The Six-Headed Hydra / Genshin Impact

Chapter 3: The Dinner

Akai is dressed in more formal clothing, Svetlana explaining a bit more etiquette as they walk through endless halls. Their blandness suffocates him. Everything is extremely bland and it irritates Akai, how the guards breathe the same, the same topic being taught, it's makes him gag, the damn muzzle digging into his skin.

They stop in front of a huge door and Svetlana tells him to lower his head, the Yaksha grumbles before the doors open.

The ballroom inside is well lit, the architecture is beautiful and made of condensed ice (Akai cannot admire them since he is looking at the floor.) there is a long table with the harbingers seated and a single throne like chair at the end. The Archon is sitting on her "throne", uncaring of his arrival. The harbingers have lowered heads, although a few are trying to sneak a few glances at him.

The guards led him to the Tsaritsa's side, prying the muzzle off. Just as Akai was going to stretch his jaw, he is kicked in the shins and falls to his knees. The Archon's dress is made of finest silks, the outer layer has been sown to replicate dust like snowflakes. Akai quickly pulls the fabric to his lips, he figures it's better to get it over with quickly then let it hurt his ego. As the guards reach to pull him up by the shoulder, the Tsaritsa raises a hand; making them halt. She takes forever to inhale—in Akai's opinion— before standing up and stomping her heel into his skull. The bone cracks, his face smacks into the ice floor and it breaks his nose. The pain aches through his body, making it so more obvious on how weak he has gotten; how slow his reflexes are and it makes him crumble emotionally.

The Tsaritsa pulls her heel out of his skull and exhales: "You are still the traitor i saw during the war. It runs through your veins and corrupts your mind. You've killed your allies, your enemies and yourself. I remember your prime state and i want that.." She pauses to let a guard wipe her heel: "To serve me. To serve under me! You, who betrayed Morax, shall benefit me-" she nods at the guards and they pull the poor yaksha's head up so the Tsaritsa can grip his jaw and continue her speech in a hushed tone: "I know what you are capable of. Do not think we were oblivious of your doings in the Abyss. I will offer you a position of Harbinger, you will live in luxury but serve as my slave." She emphasizes on the inferiority that he will have before she releases her death grip on his jaw. Akai is pulled up to his feet as his head starts to heal; grey marble with Geo energy shines through where the wounds were, it repairs his nose bridge before fading back to his pale skin. His silent grunts of pain have stopped and he straightens his back and raises his chin, it makes the Archon furrow her brows at his behavior. "I won't work as a slave. I won't work as some form of war machine. I do not know of how you rule and how morals have progressed to this day but i refuse to work under you. " Akai starts as he glanced at the table a few times, all of the harbingers are looking at him with various expressions and starts to make him nervous. The Tsaritsa's face starts to redden: "You will never equal to an Archon. I have no need for an equal or even any of your assets." She claims. Akai simply sighs quietly: "If that were the case, you would have sent me away already. i have exactly what you need. Give me the conditions i want and i will return what you need."

The reasoning makes the goddess grimace before hesitantly sitting down on her throne and beckoning the Yaksha towards the empty seat next to Dottore. Akai's heart beats so loudly that he can't hear the eerie silence of the palace, or even his own footsteps. Guards guide him to the seat before they go back to their designated perches. The Tsaritsa still seems infuriated but she decides to let her anger out on some vegetable on her plate instead of the poor geo user. "Speak." She simply orders and Akai clears his throat: "Right. I wish to learn the modern language, as well as have access to any form of knowledge i can about the events that have occurred since I was gone. I will not be confined in this palace, I ask to not only meet the civilians but also explore Teyvat. I will accept working with others and under a contract, depending on how it works. I do not need to be superior over the other Harbingers. I wish to be included in political meetings in my expertise." Akai pauses, he hesitantly looks at the table, his brows furrowed before he looks at the Tsaritsa: "My oath to Morax is broken and i hold no loyalty for the archon. However if there is a political connection that is needed to be made i will be willing to help."