Those Willing to Drown | Beiguang x GN! Reader

ARC I-ACT I

"Are you- are you sure you need to do this? We can move again! We can travel somewhere no body ever goes and we can live together in peace!"

The Snezhnayan skies were always so beautiful. So bright and welcoming when night arrived with each individual star shining brighter than the last. It lit your path - something you were thankful for - and guided you out of the nightmare you were currently in.

Frowning, you clutched the messenger bag closer to your body, skipping up the steps to grab the forearm of your roommate. Had things not been so damned now then maybe you could have lived with her happily - spending days and nights together and forming a strong friendship. However, with the pending reminder that your head was now on the line you forced yourself to shake those thoughts away. "Im sorry." You whispered, grabbing her arm tighter only to pull her into your chest.

She shivered before allowing you to feel a growing wet patch on your shoulder - she cried; "We can run! I won't ever tell anyone of where you are and we can live off the grid like grandpa Joe!"

Grandpa Joe, someone you'll miss dearly. His teas and eventful stories of youthful years. He did live off the grid, but his paths crossing with wandering adventurers and treasure hoarders was unavoidable - and had anyone who knew of the bounty above your head run into you, you knew you'd be done for.

So you whispered again. "I'm sorry." And said nothing more, for you knew promising anything right now would be pointless, and comforting would be useless. Your safety, from the day you had chosen to help out a foreign traveler to find her brother with information about the fatui, was never promised. The amount of cash price for your whereabouts growing by the day. "If we ever meet again I promise you we'll go live together somewhere nice. Would you like us to live in Liyue or Mondstadt?"

She shook her head, turning it to rest her cheek on your shoulder. "Fontaine."

"Fontaine?" You chuckled, patting her back. "Alright. Then if we ever meet again, I promise you I'll take you to live with me in Fontaine. We can adopt a dog like you always wanted."

"You promise?"

Ah, how you hated having to lie to her with a promise as unstable as that. If you couldn't even promise yourself that you'd see the sunrise, how could you promise her something like that? So while she waited for your answer, you only rubbed soothing shapes on her back with your thumb. After two, maybe three, minutes of silence, you hummed - reluctantly moving away from her warmth.

"Goodbye Melina." You finally answered - not a promise nor words of comfort. A goodbye was really the only thing you could afford for her right now without lying. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too.." she whispered back, your name coming out as a final sob as the hands that lingered together in the air finally detached.

And not a minute later, you had disappeared into the dark of Snezhnayan wildlife - running through fields and uneven grounds of grass, flowers and bushes. Yet not once did you hesitate, trip nor turn back to catch a last glimpse of the place you knew as home. Not now. No, you continued to run towards the Liyue borders - the one place right now that you knew you'd be safe in.

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The promise of life was something you never considered to be a blessing, however, the rising sun that hit your mud stained face after a morning of restless running really made you reconsider that. The sun had never felt so warm, morning sky never looked so beautiful and birds never sounded so harmonious. The earth felt right, life felt right.

The grasses of Shezhnaya disappeared behind each step and had gotten replaced with drier grounds - grounds of Liyue.

But still; each turn, each step, each breath, it was treated as if it would have been your last had you not been careful enough. Liyue was not safe of Fatui members, neither was Mondstadt, so at any moment if you were careless, the greedy hands of the organisation could wrap around you and return you to your doom.