betrayed the brothers know something about teleportation? But, before that, you need to know…

“Was that ever made possible?"

“Hm?” Furina asks. “You mean human teleportation?” A pause. “It was."

Your heart races, and you’re about to ask another question when Signora cuts in.

“What about the Aeons? Do they know who you are? Who you were?”

“Lan and Nanook were humans when I was an Archon,” Furina answers. “They became who they are as a consequence of their actions, but we’ve never met before.”

“Hm… Guess they kept a pretty low profile,” Bailu says, picking up a biscuit.

Furina takes a long sip of her tea. “From what I know… They were the first to experiment with dark magic.”

Dressed in a long, black, dark blue robe covering her from head to toe, Furina had recently recovered some of her magic, and because of that, she could sense when any magic was being used. Her foreboding gut feeling took her to a large cemetery in the middle of the night. She stood in front of a large, wrought iron gate. As she stepped forward, the gates eerily opened as if expecting her. The cemetery was quiet except for the soft steps of her shoes against the pavement. Flowers, most of them fresh, were neatly placed on some of the graves. As she got further in, she began hearing voices.

“Goddamit, Lan, you aren’t doing it right.”

“I’d love to see you try, Nanook.”

Furina looked around but there was no one in sight. So, she continued walking in the direction the voices were coming from.

“Perhaps… we need more than just her skull.”

“Great. And where’re we going to find that?”

Two men stood on either side of a grave on a small hill underneath a dead tree. One had longer hair and held an open book while the other held a candle and a small, round gold mirror.

Suddenly, the one holding a mirror said:

“Who’s there?”

The other turned around and narrowed his eyes. Then, he turned back. “Did you see someone, Nanook?”

“I saw something,” Nanook muttered. “Wait…! It might be—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That’s not how this works.”

“How would you know? We’re following instructions from some unknown book where it might be all fake for all we know.”

“Magic exists,” Lan said sternly. “You saw it. I saw it. If normal magic can exist… Why not push it to its boundaries?”

“It was obvious that they were trying to bring someone back from the dead,” Furina says.

Bailu pours herself more tea. “Who?”

“A woman named Idrila.”

Dan Feng immediately looks at her. “Idrila….?”

“Do you know her?” Neuvilette asks.

“She was a princess who lived a short life,” Furina answers, to everyone’s surprise.

“Her parents were at odds with mine,” Dan Feng says. “Her military was the one who invaded us.”

“Invade?” Bailu asks, eyes wide. “So… Was she still around when it happened?”

“No, but it added to the tension. There were rumours that someone from our side poisoned her." He looks at Furina. “You sure are knowledgeable about a lot of people’s lives.”

She chuckles. “Are you suspicious of me?”

“You knew about us,” Dan Feng says. “My brother and I. Yet, we’ve never met you.”

Furina glances at you. “I guess you knew about that because of her.”

“Dan Heng showed me your book,” you say. “The Book of Curses.”

“Clearly, Lan and Nanook weren’t the only ones dabbling in black magic,” Signora says. “I may have thought you were crazy before, but now I have to ask. What made you write something like that?”

Furina finishes her tea and puts down her cup. Her eyes land on Dan Feng. “I knew about the plan you and the Stellaron Hunters came up with to erase magic.”

“How did you know?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “That information was confidential.”

“The Stellaron Hunters suffered a similar problem to how the Archon War started. There will always be a majority, but there will always be someone with different opinions.”

The moon was full; the night was calm. Furina, holding a small oil lamp, stood at the shore of a large river that stretched into the abyss under the night sky.

“You’re early.” Furina spun around, startled that she didn’t hear the tall man approaching behind her. “Don’t be alarmed,” he continued. “I only just got here.”

Furina put the oil lamp on a large log. “Shall we get straight to business then? What does a Stellaron Hunter want with a human?”

“A human?” His red eyes shone in the night. “You are far from human. I saw it myself. You were using advanced magic. Magic that has surpassed human knowledge. You're not a human. Not completely. Am I right?”

“Asking questions when you know the answer…” Furina crossed her arms. “Is this the nature of the Hunters?”

He looked at the lake. “Soon, we’ll be living in a world devoid of magic.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Dan Feng… the sole survivor of the massacre that left his nation in shambles. He wants to rid the world of magic, and most of us are in agreement.”

“I take it you aren’t, considering you’re here.”

The fire in the oil lamp flickered.

“I’m not a stranger to his family,” the man said. “So, we’re acquainted. But I know he is not doing this for the good of the future. He’s doing it to restrain himself. He wants to use black magic to revive his dead family and rebuild the life he once had. He cannot accept what has happened, but he knows bringing the dead to life...”

“Has serious consequences,” Furina finished. “The chances of something going wrong is through the roof.” She sighed. “So, he’s running away from his desires? Is that what you’re saying?”

The man scoffed. “He wants to wipe the world of magic but keep our memories of it alive. It doesn’t make sense if we cannot continue using it. It’s simply being sentimental.”

“Someone sure has some strong feelings.”

“But the majority of us agreed upon this decision,” the man said without a change in his stoic tone. “Dan Feng says he won’t wipe our memories, but who’s to say he won’t.”

The flame flickered again. “Are you looking for a protection spell?”

“I wouldn’t want to fight magic with magic. We all know where that led us.”

“The Book of Curses is more than just a book about magic,” Furina says. “It’s also about our history… of how things came to be.”

The conversation between you and Dan Heng comes flooding back.

“So…” Neuvilette begins. “It was this man who asked you to document everything… Who was he?”

“Blade.”

Everyone turns to Dan Feng who has a stern look.

“What gave it away?” Furina asks amusingly.

“Right.” Bailu sighs. “So, where does this leave us now? We know about the Archon War, Lan and Nanook’s strange past to Idrila who was at odds with Dan Feng's family, and Furina’s book. The big question remains… What are we going to do about our black magic mischiefs?”

“Finding out more about Idrila would be a good place to start,” Zhongli says. “We know she was a princess… but what about her connections? Why would Lan and Nanook want to bring her back?” He looks at Dan Feng. “Have you met her before?”

“No. My brother and I were too young at the time to attend any political meetings. I’ve only heard about her and her sickness.”

“Sickness?” you ask.

Dan Feng and Dan Heng were walking towards the banquet hall for dinner when three maids turned the corner talking amongst themselves.

“Oh, yes, I heard… They were afraid her sickness would be contagious.”

“That would be frightening. I heard it was making her as pale as a ghost!”

“Perhaps that’s why there’s so much buzz about advances in medicinal magic… Still, is this really a good idea? What if we’re playing with fate here? “Upon seeing the brothers, she stopped and bowed. “Good evening, Young Masters!”

“What were you talking about?” Dan Heng asked.

“What is this about a sickness?” Dan Feng added.

The maids glanced at each other, and one of them said:

“The princess of—”

“It’s nothing, really,” one of the other maids interrupted. The brothers glanced at each other. "Dinner should be served shortly. You should hurry. Your parents are waiting.

“What do you think, Bailu?” Neuvilette asks. “You were a renowned doctor. Have you heard of anything like this?”

“Well… There are tons of illnesses that can make someone pale. But it sounds like it’s either just the beginning or a side effect of something.” Bailu looks deep in thought. “I told you before that we were experimenting with immortality. Before that, we were researching immunity. What if we could make people immune to literally every single illness? Or, at least to just develop mild symptoms.

“We’d make millions selling this magic medicine. But, it was way too good to be true. In other words, there could never be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ to medicine since infection takes different forms. But now that you mention it… Ah!”

“What is it?” Dan Feng asks.

“A colleague of mine was researching a strange illness that"—Bailu looks disturbed—"drains people's blood."

“Drains…” Neuvilette begins.

“...Their blood?” Signora finishes. "Do I want to know how that works?”

“It’s like…” Bailu hums quietly as she wonders how to explain it in simple terms. “...Like Death is living inside of you. Your blood slowly stops running to different parts of your body and then once it stops at the heart… you just… die.”

“Well, now that that nightmare is ingrained in everyone’s minds, is this an illness that’s inherited? Can someone get infected? If not…” Signora looks at Dan Feng. “Why would there be rumours of someone poisoning her?”

“If I remember correctly,” Dan Feng says. “She died earlier than she should’ve.”

“Does this illness still exist?” you ask. “If we could find records of it or anything about it, might give us a better understanding of this woman… and possibly her connection to Lan and Nanook.”

“Now that you mention it…” Bailu says. “The hospital I used to work at is still around.” She smiles. “Maybe it’s the perfect time for me to say hi.”

“I’d be concerned if someone remembers you,” Neuvilette deadpans.

Signora sighs. “I guess this is all we can do right now.”

“Hey.” Noticing Dan Feng is looking at her, Furina turns to him. “You met Dan Heng and his mother. Then, have you met the others? Tsaritsa… Pierro… Childe?”

“Not personally… I know of them but Dan Heng and his mother never talked about them.”

“Did you ever tell Dan Heng about his past self?” you ask. “You gave him that book, after all.”

“I wanted him to find out for himself,” Furina answers. “But, I don’t think he did. Perhaps he treated everything like it was fiction.”

“Why?” Dan Feng asks sternly. “Why would you want to make him remember what happened?"

Bailu looks at him worriedly. “Brother Moon…”

“I—”

A loud ring interrupts Furina. She stands, walks over to the counter, and looks at the caller on the screen.

“...I’m sorry,” she says to the group. “This conversation will have to wait.”

And you think it’s for the best.

After saying your goodbyes, you and everyone else are at the apartment’s front entrance when Signora asks:

“Keeping Idrila a secret from Tsaritsa… What do you all think?”

Neuvilette nods. “Not until we have more information.”

Bailu’s hand is in a small fist, and she pats her chest. “You can count on me! I’ll get something for sure.”

“Is the hospital where you’ve been disappearing when you visit every dragon year?” Zhongli asks.

“Oh, well, you see…”

You and Dan Feng are standing a little behind the group, and as Bailu talks about her hustle, you glance at him.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks at you. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” He sighs.

“I had the same question,” you say quietly. “Why did she want to make Dan Heng remember? And… I remember what you said before about people being doppelgangers upon their reincarnation.”

“In short, it has to do with how they accepted their death at the time they died. If they can’t accept it, they can be reincarnated with the same face and name, which signifies a continuation of their life. If they accept it, they can be reincarnated as a new person, which means a new start.”

“I don’t know how Dan Heng died back then… but”—you sigh—”it sounds like he has unfinished business or something.”

“My impression was that she murdered him…” Dan Feng says quietly. “But”—he puts a hand to his head—”I suppose I can’t say that with confidence considering he was already dead by the time I found them. But, she was the only one with him. It wouldn’t make sense for my brother to kill himself. Or, someone else killed him and spared her." He sighs. "But that doesn't make sense either."

“With the way she died, it sounds feasible to say that she was poisoned.” You quickly look at him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t make all these assumptions when there’s nothing to go on.”

“No… It’s something I never considered before because”—he closes his eyes for a brief moment—”I wanted to blame someone. All I have are pieces of what happened, and if I convinced myself that she murdered my brother, I'd have closure."

“Then… Let’s gather the missing pieces and start putting them together.”

“Hey!” You and Dan Feng look ahead and see your friends in front of a cab. “Are you two lovebirds done chit-chatting over there?”

You sigh with a little smile. “It's not like we have a choice now."

Dan Feng smiles at you. “You’re right.”

As you and Dan Feng head to the cab, your phone buzzes with a message. Without stopping, you take it out of your pocket and…

Dan Feng, a short distance away, turns back. “What is it?” When he doesn’t get a reply, he walks over and sees the chilling message on your screen from an unknown number.

Found you

End notes:

Still thinking about how I wanna push Jing Yuan in here XD and Blade may or may not get an appearance next chapter (finally)

Tag list: @lunavixia @aerithsthingss @sunsethw4 @boomie-123

#dan feng x you #dan feng #dan feng x reader #hsr dan feng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #imbibitor lunae

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teaberrii · 13 days

Text

Chapter 12: What Haunts Us

Dan Feng/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on Ao3

Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail crossover

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Support my writing

After taking him up on his offer to get a bite to eat, Dan Feng suggests a nearby restaurant that recently opened. So, here you are, walking next to Dan Feng with your hands in your coat pocket.

“It’s a little late for dinner,” you say, breaking the silence. Then, jokingly, “Did no one want to cook?”

“Bailu did, but I wanted to take you out.”

You almost stop at the unexpected boldness. You open your mouth but can’t find the words, so you make a joke instead. “Is this some sort of mind game where you treat your victim to a meal before you kill them?” Dan Feng glances at you without turning his head, and you awkwardly face forward and quietly say, “Well, you did say you want to kill me.”

“And here I thought we were on the same page. You’re my friend unless proven otherwise.”

You clear your throat. “So… Bailu cooked, but you still wanted to go out and eat?”

Dan Feng was staring at his phone, the conversation between you and him was open on the screen. Finally, he sighed, turned around, and Bailiu and Zhongli stood upright.

“You might want to give him some space,” Neuvilette said, quietly sipping his tea from the sofa.

Bailu pointed to Dan Feng’s phone. “You didn’t ask her!”

“Are you nervous?” Zhongli asked.

Dan Feng scoffed. “I’ll ask her once you two stop breathing down my neck.”

Bailu and Zhongli looked at each other, and it was Bailu who said, “Yeah, he’s nervous.”

“Why don’t we invite her over for dinner?” Neuvilette asked. He looked at Bailu. “I thought you out of all people would want her to taste your cooking that’s”—he raised his hands to make air quotations—”'out of this world'.”

“We can always invite her over,” Bailu said. “But, Brother Moon needs to make his move!”

Dan Feng rubbed the space between his brows. “You have way too much time on your hands.”

Zhongli chuckled. “You like her, though, don’t you?”

Dan Feng looked off to the side, and Bailu and Zhongli smiled at each other. “She’s human,” Dan Feng finally said. “A human with a strange connection to the woman from my past.”

“You know what your biggest flaw has always been?” Bailu sighed. “You never live in the moment. You’re always thinking about”—she changed her voice so it sounded like she was mimicking him—”what’s going to happen next? What about the future?” She looked at him like an older sister chiding a younger brother. “Yeah, she’s a human. But, you like being with her, don’t you? Just enjoy the time you have with her.”

“As much as I’d like to agree with that sentiment”—Neuvilette looked at Dan Feng—”it might be you who gets hurt in the end.”

“Don’t forget about her,” Zhongli added. “Who knows? She might take a liking to you too, if not already.”

“And... Do you really want to keep her at a distance?” Bailu asked. “Besides, if she does like you or whatnot, it should be her choice whether she wants to stay away or not, right? She knows what you are now! I’d say just focus on what you want. For anything to happen, it’s a two-way street.”

The silence eventually grew too much for Bailu to bear.

“What? Why’s everyone all quiet?”

Neuvilette took another sip of his tea. “Would you like to grace us with more wisdom, Master Bailu?”

She threw a pillow in his direction, which he swiftly dodged without putting down his cup.

“She wants us to spend time together,” Dan Feng finally answers. He’s expecting you to be surprised. Maybe blush a little.

But instead, you say, “Yeah… I hope it’ll get us closer to figuring out why I’m having these dreams.” When you see him slightly frown, you raise a brow. “What? Aren’t you curious too?”

“Let’s… not talk about that right now.”

“Then, what do you want to talk about?”

“You.”

The unexpected response stuns you into silence, and you almost stop. It doesn’t help that he’s still looking at you, too.

“M-Me?” you ask with a small chuckle. “Well, you know plenty. I should be asking about you.”

“You can ask anytime. But tonight…” He smiles at you, and your face unexpectedly warms. “It’s about you.”

Upon reaching the small, cozy restaurant, Dan Feng opens the door for you. Once you and Dan Feng are seated at a table near the back of the restaurant, you open the menu. After ordering, Dan Feng looks at you and asks:

“You said your father was a language professor… What about your mother?”

“She was an academic researcher,” you say. Then, with a little smile, “They went through undergrad and grad school at the same university but didn’t meet until they started working there.”

“Funny how life works sometimes.”

“Yes,” you say, looking down, and Dan Feng instantly senses something is wrong. “That’s... where they also died. It was an accident… in one of the labs my mother was working at.” You quickly look up. “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to bring down the mood.”

“No.” His gaze softens. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“But… that was how Dan Heng and I got closer.”

It had been nearly two weeks since you were back at school. Anyone who’d seen you would say you looked like a zombie: dark circles under your eyes, and your hair was frizzy and messy like it hadn't been combed or washed in days.

You were folding your parents’ clothes in their room when your grandmother softly knocked on the door. You turned and saw her faint smile.

“Your friend’s here to see you.”

“Friend?” you asked, turning back. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“He said you hadn't been answering your phone. He sounded like he was worried.”

“He…?”

“Dan Heng?" Your grandmother gestured for you to come out, but you didn’t. "Do you know him? He said he’s a friend of yours.”

“Ah… Yeah." Then, quietly, "We're not that close."

“But he still came all this way.” Your grandmother walked in and sat next to you. “You haven’t been out of the house for a while. Why don’t you go and get some fresh air? It’ll be good for you.” You sighed and stood, knowing there wasn’t a point in arguing with your grandmother. You walked out of the door and heard your grandmother say, “He should be right outside.”

And she was right.

“Hi,” he said, as soon as you opened the door.

You still weren’t smiling.

“I… got your address from Stelle,” Dan Heng quietly admitted. “I hope you don’t mind.”

You stepped out and closed the door. “I’m fine,” you said. But, your tone screamed that you weren’t. “You didn’t have to come all this way.”

Dan Heng reached into his bag and pulled out a folder. “You missed quite a few classes, so I photocopied my notes for you.”

You took it and slightly smiled upon seeing the cover decorated with stickers and doodles of what you liked. Then, when you opened it, you were pleasantly surprised to see the organized, color-coded notes.

“W-Wow,” you finally said, flipping through the pages. You also noticed a little cartoon at the bottom corner that seemed to move as you continued going through the notes. You chuckled. “What’s this?”

“It’s… something I thought you’d like,” he said, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “I understand school is probably the last thing on your mind.” You looked at him, but he was looking off to the side. “And… I know nothing I can say can make things better. But…” His eyes meet yours. “If there’s anything I can do, please ask.”

Your sad smile doesn’t go unnoticed.

“It sounded like he made you feel better," Dan Feng says. "And it sounds like he came prepared.”

A waiter comes with your food and sets them on the table.

“Prepared?” you ask, after the waiter leaves.

“The notes. The little cartoon. I applaud him for his efforts.”

You look up at him with a smile without lifting your head.

You and Dan Feng eat in silence before you stop. You wipe your mouth with a napkin and scoot slightly closer to the table.

“Hey…” Dan Feng looks up from his food, and you ask, “What was it like back then? There was magic, right? What… What happened to all of it since, well, there’s obviously none now.”

“And here I thought you would be curious about Dan Heng in the past.”

“I am,” you admit. “But, considering what you told me… I don’t think it’d be appropriate for me to ask.”

“Based on what you told me about him”—Dan Feng quietly scoffs—”he sounds like the brother I used to know. But, the one I knew was a military general."

You almost spit out your water. “Military general? And, um, what about you?”

“I was in academia.”

“Ah… So you didn’t lie to me back then.”

“I didn’t lie about everything."

You point your fork at him. “Did you know you can get in trouble for posing as a police officer in this world, Mister?”

“Oh, so does that mean you’re going to tattle on me?”

You chuckle. “If you tell me what I want to know… I won’t.”

Dan Feng smiles. “Guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

You take a bite of your food. “I’ve been curious… If magic existed back then, why isn’t there any mention of it now? We have so much information about our history, but nothing mentions magic or is even taught in schools.”

“It’s because of The Great Purge.”

You blink once. “I’m sorry. The Great… What?”

“The Great Purge,” Dan Feng repeats. “It was when we used magic… to get rid of itself.”

“But… Why? And we…?” You put down your fork. “Did you cause it?”

“I was against it,” Dan Feng says, “but for the wrong reasons.” He put down his chopsticks. “I wanted to bring my family back to life.” The look on your face tells Dan Feng what’s on your mind. “The woman I’m looking for… She didn't just kill Dan Heng. She also killed my parents." A small pause. "She destroyed my home.”

The attack came out of nowhere.

Dan Feng was in his bed, eyes wide, and his muscles taut as he stopped the blade from slitting his throat. An armed man, someone whom he’d never seen before, was on top of him, desperate to make the final, lethal blow to his throat. But Dan Feng was stronger. He pulled the covers and took his chance when the man stumbled to the ground. With one swift kick to the head, Dan Feng knocked him unconscious and took his blade. He was about to kill him when he heard a blood-curdling scream outside.

He rushed out and saw a maid stabbed in the throat. His blood ran cold as she lifelessly fell to the ground, and his gaze hardened when the armed soldier charged at him. Dan Feng swiftly dodged his attacks and impaled him with the blade. As he ran to his parents' room, he heard screams, metal clashing against metal, and smelled the strong stench of blood.

His body trembled, and his heart raced as he ran past the dead maids he talked with just yesterday night. What in the world was going on? Why was this happening? Where did this attack come from? His mind was a blur. But as he neared his destination, he pushed his questions aside. The important thing was—

His heart instantly dropped to the pit of his stomach when he saw, what looked like, bloody handprints on the door of his parents’ chamber. He immediately slid the door open, and despite being prepared for the worst, his world still came crashing down when he saw the bed full of blood.

Dan Feng ran over. His father was already dead, his throat so badly cut that it almost looked like he was decapitated. His mother lay next to him, hanging onto her life by a thread.

“M-Mother…!” Dan Feng tightly gripped his mother’s hand, his own hand trembling, eyes wide in disbelief at the gruesome scene.

Blood continued dripping from the bed to the floor. Upon noticing the gaping wound on her stomach, he sprang into action, but his mother’s hand stopped him.

“It’s… It’s too late.”

“What are you talking about?” he asked desperately. He chose to ignore the blood from her throat. “I can fix this! I—”

“Find your brother,” her mother said weakly. Then, she slowly lifted her other hand, revealing a familiar necklace of pure gold and white jade. His heart shattered into a million pieces. “It was her… She…” A cough and Dan Feng held his mother’s hand tighter. “Your brother’s in danger. Please… Dan Feng… Find him. Save him.”

“It still bothers me to this day how the attack happened," Dan Feng says, looking at his food. "It was just… It was so sudden.”

“I’m so sorry,” you say quietly. “But… how did you know it was because of that woman?”

Dan Feng closes his eyes for a brief moment. “The necklace my mother was holding belonged to her. I gave it to her as a gift. And… She admitted it herself when she died.”

Red clouds. Orange sun. Dark blue skies. It was as if the massacre on the ground had painted its way to the heavens. The strong stench of blood was everywhere one went, and even in demolished buildings, one could still see and hear flames licking away at the debris. The screams had stopped, and what was left was a silence devoid of life.

Dan Feng walked toward a dead man and a woman in a forest on the outskirts of the palace. The man, his brother, lay face up and was impaled with a weapon known as the Cloud-Piercer. It was his brother’s favourite. The woman was holding him in her arms and sobbing into his chest. She was once the woman both of them loved. But now…

“I’m sorry, Dan Heng.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. She coughed, and her blood landed on Dan Heng’s hand. As soon as she saw Dan Feng, she quietly said his name.

"Get away from him."

"I—"

"I said get away from him."

She slowly stood.

"Tell me you didn't do this," Dan Feng said, his voice low.

“I… This wasn’t supposed to happen. I tried to stop it." She began to sweat and her face quickly grew pale. "I… He was… He was supposed to…” A cough and blood landed on the forest floor while dripping from her lips. “I’m sorry. I—”

He grabbed her and pulled her closer. "Why?" His knuckles turned white. "Why would you do this?!"

“I wanted to protect you… and Dan Heng." Her voice was getting increasingly weak, and her lips turned a faint blue. “I’m sorry… This wouldn’t have happened if…”

“If what?!"

More blood fell onto her clothes. Before she could answer, her body suddenly went limp, and she would've collapsed if Dan Feng didn't catch her.

"You can't die," he said, his voice breaking. "You—"

She opened her mouth, but her voice was gone. Dan Feng said her name. Once. Twice. But, the life had left her eyes, and once her hand fell to her side, he looked down and screamed.

You can’t find the right words no matter how hard you try. You can’t even begin to imagine how frustrating that must’ve been. Dan Feng gives you a kind look and nods at your food.

“Your food’s getting cold.”

"That... That doesn't make any sense," you say quietly.

“Yeah, you're telling me,” Dan Feng mutters.

You’re about to finish the rest of your food when a thought suddenly hits you. “Hey…” Dan Feng looks up. “The man she supposedly mentioned… Do you think he’s the one who gave Lan that note?”

“I never would've thought the two were related, but since you said Lan's looking for a woman… It’s possible.”

You sigh as you go back to your food. “And the plot thickens…”

“If it’s true, this person would’ve been using Lan and Nanook. But, my question is why he would be looking for her.”

“Maybe… the same reason as you initially. To kill her?”

“But… Why? Assuming this man was manipulating her, it sounded like he achieved his goal."

You rub the space between your eyes. “I guess we don’t have enough information to go on. Maybe it's best to stop playing Sherlock.”

You’re about to go back to eating when Dan Feng says, “Whatever the reason… I won’t let him have you.” You look at him without tilting your head, and his eyes meet yours. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Um, well, it just…” Your face feels warm. “I appreciate you looking out for me even though, you know”—you quietly scoff—”it was just yesterday you wanted to kill me.”

“Guess you’re not going to let that go anytime soon.”

“Oh, definitely not,” you deadpan.

Dan Feng smiles, but it could’ve been a smirk. “What about I get you dessert to make up for it?”

You narrow your eyes and pick up the menu you’d asked the waiter to leave behind when you first ordered. “Not afraid I’ll pick the most expensive one?”

“If I was, I wouldn’t bring you here in the first place.”

You keep your eyes on him as you open the menu. Eventually, you order a chocolate strawberry sundae, but you feel a bit nice, so you say:

“We can share this… if you’re okay with that.”

Dan Feng slightly leans closer. “You sure?”

You also lean closer. “If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t ask.” He chuckles, and then you go back to your food. You and Dan Feng finish up and order dessert when you bring up The Great Purge. “So, who started it…? And… Why?”

“They were called the Stellaron Hunters, a group that people thought only existed in history and folklore.”

“Stellaron Hunters…?” You can’t hide back a little smile. “Off topic, but sounds like a guild from a video game or something.”

The waiter arrives with the dessert; it’s bigger than you imagined. You and Dan Feng pick up a spoon and start digging in.

“That’s not too far off,” Dan Feng says. “After the war ended, a new era began. New people had to be put into power and rebuild the nation. So, I was working with the Hunters who became the lawmakers of our time. The parliament, if you will.” It hits you now that you’re talking to an ex-prince or king. Dan Feng looks at you without lifting his head. “Something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing,” you say. “Um, so… After what happened, they decided to get rid of magic?”

Dan Feng takes a bite of the sundae. “That’s right. Black magic was even more rampant at the time. People were using it to do all sorts of misdeeds. It was too widespread and too chaotic to control. There were theories and speculations that our enemies used magic to infiltrate undetected.” He sighs. “But, there was no evidence.”

“I bet many people were against it,” you say quietly. You finish one of the chocolate strawberries. “I wouldn’t be surprised if normal magic was integral to people’s lives.”

“You’re right. The convenience and just human habits… No one wanted to go back to an era without magic. It was a life people thought would be miserable.”

You’re about to take another scoop of the sundae when you say:

“Wait… Does that mean… You wiped their memories?”

“We wiped everyone’s but our own,” Dan Feng admits. “And our excuse was so we and those that came in the future wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.” You’re down to the last strawberry when Dan Feng looks at you. “It’s yours.”

“Well… Even without magic, wars still happened.” You eat the last strawberry. “And technology is the closest thing to magic, I’d say. So… people will always find a way.”

“A double-edged sword, I suppose.”

You chuckle. “You mean… People’s determination to innovate is great, but they don’t think about the consequences?”

“Humans are weak against their desires, so even though they’re thinking about the future, it’s often through rose-coloured lenses.”

"Hey, don't gods have desires, too?" You look at him skeptically. "It doesn't seem like you're too different from us."

"We're not too different except we can control our emotions at will."

"Seriously?" you ask, eyes wide.

"But that requires magic."

"I guess I'll believe it when I see it."

You and Dan Feng leave the table and head towards the counter where he beats you to pay for everything. Once again, he opens the door for you, and soon, both of you are returning to the apartment, not noticing rain is on the horizon.

“I guess Furina wasn’t part of the Stellaron Hunters,” you say. “That would make things too easy.”

“No, she wasn’t. She also wasn’t mentioned during my time with them.”

You and Dan Feng are waiting to cross the road when you feel a drop on your head. And another… and another until…

A hand is above your head, the only cover against the pouring rain.

“Come on. We can take cover over there,” Dan Feng says.

And soon, you’re running across the street with your hand in his.

Both of you are standing underneath a building, watching the rain flood the streets, but you can hear your heart thumping in your chest. Does he know that he still hasn’t let go?

Suddenly, Dan Feng’s phone buzzes with a message, and you can’t ignore the disappointment when he finally lets you go.

R U OK?

And then a worried-looking, anime-like sticker.

Dan Feng quickly replies to Bailu and slips his phone back into his pocket.

“Looks like the rain isn’t going to let up…” you say. Then, jokingly, “Should we run back anyway?”

Dan Feng notices a nearby convenience store. “Let’s grab an umbrella.”

You and Dan Feng head inside just as a woman with a young child buys an umbrella at the counter. When you and Dan Feng head over to the stand, lo and behold there’s an umbrella.

Just one.

“Guess the rain took everyone by surprise,” you say.

Dan Feng picks it up and heads to the counter. After leaving the store, Dan Feng opens the umbrella, and you aren’t surprised to see that it’s only big enough for just one person. Regardless, he looks at you and says:

“Come on.”

So, that’s how you and Dan Feng end up walking a little too close together. But you notice that he keeps the umbrella more on your side despite you telling him it’s okay. So, by the time you’re at the front entrance, his shoulder is soaked.

He notices you looking at his shoulder and says:

“It's just rain. I'll be fine.”

As you’re waiting for the elevator, you glance at him. “Thanks for dinner today. Let me treat you next time.”

He smiles. “Looking forward to it.”

The elevator doors open, and you step inside. “Hopefully by then, this entire mystery will be solved.” You turn to him. “You said you were here for only a year… Was that the truth?”

“I have a year to get Lan and Nanook back to our realm. If I don’t, I’ll be stuck here.”

“Does that… Does that mean you’ll become human?” you ask.

Dan Feng turns to you. “It doesn’t work that way. Technically, I’m not supposed to exist. So…”

You stiffen. “So… You’ll what? Disappear?”

“Gradually.”

“Then… What about Lan and Nanook? They’re not supposed to be here either, right? Is it possible to wait until they just disappear?”

The elevator stops and the doors slide open. “They can still return. They’re supposed to. They wouldn’t be banished like I would be.”

“Sounds unfair to me,” you mutter, stepping out. "They killed people and still get to return?"

“Regardless”—Dan Feng faces you—”I intend on making the most of the time I have now.”

“You could’ve told me this sooner.”

“You mean after I found out we were friends?” Dan Feng quietly scoffs. “Yeah, that would really bring up the mood.” Then, he smiles. “Hey. Stop with the frowny face.”

You still don’t look happy. “I’m not.” Then, you quickly head to your flat. “I’ll see you tomorrow. And…” You look at him before heading inside. “Thanks for dinner again.”

As Dan Feng heads to the flat opposite of yours, he wonders if getting close to you is really the best thing to do.

Chapter 13

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#dan feng x you #dan feng x reader #hsr dan feng x reader #imbibitor lunae x reader #imbibitor lunae #hsr dan feng #honkai x you #honkai x reader

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