Black Mamba~Aespa
I woke up to an aching feeling from my heart.
"Taeyong's in danger." I whispered as I gripped the heart locket Taeyong gave me.
It was strangely glowing dimly.
Xiao woke up from his cosmic cloud and rubbed his eyes.
"Hmm?!" He asked.
My heart felt like something was piercing me.
"We need to get to him now!" I yelled as I got up.
I quickly changed. The necklace suddenly broke apart.
Xiao went to make almond tofu for himself.
Then I teleported into the spaceship's lab.
"Hey Dottore, can you help us please?" I asked.
"Of course, anything for you. What is it Y/N?" He asked, placing the blue beaker down.
"Do you know how to get to Kwangya? Nct and probably the other groups are in trouble." I replied.
"I will take you there, but since the groups are in trouble, take us with you." Replied Dottore.
"Alright, but this is my fight alone." I replied as I left.
Xiao who had passed by the lab heard a sigh.
"Xiao, I will open a portal to where Nct is. I know Y/N doesn't want me to join her for personal reasons." Dottore began.
"She won't let you go because she doesn't want to watch you die again." Xiao replied.
"You should know by now that was one of my good clones..." Dottore replied.
"Well does she know that was just one of your best clones?!" Asked Xiao, raising an eyebrow.
" 'I' died in Teyvat, but I also am alive. As predicted the amnesia she got from the accident had made her forget such a simple fact that I have clones, segments of my other selves." Notes Dottore.
"Shut it will you?! She cares about you even if it was just a clone!" Xiao snaps at him, "She loved you once Dottore! Even if you experimented on her, abused her trust, and obsessed over her. But I'm not so sure now anymore. She's now always following Taeyong, even saving him without hesitation!" Xiao replied, impatient.
Dottore did not reply after that.
"If you really still love her Zandik, Just fucking tell her! I really am tired of fighting this useless love battle! I'm done! My job was only to protect her. I love her too! But I am not fit to fall in love, unlike you and Taeyong who have experience!" Xiao replies, angry.
Xiao looked like he was about to burst into angry tears.
"We are not that different Xiao..." Began Dottore.
"We are not the same!" Xiao snaps, "and it's not like you will understand!" Xiao yells as he angrily punches the wall on the way out.
Xiao had stormed out of the lab.
Later that afternoon
Xiao followed me as we entered the portal to Kwangya.
"Alright, simple plan, we get all the groups out and leave." I began.
"And if there's enemies, we'll handle them together." Xiao nods as he took out his spear
"Sounds like a good plan." Child nods.
Aj and Sara nod as well.
"Dottore will monitor us and help track them from the spaceship. He'll join us eventually." Xiao replies, looking away.
"Alright, thank you guys." I replied.
That afternoon
Hovering moterbikes suddenly passed us. They surrounded us instantly.
I summoned Dawnbreaker. Xiao placed on his mask.
Childe transformed to his first phase.
Sara loaded her rifle and Aj took out her sword.
"Aespa?" I asked, shocked.
The five girls jumped down from their motorbikes.
"Surrender and leave now." Giselle orders us.
"No! Nct are in trouble!" I argued.
"We can handle this." Winter began.
"Then where are they?!" I asked.
"We are looking..." Giselle replied.
"I know where he is." I replied as I took off the glowing heart locket.
"You are Taeyong's girl-" Giselle realized.
"It's the new Raiden Shogun!" Gasped Winter.
"Fine, we'll let you in, if you can show us your abilities in the war of music." Replied Giselle.
I nodded and slowly took out the electro-sword from my heart.
The Aespa members gave me some room as the sparring began.
As Dawnbreaker struck across the field, musical notes floated out of the electro strike.
The Aespa members then charged at us.
"If you can win us, we will let you pass." Giselle nods at us.
"Lament!" Xiao yells as he attacks.
We then began the trial.
I managed to block a geo ult from Giselle and a cryo attack from Winter.
Childe was fighting with ease just from his first phase. He didn't even have to shift to the final phase.
Suddenly an icy blast froze a few of the Aespa members.
"You win." Giselle nods at us.
"That was so powerful, the electro, the pyro all elements- wait Blue flame-" Began Winter.
"That cryo power too, and the Adeptus and whoever this ginger-haired man is-" Ningning added with a surprised expression.
"The blue flame, it has been years since any heroes or vision wielders can master that. We thought only the Higher ups and some Adepti can possess that." Winter replied.
"We should head to where Nct and the others are together." Suggested Giselle.
"Alright." Aj nodded.
"We have to hurry." I replied worriedly.
Next Level~Aespa
Later
"What is this place exactly?" I asked Winter.
"It's a wilderness realm I guess you could say, for artists, musicians, creators, writers, architects, and dreamers. There are limitless possibilities here." Explained Winter.
"Time and space here is not defined, and everything here is constantly changing." Explained Karina.
Xiao was hovering and touching a screen.
Suddenly a portal opened up, and a strange-looking male stepped out.
"You shouldn't be here, it is not safe." Began the male's voice.
"Hello, Neo." Winter greeted him,
Neo H., NCT's other manager, and Dragon Archon's closest follower. The one behind NCT who helps with creating their technology and the AI voice of the technology itself.
The pale-skinned girl studied us carefully.
"A traveler, a Yaksha, and a Doctor have entered Kwangya. Updating files." She replied, almost like a robot.
Later
Neo studied us each. He then walks towards Dottore, "Second one, you should not be here. You are the enemy of the Dragon Archon. Tell me are you here to kill him?" He asked as he stares intently at Dottore.
"If I was on my way to kill your Dragon Archon, do you think I would be talking to you right now?" Dottore returns with a question.
"Very well, but one wrong move and I can terminate your consciousness and trap you here forever." Neo warns the Doctor.
"Tell me about Kwangya." Dottore replies.
"Kwangya here is a paradise, another dimension all built from technology. Teyvat is built on technology and nature, but Kwangya is solely built from technology. This includes AI, Neo Technology, Samsung, Lenovo, IBM and even partnered with outer space technology to create such a paradise. Everything you experience here is digital." Explained Neo.
"Teyvat does use real life materials, it is not 100% digital like this dimension." Dottore notes.
"The food and water you see are additional and real. Everything else is digital boards and roads, the cars and transportation are real as well. Some of the forms of transportation here have been released over Teyvat but are not on the market in some places on Earth yet. There seems to be still a greater population unaware of the existence of Teyvat and do not know that each of Teyvat's regions are in each of their respective countries, a floating island accessed through a simple portal they walk through. The moment they step through the invisible portal, they are there." Explains Neo, continues, "Kwangya on the other hand is different. There are no monsters here firstly, and secondly, we like to focus on the theme of futurism and utopiaism, following NCT's trademark and Aespa's trademark as well. Usually, there are no monsters here in Kwangya. But ever since Black Mamba's take over of this paradise, there has been neverending aliens and a few alien hybrid monsters released by Rheindottir, an Alchemist. You have monsters in Teyvat, we have aliens. There seems to be more hostile ones lately than the kind ones. We could really use your help since you are all here but weren't sure if you could handle such threats." He sighs.
"I understand." Dottore replied.
"If you do, then tell me, why are you here? Are you planning to experiment in this world we created?" Neo asked him.
"I have no interest in experimenting on someone else's paradise they created. I am only here to help someone who requires my assistance. I have done enough experiments for these 500 years, I believe there are better ways to obtain knowledge than just experimenting on life and death." Dottore replied.
"For example?" Asked Neo.
"I no longer am hungry for knowledge, perhaps just simply being alive is enough. The Tsaritsa, despite being a Cryo Archon, is the God of Love. I was able to grasp almost everything when I was part of the Fatui, except there was something that was missing. It was love. I had no love left for anyone, I only loved my studies and experiments. I overlooked this and it became the cause of my very demise. I know a lot of you did not expect me to be in Kwangya, you are lucky I happen to be the kinder one who understands reason and least aggressive out of all the segments. If the circumstances were different and we met more than 500 years ago, you would not be able to talk with me, but rather you would end up dead." Replied Dottore.
"I am pleased to hear such a truthful answer. It looks like you weren't exactly the villain Taeyong described you as. Perhaps that was a clone of yours? Either way, it is nice to know Taeyong isn't leaving Y/N all alone when he enlists. Someone like you and Xiao are there to keep her company." Neo replied, relaxing a little.
Dottore then quietly followed Xiao and me.
Xiao suddenly grabbed Dottore by the collar, "Listen here, you better stay alive, if something happens to both of you, I can only save her." He hissed.
"Don't worry, I can save myself." Replied Dottore, he then easily pushed Xiao away.