Order of Unity (A Xiaother Story)

Chapter Nine: The Akadeymia Has Fallen

Actual action has BEGUN! Shit is about to get REAL.

Saturday, April 24
Third Person POV

Azar looks from his bondage, filled with evil and hatred towards all, and turns to his others for support. The Sumerian Prison known as the Sumerian Prison of Noteworthy Assailants and Treasonists held some of the most notorious prisoners, holders of corrupt ley lines, wands of seemingly dark magic. The Grand Sage, Azar, was held in bondage here, unbeknownst to the soldiers, he had a team that would break him out sooner or later.

The Sumerian Post, Sunday, 25 April, 2021

An explosion at the Sumerian Prison of Noteworthy Assailants and Treasonists or SPNT was heard in the early morning hours of April 25, more details to follow.

Maximum security prisoners have escaped, here are some of the confirmed names:

Former Grand Sage Azar
Sage Hatsumishi
Sage Amar-Atsali
Sage Ramora
Sage Cheniche

All of these sages were the root cause of the detainment of Lesser Lord Kusanali and their whereabouts are unknown.

The Sumerian Post, 1 May, 2021
"We promise, to root out the unfortunate causes of indivinity and unpureness"

"Your new Akadeymia, is for the restoration of Sumeru, and its greatness."

"You have nothing to fear, if you have nothing to hide."

- New Grand Sage Hatsumishi and Azar

Aether's POV
Saturday, May 1

Xiao is reading his copy of the Sumerian post, and I am cooking breakfast. Ningguang and Zhongli are on a trip to Sumeru for a meeting with the Dendro Archon. Xiao is waiting for his regular Almond Tofu, which he ate for breakfast yesterday, as it was his favorite. Naturally, he is an adeptus so the calories and nutritional defincies do not affect him. Me on the other hand, for myself i was making Eggs Benedict.

Xiao, sitting on the sofa in the living room, suddenly gets up and says

"Aether, what do you think this means?"

Your new Akadeymia?

You have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide...

"And look at this, this was delivered just last week."

"The sages broke out of the prison?"

"Aether, i dont like this." Xiao said to me, concerned at what he just read, because his parents were out there.

"Me neither. Well see what your parents say when they get back."

"Crap! What if my parents are being held captive?"

"Xiao... don't go too far. they got there a week ago and were supposed to return in two days time."

"Okay... but i swear... if those sages are holding them back... i swear."

My vision went blurry and Suddenly i fell. Xiao came to my side as i suddenly began to see something. It wasn't real, or at least, it wasn't what i was in front of.

"Aether! Aether! Oh no!! Aether please get up!"

Xiao was pleading with me but i gave him a glance and blinked twice, trying to let him know i was okay. I couldnt move, then suddenly, my eyes closed.

I was still breathing, Xiao could tell, but I couldn't move a muscle.
His pleas suddenly faded.

Suddenly, i saw it. I was in the Akadeymia's main building, and every single member or student there was in the front hallway. Azar stood there and said the same thing i read in the article, "You have nothing to fear, if you have nothing to hide. Your new Akadeymia serves to root out the unpure and create a better Sumeru."

Suddenly, he vanished and behind him was two other important looking individuals. They glanced at me, and everything faded to nothing. Then, i woke up.

"...Aether! Aether! Please Aether wake up! Please..."

Xiao's pleads began to fade back in as he began to cry, but i fully woke up, but i couldnt control my voice. It was strange.

I said out loud "This is Nahida. I've taken over Aether's consciousness to give you a warning. Xiao, your parents have escaped to Inazuma. They wanted me to tell you to not approach Sumeru. I have escaped from Sumeru for now."

Suddenly i could regain control of my body.

BAM! BAM! The door was being hardly knocked on. Xiao went to go open it, it was Nahida.

She was scratched, badly. Her arms were also scratched, and they looked...corrupted. She didn't have normal blood, she oozed a metallic green liquid, but the wounds began to disappear as she put her hands on them. She was out of breath, it was like she ran all the way here.

"They're monitoring the waypoint network...they have taken over...the Akadeymia has fallen" She struggled to say, as she tried not to cry.

"The people are being silenced, nobody is allowed to leave Sumeru... they're calling it the... 'Contain and Confine Decree'... and i was about to be imprisoned again. I tried to put up a fight...but there were so many of them with these... ley line wands. Its like they made them themselves, they shot dendro energy, some of them shot electro, they could cast...spells with them."

Xiao was at a loss for words.

I was too, not even a couple years ago did I help restore the country in the hands of Kusanali. Suddenly, the door flew open and many people came in. It was familiar, this was the same group that i helped save Sumeru with, and we tried to reunite the desert as well. Alhaitham, Cyno, Tighnari, Candace, Dehya, and Rahman.

"Where's Collei?" I suddenly blurted

"She's been arrested, she's being held at the Sanctuary of Surasthana along with a lot of others." Tighnari said.

A pause went over the room.

"Sumeru has fallen. The desert is the only vacate point, and we went through there to get here. As soon as we left, word got out that we escaped. We went through there and then sailed with Dehya to Liyue Harbor." Said Alhaitham.

"The wall has been closed, theres no way to get from the forest to the desert now. Aaru Village was relocated to Caravan Rabat when half of us escaped. The village is safe, they're in the Mausoleum." Cyno said.

"I was arrested by a group of men, but managed to escape becuase they weren't doing a good job at it." Tighnari said

"I helped both Dehya and Cyno escape, but i was lucky to get out too. A degree went out to capture me." Said Nahida, "They took my gnosis, i couldn't fight against them."

The Akadeymia has fallen.