NOCTURN BRIDE • genshin Impact | ✓

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

to say the least, the apostle let out a breathy sigh as her lips parted ever so slightly. every second ticked, alongside her patience that slowly faded away.

"so, won't you cut to the chase?"

"i want you to make me an archon." scaramouche stated. the seven words that he uttered out of his mouth immediately made the apostle's expression grim — contrasting her playful and cunning self. almost as if her entire soul was possessed by another entity that held a deep dark desire; a burning passion that'd despised the term of "archon" more than one could ever imagine. "of course, in exchange i'll dedicate a new world for you-"

"i refuse." the apostle firmly stood her ground. why would she, want to make her acquaintance into a darned archon? throughout her entire lifetimes, archons are selfish beings. they stand so tall on their high horse they'd forget how to humble themselves. it was a pathetic reason that the apostle gave herself, but she simply did something everybody else would. make her fellow comrade into a creature, a being that she'd despised. "don't give into your selfish desires."

oh how wrong she was. she was foolish to say the least. how could've she let her guard down? the way she'd think that scaramouche — to say the least — be different from others? of course, everyone wants to be a god! how could she not realise that by now?

he was just like anyone else. selfish, manipulative; a savage soul of a mere mortal, a body of a failed byproduct of an archon, a shell that'd want something more than it could grasp. so self indulgent, that his ego was bloated more than what he could handle.

"is that so?" scaramouche leaned forward, his lips reaches the apostle's ears as she could feel his breath tickle, taking a deep breath. "then, what about you? you do know that your actions are telling otherwise."

"and why should i care?" humming, the apostle's vixen-like eyes stared amusingly at scaramouche. she watched his earnest smirk turn into a scowl. "so what if i am a hypocrite? our motives in the end are very, very different."

"and how different would it be? you want to destroy teyvat, right? i could help you form a new world while i become archon. that way, both of our desires-" before finishing off his sentence, the apostle shushed scaramouche, putting her index finger onto his plum lips. before the lilac haired boy could refute, the piety apostle let out a stifle laugh. "what's so funny about-"

"tell me, if i were to kill two gods at once... maybe even multiple divine beings." with a malicious grin, she let out an innocent laugh that strummed through the atmosphere like a heavenly hymn. "if i were to... perhaps, use magical beings like adepti's to ruin teyvat."

scaramouche looked at the apostle's eyes. no, he dared not interrupt her. her viscous pupils that seemed to hold an ugly and wicked storm of revenge. it was as if he would be devoured if he breathed the next second.

"our plans, aren't alike at all."

"and may i ask who-" mustering all his courage, scaramouche glanced at the apostle's mischievous grin. oh, he could not tell what was going on inside her mind. "who are the unfortunate souls that you are referring to?"

"as you know, venti." slowly, she backed off. walking astray to the edge of the cold and desolated mountain. dragonspine, it was odd why scaramouche was there, but his problems did not seem to affect her. "rex lapis, ganyu, xiao-"

"and who may be the divine beings are?"

the apostle didn't turn her head. almost as like second nature, she continued walking. closer, and closer to the edge. it was a beautiful scenery indeed. the frosty, cool and soft snowflakes that descended dissipated with a single contact of her skin. although her skin itself was cold; there was no warmth, for the apostle was already dead, the snow that collided upon her skin melted into droplets of water. 

she walked, and walked. ignoring the question that scaramouche asked, she put on a genuine smile onto her face. one that no one has ever saw, one that the apostle herself, didn't know she was capable to even do.

"isn't it beautiful?"

almost like in a trance, the apostle's head titled upwards, admiring the snowflakes that helplessly fell. over and over again, yet making a magnificent and breathtaking view.

"what is?"

"the sky." with an ethereal sigh, the apostle let out a breathy giggle. she extended her palm out into the air, before clenching it into a fist. "the snowflakes are just like the stars~" 

of course, it didn't take scaramouche long to find out who the "divine beings" were. he had a brain, he cherished it, and he used it.

"and i want celestia to be like them."

helplessly, stranded. floating into a void of emptiness, a cruel fate that was unavoidable, as they'd slowly drift lower, and lower. descending from their once supreme power, into nothing but mere specks of dust as she could watch in amusement.

taking her last step, the apostle fell off the icy cliff. she could hear muffled screams from the lavender haired boy, but what was the point looking back?

the apostle was war. she is war.

"i want them to drown in misery. just like how i did."

and she'd never let celestia forget the cruel things they done to her.

━━━━━

( CHAPTER XXV )