#athm

“It’s nothing,” you downplay. “Just a sprain, what about your injuries?” 

“They will heal on their own - let me look at you.”

You try not to wince as he reaches for your arm, carefully holding it up to the light and slowly moving the joint as far as it will go before you show signs of pain. He raises a brow at you, passing a silent judgement before he strokes his fingers across the injury and allows a small amount of his power to flow into you. 

You feel your blood rush to your wrist, chasing the warmth he offers as it quickly heals as good as new.

“If only I could’ve done that for you,” You laugh a little. “We could’ve left that cave much sooner.” 

“You have done more than enough for me you lovely fool,” He smiles so warmly as he strokes his thumb across the curve of your cheek. “Had duty not called us away, I would have gladly remained in that cave with you if it meant that you would be at my side.”

You pay no attention to the rest of the Adepti as you wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull him closer, needing to touch and feel his body against your embrace, breathing in his scent as you bury your face in the crook of his neck and start crying again.

“We shall head up the mountain to help the humans,” Madam Ping approached, but you did not raise your head as Morax gently stroked your hair. “Give the two of you some time to…” 

Her voice trailed off, leaving the rest of the words unspoken - although Morax knew what she meant. Still holding you close, you felt him move only slightly as he replied with a silent nod and bid the Adepti farewell.

“I’m so tired,” You say. “Let’s stay here, please?”

“Of course.” He presses a kiss to the crown of your head. “I’ll stay a little while,” You pull your head back and look at him confused for a moment, until you understand what’s happening. His voice cracks ever so slightly. “It’s for the best.” 

He’s leaving, you realise. His debt to you was repaid. The time that Madam Ping had offered was for saying goodbye…

“No, I told you I want to help you,” you argue. “I’m coming with you, just let me see my parents first then we can -”

“My answer is unchanged since we spoke about this on Aocang, I must leave you now before you wear me down again,” He offered you a resigned smile. “You will be welcome amongst my people, once I have dealt with Osial and it is safe, I will come back for you and ask for your forgiveness then.” 

You release a shaky breath, throat tightening as you begin to feel so small and afraid at the thought of not being at his side. “But I love you…” 

“I know, my heart.” He withdraws slightly, lifting your face so that he can meet your gaze again, tears welling in his own amber eyes now as he smiles. “I know.” 

He tilts your head back to kiss you finally and you give yourself over to it - fooling yourself into believing that it would be enough to convince him, and that the taste of the salt from both your tears couldn’t spoil the sweetness of this parting embrace.

You stagger back as the kiss deepens, a wave of vertigo knocking you off balance as you pull him with you until you meet a cold stone wall. You break away breathless, taking a moment to reorient yourself as you feel his body heat pressing into you - his knee slipping between your legs, his hands unfastening your clothes, and the sudden sound of rushing water where there ought to be none. 

You open your eyes and find yourselves back in the cave, transported there in a blink of an eye, sheltered and secluded from the world behind the waterfall, a space just for the two of you. 

“How did you -” 

“With great difficulty,” He laughs and loses his balance a little, resting his head against yours as he steadies his breathing and closes his eyes with a pained expression.

“Could you always do that?” You cup his cheek in concern. 

“Yes,” He admits. “But I was injured, and also wanted you to ride me.” 

Your annoyed groan gets cut short when you feel his mouth on yours again, teasing strokes from his tongue lulling you into desire as you move in time together. You gasp at the feeling of cold air against your skin, Morax’s hands taking barely any time to remove your clothes before he reaches for the bundle of nerves between your legs, rubbing so torturously slowly with one as he slips a finger in with the other. 

You feel your legs almost buckle at the sensation, your core tightening as he thrusts up inside you, arousal coating his fingers as he pulls out and drags them across your clit, the cave wall digs into your back while you rock your hips along to the rhythm of his movements. 

You’re not even thinking when you reach for the sash at his waist, opening his clothes to reveal his hardening cock, your hand wrapping around him as he kisses you again and again until your head spins. It’s all instinct now, muscle memory from exploring every inch of each other - you remember the way he taught you to touch, the way that he tasted you… you wonder what it would be like to taste him.

“Stop.” You whisper, “Morax, stop.”

He steals a few more kisses before forcing himself to still, hands reluctantly dropping to his side as he uses his forearm to lean against the wall by your head, sucking in a desperate breath as your thumb traces across the sensitive tip of his cock.

He says nothing as you trail kisses along his neck, letting out a satisfied moan as your lips brush his collar and your hands slowly stroke as you make your way down to your knees. The floor is cold and uneven as you settle on the stone, wetting your lips before glancing up at his stunned face one last time.

You don’t break eye contact as you press an experimental kiss against the length of him, holding it in place with one hand as you drag your tongue along the shaft until you taste the pre cum gathering at his flushed tip. 

You pause when his hand weaves its way through your hair, his fingers gently gripping your scalp as he parts his lips and watches you with that inhuman golden light in his eyes, as if the anticipation from stopping might keep him here forever… But the desperate look in his eye sends chills down your spine, the thought of him filling your mouth and watching him come undone, it’s enough to break your resolve.

Morax lets out a restrained groan as your lips finally wrap around him, his eyes slamming shut as you suck the head of his cock and moan when you slowly swirl your tongue around it. You have never done this before, but hope that emulating what he had once done to you might work well enough. 

Your clit throbs at the memory of his tongue against it, the way he lapped you up and buried his face in you, so unbearably starved of stimulation while you slowly bob your head and adjust your jaw to the size of him in your mouth. You reach down to touch yourself only to find how wet you already were, so hungry for him to fill that hole too. 

“More…” It takes everything Morax has not to buck into your mouth, to let you have control as you coax low moans from his throat “Keep going.”

You hum against him as you dare to swallow more of his length, trying not to gag when the size of him hits the back of your throat, and break only when he tugs your hair back to force you to catch your breath. Your heart skips at the way he lovingly strokes your face, the way his fingers skate across your forehead before weaving their way back into your hair, the way he twitches in anticipation as you bring your lips back around him. 

You feel your own pleasure quickening beneath your fingers as you bob your head faster now, rocking your hips in time with every stroke until he stops you again.

“I need you against the wall.” He says, something dark and hungry in his tone, so you move without a second thought.

Your breath catches in your throat when he presses your warm body up against the cold stone, the change in temperature so pleasant despite how craggy and uncomfortable the rock ought to be. It feels grounded, safe even, as he brings his hands to rest against your hips and positions himself between your legs from behind, his erection resting against your buttock as he leans in and presses a kiss to the crook of your neck. 

“Morax…” You plead with him, desperate to find your release.

One of his hands slides across your belly, carefully caressing up toward your breast while he uses the other to guide himself toward your entrance. 

“I love you…” His words ghost across your skin as he finally pushes in. “I’ve loved you since the moment you told me your name.” He brings his lips right up to your ear and whispers your name so sweetly, with all the warmth and affection in the world. “My heart, my perfect ____.”

There’s no resistance from your body this time, so used to the shape of him fitting so wonderfully inside you by now, stretching so readily as his cock thrusts into you with ease. The rest of your sweet nothings blur together amidst the gasps and groans of pleasure, skin against skin, he fucks you hard and fast against the wall as if he can no longer contain the hunger that drives him. 

You feel his cock hit the spot that makes you tighten, crying out as he slams into you and grips your flesh until it feels flush and tender, his pace quickening as he desperately pours into you. He nips at your neck, biting and marking between ragged breaths and soothing kisses, his hips snapping against you until that relentless urge to come begins to pool in the pit of your stomach.

“Wait for me.” He begs. 

“I can’t” You throw your head back and wince, so wrecked with pleasure that nothing could stop you from tumbling over the edge. “Morax please…” 

“Promise me?” He kisses your cheek, holding your sweat slick bodies as close as possible as his pace falters and achingly slows. “Promise me that you’ll wait for me. That you’ll still be here when I get back.”

Something breaks in you when you realise what he means, you bring your hand to rest over his as it slides off your breast to hover over your heart, tears burning your eyes as you turn your head to meet his gaze over your shoulder. 

He looks so afraid, the golden light in his eyes dimming so much that he looks practically human, scared that you might say no - that he might lose you after this if he lets you come with him, that he might still lose you even if he doesn’t …

But after all that you have been through together, how could you walk away? Even if your debts to one another were paid, even if he was a god and you were a mortal, how could you turn from the man you had grown to love so much?

You smile sadly as you crane your neck to kiss him - longing, deep, and slow. Sighing as he stops, still buried to the hilt inside you, to return your affection with all that he has.

“I promise.” You say, quiet and resigned against his lips.

You shiver at the relieved sigh he lets out, the breathy laugh and reassurance of his presence against yours. 

“I love you ____.” He tells you again, his fingers intertwined with yours. 

“I love you too,” You reply. “Always.” 

Those five simple words are all it takes to spark something in Morax, his eyes widening as he pulls out and lifts you into his arms as you turn around. You barely have the chance to wrap your legs around him before he’s buried himself inside you again, kissing you and fucking you up against the wall with the same fervour as before - hitting you at a steeper, more deliberate angle as you let out a strangled moan. 

A few moments more and you're both coming together, pleasure burning through your core as you feel him continue to empty himself inside - his cum hot and slick as it spills out between endless thrusts that you wish would never stop. You throw your head back with a wracked moan as your orgasm peaks, waves of pleasure washing over you until you forget the sorrow that morning would bring. 

He is yours and you are his. Right now, tomorrow, and always.

His breaths are ragged and uneven as he calms, the strength in his legs sapped as he carefully unsheathes and lets you down, joining you in lying atop the pile of clothes on the ground - exhausted and finally sated. 

You spend a few hours there in each other's arms not speaking, his arm tucked under your neck as a makeshift pillow while he kisses you until you fall asleep. He holds you in his arms for longer than he ought to, committing every inch of you to memory, before he quietly slips away without another word.

EPILOGUE

Sunlight filters its way through the bamboo as Morax heads along the path, the morning air crisp and clean after so many years away. The last time he was here he had caused so much destruction, but as he looks out across the river he can hardly see the scars of battle that the earth had worked so hard to forget. 

Small dragon statues are dotted throughout the landscape to honour him and keep the corruption at bay. The grass and reeds grew long and green again, with the water finally unsullied, and a bustling village had been rebuilt up ahead. The land had finally healed under five years of the Adepti’s care.

He ought to be tired after so many battles, after the victories and losses it took to secure this peace, but the newly crowned Archon of Liyue thinks little of rest when there is still so much that remains to be done - all the contracts and promises to be kept.  

Disguised as a member of the Millelith Brigade, Morax makes his way across the bridge, the clink of his armour turning a few heads as he walks up the hill past the few rougher looking houses that remain. When he last saw this place it had been mostly washed away, and it seems as if most of the humans had rebuilt on higher ground and repurposed this space as farm land. 

“What business does a lone soldier have so far north?” A pretty young woman approaches. 

Not you, he worries but hides his nerves and disappointment well.

“I’m here to see an old friend,” He smiles and bows to the lady. “Could you direct me towards the residence of ____?”

“They’re not home,” She says. “They left with some merchants about a month ago, not sure if they plan to come back this time.” 

“I see.” Is all he can manage to reply. 

He hadn’t anticipated that.  

There had been so many nights these past five years where he replayed that promise in his mind, days where the only thing that got him through each and every battle was the knowledge that he would come home to you. 

You hadn’t lied to him when you said it, he felt the truth of it in your heart, saw it in the love that you gave, but perhaps it was as you had once told him - even the toughest of rocks can be worn down with time and the gnawing ache of affection’s absence. 

“Thank you.” He said, and turned to walk away. 

“You’re not going to ask where they went?” She asked.

“It doesn’t matter, but thank you.” 

He bowed again with the greatest of respect, and departed before she could ask anymore questions, sighing at how heavy the divinely crafted gold ring in his pocket suddenly felt. 

It would be so easy to find you but he wouldn’t. If you were not here, then that was an answer in itself, and he would respect that despite the hurt and anger it caused him. Your contract has been broken, yes. But had it been fair for him to ask that of you in the first place? 

Time is the most valuable currency that a human has, so scarce and gone in an instant no matter the manner in which it is spent. Five years had passed. Enough time for fickle love to fade in favour of apathy, the potential for distractions - a new purpose, a new love, a new family, a future… He had selfishly hoped for you to put all of that on hold so that he would return and find you unchanged from the day that he left you.

But that was not the way of humans, and he had changed in that time too. 

Morax stops his retreat when he reaches the stretch of shoreline where he had first met you, kneeling down to touch the silt where he had lay bleeding. For a moment he foolishly regrets it, wonders if he would be spared this heartbreak if you had just left him there to die, before logic resumes and he realises that he could never be sorry for loving you. The earth also remembers it faintly, a shadow of your past selves playing so prevalent in his mind that he doesn’t notice the way the sand crunches beneath the approaching footsteps.

“You came…”

He freezes. 

He slowly lifts his gaze to see you, not believing the sound of your small voice after so long apart.

“____.” Your name catches around the lump in his throat. He had planned this moment so many times in his mind - what he would say, what he would do - but now that you were finally in front of him he couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. 

“I knew you would.” You can’t stop yourself from sobbing as you drop to your knees and wrap your arms around him. “I knew that one day, you would come back to me.”

“I thought that you had left!” He chokes out. The relief consumes him so suddenly, so intimately, when he pulls you in as close as possible.

“I did.” You laugh and squeeze him tighter, “I left lots of times, but I always came back Morax. Always.” 

“This isn’t what we agreed.” He pulls back a little and brings his hand up to stroke your face, to trace every line and curve, to see how your beauty has matured and grown since he last laid eyes upon you, falling in love with your smile all over again in an instant. “I was so scared that you… that I would never see you again.” 

“You asked me to wait for you and I kept my word. You never said that I had to wait here the whole time.”

“Trust you to try to find a loophole.” He would roll his eyes if he didn’t worry it might hurt you. “I asked you to be here when I came back.” 

“I am here, aren’t I?” You whisper, wiping away his tears. “There was a time a few years ago where I would walk up this path every night and wait for you until the sun rose… But the village needed rebuilding, staying busy and travelling was the only thing that kept me sane. I only went to check on Cloud Retainer. I came back just in time.”

“You did?” He laughs, remembering how prickly your relationship had used to be.

“I can’t fly like you.” You tease a little. “She has helped my village a great deal with reconstruction since you defeated Qingce, once a year I take our offerings to her domain to thank her.” 

“How are you still so lovely even after all this time?” He smiles, with so much warmth and joy in his longing eyes, then finally leans forward.

Your heart sings for him as your lips touch, kissing thoroughly and unhurried as your fingers tangle amidst his thick black hair. You had almost forgotten the taste, the feeling, of him - but he slips so easily back into the space his departure had left, as if the void had never been.

You may have lost so much time together until this point, but you had the rest of your human life to catch up, and Morax knew that - trusted that now. He would never leave your side again.   

“Have you come to take me back with you now that everything is settled?” You murmur against his mouth, curling his hair around your fingers.

He shakes his head a little and takes a deep breath to steel himself. 

Then Morax slowly withdraws from your embrace, as if he didn’t wish to part so soon. But this was important. This was everything. 

He looks down at the dirt where you first found him, where all of this began because of a chance encounter so long ago, and reaches into the innermost pocket beneath his armour. 

The chapters show us more on a member of the enemy terrorist organisation that the ADA are currently up against. In the chapter (or around this chapter for Sigma), we see the backstory of a member and bit of their ideology.

This character started out life with no family and no home, being used and abused in their early years.

It's noted that their backstory is similar to Atsushi's, and that they are actually very similar to him.

The character loses their home in this chapter (or implied in this chapter for Lucy), and the only family they had that they desperately clung onto and fought for. Even if it wasn't a proper family, it was all they had. They'd been alone their whole lives and didn't want to be alone again.

The home and family in question are on a floating structure in the sky. This is also where the chapter takes place.

Atsushi says something to this character that affects them. The character ends up helping him just before the two part ways.

This is the last look they give Atsushi before they leave eachother

The character and Atsushi leave eachother by one of them falling. For Chapter 28 it's Atsushi who jumps off leaving Lucy, and they leave with a hopeful interaction of them meeting again. For Chapter 76, it's Sigma who falls leaving Atsushi, with a less hopeful interaction of Atsushi believing Sigma is dead and Sigma letting go believing he would die.

Notably in this chapter, right after Sigma falls Lucy shows up. The last ex-terrorist now friend/ally to Atsushi. And in opposition to both Chapter 28 (where Atsushi jumped away from her) and the scene that just happened (with Atsushi failing to save an enemy) she jumps off a high ledge TOWARDS Atsushi to save him. Lucy was where Sigma currently is, and both her and her bond with Atsushi have grown a lot since then, and this could also be the future for Sigma.

There is a promise for Atsushi to save this character. Unfortunately, he doesn't end up saving them. They also get taken again by their organisation, no longer by any will of their own.

Chapter 76 including these three with notable moments definitely feels to me like a comparison of Lucy and Sigma and their relationship with Atsushi. Sigma's situation is very similar to Lucy's as I've previously shown. Terrorists that have recently suffered loss in regards to their found home and family, that get a connection with Atsushi in this chapter. Unlike with Lucy, Sigma and Atsushi left eachother without hope of seeing the other again or Atsushi being able to help them (for the characters, the story itself does give hope of this happening). Then Lucy shows up, as a reminder of the last enemy he helped that DID turn out OK, and to show how far Lucy has come since then, since she was where Sigma is. It shows that hope might not be lost for Sigma either.

With it already being established that Sigma now wants to become an ADA member, the possibility of seeing Sigma grow like Lucy did and develop a bond with Atsushi like she did gets closer to being canon. There's something there and I'm really looking forward to seeing how Sigma's character could possibly develop after this arc (and when he wakes up because my guy is likely in a coma rn 😔)

The Pattern

I've stated that Lucy being in chapter 76 is important to show the connection Sigma could eventually have with Atsushi, but even though she's not in that chapter it's also important to note Kyouka. In the sky Casino mission to retrieve Sigma, where Sigma and Atsushi meet for the first time, it was specifically Lucy and Kyouka who went with Atsushi.

For both Lucy and Kyouka, there were three notable incidents with Atsushi until they become allied with the ADA permanently.

Kyouka:

- Atsushi saving her from the train

- Atsushi saving her from Akutagawa

- Kyouka escaping the Guild and becoming an official ADA member

Lucy:

- Atsushi beating Lucy

- Atsushi and Lucy's talk on the Whale

- Atsushi and Lucy's meeting in the cafe

The pattern here was there being a first meeting where Atsushi is shown wanting to help the character even though they're an enemy that he just thought against and a terrorist.

The next incident takes place a while after the first and is a pivotal point where its made certain in the story that things will turn out OK for the enemy character. A bond is set between them and Atsushi. -------------------------- After the second incident, things in fact do not turn out OK for the character and the audience was actually led into a false security. Kouyou shows up after to try and take back Kyouka, and the Guild kidnaps Lucy from her room before Atsushi can 'come back and save her'. Now the character is in danger again and their fate is once again up in the air, only now there's more at stake since a bond with Atsushi has already been established and the audience has been given the chance to grow attached to them. Whether or not this character will be able to join 'the side of the light' and have a home and family like they wanted is uncertain again

It's the third incident that sets into stone again that the character does in fact turn out OK. They reunite with Atsushi, and they finally get to live a good life with a home and the freedom to live how they wished to. The character is now connected with the ADA and after this point in the story, no matter what happens to the character their place in the light is never thrown into question again, they belong here.

So I believe this could happen with Sigma. He doesn't follow the exact same process, considering that Sigma is also being helped by Dazai, and could be grouped with Atsushi as someone Dazai saved, but chapter 76 still follows the pattern well enough that I believe this could happen.

We've already had our first incident with their meeting. Despite me comparing this chapter to Lucy and Atsushi's second meeting, for Sigma and Atsushi this still fits into the territory of the first part of the pattern.

(Intetesting note: Unlike with Lucy and Kyouka, after it was established that Atsushi wanted to help the enemy, this was the first time where Atsushi 'failed' to. He jumped from the train with Kyouka, he jumped off the Whale after promising to come back for Lucy, but at the sky Casino it was Sigma who fell instead, and Atsushi stayed thinking that he just saw the last of a now dead man that he failed to help. Then again, it could just be following the pattern and we'll see a more hopeful outcome with their second meeting)

The second incident will likely be them meeting again. It will end more hopefully, with a further bond between Atsushi and Sigma and more hope for Sigma joining the ADA.

If we then follow the pattern, something bad will happen to Sigma to throw this off course, and put into question whether he'll actually be able to join the ADA and get a home.

“I will leave you a short distance from the boundary line, and go on ahead,” He tells you as he begins his descent. “The Chi will not notice if you enter on foot whilst I trespass the skies above. Remain here until I signal otherwise.” 

“Be careful.” You warn.  

“I ask the same of all of you.” He replies. 

“As always, My Lord.” Skybracer gallops elegantly through the air beside you with ease, as if the clouds themselves were solid stepping stones and not just swirling mists. He keeps pace, despite carrying Madame Ping on his back. “We shall find Cloud Retainer and bring her safely home.” 

Unease settles in the pit of your stomach as Morax lands at the centre of a large ruin a short distance from the road that lined the shore, your legs shaking as you slip down from his back and feel the rubble of a collapsed wall crunch beneath your boots.  It hits you then, just what you’re getting yourself into - that the safety you felt at Morax’s side was not guaranteed, that you might be returning to find that there was no longer a home to return to… 

People had lived here once too, you thought. Families, friends, neighbours.

Would there ever be a time when that could be possible again? 

“We shall cleanse the path as we go,” Madam Ping’s voice pulls you from your trail of thought.  “Look for any signs of a struggle, things on the path that are out of the ordinary - Skybracer and I shall protect you, but you must flee if we command it.”

“Yes,” You nodded. “I understand”

Your chest tightens as Morax leaps into the air without a second glance, the fear that this might be the last time that you ever saw him gripping you so tightly that you could barely bring yourself to breathe or think beyond his ever shrinking figure in the distance. 

He flies low across the water. A threatening hiss ripples from his throat that seems to shake the very earth beneath as he crosses the boundary of Qingce’s domain. 

You take a few steps forward, craning your neck to see the end of his tail follow the bend in the river before he disappeared from your sight completely. 

“He will be fine, Mortal.” Skybracer says. “He is the strongest of us.” 

You had seen him broken before, yes, but undeterred - and he had swore to you that the Chi would be destroyed. You had given him so much of your heart, your body, your admiration… What good would a God of contracts be if he did not keep his word? 

“I know.” 

You swallow the lump in your throat and accept that no matter what, fate will have its due.

-

An unnatural thick black fog obscures the air as Morax makes his way along the shoreline alone, almost as if it were clinging to the still waters in order to mask his approach - or to conceal something that dwells in the depths below. 

The familiar taste of old ash lingers in the air, the scent of ancient blood and dirt that sullies the lake, it triggers the muscle memory of a thousand battles that he has won but is destined to repeat if he wants to see his dreams realised by the heavens. 

Morax lets his power flow freely as he flies through the smoke, releasing a threatening growl and heavy huffs of breath in order to attract his opponent, his righteous fury sending shockwaves through the stone in challenge. 

He takes a moment to think of you, to imagine your family and friends that he has never met, the common people of your home… what may befall them if he fails as he did at Guili, what may happen if he does not live to face Osial one last time. 

He does this for them now, for Liyue, for you. 

The rumble of thunder beckons him deeper into the Chi’s lair, passing the battered bamboo lined path where the two of you fatefully met, towards a break in the fog that reveals a small island in the middle of the lake. A long shadow snakes around it beneath the surface of the water, twitching, distorted by the waves as it begins to thrash and jolt when it finally breaches the surface.

Qingce screams as it sees Morax, its jaw unhinging itself wider as it dives towards him, the hunger as insatiable and all consuming as the unending void behind its blackened eyes. It had spent too long in the corruption, picking on the flesh of the fallen and rotting, to resist the urge to claim the prime of Adepti as its next meal.

But Morax would not flee. 

The Chi’s needle-like teeth crack against the barrier that Morax summons, black blood oozing from its festering gums as it screeches and bellows again and again, slamming its head against the golden screen of light as Morax simply hovers above the water and watches. 

“You have terrorised these people for far too long.” He hisses. “This ends now!”

Just as he wills it, the silt and earth below bends and breaks, a dozen stone pillars jutting up beneath the beast to scrape its slimy grey scales as it struggles against the land like a caught fish desperate to escape back into the water.  

He would trap it here, make things quick - or at least he hopes to. 

But Qingce lets out a blast of hydro against the rocks from its foul mouth, cracking them under the pressure of concentrated water and giving itself enough room to wriggle free and slip back into the river - diving underneath the barrier to burst forward and lunge for Morax. 

A foul wind whips past as he barely manages to move away in time, his heart racing as he quickly summons another barrier at his right side and sails out of reach to try to trap it again - letting out a frustrated roar when the creature simply dodges and weaves past his defences and attacks. 

There's no time for this, He frets. Cloud Retainer could be in serious danger, the people of the village could be caught in the crossfire, but if he couldn’t save his power to spare them in the clash how would he be able to kill the Chi fast enough? 

He soon realises that he has no choice but to stay and wear the beast down, or put events into motion quicker than he would’ve liked - for an easy victory is nothing compared to the lives of all that he cares for. 

Morax shakes his tail at Qingce as he flees, taunting, tempting him to follow as he swerves to avoid torrents of hydro shot in his direction, slowing his pace just ever so slightly to ensure that he keeps its attention before he whips his body around to catch Qingce’s neck between his own teeth and claws - ripping and biting, desperate to tear through to the flesh as he ascends. 

-

The distant screams and the clash of battle makes your stomach turn, remembering the way that it had looked when you saw Morax fight for the first time, your imagination filling the gaps with each terrifying roar that echoed from the north. 

“Look!” Skybracer lifted his antlers toward the heavens, his little nose pointing in the direction of a comet that flashed across the horizon. “That’s our signal.” 

Your sense of awe briefly cuts through the fear you felt - the marvel that the man, the God, that you cared so deeply for was able to do something so beyond yourself… you wish that you’d get to see this again, see him again… that you would have the chance to learn the very limits of every wonder that he could do. 

“Let's make haste.” Madam Ping says, and that is what you do.  

The three of you make your way out of the ruin and head up toward the road, watching closely for any signs of Cloud Retainer’s presence along the path, taking care to watch for any monsters or areas that are corrupted.

The thick fog that covers the landscape is easily dispelled with a ring of the cleansing bell, although the darkness fades not an inch further than the sound travels, you know that home lies on the other side of it - that Morax does too. 

“Adeptus Cloud Retainer?” You call out as loud as you dare, although you doubt that Qingce would hear it over the battle that rages on ahead.

“She is nearby. I sense it.” Skybracer confirms.

“Alive?” You ask. 

“Yes - although her aura is faint.” 

You pause. “Do you know where exactly?” 

“The fog is distorting everything!” Madam Ping lifts the bell high again and whips her arm back down as if to ring it as hard and as loud as possible. “I’m struggling to pinpoint Morax and the Chi as well. It's almost as if it's intentional.”

“It wasn’t like this before,” You explain as the fog shrinks again. “There was some smoke from the other side of the river but the rest of the area was clear.” 

“She must be using it to disguise herself from the Chi.” Skybracer concludes and then gallops on ahead. 

You and Madam Ping jog behind, calling out for Cloud Retainer and scanning your surroundings until you come across the shallows where Morax had fallen that day. Half washed away blood still stains the shore in some areas, but all other traces of the two of you seemed to have been swept away with the current. 

“This is where you found him?” Madam Ping asked. 

Perhaps not all traces then, perhaps not the ones that the Adepti could still see. 

“I thought he might die.” You whisper, shuddering at the memory of his charred and bloody body lying in the silt.

“But he didn’t,” She reminds you. “He won’t.” 

“Thanks to you.” Skybracer bows his head and you suddenly feel yourself choke up.

You avert your gaze for the briefest of moments to collect yourself, looking toward the bamboo culms that line the path ahead until a small flash of white catches your eye against the sea of green.

“Wait.” 

You alert the Adepti and step forward, carefully following the breeze that coaxes you along until you reach the edge of the cleared fog, crossing the stone bridge to see a single dirty white feather stuck to the side of a rock as the stream gurgles below. 

You reach down to pick it up, fingers trembling as you touch the quill and gasp as a disembodied voice fills your mind.

“Help…”

Your head snaps up toward the nearby waterfall, to the hidden cave where you had tended to Morax, and your heart begins to race. 

“She’s here!” You yell as loud as you can, leaping from the bridge to land on the rocks and clamber your way up the entrance. “Adeptus Cloud Retainer!” 

Within seconds the two Adepti are already at your side, crashing through the veil of water to find the Crane lying in an awkward and unnatural position - her coat of feathers soaked through with dirt and blood. 

“Wing… broken.” She wheezed with what little strength she had left. 

“Don’t speak.” Madam Ping hushed and knelt down beside her. 

“There’s things that we can use as bandages in the back.” You rush toward the crates, pulling out a stretch of fabric and tossing it towards the pair.

You watch as she tends to Cloud Retainer, wrapping her wing and transferring some of her power to speed the healing up, and feel a wave of relief wash over you. Morax would not lose another friend today. 

“She’s strong enough to move?” You ask. If she could leave, she ought to. 

Although this cave had provided Morax with a safe place to recover, you weren’t quite sure that Cloud Retainer would have the same luxury of time and space whilst the battle raged on downstream, and her condition seems much less dire than his had. 

“Soon, once the bones have set.” Madam Ping said as her careful hands hovered above the Crane’s body. 

“I shall remain here and accompany her to safety,” Skybracer began, “If you wish to find your people Mortal, now would be the time.” 

“But the fog-” 

A deep rumble in the distance interrupts you, shaking the foundations of the earth so suddenly that for a moment you believe that the ceiling might cave in as dust cascades from above.

“Go with this one’s gratitude, ____.” Cloud Retainer did not make an attempt to move as she addressed you by name now, but slowly extended her wing to confirm that the healing had worked. There was warmth and recognition in her usually cold blue eyes. “Save your people as you have already saved Rex and I.”

Madam Ping stood now, breathing deeply as if to recentre what was left of her energy, and turned to you one last time.

“The fog can be cleansed, but it is you that must forge the path ahead.”

You feel the sting of tears behind your eyes, a mixture of relief and confusion washing over your exhausted brain as you blink and try to mask the emotions on your face. You had always thought of your contributions as nothing more than trying to make the best of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but they meant something.

Your choice to leave the village that day, to stumble across Morax - to help him, to trust him, to fall for him … Your small human choices have made all the difference and brought you all to this point.

“Then we go now,” You would not waste your chance. “I shall see you again when my people are free.”

Cloud Retainer nods in approval as you bow deeply and make your way out of the cave.

-

Morax finds himself reeling as he crashes into the dark waters, Qingce dragging him below the frigid surface as he thrashes and resists under the weight of the Adepti’s locked jaws. All of the light and joy in this world is suddenly gouged from his soul, leaving behind a gnawing void that was empty, wrong and endless.

For a moment he forgets himself and what he was meant for, forgets his light and ambition in the face of the intoxicating nihility on offer - there would be no more loss, no more fighting if he gave himself over to it - but the distant toll of that familiar bell cleanses his mind of all doubts.

He feels his blood heat as he clamps his jaw down harder, ignoring the pained screams of the creature he is desperate to destroy, and uses all his strength to throw his opponent back against the jagged rocks that line the far shore. 

Qingce let out a terrific wail as the stone shreds its sailfin and rips through scale to cut into its flesh again, a thick cloud of festering black blood pooling around it in the shallows as it wriggles away to recover. 

Morax violently shudders as he rises, his celestial body itching and caked with sludge as the filthy water drips off him with every laboured breath. 

He’s tired, and can feel the pollution lingering on his skin, but it isn't over yet. 

In the distance he can sense the panic of the people, their frantic footsteps in the earth as they scramble in their homes, he can sense you running through the bamboo forest with fear at your back and purpose in your heart. 

The water that promises oblivion could never give him the peace that he longed for. 

It was nothing to the man that was everything.

“Morax!” 

You stop and scream his name until your voice is raw but he does not turn his gaze to you as he hovers still against the water. You want to tell him that you found Cloud Retainer, that she is alive and safe, that you believe in him, but his focus is still fixed on Qingce. 

He can’t afford to be distracted just yet, even if the news might strengthen his resolve. 

You take a moment to brace yourself, to catch your breath, to trust that he knows that your hopes are with him until the end, and when the cleansing bell rings you start again - racing towards home.

-

The clouds burst open at the breaking of thunder as you find yourself back in your village. 

You had left Madam Ping behind with Morax to focus her efforts on stopping the fog from spreading, although it now seems as if the skies themselves have joined you in wanting to wash away the last of the filth and ash.

The rain feels fresh against your skin, cooling the sweat that soaks your brow as you double over and let out an exhausted groan when a dull pain shoots through your side. You have never run so hard and fast before, pushing your body to its limits just to make it to this point - with no thought of what comes next. 

Nobody notices your arrival in the panic - the usual hustle and bustle of the market increasing tenfold as some of your neighbours frantically try to load carts to chance an escape, whilst others search for their loved ones so that they might spend their final hours together. 

Nothing is how you left it. 

“Mother?” You call out, voice breaking toward the end as it's lost amongst the crowd. “Mother? Father?”

You frantically scan your surroundings for your family, for anyone that might know where they are, but can barely register who any of these people are through the worsening wind and rain. They look haggard - at their breaking point - as it begins to pour relentlessly and the sound of fighting grows closer and closer. 

You force yourself to push forward, attempting to weave through the crowd to your home at the centre of the village but your boots lose their footing in the mud. You slip and fall into someone, stumbling to the ground with a pained yelp as your wrist bends at the wrong angle and takes the full weight of the impact. 

“Are you alright? Wait -” A familiar voice speaks as you feel a pair of strong arms slide around your ribs to pull you up. Your uncle brings his muddied hands up to cup your face.  “____? You’re alive? My sweet child, we thought you were dead! Your Mother is beside herself!”

“I brought help!” You immediately sobbed, the pain in your wrist and your reunion less important than making sure that everyone makes it out alive. “Where is she? Where is Father?” 

“At the shrine on the mountain, making offerings to the ancestors… to you -”

Relief shot through you like lightning as the storm continued to rumble overhead. They were safe. 

“Gather everyone! We must leave now - to higher ground before the village floods.” You explain. “Morax has come to free us from Qingce.”

His face pales. The Prime of Adepti’s reputation as a God of war precedes him. “Morax? You brought him here?”

You hear screams as the river bursts its banks, water rushing across the market to wash over your ankles, submerging your feet in filth and sludge. 

“I don’t have time to explain - Uncle, please… help me get these people to safety.” You plead that he sees reason, that he lives long enough to see all the good in Morax that you have come to know. “I made a contract with him to save our home.”

The ground shakes as Morax and Qingce crash around the bend in the river, wrestling and clawing at each other again as they come into view. They’re so close now. Dangerously close. There’s no more time to delay.

“Everyone!” 

Your voice strains as you push away from your uncle and make your way towards an abandoned cart that has caught in the mud, heart pounding as you pull yourself up with your remaining good wrist and clamber on to gain some height. 

“People of Qingce village, Listen to me!” 

You scream over the panicked wailing, stomping your feet against the wood to make yourself as loud as possible despite the fear that has infected the crowd as they wade through the rising waters.

“____ has returned!” You feel the cart shake as your uncle joins you with his bellowing male voice. “Stop panicking and listen!”

“Leave your belongings, head to the mountain shrine,” You roar over the sound of the torrential rain. “Any able-bodied man must carry the sick and injured - if you want to live, go now!” 

Qingce releases an ear-splitting shriek as a blast of hydro intended for his opponent comes careening toward the town, cleaving through the rockface of a nearby cliff - uncaring as the stone comes tumbling down to crush the people below.  

A wave of screaming goes up to the heavens - but the rocks never come down. 

A screen of golden light suddenly illuminates the sky above, flashing with every impact as the rockface collides with, and then bounces off, the barrier that Morax managed to summon to protect the village. 

Your heart almost gives out in relief - but not for long. You were all lucky that he had been able to react in time, and there was no guarantee that it would happen again.

Your presence here was a distraction from the fight and now Qingce knows it.   

“Rex Lapis protects us so that we can make our escape!” You call out again with a newfound resolve. “Everyone must leave now, while we still can!”

You cradle your wrist as you jump back down into the water, wincing in pain as you and your uncle go to gather the people and shepherd them toward the mountain path. This time there’s no hesitation as the villagers rapidly move into action, picking up stragglers as you all march ahead with little more than the clothes on your backs - helping each other, working together to make sure that elders and children alike aren’t left behind.

The further up the mountain you climb, the more intense the fighting below becomes. Eventually, you steal a glance over your shoulder to see Morax has pulled back, dodging Qingce’s blows rather than attacking - as if to try and avoid causing further damage to your home, or to buy you more time to get as far away as possible before he loses his edge in battle.

But you can’t bring yourself to leave him, to not see the outcome, especially after that first time you had seen him fight and fall so broken against the shore.

So you step to the side of the path, allowing your friends and neighbours to pass you as you turn your whole body to face the rain. This is not like last time, you tell yourself, But if it is… I’ll be there to find you again.

You watch him dance through the air to avoid each strike, to lure the beast onto land, but with every passing moment the waters rise to wash more of the earth - more of Morax’s advantages - away. He had expected this though, prepared for it, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t hope that he wouldn’t have to take such a risk.

But your words on Mount Aocang echo in his mind, and he knows what must be done.

If it won’t be pushed from the water, he thinks, I shall have to drag it out kicking and screaming.

So that’s exactly what he does. 

He knows that you watch him from the side of the mountain, he knows that you see him as he rears his proud head back and surges forward, claws outstretched to grab his opponent one final time, wrestling with and snapping his jaws shut around its neck as he leaps up into the air. 

Qingce’s screeching intensifies as Morax climbs back up towards the skies, soaring higher and higher until he passes through the torrential rain and cooling mists, stopping only when they reach the space above the cloudbank. 

He struggles against the Chi for a moment, biting down harder as if to stifle its violent convulsing, but then he feels it… a small spark in the distance that fills his entire being with fire when he closes his tired eyes and allows it to flow - a single dream that you had entrusted to him, now echoed across Liyue in all of the hearts of people below.

“You’ll build a more peaceful and prosperous Liyue as an Archon,” You had told him once, and he was determined for you to see it. 

Qingce stills suddenly then, its strength finally failing as Morax uses that borrowed power to pour elemental energy into its broken body, submitting only when its scales begin to calcify and its insides turn to stone - frozen in every aspect. 

Morax’s jaw opens at the same time as his eager eyes, releasing the defeated Qingce as he looks toward Celestia and makes his triumphant vow.

“To build our safe harbour, I will be the law of everything in this land,” his commanding voice echoes out in every direction, travelling through the earth and skies as easily as he breathes, “And as the heavens move, everything in this world shall bow before me.”

Half a heartbeat later he descends beneath the clouds, pursuing the petrified creature as it plummets to the earth, the air cracking in his ears as he whips his tail down and strikes the stone with all the strength he has left.