25: The Escape

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A/N: argh school man. it'll definitely slow down my writing and illustrating in the future >:(




The lady woke up the next morning feeling very isolated. There were only two guards standing at the cell gate this time. The general is probably gathering everyone in the Jade Chamber to prepare for the war... Ningguang thought. Except that she didn't know what time it was.

From her bed, she glanced at the small window above. It didn't appear to be sunny outside, but she could tell it was daytime. She took a deep breath, accepting her reality. What was she going to do now? Here she was, stuck inside the cell without her vision once again.

She wondered how many more mornings would she wake up, feeling all miserable behind bars.

She didn't want to face the general. She didn't want to face anyone.

Ningguang sat on her bed, gazing off at the ground for fifteen minutes until she heard footsteps coming her way. She was aware, but decided to ignore it since she's given up. No one was going to save her. Not even the captain. It was impossible.

"Ah, you are awake now." It was Ganyu. The lady didn't want to face her. "Can you give us some time alone? Just for a couple of minutes." She asked the two guards. They were feeling skeptical, but obeyed knowing that the lady was powerless. The two guards walked off down the hall, leaving Ganyu standing outside of the cell.

"The real agent Ningguang's been telling us everything that happened to her," she began. "I believe that everyone deserves a chance to tell their story."

Ningguang looked slightly to her side, catching the agent in her peripheral vision. She was all ears.

When Ganyu noticed that the lady remained silent, she continued, "I don't think you're that terrible of a person, ehm... Miss Tianquan..? You came here coincidentally so it wasn't your fault. The general and everyone else seem to hate you, but I don't hate you for trying to survive here if that was what you were doing from the start."

Hearing the agent's words somewhat gave her solace. She finally looked at Ganyu, who looked back at her with sympathy. Ningguang gathered some courage to speak. "There was this wardrobe that was held for auction at an event and I brought it home with me. I was simply captivated by its overall appearance and because it was antique," she explained.

"It was around evening when I opened the wardrobe to search for a new outfit to wear, when I noticed a blue light floating," she continued, wondering how many more times she would have to explain her story about the strange light. "I tried catching it, but it just kept moving deeper into the wardrobe. It was huge. And so I followed it, going deeper into the endless darkness, but it suddenly disappeared. There was a strange barrier at the end and I went through it because I was very curious at that point," she tried to recall every detail.

Ganyu nodded, trying to catch up and comprehend the lady. Ningguang continued, "at the other side was just another hall of darkness, but there was light at the end. I kept walking straight and that was when I realized I ended up back in the room I thought was mine. Then that was when I found out that I ended up in another reality. Hence, here I am now."

"When was that? How long ago did you arrive here?" the agent asked.

The lady shook her head, losing count of the days. "That was... days ago... It was the day Keqing and I both returned to the Jade Chamber after finding out where the fatui camps were set."

Ganyu felt her chin and pondered. She then snapped her fingers. "That day! I heard. So that's when you got here... you must've been so confused."

Ningguang sighed and nodded. She leaned her back against the wall. At last, someone knew how she felt. She was thankful that Ganyu was understanding, but wondered if it was an act. Although, it didn't seem like she would be the type to be two-faced.

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