Closing the Distance Between Us

Chapter 5

The world was awash with flames, black and red cubes floating down from the sky, like the tentacles of some giant monster. She could hear nothing but the crackling of fire and screams of the people.

Her home.

She couldn't do anything but stare as her people and the adepti were overpowered. She witnessed Rex Lapis, the proud and mighty Geo Archon, glowing bright with Geo energy in blinging white clothes, summoning stone spears out of thin air. They were easily as large as the spears embedded in Guyun Stone Forest. He hurled them at the descending tendrils of darkness, hoping to stop their descent.

The spears were swallowed instantaneously by the tendrils of darkness, the ancient runes printed on the side of the cubes glowing bright red with power. A barrier of Geo energy shattered and sprayed upwards, no longer able to hold back the approach of black tendrils. She witnessed the Vigilant Yaksha leap high into the air, but before anything could be done, two thin tendrils of darkness pierced him through, engulfing him. Within seconds, he was nowhere to be seen.

The other Adepti stood upon glowing blue mounts created by Ningguang, but the light was flickering unstably. A beam of golden adeptal energy blasted one of the tendrils, stalling it and blasting it to pieces. Before long, however, it reformed and slammed into the blue mounts, shattering them. The adepti leaped off, and regrouped with the small remaining survivors. Then the goddess herself flew down from the clouds, gaze cold as ice and the same black and red design flowing up and down her cape. She tossed an angry glare towards Rex Lapis, who had constructed smaller Geo shields around the remaining survivors.

"Where are they?" Her voice was smooth, echoing, and oh-so filled with anger. "Where have you hidden them?"

"You will never possess them," Rex Lapis rumbled. Yes, rumbled was the word. As Rex Lapis spoke, the entire ground groaned and shifted with him, rumbling. "They have already escaped, and will bring your demise."

"Then you will die," The goddess snarled. Rex Lapis tilted his chin up, defiant.

"So be it."

He held his hand out, and a shining polearm materialised in his grasp. He swung it around in a slow, practiced motion, and held it out, in a ready stance. The goddess threw a spear of darkness at him, and Rex Lapis raised his spear to turn away the strike. Just before the two weapons met, a high pitched shriek sounded, and the world exploded.

"Ugh... what," Keqing groaned. As her eyes fluttered open, she was painfully aware of the light streaming in through her window and onto her face. Some of her hair was in the way, too, so she brushed it aside and listened intently. The hell was that shriek?

A high pitched squeal sounded outside her window again, and Keqing rolled out of bed to investigate the source of interruption.

Not that she was complaining.

As she stuck her head out the window, she saw Lumine and the little flying fairy. Lumine appeared to have bought the little fairy some food, and the fairy squealed in delight at tasting the new dish. Sighing, Keqing retreated back into her room and rubbed her forehead.

What was that?

She knew it was another dream, because she had woken up. She had reasoned, unfortunately, that those types of dreams had become much more common ever since meeting Aether. It was annoying, yes, but nothing to get too upset over.

However, the sick feeling in her stomach didn't go away. The dream she just had was evidently caused by the vision of what happened in Khaenri'ah Aether had shown her, and she just didn't feel like leaving the city after witnessing its destruction in her dream. She hoped Aether would forgive her the following day.