Omniscius II [Genshin Impact]

3: A Magic Trick With No Audience

Cyno and Albedo were bewildered with the scene. There's no chance that this body was Soleil's, right?

"You told me she was dead," Albedo glanced at Luna.

"And she is. While the body she used in Inazuma is gone, the one in front of us is not," Luna replied, "I can't explain at the moment."

Cyno approached the apparatus and began operating it. Luna and Albedo did not stop him, sensing he was aware of what to do.

The cloaked young man pressed a button, causing the liquid in the tank to be fully drained. The body remained floating but slowly descended.

Fwoosh!

The glass tank popped open, allowing a puff of fog to escape. Cyno approached the body.

His stoic face softened slightly upon seeing the lifeless body. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself. He carried the limp body in his arms, her drenched and wrinkled body wetting his cloak.

The wrinkles on her skin means this isn't an artificial body, but a natural and organic one, Cyno thought. He placed her on a nearby table.

Albedo removed his cloak and placed it over the body, protecting Soleil's dignity while she was defenseless and unconscious. He turned to Luna.

"What do you intend to do?" Albedo asked. Luna turned to Cyno, "Do your thing."

She handed the sheathed sword to Cyno, causing Albedo to stare in alert. The tanned young man looked at him calmly.

"I'm here to help," he said briefly. "And that includes a weapon?" Albedo was not convinced.

"If it helps, this is one of Soleil's instructions to us before her death. If you cannot trust us, then trust her judgment," Cyno said.

Albedo hesitated. Having assessed Luna and Cyno, he couldn't sense any hostility from either of them. He sighed and stepped aside, allowing Cyno to approach the body on the table.

Albedo's serious frown deepened when Cyno unsheathed the blade. But he did not do anything. Sparks of Electro snapped and fizzled as an aura blanketed Cyno in the middle of an enchantment.

"What is he doing?" Albedo asked. Luna stared at the scene calmly.

"Reuniting Soleil's body and soul," she said. "Re...Reuniting?" Albedo blinked in disbelief.

"Her body might not have survived the execution, but her soul escaped to the blade successfully," Luna answered, "It was something Soleil planned for a long while, and she took drastic countermeasures to carry out her deception."

Albedo found Luna's choice of words to be the most confusing part of the whole incident. Cyno's magic was not as alarming as the kind of things Luna's words were hinting at.

Albedo could only guess a few things: Soleil had intended to die by the Electro Archon's execution and she arranged for a few things to happen after her death. He was apparently one of those things.

Crackle!

Bzzt!

Fwoosh!

Cyno gritted his teeth as he felt the overwhelming opposition from the blade. Whether it was Soleil's sentience in the sword or some other factor, the blade would not wield to anyone except its creator and mistress.

Still, Cyno was more experienced with the elements and with the mystical arts. Harnessing his magic, he took the blade by the sharp edge and the handle, then held it over Soleil's body.

Translucent threads began to emerge from the blade and latched unto the body beneath. As if two magnets with opposing fields, the blade began to shake as it tried to submerge itself into Soleil's body.