Kitayuu jolted awake in a panic, but he soon froze when he saw himself inside a dark empty medical room that Bennet had been previously when he came to visit earlier that day.
Within the dark room, all that could be heard was a clock ticking. A faint light seeped through a door that hadn't been closed properly.
Kitayuu lit a flame in his finger and looked at the clock. The hands showed twelve minutes past nine in the evening and Kitayuu realized he had been passed out since his battle with Raiden.
He remembered the state of temporary harmony his body shifted in during his battle, but everything beyond that was a blur. The last thing he remembered was falling out of the sky as Raiden casted his domain expansion.
"Did I lose control again?"
"Indeed you did"
Kitayuu jumped hearing a voice from outside and the door had now been fully opened. Zhongli was the first to walk in followed by Ei, Furina, Neuvillette as well as Hu Tao and Diluc.
Ei clicked her fingers and suddenly, sparkles illuminated from the corners of the room setting the lamps alight.
Kitayuu saw that he was the only one in the room, meaning that this was indeed about him.
"What happened? Is Raiden alright?"
Ei raised an eyebrow, surprised to see that Kitayuu's first worry was Raiden, "Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself first?"
Kitayuu looked at his body. There were no visible injuries, all he felt was sheer exhaustion.
"I'm sure you know what this is going to be about."
Zhongli took a step forward and Kitayuu looked down feeling guilty.
"No one got hurt, you can relax."
Ei took a step forward as well and placed a palm on Kitayuu's chest. With a quick shock, Kitayuu jolted again as he felt a prickly sensation travel across his entire body. His body now felt renewed, the fatigue was no longer present and all he felt was a bit of stiffness in his muscles.
"That should keep him alert"
Zhongli nodded, "Alright let's get to the point."
"That power of yours... it's not just the seven elements. There's something else, something I have not seen in my thousands of years in this world."
Kitayuu let out a weak chuckle, "Well my power to begin with is something no one has seen."
"No"
Zhongli's face was now a lot more serious, "When you lost control in your fight with Raiden, your energy seemed very bizarre. It was pure energy, not an elemental vision, just pure energy that was harnessed. I believe even when you had control when you had that little power up, there were some traces of it."
Kitayuu's eyes widened, "You mean, I have something I didn't even know I had?"
-MEANWHILE NEAR THE ACADEMY-
A cloaked figure ascended up towards the rest of the group atop a hill.
The leader stood up, "And?"
The figure shook his head, "They're not there, just a few Fatui guards."
The leader sighed, "It's just our luck then..."
He then turned to Blade, who also had a cloak covering himself, "Are you sure you saw something different?"
Blade nodded, "Yes, his energy was strange. I don't know how to describe it, but it was both terrifying and majestic at the same time."
"If you're right, then Kitayuu might be more valuable to us than we originally thought."
-BACK AT FONTAINE-
"I just hope Blade didn't notice it..."
Diluc was now thinking with his hand on his chin.
Neuvillette, "We can't rule out the possibility of him knowing. Blade isn't your average fighter. He is definitely aware and could have relayed his message to the legion or possibly even the entire abyss."
"It's just, what could they possibly be planning with Kitayuu and his power..."
"To destroy it"
Ei stood up and placed her hand on Kitayuu's shoulder, only this time he didn't feel anything.
"Or even worse, they want to harness it for themselves. Dammit, it seems like that energy has been suppressed completely, I can't feel a thing"
Furina, who was now starting to get more nervous from the tension in the room finally spoke up, "Soooooo... What does that mean for us?"
Ei; "What it means is that Kitayuu isn't going anywhere. Tsk, If he was a target for the legion then he is now definitely their primary one. When he returns to the academy, we need to make sure that there are Fatui guards or teachers keeping an eye on him at all costs, but even that isn't optimal, since I don't trust the Tsaritsa either due to her gatekeeping and relationship with Saturo."
Diluc; "As his teacher, I'll take responsibility. Maybe even Hu Tao along with some of her friends can help."
All this talk was making knots in Kitayuu's stomach, the thought of people like Blade being on his tale haunted him. Even though he was in a room with multiple deities, he still couldn't shake the fact of danger lurking in every corner.
"Anyways, it's late. We can discuss more when the tournament is over."
Neuvillette and Furina started heading towards the exit.
"Wait!"
Neuvillette turned around, "You have a question Kitayuu?"
After a brief moment of silence, Kitayuu opened his mouth, "Am I moving on?"
Neuvillette sighed and broke the truth to him, "Unfortunately Raiden was the winner by technicality. If it weren't for Ei, you would have most likely been killed by his domain."
Kitayuu felt a wave of disappointment wash over him, all that training, just to lose to someone he had always wanted to eventually beat, "I see..."
With that, everyone exited the room and the lamps started to dim. Outside at the door, Zhongli stood with Ei on either side, their backs against the wall.
"You staying?"
Ei didn't answer, instead she closed her eyes and stood in silence.
Zhongli let out a light chuckle, "All right then, I'll be with you."
-NEXT DAY-
"LET THE BATTLE BEGIN!"
Keqing and Ganyu clashed fists, the first match of the semi-finals had begun and the crowd was more energetic than ever.
Keqing smirked, "Let's see if all that training had paid off, you think you can stand up to me now?"
Ganyu smiled back, "Only one way to find out, I've been waiting a long time for this!"
Both of them held their fists together, channeling their energy through. Eventually, Ganyu smashed the ground with her free hand and spikes emerged. Keqing jumped back and a glacial platform raised Ganyu to high ground.
'Ganyu and I have been training for years. She knows every bit about me, my strengths, my weaknesses and fighting style.'
Keqing got ready and put her entire focus on Ganyu, 'However, that means I also know everything about her.'
"Well then! Let's give it our all!"
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