Meraki

A Dream Yet to be Dreamed Chapter 2: The Eye of the Herald

Sying, Aether, Venti, and Dainsleif entered some ruins in the wilderness of Liyue after Ganyu told them that Treasure Hoarders were trying to steal from the Abyss Order. The group was originally there to figure out how to get to Inazuma. They managed to find out that a woman named Beidou ran a ship called The Crux, and she could take them, but she was out on a voyage at the moment, which led to the foursome going to the Adventurers' Guild where they overheard Ganyu. They volunteered to get rid of the Treasure Hoarders and that's how they ended up in the ruins. The group approached a large room with a Barbatos statue being held upside down. Instead of a stone orb to represent the element of Anemo, it was a purple-black ball of dark Abyss energy. It sent shivers down Sying's spine, like his body was telling him to stay far away. In addition to that feeling, his head was beginning to pound. In front of the statue, was a Treasure Hoarder, kneeling in what looked like prayer. Aether and Venti walked toward the statue as Dainsleif approached Sying.

"My Lord, are you alright? Is the curse hurting you?" Dainsleif questioned. The Nova Archon gave a small smile before replying.

"I have a small headache, but that's it. How are you holding up?" Sying wondered.

"I feel no pain, but something's telling me to be careful." Dain replied. The adeptus nodded and the two Khaenri'ahns joined their friends near the kneeling Treasure Hoarder.

"Why is my statue upside down? How rude!" Venti exclaimed, crossing his arms. The dark orb glowed brighter as the bard reached his hand out to touch it. Sying grabbed the Anemo Archon by the back of his cape and harshly dragged him back.

"Don't touch it." Sying growled.

"This place is strange. I've got a bad feeling about this." Aether announced. "Let's go report to Ganyu." As soon as the Traveler finished his sentence, the ruin shook and a few stones tumbled down from above. Seeing that the area was not safe at the moment, the group began to leave. Once they got close to the exit, an Abyss Herald appeared before them.

"That's an Abyss Herald?" Venti questioned.

"It's kinda creepy looking." Aether stated.

"You cannot spy on the secrets of the Abyss." The Herald said.

"Really? 'Cause we just did." Sying remarked sarcastically, making Dainsleif laugh a little.

"You have come here, you have seen our secrets. For this, you must pay the price. As a Herald, I will mete out your punishment." The Abyss monster threatened.

"Uh, Dain, what do we do?' Aether wondered.

"Dain? Dainsleif?" The Herald looked over at the tall blond Khaenri'ahn before looking at the adeptus and the bard. "Oh, I thought you were a couple of pests that stumbled in here by mistake, but upon closer inspection, you are with Dainsleif, Astral, and Barbatos. Even with all of you here, the Abyss is unstoppable!" The Abyss Herald finished his speech and blades slid out from a piece of armor on the Herald's arms. Sying moved first, swinging his Nova infused sword at the Hydro monster. As the Nova god's weapon collided with the blades of his opponent, the air pressure pushed Aether back a bit.

"Not bad, for a servant of the Abyss." Sying mocked with a snarl, blocking an attack from the Herald.

"I can see why you were once the strongest force in Teyvat. It's unfortunate you're not who you say you are." The Abyss Herald spat, dashing forward in a burst of Hydro. Astral stepped to the side, making the monster appear in front of the others. Dainsleif slashed at the Herald along with Aether, who hit it with his Geo infused sword. Venti shot a few arrows as the Herald extended his blades with Hydro to make them longer. The monster spun toward Sying, who switched to his claymore and deflected the Herald away. Aether and Dainsleif took that chance to hit the monster some more as Sying and Barbatos planned their combined attack. The Herald created an x-shaped slash and sent it toward the two Archons. Aether created Geo crystals, successfully blocking the attack. Suddenly, Astral sent a wave of Nova at the Herald, allowing Venti to fly up into the air. The bard sent three Anemo infused arrows before landing. When the smoke cleared, the Abyss Herald was still standing, but it was no longer fighting. "This power, it seems familiar. I see." The Herald trailed off. "So, it's you! You are the one! In that case, I shall stay here no longer." A portal opened up behind the monster, and the Herald went through, vanishing from sight.

"What a tough battle. Is everyone okay?" Venti asked, massaging his shoulders.

"I'm fine." Dainsleif answered with a stretch.

"Never better." Sying replied happily.

"That thing was so strong. Who knew the Abyss Order had monsters this powerful among them?" Aether sighed, looking away.

"Hey, Aether, what are you thinking about?" Sying chimed in.

"Nothing, let's just get out of here." Aether dismissed the subject and the foursome left the ruins. Once they were outside, they decided to look around for signs of the Abyss. While they looked, the group found some Abyss Mages looking through some Ruin Guards that ran away when they approached.

"It seems they were looking for something valuable from these Ruin Guards. I have a feeling that whatever they are looking for is very important." Dainsleif spoke.

"How come we always find Abyss Mages close to Ruin Guards?" Aether wondered.

"Both Abyss Mages and Field Tillers originate from an ancient nation that was destroyed 500 years ago. Khaenri'ah." Sying declared.

"Khaenri'ah. That was your nation, right?" Aether questioned. Sying nodded.

"Khaenri'ah was originally a nation without a god, not because that god died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization. It was the pride of humankind." Astral explained.

"But you're the god of Khaenri'ah." The Traveler pointed out.

"Lord Astral came later, shortly after it was built. He personally got to know everyone in Khaenri'ah, and helped the nation grow. The people declared my Lord as their new king, and later, he became the Nova Archon. Under the rule of Lord Astral and Lady Chao-xing, Khaenri'ah became the most powerful of the eight nations." Dainsleif told him.

"Later, it was all destroyed by gods." Sying growled, making Venti look away nervously. "500 years ago, the gods brought desolation to Khaenri'ah."

"That's horrible." Aether breathed.

"Yes. Well, continuing to discuss the past will dampen our spirits. Let's keep moving." Dainsleif suggested. The group continued finding traces of the Abyss and Dain and Sying did their best to explain things to Aether. Venti stayed silent, since it wasn't his place to share anything about Khaenri'ah.

"There are so many Ruin Guards. Did Khaenri'ah have a lot of ruins that needed guarding?" Aether wondered.

"Their original name is Field Tiller. Ruin Guard is the modern name." Sying replied.

"And they weren't farming equipment. Lady Chao-xing liked to give code names to her weapons. She once said, "The land is not to be tilled with farming tools, but rather is to be fought for with steel and blood." Dainsleif informed the Traveler. "After she passed, the masterless Field Tillers went completely out of control. But now, Lord Astral is rebuilding Khaenri'ah and fixing these machines. They'll be helpful in protecting our nation." The group stopped as Venti noticed something.

"Look, I found some kind of talisman. Could it be communication of some kind? It seems like it's connected to the Abyss Herald we fought earlier." The bard observed.

"It says: Engulf the faith of the enemy in flame, and bring glory to Her Highness, the Princess." Sying read. "Loom of Fate, initial operation."

"It seems the Abyss is still launching the operation, or rather, conducting preliminary tests." Dainsleif said.

"Is this related to the inverted statue?" Aether questioned.

"Most likely." Dain agreed. "Lord Astral, what else does the talisman say?" The Khaenri'ahn turned his attention to the adeptus reading the device.

"It's a strange plan. The first phase is related to Osial. They plan to corrupt his mind and use the technology behind Field Tillers to transform Osial's body. In order to do that, they're going to use the eye of the first Field Tiller." Sying announced. "However, we don't know where the eye of the first Field Tiller is. Since it's Barbatos' statue, we should go to the Church of Favonius."

"Good idea! Maybe they'll finally believe I'm Barbatos." Venti stated.

"Didn't you get kicked out of the church?" Sying asked.

"Ehe."