Water's Serenity (Furina X Fem Reader)

Chapter 5: Protecting The Sea

As Y/n slaughtered them one by one, she noticed an incoming arrow aiming directly at the goddess once more and Furina doesn't seem to notice it as Y/n quickly rushed and pull her into a tight embrace before switching their position as Y/n let the arrow hit the back of her shoulders instead, causing her immense pain from the impact.

"Yingxue!"

Furina shouted as she did not expect that Y/n would put her life as the first priority. She looked at Y/n in disbelief, as if she did not believe that such a strong and skilled yaksha could be so selfless. The action of hers caught Focalors off guard.

Y/n groaned a bit before pulling away from the Archon and infused her polearm with cryo and swung it directly at the last attacker.

As the monster was being finished, Y/n looked back towards Furina. She was still astonished and speechless by that one action of the yaksha. The Hydro Archon was not expecting her to act so selflessly.

When the monsters were no longer a threat, Y/n realized how much pain she was experiencing from the arrow shot which made Focalors worried for her wellbeing. Her eyes were now locked into Y/n's wounded shoulder which was in quite a bad condition from the sudden impact of the arrow shot. Furina looked very concerned as she was about to check the wound, but Y/n stopped her.

"No, I should escort you to safety. This injury is nothing major." Y/n said and continued walking but Furina refuse and insisted on helping her.

"I do not need your opinion in this situation, I am an Archon. It is my responsibility to ensure that you are safe as well as myself."

Furina's eyes were firm and determined. She was not planning to leave Y/n's side until she made sure that the wound is not serious. At the same time, the Hydro Archon was also very worried about how the yaksha took the shot for her sake. She was still trying to comprehend the situation and her worries were not completely relieved just yet.

Furina let Y/n rest to a nearby tree and began tending her wounds which made the yaksha stayed silent before speaking somewhat in a hushed tone.

"Sorry..." Y/n muttered.

Furina continued to take care of her wound without saying anything, but eventually she couldn't hold it in any longer and decided to break the silence as she replied to Y/n in a soft voice.

"You don't have to apologies since you were the one who risk your life for me. Although, even if you haven't save my life... That arrow would not have hit me since I was able to dodge it..." Furina said almost proudly.

Y/n just nod.

"I'm sure you can, but that wasn't why I was apologizing for."

"...Then, why do you feel the need to apologies for?" Furina asked her in a curious voice, perhaps she did not notice something important.

"I'm apologizing for my sudden actions of grabbing and embracing you all of sudden without your permission, knowing that I carry a karmic dept within me." Y/n answered.

Furina was completely shocked to hear all of that. But that was a valid reason, she knew that if Y/n was any normal mortal, it would definitely take a harsh toll on her body. So Furina looked at her in a serious way with her calm eyes and asked her.

"Do you mind explaining to me, what is this 'karma' that you keep bringing up whenever talking about physical weaknesses and drawbacks?"

Y/n could only sigh a little before nodding.

"Karma, also referred to as karmic debt, is a term which refers to the corruptive forces left behind by the wills and powers of slain ancient gods. This term is primarily used here in Liyue, where us yakshas were tasked with subduing the resurging might of fallen gods."

"Contact with karma can induce insanity in humans and corrupt monsters, making them more powerful than normal."

"Though it is a fact that those who have a higher elemental sensitivity like some Vision-bearers, illuminated beasts, and gods' such as yourself have heightened resistance to the effects of karma." Y/n explained.

"Interesting..."

Furina's gaze wandered into space as she thought about all the things Y/n had just told her. Focalors knew she was a Yaksha, but she did not know much about the specifics of her job, so she found it intriguing to learn more about Y/n's task.

"So... karma is not just a physical danger, but also a source of madness, correct?"

Focalors's eyes returned back to Y/n as she waited for the yaksha to answer her question.

"Yes, especially during the Archon War that took place years ago. That's why, knowing that you're a god and have some resistance to this karma, I have no choice but to let you stay close to me earlier to keep you safe. Well, if you were an ordinary human with no Vision, then this karma that I possessed might influence your mentality as well."

Furina was quite taken aback by this knowledge about karma that Y/n carried. She knew that the yakshas were strong and skilled warriors as well as protectors of Liyue's people, but she didn't knew that they carry the slaughtered gods' hatred within them.

"I understand. So that's why you told me to keep a distance from you the first time we met... So just to clarify, are you saying that if you were to stay close to any ordinary human, this karma would corrupt their minds and turn them insane?"

"...Yes." Y/n answered without hesitation.

The truth was a heavy blow to hear, Furina was truly shocked. The yakshas were willing to bear the burden of the hatred of the ancient gods they had killed. She wasn't able to understand the severity of such an act until now.

"Why would you be willing to bear such a burden that would eventually corrupt your mind? I mean, if you were corrupted by the karma, wouldn't this mean you would become a threat to society since you have such combat skills and strength?"

Y/n stayed silent for a moment since this question was clearly a sensitive topic for her but nodded her head anyway.

"Well, in theory... yes. That's why Rex Lapis instructed us yaksha with the task to subdue it while taking hold of our sanity. If we let it consume us, then that would have create more chaos towards the nation." Y/n explained.

"I see... So if you were to bear this burden for a long time, wouldn't it become a burden in the long run? There must be certain cases where the yakshas had fallen into the grasp of the karma, were there not?"

Furina's tone did not carry any hostility or malice. She was genuinely curious about everything Y/n was telling her.

"...Perhaps, since it haunts us in our dreams, but still... it doesn't stop me from protecting the people of Liyue."

Y/n's reply made Furina feel even more guilt over the yaksha. She could tell that Y/n was willing to sacrifice a lot for the sake of the people even if it means she would eventually turn into the very same monster that the yakshas had slain in the Archon War.