To Rise, To Fall | genshin impact | ningguang

Night 6: Rex Lapis

The first thing Ningguang says is, "I'm sorry."

The grand form of the Exuvia looms above her, just as it had on the morning of the great battle. That time, she had been too awestruck by his presence to voice her many thoughts, but this time she will not lose her chance. Even if the archon is gone, she finds comfort in the notion that her words can make their way into the universe.

Rex Lapis does not speak; instead he only stares. His gaze seems to cast a weight upon her shoulders, and Ningguang fights to retain her posture.

"You would be pleased to know that Liyue is safe," she says. "However, I am still sorry."

His great reptilian form curls, settling his head upon a segment of his tail. He looks up at Ningguang, and she feels arrogant to stand above him. When he speaks, his voice rumbles deep throughout the space, seeming to come from every direction at once.

"Do not apologize," he says. "You have committed no wrong."

For a moment, Ningguang forgets to breathe. She had not expected the archon to speak—how can her imagination be so cruel as to conjure an image of the dead in order to soothe her self-doubt?

Rex Lapis gives a sort of deep, purring laugh, and Ningguang feels as though she has heard it before. "You are shocked," he observes, and Ningguang can only nod.

"I have not found the person responsible for your death," she confesses.

"Stop searching," he replies. "There is no one to find."

"But—" Ningguang begins, then pressing her lips together as it sinks in that she is back-talking a god. "I mean to ask... How does an archon die, if not by another's hand?"

In the moments between her question and his response, she feels an intense shame at the ridiculousness of her situation. How can she argue with her own mind? How can her subconscious prompt questions it does not hold the answer to?

But Rex Lapis says, "I am not dead."

Ningguang laughs. She shouldn't—to quite literally laugh in the face of a god, well, that is perhaps the most unbecoming thing she has ever done. But she does it.

The first laugh is one of disbelief; has she gone crazy? Is she that shaken by the departure of their archon that she makes up lies within her dreams?

The second laugh is one of uncertainty; is this really just a dream? Would her subconscious projection stare at her with such intensity?

The third and final laugh is one of stupidity; this isn't a dream at all, and she should have known. Everything had been there for her to see—hell, she had even said it herself: archons do not simply drop dead.

"You—" Ningguang begins, shaking her head. "Is it even possible for a human to understand why you would do this?"

"I have signed a contract to end this era," he explains. "Liyue no longer needs an archon. The Qixing and the adepti have proven as much. In order to quell the chaos, I chose to reveal this knowledge to you. The rest of the people need not know the truth."

"The people will not accept such an atrocity going unpunished," Ningguang says.

"It seems many of the people have not appreciated the actions of their god for some time now," Rex Lapis replies, and Ningguang cannot tell if he is bitter or joyful. "The Qixing can invent a convincing story. I ask only that you do not prosecute the innocent."

"You ask? The Qixing serve the contract with Rex Lapis just as the adepti do. You do not need to ask—"

"I live, but Rex Lapis is no longer the Geo Archon. You are not bound to serve me."