***
Even for outsiders, the excellency and solemnity of the proceedings and ceremony had a profound effect on those in attendance, and many felt compelled to stand and gawk.
This was a sacred and holy event that could only occur once a year in a world filled with both gods and demons; however, in the span of a few minutes, something terrible had changed everything.
"Now then." Ningguang's voice was enchanting, and yet cold. She spoke with the tone of an executioner. "The hour is upon us."
In the deepest of night, illuminated by starlight, Ningguang of the Liyue Qixing gathered the power of her Geo Vision element, and shot it up into the heavens above.
The light from this beam seemed brighter than day, and it spread across the sky like lightning. Momentarily, the night's darkness dissipated to the extent that people would have mistaken it for midday.
As if sensing something was wrong, Ningguang's eyes were drawn upward, toward a location that seemed darker than before. She strained her eyes, but all she could see was a red flash.
She couldn't ignore what she had just seen, no matter how hard she tried.
The next instant, a large dragon figure crashed to the ground. It fell like a rock, and its body was still upon impact. Its claws extended like the talons of a large bird, its tail ended in sharp spikes, and its stomach bore a jagged, bloody wound. A dark stain spread over its scales as blood slowly dripped to the ground.
Disbelief crept over the faces of onlookers. What in the world? A dragon just dropped dead, right in front of their very eyes?
"Wh-What!? What is going on!?"
"Could...Could it be that...Lord Rex Lapis has..."
"The end of prosperity for Liyue...oh dear Archon, forgive us!"
Ningguang's face turned grim as she heard the voices of people around her. She stepped forward and knelt down beside the creature. Her hands moved with great care, examining its wounds to determine whether or not it was too late. After a few seconds, she stood up again, wariness in her eyes as she commanded,
"Rex Lapis has been assassinated! Seal off the exits!"
As soon as she issued the order, several nearby Millelith soldiers woke up from their shock and wasted no time in getting to work. The soldiers swiftly surrounded the area and began barricading the entrance. Another group brought out ropes and began tying up anyone they could get their hands on so that no one would not be able to struggle.
"Rex...Lapis...?
Ganyu's mouth hung open slightly.
Her eyes wandered to the dragon's lifeless body as tears rolled down her face. It was clear from her posture that she was shaken up by what she'd witnessed.
What was going on here? Why did this happen? There must have been some kind of mistake...
And as more tears spilled forth and streamed down her cheeks, Ganyu realized something crucial.
Something she didn't notice up to this point.
Yomite and the company were no longer present.
They were gone.
They had vanished, as if they've never been there in the first place...
"Y...Yomite...?"
This sudden coincidence...Rex Lapis' death and Yomite's disappearance...made her feel extremely uneasy.
Was Yomite somehow involved?
Was he being nice to her for the sole purpose of obtaining information about Rex Lapis by exploiting her weaknesses and insecurities?
Was his plan to assassinate Rex Lapis from the very beginning?
'Twin blessings.'
Ganyu trembled as her thoughts suddenly rendered her terrified.
Despite the fact that it sounded absurd, the timing of their meeting and every other detail were perfect, which made her even more suspicious.
She couldn't take it anymore; she had to know where Yomite went. She needed to confront him, ask questions.
if it was to be true...
If it was to be true that he had somehow assassinated Rex Lapis...
...She would make sure that he knew exactly what she would do to him, tearing him apart limb by limb, one piece at a time.
The Qilin were gentle creatures who refused to harm any animal, or even an insect, living a vegetarian lifestyle, with fur as soft and fluffy as clouds.
When they did not live in times of peace, however, they were known as the most terrifying Illuminated Beasts, willing to do anything to drive away their enemies.
And at this very moment, the blood of the Qilin within her body was surging uncontrollably through her veins.
The pain was so intense that she barely managed to keep herself upright.
Pure rage radiated from every inch of her being, making her look absolutely inhuman and causing the surrounding crowd to cower away.
She was on the verge of hyperventilating.
Without hesitation, Ganyu took her bow and left the plaza...
Answers were what she needed right now.
*
**
***
***
**
*
Meanwhile...
Somewhere else...
"Why the hell would you teleport us away, Lumine!?" Yomite snapped angrily. "Not only did you reveal that you can teleport to god knows how many people, you also made us seem suspicious that we just disappeared out of nowhere after Morax's death!"
Yomite was livid, naturally. His chest heaving with indignation, "Where are we anyway..."
"I...I...I sent us near the Liyue plains...I just...panicked and teleported everyone...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry..." Lumine said, looking terribly ashamed.
She knew she definitely deserved a tongue-lashing for doing such a reckless thing.
"Forget it...what's done is done..."
"Yum-Yum...what is going on...?" Barbara asked softly.
Lumine couldn't bring herself to explain the situation and Barbara knew it so she asked Yomite for and explanation instead.
"...It's a special ability of Lumine, something only the members of my adventurer's team knew about... A teleportation ability. You can get from a certain place to another within seconds..." He explained, sounding incredibly weary. "I wanted it to remain secret within my circle of people...but it looks like that's no longer an option..."
"I...I will not tell anyone! I promise! You can count on me!" Barbara exclaimed.
Yomite smiled slightly at Barbara's determination and nodded at her gratefully. "Thank you, but at this point I don't think it matters...we can only hope no one spotted us...but even then...Ganyu was right next to us...This just complicates things..."
