Chapter 9: Threads of Fate and Shadows of the Past
Orion stood atop Starsnatch Cliff, the wind howling around him as he watched the distant silhouette of Stormterror circling the sky. His fingers clenched around the silver pendant—「Veil of the Nameless」—its cold weight a constant reminder of the life he was hiding from.
"The story is changing."
Lumine had still defeated Stormterror, but she had done so alone—without the help of the Knights, without the guidance of Venti. Amber had met her, but their bond wasn't the same. The threads of fate were unraveling, and Orion had no idea if he was weaving a new future… or dooming this world to something worse.
"Can I even change someone's fate? Or am I just making everything worse?"
The System remained silent. Zero, still fragmented, offered no answers.
---
Back in the Knights of Favonius headquarters, Jean sat hunched over ancient tomes in the restricted archives. Dust clung to her gloves as she flipped through crumbling pages, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"Founder records… Vanessa's era…" she muttered under her breath.
Something about the mysterious traveler—Orion—gnawed at her. That strange pang when he called her "Master Jean." The way his presence felt familiar, like a half-remembered dream.
Then, she found it.
A faded illustration of three figures beneath the great oak of Windrise:
- Barbatos, young and carefree, lyre in hand.
- Vanessa, her fiery hair tied back, grinning as she arm-wrestled—
- A shadowed man with black hair and piercing eyes.
The caption beneath read:
"The Three Pillars of Mondstadt's Freedom."
Jean's breath caught.
"That's… him."
But how? That was a thousand years ago.
She reached for the next page—only to find it burned, the edges still charred as if seared by Abyssal flames.
A single phrase remained:
"He chose the Abyss."
Jean's blood ran cold.
"Orion… what are you?"
---
Deep beneath the earth, in a palace of blackened crystal and weeping shadows, the Abyss Herald knelt before a throne of fractured starlight.
Once, it had belonged to Aether, the lost Prince.
Now, it sat empty.
"The trail grows cold, my lieutenants," the Herald hissed, its voice like grinding stone. "Our Prince has forsaken us. But the bloodline does not end with him."
A murmur rippled through the ranks of mages and lectors.
"There is another."
A projection flickered to life above the throne—an image of Orion, his face obscured by the pendant's magic, yet his stance unmistakable.
"The true heir walks among mortals," the Herald declared. "Find him. Bring him home."
The Abyss surged in agreement, their chants echoing through the hollowed halls:
"For the Prince of the Abyss!"
"For our salvation!"
---
Orion didn't know why he'd returned to the Statue of the Seven at Windrise. Perhaps it was Venti's words—"the winds remember for you."*
Or perhaps it was the voice that had begun whispering in his dreams.
"Orion… brother… take the throne."
Aether's voice.
But that was impossible. Aether was gone.
…Wasn't he?
As Orion placed his hand on the statue, a surge of Anemo energy erupted around him—not the gentle breeze of Barbatos, but something older, darker.
[SYSTEM OVERRIDE.]
[MEMORY FRAGMENT RECOVERED: 47%.]
A vision seared into his mind:
- Aether, clad in Abyssal armor, offering him a crown of shadows.
- Himself, screaming "I won't become like you!"
- A blade plunging into Aether's chest—not by Orion's hand, but by another's.
Then, a single phrase:
"The Heavenly Principles lied."
Orion staggered back, gasping.
The artifact around his neck cracked.
A sliver of his true aura leaked out—just enough.
Somewhere in Mondstadt, Lumine's head snapped up, her heart pounding.
"I know that presence."
---
The moment the last shard of Zero's memory slotted back into place, her voice returned—but it was not the playful, teasing tone Orion had grown accustomed to.
It was ice.
[Master.]
Her words cut through his mind like a blade, sharp and devoid of warmth. [Lumine has sensed your presence. She is coming.]
Orion's breath hitched. "How? The artifact—"
[The Veil is fractured. You must activate Conceal—now.]
A new skill unfolded in his consciousness:
[「Phantom's Shroud」]
- Erases all traces of your presence—scent, sound, aura.*
- Does not conceal physical form or mind.
- Warning: Overuse may sever your connection to reality.
Without hesitation, Orion activated it. The world around him dulled, as if he'd been wrapped in a silent, invisible cocoon.
Just in time.
---
Lumine burst into the clearing, her golden eyes scanning the empty space where Orion should have been. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her fingers trembling at her sides.
"Orion…" Her voice cracked. "Are you here?"
Silence.
She took a step forward, her boot crushing a fallen leaf. The sound was too loud in the stillness.
"If you are… please. Let's go home."
The wind carried her words, weaving them into the air like a plea.
"I miss you. I miss us." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Traveling from world to world… you always said the stars were ours to chase. Was that a lie too?"
Orion's heart shattered.
"This… this never happened in the original story."
Lumine had never spoken these words. She had never ached like this. His very existence had rewritten her fate—twisted it into something agonizingly personal.
"What have I done?"
A tear traced Lumine's cheek. She didn't wipe it away.
"Fine." Her voice hardened. "If you won't show yourself… then I'll make you."
She raised her hand, and a pulse of golden energy erupted from her palm—a signal, a beacon.
"Shit." Orion's blood ran cold. "She's calling something—or someone."
---
Far below, in the lightless depths where the Abyss festered, the Throne of Shadows pulsed.
Once, it had answered to Aether.
Now, it hungered for Orion.
The Abyss Herald knelt before the empty seat, its hollow eyes burning with fervor.
"The Prince's sorrow calls to us," it rasped. "She leads us to him."
A chorus of whispers rose from the darkness—Abyss Mages, Lectors, all chanting in unison:
"The lost Prince shall return."
"The Throne demands its heir."
The Herald's claws scraped against the obsidian floor.
"Prepare the gate. We descend upon Mondstadt."
---
Orion didn't move. Couldn't move.
Lumine's grief was a blade in his chest. The Abyss's call was a noose around his neck.
And then—Zero's voice, colder than the void between stars:
[Master.]
[You have three choices.]
[1. Reveal yourself to Lumine. Risk altering fate further.]
[2. Flee. Let the Abyss take you. Become what Aether could not.]
[3. Erase yourself entirely. A third path—one not even the Heavenly Principles foresaw.]
Orion closed his eyes.
"What's the price of the third option?"
[Your existence.]
[Your memories.]
[Her memories of you.]
A beat of silence.
[But you will be free.]
---
My Ruthless Hand
[Did you really think I'd let Orion have his freedom?]
[Did you think this story would end with a happy reunion, with hand-holding under the stars?]
[No. This is my narrative. And in this world—
[Fate is a cage.]
[And every key comes with teeth.]
---