Ranobes » BloodStar » Chapter 257: The Man He Killed
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Chapter 257: The Man He Killed
BloodStar

General Secutor stood at the head of his legion under a red sky. A mild drizzle began to fall from the sky as he watched the carnage of the city center in the aftermath of Nero’s desolation of the Sage Empire legion.

Secutor rubbed his hand down his face to clear the rain from his vision and was surprised to see a smear of red blood on his hand. As he stared at his hand, he thought to himself, “So this is the blood rain that precedes the BloodStar eminence.”

He took a deep breath as the rainfall increased from a slight drizzle to a steady rain and remarked to himself, “Scary names and battle cries don’t measure up to a blood rain of your own kin and countrymen falling down upon you before battle. What incredible intimidation.”

Secutor looked back over his shoulder to his second-in-command, “How are the men?”

“Permission to speak freely, sir?”

Secutor merely nodded, and his officer continued, “The men are prepared to die. But they are fearful.”

“Thank you.” Secutor shook his head to himself, “A fearful death is no way to die.”

Standing strong, steeling himself for the battle to come, Secutor surveyed the Sage Palace grounds until he saw a hulking, muscular, and shirtless figure come into view. He grunted, “Nero.”

Nero’s hair dripped with blood from the rain above which followed his path, and his entire body ran with hundreds of small tributaries of fresh blood flowing over his chest and back down onto the ground.

Secutor could feel the tension in the air from his men, so he held up his right hand in a fist to signal for them to stay calm.

Nero came to within ten yards of Secutor and dropped his massive war hammer to the ground sending a small tremor through the immediate vicinity.

“Welcome to the Sage Palace, Nero! No enemy has made it this far since The Great War! You make your empress proud; I am sure of it.”

Nero grimaced with a furrowed brow and merely grunted in response as he cracked his knuckles.

Secutor waited a moment until calling out again, “Did he die with honor? Kublai?”

Nero looked up with a serious expression, “No. He died a coward. He died hidden away behind Sage Empire shields while Sage Empire soldiers died by the thousands.”

Nero and Secutor exchanged locked gazes in the rain for a moment until Nero said, “He was not like you General Secutor.”

“Not like me?” Secutor smirked, “No, I guess not. Few men are like us.”

Nero grunted, “If that is all…”

He then gripped his war hammer, Blood Cry, and raised it across his chest holding it with two hands.

“That is not all…” Secutor raised his hands to Nero, “I would like to propose a challenge. Fight me one-on-one.”

He then raised his hand in the air with his pointer finger up and made a circular motion with his hand. The 10,000 men standing behind Secutor in highly organized columns began to march encircling both Secutor and Nero in a circle of soldiers with a diameter of 50 yards.

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Secutor then called out again, “Fight me! Fight me like the gladiators of old! No ki beams, no fancy attacks. Just you and me. Hand to hand with the strength of our ki funneled into physical combat.”

Secutor dropped his shield to the ground and removed his armor to match Nero’s equipment or lack thereof, “I only ask that win or lose, you spare the lives of my soldiers.”

Nero continued to grip his war hammer, “I would; however, this is not the coliseum, this is war. And I have my orders. Call your men back into formation! That is the only mercy I will show you!”

The encirclement of 10,000 men began to howl like dogs in the blood rain in support of their general, and Secutor smiled at Nero, “I don’t think they will listen to me, Nero. I’ve always yearned to fight you one-on-one to test my strength. We missed our chance all those years ago. Don’t tell me you’re scared now?”

Nero smirked, “My pride comes second to the orders of my empress. So, for the last time. If that is all…”

Nero began to infuse a sinister red ki into his war hammer as he prepared a massive strike to start his slaughter; however, before he could attack, a black portal sparking with electricity opened up between the two men.

The Heraklinos Empire men weren’t sure what to make of it; however, Nero immediately bowed to a knee the instant the portal appeared.

Moments later, to the surprise of the entire legion, Xenia BloodStar herself stepped out with an elegant presence and beautiful smile as if she were on the red carpet rather than the battlefield.

As Nero bowed and Xenia smiled, Secutor grit his teeth and tensed his entire body as he thought, “She could wipe this field clean in an instant if she so willed it. What scary power!”

Xenia looked down at Nero, “You may rise, Nero.” She then flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to face Secutor, “Granted.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion, “What?”

“Your challenge to Nero. Granted. Nero accepts.” She then turned and walked over to Nero and ran her hand across his muscular chest, “I just had to take a break to watch you this time. Make it a good show for me please.”

She then called out loudly for everyone to hear, “My BloodStar Immortal Nero versus your highly decorated General Secutor! The two right hand men of their respective lieges! They will fight in gladiator combat!”

Secutor nodded, “So my men? You will spare them win or lose?”

Xenia smiled, “I won’t kill them. Nero won’t kill them. But I will not be their guardian angel. Death will still find you all.”

Secutor bowed his head in respect, “Thank you, Empress BloodStar.”

She walked over to him and raised his chin with her finger to look him in the eye, “Yes, quaint and curious war is. You shoot a fellow down you’d treat, if met where any bar is...”

Secutor then completed her sentence, “…or help to half a crown.”

Xenia tilted her head in surprise and smiled at him, “An educated warrior. I had no idea you liked classic poetry, general.”

“Only as it pertains to the harsh reality of battle and war.”

Xenia lowered her face to his, holding his chin firmly in her grip and whispered, “Then let’s just say if this wasn’t war, you’d be buying me a drink, and I’d be fucking you all night long.”

Caught off guard, Secutor was left speechless at the casual but very forward flirtation from an empress towards him.

Xenia then kissed him on the cheek, “I used to watch Nero fight in the coliseum growing up. And when he wasn’t fighting, I was watching and reading about his contemporary in the Heraklinos Empire. You. And now after all these years I get to watch my two teenage crushes fight in person against one another, to the death.”

She then released his chin and took a step back, “War or not. I’ll be fucking the winner.” She began to back away with a flirtatious smile, “Don’t worry. Your men can watch regardless of the outcome. Though I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable if you win.”

Xenia winked at Secutor before turning around fully and walking back over to Nero, “Two honorable warriors fighting over me.”

Nero turned his gaze from Secutor to Xenia at her words, and Xenia nodded her head, “Yes, over me.”

Nero grunted and punched his own palm without saying a word further confident in his own strength.

Xenia began to walk away and stopped to look over her shoulder, “I love watching you fight for me, Nero. Please make it good. Please draw it out. For me.”

She then walked to the center of the encirclement and shouted, “No weapons! Only ki-enhanced physical attacks with no beams or projectiles of any kind.” She then turned to Nero and winked, “And no using my BloodStar!”

She pointed to Nero, and he nodded in confirmation. She then turned and pointed to Secutor who also nodded in confirmation.

Xenia backed up to the edge of the encirclement standing in front of the border of Heraklinos soldiers forming the perimeter of the arena.

“FIGHT!”

BloodStar
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    Gopher
    Gopher
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    Snowman 1 (Genshin Impact)
    May 5

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    Legend of the Snowman-Mancer 1

    Euri Lawrence

    “There is something wrong with this family, brother,” my beloved twin said, her icy-blue hair framing a set of dazzling, sunset eyes that gleamed with determination. “I’ll change it all. This family’s ridiculous notion of nobility, the people’s opinion of us. One by one if I must. That will be my vengeance!”

    “Sure, that sounds lovely, sis. And how are you going to do that?” I asked. I was lying atop a nearby hill, just outside Mondstadt’s gates. On the ground next to me was my violin. All around, windwheel flowers bloomed merrily. I’d always been more laidback than my all-too-serious sister. “What? Are you going to join the knights?”

    “Yes! Splendid idea, brother! We shall join the Knights of Favonius. What better way is there to show our sincere desire to protect the people than to join the knights?”

    “Woah, woah, I don’t have any interest in those uptight pricks, Eula. Those guys are almost as bad as our family.”

    “Euri! You must! As my twin brother, we are destined to tackle this journey together!”

    I sighed. She was doing it again, giving me those irresistible puppy eyes. She’d grow up to be an absolutely stunning beauty one day, a woman who embodied both the nobility of our house and the icy determination of the Favonius Reconnaissance Captain. She would be beautiful and mighty in equal measure, so much so that save Grandmaster Varka himself, few among the knights could claim to be her better.

    And yet, here and now, this was not Eula Lawrence, the Spindrift Knight. This was Eula Lawrence, my adorable younger sister. I caved beneath her puppy eyes as a lone snowman falls before the avalanche. I never was good at denying her anything.

    “Fine, I’ll join the knights with you,” I promised.

    “Pinky promise. On your name as Euri Lawrence, heir of our house.”

    “Really? You’re going that far, dearest sister?”

    “Yes!”

    “As you wish,” I smiled ruefully, holding out my hand. Our pinkies crossed and our thumbs met to complete this solemn oath. “But, won’t you dance for me? Show me the Flickering Candlelight.”

    “Alright, for you, brother. But you must play the melody.”

    “My dearest sister is a shrewd negotiator,” I said. Still, I picked up the violin and began to play.

    Art was the “second soul” of nobility. Where I lacked Eula's skill at the dance, I excelled in other forms of expression. Though I preferred sculpting above all others, this was a melody I learned by heart.

    She stood and began to dance. The Flickering Candlelight was the third act of the Dance of Sacrifice, a dance created by all the noble houses of Mondstadt, back before our bloody reign. The third act was said to represent House Lawrence and traditionally, it was performed by the eldest daughter of the house.

    Eula loved this dance. At first, she did it because our father demanded it of her, but dancing quickly became her favorite hobby. It had been the only recreational pursuit that did not clash with our family’s delicate sensibilities. The day we found out she had a knack for dancing, our father spent countless sums to hire the greatest tutors for her.

    She spun and twirled with a supernatural grace that threatened to take my breath away. Though standards had laxed over the generations, Eula had insisted on learning the original, no matter how difficult. It was a dance I’d seen a thousand times before, but one that never failed to impress.

    Perhaps it was because she looked so happy and lonely at the same time. The dance was a reminder of her nobility, her isolation. It was also her sole outlet for expression.

    Or perhaps it was because I knew what she would one day become. Those delicate hands would one day hold a claymore taller than its wielder. Those elegant twirls would become the death’s dance for monsters, bandits, and hilichurls all over Mondstadt. Already, I could see a bit of the deadly grace that would define the Spindrift Knight.

    A part of me wanted to stop her. Her path would be a bloody one, with few true friends and the constant scorn of those who she’d gladly die for. And yet, as I saw the determination in her eyes, I couldn’t help but give in.

    Really, what kind of older brother would I be if I didn’t support my sister?

    X

    Eula Lawrence

    I was a knight of Favonius, one of two recently inducted into our order. This was to be the start of our ascension. My brother and I would defend the City of Freedom and chart a new course for House Lawrence.

    And yet, he was already keeping secrets from me. Yesterday, as soon as the knighting ceremony was over, he dragged Grandmaster Varka out for a drink, saying he had information only for his ears. Not even my finely honed puppy eyes were enough to get him to spill the beans!

    “Eula! Eula!” I heard Jean call. Jean Gunnhildr was my senior among the knights, a friend and rival I'd made since our training days.

    We were of similar age, perhaps I was even a little older, but she’d been knighted first. I’d thought it was because of the Gunnhildr name, but her skill with the blade was nearly unmatched. Already, my brother had taken to calling her the “little lion cub.” By his estimate, it wouldn't be long now before she was crowned the new Dandelion Knight.

    None of that distinguished legacy could be seen on her face now though. She ran to me, eyes wide with panic. I shelved the practice claymore. She did not strike me as the sort who lost her cool easily. If she was looking for me, there was only one possible cause: Euri.

    “What has my foolish brother done now?” I asked, dreading the answer.

    I loved him. Truly, I did. He was the light of my life, my best friend and rock. He’d always been on my side, supporting me and guiding me with his strangely wise sayings. He’d always seemed larger than life, older than our youth would suggest.

    He was brilliant, artistic, laidback, and maybe just a touch insane or prophetic, it was hard to tell sometimes. Where I struggled to find my place in Mondstadt, he’d always acted like he knew, with a surety of purpose that I envied.

    But sometimes, I couldn’t help but think I’d love him a little more if he wasn’t also a self-professed “chaos gremlin.”

    “H-He’s committing blasphemy! In front of the Favonius Cathedral!” she yelled, face red with anger and frustration. “You have to stop him!”

    Sighing, I made to follow her. I didn’t want to. Trying to stop him tended to end poorly for all involved, usually with him gathering humiliating blackmail somehow. Alas, he was my brother, which meant I was his keeper.

    When I arrived, I had to suppress the urge to tear my hair out. Or laugh. One of the two. Genius or folly, there was seldom any in-between where my brother was concerned.

    “See? This is heresy! Eula, stop him!” Jean yelled, waving frantically at the throng of snow golems.

    Euri was… unique. Where I’d excelled at dance, he excelled at the visual arts. Oh, he was taught a great many skills as heir, but he loved making things with his hands the most. He could paint most things from memory and design clothes that made my father look like a pauper.

    But most of all, he was a sculptor without equal. His creations were so lifelike that I’d frightened myself more than once as a young girl wandering the estate at night. And that incredible flair for the creative arts only increased with his Cryo Vision. He now insisted on being called the Snowman-Mancer, the greatest sculptor of Mondstadt.

    As ridiculous as the name was, I couldn't deny it was fitting. He created golems, snowmen of all shapes and sizes. They were clumsy and cute at first, but then they began to practice the sword strokes he'd learned at my side. Pale imitations they might be, but when faced with dozens of snowmen with my own expertise, all of which could regenerate so long as my brother fed them mana, even I had to admit that my brother's unique combat style was effective.

    And those golems were out in force today. Where he found the time to craft the dozens of snowmen, I had no clue, but here they were. Snowmen on the outer ring carried thick shields looted from the knights’ armory, holding back the incensed crowd and nuns of the church.

    Those snowmen inside each held picket signs. I didn’t need to read them; the snowmen were happy enough to shout their contents to the city.

    “Reject Barbatos! Down with the false god!”

    “Embrace Bard-Batos, god of drunkards and beggars!”

    “Embrace Diluc, his great high priest! Through him, the tap shall never run dry!”

    “Pray for the coming of Diona, whose brews shall be divinely inspired!”

    And, in the middle of it all was an extra-large snowman. My brother stood on its shoulders, a megaphone made of ice in hand, and led his “protestors” in the chants. He was as tall as me, with the same eyes and hair. Where I preferred to wear my hair short, he kept his in a long ponytail. On his head was a thick, fur cap with his personal sigil over his forehead, a stylized snowman holding a bomb with a lit fuse.

    Rather than something sensible, he preferred to wear a thick winter coat that hung down to his ankles. The coat was a pristine white, with silver clasps that caught the light. How he kept that ridiculous thing clean while in the city was beyond me.

    I laughed, a note of hysteria infecting my voice. “Oh… He figured out how to give them voices…”

    “That’s all you have to say?” Jean demanded. I’d never seen her so infuriated before. Then again, I did remember that her younger sister had joined the convent recently. “W-What he’s doing is sacrilegious! Blasphemy! Heresy!”

    I looked at her with hollow eyes. “Would it make you feel better if I said this is still not the dumbest thing my brother’s done?”

    “No! Get him down from there before he starts a riot!”

    “It seems we’re too late for that… He’s not likely to get hurt.”

    “It’s not him I’m worried about! The sisters look like they’re going to pass out!”

    I sighed. Jean was right. I’d dreaded this day, the day all of Mondstadt would learn just how eccentric my brother truly was.

    Just as I was about to leap to him and knock some sense into the moron, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. “Wrangling your brother shall not be your task today, Eula.”

    “Grandmaster Varka!” Jean shouted, relief evident.

    “Indeed. Now, I believe I’ve allowed him his fun.”

    So saying, the grandmaster of our order strode forward. He drew his sword, and with a single slash, cleaved a path through the throng of snowmen. A howling gale of force impacted the square, yet such was his control that no one had so much as a scratch.

    The square fell silent, Euri’s surviving snowmen and the enraged people both. Everyone could feel it, a sense of finality that accompanied the grandmaster. Whatever had happened here, it was over now that he’d arrived.

    “I see you’ve been enjoying yourself, recruit,” the grandmaster said with a stern frown.

    “Oh, you’re here, grandmaster,” my idiot brother said with a beaming smile. “Can I interest you in a sign? Do you have a spare moment? I can tell you all about the greatness of Bard-Batos.”

    “I think I’m quite alright, Sir Euri. Do you realize how serious your actions are?”

    “Me? Why, I believe I am peacefully protesting the evils of Barbatos, sir. The people mock me now, but there will come a day when a crimson hawk soars where I have walked, bringing with him a flood of wine. Together, we shall herald the feline prophet, whose miracle mixology shall spread the name of Bard-Batos all throughout the land.”

    I had no idea what to do here. My brother couldn’t possibly be serious. He wasn’t just rabble-rousing anymore! He was talking back to a superior! And only a day after we joined the knights!

    And yet, Grandmaster Varka looked amused by it all. His lips twitched upwards and his eyes crinkled in good humor. Was… Was this something they’d talked about yesterday night?

    What the hell was he planning?

    The senior knight coughed into his fist. “Right, I think I’ve heard enough. Euri Lawrence! For the crimes of heresy against the Anemo god, rabble-rousing, unauthorized use of Knights of Favonous equipment, and disturbing the peace, I demand that you relinquish your knight’s crest, effective immediately.”

    “No!” I didn’t even know I’d spoken up. I was already there, running to my brother. We promised we’d be knights together. We would…

    “Stand down, Eula.”

    “Grandmaster Varka, please!”

    “It’s fine, sis,” Euri said. That same, infuriating smile hadn’t left his lips. He hopped down from his oversized snowman and caressed my face in his hands. “Being a knight has always been your dream, you know, but it’s not mine. I promised I’d join the knights with you and now, I’ve kept that promise. Grandmaster Varka wouldn’t accept my resignation so soon after I joined, so I decided to get creative.”

    “This isn’t what I meant!”

    “Of course not. But don’t worry. I’ve kept the letter of our promise, and I’ll keep the spirit also. These f#ckwits don’t deserve it, but for you, Mondstadt will always have a protector in me, no matter how far I am.”

    It struck me then. “Y-You’re going away.”

    “Not too far, just up to Dragonspine.”

    “Why? Why are you leaving?” Euri was my rock, my best friend and dearest confidant. He was the other half, the person who meant the world to me.

    And he was leaving. Leaving Mondstadt. Leaving me.

    “There are things I want to do, things that a knight can’t do,” he said gently. He wiped tears from my face, tears I hadn’t known I’d begun to shed. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, like he used to do when we were children. “The world is about to get very dangerous, little sister, but don’t cry. I’m not leaving forever. If nothing else, I’ll have to come down for supplies once in a while.”

    “You’re an idiot,” I said, trying and failing to keep the snot from running down my face. He always did say I was an ugly crier.

    “Maybe. Remember, when a legend whose name you’ve forgotten brings forth a storm not seen since the Cataclysm, when the Fair Lady schemes with poison in the shadows, when a golden-haired Traveler from a Distant Star arrives, carried upon the winds of change, come find me atop the Skyfrost Nail. I think, by then, I’ll be in a position to help.”

    “W-What are you talking about? Don’t go, you idiot!”

    “Promise me, Eula.”

    What else could I say? My brother just willingly exiled himself for Barbatos knew why. “I-I promise.”

    “And you, little lion,” he said. Jean had followed me, lurking awkwardly while we spoke. “Take care of her, okay? Eula likes to act all tough but she’s a very tender girl inside.”

    He didn’t wait for an answer. He swept his coat behind him and stood, hopping back atop his snowman.

    It bent forward and morphed into a horse. Behind him, all the other snowmen that Grandmaster Varka hadn’t destroyed became soldiers. They fell into lockstep with each other, spear butts of ice crashing rhythmically against the cobblestones.

    “Grandmaster Varka! We shall not see each other again until you return from your expedition!” he shouted.

    “What expedition?” the great knight asked.

    “Ah, right. Don’t worry. Leave as you please, for by then, the little lion shall sharpen her fangs. She will have earned the mantle of the Dandelion, and a bolder knight nor a more beloved leader you shall not find in all of Mondstadt, except my kid sis of course.”

    “Hahaha! Very well, young man. I shall remember those words. Farewell, Euri Lawrence, the Snowman-Mancer. May the winds guide you.”

    “Don’t say that, sir. If that drunk moron guides me, I’ll never get anywhere.”

    “Hah, a heretic to the end.”

    “Please tell Capitano I said hi when you see him. Oh, and Godwin is a dickless coward.”

    That was the last I heard of him. He faded from the rumor mill eventually, but never fully disappeared. His speech to the church, and to me, was rather public after all. Snippets would occasionally surface, usually between men who have had too much to drink and thought it was fine to mock my brother. He became known as the “lawless Lawrence,” the laughing stock in a house of disgrace.

    He’d arrive in Mondstadt on occasion, always bringing with him a horde of snowmen. The way people described it, he came and went like the winter storm, always with an icy retinue that marched to a different song.

    Unfortunately, I soon joined the reconnaissance division and was seldom in the city proper. I never did manage to catch his visits, much less discover his hiding place up in Dragonspine.

    Whenever I returned to the city, I’d make my way to Jean’s house. We’d spar, have tea with Lisa, and they would catch me up on whatever utter nonsense my brother had been up to. I missed him terribly, but he’d always been a free spirit. Simply knowing he was well was enough.

    Until Diluc returned from his travels. He took over the Dawn winery, sold his family home, and, as Euri predicted, brought forth a “flood of wine.” It took me longer than I’d care to admit, but I realized after sparring with him that he was the “crimson hawk” that my brother had been talking about. When I brought up the possibility that my brother hadn’t been spewing nonsense to Jean and Lisa, they dismissed it as an impossibility.

    Then the Cat’s Tail bar hired a new bartender, an exceptional young mixologist by the name of Diona. Her feline features were unmistakable, as was the accuracy of Euri’s predictions.

    The words that had been repeated mockingly suddenly took on a more somber note. Though validated only years after his self-imposed exile, his warnings had not been jests after all. At least among the knights who remembered, my brother’s name gained a little more respect.

    Quietly, Jean increased the training regimens of all the knights. Vision wielders especially were encouraged to find new ways to fight, to protect. My brother had been right about Diluc and Diona. We had no reason to deny the coming of a storm, one not seen since the Cataclysm.

    “Euri, what are you up to?”

    Author’s Note

    Have a freebie. May fifth is Children’s Day in South Korea, a national holiday. Here’s maybe the most childish MC to date.

    If it wasn’t obvious, this is basically a prologue before Aether/Lumine arrives in Mondstadt. I decided to make a series of flashbacks for the giggles.
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    1. Online Offline
      Gopher
      Gopher
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      Snowman 2 (Genshin Impact)
      Yesterday

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      Preface

      Apology post for skipping Friday, lol.

      Legend of the Snowman-Mancer 2

      Euri Lawrence

      “And this is how you fashion a bow-drill,” a kindly old man said. Much of his once chestnut-brown hair had faded to silvery white but his eyes shone brightly with decades of wisdom.

      At his feet, Eula, Amber, and I crowded in fascination as the retired outrider started a fire without a flint nor match.

      He wrapped his left hand in leather before using it to press down on a dry stick. He then sawed the bow back and forth, creating a twisting motion that drove the stick into a larger piece of driftwood. In seconds, he had smoke. Kindling, cottontail plants taken from the shores of Cider Lake, was added and he soon held out a lit bundle.

      “There, you see?” He said with a jovial smile. He offered the rustic firemaking kit to Amber. “Nothing to it. Now you try.”

      As the three of us each took our turns, I thought about the man before me.

      Amber's grandfather, one Ambrose Bandel, was a man Eula and I admired more than Barbatos himself. Not only was he a man of great skill, he held no prejudice against us for our surname and ensured his granddaughter was raised with a similarly kind heart. His lessons on wilderness survival were things to be cherished, but to a pair of lonely children, Amber's friendship was worth more than words could ever say.

      Amber, the chipper, outgoing girl she was, befriended Eula one day three years ago when my sister was wandering around Mondstadt. Eula and I often did so simply to get out of our estate for a time. Anything, even the scorn of the people, was better than the cold, arrogant ambivalence of the Lawrence estate.

      When Amber heard that Eula was training herself to join the Knights of Favonius, she dragged her to her grandfather and insisted she join her own lessons. It wasn't long before I too got roped in by the young girl's bubbly personality. We were only seven then.

      After our lessons, Mr. Bandel brought out three large boxes, about the size of our torsos. He handed one to each of us.

      “I've got a special present for you three,” he said.

      Amber practically vibrated in her seat, the twin ends of the bandana holding her hair flopping around like bunny ears. “Is it what I think it is, grandpa?”

      “Yup. Euri and Eula share a birthday and I figured I'd get you yours at the same time. Go on, kids, open them.”

      I was older. I had a lifetime of experience. Yet, I could not stop my hands from trembling nor my eyes from watering with gratitude. It didn't matter what was inside. This was a gift, not of obligation, but sincere and genuine kindness. It was the first of such we'd received.

      We lifted the pine box to find three collapsed windriders. Amber's was a deep crimson, her favorite color, while ours were a pale blue like our hair.

      “You're ten now,” Mr. Bandel said. “I figure it's alright to teach you kids.”

      “Amber is eight,” I said with a teasing smirk, as much to get a rise out of our friend as to draw attention away from my unshed tears.

      If he knew what I was doing, he played along. “She'll pout for weeks if we leave her out.”

      “I wouldn't,” Amber said indignantly. “Knights don't pout.”

      “Oho, then I suppose our little knight doesn't mind waiting then, hmm?”

      “No! That's not fair, grandpa!”

      “Hahaha, I'm only joking, of course you can learn with your friends.”

      I slid an arm around her, pulling her into a sideways hug. “Yeah, relax, Amber, we know you've been looking forward to gliding training more than any of us.”

      She “protested fiercely” in the way only an eight year old “knight” could, puffy cheeks and crossed arms and all. “You're both mean!”

      X

      In the end, Amber got the last laugh. Over the next few years, we quickly found out that the future Gliding Champion of Mondstadt was a prodigy in the air.

      Where Eula was just okay and I had no talent for it whatsoever, Amber practically danced through the currents as if she'd been a bird in her past life. What initial trepidation she felt left her quickly, banished by the plot of her favorite storybook and replaced with a fearless jubilation that neither of us could match.

      Rather than jealousy, I was currently a little peeved with her, my sister too. The two of them giggled incessantly as they looked up at me.

      I hung upside down from a windmill, my windrider caught on one of its arms. Sighing, I crossed my arms and stared down at them helplessly. “Whenever you two are done laughing, how about you fetch me a ladder?”

      “Hehehe, how did you even manage to fly into a windmill, Euri?” Amber asked. “This wasn't part of the flight path!”

      “Never underestimate my brother's ability to become a nuisance, even to himself,” my traitorous sister nodded sagely.

      “Well, I guess I win the race then.”

      “Indeed, but at least I managed to finish the course.”

      I sighed and resigned myself to being the subject of their mockery, again. Truly, tween girls were vicous creatures.

      “Fine,” I said, “What do you want for your prize, Amber?”

      The young girl held a finger to her chin. “Hmm… Oh, can I have a Euri special?”

      “What's that supposed to mean?”

      “Eula says you're super artistic so I want something you've made.”

      “Fine, just get me down from here.”

      “What's the magic word?” Amber sang.

      “Pleae…”

      “Hehehe, okay, give us a minute.”

      X

      An hour later, Amber, Eula, and I had our feet firmly back on solid ground. Truly, if Barbatos meant for us to use those death-kites, we would have been blessed with wings.

      The three of us were outside the city walls, overlooking Cider Lake. We often gathered here for a dinner picnic, or simply to fish.

      Here, I presented Amber with a small, wrapped box, red with a snow-white ribbon.

      “E-Euri? What's this?” Amber stammered.

      “You wanted something I made, right? I've been working on this for your birthday but I figure you may as well get it early,” I replied with a smile.

      “What? I can wait!”

      “Nah, open it. I promise you'll love it.”

      “R-Really? Are you sure it's okay?”

      “Yeah, go ahead. I'll just have to think of something else for your actual birthday.”

      Amber gingerly unwrapped her gift. She gasped as she lifted a plushy into the air. “Aww, it's so cute! Is it me in bunny form?”

      “Yup, and definitely not stuffed with incendiary explosives.”

      “What? Why would anyone turn a plushy into a bomb?”

      “Gee, I wonder… Just don't call it something stupid like ‘Baron Bunny,’” I said with a laugh.

      Amber had to have gotten the idea for her signature explosive trap somewhere. In this timeline, I was happy to provide her that inspiration.

      She stuck out her tongue. “Just for that, his name is now Baron Bunny von Thumper, Lord of Fluffington.”

      “Fine, whatever. As long as you're happy.”

      “I am!” She gave me a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thanks, Euri, I love him.”

      “Good, now Eula can work extra hard to top this gift.”

      “It's not a contest,” my sister sniffed.

      “Of course not. But if it was, we both know I'd win.”

      “Prat.”

      “Can I just say I love you both?” Amber said with a sigh, well used to our bickering by now. “Oh, Euri!”

      “Yes?”

      “I know what I want for my birthday.”

      “Really? Do tell. I'd much prefer people tell me what they want rather than making me guess. If you can save me the trouble, that'd be lovely.”

      “Lessons. I want sewing lessons.”

      “Are you sure? It's not as easy as it looks, you know.”

      “Yup. That way, I can repair Baron Bunny if something happens. And, I can even make my own.”

      “Alright,” I agreed easily. “I'd be happy to teach you.”

      X

      I pulled Amber into my lap as she cried her heart out. Eula folded into her back, sandwiching the girl between us in a fierce hug.

      Ambrose Bandel was dead. Neither Eula nor I could stop our own tears as we mourned the man who loved us like his own grandchildren. For my sister, his had been the sole example of true paternal love.

      It was a death we’d all seen coming. He'd been unwell for a while now and the girls didn't need canon knowledge to know his time drew near.

      That didn't mean his passing was any less difficult on us.

      We sat on Amber's living room floor, wordlessly comforting each other as best we could. It had been all Amber could do not to break down at the funeral home.

      I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that. Finally, I felt her unwrap her arms from my neck.

      “Eula?” Amber whispered weakly.

      “Yes, Amber?”

      I felt her squirm in my lap. “I… I need to pee…”

      I wasn't sure who laughed first, but we all giggled as we untangled ourselves. Amber stood on wobbly legs before hurrying to the bathroom.

      I took Eula's hand and allowed her to drag me to my feet. Her face was a splotchy mess of dried tears and snot, not that mine was any different. We really were ugly criers.

      “She's alone,” Eula said sadly.

      I nodded. I had my past life's memories to bolster me. I had canon to look forward to and prepare for. We had one another to rely on against our asshole family and the city's judging eyes.

      But Amber? She'd just lost her sole remaining family.

      “She doesn't have to be,” I told her. “We can be there for her.”

      “Of course we will. She is like a sister to us.”

      “That she is.”

      X

      Jean Gunnhildr

      Mondstadt was at peace. Grandmaster Varka had taken me on as his personal student and I’d grown by leaps and bounds. Now, Euri wasn’t the only one who called me “little lion.” It never failed to get a flush out of me; I didn’t feel like I’d earned that kind of regard yet, no matter what people said.

      I sighed quietly into my cup of tea. It was a shame. My status as Grandmaster Varka’s protege wasn’t entirely undeserved, but I felt that this esteem should have been shared with Eula.

      She was my rival, someone with every bit the potential I had. When it came to swordplay, we were evenly matched. Where I was groomed for leadership within the city, she had more experience out in the field than anyone else our age. This was the difference between our names, nothing more.

      “Are you listening, Jean?” Lisa asked. The genius scholar had returned from Sumeru’s Akademiya only a few months ago and had taken up the post of librarian. She’d quickly become one of my closest confidants, a friend who could always offer a different perspective. It wasn’t uncommon to find her in my new office for mid-morning tea.

      “Sorry, Lisa,” I apologized. “I was just wondering how the reconnaissance mission was going.”

      “You mean how your rival is doing?”

      “Am I that transparent?”

      “Yes. In any case, things have been rather quiet lately. All I’ve had to deal with were a few overdue library books. I’ve even caught up on my beauty sleep.”

      I giggled. Lisa wasn’t nearly as lazy as she pretended to be. “That’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Even the hilichurl tribes have been quie–Hold on, do you hear that?”

      “I don’t hear anything.”

      I shushed her. Yes, I could hear a catchy melody, quiet but getting louder as whoever was singing drew closer.

      “Jingle bells,
      Jingle bells,
      Jingle all the way~”

      I made my way to the window and opened it wide. Sure enough, my suspicions were confirmed. It was only mid-October but I could see large snowflakes descending from the sky, carried by a southerly wind. There could only be one cause: Euri was paying his biannual visit.

      “I think I hear something too,” Lisa said as she joined me by the window. She held out a hand and gasped as a snowflake landed on her finger. “Is that… snow…?”

      “Dashing through the snow,
      In a one-horse open sleigh,
      O'er the fields we go,
      Laughing all the way~”

      “HA. HA. HA!”

      Yes, that was Euri. No one else flew into town with a full accompaniment of cackling snowmen, not that we could see him at the moment. His ride of choice was a sleigh made of Cryo energy that skated along rails of ice, dragging clouds of snow behind him.

      I rocked and hummed a little to his song. It was catchy, with a cheerful air that reminded me of festivals and simple delights.

      “It is,” I confirmed with a bemused sigh. “I suppose it is about that time.”

      “I didn’t realize Mondstadt suffered from fluctuating weather patterns. Have you consi–Aah!”

      I could have stopped it. I’d seen it coming. Really, Euri did something like this whenever he dropped by. He sometimes came around with useful intel, but more often than not, simply to socialize. He’d tell stories of lost hikers he’d rescued or just an herb he’d found made for decent tea. Once, he fed me a jerky that only found later was made from a fox, the very same fox whose pelt he’d had stuffed into a pillow.

      I may have hit him a bit harder than I meant to for that.

      He was getting a little predictable to be honest, not that I was stupid enough to tell him that. He was exactly the sort of person who’d take that as a personal challenge and I liked predictable. Whatever satisfaction I’d get from poking fun at him wasn’t worth the pandemonium he’d unleash just to prove he could.

      And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to defend Lisa from the snowball that sailed through the window. It exploded against her face with a wet splat. I fell into an uncontrollable fit of giggles as surprise, then thunderous wrath spread across my friend’s face.

      Euri’s silhouette could be seen against the clouds now. There was a chorus of snowmen riding on his sleigh and singing along to his song. Really, the control he had over his constructs was downright impressive.

      He slid to a stop outside my office window as the last notes of his song trailed to a close. Then, pulling his trademark, white overcoat around him like a cape, he swept into a flourishing bow. “Dame Jean, I have traveled far for the pleasure of your company.”

      “Hehehe, Lisa, may I introduce you to Euri–hehe–Lawrence, the Snowman-Mancer,” I said. If nothing else, he wasn’t boring. “Euri, this is Lisa, the new Head Librarian of the Knights of Favonius. She’s got an electrifying personality.”

      Lightning began to crackle around my friend as her hair levitated on currents of mana. “Oh, is that the name of this dead man?”

      The look of terror on Euri’s face as he realized he’d missed me and struck this total stranger was one I would cherish for many nights to come. “Ah… Truce?”

      “Hmm… Let me think… No.”

      X

      Lisa didn’t kill Euri, thankfully. I didn’t know how I’d tell Eula that her twin brother committed suicide-by-librarian otherwise. After a few punishing zaps, we sat around my office tea table, a fresh pot made for us all.

      “So, the Snowman-Mancer, hmm? I think I’ve heard about you. I didn’t think you lived up to those rumors however,” Lisa said, calmer now.

      “Ahahaha, what can I say? I like to bring a bit of excitement into people’s lives,” Euri said with a shameless grin.

      “He likes to visit twice a year or so for supplies,” I informed her. “Otherwise, he mostly lives somewhere in the Dragonspine Mountains.”

      “Oh? You live there permanently? Most people would call that a frozen hellscape. You can’t possibly survive off the land with only two visits to civilization, surely.”

      “I call it home. It’s beautiful up there,” he replied. “And no, I don’t just head into town twice a year, more like once a month. I usually visit Springvale because it’s a lot closer. I can trade pelts and herbs I find for food there.”

      “That makes sense. Then what brings you here? And why a sleigh?”

      “I can answer that,” I said with a laugh. “Do you remember Amber?”

      “Yes, the outrider. She’s a delight.”

      “She is. She’s also quite proud of her title as Mondstadt’s gliding champion, and a good friend of the Lawrence twins. She kept making fun of Euri because he’s terrible at gliding.”

      “So he made something to glide in the air with? Does a sleigh really count?”

      Euri pouted like a child. “Of course it counts. Amber just can’t admit when she’s outmatched.”

      “One of you can’t at any rate,” I teased.

      “Hush, Jean, or I tell Lisa about your experiments with chili brew.”

      “T-There’s no need for that!”

      “Are you sure? Don’t you love to brag about your wonderful little sister?”

      “That’s not the same!” I cleared my throat and willed the blood in my cheeks to go down. As much as I adored Barbara, her tastes were… questionable. “Ahem! So, you’re here. Why?”

      “Oh, don’t change the subject, Jean,” Lisa said with a teasing grin. “I would love to hear about your culinary experiments.”

      “Nope. Not today. Euri. Talk. Now.”

      He laughed, that frustrating man-child. “Fine, fine. As you know, I always have snowmen all across the mountain range, keeping a lookout for any suspicious activity. Mostly, I’m just trying to keep people away from my own projects, but I also look for rare herbs, minerals, and treasures.”

      “Right, what about it? Thank you for keeping hikers safe, by the way. I know your snowmen have led more than a few people safely back down the mountain.”

      “No problem. Anyway, I noticed that there have been increased Treasure Hoarder activity along the route to Mingyun Village. The route traces the edges of the mountains and isn’t part of my jurisdiction–”

      “You don’t have jurisdiction,” I pointed out, mostly for the sake of giving my friend a hard time.

      Truthfully, he did, sort of. Grandmaster Varka had a letter in his drawer signed and stamped that revoked Euri’s expulsion. He didn’t have the public support to implement such an order thanks to Euri’s family name, but he was of the opinion that Euri should be welcomed back into the knights whenever he finished… whatever he was doing up in the mountains.

      As far as we knights were concerned, Euri left voluntarily and simply insisted on doing so in his usual, bombastic style. It was why no one, not even Albedo or Rosaria at the church, looked too deeply into the happenings of Dragonspine.

      “Details,” he waved me off. “Anyway, there have been a lot of bandits poking around nearby.”

      “That’s on Liyue’s side of the border. I’m not sure I want to do anything about that.”

      “True, which is why I think you should send word to the Qixing. If I had to guess, the reason for this hubbub is the emergence of a new Domain.”

      That got a gasp from us both. Domains were a big deal, pockets of high magical concentration that formed around temples, ruins, and similar. They inevitably contained clues about ancient civilizations, rare artifacts, or sometimes even priceless treasures and technologies. I heard that in some cases, powerful entities like gods or adepti could even isolate the space from reality entirely.

      “Are you sure about this?” I asked.

      “Pretty sure. There’s a certain underground cavern on Liyue’s side of the mountain range with a great deal of Electro energy, like a lightning storm that’s somehow fully contained underground.”

      “I see… It could be that the Treasure Hoarders somehow heard about this place.”

      “Yup. Again, maybe you should send the Qixing a heads up so they can investigate.”

      “I will, thanks for letting me know.”

      He got up and rummaged around in the back of his sleigh. “I also brought some interesting goodies for Albedo. Starsilver and scarlet quartz that you can’t get anywhere else. I’m sure our resident alchemist will appreciate it.”

      “I’m sure he will, but you know you don’t have to offer him tribute, right?”

      “Yeah, but it’s not like I can go find R and I am poaching her son in a way.”

      “Who?”

      “Don’t worry about it.”

      “You know, one of these days, you’re going to have to tell me where you get your information.”

      “Eh, that sounds boring. Anyway, that’s all I had to say. Ciao~”

      WIth that, he leapt out of my window and ran off, probably to Good Hunter. If I remembered right, he and Sara were good friends, maybe even a bit more.

      X

      Euri Lawrence

      “Yeesh, Lisa hits way too hard,” I whined as I sat at a table at the Good Hunter. I really hadn’t thought anyone might be visiting Jean at eleven in the morning. When I saw someone poke their head out of her window, I hurled my snowball as accurately as I could. Lisa hadn’t been my target.

      Still funny, but wrong target.

      It wasn’t long before Sara came over with my usual order, the glorious Reuben sandwich. It was my sole contribution to the prestige of the Lawrence clan, just about the only compromise I made with my asshole father: Gebratenes fleisch mit sauerkraut really didn’t taste that bad.

      It was common German fare in my old world too. It literally translated to “roasted meat with pickled cabbage.” The version my family enjoyed was so disgustingly sour though, that I had to soak the sauerkraut in water for an hour to bleed off some of that vinegar. I then slapped it between two rustic buns, made my best approximation of thousand island dressing, and made Teyvat’s first Reuben sandwich.

      Truly, I was a culinary genius to rival Guoba. Xiangling should bow in reverence.

      “Euri! You’re in town again,” Sara said, sliding my plate over with a welcoming smile. “Will you be staying long?”

      “Hey, Sara. How’s business?”

      “Oh, you know, pretty good. Business might take a hit if adventurers ever learned to make more than campfire dinners.”

      “Like that’ll ever happen.”

      “Right? This is what I call prime job security,” she chirped happily. “My family won’t go out of business so long as we have adventurers.”

      Sara was one of the few civilian friends Eula and I had. In the knights, Eula’s swordplay and my magic earned us a measure of respect, begrudging as it was. That hadn’t translated to the general public quite yet however.

      Despite that, Sara saw us as Euri and Eula first, professional homeless man and knight second, and Lawrence clan members a distant third. For that, she was easily our favorite person. Because of this, and given how little we liked our family, she was something of an unofficial mailbox for Eula and I.

      I placed a gift box on the table. I’d dropped by the smithy before coming here for lunch and found Master Wagner had completed my commission. “Mind passing this along to my sister whenever she shows up next?”

      “Ooh, what’s in here? A gift for your little sister?”

      “Yup.”

      “It’s not fox jerky again, is it? Because Eula threatened to stab you last time,” Sara reminded me.

      “It’s not.” I opened up the box to reveal a set of vambraces, intricately decorated with snowflakes and my twin’s personal sigil. “They’re wristguards. Vision bearers don’t really wear much armor because we don’t usually need to, but a strong set of enchanted gear does come in handy every now and then. These won’t interfere with her combat style while allowing her to block with her arms if push comes to shove.”

      “Ooh, they’re also very pretty.”

      “Yes, Sara, they’re also very pretty.”

      “What is it? It doesn’t really look like steel.”

      “Starsilver. It’s a type of magical silver ore that’s unique to the Dragonspine Mountains. It’s stronger than steel and reacts favorably to enchantments, particularly those that generate ice.”

      “Ooh, fancy. Sounds expensive.”

      “Very. Mining it is problematic for a dozen different reasons, unless you have an army of snowmen and can ignore Dragonspine’s weather.”

      “I’ll make sure she gets this,” she said with a smile. “You know, she’d probably appreciate it more coming from you directly.”

      “She would, but I can’t. She’s already busy being a knight captain and I can’t take too much time out from my projects.”

      “Just what are you working on up there, Euri?”

      “Hopefully something that’ll be very useful in a few years,” I told her. “Don’t worry, the letter contains the location of one of my campsites in Dragonspine.”

      She slid the box back to me. “Then give it to her yourself, you dunce!”

      “Can’t. That’s her birthday gift. Our birthday’s October fifteenth, you know.”

      “Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything and it’s only a few days away!”

      “Don’t worry about it. I’ll consider this favor my gift.” I stood and placed mora on the table for the food. “Thanks for lunch, Sara; it was delicious.”

      “O-Okay. Take care, Euri.”
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