Albedo stood quietly while watching Soleil distill the pure elemental energy from a beaker into a clear flask. Just as he watched silently, Soleil herself was too focused to make a sound.
Her golden eyes reflected the shine of the liquid energy while it poured into the flask completely. Once she was done, she stepped back, "Done."
She gave the flask to Albedo, who walked to the other side of the table and took a glass dropper. He wordlessly used the dropper to get a few milliliters.
Soleil looked at the bottom of her beaker, finding tiny specks of solid particles that didn't melt in the crucible. She proceeded to put it on the side and watch Albedo.
"The Delusion," Albedo said. Soleil took out one of the Delusions they had and placed it on top of a stone slab. Albedo checked his filled dropper before approaching the Delusion.
"Be careful," Soleil said. The alchemist nodded and leaned closer to the slab. Carefully, he squeezed the dropper's bulb and let the pure, liquid energy drip on the Delusion.
Albedo took a few steps back until he stood beside Soleil. Both of them observed the Delusion sizzle, letting gray smoke emanate before fading again.
"The reaction is weaker than I anticipated," Albedo commented. "Still, it proves that it reacts violently to elemental energy," Soleil told him.
"I had imagined it would. Still, our experiments have not provided enough data to hypothesize about the Delusion's manner of usage," Albedo shook his head.
"Well... We could try to use a Vision to incite a few more reactions from the Delusion," Soleil suggested, "Compared to extracted energy, Visions are more potent catalysts for the elements."
"It's far too dangerous. We both have an idea of what could happen should those two come in contact with one another," Albedo said, his voice its usual calm.
Albedo held his chin and squinted his eyes, "We cannot gather enough data just from observing the Delusion's properties alone, nor could we directly experiment with the Archon Residue due to its harmful nature. Experimenting with a Delusion's reactions to its environment also proved to be a fruitless endeavor."
"Do you have any suggestions?" Soleil asked. "I have. However, considering its dangers, it may be something we may have difficulties with," Albedo replied.
"What is?" Soleil asked, confused. Albedo looked at her seriously, "We must see the Delusion in action. This is the only way to completely monitor how it works. We may also discover how a Delusion is created in the process."
"Hm. That does sound probable," Soleil nodded, a thoughtful and pondering look on her face.
"I am interested in how the Fatui are capable of manipulating and tampering with Archon Residue. They do this safely and was even able to manufacture Delusions from it," Albedo mused, "A dangerous but intriguing achievement, no doubt."
"Could it be possible that they have people who are not subjected to the Residue's corrosive properties?" Albedo thoughtfully said.
Soleil gazed at him and giggled lightly, "We're about to figure out."
"What do you mean by that?" Albedo looked at her. Soleil fixed her sleeves before trotting out of the workshop, "Follow me. And bring the Delusion with you while you're at it."
Albedo was about to speak but Soleil was already walking in the snow. He hesitated before sighing. He took the Delusion, as per Soleil's words, and followed after her.
"Where are we headed to?" Albedo asked while they traversed Dragonspine. Soleil breathed into her palms and rubbed it while ascending.
"We'll need a place that's out of sight. We can't be seen doing what we're about to do," Soleil replied.
"Might I ask what that is?" Albedo asked while brushing off the snow on his shoulders.
Soleil didn't answer and continued on the path. Albedo decided to just follow her until they both entered a dark cavern nestled in the obscured parts of the mountain's face.
The billowing cold may have stopped inside the cave, but it was still dark and cold. Soleil managed to find a torch and lit it up.
Albedo scrutinized the area. It was wide within the cave, with ice spikes that never melt and strange white and blue grass growing around them.
He turned, seeing Soleil unlatching the belt over her coat and removing it in the process. She let the coat and belt drop on the snowy white grass with a thump and she was left in her bodysuit. The alchemist's eyebrows rose curiously.
Soleil grumbled something incoherently as she fixed her gloves and gestured at Albedo with a finger. "What?" he asked.
"The Delusion. Toss it over to me," Soleil said. Albedo blinked before taking out the Delusion and tossed it in the air.
Soleil caught it with ease, staring at the fist-sized object with a dark stare. She looked up at Albedo seriously, "Keep yourself at a distance from me. And no matter what may happen, do not move or attempt to approach. Alright?"
"Of course," Albedo nodded firmly, noticing Soleil's warning words pointing at what she will do to the Delusion. Soleil closed her eyes and breathed in.
When she felt she was ready, she grasped the Delusion tightly in hand. The feeling she had attempted to drown out resurfaced like a revived beast thirsty for blood.
Albedo's eyes widened when a large burst of dark energy swirled around Soleil, encasing her in a dome of black tendrils that he could faintly see through.
Albedo shielded himself when the energy exploded, causing the wind to howl louder than the cold currents outside. He aimed to approach Soleil but remembered her words.
He shouldn't come near her. He gritted his teeth and stayed still. He focused his attention on the dark energy around them.
"The Delusion's energy... It really does resemble pure Archon Residue," Albedo whispered and closed his eyes, "It also smells of mist grass..."
Dark ribbons wrapped around Soleil's arms and legs. When she opened her eyes, there was only a dull haze and a petrifying bloodlust. Her short hair flew upward, like the flames of a burning fire.
Albedo saw this and a serious look fell on his face. He knew of the corrosive side effects of a Delusion on its user. Is Soleil still her current self? Would she attack him?
Soleil looked at Albedo's direction and raised a hand. The dark energy formed intricate black spears and shot for him. Albedo's gaze firmed.
He was about to counter the incoming spears when they just whizzed past him. Albedo heard the sound of flesh being stabbed and turned, surprised to see nearly a dozen hilichurls on the ground.
Their foreheads were stabbed with the dark spears. Albedo looked closer and saw the energy flicker, corroding the wounds until the hilichurls' bodies dissipated into black matter.
"The Delusion's energy must have caught their attention," Soleil stated, causing Albedo to stand back up and enter a defensive stance.
Albedo stared at her with curiosity. Soleil stared back, "Have you made enough observations? If so, I'll deactivate the Delusion's energy."
The alchemist blinked. "Oh. Right. I have," he answered. Soleil nodded and closed her eyes.
The dark energy around them faded away like exorcised ghosts, returning the cave to its calm and cold state. Soleil exhaled sharply, stumbling a bit before regaining foot.
She stared at the Delusion in her hand and gave it back to Albedo. "How are you feeling?" the alchemist asked. "Peachy," Soleil shrugged, smiling a bit.
"Huh. It seems that you are able to utilize the Delusion without facing any side effects. An astonishing discovery," Albedo said with a wondering look.
"I've had some experience using a Delusion before so I knew how to use it," Soleil said evasively as she wore her coat and belt again. They would have burned if she used the Delusion wearing them.
"Well, that proves convenient in our investigation. But it is still a strange phenomenon," Albedo replied, "Many others who have used a Delusion were reported to show signs of weakening and fatigue. Luckily, none of these are dire cases. If these people had continued using the Delusions, I suspect something worse could happen."
"But with you..." Albedo looked at Soleil, "You are an entirely different case. Not only did you manage to wield the Delusion with ease, but also remained unharmed despite its corrosive properties. How curious."
"That's because Delusions feed on the user's wrath," Soleil smiled humorlessly, "As long as the user feels strong, negative emotions, they will remain unharmed. Only when they come clean with their emotions will Delusions start backfiring."
"Then that would explain the rest. The people of Mondstadt were raised with peace and freedom so they would rarely hold unto strong emotions like anger. But if that is the case, then you..." Albedo trailed off, giving Soleil a scrutinizing stare.
Soleil smiled, "There's a lot of things I'm not telling you, Albedo."
"Hm. I can see that," Albedo said amusingly, "We should head back."
Signs of weakness and fatigue? That is incredibly mild, Soleil was lost in her thoughts as they traced their steps back to Albedo's workshop.
"Perhaps the effects of the Delusion vary depending on the frequency of usage and intensity of emotions," Soleil mused. "That sounds plausible," Albedo nodded.
"It should be. After all, I've learned that a person could result to death after using a Delusion," Soleil replied grimly.
Based on Diluc's story, his father had died after using a Delusion for some reason she doesn't know. He didn't fall ill or get tired. He just died like that.
She suspected Diluc's Delusion was the same one that killed his dad. Delusions were hard to come across back then so Diluc must have taken the Delusion and investigate its origins.
Then he also said that his Delusion wasn't like the ones they confiscated, but was a glove. Just like the one Soleil had used all those years ago.
Her eyes widened. Right! Soleil remembered. The Delusion she used was too much for her body and nearly took a toll on her brain.
When she used the Delusion earlier, it felt different. The Delusion's power felt suppressed.
Soleil frowned in thought. When they got back, she rested her hands against the edges of the table.
"Could it also be because the kind of Delusion was different?" she whispered.
Albedo heard her and snapped his head towards her. "The kind of Delusion?" he repeated.
Soleil looked at him and sighed tiredly, "Another round of explanations..."
She cleared her throat. "Delusions come in many different forms. But from what I've seen so far, there are three prototypes: a glove prototype, a pseudo-Vision prototype, and the innate prototype," Soleil explained, "Remember how I said I also dealt with the Fatui?"
"Naturally. It was too bizarre of a statement to be forgotten," Albedo answered, "What do you mean when you say 'innate'?"
Soleil's face darkened. "The Fatui launched a project where they try to utilize Archon Residue. It happened some years ago," she said.
"But Delusions have been existing longer than that," Albedo countered.
"I wasn't talking about Delusions. I was talking about the Residue itself," Soleil looked away, "They injected Archon Residue into the human body to see if it is possible to synchronize the energy with the body and enable the test subject to use it without the need for tools. Of course, the human body is fragile and most test subjects immediately died after injection. Those who lived went insane, and if anyone managed to survive throughout the project? They were treated as outcasts and shunned."
"I see," Albedo uttered. "But there were not many trials that succeeded," Soleil looked at the ground, "All the test subjects were children and nearly all of them died. But there was one who lived and survived."
Memories stirred inside Soleil's head. It was the case Cyno had told her about. He had to leave Sumeru and came back with a young girl with green hair.
He managed to seal away the Residue in her body with the knowledge they both shared. But if the girl tried to use her powers even in the slightest, well...
Soleil's eyes suddenly widened. So that's why Cyno went to borrow the medicine books from her and the Prof. It was for the girl!
Soleil pursed her lips. Stupid jackal boy. He should have said something so she could have added a few more books for the girl to study!
"It is a horrendous project. Unfortunately, I can't say that I'm surprised that the Fatui would resort to such a method," Albedo crossed his arms, "Archon Residue is still related to the Archons. They will do whatever it takes to utilize power equal, if not greater, than the gods."
"That is why they created the Dleusions to rival the Visions. Visions are from Celestia. Delusions are made by man," Soleil sat on a chair, "But they're not so different when you think of it."
Visions were bestowed when a person faced a challenging moment in their lives while Delusions require negative emotions to work smoothly. They both needed a person to feel pain so what's the difference?
"Still, to think that there were those would dare use the sciences with perversion..." Albedo spoke calmly but Soleil saw the cold flash of anger in his eyes, "Their madness is aggravating, to say in the least."
Soleil stared at him. Alchemy, too, was wrongfully used. Perhaps this was exactly the reason why Albedo would feel strongly about the issue.
Still, they had no control over it. Knowledge is meant to be used. How or where it is used depends on the person.
"Now that you said it... Maybe Archon Residue could be taken out by Archon magic," Soleil had an epiphany, "If Visions and Delusions contrast each other, the same could be said for the origins of their power."
"Archon magic? Is it even possible to acquire such a thing?" Albedo asked doubtfully. "As long as Archons exist, they should," Soleil shrugged.
But Soleil felt a little conflicted. The power of the Archons come from Celestia in the form of Gnoses so it should contain the energy she will need to experiment with. However, she couldn't just snatch a Gnosis from an Archon like that.
Soleil thought for a while. Then, a glint of realization surfaced in her eyes.
She couldn't. But someone entrusted with collecting the Gnoses can.
"Archon magic will be difficult to locate... But I suppose we can try that. There used to be the Holy Lyre der Himmel in the cathedral, but I've heard it has been destroyed. If that is the case, I doubt we will be able to collect any samples of Archon magic," Albedo said.
"Any item that was said to be used by the Archons should be imbued with traces of Archon magic. Relics and artefacts should fall into the criteria," Soleil added.
She could ask Diluc to allow her to tap into his information network. But she will have to time her approach if she wanted him to agree.
"There is also another way. I just remembered now," Albedo suddenly said. "What is it?" Soleil asked.
"A few months ago, a Traveller was able to cleanse Dvalin of Durin's venom. It was an outstanding phenomenon. I made a small research about what could possibly be the cause but I have yet to get anywhere," Albedo explained.
"A Traveller? Ah...right. I've heard of him," Soleil laughed lightly. It was Lumine's brother.
"His method of purifying the venom and the Tears was most intriguing," Albedo spoke earnestly, "If we are able to come up with a method similar to how he cleanses the corruption, then we may have a chance to find a solution to our case's problems."
"I'll take note of that. Thanks for the info!" Soleil beamed a smile. Albedo only nodded, "I do what I can to help."
That's simple. We just need to experiment on him, Soleil thought amusingly.
But then, she remembered how Lumine might just roast her alive if she tried anything on her brother.
She might be far away, but she was always keeping an eye out for Aether. Both out of love and out of caution.
That almost sounded like another person Soleil knew. She shook her head with a smile. Emotions are fickle things.
Still, she will need to come in contact with that Traveller if she were to get more answers and leads. How else is she going to get the literally otherwordly energy he had?
"Let's focus on attempting the two methods we came up. If nothing works, we'll make another plan," Soleil suggested. "Let's do that," Albedo agreed.
"Perfect," Soleil smiled but her eyes were brimming with mischief.
If the Archon energy does not work, then she will have to pay a certain place a visit. Whether it'd be the Abyss or the other nations, she will have to give either siblings a special 'check-up'.
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