A Bond, Broken

Chapter 17: Echoes of Frost, A Solitary Existence

3rd POV

Yap: Knights of Favonius. Once, an ally. Now, nothing more but a hindrance. Answer my question, and I might just let you all live for another day. Where are they? 

The knights, feeling the weight of Yap's threat, reluctantly lead him to where Eula and Leo are staying. Eula, heavily pregnant, looks at Yap with a mixture of fear and defiance in her eyes, while Leo stands protectively beside her, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Yap: Ah, there you are. Living a happy life, I see.

Eula: What do you want, Yap? Why have you come here?

Yap: To check on things. And to remove a loose end. And from what I've seen, there is no need for me to be here anymore.

Turning around, the Frostfall Revenant coldly leaves, but not before impaling his swordspear at his former quarters, leaving it there.

With a chilling finality, the Frostfall Revenant departs from Mondstadt, leaving behind a silent reminder of his presence in the form of his swordspear embedded in the ground. As he disappears into the distance, Eula and Leo exchange a wary glance, knowing that while the immediate threat may have passed, the shadow of Yap's actions will linger over them for a long time to come.

Despite the tension in the air, life in Mondstadt gradually returns to normal. The citizens continue their daily routines, the knights resume their patrols, and Eula and Leo prepare for the arrival of their child, grateful for the peace that has been restored, even if it is only temporary.

In Dragonspine, the Frostfall Revenant builds a home for himself there, and after a year, successfully convinced all of the Abyss Mages to halt their activities here in Mondstadt, telling them to head somewhere else.

5 years later, one day both Leo and Eula stumbled into the territory of Yap's while on a winter holiday.

At first annoyed by the intrusion thinking it was the Fatui again, Yap was about to summon a swordspear made purely from his own cryo energy, until he saw who exactly "intruded" his territory.

A family of four, all cheerful. Though it irked him in a way, he put his summoned swordspear away as he used his voice through the falling snow instead of meeting them personally.

Voice in the snow: You aren't lost. Why have you stumbled upon here?

Leo and Eula exchanged surprised glances as they heard the voice emanating from the snow. They hesitated for a moment before Leo stepped forward, addressing the unseen speaker.

Leo: Apologies for the intrusion. We were just exploring the area and got a bit carried away. We'll leave right away.

There was a moment of silence before Yap's voice echoed through the snow once more.

Voice in the snow: ... Apology accepted for now. It is best you leave the Frostfallen Revenant in this never ending snowy landscape. Least you meet it in anger. 

Leo and Eula's elder son, named Ethan, furrowed his brow in confusion at the cryptic message from the unseen speaker. Meanwhile, their younger daughter, Emily, tugged at Ethan's coat, her curiosity piqued by the mysterious voice.

Ethan: What's going on, Dad? Who was that?

Leo glanced around nervously, unsure of how to respond. Eula placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder before turning to Ethan and Emily with a soft smile.

Eula: It's nothing, Ethan. Just a friendly reminder to respect the boundaries of this place. Let's not keep exploring here, okay? We should head back.

Ethan nodded, albeit still puzzled, while Emily gave an eager nod of agreement. With that, the family began to make their way back home, the memory of the encounter with the mysterious voice lingering in their minds.

As they eventually head back, the Frostfall Revenant silently steps out from his residence, quietly following the family of four until they've reached the border of Dragonspine by cloaking himself in cryo energy. Only once they reached there, did he finally turn around once more.

Yap: A person's happiness and joy, is a monster's sadness and grief.

Raising his left hand, Cryo energy began to form around it before he casted a solid barrier only he himself can pass through at his territory. 

The Frostfall Revenant watched silently as Leo, Eula, Ethan, and Emily disappeared from view, their laughter and chatter fading into the distance. His heart, if it could even be called that anymore, clenched with a mix of longing and bitterness, a bitter reminder of what he could never have.

In the solitude of Dragonspine, surrounded by the icy landscape that mirrored his own cold existence, Yap was consumed by a storm of conflicting emotions. Memories, both distant and recent, flooded his mind like a blizzard raging within him.

He had made his choice, to retreat into the desolate isolation of Dragonspine, to sever ties with the world and the people in it. Yet, as he stood there, watching the family walk away, a part of him couldn't help but yearn for the warmth of their laughter, the simple joy of companionship that had eluded him for so long.

But such desires were not meant for him, not anymore. He was the Frostfall Revenant, a creature of frost and shadow, condemned to wander the icy wasteland alone, forever haunted by the echoes of his past.

With a heavy sigh, Yap turned away, his footsteps echoing softly against the frozen ground as he disappeared into the snowstorm, his figure gradually fading into the swirling white abyss. And there, amidst the howling winds and biting cold, he remained, a solitary figure in a world of ice and silence, his heart frozen and his soul adrift in the endless expanse of solitude.

Yap: A bond, afterall, has been broken. One of which there is simply no more hope to return.

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Second ending, "Echoes of Frost: A Solitary Existence"

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Started: 10/3/2024 8.50 pm

Finished: 10/3/2024 9.37 pm

Word Count: 958