Chapter Text
Unsaid words were spoken once the light went dark.
[MELIANTHO]
Meliantho stood up, facing the man who called her his dearest. She could have said anything to him in this moment. Everything he was to her, she could have told him. But the girl did not wish pain upon him.
“Thank you for seeing through this performance with me, Monsieur Neuvillette.” She bowed. “We Hellenes will not be performing for a time. But you may come into contact with us, and…”
Neuvillette’s eyes met hers. In the past, they appeared to be like the ocean. Dark and terrifying to go under. He could see now, that if he were to swim to those depths, he will only find someone who was never given any sort of justice in life.
He said nothing.
“If you wish to contact us, my brother will be stationed in the Court of Fontaine. I will be stationed in Elynas.” Meliantho turned to the door.
Before she could leave, Furina rose. “Wait!” She yelled. “Would you…”
She looked back and forth between her and Neuvillette. Wasn’t it disturbing how both of them had become close earlier, and now they treat each other as lesser than that? What was happening?
“These two… why are they so distant all of a sudden? Earlier, they were bonding! Why?” she thought.
It was unfair. Completely.
“Lady Furina. You had something to say?” Snapped out of her haze, Furina stumbled for a while. “Huh?”
“I have to hurry for the curtain call.”
The lady of Fontaine did not know what to tell her. It would be awkward if she just told Meliantho to call for Neuvillette and him to call for her. She’d seen how the girl reacts to such implications.
Taking one small glimpse at her close friend, she witnessed something in his eyes.
From countless trials, she knew that there would be rain today.
“Would you please make contact with us often? Well, it doesn’t have to be the both of us. And I’m… eager to get to know you better.”
The young lady obliged. “Perhaps I will. Thank you, Lady Furina.”
A closed door. That’s all there was.
On one side, there were two long-lived friends. On the other, two siblings short of a man’s love.
“Did he say anything?”
Meliantho did not turn. She was quiet for most of the way back. Electryon’s lips noticeably moved as they walked, but almost none of his words registered to her. A few slipped through, such as ‘mission’ and ‘memory’ but she never replied.
“Are you going to say anything? You’re never quiet when confronted.” He stopped. With him, Meliantho did as well.
“I understand if you’re quiet because you either hate him or like him. But you two should start talking at some point. We’re not going anywhere with that attitude.”
“I know.” His sister replied stiffly.
“So? What’s keeping you tied up?” He leaned onto the wall. Meliantho looked at her brother, seeing just how he relaxed. Electryon looked stupid in her eyes. His posture was wrong. He’d tip over with a breeze.
“Unlike you, he isn’t basic.”
“Hah?”
She laughed. “Nothing.”
Compared to how most men stood awkwardly, Neuvillette never positioned himself that way. He wasn’t a wave, but a pillar. Unlike that trident that stirred the waves, with him, everything was clear. His hand over hers did not feel tainted.
Though much of her did not know it yet, Meliantho wanted to see him again.
Ignoring her flustered little brother, she went forward smiling.
The Iudex remained silent. But why did it seem like there would be no rain at all? Furina noticed his eyes quivering from side to side, trying to shift his focus onto something else.
Turning his way, she asked just one question.
“Were you about to tell her something?”
“No.”
For the first time in his life, he lied to himself.
She knew he was. Anyone could look at him and realize it.
“If you wanted her to know something… you can tell me first.”
He flinched. Hesitant, Neuvillette slowly lifted his eyes. What would he say to that? Would he lie again and say he had nothing? No. He can’t. She’d see through it. Listening to silence, Furina sat down.
“You don’t have to lie. Its not like I’m bad at keeping secrets, right?”
That was true. The last 500 years proved it so.
“Then how should I tell her that I love her?”
Furina wracked her brain for a few moments. How should he tell her without looking like a criminal? Looking back, Meliantho wasn’t fond of the concept of a romantic relationship with a man she just met. What kind of experienced adult would be?
She ended up spitting out something random.
“Ehem! I may not have fallen in love with anyone before, but I do know from watching multiple plays that the pair only gets together by the third act. I suggest that you wait for that time to come!”
Neuvillette’s brows rose in confusion. “What should I do in the second act, then?”
“Wha—”
Before she could say anything, the stage lit up for the curtain call.
[ANAXAGORAS]
Noise grew with the chatter of the people beside him. Anaxagoras would have ignored these mutterings had someone not cried at the end of the last song.
“He was—he was asking for—!” It was very bad. Tears were drying up like water in the desert.
“Whoa there, Kaveh. You look even worse than when you’re drunk.” Cyno did try to calm him down, albeit in an unhelpful way.
Tighnari sighed. “Great. Now you’re short circuiting.”
“I don’t care!”
Seeing him cry reminded Anaxibia of her other father. And of the outbursts he’d dish out if Laertiades was late for the stage. She tugged on his arm and he followed shortly.
“Hey, where are you going?” Kaveh tried wiping his face with his sleeves.
“To the stage. Where else do you think I’ll go?”
“Oh… right…”
Anaxibia got up from her seat and began dragging her father away. “Now that we’re done with that… time for us to go.”
“You’re going too, Sybbie?” Dehya asked.
“I was technically part of the scriptwriting team as a member of the royal house.”
Her father picked her up like a doll. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. And I remember that you fell asleep during the first script reading.”
“Because it was the only script reading. And I do want to go.”
Exasperated, her father set her down. “Fine. I don’t want to hear Caladon’s complaints anyway.”
Taking his child’s belongings, Anaxagoras told Sumeru’s audience:
“Do you have any more questions to ask?”
And a single, unfazed voice replied.
It should have been no surprise. Whenever he opens his mouth, he would keep baffling everyone who hears what comes out. Perhaps that was why Laertiades was willing to listen to every single word.
“After it's over, where exactly will you be focusing your attention next?”
And to even more surprise, he answered honestly.
“Nod Krai. Where the moon meets the earth.”
…
…
…
There was no need to hear what came out of the Teacher’s mouth. From the movement of his lips, Arlecchino knew it clearly. Eyes narrowing, she acknowledged the very brief shift of irises hurling to her direction.
The Knave reclined, much to Childe’s dismay.
“Now what?”
“Anaxagoras Laertiades’s primary mission, it seems… is the power of the Damselette. Once it is over…”
With crossed legs and a faint hint of a smile, she continued.
“We shall inform the Marionette of his upcoming arrival.”
[MNESTHEA]
Golden lines tinkered like chimes on a windy day. Taut strings played the normal sheets of today’s songs. The ones who hung freely touched the floor, at first sight appearing to be a goddess’s golden hair coming from the heavens.
The Oracle’s song ended. The tight gold relaxed and fell to the ground. Whispers could be heard from the threads that still hung.
“If you wish to contact us, my brother will be stationed in the Court of Fontaine. I will be stationed in Elynas.”
“We shall inform the Marionette of his upcoming arrival.”
Listening for more, Mnesthea was met only by the Nereids’ concerns.
“My lady…” Themisto pressed.
She did not flinch, and continued to weave her gold. The nymphs knew not to distract her, but the performance was over. “The curtain call is near.”
“I know.”
Melite came from the north side. “Everyone, including Teacher is already on stage. The daughter of Hermes and the Lady of Oaths are already there too.”
“Why do we still remain here?” said Autonoe.
The Oracle of Delphi smiled, holding a thread between her fingers. “I’m making something.”
“Making something?”
There was no loom. Yet she was weaving something in the air. “Do you still remember what I told you? The reason why I am here?”
“You… wanted to preserve the memories of our world within this one, correct? From how we understand it, you plan to weave our stories into the Ley Lines.” Autonoe let her head fall. “We don’t object to whatever you’re planning, considering the situation at home…”
“I am aware of what happened after Typhon's fall. But that is not why I am here. Nor am I simply weaving stories. Irminsul is a double edged-sword. And vulnerable to changes by the divine. Inserting a foreign culture into this world by force and changing the people’s views makes us no different from the tyrants.”
Mnesthea shaped the gold into a fine book. With a flick of the wrist, it split into twelve.
“This is my solution.”
She turned to Themisto. “Kindly inform Diadamia. I will give these to her myself. These books require her father’s blessing. Once your duty is done, you may return home.”
The three Nereids bowed. “As you wish, my lady.”
[DIADAMIA]
Sipping on her third cup of pomegranate juice, Diadamia could describe her friends to be more enthusiastic than usual.
“Can this blood get cleaned any faster?” Caladon tried scrubbing off the dried red on his hair. Tiny flecks sprinkled to the floor and slid away to a corner as Astacles’s hands moved them out of sight.
“If you stopped moving, maybe.”
“Fine.”
Then Euryphone came in from the same side of the stage. “Why’d you have to be the one to handle Nod Krai?” She yawned. “There’s something called the Wild Hunt running around in that area.”
“Anaxagoras said we’re better equipped for it.” Caladon shrugged.
“Really? Better than a follower of Artemis?”
And to answer her question, Anaxagoras himself had come.
“Observations confirm that the Wild Hunt is an army, not just a scattered group of monsters wandering the region.”
His husband smiled sardonically. “Ah, you’re here.”
Anaxibia stopped him. “Please don’t argue. Not now, and not when you’re in Nod Krai.”
Her father nodded rather sadly.
“An army? Led by whom? The Princess of the Abyss Order?” Astacles asked the Teacher, ignoring the red in Caladon’s hair.
“One of the Five Sinners of Khaenri’ah. The Rächer of Solnari. And he is after the power of the moon. And so if the Hunter of Artemis wishes to guide him towards it, all she must do is use her mistress’s power.”
“Stop it. You know that Artemis was only identified with Selene later, right?” Euryphone crossed her arms.
“You are a protector of both maidens and nature. The Rächer of Solnari will target you, and by extension, us. Our presence will alert the Abyss and register us as a threat. Which is why we must reform this world without the Abyss gaining the ability to fight back against us.”
“I get your point. But why Inazuma? I understand if we will head to Enkanomiya. It is a place very similar to our homeland. And I am aware that Tsurumi and Seirai are polluted with both divine and Abyssal energy that creates monsters, and that nature there is unstable, but why?”
“Who knows more than anyone what it feels like to try convincing warriors to see the bigger picture?”
She sighed, realizing his point.
“But they never listened. How do you expect them to help fix nature?”
Astacles had finished with the blood. He stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder.
“Isn’t that why I’m here? For the political side of this war?”
Her eyes rested. “Thank you for helping. And as for those two love crazed lunatics…” She turned her head to face a few colleagues.
“Why are they here?”
Diadamia broke the news. “Amphoreon and Kenome needed some alone time, considering they were apart for the entire rehearsal. So I brought Leucates and Nepenthe over to this side!”
“Did you really have to do that?”
“We’re not making out right now!” The director yelled.
“Okay, okay. But do you actually remember what your mission is?”
Leucates answered “Secure the trust and strength of the people of Mondstadt in the war against the Abyss. Even though the majority of the Knights of Favonius is in Nod Krai, there are still powerful Vision bearers in the city. Including Rhinedottir’s creation.”
All eyes went to Nepenthe. “And?”
Her shoulders went slack. “Aw… no stealing of alcohol.”
“Good.”
In Diadamia’s eyes, she was a mere spectator in her friends’ great plans. She may be the reason why they were able to come to this world, but there was nothing else for her to do but keep herself safe.
Unless it involved wealth and promises.
Her dark friend knew accordingly.
“Shh.”
Styx made small noises from the corner of the room.
Diadamia put her cup down after seeing her. She didn’t mind the currently arguing friends in the middle, it seems. The girl jumped off her box and silently ran over to the goddess.
“How are you, Styx? What do you want to discuss this time?”
Her long flowing hair wrapped around the girl’s hand. Placed onto her palm was a small gold coin. But there was no face of a king. “Mora?”
She chuckled. “From the hand of the God of Contracts himself.”
“Wait, you stole it? Have you been snooping around the Liyue section?”
The goddess laughed. “Aww… is the daughter of Hermes angered by my action?”
“No, of course not!” Diadamia shook her head. “I’m impressed, actually. When did you do it?”
“As a voice in his head.” Styx shrugged.
“Wow. But… why are you showing me this again?”
Her dark form rose. She loomed over the demigod, left hand over her red hair. “The Fatui Harbinger known as the Regrator seeks to change the flow of wealth around the world. And as the daughter of the God of Merchants, you wouldn’t stand by and do nothing, correct?”
“My mission is to make sure he doesn’t end up ruining Teyvat’s economy. And to make sure the Fatui don’t wreck the environment in the process. So yeah, I wouldn’t just sit there.” The redhead told the goddess like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Would you not want a friend to assist you?” She offered.
“I wouldn’t turn a goddess down, Styx. But that means you wouldn’t be coming home for a while.”
“My promise was to never become a hindrance to your goals. So there is nothing wrong with me assisting you, is there?”
“Alright, alright.” She rescinded. “Our initial plan is to bind the Regrator to you by oath to ensure the stability of both our alliance and Teyvat’s economy. Sound good?”
The goddess nodded. “Very much appreciated.”
By the time her darkness withdrew into the corner, three nymphs announced their presence.
“Lady Diadamia.”
Turning around, the first thing that met the demigod’s eyes were the golden books. “Are those—”
“Lady Mnesthea’s memoirs. All she needs is your father’s blessing.”
“Ah. Yes. Quills!” She plucked twelve feathers from her heels, yet they never lost any. White light grew out and reformed. With golden ichor were they signed in sanctity.
Diadamia held the twelve of them, letting them sprawl mid air.
“The quest for the salvation of Teyvat… is officially in our annals.”
Now that the Hellenes have taken their posts…
It was time for the Traveler’s would-be companions.
[KENOME]
Kenome looked on as her husband wiped his tears with a napkin. “Come on, come on. I’m here now, okay?”
“We are never doing that again.”
“Yes, yes, we are not. I promise.” She laughed.
“No one would even tell me where you were, Kenome!” Amphoreon’s face was covered entirely by the white fabric. “Can you tell me now, before we leave?”
His wife took the napkin off of her husband’s eyes, smiling all the way through. She folded her hands as she took his into hers. “Can you promise not to freak out?”
“I can’t make those kinds of promises. You know that, right?” He cupped her face. “I don’t care if you were in Celestia or in the Abyss. As long as you’re safe and undetected.”
Kenome’s face, however, puffed up. “Really?”
“Yes, I’m serious.”
“Ah, well, I was just next door.”
…
…
…
“What?”
“I was in the vicinity the whole time!” She said it so happily, Amphoreon had to ask a second time.
“What?”
“If I wandered someplace else, you wouldn’t be standing so still, would you?”
She covered her ears from his upcoming outburst. It was quieter than normal, considering they were still on the stage.
“Are you kidding me, Kenome?! I was worried for almost a month! You’re telling me you could have been spying on me the whole time we were apart?!”
“I wasn’t spying! Besides…” She embraced him tightly. It wasn’t warm enough to make him melt, but was tight enough to make him mull it over.
“I missed you too. Do you think I’d be so far away when you’re also anxious over me?”
“Well…”
Kenome buried her face in her husband’s chest. “We can see each other any time now. No matter what objective we’re fulfilling.”
Amphoreon sighed. “You’re right. Just don’t leave me without warning, okay?”
“I promise.”
There were a few seconds where they felt alone together. Alas, in such a place, that would be left for later. Fluttering of wings interrupted the couple’s embrace. “I’m sorry if I’m disturbing you two lovebirds.”
Amphoreon lifted his head and caught her landing. “Diadamia! What brings you here?”
“Don’t forget about Mnesthea now!” She walked over silently. “She wants every group to have at least one of these.”
In the girl’s hand was a book. Its pages’ edges were sprayed with gold, the cover colored blue and yellow. Kenome, once opening it, found a peacock feather inside. “And the contents are?”
“Everything you experience on your journey.”
Amphoreon put on a soft smile. “So this is it, huh? It’ll be a long time till we meet again.”
He touched the book, lifting it with one hand. “Did everyone accept gracefully?”
Diadamia walked towards a light switch. One flip, and tall forms of nine others appeared from the flickering white.
The huntress Euryphone twirled her braid. “Are you two done?”
“We don’t have all day for a single curtain call.” Astacles followed.
Leucates, in response, tried to speak to ease them. “Now, now, let them calm down. It’s not every day we do this.”
“He’s right. Loosen up!” The director Nepenthe was still drunk. It was obvious based on her eyes.
Anaxagoras sighed. “Can’t we just get on with it?”
His husband was about to say something, but then winced. Caladon shifted uncomfortably in response to his recent stab wounds. Mnesthea was distracted in wrapping his wrist in bandages to care.
“Mother, you’re cutting off his supply.” Anaxibia pointed out. To that, Mnesthea smiled like she knew what she was doing.
The siblings Meliantho and Electryon moved into position. They inserted themselves quite smoothly.
“We’re perfect. When will it fall?” said the lady loved by the water.
Amphoreon scanned the platform.
These were the Hellenes he knew. The children of Prometheus. Now, he wondered if his mentor was doing all right...
“Well then. That is good.”
Kenome stood in the empty space. “Count of three.”
“One…”
“Two…”
“Three.”
Music resounded once more as the curtain opened to the thirteen who gave themselves for this story. The Traveler stood up after seeing the red cloth move and Paimon jumped up from her chair when the sound blared to life again.
“What’s going on, Traveler? Is it an encore?”
“No…” Aether shook his head. “It’s a new start.”
From the center, Kenome stepped forward to give her words.
“Thank you, beloved viewers! We give you our utmost gratitude for seeing this performance through to the end.”
“In the beginning, you all came here expecting a hero’s journey. You were promised the story of a king’s homecoming. And in the end, what was promised to you was given. However, it was not a tale filled with joy, nor did it end with a perfect satisfaction. To make it to his happy ending, our hero made many sacrifices and shed much blood. Alas, it is not a hero’s journey at all. Heroes may perform the greatest of deeds, but who are they in the face of impossible choices? By then, we realized… that we follow the stories of mortals."
Kenome stopped to bathe them all in her gaze. From Mondstadt to Fontaine. From the smallest mortal to the high Archons.
She could only imagine the stories they will one day tell.
“More of our tales will be told. But now, we go on to our own adventures. Do not be sad, beloved viewers. We will not leave you the moment we are done. The journey that is life does not end with the hero’s close. And, please remember this: though you have all received the sign of divine acknowledgement, do not forget that you are capable of more than just your great ambition.”
Her eyes drifted between each of the Archons.
“Because, after all, you are no different than humans, right?”
She ended her speech, rising to the platform once again.
…
…
…
The Traveler stood up, and clapped his hands first.
The rest followed, and the hall went loud with the music of praise.
The Hellenes smiled in their own ways, and together bowed before the red curtain closed again.
Aether noticed, however, twelve items glow brightly in the darkened stage. Books. Each had their own patterns of different colors. The pages of every single one were sprayed with gold. He did not mind them, for the sight lasted only a few seconds.
What he did not know was the role they will one day play.
Even when the ones who write the stories are the greats, the truth remains. It will not be soldiers or kings who will save the world’s soul.
It shall be the ones who have known the meaning of humanity, while under the gods’ gaze.