"But look at the people who have fallen. They were your comrades.
They believed in your strength and resolve more than anyone."
As Elysia was saving yet another visitor that has stumbled across to another universe, she found herself unable to le...
"Hmm, these strongholds are quite well-hidden." the pink-haired elf mused as she stood next to the Ragnvindr.
"This is the Abyss we're talking about, they're hatred for humanity is proudly displayed, yet they go far and wide to hide whatever plans they make to crush us.." Diluc responds as he pulls out his greatsword.
"Sounds like any generic super villain honestly, but I'll take your word for it." she pushes her hair back, her bow materialising in her hand.
Diluc steadily went in first, before nodding to her that the coast was clear. She gracefully stepped inside as the stone door closed behind them, throwing them into complete darkness. She quickly formed a glowing crystal in her hand that faintly illuminates the area around them, looking ahead she held her hand up as the crystal hovered off her hand and began guiding them in the dark.
With the help of the crystal they were able to cover more ground around the stronghold without getting lost in the sea of darkness, though the strange thing is, there was not a single trace of life around. No hilichurl camp, no elemental particles, nothing..
Elysia and Diluc shared confused glances as they continued on to reach the end of the stronghold, hoping they'll find a clue there. And upon walking through a skinny hallway, the girl was walking ahead of him and suddenly, she heard the sound beneath her feet yet before she could react, an she felt someone grabbed her arm from behind, as a stray arrow that would have pummelling her in the head, was stuck to the wall.
Her back was against his chest, and she couldn't tell whether it was her heartbeat that was increasing or his.
"Watch your step." she heard him clear his throat and spoke, due to their position, she felt as if he was whispering into her ears.
She took a step back from him, smoothing out her uniform and simply nodded in response.
Aside from that, after squeezing through the thin corridor they were met with a large and empty room with three gates on the other side.
The blue-eyed elf placed her hand on her left hip as she took a look around, Diluc kept his eyes on the movement of her crystal, then turned to her.
"Is there a way for you to make a larger one, to light up the whole room?"
"I'll try my best!" she beamed with a smile.
Elysia formed yet another crystal in her palm as she reformed it in the form of an arrow, she narrowed her eye towards the centre of the room and released it. The light travelled up and hit the ceiling, exploding midair like a firework as it flourished in the shape of a flower chandelier.
"Who goes there..?"
The pair immediately put on their battle stance and turned to the source of the voice.
"Took you long enough to show yourself." the red-haired male growled, clutching his greatsword tightly.
"Drawn to my little gift over here? Quite impressive if I do say so myself." she giggled.
"Why you little.. Well then, I hope you enjoy my present as well!" it laughed loudly as the doors behind it opened, revealing three sets of ruin guards in each room.
The ground shook violently as the machine began to power on, she looked over at the man, "You handle the Abyss Mage, I'll take care of the ruin guards!"
He glanced at her in shock, "I'm not letting you deal with those things alone!" he yelled back.
She chuckled and closed her eyes, "I appreciate the concern.." sending him a confident look as her eyes emit a bright glow. "But a few rusty machines aren't stopping, Elysia."
He reluctantly nodded and began charging after the Abyss Mage, dodging its attempt to hit him with its bubble beams and releasing his phoenix on it which knocked him high in the air, before he lunged at it with his flaming greatsword, delivering the final blow. He looked over at the girl in concern as the ruin guards surrounded her.
Yet a smirk appeared on her lips as she aimed her bow upwards, the arrow shot up and explodes, forming a dome around the whole room, she then shot the final arrow which ricochet around the dome and before she knew it, the ruin guards imploded, the sound of gear and metal crashing on the ground.
Flipping her hair back with a playful grin, she turned to the man who walked over to her. "Ta-da~" she sang before placing her hand behind her back as she leaned towards him."What do you think?"
"Your skill and talent exceeded my expectations." he crosses his arms with a small smile on his face. "I was impressed by your abilities the first time we met, so i believe i made the right choice."
"Aww, your compliment is making me blush." she giggled. "That's how you know you made a pretty girl with pink hair very happy!"
He sighs but couldn't help but mentally smile at her attitude, while he's usually not a fan of chirpy people, yet he find her behaviour quite amusing.
"As a small treat, meet me in Angel's Share, a tavern within Mondstadt, we'll discuss the outcome of today, it's on me." he contended in a friendly tone.
A wide grin embellished her face as she replied in a cheerful tone, "You sure are full of surprises today, two dates in a row! i'm flattered~"
"I'll see you there." he simply states, sounding flustered and just walking by her.
Upon realising where he went, she quickly whined, "Hey! You're not leaving your date here alone!"
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