NOCTURN BRIDE • genshin Impact | ✓

CHAPTER THREE.

their story wasn't a fairytale and yet, it wasn't a cliché one. their first obscure encounter, began in the midst of the midsummer war.

now, little apostle was never a damsel in distress nor a knight in shining. she'd be damned if she were, but she was far from it. nonetheless, here she was, lying down in the middle of a pile of corpses as a mindless doll, not knowing whether she was alive or dead.

she was just, there.

"hey~ are you alive?"

she was a child of war — a pheonix who lost it's wings, an angel who resided in hell, a devil that held a halo — tainted in the red stench of iron blood that embraced her as if it were her own kind. she was war, she was war, she was war.

"yahoo! can you hear me?"

now, war and gods never mix, if not they barely. the only exception was ares, holding a unique characteristic that portrayed violence, slaughter and brutality.

she was war.

"how rude... ignoring a god like me?" the girl could faintly hear the whispers from the breeze. ah, perhaps a benevolent angel that the unknown god has sent her arrived. it was her time to depart from teyvat into the world of abyss. "honestly, you'd need to learn some manners to respect your elders."

and war never ceased until the day teyvat collapses.

"i'm... alive?"

"of course you are!" a small huff was released, along with childish giggles. "did you really think you were dead?"

engulfed in silence, the girl stayed still as she slowly counted her breaths. watching her own chest rise, and fall. rise, and fall once more.

war was alive.

war was alive.

"yes."

war isn't dead.

"now, don't be depressing~" the tiny wisp-like creature cloaked in black cloak guised around the motionless girl. with a pair of mischievous and curious eyes, a sudden gush of wind swirled around the girl. "let me show you something amazing to lift your mood!"

the girl allowed the wind to embrace her tiny figure — who was she to retaliate? a small girl like her, who wasn't even convinced with the fact that she was alive, could do absolutely nothing.

the only thing she could do was to bring war.

she was war.

she was war.

she is war.

"dearest god..." the girl followed the wind as her body lifeless lay laid by the air. her lips muttered out a soft sigh that accompanied her entranced voice. "excuse my impudence, but may i have the honour of knowing your name? before death takes me away."

"it's barbatos! and you better remember it~" the little elf-like figure happily swindled around, as the wind bowed before it. "stop spewing such nonsense! death isn't taking you away~"

"i must ask, how old are you?" the girl asked, as she enjoyed the flow of the gentle gale that had a timid wood-pine and floral scent. "your actions tells me that you are a rather bold and young one."

"i'm almost turning 400 this year!" the little figure exclaimed in joy, effortlessly breezing against it's own sonnet. twirling around the younger maiden, it leaned before her, slowly inspecting her gaze. "and how old are you young maiden? oh! and what is your name?"

"a hundred and two." the girl held an unfazed look of contempt, mysterious eyes lurking around the sky. "(y/n). (y/n) (l/n)."

"then allow me to ask," humming in delight, curiosity filled the older god — ah, she wasn't an ordinary human. was she some sort of hidden archon, rising god, or perhaps an adepti that resided from liyue? a sacred being that wanted to die, but couldn't. "why did you kill yourself?"

a hallowed child of war wanted to die by war. pathetic indeed! yet, who was he to judge?

"he told me to be happy."

"he?" this piqued barbatos's attention. mortals sought for immortality, a sacrilegious thing to be obtained. yet, death was something the young girl sought for, rather than living a longer life. "who is this he that you speak of?"

"it was him." the girl lifted her hands, before luminescent golden rocks formed upon her call, floating above her wrist. they drifted on the tip of her palms, with elemental orbs floating around it. "it was him."

"rex lapis?" barbatos hummed, nodding his head. "then i suppose you're his disciple?"

"was." quivering, she bit the bottom of her chapped lip. it was evident that she was uncomfortable talking about him. "i was his disciple."

a gap of entranced silence filled the two. neither of them spoke a word, however, barbatos found it odd. she was a girl that only lived a hundred years, though, he could sense something ominous within her. a possibility of having more than a geo vision flashed within barbatos mind — if she could wield other elements, wouldn't it be beneficial if he bestowed his anemo vision to her?

glancing towards the direction of the girl — who seemed to enjoy the gentle ode of joy, he admired the specks of bright rocks that drifted around her.

but in his opinion, specks of anemo glints would suite her, much better.

"do you believe in gods?"

gods? the girl scoffed at the obscure question. in teyvat, gods, rulers, archons or even deities, yes they exist. without a doubt, they are real. they are known to be hailed and worshipped to hold golden hearts and mystical prayers that heeded the needs of the worthy.

but in her little world, god was already long gone before.

"no."

"and why is that?"

war itself, could not coexist with peace. and the irony within it, was that god wants peace. and war is war — war doesn't mix with god.

"because god is dead."

god is dead, god is dead, god is dead.

god was never once alive, in the beginning of her own story.

and that, was their first encounter. of course, soon, the two pair hung out together — rather often. he was romeo, and she was juliet.

until the archon war broke.

"i'm sorry."

she was a child of war.

she is war.

she is war.

he waited for her for a thousand years underneath the cloak of celestial stars. but she never returned back to his arms.

war left the world, but god felt alone.

"i told them about my love for you."

and when war returned, god swore not to let it go.

the apostle stood in silence, as she watched the poor anemo archon silently weep on her shoulder. how should she respond? she wasn't one to deal with emotions, let alone, comfort others.

the only thing she could do, was to hold onto him. just a little longer.

"i'm back."

and whisper the sweet lies into his ears.

"i came back home."

━━━━

( CHAPTER III )