Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The rain poured outside, unrelenting, unforgiving. It battered the fragile roof above him. 

Azar did not react to it. He did not give it any attention. Let the downpour pound the straw. Let the lightning flash through the windows. It will neither blind nor deafen him.

The quill’s soft scrawling, and the words being inscribed were all that his senses absorbed. They were all that mattered.

He needed to do this. The odds of anyone finding this, let alone someone intelligent enough to understand the meaning underlying his words, were slim.

But he knew they were still greater than zero, and at this point he would grasp at any opportunity to punish the disappointment for her transgression. 

She may have corrupted every lesser mind in an effort to hunt him, who merely wished for a better god. She may have abandoned every secondary settlement to be pillaged by the savages from the desert. She may have believed she had won.

But just because they had failed did not mean they had lost.

She was a child throwing a tantrum, and because of her Sumeru was beyond saving. Centuries of research and attained knowledge would be lost because of her selfishness, and all he could do was let it happen. 

But she would not control his life. If her actions will be how the world ends he wanted no part of it. At the very least he will ensure he departs a martyr.

His hand stopped moving across the page. He set the quill down. 

Azar gave his instructions a once over. They seemed legible at first glance, but it did not stop him from checking it two and three more times to be sure. 

He had to make it count. In a way, this would be his final academic paper. 

His eyes drifted over to the rope hanging from the beam, dangling precariously over the stool. He did not want to do this, but his mind was far too great to fall into their hands.

The truth was as legible as it could be. It was time. 

Grand Sage Azar stepped out of his chair. He was not afraid of what was to come.

Like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, he will sacrifice himself for the greater good.

And he could only hope his successor was of a much higher quality than Rukkhadevata’s.

His hand latched into the top of the cliff. Kunikuzushi pulled, lifting himself over the edge. 

Grass was on the top. He sprawled onto it, coughing and spluttering wildly as he stared up into the evening sky. 

The journey to Sumeru has been an awful experience so far.

The Geo Archon’s spear had wiped out most of Guyun Stone Forest, leaving him with nothing to help his trip across the sea. All he could do was swim. Days spent just pushing forward, fighting against the ocean, and ignoring the voice that invaded his mind.

Reaching the shore was not the end of it, either. The moment he stepped on the beach he was ambushed by starved and manic Treasure Hoarders, and after that he had to ascend a cliffside immediately after. The challenges were no match for him, even with the infernal shackles she had locked. The gruelling battle against the world itself had beat him down with a tenacity no mortal would have survived.

But he was not mortal. He was-

Indeed mortal. Do not misunderstand your place.

White hot anger crackled in his veins. He grit his teeth but said nothing, lest he incur her childish wrath. 

Right. She was insistent that he should live at a level far beneath what he deserved. It was her last ditch effort to assert control over something. But she’ll fail here, just like she failed in every other aspect of her pathetic-

Painful lightning shot through him. Kunikuzushi curled up in agony.

Is another round of your first lesson needed?

That question had a bitter, hateful edge to it. He didn’t try to hide the joy he felt.

No. 

No, what?

There went the joy.

No… Almighty Shogun.

He was wasting time with her petty demands.

Kunikuzushi rose to his feet. He still had to get out of Liyue. It was a long journey ahead of him.

He ignored the pain in his limbs, and how human it felt. He was not human. He was merely afflicted with an illness. 

And once he made it to the Akademiya he’ll be rid of this plaguing voice in his head, and hopefully kill its owner in the process. 

Good luck with that. 

He clicked his tongue.

Gods did not need luck.

“I just don’t believe you,”

“But I’m telling you it’s the truth!”

Bennett shrugged his shoulders as he saw Xiangling roll her eyes. He was genuinely lost and confused over her vehement scepticism. 

Sure, she still didn’t completely believe him over the whole Kaeya stuff just yet, but that was fine. He was simply happy she hadn’t completely stonewalled him, and the ice between the two was slowly thawing over the past week’s travels anyway. 

As it turned out his history of making and eating downright poisonous meals was the saviour he needed to start earning back her trust. Everyone else (even Ayaka, who did not want to refuse a meal cooked by a friend) had tapped out and taken a break from the constant ‘surprise dishes’ for at least one night. 

Not him, though. He had eaten much worse, and once he got past the slime condensate making everything all oozy it was actually pretty good. Xiangling noticed his genuine enjoyment from her creations, and her excited smiles whenever he praised her food was a pretty sure sign that they were on the mend. 

So why was she so distrustful with this? He wasn’t trying to explain his innocence or anything like that. Archons, he was just telling her a story to get their minds off the idea of an ambush!

They were travelling through a place named Lumberpick Valley. That’s what Beidou and Albedo called it, anyway. Despite knowing the name neither were too aware of the area, and the group had gone the wrong way more than once, even nearly walking into the chasm at one point. If Rosaria didn’t immediately recognise the wooden platforms they would have headed right into the lion’s den.

The entire trail they walked was accompanied with cliffs following them on either side, where they would be sitting ducks if someone spotted them. Thankfully that wasn’t the case yet, and they hadn’t come across anyone collared since the night they all met. But even so there was a paranoid tension in the air that wouldn’t go away, even when they rested.

Maybe she’s just on edge, and wants an excuse to argue?

Bennett groaned, unsure. 

“I just don’t really get what’s so crazy about it,”

Xiangling looked back at him flatly.

“A tornado picked you up and dropped you off. You got away with barely a scratch. And you’re wondering why it sounds crazy?”

“I mean, I survived worse,”

His gaze lowered down to his prosthetic, but he didn’t elaborate further. The last time he brought it up was in a poor attempt at a joke, one that Xiangling, Ayaka and even Rosaria didn’t appreciate. He knew better than to mention it directly.

She looked at his arm too. Her lips pursed, and she faced ahead once again. It was at this point that Ayaka, who had been walking beside the chef, spoke.

“I must admit, it does sound implausible…”

Bennett sensed a ‘but’.

“But it also lines up with your other stories. It’s no less believable than escaping your cathedral, surviving an explosive hit on your guest room, getting kidnapped and interrogated…”

She drifted off as she looked him in the eye. He must have been making a face, because her own grimaced.

“My apologies. I did not intend to bring up unpleasant memories,”

Bennett waved her off with a smile.

“It’s fin-”

He was cut off, bumping into Xiangling who had stopped in her tracks. Stepping back, the adventurer swerved over to her left and checked to see what the issue was. 

They were at a fork on the road. Beidou, who had been taking point, stopped and turned to address everyone with a silent glare.

Bennett saw the way it sharpened when it hit him and Rosaria. 

The sailor stuck a thumb to the left. 

“Alright, Sumeru should be this way. If we keep going we’ll hit it by sunrise,”

Bennett looked at the sky. The sun was only setting now. 

He did not like the idea of an overnight journey. They were already exhausted, and as much as he wanted to get to the Akademiya and find a way to stop this he knew they wouldn’t last a day without proper rest. 

Rosaria voiced his protest.

“We’re not travelling overnight. That’s suicide,”

The captain furrowed her brows. 

“You think I don’t know that?”

The nun just scoffed, making Beidou click her tongue. Bennett felt the atmosphere get heavier.

“Look,” said Beidou, gesturing to the other road. “There’s a lake down that way. It’s not far, and pretty open to boot. I say we set up camp there, and cross the border tomorrow,”

Her arms folded, and she made no effort to hide the glare directed at Rosaria. 

“Any objections?”

Albedo was the one to answer. 

“Not from me, and I doubt anyone else for that matter,”

He was the first to take the path, passing Beidou with a nod. Xiangling and Ayaka followed him. Bennett was the next to proceed, but felt her thundering eye watch him while he did. It made his feet heavy, and it took all his willpower to just keep moving. 

One week in, and she’s still not any easier to approach.

Rosaria’s footsteps behind him were an odd comfort. At the very least he knew there was someone between him and the woman who was very clearly watching him for the slightest misstep. This can’t keep going if they wanted to survive, but any attempts from him to build a bridge were much less successful than with Xiangling. With Sumeru only a day away, things weren’t looking good for them.

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. 

They’ll figure it out. There hadn’t been any collared encountered on their journey over. The worst they fought were hilichurls. Maybe when they’re really fighting for their lives together things’ll sort themselves out. 

But that could wait.

He still had to scrounge up a meal and rest before he should even think about it.

Tomorrow the next stage of their journey begins.

Sumeru’s on the horizon, and no matter what happens, they’ll be ready. 

“Close already!”

Her whole body pressed against the door in a desperate bid to finally shut it. They pushed back from the other side. There are at least three of them, and only one of her.

She was trying. Dammit she was trying and it wasn’t enough!

“Nilou, please!” She begged. “Just leave us alone!”

No answer. Of course there wasn’t. Nilou hadn’t said anything. She just attacked them like the others did the moment they arrived.

Tears welled and blurred her vision as she fruitlessly pushed back, knowing she was only delaying the inevitable. Her only ally was out of commission thanks to-

“HYAAAAHHH!”

Tighnari roared as he slammed his body against the flimsy door full-speed. Snapping and cracking filled her ears and she didn’t know what came from the door and what came from her teacher’s bones.

He breathed deeply and heavily, his gaze to the floor. She looked him up and down. His hoodie was practically caked in blood now. 

“Master Tighnari… Your arm-”

“That doesn’t matter!” he yelled. His head lifted, and she could see the desperate determination in his tired eyes. The shout seemed to have stolen precious energy from him. His voice was quiet and weak.

“C-Collei,” he began. “There’s a back door in here. Take it while I keep th attention on this one. Go to Gandharva Ville. Warn them. I’ll buy you time.”

Her vision was beyond blurred. She shook her head weakly, but her sight never left him because she was afraid of never seeing him again.

“No, I’m notAAAHHH!”

A squeal escaped her as a more forceful shove hit from the other side. She focused on holding them back, her protests gone. He continued his impossible demands.

“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice here. They need to get away before they’re taken too. From Chief Officer to Trainee Forest Ranger, I order you to leave now,”

All she could do was witness Tighnari give a rare, weak smile. Her argument was pathetic and useless.

“I… I can’t leave you, Master…”

He ignored her.

“I’ll buy time and check the Akasha Terminal here. If there’s anything that could help I’ll do whatever I can to get it to you. Just don’t stop running, Collei. Please…”

For a moment, not a sound was made other than the smashing, splintering timber echoing from the widening entrance. She stood in place, her body rigid, her head at odds with her heart.

The last thing Master Tighnari said to her was a single word.

“GO!”

It was the seed that sprouted her flight.

She turned on her heel, beelining it for… for…

Wh…wha…?

Her head was dizzy, her limbs weak. She hadn’t even taken two steps, and the world was already spinning around her. She raised her hand to rub her temples, but froze once she saw it.

Her eleazar was spreading.

Hopeless terror trapped her muscles as she watched it cover her skin, the scales spread, soon covering her entire arm down to her fingertips and beyond. 

She felt it ensare her body. Numb her nerves. Wither her organs.

Not… now… No!

In a desperate bid to escape she threw her right foot forward. It didn’t land. Her body hit the floor.

Her mind screamed to get to the back door that stood just ahead. Her body refused. It curled up and writhed and it made no sense because why was she writhing when she didn’t feel anything?

Everything was numb. Lifeless.

Dead. 

The door opened with a slow creak, revealing pitch blackness on the other side. It was a void as endless as it was hopeless.

Then he stepped out of it. 

She wanted to scream, cry, fight, run, do anything it took to get away from him. She would never go back. She’ll die instead of going back. 

But that freedom was not allowed. Her limbs did not obey. They knew what would happen if she rebelled. 

For the longest time fear was the only emotion she knew. And she hated how familiar of a sensation it felt as it returned. 

An awfully, invasive hand touched her hair. It pulled. She shrieked.

She was lifted up off her feet, suspended by her burning scalp. She was feeling impossible agony and at the same time a dead numbness. The conflicting sensations happening at once wasn’t a surprise. The world wanted her to suffer after all.

She met those horrible red eyes as they lit up in wonder.

“What a fine specimen. I must thank you for your sacrifice,”

The eleazar had covered her entire body at this point. She was helpless and completely at her mercy.

It didn’t stop her from trying. 

He watched her hand as it had managed to wrap around his wrist.

“You still have some spirit, I see. We’ll have to do something about that,”

His other hand struck it, and she screamed as it let go. 

“But no matter. Soon you will be secure. Soon, everything will be fine.”

Collei shot up, awake and alert. She wanted to scream, but all that came out were breathless gasps. 

…

…

…

Her arms wrapped around her stomach.

Another nightmare.

Archons, why won’t they stop!?

Her heaves turned to chokes, and those chokes into retches.

Before she knew it, Collei was throwing up onto the dirt she lay in. Nothing came out, she hadn’t eaten in days, nor had she bathed, or rested, or dreamed. All she could do was beat her fists into the mud over and over.

She wailed. She weeped. 

She withered.

Like what happened in her nightmare Collei curled up into a ball. It was the only way she could be warm. It was the closest thing to comfort. 

She was lost, driven from her home, her friends, her life. Even her tree hollow - her one haven, the one place she could release her thoughts - wasn’t safe.

They knew where it was. They knew everything about her. 

So she had slunk away into this old ruin. A hideout that once belonged to eremites before they were collared. No one would check here. It was close to the border. It was isolated. Lonely.

She was alone.

She was safe.

I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m safe. I’m-

Like a mantra she repeated it over and over to her head, in a desperate bid to make it true.

Her eleazar was acting up. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. 

But she will survive no matter what. She will always survive.

It was numb.

So, so numb.

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

Cooking the group's dinner was as noisy as the previous ones. 

That being not noisy at all.

A clanking pot and crackling flames was all that pierced the silence while Bennett waited for Xiangling to finish cooking. He, like everyone else, made no attempt to ease the tension.

It was a pointless effort. All the other daily meals were the same story, and there were no signs of their uneasiness changing for the better at all.

“It’s ready,”

Xiangling stepped away from the portable stove, her own portion already grabbed. She sat between Beidou and Ayaka and quietly sipped at her bowl, avoiding eye contact and just focusing on the food in front of her.

Slowly everyone else moved to get their feed as well. It looked to be some sort of slime soup tonight. Bennett grabbed one of the bowls set beside the fire and took his portion. He didn’t waste time gulping it down, despite its thickness. It was the first proper meal he had since the day before. 

It was very sweet, but still pretty good.

He flashed a grin towards the chef.

“Food’s great, Xiangling,”

She met his eyes with a wide smile.

“Thanks!”

Nothing more was said between them. They both just returned to their own devices, which was, again, nothing.

Bennett blew a stray strand of hair away from his brow. He knew this journey would be all work, but even then didn’t expect himself to fall victim to sheer and utter boredom. 

It sounded like such a ridiculously pointless thing to worry about given the stakes, but going a week without any sign of their opponent had somewhat lessened the terror trapping his heart, and unlike his time in Liyue Harbour there wasn’t a lingering sense of foreboding clouding his mind about what’s to come.

This was, for now, the new normal, and Bennett found himself without a means to pass the time outside of trying to talk to the others and survive Beidou’s constant glares.

There was no point in trying. Ayaka might like a chance to talk casually, but that was it. Rosaria wasn’t much of a talker. He only talked about the collars and Abyss with Albedo. Xiangling still didn’t trust him fully to open up like she did before everything went down. Beidou did not need an explanation.

Bennett wasn’t going to step on toes when he needed to earn everyone’s trust back. Trying to start a group conversation in his own volition was a pointless endeavour.

…

…

…

“So…”

All eyes (save Rosaria’s - they just rolled) turned to him in a wide variety of curiosity, attentiveness and suspicion. He found himself sweating, feeling as if he was back at the cathedral basement, facing a huge group of survivors that didn't want him anywhere near them.

But he wasn't there. He was near the border of Sumeru, a place he had never imagined to see in his life. He got here by his own merit, he couldn't forget that.

Bennett didn't waver.

“Is there… anything anyone wants to, well, talk about?”

“No thanks.”

Beidou’s immediate response was so abrupt and so firm that it cut any hope of an aimless conversation then and there. Bennett could see Ayaka’s mouth and eyes slowly close, having changed her mind on saying whatever she was going to say. Xiangling just shrugged her shoulders in defeat.

Well that was a stupid idea.

He sighed, resigning himself to another night of watching grass grow.

That was until Albedo spoke.

“Actually, it might be a good idea to revise and share everything we collectively know about Sumeru. We will be arriving tomorrow after all,” 

“Do we need to?” asked Xiangling. “Didn’t we cover everything already?”

“Just in bits and pieces on the road. I have also began to consider some new possibilities, and would like to share them,”

The rest of them collectively leaned forward, their interests piqued. Albedo nodded.

“Very well then. Why don't we start with recounting the dangers? Better recall them now than in the moment,”

After a moment of silence Ayaka spoke up. 

“Well we know the collared are there. We have already encountered allogenes in Sumeran clothing. The only problem is we don’t know how many,”

“If I had to guess, I’d say most of the nation’s gone,” said Beidou. “I was hunted by the forest rangers on my way back to Liyue. Doubt Sumeru’s in good shape if even they got caught,”

Albedo brought a hand to his chin.

“If they’re collared, then it’s also safe to assume the forest isn’t being cared for the way it used to be,”

Is that a danger?

Bennett rubbed his temples.

“What’s so bad about that? I mean, the environment’s important, sure. But does that really matter right now?”

Beidou rose a brow at him.

“It matters more than you think. Ever hear of the Withering?”

Only the alchemist among them nodded. 

“I’ve read about it. It’s a form of corruption fatal to humans that affects the forest, correct?”

“Not just the forest. The desert has spots of it too. Normally the rangers are the ones to clean up the zones around the Akademiya, but if they’re not doing that anymore then we’ll be in for a shitty time trying to navigate,”

“You know a lot about Sumeru, Beidou,” said Xiangling. “Have you been there before?”

“Only Port Ormos, really. Guess I just learned a lot about the place from visiting the taverns there,”

“But you’re managing to lead us to the border pretty easily,”

“Because I know the Liyue side of it pretty well. Once we get past that we’ll be in uncharted waters,”

Albedo brought a hand to his chin.

“Well I suppose that leads into the first point of action, doesn’t it? Once we get to Sumeru we’ll need to find a map or some sort of landmark to position ourselves,”

“And then what?” asked Rosaria. “Do we head to the Akademiya immediately?”

He didn’t answer that, instead thinning his lips into an unsure scowl. Bennett never saw the Chief Alchemist like that before.

Beidou groaned.

“What’s with the hesitation? Wasn’t the Akademiya the place you were going to?”

It was Rosaria that answered her, and quite bitingly at that.

“Only an idiot would brashly charge in without doing the bare minimum to prepare,”

Just like that, the tension returned. Beidou growled and sat up, but said nothing. She just eyed Rosaria, who glared back. 

Bennett simply stared at his empty bowl, praying from the pair’s umpteenth staring contest to be cut short. 

Thank Barbatos for Albedo.

“I am in agreement with Rosaria. I think it best to at the very least find some way of investigating the city’s state beforehand. Going in blindly wouldn’t be wise with stakes so high,”

Beidou clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, but gave no protest, letting Albedo continue. 

“I also think it best we spend time preparing for the infiltration, if the likely scenario of the Akademiya being taken over turns out to be true. More specifically, I think we need to be ready for the collared’s next surprise,”

Next surprise?

Bennett gave a confused look, as did the others sitting down. What was he talking about?

Rosaria didn’t wait to question him. 

“What do you mean by surprise?”

“It’s just a hunch of mine, based on the way our opponent has evolved already,”

Beidou’s loud “Huh!?” cut into the conversation.

“What shit are you talking about? Evolved? How did these things evolve?”

The alchemist gave a sympathetic look.

“My apologies. I forgot that only half of us were around since the start of the invasion. I believe Bennett and Rosaria may have an idea, though?”

Do I?

Bennett thought hard, but couldn’t recall anything immediate, and sharing a look with the nun proved her to be unaware either. What made things even more confusing was someone unexpected picking up on what he implied.

Xiangling let out a gasp, and hit the palm of her hand with her fist.

“Wait a second, I think I know!”

The knight turned to her, eyebrows raised.

“You do?”

“Yeah! Bennett mentioned it to me,”

Oh so he did know. 

Then why couldn’t he remember it!?

The adventurer scratched the back of his neck.

“You mind telling us what I told you? Because I honestly don’t know either,”

“On the way to the harbour, when you had that panic att-”

She zipped her mouth shut before she could finish, but the damage had been done. Ayaka and Albedo threw concerned glances his way, and Bennett felt Rosaria’s eyes boring into his side. He did his best to ignore the looks and nodded. 

Xiangling grimaced, letting the awkwardness fester for a second before trying to get back on track.

“A-anyway… back then you mentioned that at first whoever was controlling everyone didn’t use the person’s actual moves, right? They just swung wildly and didn’t really use their visions like they normally did,”

Oh yeah. It had been so long that he almost forgot, but the collared needed time to relearn how they fought at first. And even then Bennett still saw them use different fighting styles, like Keqing and Xingqiu from the fight at the camp.

So if he were to think what the next step of that evolution was then…

Wait, then is Albedo saying-

Rosaria beat him to the punch.

“Are you worried that they’ll start using each other’s abilities?”

He nodded.

“It’s just a hunch, but we already know that they have some sort of hive mind connecting them to each other. What’s stopping Klee from firing fireballs like Yanfei, or Barbara from using that Sumeran dancer’s blooms?”

He had a point and Bennett hated the thought. Just switching between two fighting styles was enough to throw the teen off, he knew that much from the clash with Keqing. But what if she had Jean’s swordsmanship on top of that? Or if Razor’s wolf spirit was aiding her while she battled?

He wouldn’t have made it out alive, that was a certainty. 

The looks on everyone else told him they were considering similar possibilities. He lingered on Xiangling, and wondered if she was thinking of Xingqiu and Guoba.

Not the time. 

He shook his head wildly, and forced his attention back to Albedo.

“How are we supposed to prepare for that?”

“By beating them at their own game,”

“Huh?”

Albedo stood up and drew his blade, brandishing it over the campfire. 

“I think it best we all train each other in combat however we can. Widening our range of abilities will give us nothing but benefits, and learning new weapons will help us adapt if the situation requires it,”

His idea was met with cynical pushback.

“You must be joking,” answered Rosaria. “Learning how to use entirely new weapons and stances will take time that we don’t have,”

“Do you really think so?” queried the knight. “It’s not like our evenings are overbooked. We wouldn’t even be having a conversation right now if not for Bennett’s prompt to discuss,”

Eyes upon him again. Bennett still didn’t waver, but he did give an awkward shrug of his shoulders. What else was he supposed to do? He didn’t plan to talk about this sort of stuff. 

It didn’t make the attention any easier though.

Ayaka spoke up, thankfully taking the focus off him again.

“I think that’s a splendid idea. I for one would like to practice your technique, Albedo. It’s rare to see such precision with a blade,”

He smiled.

“Of course. I’ll gladly share it, so long as you don’t mind me studying any of your family arts I could possibly mimic,”

“Not at all. It would be my pleasure,”

Their exchange prompted the other four to trade glances. Bennett didn't know about this. 

Ayaka and Albedo had already paired up, but he didn't mind that, really. More than likely there'd be arguments over how he fought so if he was going to learn something new then it would probably be best for the boy to start from scratch with an entirely new weapon. The problem lay within the options.

He met Xiangling’s eyes, his own uncertainty reflected in her irises. Training with her wouldn't be too hard. They already travelled before, and it might even be a good chance to improve his relationship with the chef.

But doing that meant Rosaria would be left with Beidou - a disaster waiting to happen. 

Training with Beidou was a definite no as well. Maybe it'd be a chance to prove he wasn't a spy to her, and might even be an opportunity to find some common ground between them.

But the terrifying glare she was currently giving stopped any such hopes from entering his mind.

That just left Rosaria. Even then, he wasn’t certain. 

They had gotten closer, sure. Heck, he wouldn’t think twice about spending time alone with her. He knew there was nothing to be afraid of. 

But Bennett also knew she’d have some criticisms on how he fought, and the boy really didn’t want another round of scoldings, especially if he was supposed to be the one teaching-

“Hey, Xiangling. You wanna train together?”

Well that cut all inner arguments short.

The girl looked up at Beidou, unsure.

“You think I'd be able to hold a claymore that size?”

The captain gave a grin. Something Bennett only really saw when she was talking to Xiangling.

“Of course you can! Just need to bulk up a bit, maybe focus on a protein diet. I’m sure you know what slimes are best for that!”

Xiangling gave Bennett one last unwary glance, before turning to look at Rosaria. The way she clenched her teeth at the sight of the nun gave away her answer before it was said.

“Sure. I’ll show you some things my master showed me!”

The taller woman chuckled. 

“Alright then. You better not hold back!”

Bennett shared a look with Rosaria.

He nodded.

She shrugged her shoulders, but nodded back. 

No words had to be said.

After an hour of silence Ayaka stood up. 

“Well, I believe it best we turn in. We’ll need to be in perfect form for tomorrow,”

Xiangling let out a yawn. 

“No arguments here. Who wants to take the first watch-”

“I will.”

“Me.”

The pair of answers came at the same time, and held a dangerous edge.

Beidou and Rosaria locked onto each other, unyielding. Both refused to back down. 

Bennett sighed, as did Xiangling, but neither made any effort to diffuse the standoff because there was no point. This was a nightly occurrence after all.

Only Ayaka showed some semblance of conflict, concernedly looking between the two and clearly wanting to say something, but not knowing what. Her mouth opened only to close without a sound.

“You two turn in. Bennett and I won’t be far behind,”

The three turned to Albedo, who faced them with a passive mask. The girls shared a look before nodding in defeat.

“Alright,” said Xiangling. “We won't wait up. Goodnight,”

Albedo and Bennett gave their farewells. Beidou and Rosaria just kept glaring. 

The alchemist began to move from the fire. Bennett stood up to follow. Something that was noted by Rosaria.

“Where are you going?” She asked without taking her eyes off her foe.

He was the one to answer. 

“Just gonna have a walk around the lake, see if we spot anything of note,”

A beat.

“Fine. Let us know if you see any sign of trouble,”

“Will they be alright alone?”

Albedo looked at him questioningly.

“Do you mean Rosaria and Captain Beidou?”

Bennett nodded, prompting the alchemist to give a small, reassuring smile.

“They’ve been depriving themselves of sleep doing the same standoff for the past week. They're more likely to pass out than engage. And Rosaria wouldn't let her emotions cloud her judgement. You know that,” 

Flashbacks to the two's first meeting entered his mind. The adventurer didn't voice his uncertainty, instead bringing his focus onto his surroundings in an effort to ease himself.

Walking along the water's edge like this felt… nostalgic. It reminded him of the lake at Springvale, just a lot more massive. It was almost serene enough for him to forget about the fact that Springvale’s lake was currently frozen over, or that the glow of their campfire from this distance looked so dangerously obvious to someone even a mile away.

Almost.

They were about a quarter of the way around when Albedo asked the question.

“Have you recalled anything else?”

He shook his head.

“No. Just what I told you already,”

The man sighed, but nodded in resignation. Bennett wished he could help, but what else was there to do? This was their third time discussing this, and every time it went the same way.

Albedo would question him on Jean and Keqing resisting the collars in hopes of finding the reason why.

Bennett would recount the moments as best he could, giving every detail he even vaguely remembered.

And nothing new would be learned as they just talk about the same thing in circles.

The adventurer rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry,”

“Don’t be. The fact that you encountered anyone resisting the collars is the biggest breakthrough we’ve had, let alone two. Just because we can’t find the answer tonight doesn’t mean we won’t eventually. Even so, would you mind recounting the events again, in case there is something I missed?”

And so Bennett retold the two moments yet again, wracking his head to remember everything that happened, which was easier said than done. Trying to play back those fights from memory felt impossible since so much of it was a blur, and Jean’s especially was so long ago he barely recalled anything at all.

Albedo, like usual, looked deep in thought. His arms were crossed, and his eyes looked up at the stars above, darting between each one as he considered everything.

Bennett shrugged his shoulders, knowing that this would go the same way as the other-

“What about your other encounters?”

He blinked. “Huh?”

The alchemist nodded at him calmly.

“The other times you fought the collared. Did anyone else show signs of resisting?”

He hadn’t asked that before. Was there an idea on his mind?

Bennett began to think about everyone else he fought, but nothing came to mind. Razor. Fischl. Eula. Barbara. Kazuha. They all seemed to be under the collar’s complete control, with no signs of freedom at all.

…

Wait. 

Something came to mind.

“Eula…”

Albedo’s gaze snapped at him, his eyes lit with hope.

“Eula? What about her?”

“She… she didn’t resist, exactly, but she did sorta break free. For just a couple of seconds, but I saw her eyes get their colour back,”

“How?”

There was an edge to his voice, and the adventurer couldn’t blame him. This was the first breakthrough they had, and it was something that he should have considered but never did thanks to why she broke free.

But Albedo had never looked so concerned before. Not even when Bennett told him about Keqing and Jean resisting the first time around. 

They wouldn’t be able to free them this way, but maybe the knowledge would help in some other way.

The boy stopped in his tracks before speaking.

“When I fought her last… I stabbed her. Badly,”

Albedo stopped too, his brow creasing.

“How badly?”

…

“I would’ve killed her if my vision didn’t restart,”

Their eyes met. Bennett tried his best not to wither from either Albedo’s intense glare, or the weight of his own guilt. The pressure was crushing, and he hoped something was gleaned from what he said to make up for it.

Eventually the alchemist turned to look back up at the sky, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I see…”

Bennett’s was just as quiet.

“Did I tell you anything useful?”

“Well, you gave us a way to free the collared. Odds are we might have a chance to break them free if they’re dying,”

“But it might kill them so we can’t really,”

Albedo didn’t answer.

…

…

…

“We can’t, right?”

He looked at Bennett again, and the teen saw something in his eyes that scared him.

Conflict.

“Albedo, you’re not…”

“I’m not. It’s just something to consider-”

“It’s not anything to consider. They could die!”

“I’m aware of that, but if all else fails then-”

“Then we’ll find another way!”

The two stared each other down. Albedo with a stoney calmness and Bennett with a fiery pushback.

“If you were to heal their injury the moment the collar comes off we could save them,”

“It might not be enough. I can close cuts, yeah, but I'm not a miracle worker like Jean or Barbara,”

“Even so, I'd say the collared would rather face the chance of dying than living as a slave,”

“Would you be saying that if it's Klee that's about to die?”

He said it before his mind could stop it. Bennett grimaced at his own stupidity, watching the man's eyes flash in anger for the first time since meeting him. It only lasted a split second, however, before giving way to defeated acceptance. 

Albedo didn't respond right away, and when he did his voice had lost all life in it.

“You're right, Bennett. I… I hadn’t considered the ramifications of failure… I'm sorry,”

Shyness suddenly overtook the teen. Bennett shuffled in place, his focus moving to his own two feet.

“Don’t be. I shouldn't have brought up Klee either… I… guess I'm sorry too…”

Silence filled the space between them. A cautious look over the lake showed the small light of the campfire directly opposite them. They'll have to head back in awkward silence, and turning back won't make the trip any shorter because they were halfway there. 

This was going to be a long walk.

…

…

…

Well there's no point in waiting around.

Bennett began to move, and heard Albedo’s steps behind him. 

Neither said anything for the entirety of the way back.

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

Crossing the border shouldn’t have taken as long as it did.

Distance-wise, the group didn’t travel that far to get to the other side. It was a pretty straightforward road where the paths that veered off course looked so minor they were easily missed. 

But the short stretch mattered little when there had been so much halting their progress. Not only were they spotted by two hilichurl camps, some burrowing lizard ambushed them, focusing on Bennett in particular. Beidou and Xiangling called it a Geovishap. Bennett had a less kind name for it. 

Stretching his arms, the adventurer hissed as his joints ached. The beating he took was a bad one that involved lots of spinning and rolling. The cuts may have been cauterised, but his bruised muscles and battered bones were still present and sore.

“Are you alright?”

He turned to his left, catching Ayaka’s eye. She looked at him with concern, something the adventurer appreciated.

Bennett flashed a grin, spinning his arm about, and hiding how painful the action was.

“Of course! Just a few bruises, nothing to worry about,”

“Even so, that Geovishap had focused most of its attention onto you…”

“Eh, that’s not really new to me. Just a part of…”

He drifted off, the harsh reality crashing down onto his chipper facade. His bad luck was a bit of a sore spot right now, and the frustrated looks Xiangling and even Albedo tried to hide were still fresh in his mind. 

His misfortune was something no one brought up, yet everyone knew to be a problem. As much as he appreciated the effort that everyone (even Beidou) was making to not bring it up, he was aware that if this unlucky streak continued it would reach a breaking point.

His conversation with Ayaka stopped there, and Bennett brought his attention back onto the road ahead, gazing at the world around him. 

The grass was getting greener. The trees were more lush. They were close now.

And when Beidou suddenly stopped at the top of the hill ahead he knew what she was going to say.

“We’re here.”

Her words made everyone else stop as well. Without saying a thing the six of them collectively gathered together and moved to join the captain. Hi deprecating thoughts were forgotten and Bennett’s heart oddly thumped in his chest as he walked up. The excitement felt inappropriate, but he couldn’t suppress his adventurer’s spirit either. 

This was it. 

Another nation. 

Another border between him and Mondstadt. 

Another world to see. 

The boy stepped up, and for the first time laid his eyes upon Sumeru.

…

Wow. 

Emerald forests spanned across vibrant, verdant valleys. To the north sat giant luminous mushrooms. And just ahead a lone mountain stood tall in the middle of it all, the outlines of man-made structures at its base. Its peaks were shaped oddly, curving out from the sides, almost like a tree.

…

Wait, it was a tree.

A really big tree.

Bennett gawked, his mind in awe. The thing towered far above its surroundings, its canopy sheltering so much beneath it. Windrise suddenly felt a lot smaller to him.

There was only one thing it could be. Even so, he couldn’t help but ask.

“Is that…?”

He drifted off, yet his question was answered by Albedo, who raised an arm and pointed to the enormous tree.

“That’s the Akademiya,”

“It’s huge.”

“Well it is the central hub in the land of knowledge,”

“...But the tree! It’s huge!”

“Of course. This is the land watched over by the Dendro Archon after all,”

Watched…

Albedo’s words unintentionally triggered a new fear, and it was one that made Bennett’s heart stop. The Archon of this nation wasn’t a factor he ever really considered until now.

And judging from the looks of everyone else they hadn’t either. 

Assuming they had gotten collared was just jumping to the worst conclusion. Collaring a god sounded impossible.

But it wasn’t impossible. They already got Morax.

Even when he thought he couldn’t get any more paranoid Bennett had managed to do just that.

Ayaka brought things back on track before their worries got the best of them.

“So what now?”

Albedo stepped ahead, lowering his gaze down to the hills directly below.

“If we continue moving in this direction we shouldn’t be long reaching the Akademiya, but as discussed already heading straight in wouldn’t be wise,”

Beidou let out a defeated sigh. 

“Let’s just forget about going there for today at the very least. After the journey we had we’re better off setting up camp for the night and starting fresh tomorrow,”

A chorus of agreement was sounded out. The captain nodded. 

“Right then. Let’s do a quick sweep of the area and make sure it’s safe. Everybody alright with that?”

They nodded back. 

“Alright,” said Beidou. “Splitting into pairs would be the best option. It’ll cover the most ground-”

“Not a chance,”

The sailor gave a frustrated grin at Rosaria’s protest.

“Why am I not surprised you have a problem with my suggestion?”

“Because splitting up is just asking for us to be picked off,”

Grit teeth.

“Which is why I said pairs. If you just listened-”

Narrowed eyes.

“I know what you said. Two is still too small,”

Albedo stepped in, surprisingly against the nun.

“Rosaria, I understand your worry, but we haven't encountered any collared on the Liyue side of the border. Why would this side be any different?”

Her lips thinned.

“We don’t know what it’s like here. Just because we haven’t seen any collared in a while doesn’t mean they’re not around,”

Beidou shook her head.

“And what? They’ll just appear out of nowhere and get us? You’re being paranoid. We’re far, far away from where they last saw us, and have been covering our tracks this whole time. The only way they’d find us is if they happen to come across us randomly. The chances of that are-”

“Exactly. Chances. Being spotted would be unlucky,”

Suddenly the majority understood what Rosaria was getting at. Three sets of eyes were set upon Bennett for a second that, to him, felt like an hour. His skin crawled under their gaze, but he couldn’t blame the concern either. He’d be looking at himself too if he could.

Shockingly Beidou hadn’t given him a glance. If anything she seemed more focused on the nun than before. Her eyes were wide, and pupils dilated. A harsh breath escaped her.

“Just what are you getting at?”

Huh? 

Before that question could be answered, however, Ayaka intervened, not thinking twice about walking in between the two.

“Perhaps a vote would be the most diplomatic solution here? Everyone’s voice would be heard that way,”

The women didn’t speak against it, nor did anyone else. The Inazuman nodded, stepping back to face everyone at once.

“Very well. All those in favour of splitting up, raise your hand,”

Beidou lazily lifted her hand, and Albedo’s was quick to follow. After a moment’s hesitation, Ayaka lifted he own as well. 

Rosaria obviously kept hers down. Xiangling too, and Bennett had an inkling that the chef had Yaoguang Shoal’s events playing in her mind. 

He couldn’t blame her. What happened there was enough evidence against any thoughts of splitting up. He knew that, and anyone else who went through the same thing would agree…

…But if they didn’t split up, would they have saved Ayaka? 

It was an awful thought, born out of a need to justify his awful ideas (especially since Guoba was collared because of their choices), but he couldn’t help but wonder. If they stuck together they most likely would have either stayed on the beach, or taken more time getting four people to Guyun Stone Forest instead. And if they had come across the swordswoman like that she might not have been sane.

And despite everything going on Bennett couldn’t ignore the opportunity, either. This could be his chance to have a proper, one-on-one talk with Xiangling without anyone else stopping him, either intentionally or unintentionally. He knew that if she gave him the chance then he could convince her he was innocent.

He wasn’t going to let this moment pass.

Against his better judgement, Bennet lifted his hand and fought the urge to look at and gauge Xiangling and Rosaria’s reactions.

Thankfully Albedo brought any possible attention off him. 

“I suppose it’s settled then. Any objections?”

The group’s nun scoffed.

“You already heard mine. I won’t repeat myself,”

Xiangling looked much less accepting of the situation. Her right hand clutched her left elbow, and her lips were thin. She flashed a frustrated look at all four of them, her eyes lingering on Bennett in particular. He needed to explain his reasons to her. 

Good thing he had the perfect chance to do just that.

“Hey Xian-”

“Let’s go, Xiangling.”

The chef looked at Beidou, taken aback by her firmness and completely oblivious to Bennett’s attempt to pair up.

“Oh. Uh, sure…”

The woman smirked before turning to the rest of them.

“We’ll head towards the Chasm. Might spot something we recognise over there,”

“Okay,” answered Albedo. “Turn back at any sign of trouble,”

“We will!” called Xiangling as she began to move. Beidou followed, and as she turned caught Bennett’s eye, where he saw a fierce, accusatory glint within.

Right. Of course she wouldn’t trust him alone with Xiangling. Sure, he already travelled alone with her multiple times now, but that didn’t matter, did it? Why, he was just a traitorous, two-faced-

Ayaka waved in his face, grabbing his attention. 

“Shall we travel together, Bennett?”

He blinked, suddenly mimicking Xiangling’s actions. He was already resigning himself to buddying with Rosaria in all honesty.

But he wasn’t going to complain. It’s not often someone wants to willingly pair up with him, even if she likely had an ulterior motive. 

“Okay…”

Ayaka beamed.

“Well then, shall we head off?”

The two decided to go north. 

Officially it was because Albedo and Rosaria would be better suited in the immediate environment than the two teens.

Unofficially the giant glowing mushrooms ahead ignited Bennett’s spirit for adventure, and he wanted to get a closer look.

Was it selfish and childish? Yes.

Was it reckless? Maybe.

Did it stop him from feeling a little bit of excitement? No. 

He still had to be careful, though. It wasn’t just him here either.

The adventurer side-eyed his companion, accidentally catching her eye as she side-eyed him as well. Neither looked away as their speed gradually slowed to a standstill.

There was obviously something on her mind. Better get it out of the way before they continue further. 

“What is it?” asked Bennett.

Ayaka tilted her head curiously, looking… lost?

“What is what?”

“Didn’t you want to talk about something?”

Her brow furrowed even more, making him doubt his assumption.

“No?”

He blinked. 

“Weren’t you looking at me?”

“Yes, because you were looking at me… and I thought you wanted to say something,”

“Oh.”

Well that was awkward.

Bennett scratched the back of his head, trying his best to forget what just happened.

“Is there something you wish to talk about?” asked Ayaka.

…

Screw it. Might as well ask.

“Why did you want to join me?”

“Did I need a reason?”

She sounded offended. Now things are even more awkward. 

Bennett groaned at his lack of tact, harshly rubbing the back of his neck.

“No, sorry. It’s just… not normal for people to actually want to join me, y’know? What with my bad luck and all,”

“Why should that bother me? It can’t be that bad.-”

You have no idea. 

“-Besides, Xiangling had already paired with Beidou. Who else was I going to accompany?”

“You seemed to get along with Albedo,”

“We’re cordial, yes. But I haven’t known him as long as I know you, and you’re more pleasant company,”

Huh. 

That sounded like a compliment. Almost as if the bad luck wouldn’t matter (even if it ultimately would).

Bennett gave a grin, deciding to enjoy the truth. Sure, she’ll realise how dangerous his luck was soon enough, but for now he’ll bask in the easy atmosphere.

“Okay. I won’t question you any further,”

She nodded firmly.

“Good to hear. Now we really should get moving. We’ve wasted enough time as it was,”

“Right,”

They’ll need to get back soon, and haven’t made any progress in their scouting. The mushroom forest was a bit further than it originally looked, too. 

Looks like we won’t be visiting it today.

That was fine. He wanted to go, sure, but if it wasn’t meant to be then what’s the point in crying about it?

There was an abandoned fort nearby. It was nestled at the foot of the cliff they were standing at the top of just twenty minutes ago. 

Might be a good place to rest for the night. 

He glanced at Ayaka. She looked to be thinking the same thing.

“Shall we?”

“Yeah. Let’s check it out,”

There was no one else here. 

Whoever had pitched the tent and build the scaffolding that sat atop the structure was long gone, probably collared. That just left an empty, ruined fort. But even with its shoddy state Bennet found himself whistling at the building’s aesthetic. There wasn’t anything like it in Mondstadt.

It had at least two storeys, with what looked to be a third one existing in the form of a small tower beside the tent. A wooden set of steps to the left of the explorers lead to the upper level. Odds are the original stairs inside were destroyed. 

Bennett rested his hands on his hips and chewed the side of his cheek.

“Let’s split up and sweep a level each,”

Ayaka raised a brow. 

“Are you sure that’s wise?” 

Not entirely. The reason they went in twos was to avoid being picked off. Doing anything solo defeated that purpose. 

But the place was by all accounts deserted, and they didn’t have much time before they needed to head back. Also, they would be within earshot of each other the whole time. 

He shared his honest thoughts, and after a moment’s hesitation Ayaka agreed. 

“Okay. If one of us spots any sign of danger we turn back. Understood?”

“Got it!”

And so they began their search. She had the upper floor, he the lower. 

Bennett moved further in, following the dirt trail to a walled corner where entrances to two different buildings sat on either side of him; the main one on the left, and some sort of a storehouse on the right. He’d be best checking the storehouse first for any-

rustle.

The sound was so, so faint, yet it was enough to stick his hairs on end. It was coming from the main building’s entrance. 

His hand slowly grasped Lion’s Roar. He didn’t pull it out. His breaths were hard to keep control of.

In. Out. In. Out.

He inched towards the door, his movements so slow that he struggled to balance on one foot with every step. 

In. Out. In. Out.

He slithered onto the wall beside the door, silently shimmying to the edge of the entrance. The rustling sound got louder. More frantic. 

In. Out. In. Out.

Bennett steadily peaked over the frame, catching a glimpse of the noise, ready to duck at the slightest sign of a collar.

Unfortunately he wasn’t able to make out any such giveaway. 

A girl was crouched and hunching over a chest. The most notable thing was her long green hair and bright yellow scarf. She had her back to him, and didn’t notice the boy’s approach.

Bennett’s throat tightened, as did the grip on his sword’s hilt. He stood there, unsure on whether to approach quietly or announce his presence. If she was collared then his best option was to quietly leave and let Ayaka know. But if she was normal then a stealthy approach could ruin any chances he had of befriending her.

And she looked like she really needed some help.

Her clothes were tattered, and her hair was matted with dirt and grime. That was sort of a good sign, right? If she was collared she’d be in a better state. 

Wait, do the collared even keep themselves clean?

He honestly couldn’t remember-

smack.

“Ow!”  

Something hit the back of his head. Bennett rubbed the point of impact and looked at the culprit. A rock.

Where did that come-

Wait. 

The rummaging stopped.

Bennett slowly looked up. His breath hitched.

She was facing him now, her eyes wild and-

Violet. 

…

Violet!

His sword began to unsheathe, softly scraping against the scabbard as it-

Hold on.

They weren’t giving off that lifeless glow the others did. They were spirited.

He couldn’t confirm her neck thanks to the scarf, but the teen was certain she wasn’t collared.

Bennett sighed in relief, but that ease was quickly gone as the girl made her move.

She scampered off, getting to a ladder in the room’s corner and making it halfway up before he could react.

“W-Wait!”

Bennett dashed. He needed to talk to her. 

She made it to the top and began to climb through the opening.

He lunged, his hand reaching out and grabbing onto her ankle-

All plans were cut as he saw her reaction. She whirled down at him with bared teeth and an animalistic glower. Bennett stilled, stunned. 

“DON’T TOUCH ME!”

Her foot stomped down on him. He couldn’t stop her heel smashing his face in.

Blinding pain exploded from his nose. The adventurer let go and was sent off his feet, his scalp slamming into the stone beneath and making his ears ring.

Bennett writhed on the ground, unable to hold in his cry of pain. Even for him that hurt. 

Someone said something. When did they get here? He needed his sword-

Hands on his shoulders pinned him down and held him in place. He could see patches of white hair in his spotty vision. 

Seconds passed.

His sight began to clear. Hearing too. 

“....hear…? ..at happened?”

Ayaka looked terrified. He had to ease her. 

He lifted his arm, blearily point to where the girl-

The ladder was unoccupied. 

She was gone.

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

“Well it’s not broken at least,”

“Are you sure? It hurts to breathe through,”

“Then breathe through your mouth tonight,”

Bennett groaned, wincing at the look Rosaria gave him.

“Don’t moan at me. You’re the one that got yourself kicked in the face here,”

“Yeah, I know…”

The adventurer was far too embarrassed to argue back. He and Ayaka hadn’t even been gone for the full half hour before needing to turn back and get the others. The reason why? He went and got his butt handed to him by a stranger that wasn’t even trying to fight, and needed help as a result.

Albedo said he shouldn’t feel bad since they found more than anyone else. It was easier said than done when both your nostrils were bleeding non-stop. 

Said alchemist also couldn’t help but ask every question under the sun (well, moon) about the mystery girl. 

The six sat inside the storehouse of the abandoned fort (it was the best shelter found among the three different groups), hunched around a newly lit campfire. Bennett’s head was forcefully tilted back as Rosaria checked his nose for any permanent damage, and did his best to answer Albedo while in such an awkward position. 

“What was her attire? Did she look like a ranger?”

“I don’t know what a ranger looks like. Her clothes were brown and ruined and she wore a scarf,”

“And you said her eyes were purple, correct?”

“Yeah… but not collared purple - just a natural purple,”

Beidou joined the questioning.

“Can you really be sure they were natural? What’s the difference?”

“I can’t really describe why…”

“Convenient,”

He ignored the comment.

“They just… didn’t look the same as someone that was collared. Besides, she ran away from me,”

“Not before leaving a nasty mark,”

“Sorta my fault, I guess. I did grab her leg…”

“Did you see where she went off?” asked Albedo.

He shook his head instinctively, only to curse as his nose flared up from the motion. He gave a verbal answer between Rosaria’s blunt scolding.

“N-no. Even if I did see her climb through the hole i wouldn’t have a clue what direction she’d be going in,”

“I missed her as well,” added Ayaka.

Beidou’s brow furrowed.

“How?”

“I… was focused on Bennett and didn’t see her,” 

The sailor’s glare hardened.

“Wait, did anyone else get a look at her at all?”

“Well, neither Rosaria or myself saw any sign of someone running off in our direction,” responded Albedo. 

Beidou nodded.

“Me and Xiangling didn’t catch anything either. So the only one that even saw this mystery woman is the kid?”

He thought for a second.

“I guess I am, hehe”

An oddly tense moment of silence ensued, which made Bennett’s jaw tighten. 

“What’s wrong?”

The woman’s eye moved away from him.

“Nothing. Just thinking,”

A beat.

“Interesting how no one else saw her, not even Ayaka - who travelled with you,”

The air chilled. Bennett felt Rosaria’s grip on him tighten ever so slightly. 

Stay calm. 

He took a deep breath before responding.

“Look, I know what you’re getting at here, and I’m not going to pretend it doesn’t look bad, either. But I swear I’m not making her up,”

The woman locked onto him yet again, and neither turned away from each other’s resolute stares. She didn’t push further, and consequently he didn’t push back. The issue was uncomfortably left in the air like that, as Ayaka’s cough announced the change of subject.

“Shall we try and find her in the morning?”

Beidou’s head snapped to her.

“Huh? Who said we’ll follow this girl?”

The Kamisato blinked.

“Should we not”

A groan.

“Well, ignoring the fact that she’s got so much of a head start she’s probably long gone, we don’t know where she went. We’ll be searching for a needle in a haystack,”

Ayaka’s eyes narrowed.

“That doesn’t matter-”

“It does-”

“It doesn’t! If what Bennett said is true then this girl is scared and needs help. We can’t just leave her to get collared,”

The taller of the two sighed.

“Look, Ayaka. I understand your reasons, but it doesn’t change our main goal. Every uncollared thing we meet will probably need help now, but if we want to put a stop to this then we can’t let them slow us down,”

Ayaka took a moment to absorb the older woman’s words, whereupon her frown deepened. Before she could refute, however, Xiangling cut in.

“I wanna go after her too,”

Beidou sat up in alarm.

“You too? C’mon, Xiangling-”

“Beidou, I can’t. I can’t get the image out of my head!”

“What image?”

The teen shook her head. She heaved harshly, and her eyes hardened.

“When me and Bennett escaped the harbour, we saw Little Meng running away from the collared,”

A beat. 

“...You did?”

“There was nothing we could do. Bennett went to help, but I stopped him, cause we were carrying the teapot and I knew we had to go- I knew that! But I just- I just keep running that memory through and… he was just a little kid. We should’ve helped him… I just can’t go through this again. If someone needs help then I gotta at least try…”

She sighed, prompting that uncomfortable silence to return. 

Rosaria finally finished her rough first aid and put some space between her and Bennett. It made Bennett shift awkwardly in his spot, and the discomfort was worsened thanks to Beidou, who was staring at him pretty intensely after Xiangling said her piece.

She’s probably blaming the girls disagreeing with her on me…

His bitter thoughts were cut short as Albedo spoke up as well.

“We should find her,”

Beidou rolled her eyes.

“I can’t believe you think the same. What happened to stopping this?”

“One of our tasks was to get a map or something to help navigate our journey here. Getting a local to join us could ultimately achieve that in the long run. Even if she’s not a forest ranger she’ll at the very least know the general area,”

His argument did little to sway her, who just clicked her tongue and leaned over to stoke the fire.

“I’m still against this. Even if she’s real, we don’t have a good idea where she went. Blindly searching will just waste time. And if she’s something like a forest ranger then we’ll have no chance of catching her,”

Rosaria finally spoke up as well.

“I think the same,”

“Holy shit, you can agree with me,”

Beidou’s jabbing exclamation was ignored, and the nun further explained her point. 

“We’re assuming she won’t want to kill and rob us. If we try and follow her we could be walking into a trap that ends in our deaths,”

Bennett’s brow furrowed.

“I think you’re jumping to conclusions,”

“Think what you want, Bennett. It doesn’t make the possibility disappear,”

“I’m telling you, though! She seemed frightened, not-”

“Another vote!”

All eyes turned to Ayaka, who stood ramrod straight and stared ahead of her with a determined glare. She turned to each other member of the group in turn before continuing.

“Once again, we have come to an impasse, and because of that we shall hold another vote,”

Beidou leaned to one side, resting a hand on her knee.

“You really gonna go for two votes in one night-”

“All those in favour of searching for the girl, raise your hand,”

Ayaka lifted her arm, and Bennett raised his almost immediately after. Xiangling soon followed, as did Albedo. It was a quick, decisive victory.

The two losers did little to hide their disappointment. Beidou stood up and stormed off, sharply announcing that she’d take the first watch. Rosaria simply stated her frustation directly.

“I swear to Bartibo, if we get in trouble tomorrow that's the end of this voting nonsense,”

No one rebutted, letting her threat hang in the air. 

Slowly, Xiangling pushed herself to her feet. 

“I'll go join Beidou in the watch,”

No one stopped her. The remaining four just watched the crackling fire.

Albedo coughed.

“Well, Beidou and Xiangling are on watch for now so let's get some rest before it’s our time to take over. We'll need as much energy as we can for tomorrow,”

A chorus of agreement sounded out, and with it another night drew to a close.

He was exhausted.

It was an unfamiliar feeling. A mortal feeling.

Kunikuzushi hated it.

The puppet found himself inside a cave, squatting next to a cooking pot. His close proximity to the moonlit entrance put him on edge, but there was nothing he could do.

If he went into the shelter any further he’ll alert the pyro regisvine residing inside. 

It was such a pathetic fear. How could something so pitifully simple-minded be so daunting to face? It shouldn’t be!

Yet it was. 

He growled. 

Locking my powers is bad enough, but you could at least help me against anything that tries to kill us.

Her answer was simple, and aggravating.

Ordinary people have slain the very foes you've already faced without Lightning's Glow. Why should you be granted such a boon?

Because I am not ordinary! Must I remind you that if I die you'll join me?

If you die then it goes to show you're not fit for my abilities.

They're not yours anymore. 

If that was the case you wouldn't be in this situation.

He clicked his tongue, but didn't press further. Getting beaten down by that whopperflower was bad enough. He didn't need her re-inflicting the first lesson on top of it. 

It was clear that a mature conversation with her was as impossible and a waste of time as ever, so why bother continuing? She'd just twist it into an argument like always.

He was done talking for the night.

Yet for some inane reason she failed to understand that fact. 

…You are faring better than I expected. It is commendable.

What a blatant attempt at faux kindness. It really didn't suit her.

Showing praise, now? 

I am making an observation.

Sure you are. I bet there's no ulterior motive at all.

There isn't. I-

Shove it and talk already. You're giving me a headache.

He could just imagine her face contorting into a scowl. It was a pleasant picture.

What do you hope to achieve by reaching Sumeru? Do you truly believe my power to be so fickle that it would simply be taken from me?

So she knew of his goals. He honestly wasn’t surprised about that little fact. Still, her arrogance annoyed him. 

He furiously battered the charring timber.

Why not? Your dedication to your own nation is pretty pathetic.

Electricity surged through him, crackling all the way to his fingertips. 

Oh, did he hit a nerve?

Everything I did was to preserve Inazuma. To achieve eternity. 

It was painful, but not painful enough to stop his malicious grin.

Some eternity. Despite your best efforts Inazuma still changed for the worst. For someone with such a high and mighty attitude you really have little to be proud of. 

Watch your tongue.

The threat was ignored.

Your land had fallen to ruin long before the Abyss got involved. Your strongest warriors - even that smug kitsune - couldn’t hold out against the collars. Your own puppet turned against you and sealed you away! 

She said something else. He didn't register it. He couldn't even remember what her original rebuttal was. Emotions were just pouring out, his original point long forgotten. 

Name one thing you didn’t manage to screw up! Go on! You failed to do the bare minimum with either of your creations. You failed to keep your own people safe from harm. 

You failed to achieve eternity! 

He expected the voltage coursing through him to rise. It didn’t.

In fact it stopped outright, and the inevitable verbal discipline failed to arrive as well. 

It was silent.

…

He snickered. 

Can’t handle a few mean words, Almighty Shogun?

She didn’t take the bait. 

Were you even aware of your nation falling apart?

No response.

Did I hurt your feelings?

Nothing.

It was music to his ears.

There was no doubt. His sharp assault made her run away with her tail between her legs. She was definitely sulking right now-

You dislike me greatly.

His frown returned. Can’t she just shut up?

Of course I do.

Was it because I abandoned you, or because my forces failed to reach Tatarasuna in time back then?

He stilled.

How did you-?

Lady Guuji. Of course she told-

Yae did not inform me of any such events. I witnessed them myself.

Fury began to rise.

She was there after all!? Why didn’t she do anything!? Why did she fail to act-

I saw your memories.

…

…

…

She saw his memories. She delved into his mind.

She pried, and he wasn’t able to stop her.

He moved before he thought. One moment he sat still as a corpse, unable to absorb what she revealed.

The next he was on his feet and kicking the campfire to pieces with a furious roar. The burns on his feet did little to dissuade his anger.

She saw his memories. 

She violated his privacy!

HOW DARE SHE!

You have NO right to look at those! They are my memories and mine alone!

Her voice had a challenging edge to it.

Why are you so disturbed by this revelation? I fail to see why it matters. Won’t I be destroyed once you reach Sumeru anyway? 

He clenched his fists and grit his teeth.

If you saw them, then why do you refuse my birthright? Why are you so resistant to me?

I am not the problem here. I have seen your side, and it only strengthened my resolve. Have you done the same with mine?

How are you not the problem!? You’re the one who crossed the line!

Something you have done many times already.

…

He didn’t respond. He knew she would just taunt him further like a child gloating about a pointless victory-

Throwing stones, are we?

Kunikuzushi grit his teeth and made the smartest move he’s done so far.

I’m done talking to you. 

A beat.

Very well. We shall continue later. 

That thunderous weight over him became lighter. He was alone.

That fact did little to ease him.

“Bennett, help!”

He sliced the millionth hilichurl to pieces, gritting his teeth as another lunged from the darkness.

“I’m coming Barbara, hold on!”

This was all his fault. Why did he insist they explore this damn domain?

He was out on a pleasant trek across the wilderness with his friends when they came across it. The door was overgrown and covered in dust. It looked like it was abandoned for years. He wanted to go in and check it out right away. 

Fischl said they would surely find danger in the depths below. 

Razor said he had a bad feeling.

Barbara asked if they should tell the knights first.

Bennett just laughed them off, confident they would be fine. He should’ve known better.

Now Fischl lay still on the floor, her body torn to pieces.

Now Razor was bleeding out, his face bludgeoned into an unrecognisable mess.

Now Barbara was staring down a lawachurl, begging to be saved from a danger he brought upon them. 

It was all his fault.

But he didn’t have time to mourn. 

“Out of the way!”

Bennett roared, igniting his weapon and stabbing the monster in the chest. Blood spurted from underneath its mask. He shoved it off his blade and pushed forward.

He already lost his best friends because of his selfishness. He couldn’t lose her too.

The lawachurl closed in on Barbara. 

Another hilichurl blocked his path. He killed it. It slowed him down.

“Leave her alone!”

She tried to beat it back with her vision and failed miserably.

Another hilichurl blocked his path. He killed it. It slowed him down.

“Barbara, run!”

The massive creature lunged forward, grabbing her by the neck.

Another hilichurl blocked his path. He killed it. It slowed him down.

“No!”

The deaconess was lifted into the air, hanging off the beast’s hand and unable to make any sound other than an awful gargling noise.

It was hopeless.

“WAIT!”

The lawachurl roared, slamming her into the stone beneath face-first.

Barbara’s dying scream pierced his ears.

“STOP!”

He shot up, heaving and sweating. Bennett's lungs burned, and the knuckles on his good hand were white.

Where was he? What happened to Barbara-

…

No.

She’s collared. 

The teen’s eyes warily glanced around him. They were met with the sleeping forms of Albedo, Ayaka and Rosaria. He wasn’t at a domain. He was in the abandoned fort. In Sumeru.

Bennett stared, bewildered and confused. 

That… was a dream, right? Just a nightmare and nothing else?

Of course it was. It had to be.

But it felt so vivid. The monsters. The domain. The wounds. It felt like all of that actually happened.

What the heck made me dream that!?

…

…

…

He groaned, furiously rubbing his eyes. His heart hammered in his chest, pumped full with adrenaline. He wasn’t going to get back to sleep any time soon. 

But Beidou and Xiangling hadn’t woken anyone to switch over watch shifts yet. The night was still young. 

So he reluctantly lay back down, quietly sighing to himself.

He closed his eyes.

The image of his dead friends entered his mind immediately.

Bennett knew he was in for a long night. 

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

Her ankle hurt, right where it was grabbed.

She hadn’t noticed at first; she had been numb to it and didn’t know if it was the adrenaline or her eleazar that dulled her senses.

But slowly the lifeless sensation left her, and with every step her limp worsened, and her foot landed more and more weakly until she couldn’t bear walking any more.

So she climbed.

Her muscles ached, and her lungs burned, but it did not stop the forest ranger from slithering up one of the grand mushrooms of Mawtiyima Forest and crawling in that little gap of shelter directly under the cap. 

The height of the stalk below gave safety. The glow of the gills above comfort.

For now, she was safe.

…

…

…

The boy couldn’t leave her mind.

By all accounts he looked sane. He showed emotion. He called out to her in alarm when she fled.

Yet he also moved to draw his weapon when meeting her. Yet the grip his hand had on her ankle was so vice-like it nearly crushed it.

Yet his eyes were green, and she knew that was a natural colour but also knew it wasn’t.

It was a stupid idea to search a building as big as that one. The patrols not being as frequent was no excuse to risk capture like that.

But she wanted a blanket. She was cold. 

Her hands massaged her neck, her fingers softly rubbing against her scarf. The girl grit her teeth. Why was she like this? She was a survivor that escaped that hospital and made her own path. What made her so weak now?

…

She knew the answer.

It was because she had found a place where she didn’t have to survive. One with an amazing teacher and so many kind people all looking to help her in their own ways. One where she had three meals a day and spent her evenings learning new words and nights under a timber and straw roof.

One where she felt comfort. Whole.

Her eyes began to sting. She buried her face into her knees and let out a soft whimper for the umpteenth time. Tears began to spill. She was too tired to stop them.

Collei wanted to go home. 

Bennett tried his best not to think about home. He knew dwelling on just how far away he was from Mondstadt would affect his mood, and everyone else's if he brought it up.

But whenever he inhaled fresh air he smelled the grass across the Windwail Highlands. Or when he walked underneath a particularly gnarled tree branch he felt sheltered under Wolvendom’s shade.

And now, as he walked along the forest path with aching muscles he recalled the cathedral, and how Barbara never failed to take even the most minor pain away.

Really wish I had that right now.  

They had trained for a bit before heading off this morning. As it turned out Rosaria was already pretty good with a sword, and also didn’t really hold back that much against him. 

Holding a spear was completely different from a sword. His instincts kept telling him to slash instead of stab, and Rosaria made those mistakes plainly clear multiple times, both physically and verbally. He also kept interrupting his own attacks thanks to the weapon’s tip catching the ground and throwing him off balance constantly.

Aren’t spears supposed to be easier to use, too?

Bennett groaned, drawing the nun’s attention from beside him. The look in her eye was surprisingly calm.

“How’s your shoulder?” she asked.

“It’s fine. My confidence took a bigger blow,”

“Don’t let it. My spear’s too long for someone with your height. If we find a smaller one we should take it,”

Bennett nodded.

“You were pretty good with a sword, too,”

She grunted in acknowledgement and nothing more. He let the conversation die there, and just peacefully walked alongside her.

They were heading towards the forest of giant mushrooms. Albedo had proposed checking it first due to both the shelter and far distance from the Akademiya “making it the best location to hide”, and in spite of Rosaria pointing out how that reason would make it a likely spot for the collared to search as well they moved forward.

There was a tingle in his chest with every step. Bennett didn’t care how inappropriate the excitement was - the forest looked like it came straight from a fairytale and he was ready to explore it. And the dangers ahead would be no match for them, he just knew it. 

So long as we watch each other’s backs we’ll make it through just fine!

Of course, that planted a little seed of doubt in his mind.

Bennett warily glanced behind him, watching Ayaka. Xiangling stood beside her, and was mimicking his actions, where he could tell she was also worried about the Inazuman’s condition. 

There were heavy shadows under her eyes, and she blinked slowly. The girl’s posture was as precise and perfect as ever, but he could see the way her gaze was slightly vacant. 

She wasn’t just exhausted. She looked half-dead. 

Bennett didn’t get a good night’s sleep either thanks to all those nightmares. He had a good idea of what she was going through.

His eye caught Xiangling’s. He jerked his head in Ayaka’s direction questioningly, and the chef just shrugged her shoulders with a small frown. 

They couldn’t wait any longer if they wanted to catch the girl, and he still had faith they’d push through…

But he also wasn’t going to ignore his friend’s state either. 

“Ayaka?”

No answer. An image of Barbara staring at the collar in the Cathedral. He shook his head.

“Ayaka?”

She heard him the second time. Her head snapped up, suddenly alert.

“Huh…? Oh, my apologies. I was lost in thought,”

Another look with Xiangling. She asked the question.

“You okay, Ayaka? You seem… out of it,”

“It’s nothing. I just had a bad night’s sleep,”

Bennett nodded.

“You too, huh?” 

Both girls looked at him, their brows furrowed. It confused him, and he began to prattle.

“Ground’s a lot less comfy than a bed. I’m used to it, but I must’ve been nervous about today hehe. Kept having nightmares and all that,”

“So did I,”

Oh. 

He blinked at Ayaka.

“You had a nightmare?”

“Yes. Multiple ones,”

“I had ones, too,” said Xiangling. Her voice was shaky.

Bennett was getting an uneasy feeling. He turned to the nun walking alongside him.

“Rosaria, did you-”

“Yes.”

“Right.”

He turned to the two in front of him. Beidou was pushing ahead without looking back, but Albedo was half-turned towards him, his irises darting around in thought.

When the alchemist spoke, it was loud enough to address the group.

“So we all experienced nightmares in our sleep last night?”

No one spoke up against him, and Bennett saw his lips thin. 

“And did anyone manage to sleep through them without waking up?”

Those that did respond said no. Albedo stopped in place, making all of them do the same. He brought a hand to his chin. 

“I wonder…”

“What is it?” asked Bennett. 

Albedo stared at the ground for a moment before shaking his head.

“Just a thought of mine. It’s not important right now. Let’s get this search started already. We’re wasting daylight,”

The girl was nowhere to be found. 

They had searched high and low, wandered through the same paths. Fought countless mushroom monster things. Covered their tracks over and over and over.

Nothing. 

They decided to call it quits for the night after much (mostly just his and Xiangling’s) protesting. They found a hilichurl camp along a cliffside overlooking the forest, and after clearing it decided to rest there and get back to searching tomorrow. 

It’s fine. We’ll find her.

Another fire was lit, and another evening of collectively having dinner around it began. Bennett found Xiangling’s dish a bit undercooked tonight. A first for her, but the girl seemed too tired to care about it. His gaze moved around, noticing the state everyone else was in.

Beidou grumbled lightly as she ate. The woman hadn’t been that antagonistic with him all day and he had a feeling exhaustion might have been why.

Ayaka was chewing her food as slowly as she blinked. She looked as if she didn’t even notice her meal as she made her best effort not to drift off.

Albedo stared at his lap with a finger to his chin, deep in thought. He waved his free hand around as if he was writing something in the air, making Bennett question just what he was thinking about.

Rosaria already had shadows under her eyes to begin with, so he didn't notice much difference with her. The adventurer idly wondered if she was used to nightmares.

In short, everyone’s tired.

Bennett sighed as he put down his bowl.

Hopefully tonight would be a bit easier.

His instincts said otherwise.

The door was huge. How did no one find this before?

Bennett stared up at the entrance, unable to hide his excited grin. This was it. A whole unexplored domain ripe for him to discover the secrets of. 

He looked back at his companions.

“Alright, everyone ready for the adventure of a lifetime?”

Razor nodded gruffly.

Fischl smiled and posed dramatically.

Barbara wrung her hands.

“I don’t know, Bennett. Will we be okay?”

He shook his head in exasperation. Of course they’d be-

…

…

…

Would they be okay?

Bennett slowly turned to look at the domain again. It looked huge. Daunting. 

A chill ran down his spine. A thought popped up in the back of his head. It was small, but tenacious.

It was telling him not to go in.

“Bennett?”

He turned back to Barbara. 

“Uh, what?”

“Aren’t we going to go in?”

…

“No. I… I think we should tell the Knights about it first,”

“Are you sure you should do that?”

Huh?

Bennett gave Barbara a look. She glared back with a hand on her hip, looking… angry? 

“Yeah. I mean, we don’t know what’s in here. It could kill us-”

“Oh don’t be a baby! We’ll be fine!”

He blinked.

What’s with the sudden change of heart? Wasn’t she the one unsure about this in the first place?

“I-”

“Bennett coward,”

He looked at Razor. 

“What? No, I-”

“My most esteemed servant, surely you wouldn’t leave one to the lonesome fate that is exploring the domain on her own?”

He looked at Fischl.

“Wait, you shouldn’t go there by yourself-”

“Well we’ll have to, Bennett!” interjected Barbara. “Because there’s no way we’ll leave this to the Knights!”

The three glared at him, unmoving and uncompromising. His head moved on a swivel, unsure who to look at.

They were going to go in, with or without him. They were going to die if he didn’t do something about it.

But Mondstadt and the Knights were too far away. By the time he got back they’ll be dead. That just left one option. 

He ran a hand through his hair.

“Alright, alright. I’ll join you guys.

The three cheered, and began to enter. Fischl and Razor moved on ahead, each one grabbing one of the double doors and holding them open. Barbara skipped beside him, taking his hand and leading him inside.

“C’mon, Benny! Adventure awaits!”

A slight stinging pain in the side of his face woke him right before Fischl was cut in two. Bennett was thankful for it, but his cheek hurt and he didn’t know what hit him.

He blearily opened his eyes, and was met with Rosaria scowling down at him.

“Wake up,”

He spoke.

“Ow, that-”

“SHHHH!”

…

He whispered.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s collared hunters,”

His heart stopped. A weight he didn't know was absent appeared once more, and Bennett realised their break from the chaos was over.

“Do they know where we are?”

“No. We need to get moving before they do,”

He didn't need to be told twice.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins as Bennett twisted onto his knees and scrambled to grab Lion’s Roar. Without thinking he shot up to his feet, before the rush of it all hit and made him stumble, his head dizzy. 

Rosaria steadied him before he could hit the dirt.

“Thanks,” he whispered. She didn’t answer, instead gesturing for him to stay low. He crouched down, and checked the others.

Xiangling was rubbing her head and giving Ayaka a pretty nasty stink-eye, with the Inazuman smiling down at her apologetically.

At least I wasn’t the only one with a bad wake-up.

Albedo and Beidou were crouched down ahead, on the edge of the small cliff where they looked down below. A quick nod to Rosaria and the adventurer slowly began to creep up to them, holding his breath as he peeked down at the little clearing below.

It was the collared. He knew it would be but that didn’t make the skip in his heartbeat any easier. 

There were eight of them, and they were dressed in hooded outfits, with one crouched down and looking at the ground below. The other seven surrounded him robotically.

“They appear to be searching for tracks,” observed Albedo.

The thought made Bennett’s throat tighten, and Beidou’s comment just made that feeling worse.

“The purple one. I met her before,”

The others followed the woman’s hand as she pointed to the shortest collared among them. Someone who didn’t look that much taller than Klee. Aside from her stature, the bright purple trousers and golden trinkets she wore clashed with her forest cloak and made her stand out the most. It was no wonder Beidou noticed her so quickly. 

“You have?”

“She’s Lord Sangemah Bay. A merchant, one of the best. Hard to get a hold of, though,”

Sounded like the captain had met her a few times already. The revelation left an awkward silence that hung in the air. Bennett tried to ease it.

“I’m sorry-”

“Don’t bother. Barely knew her. But if someone as slippery as her got caught then it doesn't paint a good picture for other survivors,”

The boy just nodded, surprised at how… un-hateful the response was, and not wanting to push his luck any further. 

Rustling and hitched breathing behind him announced the other three sneaking up to join in the observations. 

“You think they’re following us?” asked Xiangling.

“No,” answered Rosaria. “If we've been hiding hiding our trails like we're supposed to they shouldn’t even know we’re here,”

A beat. 

Bennett sighed, speaking before Beidou could accuse him. 

“I swear I’ve been covering my tracks. Please just trust me,”

To his surprise she just shrugged her shoulders. 

“Don’t worry, I know they couldn’t have followed you,”

A shred of hope glimmered in his heart. Was this a sign that she was beginning to trust him?

“Really?”

“Yep. I’ve been covering your tracks as well to make doubly sure you couldn't leave anything behind,”

Oh. 

Nevermind. 

Wow. 

He opened his mouth to comment, but was hushed by Albedo suddenly raising his hand. Attention was brought back onto the collared, and Bennett’s blood ran cold. 

The one that was crouched now stood tall. He, along with the other seven collared, were stiff and robotic, and the only sign of movement with their ramrod bodies was the fact that their heads were turned to lifelessly gaze in at a certain something. 

But they weren’t looking at them. In fact, their focus was in the complete opposite direction. 

The adventurer watched as they suddenly turned in unison and sprinted off. The eight disappeared into the foliage, with an urgency Bennett only saw when they were trying to collar someone. 

He had a faint idea as to who, and it was clear that he wasn’t the only one to make that conclusion.

“They found someone,” muttered Rosaria. 

“Do you think it’s that girl?” asked Ayaka.

“Shit,” cursed Beidou. “If we’re gonna recruit her, its gotta be now,”

“Agreed,” conceded Albedo. “But that would ultimately mean fighting eight collared. That's dangerous - even if most are without visions. Not only that, our location will be spread to any other groups that are nearby. It would be best to think our next action through,”

The silence lasted less than a second before Xiangling gave her answer.

“Are you seriously asking this? I’m going to help whoever they’re hunting. You’re not changing my mind on this,”

Ayaka nodded her approval.

“Nor will you change mine. I refuse to stand by with someone in danger,”

Their determination was infectious. Bennett flashed a supportive grin at the two of them.

“Same here!”

The three then all locked eyes with the more cautious half of the group. They were their seniors after all.

Albedo’s conflict was clear to see, and while Rosaria wore a stoney mask, Bennett could see her own eyes clouded with uncertainty. It made him worry that there was going to be yet another argument about what they should collectively do.

But then Beidou rolled her eyes in defeat and they knew the ones wanting to help outnumbered the ones that didn’t. 

“Alright,” she drawled. “Let’s go kick some ass I guess…”

They sprinted under the caps of the giant mushrooms, apathetic to the racket they made by tearing through the flora and splashing through the streams. It didn’t matter if the collared heard them; they’ll be discovered soon enough anyway. 

Xiangling didn’t let the thought get to her. Her will was set anyway. This wasn’t her trying to protect a shelter from a city’s worth of people. This was her saving someone from a small group of hunters. 

And I’m not alone either. 

Clanging steel and crackling electricity began to echo from somewhere ahead. It sounded like the collared were fighting more than one survivor, and the seemed to be putting up a good fight. Once she and the others got there they’d be able to hold them back even easier. 

Despite her exhaustion Ayaka had taken the lead, her ethereal snowtrail freezing the way through the lush grass as she charged ahead formless. Beidou was on her left, and Xiangling didn’t miss the captain’s convenient positioning between her and Bennett as they sprinted. 

The girl appreciated the thought, but felt the protectiveness smothering. Bennett was too clumsy. She didn’t think he was allowed with the Abyss.

But he still hid the fact that he talked with someone collared. Someone she had never met. Someone who he willingly let carry her while she was unconscious-

She shook her head and forced the horrible thought out. 

Not the time. 

The clanking metal began to quieten down. It spurred her to run faster than she thought she could. Guoba flashed in her mind and she grit her teeth. Her arm grasped the length of her spear, ready to draw it the moment they made contact.

They’d get there in time. It wasn’t going to be too-

Ayaka suddenly sprouted from her frozen fog right in front of them, her

 arms wide to stop anyone from getting past her. 

Xiangling’s heels dug into the ground and she skidded to a stop before her body barreled into the Inazuman. Everyone else managed to do the same (minus Bennett, who toppled over in his effort to avoid her) and looked at her in alarm. 

Xiangling whispered the question first, failing to hide her agitation.

“What are you doing!? We need to hurry-”

“They stopped,”

“Huh?”

“Listen,”

Ayaka’s face was grave as she raised a finger, prompting them to comply. Xiangling tuned her ears to the sounds of fighting, but couldn’t because… because…

They stopped. 

She only heard crickets and running water. No clanging steel. No electricity. Just the peaceful nature around her, and multiple human shadows just beyond the patch of bushes ahead.

Eight human shadows. 

“Oh.”

They were too late.

She looked at Beidou, who looked back with a grim smile. The hopeless look in her eye would have upset Xiangling if the feeling wasn’t mutual.

But it was, and nothing could change that.

“So what now?” asked Rosaria. “We go back to camp first or just leave everything behind?”

Bennett scrambled to his feet with a look of pure confusion, the sounds he made causing everyone to stiffen and glance at the group ahead. They didn’t hear him, good. 

“What?” Bennett quietly asked. “What about the survivor?”

The nun groaned, but it was Beidou that responded.

“You serious? The fighting stopped. They got caught,”

“Yeah, but… we don’t know if they got caught. They could’ve won,”

A glimmer of hope sparked in Xiangling’s chest that was dashed the moment Rosaria made her point.

“It’s not likely. Ignoring how there’s eight people still standing -  and far too close to us for my liking - if whoever they were hunting won we would have heard them make a sound or say something. But we haven’t. It’s dead quiet,”

Yeah. That made sense. Xiangling wished it didn’t.

She slumped, her limbs suddenly feeling heavy, her mind lethargic. Saving them was a log shot anyway. At least they tried.

…

…

…

“Maybe we could take a small peak?”

All eyes snapped at her, making the teen flinch. Bennett was the only one looking hopeful, but Albedo didn’t look as worried as the others, either. Granted, Xiangling didn’t know him well enough to gauge his reaction proper, but it looked… not-negative at least.

She inhaled softly before whispering further. 

“Well, they’re just over there, and they haven’t noticed us either. If we just sneak up and take a look at them before heading, we’ll at least get closure if they’re collared and new friends if not,”

“Not sure about that ‘friends’ part,” commented Rosaria. Of course she would. The woman did nothing but try and start a fight this whole time. 

But the snipe unintentionally got Xiangling more support as Beidou, in a clear act of pettiness against the nun, began to sneak forward. 

“Well, I’m sure we’ll find out once we check, Miss Whiny,”

Xiangling watched with bated breath as the sailor moved in close and peered over the foliage. The answer was obvious, but even so she hoped for-

“Huh, I’ll be damned,”

Beidou turned back to them, a triumphant smirk on her face.

“The collared are down. These guys aren't pushovers,”

It took a second for them to register the news, and when they did the chef moved to cheer. She was stopped by Rosaria’s cold hand on her shoulder. 

Xiangling stiffened at the touch, but the older woman didn’t seem to register her bad reaction (or Beidou’s).

“Hold it. We don’t want to scare them off. Let’s make ourselves known first,”

She shoved the woman's hand away with a glare, but again the hostility wasn't noticed. Or maybe she was choosing to not notice it.

The tension was cut by Albedo coughing quietly.

“Well then, shall we introduce ourselves?”

Bennett moved first, obviously waiting for the go ahead.

“Alright, let’s do this!”

He strolled through the clearing before anyone else could lift a muscle. Xiangling rushed to follow him, walking out in pace with Ayaka while ignoring Rosaria’s grumbling over the adventurer’s carelessness.

She laid eyes upon this mysterious group of survivors for the first time. None looked to be forest rangers - there wasn’t a single bit of green on them. For seven of them red scarfs and cloaks served as accents against their white outfits. The one in the middle wore a similar set, but instead of red she wore gold and a navy that matched her hair. All of them were armed with spears, shields or axes.

Beidou was right. These people looked tough. 

They had their back to them and stared down at the collared they just fought off. Xiangling saw how bloody said collared were and briefly wondered if these people were the type they should ally with. 

Bennett spoke up before she could decide.

“Hey there!”

They all collectively turned their heads in unison, making a shiver fall down her spine. That was a very stiff movement. 

The woman in front spun to face them head on as Bennett approached. Her green eyes were emotionless the whole time.

The one to her left also had green eyes. As did the one on her right, actually. Why did that bother her so much?

The adventurer stretched out his arm once he got close enough. 

“Great to meet some more survivors. I’m Bennett, and this…”

Wait a moment. 

Xiangling stopped. 

Four. 

Five! 

Six-!

All eight of them had unnaturally green eyes.

Alarm bells rang in her head. She looked to their necks-

“BENNETT!” 

He turned to her.

“Wha-”

GADUNK!

The adventurer flew onto his rear, blindsided by the woman’s shield bashing into the side of his head. Xiangling wasted no time pulling her spear out and stabbing his attacker. She stumbled back, giving the Liyuean enough space to take a defensive position over the Mondstadter. 

The other four rushed to assemble on either side of her, steel scraping as their weapons were drawn. 

“What was that for!?” demanded Ayaka. “Why did…”

She drifted off, likely spotting the signs. Everyone else did, too.

“What the-”

“You gotta be shitting me!”

“Oh no…”

Bennett spoke up from behind.

“What’s wrong!? Is she a bandit or something!?”

“No,”

Xiangling took a deep breath before answering, her eyes refusing to leave the brown bands locked around their neck. 

“She’s collared,”

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

“They’re collared,”

The moment the words left Xiangling’s mouth Bennett was on high alert. His focus snapped up to the woman that knocked him into the ground, where he saw the damning evidence.

Locked around her neck was a metal band that glowed brightly. But its similarities with what they encountered before stopped there. These collars had a brown - almost rusted - finish, and their glow was a bright and unnatural green. It made Bennett double-take and meet the woman’s eyes. 

They were that same green.

What the-!?

They acted before he could process any more. 

A flash in the corner of his eye. Rosaria appeared in a blur to intercept the axe thrown at him, and with that the battle began. 

The woman in blue dashed forward and thrusted her spear, targeting Xiangling. The Liyuean was ready, however, and batted the weapon off-course while hopping backwards. Ayaka moved before the rest of the collared, disappearing into her icy trail and reappearing behind the four on the woman’s right, unleashing one of her blizzards and successfully splitting them into pairs for her and Beidou to handle separately. The latter wasted no time in taking the opportunity, her claymore sweeping the ground to trip up one of the men and slicing the air to counter the other’s strike in an effortless single motion.

The three on the far left made a rush for him and Rosaria, but one couldn’t even make a step before a Solar Isotoma launched her off her feet. 

Albedo raced to stop the second from reaching them, his sword catching the man’s own and locking him as his opponent. That just left one to reach Rosaria, who held nothing back despite the obvious skill gap.

The nun widened her stance and struck her attacker first with an overhead sweep. Said attacker tanked the blow and made for an upwards swing with her axe. It just missed Rosaria as she swiftly threw her head out of the blade’s path.

A roar to his right. Bennett’s head snapped to see Xiangling struggling against the woman that attacked him. Any attempt to ignite her weapon was thwarted by splashes of Hydro. He only spotted the vision now. 

I need to get in there!

No more time sitting on his rear. The boy threw himself onto his feet and drew his sword, charging in with reckless abandon. 

Collei didn’t know what to do. 

She sat in her little shelter, watching in the horrific battle below. 

She saw it all. The desert dwellers meeting the rangers. People she knew tearing each other apart. Candace beating Dori to a pulp. 

She hated how numb she was to it. After everything this was far from new. This was something she saw regularly. This was the new normal.

But then the third group arrived. People that didn’t look like they were from Sumeru. She recognised one of them too.

That boy from last night was with them, and somehow was holding his own against Candace. Sure, Aaru Village’s guardian wasn’t using her vision the way she used to and that girl with the Liyuean outfit was helping out, but it was still crazy to see him hold off someone that strong.

It scared the forest ranger. 

They were following her. They had to be. Why else would they explore Mawtiyima Forest? There was nothing of value here. Nothing but her.

They might be friendly. They might just want to help her.

…

Images of a stained hospital bed and sounds of dying cries filled her eyes and ears. Memories of friends turning on each other and an Akademiya in chaos flooded her mind. A cold, empty sensation pierced through her abdomen.

So much experience, both old and new, told her otherwise. If she went down there and helped fend off the collared, what would those people do to her? Robbing her wasn’t likely. They looked so much better off than her right now. 

Did they… did they really want to help-

Green eyes locked onto her. Collie stilled.

The boy froze in place, his face tightening in alarm. He clearly forgot about the fight as he just… gawked at her. 

She gawked back, too terrified to move because she was panicking and wanted him to unsee her and maybe by some chance he’d forget about her if she stayed still and blended into the forest but that was stupid but what else could she do he saw her he SAW HER SHE NEEDED TO RUN HE-

GADUNK!

Candace took her opportunity and slammed her shield into him again. The other girl tried to protect him but got stabbed and pushed aside. The older woman didn’t hold back, holding her shield by its edge and plunging it down onto the boy’s throat-

CLANG!

Her teeth groaned as metal hitting metal boomed through the forest, twice as loud as any of the weapons clashing against each other around them. Collei’s eyes widened as she watched the boy stop the lethal attack with his bare hand. 

…

Just how strong was he? And how strong were those… others…

They were looking at her. 

The two eremites that were knocked back by the blond man and woman in red. Their opponents were too focused in their own battles to notice their recovery,leaving them to follow the boy’s sight. 

And catch her in it.

She didn’t think twice about these two.

Collei turned heel and leaped down from the mushroom. Her ankles screamed from the impact and her foot felt funny with every step, but it didn’t stop her flight. She charged through the bushes and weaved in between the giant mushrooms around her. The trainee didn’t know how far away they were. She didn’t even know if they were giving chase.

She didn’t think about how the mushrooms gave way to open fields or how weak her ankle felt or how numb the rest of her body was. She just sprinted ahead, desperate to put as much distance between her and her pursuers. 

She reached a fork in the trail. A cave sat just ahead to her right. She could hide there. 

Collei ran through without considering what might be inside. She wished she did.

The moment the girl entered she saw the glow in the darkness.

Violet eyes. 

And a blazing fist.

“Get off already!”

Bennett thought fighting the collared would be the worst of his problems. Even if only one of these fighters had a vision it didn’t make the rest any less violent and cunning. They were no different than the ones with purple eyes. Heck, with the way his opponent tried to break his neck they might be even worse.

That was bad enough, and if he was anyone else the problems would stop piling up there.

But he was Unlucky Bennett, so of course this was the exact moment he’d find that girl.

They made eye contact, if only briefly. She was up in one of the giant mushrooms watching him, and that was all he got before meeting another faceful of brass and steel. 

And now he lay on his back, once again thanking Xianyun as his mechanical arm stopped the shield from descending any further, and unable to stop two collared from chasing after that girl. 

The flashes of fire in the corner of his vision was enough evidence that Xiangling got caught fighting off another opponent. She won’t be able to help him.

Bennett pushed back with all his might, but the shield’s edge didn’t move any further away. He might have the adeptus-powered limb but it still wasn’t enough against the woman’s much better position - he had to push up, while she just pushed down with her body weight applying even more pressure. His sword was just out of reach, and if he went for it he’d immediately lose in his current predicament.

The shield slowly inched closer.

I don’t have time for this!

The collared were after that girl and she had no one backing her up. Not to mention the purple collared. They’re at least aware that there’s enemies in the forest. Any nearby reinforcements were probably on the way. She will run into them. She’d have no chance. 

Metal groaned as his hand tremblingly held the danger at bay.

Bennett didn’t know the girl. She kicked him in the face. Anyone normal wouldn’t want to help her, let alone try and find her. 

But he made a promise to save everyone. How could he do that if he failed to help even one person?

He needed to find her before it was too late, and every second he spent fighting this woman spit the odds more and more against-

SHDIIIIIING!

The shield slipped past his hand for a fraction of a second with a high-pitched screech. He caught it before it could move far, but it was still left dangerously close to his neck.

Bennett grit his teeth.

“FOR THE LAST TIME-”

He couldn’t finish his threat before a blast of ice erupted from his left. The chill that struck him was unpleasant, but his own heat stopped it from reaching his bones. His attacker didn’t have such a blessing.

The blizzarding strike knocked the woman back, making her let go of the shield and stumble. She tried to recover, but barely lifted a finger before Rosaria dashed in and stabbed her leg. 

She didn’t show any immediate reaction to the damage, and simply stepped back to provide space and face her new enemy. 

Bennett, now free, rolled towards his sword, using the momentum as he rose to swiftly slide onto his feet as he grabbed the hilt. He moved to help Rosaria right away. The blue woman had both hands on the staff of her spear as she pushed against the nun, who mirrored her stance and did the same.

Both were locked in place. He charged, his shoulder bashed into their enemy without fear and she couldn't do anything to stop him as her back slammed into the ground with a notable thud. She might have been able to get back up, were it not for a stray blizzard from Ayaka miraculously tearing through the very path she fell on.

The woman didn’t get back up after that. It gave the two a chance to breathe. Bennett made a point to give Rosaria a small, grateful smile. 

“Thanks,”

“It’s nothing-”

Thunder struck with a mighty roar just a foot away from them - a cutting reminder of their situation. He had to tell Rosaria about the girl.

“Rosaria, I saw-”

“Go,”

He blinked.

“Huh?”

She shot a glare at him, unimpressed at his confusion.

“We’ll manage. Just get her back here before more arrive,”

Rosaria didn’t say anything else. No questions. No protests. The nun just knew what he was going to say and accepted it without a word. She had complete faith in him.

Bennett inhaled deeply and nodded firmly.

“Right!”

He turned heel and ran in the direction the fleeing collared went. Xiangling yelled his name, but he didn’t slow down. Rosaria will explain for him. Right now he needed to focus on putting one foot in the other as fast as he could.

The path ahead was clear. The collared made no attempt to hide their tracks, and he had a trail of firmly planted footsteps to lead the way. He followed them without fear, hoping for the impossible chance that he might catch up to them before they caught up to the girl. If he did, he’d be able to give her a chance while he… took on two collared.

Alone. 

…

Bennett started to realise the sort of task he roped himself into. 

These people might not have visions, but it was a potential two versus one against an exhausted teenager with the worst luck in Mondstadt. Even if that girl was there to help, she’d likely just flee while he fought them solo. She had no reason to trust or help him after all. 

This wasn’t a fun adventure. This was a real battle for survival against the collared. Even if he held his own, it would just take one misstep for them to reach in and lock one around his neck. Doing anything without backup was suicide. 

The adventurer idly wondered if Rosaria had a lapse in judgement when she let him do this. 

He thought about turning back. It would be the easiest and safest option. They’ll find their way without a guide eventually. This girl wasn’t needed. Heck, he was only concerned about her out of guilt or some stupid need to honour his vow to save everyone. Not every action needed to be taken. Only by playing smart would they be able to survive.

Bennett grit his teeth through heavy breaths, accepting the truth.

But then he saw a pair of scarlet cloaks moving beyond the thick foliage ahead and his doubts were forgotten. The answer in his heart was clear. 

I’m not smart anyway so who cares!

Bennett ignited his blade and charged into the clearing. 

The two collared were standing in place, observing their surroundings. He aimed for the man. He had barely begun to turn towards him when his charging sword struck. The knockback reversed his momentum and the adventurer had to take a few steps backwards, but it was a small price to pay for successfully knocking one of his opponents out of the battle before they could even make a move.

Now it’s gonna be a fair fight!

He still had the advantage and didn’t let it leave him. Another burning slash was sent to the woman, who raised her axe to defend. He was ready for the block and likely counterattack.

The same couldn’t be said for the electricity. 

The axe flashed a crackling violet, and his hairs stood on end as he got close. Bennett’s eyes widened, but he had no time to stop it. All he could do was tighten his grip around his sword and brace for impact.

The overloaded explosion wasn’t as strong as the ones that occurred when he fought Keqing or Razor, but it was still enough to force him into taking a couple of steps back. He wobbled but kept his footing, which was swiftly lost anyway thanks to the heavy foot planting in his stomach. 

The air left his lungs as he hit the ground. He gulped greedily to get his breath back as quickly as possible, but his opponent didn’t wait. She dashed over him and swung down, the tip of her weapon aimed for his head. 

The adventurer fought through his dizziness and thrusted his arm upwards, its timber fingers catching the axe by the blade. Bennett could feel the woman’s grip loosen and he pulled her weapon free, haphazardly throwing it off to the side. She fell forwards and a heavy left hook from him punched her off balance. With one twist of his body and a kick at her ankle she was finally knocked away from her position over him. 

Her face planted into the mud, and Bennett scrambled for his sword as he jumped up. 

The collared fighter was already picking herself back up, her torso unnaturally straightening while she remained on her knees. Her head turned to look at him yet her body didn't twist to accommodate. One foot planted itself into the ground, and she began to rise.

Bennett surged forward in a desperate bid to end-

Zap. 

“Ow!”

A small shock hit his cheek. The teen instinctively clapped it while trying to catch a glimpse at the source. 

A purple cicin floated in the air, its beady eyes trained on him and nothing else. Bennett swatted the bug-

Zap. 

Another shock. This one hit the back of his neck.

Zap. 

His knee. His leg gave way for a moment.

Zap. Zap. Zap. 

He was struck from all sides and his limbs began to stiffen from the jolts. Bennett panickedly swung his sword and tried to get as much distance from them as possible. They forced him away from the woman, and Bennett hoped they’d keep her busy as well, only for that hope to falter as he saw them surround her but not attack. They waited in place as she climbed to her feet, picked up her axe and lowered into a defensive stance. Movement to his left. 

Bennett stepped back and not a millisecond too soon as the man he knocked out earlier rejoined the fight with inhuman speed. He only registered the anemo-infused fist for a split second before it struck him with a cyclonic uppercut.

He felt his chin crack as he soared upwards. The tranquil stars above filled his vision for a second before reality crashed into him alongside the dirt he ate. 

Bennett rolled as he landed, his motion forcefully stopped by his back hitting a mushroom’s titanic stalk. The adventurer’s world spun too much to make sense of the string of surprises, so he did what he could - unleash his inspiration field and get back up yet again. 

The small cuts he gained slowly burned closed and he lifted his head as fast as possible, only to perform a duck so fast it made his head throb as he dodged the man’s fist crashed into the stalk above him. 

The impact pulsed at the mushroom’s base, travelling up his legs all the way to his spine. It pumped adrenaline into his veins and his mind suddenly sharpened as he registered everything in a panic. 

They had elemental abilities. That changed everything.

New plan. Find the girl and escape these two before they kick his butt. 

No time was spared as Bennett ducked around the anemo user and sprinted off. The cicins fired at him with a wave of the other one’s hand but he managed to counter, the blade of his blazing sword vibrating harshly as the small jolts struck it.

He didn’t look at them any further. He didn’t let the forest slow him, even as the giant fungi gave way to more natural foliage.

Bennett continued to head in the direction she had run off to - or what he thought the direction was. He honestly had no clue at this point. It was a path going uphill with a fork in the road and a cliffside to his right. There weren’t any mushrooms around him anymore, which was probably a bad sign. Or a good one. He didn’t know. 

He was disoriented badly, and currently just hoped he was following in that girl’s footsteps. 

Granted, he knew his bad luck, and at this point he’d only be running into her if she was dealing with a group of collared herself-

Someone rounded the corner at the fork. He only registered the purple eyes and green hair for an instant before crashing into her. 

This time it was his forehead that took the abuse as it struck hers. The two fell into a heap and rolled back down the path he came up on. Knees and elbows dug into him. His head got battered by the spinning road as he whacked it over and over. His senses were sent into disarray as his and her grunts deafened everything for the fall that felt eternal.

And like its start, it ended abruptly. 

The ground levelled off without warning. His back hit it hard, and a shattering pain pulsed through his chest as she landed on top of him hard. 

The adventurer fell into a coughing fit from the impact. He instinctively tried to curl up but the weight of the girl above him locked his body down. 

All he could do was gasp in pain and watch her force herself to focus. She frantically shook her head, before realising she was on top of someone and looked at him with dilated, shaky pupils. 

Her breath hitched. Bennett stared back with shallow breaths, matching her fear with his own wariness. Her left eye socket was red and swollen. It was probably going to bruise.

Did I do that while we fell?  

This was not how he wanted to meet up with her again-

Light shined down from above. The girl’s head shot upwards, as did Bennett’s.

A glowing ball floated in the sky, bright enough to be mistaken for the sun.

Or a meteor.

It was getting bigger. Closer. 

Bennett moved before it could hit.

He clutched onto the girl tight, held her close and resumed their painful roll. She let out a gasp, but otherwise made no sound as the earth where they had previously laid shattered in an eruption of fire and brimstone. 

The moment they stopped rolling again the girl took action, showing little care for him as she pushed off his chest right where it hurts and accidentally kicking him while she rose to her feet at an inhuman speed. 

He moved too, not letting the pain slow him as he flipped onto his stomach and shot up through aching joints and stinging cuts.

Bennett watched the girl draw a bow and knock an arrow, half expecting her to aim at him. She didn’t.

Instead, she trained it onto the smoking crater that formed just seconds before. The adventurer followed her sight, his throat tightening. The reason behind the explosion was clear to see. 

A woman kneeled in the middle of the pit, her brass-armored fist pressed into the ground. Her red and black clothes blended her into the destruction, and as she rose to full height Bennett noted the crimson vision hooked onto her waist. Her emotionlessness was horribly familiar, and her dull violet eyes even more so.

She gave the green-haired girl a passing glance before noticing him. The moment she did her pupils locked onto him and she just stared. In those agonising, actionless seconds Bennett knew her controller was processing his sudden appearance and the adventurer realised that the days spent hidden in Sumeru were over. 

Her arm reached behind her, and the woman drew her weapon - a claymore unlike anything he had ever seen before. Behind her, two more collared forest rangers descended from the hill and made a formation covering either side from her with drawn axes. Bennett drew Lion’s Roar and lowered into a defensive stance. 

All eyes were focused on him and him only. Considering their last few encounters he had a feeling they were going to make sure he won’t survive this one. They stood patiently, waiting for him to make the first move, knowing he couldn’t escape even if he tried.

But what about…

He side-eyed the girl on his right. No one will stop her if she runs away. They’re too focused on him. 

But that meant fighting these three on his own. 

…

Dammit. 

Bennett kept his sight on the motionless trio as he spoke. 

“Listen-”

Lightning. 

It struck behind him, making both uncollared teens whirl around and catch sight of the source through the trees and bushes.

The adventurer suddenly remembered why he was originally running to begin with. 

The other collared he fought earlier had caught up. The sight looked like it came straight out of a scary stories his Dads used to tell him.

He couldn’t stop himself from gaping as he watched the electro collared float in the air. Her physical body was motionless as thunder carried her, surrounding the woman and protecting her inside a shield of pure electricity. She tore through the surrounding woodland, no life surviving her elemental onslaught.

He wasn’t able to even process the new danger before another appeared. A teal blur zipped around her and charged ahead, the wind suddenly picking up as the other green collared took point and approached them at superhuman speed. Bennett shifted into a defensive-

CRACK!

Oh c’mon already!

His tired, battered head felt dizzy as he whirled around again. The pyro collared ignited her blade and kicked off, the soil shattering as she leaped for him. Time slowed, but making any sort of defense was pointless because she was already halfway towards him. Too much was going on. He couldn’t keep up. No one could! What was he supposed to-

Boney arms hooked around his neck from the side and Bennett was dragged off his feet. 

He soared through the air. His heartbeat thumped so fast it was practically a buzz in his chest as he watched the woman miss him by a hair’s breath. In that split-second they locked eyes, before she blitzed past him.

And clashed with the anemo charger.

The result was an eruption of nature. He didn’t have a chance to make out the actual collision as her fire mixed with his wind and swirled together into a whirlwind inferno. Bennett only just landed when it happened, his agonising ragdoll restarting as he was launched back from the force. He grit his teeth and his body skidded and crashed into yet another tree. He was becoming way too familiar with this repeated sequence of crashing and injury. 

This was his first fight in Sumeru, and he was already sick of it. 

A weight he didn’t even know was on him lifted, and he blearily watched the uncollared girl climb off him, looking just as roughed up as he felt at this point. She wasted no time in grabbing the boy by his arm and hauling him to his feet, a sudden action that made bile climb up his throat.

He held it in, spotting his discarded weapon just a few feet away. Hunching over to pick it up nearly made him black out, but he held it together.

Man, he was so tired.

Through doubled - over heaves he  made eye contact with the girl. Her hair had a noticeable brown patch staining it. It only just hit him that she was the one to pull him out of the collared’s path.

Bennett smacked his dry lips for a second before he tried to speak.

“Th-Thanks…”

She just nodded.

Lightning struck a nearby tree, and the two jumped into formation. They readied their weapons and faced the enemy, not ready for the combined assault.

Only they didn’t have to be. 

The pyro allogene was locked in battle with the anemo fighter. Her weapon must have been knocked out of her hand because she was taking him on with her fists. Gusts of fire and sparks of air blasted from their knuckles as they laid into each other. 

The collared forest rangers that had accompanied her were also fighting. They took on the electro mage from before, their axes unable to deal much damage against the unfair matchup.

The ones with the purple collars kept glancing over at Bennett in between strikes. The green collared stopped them from making a move, apathetic to the adventurer and focused entirely on fighting the trio. 

This was their chance. He wasn’t going to waste it. 

Bennett turned around and grabbed the girl’s hand, ignoring her sudden cry as he ran from the chaos.

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

Albedo’s group had reached Sumeru.

They managed to cross the border and even begin exploring the rainforest. They must have arrived days ago.

Those were days their hunting party wasted scrounging through Lisha.

Barbara grit her teeth. 

She should have realised - all signs had pointed to it. Despite their best efforts there were no clues or tracks found in Liyue. 

And of course Bennett was the first one to mess up and reveal himself. Of course he managed to escape with Collei despite everything pointing towards them both being an easy catch.

He’s proving to be a pretty slippery bastard.

“Or a worthy adversary,”

She glared at Kazuha, who stared back passively. 

“An unlucky kid’s not worth keeping. He needs to be dealt with. They all do,”

“Even the valuable ones like Albedo or Ayaka?” 

“At this point why bother?”

“You need to calm down,”

“And you need to stop talking through our subjects!”

She glared fiercely. He just lifted a brow at her.

“If you didn’t want someone to talk to you you wouldn’t have assumed direct control of one,”

Her tongue clicked, and she ignored the man’s quiet “Don’t click your tongue,”

“I had no choice. We know where they are now. Why wouldn’t we mobilise the hunting party ASAP?”

“They’d mobilise by themselves anyway. It’s a command specifically added for everyone here. You know that,”

After a beat Barbara let out a fierce groan that quickly evaporated into a pathetic sigh, and stared up to the stars.

“I just… I’m so frustrated right now. We made so much progress, but that just makes the failures hit that much harder. If he didn’t interfere we’d have two less problems to worry about,”

Kazuha nodded.

“I know. But this mustn’t affect the plan. They don’t know why this is happening. It’s only natural they’d try to resist,”

“Yeah, I know,”

Barbara’s head dipped back down, and her shoulders sagged in acceptance as Kazuha explained his thoughts.

“I think it best for us to avoid Mawtiyima Forest for now. Let the heretics do their sweep,”

She bit into her lip.

“We can take them,”

“Dori’s in critical condition, Dehya barely managed two, and we lost three non-allogenes. Defeating them wouldn’t be impossible, but they’re not an immediate threat. We can’t waste resources fighting them off,”

…

“Okay, fine. But I’m not going to give up this search. I’ll use Oz and Nahida if I have to,”

Kazuha nodded.

“I won’t stop you,”

The conversation died, and the two took a moment to collect themselves and absorb the peace of the scenery. They stood at the foot of the trail leading to the chasm, staring up at the crater's massive walls and letting the tranquility soothe their tired souls.

Even if they weren’t themselves - even if the organs they used weren’t theirs, they could still smell the air, hear the birds and see the beauty all the same. It was a blissful reminder of what they were fighting for. Of what they once had. 

They could have it again. They just need to succeed. 

And in order to do that, they had to tie up every loose end.

Albedo may have entered Sumeru uncollared, but leaving it will be a different story. 

Barbara would make sure of that.

He bolted through the maze of green and blue, his hand still firmly gripping her wrist.

Mushrooms surrounded him again, which was a sign that he was at least heading the right way, but his knowledge ended there.

He can find himself after. One foot in front of the other, that’s all that mattered until he got away.

Or until his less-than-willing companion said otherwise.

And when she did it was done so pretty violently.

“STOP!”

The command hit the adventurer’s ears, and he slowed down. He apparently didn’t do it quick enough, as a pained jab struck his bicep and messed up his balance.

It hit a nerve. Bennett let go with a hiss, but only just stumbled to face the girl when she went on the full offensive. 

Her heel plunged into his gut. He backstepped from the force, doubling over to clutch his stomach and fight the urge to throw up.

His focus was on the ground, where he saw her feet step move away from him as he fell to one knee. 

What the… what the heck was that for!?

Weren't they just helping each other out five minutes ago? What gives?

The teen put all focus on his breathing, which was simultaneously harder and easier at the same time thanks to the sheer number of moments he got the wind knocked out of him in the past hour. His nose burned at every inhale - a reminder of the last injury this girl inflicted on him.

Maybe he should have expected this reaction. 

Once his bearings were re-aquired did he lift his head to regard the girl, only to groan at the drawn bow with an arrow aimed directly at him.

“Oh c’mon, seriously?” he asked.

The girl’s blackening eye didn't affect her steely glare. 

“One wrong move and I fire,” she said.

“But I helped you out back there!”

“And you drew your sword at me before that. Not to mention how you nearly crushed my ankle,”

“How did I…”

He drifted off, suddenly catching how she noticeably leaned to one side. Her left leg was slightly bent, and even shook a little. 

Was that…

Bennett gazed down at his mechanical hand and put two and two together.

“Oh my- I’m sorry. I am seriously so sorry. I swear I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just… I guess I panicked and I still haven't had this hand long enough to really manage how much pressure I’m putting on stuff-”

“That’s not an excuse to break my leg,”

“I know! I just… Look, just watch,”

He didn't want to do his next action, but he didn't think he had a choice.

Bennett hesitantly reached at the straps holding the prosthetic with his left hand. After a second of struggling it fell with clanking dunks of metal and timber and, with one deep breath, tossed it over to her feet.

“How’s that?” He asked. “Even if I wanted to fight you now I wouldn’t be able to do much. That’s my strong hand and everything. Can’t you disarm yourself as well for the sake of a friendly talk?”

A beat.

“Uh, by disarm I mean drop your weapon. Not literally-”

“I know!”

She lowered her bow and eased her hold on the arrow, but didn’t drop or holster anything. 

Guess this’ll be the most leeway I’ll get.

She spoke again, her voice adopting a sharper edge to it.

“What do you want to talk about?”

Wasn’t it obvious?

“Well I was thinking you could join our group-”

“No.”

“Wait, just hear me out! We came to Sumeru because there might be something here that can stop this whole takeover-”

“There isn’t.”

“-Only thing is we don’t know where we’re going at all. Having someone with us would-”

“So you’re just looking to use me? That’s why you chased me?”

“Wha- no! I saw the collared go after you and came to help out,”

“You were looking for me before they attacked,”

“Yeah, cause we were worried about you,”

“If you were worried, you wouldn’t have injured me,”

“I said I'm sorry about that!”

“And I said no to joining you!”

“For the love of-!”

Bennett’s remaining hand harshly scratched the back of his neck as he groaned and idly wondered if this was how Kaeya felt in their past few meetings (assuming he was actually sincere, which the adventurer still wasn’t sure about). This girl wasn’t listening to anything he’d say, and ignored all the help he gave her just because of one bad mistake that he already apologised for! What the heck was he supposed to do?

Deep breaths… one, two, three…

He counted to ten internally, before trying again.

“Maybe we got off on the wrong foot-”

He caught the dangerous glint in her eye.

“Bad choice of words. Sorry. But still. Why don’t we start over a bit? I’m Bennett-”

“Stop. I don’t want to be your friend.”

…

Oh.

It was nothing new to the unlucky teen, and friendship wasn’t anything close to a priority right now. 

But those facts didn’t make the statement sting any less. 

Bennett sighed, his drive lost.

“...Alright. That’s fair,”

He moved to stand, but stopped once he saw the girl’s knuckles flex around her bow - an unappreciated gesture.

“I’m just getting up to leave,”

She nodded and slowly tiptoed backwards, but kept the arrow knocked, albeit loosely and pointed to the ground. 

With a defeated sigh Bennett heaved himself to his feet. The boy, with his good arm raised, walked to where she once stood, and kicked his mechanical hand back a few feet to pick it up at a safer distance. Her eyes wouldn't leave him the whole time.

He just did what he could to save her. Why was he being treated like a criminal?

When the last fastener was tightened he straightened up, happy to get his limb back, but depressed about everything else in this meeting. Now he had to find his way to the others in a forest he didn’t know. 

Bennett gave the girl one last look, this time focusing on her skinny limbs and gaunt face. She looked starved. He couldn't just leave her like this.

“We don't have to be friends, but you can still have a meal with us. A friend of mine - Xiangling - she's an amazing cook and got this portable stove too-”

“No.”

“Are you sure? You look like you might-”

“I can take care of myself.”

Fine.

The boy didn't push any further. He forced a friendly grin to hide his disappointment. 

“Okay. I’ll leave you alone now. Sorry about all the trouble I caused,”

The two teens stared at each other for a moment, knowing this would be their only meeting, but not knowing what else there is to say. He gazed at her dishevelled features, his heart desperate to help, his head knowing it was pointless.

With a final sigh Bennett turned, beginning his aimless trek-

“Gandharva Ville,”

…

“Huh?”

Bennett turned back, confused at the sight of the other teen, who had her arm outstretched wide and aimed in a random direction behind her. 

“Gandavavel? What’s-”

“Gandharva Ville. It’s that way, south of here. It’ll take at least half a day to reach but it was the Forest Rangers main outpost. There's maps there,”

Her glare was a little softer as she spoke to him. It was a little bit of progress. 

Maps… they could work. 

Bennett’s smile turned genuine.

“That’ll be a huge help! Thanks,”

She looked away from him and pulled her scarf up to hide the lower half of her face. She didn’t acknowledge his appreciation, instead just moving her pointed finger to another direction. 

“You’re friends are that way. Keep going until you find a trail, then head towards the bigger mushrooms. Stay on that route and you'll find the clearing,”

Wow, she really knew her stuff. The adventurer doubted he’d be as good as her even with Mondstadt’s countryside.

“Alright, thanks again,”

Again, no reaction. She just turned away, and wordlessly began to retreat into the woods. Bennett called out to her.

“Wait!”

She stopped, and twisted around to level dull purple irises at him.

“What?”

He chewed his lip before making the offer again.

“I know I already asked, but are you sure you don’t want to join us? Everyone’s friendly, you know. Well, Rosaria’s pretty cold at first, and Beidou hates me, but it’s just me - she’ll be nice to you,”

His pitch was brief, but sincere, and he hoped it would reach her. 

It didn’t.

The girl turned back with a light shake of her head.

“I… I can’t… I’m sorry,”

“Can I at least get your name?”

A beat.

The answer she gave was quiet.

“...Collei,”

Collei… 

“Nice to meet you, Collei!”

She said nothing in return, and he watched her skulk back into the forest.

Bennett had followed Collei’s directions as best he could, and focused on reaching the bigger mushrooms the whole time. 

Soon the unrecognisable paths turned familiar, and Bennett knew he would end up in the right place.

So why did everything look so wrong when he did arrive?

What the heck happened here?

The clearing looked like it had been razed by every natural disaster that ever existed.

Stalks were frozen,

The grass was scorched. 

The earth shattered and torn apart. 

And the ones still standing in it looked no better.

Bennett’s relief at seeing his five companions still uncollared quickly morphed into horror when he saw the amount of blood and bruising.

Torn clothing and countless gashes made them unrecognisable. Burns covered Rosaria’s exposed skin. A kneeling Xiangling was drenched in water and gasping for air. Albedo chipped away at ice frozen over his shoulder. Ayaka was cutting at thorny vines rooting her in place. 

And Beidou marched towards the adventurer, completely uncaring about the blood trailing from her forehead and caking her chopped hair. 

Bennett broke into a jog, meeting her halfway.

“Are you guys alright!? What ha-ACK!”

His sentence was cut short, as was his breath. With one arm Beidou effortlessly caught him by the neck and lifted him off the grass. The image of Barbara dying in his nightmare immediately came to mind and he kicked the air and both his hands pulled at her wrists but she wouldn’t budge and now it was hard to breathe and he gasped and gasped and gasped-

Her grip loosened slightly. He greedily gulped air and calmed down enough to think straight. His eyes snapped to hers.

The death-glare she gave struck terror deep into his core, and the edge in her tone even moreso.

“Where. Were. You?”

Ayaka was still restrained, but it didn't stop her from calling out to the woman.

“Captain Beidou! Put him down!”

“No. Not until he fesses up!”

Fesses up!?

He spoke through shallow breaths.

“I… I’m not hiding-”

“SHUT IT!”

Her bellow struck down his pleas, and Bennett began to panic again. Fear stopped him from flailing this time.

Beidou brought him close - close enough to see her pinprick pupil as she bore into him. 

“Xiangling nearly died because of you,”

His heart stopped, his eyes snapping away for a moment to look at the prone chef again. She coughed and sputtered more and more water.

Beidou continued, and his attention was forced back onto her.

“You jumping ship on us was bad enough, but the collared suddenly using delusions the moment you’re gone? It doesn't take a genius to see the correlation. TALK.”

Delusions? 

“Wha… what are… delusions?”

Her glare somehow darkened further.

“Don’t play dumb.”

“I-”

shdiiiing…

“He’s not playing dumb. Drop him,”

Beidou paid no mind to the barbed spear now pointed at her neck, and side-eyed Rosaria incredulously.

“Seriously? I know you’re stupidly loyal to this kid but aren’t you going a bit far with it?”

“The only one going too far here is you,”

“Do I need to spell it out? He. ran. off.”

“I told him to,”

The nun’s revelation chilled the atmosphere. Beidou’s grip on Bennett was still tight, but her head turned to look at Rosaria directly now. 

“You what?”

The Mondstadter didn’t look affected by the killing intent aimed at her. She just answered evenly.

“We saw that girl. Collared chased her. He went to help,”

“So where is she?”

Rosaria didn’t answer that one. She turned to Bennett for a response, as did Beidou.

He gulped, realising how bad his story looked.

“She… she didn’t want to join us-”

“Likely story,”

“-But she told me where we can find a map!”

“Where?”

“Some place called Gandharva Ville! Collei said it’s just south of here!”

The captain paused for a moment.

“Collei? That her name?”

“Y…Yes…”

“...It does sound Sumeran, I’ll give you that,”

Yes! 

“Doesn’t explain the delusions, though,”

No! 

The spear at her neck pushed in, making contact with skin. It didn’t draw blood, however, and Bennett felt oddly glad of that fact, even if it didn’t seem like the sort of thing Rosaria cared about. Maybe she was afraid Beidou’ll seriously hurt him? 

The captain must have thought this too, because she didn’t even flinch at the threat, and probably would have kept pushing him fro an explanation, if not for Albedo’s sudden interruption.

“Enough!”

He stepped forward, placing himself by their side, opposite Rosaria.

“Beidou, drop him,”

“You too, Albedo? Thought you would’ve had more sense,”

“I doubt interrogating a teenager is the sensible option here,”

“Age doesn’t matter here! He’s working with the collared. What other explanation is there for them bringing out delusions after he leaves!?”

“Bad luck,”

She growled.

“Why do you all always jump to that!?”

“Because it’s the truth!”

“It’s not! Not anymore!”

Anymore? 

Before that line of discussion could continue, Ayaka arrived, having seemingly broken free, and interjected in favour of the adventurer.

“Beidou, please let him down. You’re exhausted, and not thinking straight, and I know you don’t want the Crux attack to happen again-”

Bennett’s sudden cry cut Ayaka off as the sailor instantly tightened her grip on his neck. His mouth grew drier.

“With all due respect, Miss Kamisato, you better not bring that up again,” said Beidou.

“But-”

“Beidou just drop him already,”

Xiangling’s demand was quiet and tired, but it didn’t need to be anything more than that. Attention from all parties focused on her. 

“I’m tired. Please just leave it tonight…”

After a moment of silence and a grimace from the captain Bennett was dropped. 

His rump hit the ground, and he hissed as pain travelled up his spine. He looked up at Beidou warily, who’s uncovered eye glared back.

Albedo took the lead before anything could be said between them.

“Enough time has been spent here. More collared will arrive,”

“Any ideas on where we’re gonna head?” asked Rosaria.

“If this infighting keeps up, then there will be no ‘we’,” answered Albedo, who’s stern expression met each of them. “Too much is at stake to allow bitterness be a problem. I want to save everyone, and I won’t allow your pettiness to stop that,”

Shame filled Bennett at his scolding, and with the look on Beidou’s face he had a inkling she was feeling the same way.

“There was a remote cave I spotted in our search earlier,” continued Albedo. “Anyone who not only cares about stopping this, but will be willing to exercise patience and maturity, are free to join me in travelling there,”

No more breaths were wasted. The Chief Alchemist simply turned and walked off. 

For a second, everyone else looked at each other, before slowly and collectively beginning to follow him, any tensions put aside for now, lest they incur the wrath of an already-frustrated Albedo.

Bennett trailed in the middle of the group, with Beidou behind him and Rosaria on his right. Xiangling walked directly in front of him, her head dipped and her shoulders shivering. She made no effort to heat herself despite her vision gleaming in plain view at her waist. She must be too tired to. Ayaka, who strolled on her right, looked just as concerned as he felt. 

He could use his fire to warm her up. She’d do the same for him. Besides, he wanted to thank her for getting Beidou to back off and this was the perfect chance.

“Hey, Xiangling-”

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

Xiangling stiffly looked back at him, her eyes full of anger.

Full of betrayal.

“Just leave me alone.”

And with that she faced directly ahead of her yet again, too fficially begin her shunning of the boy. He slowed for a moment, before Beidou’s gruff “move it,” behind him forced the adventurer to keep up the pace.

Ayaka’s head swivelled between him and Xiangling, and Rosaria muttered something beside him, but he didn’t register any of that. His (former) friend’s words bounced around his head over and over, but he couldn’t process it no matter how much they did. 

He… he was just trying to do the right thing. 

Why did it end up like this?

He was nearly there now. 

He walked through the valley, his joints taut and limbs stiff. Hatred and anger fueled him. Strengthened him. 

She inflicted fatigue on his body. He knew it was an illusion. The pain, the breathlessness, all of it. 

Gods do not experience mortal agony. Gods do not breathe mortal air. 

You are not a God.

He grit his teeth, but held his tongue. He was fed up with her delusions. She refused to see the truth and accept his destiny.

The end of the valley was in sight, at the top of the hill ahead. He quickened his pace.

She will regret her pettiness when he finds the lab. He’ll make sure there is nothing left of her.

Eradicating her will be a slow and painful process. He will enjoy that.

She deserved nothing less. 

His foot landed at the lip of the hill. He ascended to the top, and laid his eyes upon the land of knowledge.

The view of the Akademiya’s giant tree was nothing new. He had travelled Teyvat far and wide. He had witnessed things that made this look rather quaint in comparison. 

Even so, he couldn’t help but let his excitement swell at the sight of it. This was it. His divinity was in… in…

What…?

He doubled over, his breaths short and body weak. It was hard to keep his eyes open. 

What was going on? Why was he suddenly shutting down?

The answer came instantly.

You… YOU DID THIS! STOP!

What are you referring to?

You know what I’m talking about! My body is shutting down out of nowhere!

Not out of nowhere. This result is of your doing.

You- 

This, my dear child, is simply exhaustion. I doubt you’d have ever experienced it before. It is a primarily human sensation. 

I know you can stop this feeling. Do it!

No.

Why you-

Let this experience teach you not to overextend.

I’m not overextending! You’re imposing limits on me!

I would recommend finding shelter once you wake up.

Wake up? You’re not… you’re not leaving me… alone…

…

Kunkuzushi fell into a slumber.

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

He couldn’t save them. 

They were walking down one of the domain’s corridors when the walls surrounding them lowered and hilichurls poured in. 

Fischl was jumped before any of them could react. The monsters’ bludgeoning clubs mixed with her begging shrieks into a cacophony that stayed in his ears long after her death.

The three left had defeated about half of them when they got Razor. A mitachurl grabbed him and he lit an explosive barrel in a last ditch effort to escape. Both he and his opponent burned to a crisp and the smell of their charred remains turned the adventurer’s stomach. 

Only the tall blue hilichurl remained when Barbara was cut apart. 

It had simply swung its scythe and her arm was sliced off like butter. 

She didn’t scream. The only sound was a gasp as the deaconess collapsed.

Bennett didn’t remember what happened right after that. The next thing he knew he was standing over that hilichurl’s corpse. He stared as it decayed into smoke, his adrenaline subsiding, and grief overtaking.

His friends were dead.

The boy fell to his knees. His head became light as the weight of his actions sunk in. 

He killed them. They didn’t want to go into the domain and he insisted anyway. Why did he do it!? Why didn’t he tell the knights?

He killed them!

He killed them!

He killed them!

Why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY WHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHYWHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bennett screamed into the lifeless void around him, his only company the corpses of those he held dear. A reminder of his failures.

He was pathetic, 

He was worthless. 

He didn’t deserve to live.

He cried out to the dead, begging for an answer.

None came.

…

…

…

A gasp.

Pained spluttering and choking bounced between the room’s walls. Its origin directly behind him. 

Bennett whirled around, his gaze locking onto Barbara’s shivering body. Her head rocked back and forth as her legs and remaining arm curled up. Her mouth opened and closed, blood pouring out every time.

He scampered to her side on all fours, fighting the urge to throw up when he accidentally knocked her dismembered arm away. 

Their eyes met. Her irises were filled with anguish that slowly faded alongside their life. She didn’t have much time.

“Barbara, hold on! I’ll… I’ll save you I-”

Her hand grabbed his wrist, and she grimaced from the pain of her head slowly shaking in disapproval. She spoke to him, her voice miraculously clear through the blood. 

“It’s… It’s no use Benny, save it for yourself,”

The ‘Benny’ shot a chill down his spine. He ignored it with a shake of his head.

“No! I can do it. Just hang on!”

It was an empty promise like all those other ones - something Barbara was well aware of. She ignored him.

“Benny… L-listen. I need you to do one last thing… for me,”

He fought back tears and nodded fervently. He failed her too much already. He’ll make sure he fulfills this last promise.

“Wh..what?”

“Tell me where you are,”

What? Isn’t it obvious?

“We’re in the domain-”

“NO.”

Her voice strengthened, and life returned to her eyes. She stared at him, using her grip on his wrist to pull him close and not let go. 

“Where are you?”

The question came from her, yet it didn’t. She spoke those words but they had rang in his head. 

Bennett insitcively tried to move away, but her hold on him was firm. She wouldn’t blink. 

“Where are you?”

That was Fischl’s voice. He turned to see her crawling to them with broken limbs, her head crooked, and face beaten beyond any recognition.

“Where are you?”

Razor lit on fire again. Like a zombie he rose and began to shamble towards him as an indiscernible burnt carcass. 

Bennett tried to fight Barbara off. 

He tried to push Fischl back.

He tried to get away before Razor reached him.

He couldn’t, and they all descended on him.

Razor seared his skin.

Fischl began to beat him.

Barbara held him in place.

And altogether did they say it.

Where

Are

You?

Something jabbed Bennett’s ribs, making him jump awake.

“Wake up.”

“Huh…wha…?”

The voice that woke him spoke again. It came from his right.

“You were talking in your sleep. It sounded bad,”

Oh. 

“Th…Thanks,”

He blinked blurrily, the haze of purple in his vision slowly focusing onto the familiar cave of electric crystals. It was annoying how familiar the  sight was. 

They had been in this stupid cave for three days. At least that’s what Albedo said. With both entrances sealed off thanks to the knight’s geo power and no skylights in sight he really couldn’t get a sense of time down here. 

The group had found the shelter mentioned by the chief alchemist pretty quickly. The easiness unfortunately ended there, as they were met with a slumbering regisvine within. Choiced with either killing it or going back outside, they collectively ignored their exhausted bodies and put it down through a gruelling battle that left the adventurer even more battered and bruised. 

It shouldn’t have bothered him. It wasn’t anything new. But his patience was starting to thin with… everything going on and he needed some rest that kept getting interrupted by constant nightmares. It was the same one every time. He enters a domain with his friends. They get killed brutally. He wakes up. 

The boy should be getting used to it at this point, but he was somehow managing worse every time. He felt like… something happens after Barbara’s death, but he couldn't remember what it was no matter how many times he experiences it. It was a gap that just wouldn’t fill.

Once Bennett could see he looked to his right, where he saw Rosaria sitting with her back to the wall. She hadn’t left his side once since Beidou threatened him, a subtle gesture he silently thanked her for. 

The two weren't exactly liked right now. Between him messing up big time and Rosaria’s normal… Rosaria-ness, they had officially become the group outcasts. 

Albedo still talked to them, albeit barely. He spent the entirely of the first night grilling Bennett about Collei, his experience with the green collared, and if there were any more signs of the collared resisting. Since then he had secluded himself from the other five and was writing in and reading over his journal non-stop. What he had in there to keep him busy for the past few days Bennett didn’t know.

Ayaka was still friendly with him, but spent her time beside Xiangling and Beidou. The girl wasn’t able to hide her conflict on what side to take, but Bennett made sure to quietly point her towards the other two on their first night here. She was closer to them after all, and interacting with him more than necessary could put a strain on their relationship. He had a depressing amount of experience with that back home.

Beidou was more accusing than ever, and made sure to stay awake if either of them took watch (which was all the more suffocating thanks to them having only one room to ‘watch’). Nothing unexpected really.

And Bennett supposed that was what made this suck so much. None of it was unexpected or new. It all happened with former teammates or kids his age before. He should be used to this. Heck, he was used to this for the most part.

But he never experienced losing a friend as close as Xiangling. 

Bennett stared up at the rocky ceiling as he cursed what felt like one of the biggest fumbles in his life. It was ridiculous, honestly. He only knew her for a little over a month now. He was aware a lot of that time wasn’t sunshine and rainbows - he couldn’t forget how he had argued with her about the collared back when she didn’t get the danger, or how he wasn’t able to protect her from Razor and Fischl (not to mention the whole thing with Kaeya that really started all this). 

But that didn’t change how she regularly offered him free food at Wanmin. That didn’t change how she covered his back more than anyone else. 

That didn’t change just how much of a bright spot she was in this awful situation, even when their friendship was strained. 

At least we had a friendship then…

“You alright?”

He side-eyed Rosaria. She looked at him passively.

“Yeah. Just… thinking,”

She hummed in acknowledgement, and faced the wall opposite them.

“Xiangling, right?”

The teen sighed. He forgot who he was talking to.

“Yeah…”

“Just talk to her already. We don't have time for petty spats,”

That was a bit rich, considering how she talks to Beidou.

“She doesn't want anything to do with me,”

“Doubt it. Don't look, but she's been watching you since you started moving in your sleep,”

Really?

Bennett's head snapped to the girl's direction. He caught the clear worry in her face before she reacted to their eye contact, doing so by scowling and pointedly turning away.

The adventurer’s frustrated defeat was worsened by Rosaria’s annoyed comment.

“What did I just say?”

“Sorry! It was instinct…”

She groaned, but must've noticed his sulking and appreciatively didn't push on it. 

Her next comment was much less appreciated.

“This is seriously getting to you. You’re mood’s worse than when Barbara turned you down,”

He stilled, his breath hitched, before the jab properly registered and he swerved to face the nun again, his eyes widening.

“Wait, how did you know that?”

Rosaria cocked a brow.

“Remember what I said about tailing you way, way back?”

“Yeah…”

“Did you honestly think I would’ve not done that during Ludi Harpastum?”

…

Scarlet humiliation filled his cheeks. So Fischl wasn’t the only one who witnessed his failed confession?

Just how many people saw me crash and burn!?

Bennett hid his face in his hands, embarrassment fully taking over any other thought. Ludi Harpastum was so long ago, and yet its disaster still managed to hang over his head. 

Wait…

An idle thought entered his mind. He spoke through his fingers.

“If you were there, then couldn’t you have done something to stop me from ruining the festival?”

“Not with Barbara all depressed. Was forced to play big sister because her actual one’s a workaholic,”

Oh. She knew about Jean and Barbara’s relationship too. Of course she would.

It was at this moment that Bennett concluded Rosaria magically knew everything and promptly changed the subject to avoid more uncomfortable memories being dug up.

“Look, Xiangling helped me out a lot back in Liyue. I owe her so much, but like what happens with everyone else I cause more problems than fix,”

He sighed dramatically, leaning back and looking at the rocky ceiling.

“She was one of the ones that found me after Dragonspine, and we somehow managed to stick together since then, and I’m just realising how much I had relied on her now and I can’t and… ah!”

He smacked the side of his cheek to collect himself before continuing.

“So yeah. She means a lot to me I guess, and this all sucks so much because I can’t repay her kindness. And I know that you’ll probably never be friends now but still, thanks for apologising to her. At least she won’t hate you for cutting her cheek,”

It took a second for Rosaria to respond. She was probably taken aback from his random gratitude.

“No problem.”

He began to relax a little, feeling a weight off his chest. He never expected Rosaria to be a good one to talk about feelings with, but her dislike for talking too much made it easy to just vent without judgement. Then again, she’d probably scold him if he tried this when they were back at the cathedral... 

His musings were stopped at the sight of Ayaka, who slowly stood from her place beside Xiangling and approached him quietly with a bowl of food in her hands. She adopted a small smile and offered it to him.

“Here. Xiangling cooked it while you were asleep, and everyone else got their serving when it was made,”

Bennett stared at the bowl, failing to follow Rosaria’s demands yet again as he chanced a glance at the girl that made the dish. She was still pointedly ignoring him, and he caught Beidou’s death stare from beside her. 

His focus returned to the swordswoman. He didn’t ask if she should be giving this to him. She was doing it the past two days with no issue anyway.

Rosaria’s eyes narrowed at the bowl before looking up at Ayaka.

“Still just vegetables?”

“It is,”

“Our ice isn’t gonna keep our meat forever,”

“She said she’d rather not use it,”

“It’ll expire,”

“Then cook it yourself,”

Bennett blinked at the Inazuman’s forcefulness. She shot an icy glare he never expected her to make. Rosaria just stared back for a moment before clicking her tongue.

“Alright then,”

Nothing more was said between them, and Ayaka put on a much gentler expression as she turned to Bennett.

“Here,”

He took it with a smile.

“Thanks, Ayaka,” 

“No need for thanks,”

The girl stood still for a moment, conflicted, before turning heel and slowly wandering back to where Xiangling and Beidou sat, the distance she travelled to do so marking the scale of division between everyone. 

The group’s already fragile alliance seemed beyond repair now, and Bennett couldn’t help but feel responsible for it.

“Guess I really screwed things up this time, huh?”

“You didn’t screw up, Bennett. Bad things happen. That’s it,”

He decided arguing with her wasn’t worth it. Still, it was comforting to hear.

“Do you think we’ll split up from this?”

“Probably,”

That was less comforting. 

The boy sighed, the last of his energy gone. He should probably get more sleep, but he wasn’t ready for more of that either.

So Bennett just pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, desperate to escape from the exhaustion that wouldn’t go away.

“You know what? Let’s go outside,”

It took a moment for him to register Rosaria’s declaration. When he did, he looked up and blinked at her, confused.

“Huh?”

The nun looked back emotionlessly.

“Our meat’s probably spoiled already, might as well get more and some fresh air while we’re at it,”

“But… what about the blocked exit? Or the collared?”

“Albedo will manage the exit. We’ll handle the collared,”

“But-”

“You can stay if you want. Doesn't affect me,”

She plainly said it as a statement. A fact. Bennett didn’t have to join her, and both of them knew it would probably be for the best if he didn’t.

But his cabin fever was getting bad, and he had an inkling that she was doing this with him in mind. 

So Bennett hid his tempered excitement as he rose.

“Alright, fine. I’m can't let you go alone,”

“We’re going out,”

Albedo looked up from his journal, his attention needed somewhere else for the first time in a few days.

Rosaria stared down at him expectantly, likely waiting for him to open the exit for her, and knowing he didn’t care to argue. Bennett stood beside her, traces of hope in his eyes. A natural look for an adventurer in his shoes. Staying here for so long had a noticeable affect on his mood aswell. That wouldn’t do.

If his calculations were correct it was roughly midnight. They likely wouldn’t be noticed in the dark anyway.

“Very well,”

“Hold it.”

His attention, alongside the other Mondstadters’, was brought to Beidou, who shot up from the floor and marched to challenge them. She stopped about a foot away, her vitriol directed at the pair.

“You’re insane if you think I’m going to allow you to leave my sight and do Archons-know-what,”

Bennett bunched up his shoulders, and Rosaria sneakily reached for her spear’s shaft. 

A bit soon to resort to violence.

If they came to blows now it would be disastrous. He needed to intervene.

“I feel it best we let them go,” said Albedo.

Beidou shook her head, her face masked with disappointment.

“You’re really letting your biases bleed through here,”

“I have no biases,”

“Then what’s this!? We agreed to lay low until the collared stopped looking for us. We suffered in this shitty cave for three days with tiny portions and barely any sleep because of that! Them leaving after all that and ruining our work because they feel like it? A spit in our faces at best,”

She had fair points, Albedo wouldn’t deny that, and if it had been two, maybe even one day earlier he would have agreed. 

However… 

“It has been roughly three days since our arrival here. I doubt the collared would still be searching the area so aggressively,”

The captain scoffed.

“Have you forgotten about them not needing to sleep? They’ve no reason to stop,”

“I disagree,”

“Huh?”

Albedo didn’t flounder from the venom-laced query. He just had to explain himself.

“We aren’t animals with territories. If they don’t find any sign of us after the first day then they would likely begin to look elsewhere.Sticking to the one zone this whole time would be counterproductive,”

“We don’t know they're thinking that,”

“All the more reason for some of us to check beforehand,”

“And why the two we’re suspicious of?”

Ah, there it was. She didn’t trust these two. Very well. 

“Why not join them?”

None of them liked that option. Bennett’s eyes were wide. Rosaria’s narrowed. Beidou just showed teeth with a challenging grin. 

“Me? Join them?”

Albedo nodded. 

“Why not? You would be able to keep an eye on them that way,”

He ignored Bennett’s flinch and Rosaria’s scowl at that comment, focusing on Beidou's next objection.

“One of them should stay here. Three's a bit too many for stealth, don’t you think?”

“Would it? Rosaria's the most silent among us, and your profession likely made you skilled in getting by unnoticed,”

“But-”

“And to be frank, your last interaction with these two has me worried for their safety if either was left alone with you,”

His comment elicited a rather negative response.

Beidou didn't say anything at first. She just flared her nostrils, her face darkening.

“Y’know what? Fine. And if I see one wrong move-”

“I believe that went without saying,”

Albedo stood up and dusted himself off, pointedly ignored Rosaria’s death glare and comment about being able to handle herself, and led the three to the cave’s blocked exit. He was aware Beidou joining the two likely interfered with their hidden intentions (which he did not personally believe to be malicious), but compromise was crucial to stop current unnecessary conflict.

Besides, with those three away he would have a chance to personally check the others’ conditions without interruption. 

At the end of the tunneling exit was a stone wall formed by his vision. Bringing a hand up to it, he slowly split the blockage apart, concentrating to minimise the gravelly sound from being too loud. 

The moonlight that flooded in felt so nourishing. Being in a dark cave with violet electric crystals as one’s only source of light for three days had evidently done too much harm. Hopefully they’ll return with an announcement that the forest was clear, because he didn’t think the group would be able to handle this cavern without permanent damage for much longer. He’d also like to get to Gandharva Ville and find a definite route sooner rather than later.

Once the path was wide enough to pass through Albedo faced the three.

“I’ll close this after you’re gone. It’ll be hollow enough for sound to travel through, just knock three times and I’ll let you in.

Rosaria walked past him without a glance.

Bennett followed with a smile and a wave.

Beidou just grunted as she departed. 

The chief alchemist kept his promise and sealed the entrance, where he exhaled deeply after a moment’s reprieve. 

It was amazing how much weight lifted off his shoulders with the main sources of conflict momentarily absent. For once he felt like he didn’t have to keep watch of everyone or prepare for a potential fight between certain individuals - a task growing harder with every bad night’s sleep.

Albedo was going to take advantage of this peace as much as possible.

The first ten minutes were spent waiting for any immediate knocks signalling danger. When that didn’t come the knight dared to step away from the exit and retreat into the main space. They’ll be away for a while. He had time before he had to go back.

Ayaka and Xiangling were engaging in small talk. The former harboured a small smile, while the latter just looked drained. He wasted no time in sitting down across from them, and they met his eyes curiously. He noted how the Liyuean stiffened ever so slightly

“Hello,” he said.

A beat.

“...Greetings, Albedo,” responded Ayaka. The bags under her eyes had shallowed a little. Good. 

“Hi…” whispered Xiangling. She stared at the ground.

Pleasantries were exchanged. Time to move onto business.

“How’re you two feeling?”

“Good,”

“Fine, I guess…”

Xiangling didn’t even put effort into her lie. Albedo quirked a brow, and received worried glances from Ayaka. 

Well, I suppose I should start with her.

“Something on your mind Xiangling?”

She sighed. 

“Yeah… but I don’t want to talk about it,”

“That’s fine. How have you been sleeping?”

She gave a sad laugh.

“What do you think? I already told you the day before yesterday. Nothing’s changed,”

So her nightmares persisted. Not surprising. It was the same with himself, Bennett and probably everyone else. 

He connected the dots on her recent cooking choices. Realization struck.

“They will likely cook something they hunted when they return,” he informed her. “Will you be alright?”

Xiangling stilled for a moment. Her answer was slow.

“...Yes,”

“Even the smell-”

“I said yes!”

Her eyes shot up at him, sparked with fury, before they dimmed just as quickly.

She exhaled.

“S-Sorry. I didn’t… I’m just a bit cranky. Bad sleep and all,”

“I understand. Don’t worry about me,”

She forced a smile, and Albedo returned it before turning to Ayaka. 

“And you, Miss Kamisato? Any updates for yourself?”

The swordswoman shook her head.

“No changes, I’m afraid. I’m… starting to manage the dream a bit more, but it’s still just…”

She drifted off, not wanting to share her troubles. Albedo understood.

“Don’t worry. You will share when you’re ready, and only if you want. I won’t pry,”

She gave a grateful nod.

“Thank you. Have you found a possible reason for these nightmares?”

“No, sadly. All I have is that the nightmares are a collective phenomenon, but Xiangling’s vastly differ from myself’s,  and Bennett’s and yours is the same - meaning each one is a personal, targeted attack. How do they do this? I’m not sure just yet, but I will find out. Otherwise sleep deprivation will become a serious issue before long,”

His final somber note stopped any potential further questioning from Ayaka. Xiangling didn’t look too enthused either. Neither appeared to want this depressing conversation to continue, lest their nightmares replay in their minds.

He wasn’t any different, honestly. His own dreams were far from pleasant, and he did not wish to tackle them unless it was necessary.

…

I should probably keep an ear out for the others.

Albedo stood up.

“I will just be at the tunnel exit if you wish to talk-”

BOOM!

From nowhere a crackling, out of sight explosion erupted and made the cave shake. Everyone reacted immediately. He had widened his stance and protected his head from debris falling from above. Ayaka dissolved into ice, and Xiangling curled up on her side.

No screams or shouts of panic were made. What should be a concerning sign of their exhaustion served well to hide their presence just a little longer. 

Rocks bounced and rolled from around the corner of the winding tunnel Rosaria and the others left through. He noted how they split apart with sparks of electricity. 

Albedo didn’t wait for the shockwaves to stop before arming himself. In a moment of quick thinking he summoned a Solar Isotoma and stepped onto it. The flower rose a few inches above the ground, giving him stable footing to adopt a defensive stance as Cinnabar Spindle was drawn.

He waited with bated breath as the walls and ceiling began to steady. Ayaka reappeared on his left, and Xiangling used her polearm to rise on his right. He couldn’t hear the former’s breaths, and the latter’s weapon was shaking in her hand.

They were likely thinking it was the collared. Albedo wasn’t so sure. 

There was… something different here. A presence in the air. It was heavy. 

Thunderous. 

The crystals around him reacted. They glowed bright, and shook with a horrible ringing frequency. It was deafening, but Albedo grit his teeth, tuning his ears to a sound he didn’t expect.

A voice.

“Huh. There really…..a cave….. I guess.………right for once,”

A man’s voice. He was talking to someone. The alchemist tried to catch the response.

He couldn’t hear anything, even as the other voice began to clear.

“That’s what you think. If you were right then-”

The voice suddenly stopped as its owner turned the corner and appeared in front of them. Ayaka’s breath hitched at his appearance. It was only one person, and he looked nothing like Albedo expected.

His attire was clearly Inazuman in nature. A black outfit with ornamental accessories and matching sandals that lifted his short stature by a few inches. A pristine, feminine face adorned with a ferocious scowl, made all the more menacing with eyes that glowed violet - a colour Albedo was beginning to get sick of. 

And his open chest glowed that same crackling colour, with such intensity it couldn’t be looked at directly. 

They needed to flee. 

The alchemist could sense the new arrival’s elemental energy, which was unlike anything he ever experienced. His sense of logic was overtaken by a blinding specter of the unseen and a primal instinct screaming for him to run. 

He tempered it, keeping his blade steady as the man spared the three of them a glance each.

When he spoke it was low, yet powerful. Pressuring. 

“Looks like I wasn’t the first one here,”

They didn’t give a response. He rose a brow at their weapons.

“I’ll forgive your impudence if you drop your arms and beg for forgiveness at my feet,”

Sweat began to trail from Albedo’s brow. He didn’t let it move him.

“Who are you?”

A terribly long beat of silence permeated, before the man responded with a dark chuckle.

“Who am I, you ask? You really are a fool,”

He nodded to Ayaka.

“You there. You should know,”

The girl’s lips thinned and unresponsive.

He glowered at her reticence. 

“Oh? What’s wrong? Cat got your-”

“I do not know-”

“DON’T YOU DARE INTERRUPT!”

His words were emboldened by a sudden crack, like thunder. The ringing crystals exploded in sparks of lightning that made even Albedo flinch. 

“Know your place! To think you do not even recognise your god’s power! How unfaithful…”

The man trained his sight on Ayaka, the vile contempt on his face making her bristle. 

In response Albedo steadied his blade, and began to think up a plan of escape. 

“I won’t ask again. Will you kneel, or will you meet the same fate other fools have discovered?” 

There was still one more exit. He’ll need time to break it open.

“I’ll warn you now - your visions won’t be enough to even scratch me,”

That meant Xiangling or Ayaka would have to hold him off until the wall was opened.

“No response? Fine. Seeing as I am a benevolent being, I’ll give you three more seconds,”

He couldn’t let either of them face this person. They wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Three,”

He’ll have to improvise. Maybe give the others a chance.

“Two,”

Albedo readied himself.

“One-”

The ground suddenly began to shake again. Much more violently than last time.

What- 

A sudden lurch. He fell to his knees, and Xiangling did the same. Ayaka managed to stay standing, but couldn’t steady herself or focus enough to dissolve again. 

Much larger rocks began to fall. They smashed into the earth and shattered on impact. Shrapnel bruised him and tore his clothes. He heard a yell.

A stone hit his shoulder. It was hard enough to warrant a gasp of pain. 

He grit his teeth and hunched over, praying that the cave wouldn’t collapse in on him. That this can’t be the end. 

He couldn't lose here. Not when they found a lead. Not with so much at stake. So much unanswered.

Albedo closed his eyes and prayed for it to pass.

Rocks slammed down. 

The walls cracked.

The ground split.

And despite its tenacity, it miraculously eased.

The ground began to steady again. The cacophonous collapse around him slowed 

The cave began to fall back asleep, and eventually the end came in the form of one last pebble from above, its clack signalling that the worst had passed. 

That didn’t stop his cautious side, and he counted to ten before opening his eyes again. 

The alchemist immediately checked on the girls. Ayaka was massaging her shoulder, and Xiangling hissed as she pressed down on a bloodied knee. Their wounds looked painful, but not serious. Good. 

Therefore Albedo’s attention turned to the man, and the sight stunned him.

Practically every one of the larger rocks had fallen onto him, burying the terrifying stranger under a pile that covered his entire lower body. He lay still with his eyes closed, and the knight didn’t know if he was dead or simply unconscious. He may have been incomprehensibly strong, but that rockfall was particularly bad.

Another set of voices stopped them from comprehending the miraculous rescue any further. These voices he knew.

“You idiot! Are you trying to get them killed!?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to!”

Rosaria, Beidou and Bennett popped out from the corner, their faces panicked. The two women spotted the invader immediately, their eyes widening at the strange sight.

Bennett didn’t catch on right away.

“Is everyone alright!? I swear I didn’t mean it I- I- I just rushed when I saw the door was open and tripped into the wall and everything started to shake and then rocks began to fall and… and…”

He drifted off when his eyes landed on the unconscious, mostly buried body in front of him. 

Nothing was said for a moment.

…

…

…

Bennett blinked.

“Who’s that?”

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

…

……

………

“Sh……e re……..ve him……this?”

“….luck….re…no…illin…im,”

Voices scratched his ears like nails piercing his mind. They were invasive. Disturbing. 

So, so annoying.

Ah, you’re awake. 

Her voice was the worst of them.

Consciousness returned.

Kunikuzushi opened his eyes. They closed against his will.

He tried again. And again. And again and again and again. Every attempt his eyes opened wider, and lasted longer before closing again.

Eventually, his thoughts functioned again.

Wh… what…?

His head… throbbed, and it was a sensation Kunikuzushi had never felt. He had no doubts feeling such pain was her doing, yet knowing that didn’t make it make any more sense. 

What could have possibly knocked him out? How did he get so unlucky?

He moved to rub his head, only to fail at such a simple task. 

Unlike his eyes, it wasn’t due to a lack of response. Instead, something held the puppet down, restraining him.

Kunikuzushi focused his sight, finally seeing the predicament. 

He was held in place by the earth itself, obviously manipulated and molded around his form. It pinned his arms to his sides and held his legs to the ground. It was a commendable attempt at restraining anyone. 

Good thing I’m not just anyone.

He channeled his gnosis, charging his body to unleash a burst of… a burst…

He wasn’t charging anything. 

His teeth clenched. 

You can’t be restricting my power now of all times!

I am. And for the record, I had planned to do the same if you decided to go through with your threats earlier.

Why!? This isn’t me abusing my power! This is survival!

‘ I’ll forgive your impudence if you drop your arms and beg for forgiveness at my feet,’

What? 

Was that not what you said to these people? It was quite arrogant, to say the least. Not to mention how one of them is the Shirasagi Himegimi. 

And she is supposed to serve the shogun! 

You are not the shogun.

“Shut. up.” he growled. 

“Uh, sorry?”

That wasn’t her voice. 

Kunikuzushi blinked up at the face that was far too close for comfort. It wasn’t one of the three he met earlier, no. They were a few feet behind this new arrival, alongside two other women he didn’t know. 

All stared down at him, with expressions of suspicion or trepidation. All of them, except one. 

The boy sitting cross-legged in front of him offered a nervous smile, but otherwise showed no fear.

Kunikuzushi did not like him. 

“Do you know who you’re speaking to, boy?”

He scratched the back of his head like a carefree idiot.

“Uh, not really. That’s why I asked your name,”

When did he do that? 

“You didn’t ask it,”

“Actually I did, but you just stared at your legs and told me to shut up. Kinda didn’t expect you to keep talking, hehe,”

Oh. The boy spoke to him while he was busy with her, and was too stupid to realise-

Talking to oneself is genuinely considered a trait of insanity. The fault lies with you.

The puppet growled, but said nothing. He had to play nice, lest he ended up triggering whatever backwards ‘consequence’ she’d inflict on him. 

Nothing else you can do, restrained as you are.

He’ll let them live. For now.

The boy continued. 

“Well, my name’s Bennett, and I just wanted to say sorry for burying you under those rocks,”

His apology triggered a wave of negative reactions from the other strangers. The redheaded one made a particularly loud groan. They considered him a fool, no doubt. Kunikuzushi didn’t disagree, but the revelation about him being the one to defeat the god struck a cord of slight interest. 

Perhaps there was more to this boy than meets the eye.

“So what’s your name?” Bennett asked. 

…

Should he announce his title to them? Would they believe him? Would they even understand the significance of who they were talking to?

They are talking to no one important. You are mortal. 

We both know that’s false.

A pause.

Hide your identity. At best, they would deem you insane and refuse to communicate further. 

Admittedly a fair assessment. 

“My name doesn’t matter for someone like you,”

He felt a harsh shock for that dismissive comment. Was that not what she asked for?

The boy cocked his head to the side.

“Then what do I call you?”

Was he slow?

Careful. 

…

“Call me whatever you want. I’m just a wanderer,”

“Well alright then Mr. Wanderer, where’d you come from?”

The woman with the eye patch spoke up.

“All the questions you can ask, and you pick that?”

Bennett turned around, suddenly less confident in his voice. 

“Well… what am I supposed to say?”

“You’re supposed to say nothing and start packing! Your little screwup was loud, and instead of spending the past twenty minutes preparing to leave you decided to once again play nice with an enemy,”

“But we don’t know he’s an enemy, and I’ve never-”

“Bennett.”

The redhead spoke quietly, yet it still cut his explanation short. She gazed at him tiredly, a look she shared with the other four.

“Just pack.”

…

A beat of tense silence ensued, which resulted in Bennett’s shoulders slumping, and his spirit dimming.

“Fine.”

He climbed to his feet and stomped to the camp that was already halfway packed. The girl with the short dark hair followed suit on the opposite side of the cave, leaving just four to stare him down like he was an undiscovered creature. 

The woman with the eyepatch spoke again. 

“What’s everyone waiting around for? We have to get moving,”

The blonde man’s answer was even. 

“I wish to speak with him,”

“As do I,” agreed Ayaka. 

At those declarations the redhead spoke before moving to Bennett. 

“Sounds like you’ll be keeping an eye on him then. I’ll leave you to it,”

The remaining three swapped looks of suspicious uncertainty.

“So what now?” asked the Miss Eyepatch. “You two gonna interrogate him?”

Ayaka stepped forward, her focus set on Kunikuzushi. 

“There is something I wish to discuss with him. Alone,”

Oh? Is she finally recognising her own god’s power?

I suppose that was unavoidable. The Shirasagi Himegimi can be quite astute for her age.

And how would you know that? You locked yourself away for centuries.

I am not oblivious to my own people.

Only your own puppet, then?

Her retort to his jab was laced with a certain edge. 

Very well then. Gain her trust without my aid.

Now that was a hilarious statement, one that made him audibly chuckle. 

As if I’d follow your advice here anyway.

That uncomfortable energy pulsed through him.

What are you insinuating?

She really didn’t understand? Just how out of touch was this so-called god?

Maybe you should just let me deal with this. These people are too suspicious of us to become allies, and you’re the last person I’d pick to handle a battle of words. 

…

You know what? Fine. 

That sounded frustrated. Good. 

With Ei’s unneeded blessings, Kunikuzushi finally decided to begin his conversation with Ayaka. She did not look happy, and stared at him expectantly.

He smirked.

“Oh? Did you say something?”

The noble inhaled through her nose deeply.

“I asked for your identity,”

He scoffed. No point in beating around the bush, was there?

“Do you not recognise the Almighty Shogun’s power, Miss Kamisato?”

She showed no signs of shock. 

So she clicked the pieces together.

“What manner are you mimicking her power?” she asked.

Nevermind. 

“Who says I’m ‘mimicking’ anything?”

Ayaka’s eyes narrowed.

“Explain,”

“What’s there to explain? I have her power,”

“Where is she?”

This girl was far too pushy. 

“Good question,”

“Answer me.”

“No, I’ve given you enough free ones. Answer one of mine if you want more,”

The swordswoman’s lips thinned, and he could see wisps of frustration ebbing into her glare. 

Kunikuzushi just stared back passively, watching Ayaka nod stiffly.

“Very well,” she said. “What do you wish to know?”

“How do you feel about your brother getting collared?”

The reaction was immediate. She reeled back, her breath hitched, and her irises the size of pinpricks. It was a visibly emotional response, one that caused Ei to speak up. 

How will that calm her?

Who said I was trying to?

Ayaka’s stupor didn’t last long before giving way to cold anger, however. Upon recollecting herself she straightened her back and levelled a dark glower at him, clearly unamused. 

“So you wish to buy time with jokes?”

Jokes? Seriously? 

“You really are in denial,”

“It is not denial. My brother is smarter than you give him credit for. I have no doubt for his survival,”

“Considering how he wasted no time getting you out of harm’s way I don’t think he had much confidence in the clan’s odds,”

She bristled. 

“How do you know so much about us?”

“Uh-uh. You still haven’t answered my question,”

“Because it is a question based on assumptions,”

“It’s not an assumption - I was there. I can clearly describe your retainer stabbing him in the back-”

shiiiing. 

The sword’s unsheathe was quiet, yet shaky. Kunikuzushi lifted his chin to avoid the blade’s tip, and watched the swordsman tremble with shallow breaths, her head shaking ever so slightly.

Her image of patience and control was so close to falling apart completely. He barely said anything, and she was already like this? 

This is the oh-so professional Shirasagi Himegimi?

Ei didn’t respond. 

Ayaka gulped, and opened her mouth to speak. A hand on her shoulder stopped the words.

The man from earlier looked at her cautiously.

“If you don’t mind, Miss Kamisato, I’d like to question him before you slice him apart,”

Ayaka looked back, her face unreadable, before sighing and pulling her blade away.

“Right. Forgive my impulsiveness. My emotions got the better of me,”

“It’s understandable. You are sleep-deprived, after all,”

The girl gave Kunikuzushu one last glare before stepping away with a shake of her head. He watched her skulk over and stoop beside the one with the short dark hair, idly picking up items, but not packing. 

He brought his attention onto the man in front now. Said man stared back evenly. There was no anger in his eyes, or violent intent. 

There was suspicion, though. He wasn’t an oblivious idiot like the boy before. No point in lying to him either.

Kunikuzushi spoke first.

“Are you going to ask inane questions as well?”

He gently lowered and sat down on the ground, adopting a comfortable position and ensuring a foot lay between them.

“Questions, yes,” he answered. “But I don’t intend to frustrate you, believe me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius,”

Ah, Kunikuzushi heard about him. One of the Captains of Mondstadt’s knights, and someone the Fatui had trouble gathering information on beyond his occupation.

The puppet glanced at the amber vision around his neck. 

“I take it you’re the one who restrained me?”

“A necessary precaution. Our first meeting was far from friendly,”

“If I recall correctly, you were the ones with weapons drawn,”

“You blew our hideout’s entrance open.  No one would take a chance after that,”

“It was still foolish. If you had known who you were facing you would have disarmed yourselves and begged for forgiveness,”

“Would you have let us go if we had?”

“Of course. What is a god without benevolence?”

Like Ayaka, Albedo didn’t show surprise or disbelief. He simply nodded, as if he accepted the truth without question.

“I do not doubt your power,” he said. “I have never felt so much elemental energy from anyone, not even the Conqueror of Demons,”

He leaned forward, curious.

“But there is something else I sensed from you. Or rather, something I didn’t sense,”

“And that is?”

“Life. Or at the very least, traditional life.”

Kunikuzushi stilled, his eyes wide. Did this stranger-

“Your body. It's artificial, correct?”

…

…

…

Kunikuzushi smirked. This was far from inane. 

“Are you certain you’re perceiving an artificial body, and not simply a divine one?” he asked.

“Yes,” answered Albedo. “I have enough experience to tell the difference,”

“Have you visited the Abyss?”

He thinned his lips. 

“Forgive me for not answering that, but we don’t have time to go off topic,”

The puppet allowed the shift in topic for now, but not without a scoff. These people weren’t looking for a conversation, that much was clear.

“What do you want to talk about, then?”

“First off, the collared. I listened in-”

“Eavesdropped,”

“-on your conversation with Miss Kamisato, and would like to question that further. What can you tell me of Inazuma?”

His grin returned. 

“It’s fallen. The city, the shrine, all of it has been taken over,”

“And what of the Electro Archon? Is your power truly hers?”

“Are you willing to believe that it ended up in my hands?”

“If the logic’s sound, then I don’t see why not,”

He was so amiable to listen to his story. To learn of his tale. And perhaps his betrayals too.

But Kunikuzushi knew better. 

The alchemist didn’t want to follow his word. He just wanted answers to his questions, and possibly help on whatever tasks he had ahead of him. He was cunning, but Kunikuzushi was even moreso. If he wanted to ask, he can ask away, and the puppet would play with his emotions in turn.

They were aware of his strength and power. He just had to close himself off for now, refuse everything, and lower their hopes.

But when they ask for his companionship and protection, he’ll accept under the guise of benevolence. They’d jump at the chance, thinking they’d be able to get answers eventually. And with that could he plant the seeds of devotion. 

Let’s see how desperate you really are.

Kunikuzushi rolled his eyes before talking.

“Well you’re not getting my story just like that. Sorry,”

Albedo displayed no negative reaction. He just nodded once more and took the stonewall in stride. It was annoying.

“That is fine. Perhaps we could share notes on the nature of the collared? I doubt there’s anything personal regarding that,”

There wasn’t. Still…

“Not happening,”

Again, Albedo showed no emotion. Not even a hint of frustration. 

How? 

He knew Kunikuzushi held the answers he needed, yet he acted like he didn't care about getting them.

It was as if he thought himself better than him. What an conceited little-

Ironic. Here you are trying to frustrate him and he ends up reversing it onto you instead. 

He growled, but didn't rise to her childish dig.

After another moment's deliberation Albedo responded to his denial.

“Very well. I suppose I’ll move onto my last question, though I have a feeling I know the answer already,”

Ah, he was seeing the pattern, what a perfect time to break it.

“Ask away,”

Kunikuzushi waited for the offer to join, and prepared to put on a show of reluctance before saying yes.

“Your unique physiology. Do you know if it would affect a collar’s ability to control you?”

…

What?

That was his last question? What about asking him to join? Did he assume the puppet would just join him automatically? 

What an idiot.

Perhaps he misjudged this man's intelligence. 

“I’m afraid I don’t. I haven’t gotten the opportunity to find out, you see, and none of their attempts to change that worked,”

Unlike the other times, Albedo was actually visibly disappointed. He shook his head and sighed, before dusting himself off and standing up. 

“Alright then. Thank you for your time,”

No further questions. Not even a quick ‘Care to join us?’

Perhaps he was too presumptuous over them. It was clear now that this band of misfits weren’t looking to form an alliance. If their prior suspicion was any hint they’d probably set him free right before leaving in order to put as much distance between themselves and the puppet as possible. 

If this was their choice then they’ll need the head start. I won’t forget this. 

Isn’t your expectation that they’ll set you free at all a rather tall assumption?

Ei’s point struck a chord with him, but he brushed it off after a moment. It made no sense to. It’s not like there’s many left uncollared. Surely they wouldn’t risk losing any more to them, even an unfriendly face.

But then the alchemist turned away from him, and faced the group as a whole. They stood tall and were looking back, ready to hear his orders.

“Are we all ready to leave?” 

The five nodded in unison. Kunikuzushi watched on, the seeds of doubt sprouting in him.

This was it. The knight will unearth one of his arms and leave him to handle the rest. 

But Albedo didn’t turn to release him, nor did anyone else. 

Instead they all walked away from Kunikuzushi.

A beat. 

Wait, were they really just going to leave him like this!?

He frantically looked at each of their passing faces. Neither of the taller women had so much as looked at him, nor did the other dark-haired girl. Ayaka shot him a glare. It was more infuriating than the apathy.

But Bennett stopped to gawk at him like a clueless idiot, before turning to the rest.

“Wait, aren’t we letting him go?”

Exactly! 

Perhaps there was a use to having the naive around after all. The child’s question made the others stop, and four glares were shot his way in an unintended (yet admittedly impressive) collective glower of frustration and confusion. 

Bennett stepped back a little.

The only one not to give a dirty look was Albedo. He instead opted to treat the question with the sincerity it was asked with.

“No. We have no reason to,”

“But… we can’t just leave him like this. The collared’s probably nearly here. He won’t be able to get away in time!”

“That is his problem, not ours,”

They really are looking for a death wish.

“But-”

“Bennett.”

For the first time, Kunikuzushi heard frustration in the calmer man’s voice. The force behind it commanded authority, and made Bennett visibly wince.

“I will only remind you of his actions thus far once. This man almost immediately threatened to kill myself, Ayaka and Xiangling upon his arrival, openly antagonised us when he woke up, and has actively refused to answer the majority of my questions - even ones he could have potentially benefited from. Nothing he has done has made any attempt to endear us to him in any way,”

Albedo’s look hardened, and shifted to look the puppet in the eye one more time.

“I am well aware that may be hard to distinguish who’s a friend, but I know an enemy when I see one,”

With that last statement the Chief Alchemist turned away again.

“If you wish to help him, fine. But we will leave you behind if you do. We cannot waste any more time,”

And just like that, he left the cave, with the others not hesitating to follow. 

Well, most of them. Two remained, giving Kunikuzushi a false sense of hope that maybe they realised how stupid they’d be to abandon a god. 

But then the red-haired woman talked again, and it dashed that idea pretty fast.

“Bennett. Let’s go,”

Bennett stilled for a monet, before suddenly gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. He looked at the puppet with shaky breaths, failing to stop the pathetic tears glistening his eyes.

“I.. I’m sorry,” 

Upon that apology, he rigidly stormed off. 

The only one left looked at Kunikuzushi passively. Her words were brief.

“Good luck,”

And she, too, left him on his own.

…

…

…

Was that it?

He gazed at the tunnel they took, stupored. It… it made no sense. He couldn't process it - their justifications for leaving him were just so petty. 

Did they really think they could afford to leave someone of his might? 

Did they expect him to just sit here and accept such a fate? 

Did they really think they could sit back and let others do the work for them!?

And what if it did!? 

What if he did somehow get collared!? 

Did it not pierce their thick skulls how dangerous yet another collared god in the enemy's ranks would be!? 

Abandoning him was nothing if not emotional and shortsighted! It was petty, and lacked any basic sense-

Have your actions not been the same?

Scaramouche snapped.

He roared with all his might, writhing and wriggling against his stone bonds. They held him in place, immovable. 

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?” he screamed. “WHO DO ANY OF YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TRY AND CONTROL ME!?”

Electricity shot through him, paralysing his joints.

Control is necessary for the untamed.

Manic laughter escaped him. Untamed!? Coming from her!? How rich! 

Electricity shot through him, clenching his teeth. 

How is it rich? Do tell. 

How!? Wasn’t it obvious! It was rich because… because it just was!

Electricity shot through him, stilling his mind

You are letting your emotions get the better of you. Calm down.

As if he’d listen to her! She had done nothing but hurt and shock him like he was a wild animal. What god would do that!?

What mother would do that!?

What child would… would…

Her voice wavered as he let his emotions loose, apathetic to the world. 

Anger took over.

It was destructive. Chaotic.

Parasitic. 

Uncontrollable. 

Electricity shot through him.

It did not paralyse his joints.

It did not clench his teeth. 

It did not still his thoughts.

What… how did-

It loosened his limbs, eased his tension, and awakened his mind. 

It was invigorating! Liberating! 

How… are you… so quick-

He was not an animal! 

He was not a slave! 

He was…

He was…!

“I AM A GOD!”

The world disappeared behind a curtain of blue light. The rock and stone shattered around him, and Scaramouche gasped as his prison was vaporised under the might of Lightning’s Glow. 

His glow. 

The stone walls around him collapsed even further. The ceiling gave way to a massive gaping hole. 

He roared again, and a blade of electricity erupted from him. It was wild and erratic, but it still sliced the rocks heading his way into dust. All that remained was rubble that landed elsewhere, far and away from his spot in the ground.

Slowly, the avalanche of boulders stopped, but his ears still rang. His vision still shook. 

He felt sick.

Yet free.

His mother’s voice wasn’t there anymore. He heard her cry out when the electricity shot out. He could still feel her presence.

But not her shackles. 

He grinned.

Didn’t expect that, did you?

It was his time now. His birthright was in his hands. His first traitor was incapacitated.

He won’t take any chances with her.

I have to reach that lab before... 

Scaramouche slowly climbed to his feet…

…Only to promptly fall onto his knees. 

Wh… what?

The world spun. He felt… dizzy. How? He was free from her handicaps. Why… Why was he tired?

How much power did I…

Thinking was too exhausting.

So Scaramouche kneeled there, staring at the ground, and simply focused on the energy that sparked inside of him. 

He over exerted himself. He just needed time to recover.

He thought he’d have it.

But that was when shadows began to loom over him.

Scaramouche looked up at the new arrivals, catching sight of their rusted collars, and green eyes. 

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

It had been yet another sleepless night.

The six travelled without sharing a word. They meandered through the green, not knowing what to say, nor did they care about anything other than putting one step in front of another.

I'm so tired. 

Bennett was trying his best. He made a promise to save everyone, and wasn’t gonna go back on his word any time soon. 

But he just wished he had more to show for it. 

He helped Collei, but she still refused to join them out of fear.

He tried to repair his broken friendship with Xiangling, but ended up ruining it outright.

And now he left a man behind to face the collared with no way to defend himself. Just abandoned him to a fate he could have stopped. 

Someone better would have stuck to their principles. They wouldn’t have let anyone else’ opinions waver theirs. 

But he wasn’t someone better, was he?

It was all starting to get to him.

After the wanderer was left the group returned to that ruin he first met Collei in. It felt awfully close to their last hideout. Too close. 

But that wasn’t why no one wanted to sleep. Albedo knew the reason, but he still insisted that the ones not one watch tried to get some rest. Said it would make the next day a little easier to get through. 

They appeared in his dreams again last night. 

The same story as usual. Fischl fell into a spike pit, then Razor was crushed by moving walls, then saw blades cut Barbara apart. They scream his name every death.

If he never hears their dying cries again it’ll be too soon. 

The nightmares were starting to show their toll, and Bennett now shambled like a zombie as he trailed at the back of their moving group, listlessly following Albedo without protest. He kept seeing things in the corner of his vision. Jumping at shadows. It was the lack of sleep - he knew that. 

But he couldn’t shake that feeling that someone was watching him. 

The others weren’t doing much better either. The only ones that actually looked like their normal selves were the alchemist and Rosaria, and neither of which were very talkative.

That led to the six allogenes being lost in their own minds as they climbed cliffs, trudged through grass and ducked under foliage. All wanted to rest their sore legs. None had the energy to ask. 

They just stumbled through until Albedo suddenly stopped and raised his hand for everyone to follow suit. 

It took a moment for Bennett to consider the idea of danger existing ahead. He needed to be more cautious.

But as it turned out it wasn’t danger. The rest collectively wandered to stand beside him, stopping themselves when they realised they were nestled at the edge of a deep valley.

The teen’s weary gaze swept across its length below, taking a second to register the dirt trail and winding stream hidden beneath the swaying leaves and twisting bark.

The most eye-catching thing, however, was a bit to the left of them. On top of a miniature peak stood a statue that didn't look too different from the Barbatos ones he saw back home. The only difference was the person on it - a little girl sitting on a giant leaf. 

Is that the Dendro Archon?

He didn't get to mention it before Albedo commanded their attention. 

“There,” he said, his arm outstretched to the right, pointed at a far off collection of buildings and bridges built around a huge tree. “That's our destination,”

The adventurer looked at the series of huts. 

“Where’s that?”

The alchemist looked back emotionlessly. “I believe it is Gandharva Ville,"

Bennett blinked.

“Wait, the place Collei told us about?”

“Well I hope it is. We followed the directions she gave to the best of our ability. Unless we somehow missed another village along the way this should be it,”

“Oh,”

He looked back down at the village. It looked… empty. Not a single soul in sight beyond birds that flew overhead. 

It was unnerving to him. Not just here, but the ruins and stuff before it too. They had been in Sumeru for about a week now, yet the only collared encounter they found since leaving Liyue was that night with the green and violet ones fighting each other. 

It was the complete opposite compared to the Harbour. No patrols, and the settlements are deserted too?

Where is everybody? 

“We’re awfully close to the Chasm,” commented Beidou.

Everyone collectively turned to look the other way, catching the familiar bladed cliffs above. 

“Huh, we are…” said Xiangling.

“Ain’t that interesting, Bennett?”

He turned to the sailor. Her brow was furrowed at him.

This is getting really annoying.

“What’s your problem this time?”

Her pupil narrowed. 

“Nothing much. Just find it funny that this mysterious forest ranger that only you met told us to come here. That’s all,”

He clenched his teeth, but said nothing more. He won’t let her win like that. 

“Are you two done?” asked Albedo.

Beidou stepped forward. 

“Never even started. Let’s go,”

She showed no hesitation in drawing her claymore and jumping down, using the weapon to cleave into the cliff face and slow her fall. The noise of metal grinding steel made Bennett’s head ache. 

Xiangling followed her, drawing her weapon as well and plunging down. Rosaria followed suit, and Ayaka dissolved into ice and moved along the face itself. 

Bennett knew his luck. Further along the cliff was a slightly safer path with more flat hilltops to stop at. He considered it, and shared a look with Albedo-

Nevermind. Albedo was already at the bottom. 

…

The adventurer sighed and took the longer path. He did feel vindicated descending the smaller drops, considering how he tripped and faceplanted into the mud twice, but it still drained his already low energy. 

His final landing ended up being behind one of the huts. He jogged around it and stopped in the middle of the village road, looking across the landmarks to see if he could catch any sign of the others.

“And where were you?”

That came from Beidou. 

He turned around, catching sight of the woman glaring at him from underneath an arch-shaped root a bit further back. 

Bennett ignored the question and asked his own.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Already looking around,” she said.

Right. But why was she just standing there?

“Are you done looking already?”

Beidou scoffed.

“Not looking, just keeping an eye out for any dangers - you’re the biggest one so far,” 

There she went again. Bennett couldn't stop the frustration from bleeding into his tone.

“What do I have to do to get you to stop this?”

Her lips thinned.

“Well you can start by following us down here instead of going your own way. Not a good look,”

“I took the safer path. Bad luck makes climbing down cliffs dangerous-”

“Finish that sentence and you’re dead,”

The edge in her threat was loud and clear, but completely abrupt. Bennett blinked.

Where the heck did that come from?

He was reaching his limit with this woman. Everything he said or did was met with ridiculous scrutiny and aggression. And it was all because of a stupid misunderstanding her stupid head refused to stupidly realise!

Bennett considered giving a warning of his own, but a hand on his shoulder held him back. Its sudden owner spoke with an icy tone.

“Threaten him again and you’ll be the same,”

Beidou laughed disbelievingly

“Can’t you two go five minutes without jumping to defend each other?”

Rosaria shook her head.

“Not until this ridiculous paranoia stops,”

“I think it's justified, considering the facts,”

“Don’t treat your delusions like they’re the truth,”

“And don’t be surprised when this blind support bites you in the ass,”

Thus their regular routine of staring each other down commenced. Despite how long this whole conflict had been going on there was no signs of it ending any time soon. 

Why is she like this? 

Bennett knew he was the reason Beidou was so aggressive to begin with, but that didn’t make the whole situation any less annoying. What started as him wanting to make peace between the two devolved into a game of patience against a vindictive woman. 

“Go search the village, Bennett,”

He looked at Rosaria after she gave the command. She hadn’t taken her eyes off her opponent. 

“Okay…” he said. “Are you staying here or…?”

“Going wherever this one’s going. If she’s insistent on keeping tabs on you, then I’ll do the same for her,"

“Oho, I’m just ‘this one’ now?”

He spun to Beidou. Her look was dark, and her tone dangerous.

“Fine. Run along, kid. Doubt you’ll be able to beat the others if your friend’s busy watching me anyway,”

How benevolent of her. 

Bennett watched Rosaria strut from his side to the rooted arch, where she firmly leaned back against it and folded her arms. Beidou did the exact same with the other side and mirrored her perfectly, their sights stayed on each other the whole time. 

The teen sighed, but let it happen. He was just done with it at this point. 

Shuffling around on the spot to face Gandharva Ville again, his eyes naturally set on the giant tree ahead. He only looked at it for a couple of seconds, however, before his attention was drawn to the small cabin right beside him.

The lights were on, and he could hear the sounds of someone tinkering inside. 

Only one person really came to mind.

And so the adventurer entered the abode, and caught Albedo standing in front of a desk. The alchemist was currently sifting through a book, and didn’t stop reading it as he was greeted.

“Hey, Albedo,”

“Bennett. How has your search been?”

He scratched the back of his head.

“Well I kinda just started. Took the long way down to be safe,”

He hummed.

“I see,”

“How about you? Find anything yet?”

He hummed again.

“Nothing immediately useful, but it hasn’t been fruitless either,”

Albedo looked up from the book and gestured to a noticeboard just to the right of the adventurer. Bennett saw the various insects pinned to it and started to get an idea of what this place was.

“Is this some researcher’s house?”

The knight nodded, lifting the book in a gesture to bring attention to it.

“Not just a researcher, but the Chief Forest Ranger’s too,” 

That sounded… really lucky. 

He held his breath.

“So we should find some sort of clue, right?”

“It’s possible, though Tighnari’s journal lacks any mention of the current situation. Its help will be limited, I’m afraid,”

Tighnari?

“Wait, do you know this guy?”

“Not personally,” denied Albedo. “Though I have exchanged letters and samples with him for my research before. Our professions and locations made trading worthwhile for both sides,”

“Makes sense, I guess... So that journal doesn’t have much?”

“Sadly not. It’s information is a bit outdated,”

He blinked. 

“How so?”

“There are Withering Zones listed here,”

Withering Zones. Bennett remembered them being mentioned before. 

“Those super dangerous areas, right? What, are there more than you expected?”

“No - it’s closer to the opposite,”

What? 

Albedo walked over to him, and gestured to the page he was looking at. Bennett followed his lead, and caught the big ‘NEW WITHERING ZONES’ scrawled at the top of it.

He read on.

1 - South of Gandharva Ville - Iraj CLEARED

2 - North of Mawtiyima, South of Bayda Harbour - Rana

3 - East of the Akademiya, South of Lumberpick Valley Entrance - Tighnari

4 - West of Mawtiyima Forest, East of Palace of Alacazarzaray - Collei (+ myself?)

That last one caught his eye.

“Collei?”

Albedo gave him a look.

“Is that surprising?”

“Well… yeah! She’s mentioned in the Chief Forest Ranger’s journal, after all,”

“Because she was a forest ranger,”

And Bennett already knew that.

Nevermind. 

He suddenly felt very sheepish, but thankfully Albedo didn’t let him dwell on it. He pointed at the book again, directing his attention to the third location. 

“This one mentions Lumberpick Mill,”

If Bennett remembered right that was…

“The valley we went through to get here?”

“Yes, it was. We also combed through that area in our initial search, but didn't find any Withering Zone,”

Okay…

“So the Rangers cleared it?”

“I don't think so. Otherwise Tighnari would have crossed it off like the first one here,”

“But couldn't he have just forgotten to?”

“Somehow I doubt a person like him would be the careless sort,”

So a Withering Zone was cleared by someone else. Collei seemed likely. Or maybe it disappeared on its own? 

He wasn't sure. In all honesty he was struggling to see why it mattered.

Bennett asked the big question.

“Then… what does this all mean?”

Albedo just sighed, his eyes suddenly growing more weary.

“More unanswered questions,”

…Great.

With that depressing reveal the conversation ended, and the two were left standing in the Ranger’s cabin without anything to say.

The Chief Alchemist didn't let the awkwardness fester, but he did so by bringing up an even more awkward topic.

“While we have the chance, is there anything you'd like to discuss, Bennett?”

Bennett gave him a look.

“Not really? What brought this on?”

Albedo turned away, his eyes trained on the insect-adorned noticeboard.

“I suppose I want to keep what little unity our group has intact. I was admittedly strict with you regarding that wanderer in the cave, and wanted to see if there's any ill will over it,”

This took a turn.

Bennett, despite getting caught off-guard, asked it without hesitation.

“Why did we have to leave him behind?”

He wasn’t scoffed at, but still given the obvious answer.

“Why take him with us? Any of our questions was met with rejection, aggression or suspicion,”

“But still, to just leave him like we did… we could have at least given that guy a chance against the collared,”

“It was for the best that we didn’t,”

He stilled.

That was so uncaring, even though it was a human being they were talking about.

And for Albedo to say it?

“How could you-”

“Bennett, you trust me, correct?”

The teen grit his teeth at the interruption. Why does everyone cut him off?

Still, his patience was kept and he answered.

“Yeah.”

Albedo faced him again, and the look he had was shockingly stern. 

“So believe me when I say that him joining us would have spelled the end. I saw nothing but malice and hatred in his eyes. He would have likely killed anyone that stood in his way without a second thought,”

He didn’t try to hide his incredulousness.

That just sounded like excuses to him. Albedo was probably right - he knew that - but they didn’t even give the wanderer a chance to prove himself. It was a situation the unlucky adventurer was all too familiar with back home.

He pushed his rising annoyance aside, though. Albedo wanted to mend any problems between them, not make them worse. 

So Bennett decided to move the conversation into something he was sure they’d agree on.

“Guess it puts your idea about freeing the collared into perspective, doesn’t it?” he asked. 

The knight looked at him curiously.

“Which idea?”

“You know, the one about nearly killing them so the collar will turn off or whatever. If that guy was like you said he’d do it without a second thought,”

Bennett gave a weak chuckle. It wasn’t reciprocated.

“No he’d kill them. Not try to save them,”

The adventurer blinked. That felt like it was phrased weirdly, but he didn’t know exactly how.

His next words were chosen as carefully as his sleep-deprived thoughts could format.

“Yeah, and that'd probably happen if we did it too,”

Albedo paused.

Then answered.

“We don’t know that,”

With that simple statement, the air cooled. Bennett gawked at him for a moment, genuinely wondering if he heard that right. There was just no way…

“Are… are you still thinking about it?”

A sigh. 

“As a last resort, yes,”

…

…

…

The teen’s response was abrupt and loud.

“No! Like seriously if we did that-”

“I know the dangers and consequences, Bennett,”

Albedo shot an uncharacteristic glower. His darkened look emphasised features that Bennett hadn’t noticed until now. 

Shadowed eyebrows.

Cut, dry lips.

Frayed hair. 

His skin was still immaculate. His face still lacked any wrinkles.

But Albedo looked exhausted all the same.

“I know it’s inflicting harm onto an innocent person that can’t control their actions,” he said. “I know just how much we could lose if we fail. I know how inhuman all of it is,”

He began to count with his fingers.

“But we have been here a week now, and what do we have to show for it? Sleepless nights, fatigued bodies and restless minds. There’s a new type of collar we have to learn about. The only uncollared people we have encountered were a forest ranger only you met, and a man who nearly killed myself, Ayaka and Xiangling,”

“Absolutely none of that has contributed to our investigation. We have made no progress, and this village your friend pointed us to is looking to be the same story. I want to hope, Bennett, but I also understand that our hopes aren’t prophetic. Reality is always a different story,”

Albedo took a deep breath, and eased his glare. What he finished his rant with shook Bennett to his core.

“And yes. I’m aware it could be Klee I face,”

…

Just what was he supposed to say to that?

“I… I don’t…” he blubbered, for once happy to be interrupted. 

“You don’t have to debate me just yet, Bennett. I have not reached that desperation. Though…”

The man didn’t finish that sentence. He just let its heavy implications hang in the air. 

Along with the cold, cold air.

The next thing he did was return to the desk he originally stood at. Bennett didn’t stop him.

“I take it Beidou and Rosaria are busy keeping a lookout?”

That came out of the blue. His response needed a second to be said.

“H-How’d you know?”

“Neither are trailing you,” he answered simply. 

“…Right,” 

“Ayaka and Xiangling are probably still searching the main building as well. Can you tell them all to meet here when they finish their own sweeps? Whether we find something or not by then won’t matter - we’’ll leave regardless,”

Bennett moved on autopilot, weakly agreeing with the Chief Alchemist’s request and promptly leaving the hut without acknowledging the “Thank you,”

He just… he couldn’t believe-

He thought he convinced him how… wrong that train of thought was. He thought he wasn’t the only one here who still wanted to look for other ways.

But the past week was convincing him otherwise. 

The adventurer silently marched up to the biggest building - a big shack nestled in a giant tree. Smaller pods hung off the branches overhead, though he didn’t know how to get to-

Something moved in the corner of his vision. 

Bennett spun on his heel, Lion’s Roar drawn wobbly. 

There was nothing there. Just swaying bushes and trees.

He stared for a moment, before sighing and sheathing his sword.

More mind tricks…

There was no collared nearby. 

By some miracle they left this place alone. 

Nothing will jump out at him. 

He needed to relax.

He really needed to relax…

Slapping his cheeks lightly, Bennett stomped purposefully to the main building. 

As he reached the plank walkway leading to the front door, he heard voices inside.

Who they belonged to wasn’t surprising, but their loud volume was. 

“I have to face the truth! TWO different people said it!”

“How do you know that’s the truth!? We haven’t-”

“I KNOW THE TRUTH! Stop forcing me to avoid it!”

His hand stopped short from pushing the door open. That last yell was shrill, and Ayaka’s voice had cracked during it.

What were they talking about? 

Should I be interrupting this?

Maybe he could give them a minute-

A sudden gust of wind blew from nowhere. The door shot open with a snap, swinging into the wall before creaking back, one hinge broken.

Ah. 

There went that plan. 

Bennett looked both girls in the eye.

Xiangling glared at him furiously.

Ayaka stared at him with mortified tears. 

Bennett gawked back, at a loss for words.

A beat.

He coughed into his hand.

“Uh… Albedo said to meet at the house he’s checking out when you’re done-”

“Excuse me,”

The Inazuman’s voice was weak as she rushed past him, her head bowed. He didn’t even have a chance to check on her.

He turned to the only other occupant of the house.

“You alright?”

She huffed and stormed past him as well, looking straight ahead while doing so. 

…

“Well alright then…”

Ayaka’s probably not going to talk to him for a while now. Intentional or not, he did barge into their argument at the worst moment.

He counted mentally in his head, and sighed despondently. 

Albedo and Rosaria were the only ones who’d be willing to talk to him now, and the former of which was considering something that made his stomach turn.

Just great. 

Bennett sighed, cursed his luck, and wearingly moved to follow the other two. He should probably check the main building, but he also didn’t care at this point. If there was something important the other two would’ve found it. 

So the boy just left the building he only arrived at without looking back. 

The four girls were all gathered outside Tighnari’s house, where most stared each other down (Ayaka avoided any eye contact altogether).

Bennett nestled himself between Rosaria and Beidou without a word, keeping his gaze on his feet as he waited for Albedo to come.

Nothing was said between anyone. Only a tense silence existed, permeated by a sense of uncertainty.

What now? The only lead they had was looking to be a dead end. Do they keep searching? Do they move on? Will the next place be just as deserted? Where is the next place? 

Just what can they do?

A door opened behind him.

“Ah, everyone’s gathered. Good,”

He lazily looked up at Albedo, unable to stop the queasy feeling he felt at the sight of the alchemist. Their talk refused to leave his mind. 

The man closed the door and strolled down, stopping a few feet away from everyone else. 

“Has anyone found anything?” he asked.

Bennett shrugged his shoulders. The only one to give a verbal answer was Beidou. 

“We found jack shit. Honestly this whole trip was a waste of time,”

He could feel her eye on him. It was a numb sensation now. 

“Maybe not,” said Albedo.

huh?

Everyone perked up at that, Bennett especially. Did he find a clue?

That question was answered right away. Albedo pulled out Tighnari’s journal, flipping through it until he got to what he wanted, and promptly held it out in presentation. 

The five stepped forward and read what was hastily scrawled across an otherwise empty page. 

Across the stream. Under the bed.

The adventurer unconsciously followed the first direction, turning his head and landing his gaze on that hut over at the other side of the valley. A quick look down confirmed that it was indeed ‘across the stream’.

Albedo walked into his field of vision again, pointing to that very house.

“Let’s do one last check before we leave. Our trip may not prove fruitless after all,”

The building wasn’t tiny or anything. It was bigger than his room back in the Guildhall.

But it was clearly not supposed to house six guests. 

The five of them stood on the other side of the cramped interior, waiting patiently as Albedo looked under the bed. Bennett did his best to avoid touching anyone, and tried to occupy himself by looking at the various fairytale novels on the shelf beside him.

It wasn’t exactly interesting, but it kept him out of Beidou’s sight so it was good enough.

When the timing felt right he quickly glanced at everyone to gauge their moods.

Rosaria was indifferent as always. 

Xiangling angry.

Ayaka somber.

Beidou stone-faced.

There was nothing positive to be felt. Everyone looked ready to pass out. 

In all fairness, he probably looked the same. The idea of falling asleep on one of the nice, cosy beds was so tempting. Even if it meant facing more images of Fischl, Razor and Barbara the adventurer knew the comfort would be worth it.

…

Maybe he could bring it up? Just one night, in proper beds. No collared would arrive in their sleep either since his bad luck turned off when he was unconscious. 

Just one night. 

Just one-

“Archons…”

Albedo’s exclamation was barely above a whisper, yet it grabbed the group’s attention with a grip like no other.

That was the most hopeful-sounding thing Bennett heard in weeks.

“What is it?” asked Rosaria. 

The alchemist slowly exited from underneath the bed. He turned to face them, but his eyes wouldn’t leave the small device he held delicately in his palms.

It was a small black and green trinket, with four sides and about the size of a vision. Bennett heard Beidou gasp quietly. She was seemingly the only one to recognise it.

Albedo stayed crouched and kept talking quietly, almost as if he was afraid his voice would damage the thing.

“It’s… It’s an Akasha Terminal,”

Again, Beidou was the only one to react, this time letting out a quiet “Shit…”

Xiangling spoke for everyone else.

“And what's an Akasha Terminal?”

“One of, if not the most powerful device the Sumeru scholars ever invented,” the knight explained. “It’s what they use to share and acquire information. If one of us puts this on we might be able to find all the answers we needed,”

Bennett’s eyes widened.

“Wait, so we can just get our answers now? Just like that?”

“Provided someone uploaded those answers then yes - just like that,”

“What's it doing here?” Asked Beidou. “I thought they only worked at Port Ormos or the Akademiya,”

“It’s likely planted here from whoever gave that clue,” answered Albedo, giving a pointed look to Bennett. “Most likely your forest ranger friend, considering that she pointed us here to begin with,”

The adventurer’s heart swelled. So Collei hadn’t just left them to search blindly. She knew there was something here and gave them a chance. 

“Then this is it, right?” he asked. “We’ll find the truth behind all this?”

“Not everything, but-”

“Hold on,” 

Rosaria’s tone was commanding as she stepped forward.

“How do we know this isn’t a trap?”

The question was like a bucket of water splashing over Bennett, and he deflated. He let his excitement get the better of him.

But he still had a reason to hope. It probably wasn’t a trap because…

“Albedo said it was probably Collei that left it, though. Why’d she try to get us in trouble with the collared?”

“You tell us,” muttered Beidou. 

He ignored the dig through grit teeth.

“It has a high likelihood to be a trap, yes,” 

Albedo’s response caused a collective moment of stunned silence, which he himself broke. 

“But-”

“Odds are the collared will detect us when we use this and where,” cut off the alchemist. “The moment we search for something we’ll have to be ready to move,”

Bennett stilled.

“Wait, the collared will be after us if we use this?”

“Yes, they will,”

…

“So why haven’t you dropped it yet?” asked Rosaria. Bennett didn’t like the slightly panicked look in her eyes. 

Albedo looked at them all seriously.

“Because I intend to use it,”

Immediate protests from both Rosaria and Beidou erupted at the same time. 

“Not a chance,”

“Are you trying to get us caught!?”

He answered both simply.

“I am not trying to hamper us, but this is a risk we have to take,”

“But this risk is too big!” said Beidou. “What if this thing’s got some sort of abyssal curse?”

“I have a feeling any form of corruption won’t have an affect on me,”

Rosaria scoffed.

“Why would you think that? Something you’re not telling us?”

Albedo didn’t answer that one right away. 

“Just a hypothesis. One I am going to prove with this,”

“And what if you get poisoned, and we have to face the collared without you?”

“Then it’s an avenue you know not to try again,”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Yes, it is,”

Albedo stared down Rosaria, before moving his piercing gaze at each of them one by one. Bennett could see cracks of anger through his calm facade. 

Though he hid most of it, the alchemist was clearly at his wit’s end. It was a genuinely unnerving sight. 

His voice was low, but so… uncharacteristically shaky. 

“What have we achieved after a week’s travel? Continuous nightmares? Ruins and abandoned villages? The collared know we are here. It’s quite frankly a miracle we have managed to avoid patrols even with misfortune following us,”

Was that-

“I am well aware of what using this will likely lead to, but I am also aware of what leaving it behind will lead to as well. Do you want to directly infiltrate the Akademiya?”

“Just wait a minute!” said Xiangling. “We have so much left to explore. There’ll be plenty of chances before we have to even consider getting into the-”

“Then go do that,”

A beat.

Xiangling growled, and Beidou's face darkened.

“Say that again,” dared the sailor.

The knight’s face didn’t change.

“I said go find these chances if you’re so willing. That goes for all of you. I will not stop anyone from leaving right now if they want to part ways. I cannot, and will not, hold any ill will for that choice,”

His sharp gaze lowered back onto the little trinket.

“But I am going to try this terminal, because if I don’t I will have to resort to desperate measures,”

Desperate measures?

What he said back at the hut entered Bennett’s mind. 

The boy gulped.

If that was the other option then maybe… maybe they could try it? For just like, ten seconds and then book it for the woods right after. They’d not be able to return to Gandharva Ville, sure, but if they got what they needed then…

It was a slim, slim chance, but things never went his way anyway. Besides, he really didn’t want to do this, so that would mean his bad luck would make it happen anyway.

Better it happens under our control than out of it. 

Bennett slowly stepped forward, his heart weak, but set.

“I’ll stay with you,”

Beidou laughed.

“Oh now, I know this is a bad idea,”

He shook his head.

“I don’t like it either but if-”

“Of course you like it, stop lying!”

“Stop interrupting me! Let me speak for once!”

The older woman moved towards him, but was stopped by a dragontooth-tipped spear. She glowered at Rosaria.

“And we were doing so well for a minute there. Guess you can’t let that lapdog trait go, huh?”

The nun simply glared back.

“Not until you stop threatening a child,”

“When did I threaten him?”

“You stepped towards him,”

“Oh so that's a ‘threat’ now?”

“Why not? You lost your temper over less,”

Beidou’s hand raised towards her claymore.

Bennett realised where this was going far too late.

Uh oh. 

Ayaka, in an act of either bravery or stupidity, stumbled between everyone and made an attempt to steer things back.

“Maybe we should have another vote-”

“Stop.” interrupted Rosaria. “Just shut it with your voting nonsense!”

Out of nowhere Xiangling stepped around the swordswoman, her spear out and its tip dangerously sparking as she did so. 

“Hey, leave her alone!”

Rosaria gave her a look.

“Put down that thing before you get hurt,”

A dangerous, challenging grin flashed on the chef’s face, looking absolutely manic with her wild, shadowed eyes. She took one step forward.

Bennett rushed to intercept with inhuman speed and managed to stop her from attacking. He could feel the heat from her. The chill from behind him. The electricity crackling overhead.

This had to stop!

“Hey, hey, hey! Everyone needs to calm down here. Let’s just put down our weapons and-”

“Why should I?” asked Xiangling, her eyes not leaving Rosaria. “She’s done nothing but argue against… EVERY little thing we do, from where we go to where we sleep to- to how we eat! Not to mention her cutting me. That's right - I haven’t forgotten about that!”

Bennett tried his best to give a firm look despite the chaos.

“But you should, because she apologised for that!”

He expected Xiangling’s anger. The incredulous laugh was a different story. 

“When has she ever apologised to me?”

He opened his mouth to answer, only to close it when he realised he didn’t know himself.

A worrying possibility crawled into his head.. 

Things slowly became quieter, or was it the world falling out of focus?

The adventurer looked around, desperate to be reassured that what he thought wasn’t the case.

Ayaka was stoically tired.

Beidou didn’t even try to humor him.

And Rosaria… 

She was looking away.

His voice faltered.

“Rosaria, you apologised… right?”

The nun stared ahead, refusing to face him.

“Like you had to have done it. You promised me, after all,”

He held his breath.

She sighed.

“No, I didn’t apologise,”

…

Snap.

It didn’t matter, did it? He made an effort to stay positive against their odds, but the nightmares had just beaten reality into him more and more. He promised to save everyone, but ended up abandoning a stranger to be collared. 

And he tried - despite his exhaustion he tried so damn hard - to repair his friendships, to make peace between everyone, to just stop this group from splitting apart.

But what’s the point when everyone else was doing their best to undo all that work!?

Bennett lost it.

“Why!?” he asked. “You said you would - you promised you would! You said you did it!”

The nun had the audacity to roll her eyes, as if he was the problem!

“Do you think this is the time to worry about stupid things like hurting each other's feelings?”

What!?

“Nothing’s too big to stop a quick ‘I’m sorry’. I’ve said it loads of times - to my teammates, friends, and even complete strangers. Even when we’re being chased by something or lost or in a ditch I still said it! ”

“And did they all forgive you?”

“Most did, yeah.”

“But not all, right?”

“Do you think Xiangling wouldn’t have it in her to forgive you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you don’t know her at all!”

The nun’s fingers dug into her neck and she let out a harsh breath. 

“Fine. I guess I’ll have to spell it out for you after all,”

Her spear thrust to Xiangling, who was still standing behind Bennett.

“That girl hates me,”

Then to Beidou.  

“I hate her, and she not only hates me…”

And lastly to him.

“...but you too. Our opinions are set, so what. is. the. point?”

He did not hesitate.

“The point is to work together, and we have no choice about that either! This job isn’t something we can just… pick and choose people over! Every friend counts here,”

A scoff. A scoff!

“And some friends are more of a load than others-”

CRACK!

Bennett’s fist hit the table hard enough to make even Beidou jump. His own shock at what he did wasn’t enough to stop his exploding fury.

“Oh shut up already! Just shut up!”

Rosaria stared at him, stunned.

He stared back and took a breath before continuing, trying (and failing) to control his tone.

“Look Rosaria, I don't know what made you this way but you can't keep acting like this. Not if you want to survive here-

“Is that a threat?”

Her voice was quiet, but had a killer’s edge. It made him pull back.

Bennett tried to respond, but Rosaria’s CLACKING heel was loud and piercing enough to cut him off. She pushed into his personal space, leaning down to look him in the eye. Barely an inch was between them, and her glare stabbed through. 

When she spoke it was with uncharacteristic emotion.

“I managed to survive just fine without you. Don't act like my moral compass. You have no right. No right!”

“And why not?”

And the temperature went into freefall. Rosaria’s glower wavered from his response, yet Bennett didn’t even so much as blink. This was dangerous territory, and his last (and arguably closest) friendship here was very close to burning away.

But he was too fed up to care at this point. 

The adventurer hardened his look.

“Apologize to Xiangling.”

The nun toughened hers.

“Make me, kid.”

…

…

…

He moved to-

Thump! Thump! Thump!

-crash straight into the wall behind him as Ayaka appeared from nowhere and shoved him off his feet.

Golden light blinded him. His back flared as it slammed into the timber and landed on his ass. Bennett’s head snapped to look at the swordswoman that pushed him, ready to ask just what-

She was stuck in the ceiling, gasping and spluttering.

The roof frame snapped and creaked above her.

A stone flower pinned her from below. 

What the-

He looked to Albedo. He wore the Akasha Terminal.

Its glow was violet.

His eyes were the same. 

List of Confirmed Collared

Arataki Itto

Baizhu

Barbara

Candace

Dehya

Diluc

Diona 

Dori

Eula

Fischl

Ganyu

Gorou

Hu Tao

Jean

Kaedehara Kazuha

Kaeya

Kamisato Ayato

Keqing

Klee

Kujou Sara

Kuki Shinobu

Layla

Lisa

Nahida

Nilou

Ningguang 

Razor

Sangonomiya Kokomi

Shikanoin Heizou

Sucrose

Thoma

Tighnari

Venti

Xingqiu

Xinyan

Yae Miko

Yanfei

Yelan

Yoimiya

Yun Jin

Zhongli

Chapter Text

Bennett's thoughts were still.

For a moment that felt eternal he witnessed the scene before him. 

Ayaka coughed and spluttered as the Solar Isotoma pushed all air out of her, a weak cry escaping every time the roof above creaked and splintered from the crushing force. 

Albedo stared lifelessly, crouched on one knee and his violet eyes apathetic to the pain he was inflicting on what should be an ally. A friend. 

And the adventurer just stared at the spot where he himself once stood. 

That attack was meant for him. The flower spawned right where he had been standing. If the swordswoman didn’t jump in…

A beat.

The construct disappeared, and Ayaka slammed into the timber floor with a thump and a crack. She was motionless.

Bennett locked eyes with Albedo.

His mind restarted. 

Move!

He shot up onto his feet and grabbed his sword.

Then he blinked, and Albedo was suddenly in front of him.

Wha-

Hot pain.

CLANG!

He moved his arm on instinct. It stopped the alchemist’s sword mid-slice and ended up saving his life, but the damage done was still enough to make him scream. 

Albedo wasted no time retracting his white blade - now stained red - and hastily followed up with another strike.

A sheet of ice stopped it just short.

Bennett took his chance to stumble back, and Rosaria jumped in between to stab Albedo right as he shattered the wall apart. 

Her spear pierced through his chest, and like the collared he didn’t show any reaction. He simply stepped back and worked on the defensive.

Beidou jumped into the fight, swinging her claymore into Albedo’s side with a mighty roar. 

It met air as Albedo suddenly launched himself with another Solar Isotoma. Landing behind the sailor he was suddenly facing both on the one front.

Every problem the women had with each other was forgotten in the face of a common enemy and they began a united spar against the collared knight.

Bennett took his chance to check on Ayaka. He sprinted over to her, reaching her side right as Xiangling rushed over as well. Rolling the prone girl onto her back and pressing her head to her chest, a quick sigh of relief escaped the Liyuean as she hurriedly began to lift her up.

“She's breathing! Help me carry her!”

He complied without protest.

“Where are we taking her?”

“I don't know, just get her away from the middle of the room!”

The two dragged her over to the table, all misgivings put aside in favour of helping their friend. The moment she was let down the adventurer dropped his Fantastic Voyage in their little corner and whirled around.

“Keep an eye on her, I'll fight Albedo!” He said.

“Just wait a minute-”

“Trust me, he's gonna go after me so stay away!”

“But-”

He rushed to join the three combatants. The inspiration field didn’t reach the other side of the room, he’ll have to just take the hits while it heals Ayaka.

Rosaria saw him approach, and her eyes flicked to catch him. 

It was only a split second of distraction, yet Albedo took advantage of it all the same.

A Solar Isotoma manifested beneath her, and the nun was launched into the ceiling.

She didn't hit it. Instead, another inverted stone flower forcefully redirected her back down in a different angle. Again, a construct manifested and she ricocheted once more.

It happened over and over. Rosaria’s body shot in all sorts of directions, bouncing between  isotoma like a harpastum hitting launch pads. Every one the noise grew louder. Every one she moved faster. It all culminated in one final crash as the nun shot into the floorboards in an explosion of planks and splinters.

What made things even more insane was that it all occurred in the span of a couple of seconds.

Everything was happening so fast. They just couldn’t react that quick. It was impossible.

The floor shook as Bennett ran forward. The house creaked all around him. He ignored it and ignited his sword, his run switching to a leap as he threw the blazing weapon ahead of himself.

His move backfired.

Albedo caught him in the corner of his eye and immediately grabbed Beidou by the hair, using his flower to throw himself back at an impossible speed while pulling the captain into the adventurer’s path. 

Bennett was in the air. He couldn't do anything to redirect or stop himself.

In a desperate manoeuvre Beidou raised her claymore, but it wouldn't be enough-

A purple shield appeared around her. 

It crackled with electricity.

Uh oh.

BOOM!

Blinding light, and pain.

The damage was somehow reflected, and now the adventurer changed course and hurtled backwards, slamming into the wall he had just been at with such force it made the structure snap, and the roof drop a foot. 

He blinked blearily, his senses overloaded, and the world took ages to be comprehensible again. 

In it he saw blue moving in a sea of brown, and it took a moment for him to realise that the scene in front of him was Ayaka trying to get back up through breathless gasps. 

Xiangling wasn’t with her. Where did she-

A whimper beneath him. 

He was sitting on someone. 

He scampered to the side, whirling so fast it made his dizzy head throb. 

The chef coughed furiously, just as winded as Ayaka. The side of her head bled. Even with his burst healing her it still looked pretty damaging.

He had slammed right into her, sandwiching the poor girl against the wall knocking her out of the fight for now. 

Dammit!

Could he do anything right!?

Bennett slammed the ground with his fist, and forced himself onto his knees. He wasn’t ready to get up yet, and he tried his best to catch his breath again.

Cautiously the adventurer glanced at the fighters. 

The battle had turned incredibly one-sided, but not in the way he expected.

Any construct Albedo created was almost immediately smashed apart by Beidou’s claymore, and his attacks were parried and returned twofold. 

The alchemist’s stance was that same defensive one Bennett saw other collared use before, yet it couldn’t do much against someone who also bided their time and relied on deflects and counters.

His opponent also had this problem as well, but it was actually lessened by the sheer power of her counters that did occur. 

Every swing looked effortless, yet they still hit with a heavy impact. Her strength wasn't like anything the adventurer had seen before.

In short, Beidou was sort of… kicking Albedo’s ass. 

It should have given him hope. It filled him with dread instead.

The space they stood in wasn’t big, and already pretty beat up. The fight in front of them was worsening the hut’s condition with every attack.

Beidou’s weapon chipped at the walls and roof. Albedo’s constantly smashing flowers made the building groan every time they slammed down, which was echoed as they got smashed into stoney shrapnel by a raging claymore. 

If this kept going then they’d all be crushed by the place falling on top of them.

His gaze moved down, and he saw Rosaria prone, clutching her bleeding side with one arm, and feebly trying to get back up with another. 

He had to get up and get her into his inspiration field before she got caught by a stray blow. It should heal her enough to get the nun back into the fight. 

He grabbed his dropped sword and sheathed it, readying himself to jump in and out at a moment’s notice.

CRUNCH!

“SHIB!”

That curse made him forget his plan. The adventurer’s head moved back to Beidou, his heart stopping. 

The sneak attack was so sudden and dirty. The moment she lunged forward for a weighted stab a stone boulder erupted from underneath the floorboards, seemingly drawing from the rock the building sat on. It hit her square in the face, breaking her nose amid a cloud of gravel and splinters. 

The captain roared, but couldn’t recover to stop Albedo’s sword piercing through her gut and out her back. 

He retracted the blade as soon as he stabbed it, and the woman fell against the wall, her stance wide and wobbly. 

Albedo moved in for the kill. 

Beidou wasn’t going to die so easily. 

In an act of pure adrenaline Bennett watched her grab the weapon by its blade and pull it to the side. Its wielder stumbled in the new direction, and he was unable to stop her fist from cracking down onto the back of his skull. 

He fell to one knee, and the captain tossed him onto his back, her claymore forgotten as she moved down on top of him and began to wail into the man.

Each punch was timed. Deliberate. Each one met his face with that same crack ringing into Bennett’s ears. 

She wasn’t stopping. 

She just kept going into him over and over. His face was becoming unrecognisable. 

Bennett’s throat was dry. His voice weak.

“Beidou stop!”

She didn’t listen. 

The adventurer needed to get over there now. Before she-

He summoned his energy and raised one arm to unleash an inspiration field a second time.

The building stopped him. 

The entire room suddenly lurched with a wailing creak that echoed all around him. Bennett’s stomach slammed into the floor hard and slid along it, unceremoniously stopping himself by accidentally hooking onto the boulder summoned earlier. He cried out as his back got pummeled from falling books and trinkets above him. He heard someone else yell too, and a quick look up revealed Ayaka and Xiangling having fallen and hit the wall beside the doorway. Beidou had slammed into its other side, and Rosaria on top of her. 

Said doorway didn’t reveal the world the way it used to either. Instead of a view out to the rest of the village it now showed the stream below. 

The cabin was tilting. It wouldn’t be able to take much more. 

A figure rose in front of the opening, blocking the exit. Albedo somehow didn’t fall out and held onto the doorframe, his gaze still that vacant lifeless look. 

If even one more attack was made inside it would be the end of them. They needed to get this fight outside asap.

The adventurer was in front of the door. The alchemist stood directly between them.

…

This is gonna suck.

Summoning his strength and ignoring the ringing in his ears Bennett rose. He could feel every muscle stretch. Every nerve sting.

It wasn’t anything new. He did the same with Eula. Even ignoring that, he had been through worse.

The moment he stood tall he didn't hesitate. The boy charged forward with a yell unlike any other. Albedo’s head snapped up, meeting his eyes far too late to react.

Bennett crashed into him without a second thought, sending both Mondstadters to careen out the building and hurtle through the air. 

The landing was anything but soft. Naturally the unlucky teen was the one to hit the riverbed and take the brunt of the dirt and water. Mud filled his mouth and he sprang up on instinct, coughing furiously to get oxygen into his system.

He couldn't get distracted here. Not when Albedo-

The alchemist had fallen off him at some point and kept moving, probably unable to stop himself from rolling further down stream. 

Bennett’s head swiveled chaotically, desperate to find his opponent but too panicked to focus. 

Where did he go!? Where-

Golden light. 

He stood tall directly ahead, his hand raised and glowing a bright amber. 

Bennett knew what was coming next. He wished it wasn’t.

He couldn’t get out of the way in time. His only option was to tank it.

The adventurer’s fist punched the riverbed, and he unleashed his Fantastic Voyage again, and not a moment too soon. 

The Tectonic Tide hit, and Bennett screamed.

Geo crystals tore his flesh, stabbed his limbs and bruised his skin. His inspiration field fought back, working overtime to burn the wounds shut as they happened. That hurt too. 

He clenched his teeth and wailed through them, waiting for the pain to end. 

The ordeal only lasted for a second, yet it had felt like an hour. 

But he did it.

The wave of rock had passed, and just his own burst remained. Bennett took deep breaths, letting his injuries be cauterized. 

In. out. In. out- 

creak. 

…

It came from behind him. 

He turned around, looking up at the cabin that loomed over the two.

creak.

It lurched again.

creak.

And again.

creeeeeeaaaaak.

And with one final snap it all came tumbling down. 

With Bennett being right in its path. 

Oh c’mon already…

Again, he wasn’t able to escape its path. All he could do was hunker down and let his inspiration field get him through this. Again. 

This village really sucked.

The adventurer held his breath, pressed his face down onto his knees and protected his head with his arms.

He wondered if he’d even survive-

Agony. 

The relentless onslaught of timber bludgeoning him and sounds of smashing wood around him flooded his senses so much he couldn’t think. Just feel.

Every plank.

Every fixture.

All of it crashing down.

Bennett roared into the night, yet it was too loud to hear himself speak. Survival instinct set in. He tried to get up and get away.

A beam struck him on the back and he faceplanted into the stream yet again.

His head was under the shallow surface. He gasped, but was punished with another mouthful of dirt and water.

He needed air.

But he couldn’t move. Whatever hit him pinned his body down.

Bennett craned his head as far back as he could, his neck aching. It was just enough to get small puffs, but not enough to avoid the splashing stream either. No more debris fell above him, but that didn't help the current situation. He was left spluttering and coughing, his mouth half in the water, and half out of it.

All the while stuck under debris.

His elemental burst was still active, but the strength it gave him wasn’t enough to lift himself either. He needed help. Where were the others? Did they get through that alright? 

Were they even alive now?

Quiet splashing grabbed his attention. Bennett looked in its direction, which was directly ahead. 

No, it was nearly on top of him at this angle.

Albedo stood tall with his sword drawn, staring down at him with that unnatural dead gaze worsened by the battered work Beidou did to his features earlier, the violet glow from his eyes and the Akasha terminal dwarfing the light of the night’s stars behind him. 

There was no collar in his hand. Bennett had a feeling why.

He began to hear groans from his allies amid the wreck around him. Most sounded weak. All were in pain.. 

The only one saving him here was himself. 

Bennett tried to lift his scrap prison one last time in a desperate bid to survive. It wouldn’t budge. 

He kept trying.