To Rise, To Fall | genshin impact | ningguang

Night 1: Keqing

The moon is high in the sky when Ningguang strides down the hallways of the Yuehai Guest Wing. There is still, as always, much work to be done, but for now she takes a short reprieve. One could argue that her new destination is a form of work in itself, but she would prefer not to call it that. Besides, her presence here is far from unwarranted—her own bedroom now rests beneath the waves, so these guest quarters will be her home for a while, at least.

Rounding the corner towards the most remote suite, she spots Keqing standing outside, one hand on the still-shut door.

"I didn't expect to see you here," Ningguang comments, coming to a stop beside the smaller woman.

"I didn't expect to be here," she replies, "but I couldn't stop thinking about it."

Ningguang tilts her head with a soft smile. "You're still thinking about it, I see."

Keqing casts her a confused glance. Ningguang raises her eyebrows and gestures to the unopened door, to which Keqing lets out something between a sigh and a laugh. "I'd say I was more lost in thought," she says.

"Perhaps it is best if we leave her be," Ningguang says. Keqing looks to her with curiosity, and she places her hand just above Keqing's on the door, pushing it open only a crack. Together, they peek inside.

One of the many Qixing secretaries wrings out a rag before laying it across the traveler's forehead. She looks tired, and Ningguang assumes another must be coming to take her place soon. The traveler herself is heaped under several thick layers of blankets, head resting atop a firm pillow. Beneath the blankets, her clothes have been traded for swaths of bandages—a secretary had reported to Ningguang earlier that the examination found that aside from the issue of adeptal energy, she had also suffered two broken ribs and several other minor fractures. She was already pale when they met for the first time, but now her pallor could rival Ningguang's own porcelain skin. It is not a good look on her. The floating companion appears to be asleep, curled up like a cat on the traveler's arm.

"It is a shame," Ningguang murmurs. "To see a hero so fragile."

Keqing hums in agreement. "You've heard about her, right? They say she defeated a dragon in Mondstadt."

There's a slight scoff to her words, a hint of disbelief, and Ningguang smiles. "Why do you think I wanted her on my side?"

This gets Keqing's attention, and she tears her eyes away from the traveler to stare at Ningguang. "You believe it?" she asks.

"I don't believe," she replies. "You already know I don't believe blindly in anything. I know this as fact. I've been exchanging letters with Mondstadt's Acting Grandmaster. The rumors are less fantastical than the true story."

Keqing clicks her tongue once. "So you're believing her word? She's not even around for you to read her poker face."

Ningguang does not reply, instead merely sliding her gaze towards the other woman, staring at her from the corner of her eyes. Keqing smirks.

"So she's that good, hm?" Keqing continues. "She is handy with a sword. Where do you think someone learns to fight like that?"

"As if you need more encouragement to swing your sword around," Ningguang retorts, pulling away from the gap in the door. Keqing follows. "Regardless of her battle prowess, I regret that she got caught up in Liyue's conflict like this."

A doubtful glance from Keqing. "You said you wanted her on your side," she says.

Ningguang gestures loosely with one hand, clacking together the metal ornaments on her fingers. "My political side," she clarifies. "A hero always has a good public image. If I had known it would come to this..." She trails off, glancing into the guest room once more. "Or this... It's downright embarrassing on our part. I was so caught up in the citizens' panic that I failed to inform the Millelith that pursuing her was unnecessary. We chased her out of the city and then expected her to save us."

"Feels a bit empty," Keqing says. "The time of our archon comes to an end, but we need the Adepti and some foreigner to win the battle."

Ningguang considers this for a moment. "I believe we could have emerged victorious even in their absence, though the casualties may have been higher."

Keqing scoffs. "Do you truly believe we could win against an ancient, angry god?"

"I was under the impression you doubt the divine," Ningguang says.

"I doubt their authority," Keqing corrects, "not their power. We have a lot of work to do to prepare Liyue against the future if we cannot always rely on the Adepti."

Ningguang nods. "Indeed, but this era has not yet ended."

"Didn't know you had a sentimental bone in your body," Keqing teases.

Ningguang chuckles quietly at that. "One must keep all frontiers in mind to see which will turn a profit."

At this, Keqing rolls her eyes, straightens her collar once more, and says, "I'm going to check on the wharf rebuilding plans."

Ningguang does not watch her leave; instead, she looks back into the room, the tiniest of frowns tugging at her lips. This traveler from afar—could they have really done without her? If not, what sort of debt must that amount to? She notices then that her feet hurt in her shoes, and she does not hesitate in reaching down to take them off. Her lip curls when she glimpses the faded scars along the soles of her feet, and as she stands barefoot in the hallway, she curls her toes against the smooth wood. Relics of another time should not affect her in the present, but she supposes the physical memory serves as an adequate reminder of all she had to do to achieve this life.

Indeed, the scars of barefoot treks over rocky beaches and gravel paths are not a source of shame or trauma; instead, they spark within her just enough anger to keep going. It would be trite to say she hardly recognizes the frail teenager weighed down by a cartful of wares, trying her hardest to sell to anyone she could find. Ningguang knows her past self well; the past and the present are not so far apart, no matter how many years the temporal gap between them grows. Even a single mistake could see her wealth slip through her fingers; a single misstep could see her empire crumble. Ningguang does not frequently doubt herself—doubt is a dangerous weakness—but she cannot pretend that the loss of the Jade Chamber has not shaken her. Years of funding a dream, years of surveying the city from above, all gone in an instant. As it sinks to the bottom of the ocean, does her status sink with it, or is such a sacrifice noble enough to kindle respect in the people? Beyond wealth, beyond status, it was also a fortress of knowledge. Nowhere else could one find such an archive of Liyue's past and future, and now it is nowhere at all. Just as the scars on her feet spark anger, so too does the empty space in the sky.

You are on the ground once more, teases a voice in her head. How much longer before you return to the seaside?

The thought of returning to poverty does not inspire fear. She has risen to the top once and is more than capable of doing it again, if she must. But to have spent decades climbing, only to wind up at the beginning, a mountain looming overhead once more? Well, that would be anger-inducing for anyone. The loss of the Jade Chamber has already set her progress back years; she has no time to waste.

And yet.

She lingers at the door, watching the fitful sleep of the traveler. Though does not know where this girl came from, nor where she intends to go, she cannot help but wonder. First Mondstadt, then Liyue; will this girl's days of walking jagged seashells come to an end soon, or is she simply doomed to serve others who profit off her strength?

Ningguang's grip tightens on the pair of shoes in her hand. No matter what the rest of the world does, Liyue will not profit without giving adequate compensation. She will ensure this.

Ningguang shuts the door and strides, still barefoot, towards one of her many temporary offices.