An American Endbringer in Sumeru

An American Endbringer in Sumeru

One of the worst things about having a semi-human body was that it was prone to shutting off at random times. Like transpacific flights. It wasn’t Ziz’s fault that they were so interminably boring. Oh sure, the first couple had been interesting as she rabidly devoured every episode of House. She just connected on a deeply spiritual level with a misanthrope who was right about everything and in constant pain. 

But seasons 7 and 8 were utter shit, and she was getting real tired of TV. Plus, to her extreme annoyance, her human body actually did require sleep. That wasn’t fair. Endbringers shouldn’t need to take a nap. Yet another indignity she fully intended to make Nahida Saeed pay dearly for. 

As she was plotting her revenge in a very pleasant dream in which she turned Nahida into her own personal pet, something shifted. What, Ziz wasn’t entirely sure. But for an infinitesimal moment, everything went completely silent. It was as if she’d slipped into the void as all of her senses shut off. She started awake and then blinked several times. Then she snarled and stood up, balling her fists. 

“Alright, very funny! So you wanted to prove to me I can’t escape you anywhere, huh?! Well, fine! So this is another one of your stupid Dreams?! Fine! Just, get it over with! What do you even want!? I’m defusing my bombs just like you wanted! So leave me the hell alone!” 

Ziz waiting, looking around the jungle clearing where she found herself. The plants were very odd, obviously not terrestrial. There were similarities, sure, but they were very obviously non-earth species. There was a stream nearby, and the bellow of animals that sounded crocodilian, but weren’t in any database Ziz had scanned. And she’d scanned all of them. Even the insects were slightly wrong.

So, the logical conclusion was that she’d been drawn into one of Nahida’s damned Dreams again. Ziz waited, tapping her foot. She was almost eager to see the annoying little radish again. She’d wipe the smirk off that Archon’s face. Well, Nahida didn’t really smirk. That was more Ziz’s deal. The smile, anyway. 

Seconds dragged on into minutes, and Ziz grew completely sick of it. Snarling, she activated her connection to the Shard network, and-

Ziz froze. Where was the Shard Network? Nahida could cut her off so completely? Well, that was terrifying. But the little pest had overplayed her hand! Ziz now knew one of Nahida’s tricks, but she still had her biology and her innate powers. But they couldn’t free her without full access. No, she had something better. 

“NO ONE CAN CAGE THIS BIRD!” Ziz snarled and tapped into the ambient elemental energy. To her utter shock, there were magnitudes more elemental energy around her than she was used to. The very air was saturated with the stuff. Not the same level as being around an Archon, but still. This place was loaded. Perfect. 

Using the same desperate cry for freedom she had last time, Ziz shattered reality itself, grasping for the elemental energy around her, and drawing it into herself. 

If she’d been slightly more practiced with the differing forms of Elemental Energy, Ziz would have realized what a spectacularly bad idea it was to Swirl all seven elements within herself at the same time. Thus, she got to experience the gamut of elemental reactions all at once, helpfully provided by the various sources around her, from Mist Flowers lending her Cryo, to the Pryo of a nearby campfire, the Hydro within the stream, the Dendro within all life in the jungle, the Anemo of the fungi that were drifting on the breeze, the Electro of a group of slimes, and the Geo of the bones of the earth around her. 

If Ziz hadn’t been possessed of an Endbringer's physiology, the resulting explosion of reactions would have scoured her from existence. As it was, it merely did serious damage to her and knocked her out cold. 

And also destroyed about an acre of the Sumeruan rainforest. 

When Ziz woke up this time, she was in immense pain. Vines were wrapped tightly around her, and she could barely breathe. She struggled, but she was nearly completely out of energy, feeling entirely drained. Thorns bit into her skin, and Ziz cried out in pain. The plant was sucking her blood, her very life essence! The air had gone rancid and was now nearly devoid of elemental energy. Everything stank of death, and for the third time in her very short life, Ziz knew fear. 

“Master Tignari! There’s someone alive in the withering! We have to rescue them!” 

Someone’s voice? Ziz feebly tried to call out, even as shame washed over her that she would need a pathetic human’s help. 

“I hear them, Collei. Stay back! We’re going to have to cleanse this Withering immediately!”

There were more voices and sounds of battle. Ziz could only close her eyes, exhausted and spent, pleading for her rescuers to hurry. 

At last, a human girl with green hair appeared, looking worried, a mask over her eyes. “Hold still! I’m going to cut you free!”

There was a flash of a Dendro Vision, and the vines gripping Ziz roiled before falling away. She fell to the ground, gasping and retching, but alive. 

“Collei! Get her out of here! The rift is growing too strong!” a man’s voice called firmly. Ziz blinked blearily to see a tall man wielding a bow, firing arrows at a giant spectral wolf. The girl began to drag her away, but Ziz stumbled to her feet. 

“Let me go, I’m fine,” she growled, even though she was anything but. She could sense that the wolf was a part of whatever it was that had attacked her, and Ziz was furious. This…thing, thought to destroy the Hopekiller!? She would make them pay. 

“No, you’re sick, injured! We have to get out of the Withering immediately before-” the girl babbled, but Ziz was passed caring. 

Drawing in what little Anemo was in the air about her, Ziz flung herself at the wolf, forming a whirling vortex in the palm of her hand. She slammed it towards the wolf, unleashing a tornado that blew the thing back. She grinned in satisfaction as the wolf vanished. “Flee before me, cur!” 

“Great shot! Let’s get out of here before it reappears!” the man said, his ears twitching as he listened carefully, his bow at the ready. 

“Reappears?” Ziz coughed. She still felt weak and drained, her head pounding. 

“Rift Hounds won’t go down easily, and that blow wasn’t enough to kill one that large,” the man, Tignari? Said.  “Come on. We need to get out of the Withering Zone quickly. Lucky you’re a Vision holder, or you’d be dead already.” 

Reluctantly, Ziz retreated with the two humans. Once they’d gotten a hundred meters or so away, she decided to allow the humans to take a break. She didn’t flop down with them for no reason. She just needed data and wanted to stick near them to obtain it.

“I could have gotten out of that myself,” Ziz panted, glaring at the pair. “Just so we’re clear on that.”

“Um, are you sure? I think you need medical attention,” the girl, Collei, said, taking out a satchel. “You’re very pale.”

“I’m always pale!” Ziz snapped, glaring at her in irritation. Honestly. Humans were so stupid. 

“It appears so. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone of your species before. Do you usually bleed all over the place when healthy?” Tignari asked, ignoring Ziz’s protests and inspecting her injuries. 

She glared at him, as there was no answer to that question that wouldn’t make her look the fool. 

“Collei, get out the bandages and some nilotpala lotus petals. I know we were going to use them to make your medication, but this is an emergency.” 

The girl produced the herbs and bandages, and Ziz stewed as she allowed her wounds to be treated. She still had no access to the Shard Network, and was completely out of energy. She could recharge, of course, but currently, the most expedient way to heal her wounds was to let these filthy humans paw at her. That galled.

“What was that…thing? You called it the Withering. What was it?” Ziz asked, frowning at her bandages. She’d read every medical treaties imaginable, and she still couldn’t find any flaws with these humans’ technique. Outrage upon outrage!

Tignari’s ears cocked slightly, and he sat up, taking on a lecturing tone as he raised one finger. “Theories as to the origination of the Withering vary. Some scholars theorize it is caused by Abyssal energy that is left over from the Cataclysm. Others claim that it is the result of the death of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. There is also evidence that it is the fruit of Forbidden Knowledge, festering upon the bark of Irminsul. Whatever the root cause, the result is the same; infected zones crop up, and it’s up to the Forest Rangers and the Mahamatra to cleanse them. We’ll need some more support from other Vision Holders to deal with this one.” 

As Tignari talked, Ziz’s mind whirled. What this man was saying sounded like the purest nonsense. But there was one fact that she had come to an abrupt realization of. 

“What language…are we speaking?” Ziz asked slowly. 

Collei immediately put a hand to Ziz’s forehead, frowning. “She’s not feverish, b-but perhaps a head injury?”

“I’m fine!” Ziz snapped, batting the hand away. Gently though. The girl seemed delicate for a Vision Holder, and Ziz was still under that damnable oath. Not because she was adorable and Ziz was grateful. “Just answer the question!” 

“We’re speaking Avidyadivan,” Tignari stated, his ears swiveling slightly. “Though we could switch to Teyvan if you prefer. I am working on Collei’s Eremize, though you don’t look like you’re from the desert. Where are you from? I don’t recognize your accent.”

 Ziz could probably have worked out whatever those other languages were rapidly enough. The language sounded very similar to Urdu, clearly an Indo-Aryan language. But all the pronunciation was off, as were certain words and phrases, probably borrowed from another linguistic source. Dry as her tanks were, she was still an Endbringer, and she still had a number of powerful Thinker abilities that let her puzzle out any language easily enough. 

“...I’m from…Inazuma. I’m a yokai,” Ziz said, lying like a rug, and making a very educated guess. 

“Oh really? I’ve never met a yokai before! I met a very nice Adeptus named Yanfei when I traveled through Liyue though, she helped me with my passport!” Collei said eagerly. “A-are yokai similar to Adeptus?”

Ziz had no clue, but was saved by Tignari. 

“In some respects, though what really makes an Adeptus is their contract with the former Geo Archon, Rex Lapis,” Tignari said in his lecturing tone. He nodded to Ziz. “What brings you to Sumeru?”

Ziz’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve come to study with Lesser Lord Kusinali. In the Sanctuary of Surasthana.”

“Ah, I see. You’ll need to speak to the sages then. They’re rather controlling of who has access to the Archon, as she’s quite reclusive,” Tignari said with a nod. 

“I don’t suppose you could point me in the right direction? I’ve become slightly lost,” Ziz said, her mind reeling slightly, even with its superior abilities. She was on Teyvat? Did these morons not know that their precious Archon was on Earth Bet? Well, no matter. If she could find the mechanism through which Nahida had been transported to Earth, she could get back and get her revenge. 

As she was plotting, Collei suddenly began to cough. Ziz was alarmed when blood came away, and she instantly tapped into her Vision. She’d learned a great deal since she’d received it three months ago, and began to delve the girl to see what was wrong. She drew back in sheer horror, as she sensed the same blight that caused the Withering. Worse, the condition was deep rooted, and clearly not new. But it had been recently exacerbated. 

“What’s wrong with you!? Didn’t you know you’re sick!? Going into that Withering Zone made it worse!” she hissed. 

“I-It’s fine. It’s my Eleazar acting up. I…I just need rest,” Collei gasped, but there was blood on her handkerchief. 

“Give her some of that medicine you gave me!” Ziz snapped at Tignari. “Hurry!” 

“I am,” Tignari said, even as he began to make a fire and brew some tea. “It will buy us time, but I’ll need to clease that Withering Zone. Severing that connection is the only way to truly heal her.”

Growing, Ziz stood. She looked around impatiently. She needed an easy source of power. “How do you do that?”

“You need to rest. To cleanse a Withering Zone, you need to destroy the guardians, then perform a ritual with the Dendrogranma,” Tignari said tersely. “But you’re too injured to do that.”

Ziz glanced around, then huffed. “Would the Aranara know how to do that?’

“They’re a myth. I doubt they could- where are you going? I said you needed to rest!” Tignari half shouted at her. 

“I’m going to go talk to your ‘myth,’ and then I’m going to make sure Collei doesn’t die! I swore that stupid ass oath to your Archon, and I’ll be damned if I break it now!” Ziz shouted at him, then stalked over to the bushes where the damnable fae were trying to hide from her. 

“Hey! You! Ara-something, you’re all called ara something, slow down! You’re supposed to help children, so help me save that little girl, or your Sarva-nara will be sad!” Ziz shouted after she’d shoved her way through the bush in hot pursuit of a pair of arana that were toddling away from her at a speed that was rather surprising for their small size. 

To her relief, the aranara paused, turning to face her. “Scary-nara knows Sarva-nara? Scary-nara can see Arana and Araja?” 

“Yes, I can see you,” Ziz huffed, folding her arms over her chest. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’ll rip your little arms off. Now, do you or do you not know how to perform the dendro-whatever ritual?”

The little forest spirits exchanged a look, then nodded hesitantly. “Araja and Arana know, yes. But the Marana is too dangerous! We cannot face it.”

“Well, lucky you, you found a fucking Endbringer,” Ziz hissed ominously. “Now come on! Collei looks pretty damn sick to me. She doesn’t have long. And I owe those Marana a debt I’d like to settle.”

The two aranara held a short whispered conference, then nodded to Ziz. “Yes. Aranara will help Scary-Nara, for the sake of Serval-nara. You are friend of Sarva-nara?”

“I made her a promise. I will keep it,” Ziz growled. “No one is harmed, by my action or inaction. So I ain’t sitting on my ass while Collei dies. Get it?”

“Arana and Araja got it!” 

“Good. Now come on.”

Ziz was at the end of her rope energy-wise. There was almost no power in her Shards, and she was physically drained and exhausted. So when she stalked up to the spectral wolves, they bayed, sensing blood. The charged in, mouths gaping, dark entropy bleeding from their steps.

Then Ziz punched them in the face. Very, very hard. Weakened she might be, she was still the God Damn Simurgh. Even in this pathetic form, her blows could shatter concrete. They did well enough for the wolves, especially infused with Anemo. It was rather satisfying to tear something apart with her bear hands. Maybe the Behemoth had the right idea in his approach, muscle-headed moron or not. 

After dealing with the largest wolf, Ziz turned to the two Aranara. Who were looking at her wide-eyed. Well, as wide as their beady little doll eyes could go.

“Scary-nara is very scary,” Arana said.

Araja nodded. “Aranara are glad Scary-nara is on their side.”

“I’m sure you are,” Ziz said in silky tones. Then she smacked the back of her hand into her palm. “Now make with the cleansing! Or I will show you just how scary I am!” 

The Aranara waddled forward, towards the largest tumorous growth. “Scary-nara must join hands. She will need to sing the song of Cleansing and Waking as well.”

Grudgingly, Ziz knelt and took the Aranara’s hands, so that they formed a little circle in front of the pulsing growth. Then, the aranara began to sing. Not the same song she’d heard them sing before, but another lively tune, full of healing and life. Despite herself, Ziz found she knew that song, her Vision pulsing to its beat. It was a song Nahida had sung to her in one of their second set of repetitions. She sang along to the wordless tune, and before long, she felt the oppressive air around her revitalize. Slowly, ever so slowly, the Withering drew away from them, weakening as Life reasserted itself. 

It took half an hour, and by the end, Ziz truly was exhausted, her throat hoarse and raw from the power pouring out of her empty vessel. At last, however, the power of the Withering broke completely, and it dissipated utterly. Exhausted, she collapsed to the grass that was growing about her, and fell into a restful dream. 

Instead of a nightmare, this time, Ziz found herself walking the empty streets of a city. She looked around in puzzlement, up at the giant tree that towered over her, even bigger than those trees Nahida was growing back in Baghdad. This really was a wacky world. 

“Alright, very funny. Come out. I can tell when I’m in one of your dreams, Buer. Quit yanking my chain!” 

“I’m sorry, I was just curious. I sensed a strange new mind, one that could actually dream! That’s very unusual in Sumeru, you know.”

Sure enough, the radish herself stepped out from behind a tree, smiling shyly at Ziz. 

“Hardy har-har. What the fuck is your problem!? Are you trying to get out of our rematch!?” Ziz demanded hotly. “Or just trying to use this Withering to get a leg up on me?”

Nahida’s eyes had gone very wide, and she put her hands to her mouth in shock. “T-that isn’t very nice language! I thought you would be a kind person, the Aranara seem to like you. 

“Well, you haven’t exactly been peaches and cream to me. So what’s the big idea? How do I get the hell out of here and back to Bet?” Ziz demanded hotly, folding her arms over her chest. 

“Hmm. I think there’s some sort of information gap between the two of us. You are acting as though I should know you, and yet, you are a stranger to me. Are you perhaps mistaking me for my predecessor? I am the Dendro Archon, but I am not Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. No, that can’t be right. You called me Buer, not Samiel.”

“Who the hell is Samiel? Ugh, look, if this is supposed to be another one of your games, I think you’re breaking the rules of our contract, and if that’s the case, Fate should judge you, and I can do whatever I want! How’d you like me to pick one of the cities here and sing them a little lullaby!? I bet you’d love that!” Ziz sneered, though her heart wasn’t really in it. For some reason, driving an entire city to madness, especially one full of people like Collei and Tignari…didn’t sound all that appealing. The data would probably be garbage anyway. 

“How fascinating! You seem to be some sort of Traveler from afar,” Nahida said, a delighted grin on her face. “I can’t detect your name anywhere in Irminsul. I would like to hear one of your songs though. Even a simple lullaby would be most interesting, I-”

Nahida’s eyes suddenly went very wide, and she spun about. “No…no, what are they doing!? Everyone will be trapped! No, no, no! I have to find a way to- I’m sorry, but we can’t talk! How could they use the Akasha to do this!?” 

Then, Nahida vanished. 

Ziz stewed in the dream for a bit, then gave up and just went back to sleep. 

When she awoke, she found she was in a bed. Odd, she didn’t remember falling asleep in a bed. She did some checking, and was shocking to realize she’d been out for several days. Apparently, she’d been more exhausted and lower on energy than she’d though.

“You’re awake!” Collei scrambled over, taking Ziz’s hands in hers. “I-I can’t thank you enough! Master Tignari says you cleansed the Withering Zone, all on your own! You…you might have saved my life!”

“Yeah, well, you saved mine, so we’ll call it even, kid,” Ziz said, blushing slightly and looking away from Collei’s earnest gaze. “I was just keeping a promise.”

“Master said you mentioned that. B-but…I’m grateful. C-can I get you anything? Food, drink? You slept for three days…”

“I know that!” Ziz snapped, and Collei flinched. “I know,” she repeated, more gently this time. “And breakfast and tea would be great.”

Collei hastily departed, then bustled back a short time later with tea and a pair of pita pockets. “I-I hope it’s OK, pita pockets are my specialty! I figured you’d be hungry, so-”

“Starving, thanks,” Ziz said, swiping the tea first and draining it, the temperature was perfect, then snarfing down both pita pockets. They were rather delicious and very healthy from a nutrient perspective. “Not bad, kid. Not bad.”

Blushing, Collei beamed at Ziz. “T-thank you! Um, I let Master know, but he’s busy right now. General Cyno is here visiting him, and-”

“Great, I’m going to talk to him,” Ziz said, standing up and causing Collei to squeak. Ziz looked down, frowning. “Why am I naked?”

“Um, um, your clothes, they were torn and stained! I-I’m still repairing them! I’m not very good with a needle…b-but! I have some clothes I borrowed from Rana! Uh, they should fit you…”

“Super,” Ziz said, snatching the clothes Collei proffered and shrugging them on. “Oh get over it. You’re a girl, I’m a girl. Nudity taboos are stupid as hell anyway.”

“I-If you say so,” Collei agreed reluctantly, covering her eyes with her hands. “But, um, we shouldn’t just barge in! Master and the General are having a very important meeting! We can’t just interrupt them!” 

“Great. You stay here, and I’ll interrupt them,” Ziz growled, and stalked to where she could detect Tignari and another Vision Holder. A bit of her power had come back in her long sleep, and she wanted some goddamn answers. 

“-so, the situation is quite tense. There are rumors two Harbingers are in Sumeru, one of them Il Dottore himself. Fatui activity has ramped up. Considering the accusations, I’m of a mind to-”

Ziz kicked down the door and stormed into the room, a frantic Collei behind her. She’d only caught a bit of what the guy cosplaying as Anubis had been saying, but he grabbed his spear up quick enough.

“The fuck is an Akasha, and what are the Sages doing to Nahida?!” Ziz snarled. That had not been the question she’d originally intended to ask, but she was using her Thinker powers to make a few leaps of logic that painted a rather dire picture. 

“Who is Nahida?” the jackal man, probably General Cyno, growled. “And who are you?”

“I’m not sure what her name is. This is the yokai I was telling you about that we found in the forest. She’s the one who cleansed a Withering all on her own. After being captured by it previously,” Tignari sighed. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but this is going to have to wait. There’s a bit of a crisis on hand, and Cyno and I will need to-”

“Wait,” Cyno said, holding up a hand, his eyes narrowing at Ziz. “What do you know about the Akasha and the sages?”

“Only that they scared the Dendro Archon shitless, and that if the Tsaritsa and her fatui are wrapped up in this, it can’t be good. They’re gearing up for war,” Ziz growled, then mentally kicked herself. That was on Earth Bet. Not here.

“Yes. I’m aware they’ve been up to no good in Inazuma and Mondstadt, and they were involved in some…unpleasantness… in Liyue as well,” Cyno said, slowly lowering his spear. “You’ve spoken to the Dendro Archon? How?”

“In my Dream,” Ziz declared, folding her arms over her chest. “And if you call me a liar, I’ll kick your ass, general or no.”

“She did claim to see Aranara, and Collei said she actually caught a glimpse of small figures singing with her while she cleansed the Withering Zone,” Tignari mused, rubbing his chin. He nodded. “Right. What’s your name, ma’am?”

“Don’t you ma’am me! I’m not an old hag! And you can call me Ziz,” she sniffed. She wasn’t even three years old! Ma’am indeed. 

“Aranara…” Cyno dismissed his spear, and shook his head. “If they’re involved…this is a distraction. Tignari: we have to get back to the city. The Sages are doing something, and I smell something rotten. They’ve turned down my requests for help, tried to send me off on a wild seelie chase. I could swear they’re working with the Fatui. And they are doing something to Lesser Lord Kusinali. They’ve locked up all her supporters, save a handful I helped flee the city. They’re in hiding not far from here. But I came to you for help. Even I can’t do this on my own.”

Ziz felt pure rage begin to fill her. “Doing what to Nahida, exactly?”

“Who is Nahida? Is that another name for the Dendro Archon?” Tignari asked. 

“Yes, obviously, moron!” Ziz snarled, her hands clenching into fists. “Now you tell me exactly what is going on, or I will personally find the Sanctuary of Surasthana and rip it apart with my bare talons!” 

Cyno and Tignari shared a look, and Tingari nodded. “Collei, you’ll need to stay here. I’m going on a business trip with the general for a few days, look out for-”

“No!” Collei declared, stepping up beside Ziz. “I’m a forest ranger too! If the Archon is in trouble, it’s my duty to help! I-I’m a Dendro Vision holder too! Lesser Lord Kusinali is very important to me, too! And if the fatui are threatening her, especially that monster, then I’ll stop them! Even if I have to go with Ziz alone!” 

“Atta girl,” Ziz said, giving Collei a nod. She liked a human with some spunk. 

Wait. When had she started liking humans?! The hell with it. Collei was a useful tool, and right now, what mattered was making sure that no one else killed Nahida before Ziz could!

“She is a Vision Holder. And we need all the help we can get,” Cyno said. “But she’s your trainee. It’s your call.”

Tignari sighed, running a hand over his ears. “You’d just sneak after us if I tried to make you stay, wouldn’t you?”

Collei nodded, her face flushed, but she didn’t look away. 

“Very well. You are a Vision Holder. Defending Sumeru and the Archon is one of the responsibilities that come with a Vision. Ziz, we’d appreciate your help, but you’re from Iznazuma. We don’t-”

“She’s not from Inazuma,” Cyno interrupted, and Tignari gave him a frustrated look. 

“She’s a yokai. Of course she is. Or did you skip your Inazuman history in your studies so you could play more card games!?”

“Don’t be silly. Just look at her Vision. That’s not an Inazuman Vision. That’s a Sumeran one,” Cyno said, nodding to Ziz’s Vision.

Ziz glanced down at her Anemo Vision, frowning at it. “What are you talking about? It’s an Anemo…the frame. Goddammit.”

“The frame of a Vision varies by region. Yours looks a bit different than ours, but it’s clearly closer to the Sumeran type than the Inazuman one,” Cyno said smugly, smirking at Tignari.

“...right. Ziz, care to explain?” Tignari sighed.

“No.” Ziz added emphasis by flipping off Cyno, who laughed, while Collei gasped in shock. “We’re wasting time. Where are these supporters? I’ll interrogate them myself.”

“You don’t need to interrogate them. They’re on our side,” Cyno said sternly. “But I would like to know why you have a Sumeran frame. Later. As long as you help us resolve this, you can be from wherever you want.”

Cyno led them to a cave not far away, where they found a group of disheveled refugees. There were a dozen of them, but aside from one woman with cat ears, none of them looked like they’d be any use in the fight. They looked more like a bunch of washed-up thespians, save for the unconscious woman the cat-eared woman was fussing over. She just looked like a rich bitch.

“What’s wrong with her?” Tingari said, hurrying over to the cat-eared woman. 

The tough-looking warrior flicked a glance at Tignari, then said in a tight voice, “Her Eleazar is flaring up. But whatever happened three nights ago, it hit Dunyarzad hard. She was at the center of it all, her and Nilou.”

“General! You’re back! And you brought help! Are we going to rescue the Archon now?” a woman with red hair and a costume with a pair of horns on the top asked, hurrying over. She looked vaguely familiar; aside from the nose, she was a dead ringer for Naomi Cohen. 

“Calm down, Miss Nilou. We’re not launching an assault on the entire Corps of Thirty with just us,” Cyno said, raising a hand. “We’re still figuring things out.”

“Why does Kusinali need rescuing?” Ziz demanded. “Is it those fuckers in the fatui!?”

“I-I don’t know, I’m not certain! B-but the Sages have locked her up, and two people called the Balladeer and the Doctor are helping that! That was all Lord Kusanali told me before she saved me and woke me,” Nilou said, looking back and forth nervously. 

“That bastard,” Collei growled, her Vision pulsing with angry energy. “Master! We can’t waste any time! I swore I would never let Dottore touch another person! Especially not our beloved Archon!” 

“I’m in as well,” the cat-eared woman said, standing and coming over. “If there’s any way to save Dunyarzad, the Archon will know it. And I’ll make those assholes pay for what they’ve done for her. I’m Deyha, by the way. I’m a merc.” 

Tignari looked around, then groaned. “We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Half a dozen Vision Holders against the entire Akademiya? 

“Not quite. I’ve got a man on the inside. But you won’t like who it is,” Cyno said, grimacing. 

“Let me guess. Alhaitham?” Tignari groaned. 

“Alhaitham,” Cyno confirmed. 

“Fantastic. Well, if he’s in, that means Kaveh. So we have eight. Wow, I feel so much better with those odds,” Tignari said in overly chipper tones. 

“I don’t give a single shit about the odds. If these two fatui are as bad as the ones I know, then they’re not allowed within a hundred kilometers of Nahida,” Ziz growled.

Nilou raised her hand. “Um, what’s a kilometer?” 

Ziz gave her an exasperated look. “That’s your question? Are you in on operation kick fatui ass, or not?”

“Um, I’m in! I’m just a dancer, but…but I really love Lesser Lord Kusinali! I can’t let anything happen to her!” Nilou said, tears filling her eyes. 

“Well, at least we’ll have a Hydro Vision to give us an elemental reaction advantage at least,” Deyha said with a nod. “Right. When do we leave? I’m all packed already.”

“It’s a two-day trip. We go right now,” Cyno said with a nod.

“I-I brought rations! A-and water bottles!” Collei said, shifting the heavy pack on her shoulders.

“Great. Let’s move,” Ziz said, and turned to stalk out of the cave. Then she paused and blushed. She forced her face back to its normal complexion, then turned around. “Well!? I’m not from around here! One of you rangers, range! Lead the way! Come on!” 

It took them only a day and a night to make the trip. It wouldn’t have been possible for normal humans, but a group of Vision Holders had the endurance and abilities to make the trip swiftly, moving through the night. At the dawn of the next day, they rested in a cavern while Cyno went to alert his contact. He came back with a tall blond man, who looked like he was another academic instead of anyone useful, even if he did have a Dendro Vision himself. 

“Kaveh. Glad to see you,” Tignari said, shaking the other man’s hand.

“And boy am I glad to see you! The situation is bad. The Head Sage, he’s gone mad! Azar has let not one, but two Fatui Harbingers into the Sanctuary!  There have been fatui around for months, but whatever they’re doing, it involves the Archon, and that incident from three nights ago where everyone had a shared nightmare!” Kaveh said. 

“Shit. We have to stop them. But how?” Dehya asked, hefting her blade. 

“Unfortunately, there aren’t many options. You’re not going to like this,” Kaveh said, wincing. “It’s Alhaitham’s plan, but…”

“We’ll do it. Whatever it takes,” Collei said firmly. 

“Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Here’s what we do…” Kaveh said, and laid out the hare-brained scheme. 

Ziz didn’t care if it was stupid. Collei had told her about Dottore on the way here. How he was a mad scientist who had tortured her and other children for years in an effort to further his “research.” How she’d been rescued by the Knights of Favonius, and how Dottore had escaped. If he was running the same sort of horrific experiments on Nahida, well…

Ziz had a lot of blood on her hands. She’d enjoy getting a little more. 

“CHARGE!” Deyha roared, and she, Nilou, and Ziz, all stormed towards the gates. 

“FREE LESSER LORD KUSINALI!” Nilou bellowed, waving her sword. Which Ziz had on good authority had been a dull prop until very recently. Not that Ziz could really talk. She’d certainly never used a spear before. 

Her battle cry was a wordless shriek of rage, which she perhaps put a bit too much feeling into, as their opponents were dazed by the sound, several of them dropping their weapons. Which was when her battle cry turned into, “Oh for FUCKS SAKE!” 

She put a bit of healing into that one, so all the eardrums she’d burst were mended, and the idiot guard picked up their weapons. Now came the hard part: Not violating her oath but at the same time, making it look like she and the others were putting up a real fight. 

Dehya was the first to hit the guards, and Ziz had to admit she was slightly impressed. The woman put on a good show, slapping aside three guards with the flat of her blade, punching several others so hard they went sprawling, and then sending a wave of flames out to keep the others back. 

The big surprise was Nilou: despite her claim to have exactly zero experience in a fight, she masterfully disarmed three guards with her sword, and used her Vision to create enough mud to trap several others. Apparently, she’d learned enough fighting as an actor. 

Ziz’s biggest problem was that she was several times stronger than any human, and she had to pull her punches. She also didn’t want to reveal any of her Shard-based powers, not on these pathetic grunts, anyway. So she used her spear to trip them up, and her Vision to blow them over. It was sort of amusing, even if she couldn’t really hurt any of these morons. She absolutely had to get Nahida to free her from this stupid oath. 

They played with the guards for a few minutes, until the next stage of the plan kicked in. 

There was a clap of thunder, and a glowing purple figure landed amidst the battle. “Lay down your arms, and I won’t break you too badly,” Cyno growled. 

“I’d like to see you try!” Dehya snarled and launched herself at Cyno. The two of them clashed in a flurry of blows, explosions echoing as Pyro and Electro reacted. 

“This is a most untidy interruption. I’ll have to personally intervene,” a serious-looking man with grey hair and black and green clothing sighed, closing a novel and summoning a sword as he strolled towards Nilou. 

“Halt! By the order of the Sages, you’re under arrest!” Tignari said, and fired off an arrow at Ziz as he ran up behind her with Collei hot on his heels.

Ziz snorted and batted away the arrow with her spear. She was going to make the fox-man work for this. “Try me, beast boy.”

Their battle was brief, with Ziz blowing away most of Tignari’s attacks almost casually, and catching a couple of arrows with one hand and snapping them. He tried attacking with a few potions and herbal concoctions that had hallucinogenic properties, but they had no effect on Ziz’s physiology. 

She was about to smack him before deliberately taking a shot when something thudded into her back. Vines wrapped around her, and Ziz pivoted her head all the way behind her to see a blushing Collei. The girl had fired a net attached to an arrow, then activated it. Ziz could have broken the vines, but she had to give it to the girl.

“Oh no, you’ve got me,” Ziz sighed, letting herself thump to the ground. Dehya was down and bleeding profusely from a minor cut to her forehead, while Nilou had been disarmed by Alhaitham and had raised her hands in surrender. 

“These are the rebels the Sages ordered arrested,” Cyno growled, roughly slapping a pair of manacles on Deyha and hauling her to her feet. “Let’s get them inside before they cause any more trouble.”

The three “prisoners” were escorted up the giant tree, to the very top where a school nestled amongst the branches. Several guards rushed up to them, but Cyno raised a hand. “It’s alright. We’ve captured the rebels.”

There was the sound of one man clapping, and then a dry voice said, “Oh, I think you have. Well done. Well done indeed.” 

A grey-haired man with a neatly trimmed beard and a monocle of all things stepped around the corner, escorted by what Ziz instantly recognized as half a dozen fatui with delusions, and a sheepish-looking Kaveh in chains. From behind them, more Akademiya guards emerged, and from the side corridor, more fatui poured. 

“Fantastic,” Alhaitham groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How did you manage to open your big mouth this time?”

“It wasn’t me! He just showed up and arrested me all of a sudden with these goons!” Kaveh protested. 

Grand Sage Azar sneered. “Do you truly believe you could outthink me? I am possessed of the Akasha! It calculated your every move before you even made it. You have all fallen straight into my trap.”

“Yeah? Well, there’s one thing you didn’t calculate,” Ziz growled, tensing her body as Collei tried to undo the vines binding her.

Azar frowned, adjusting his monocle. “I don’t recall your presence in the Akasha. No matter, a single Vision Holder makes no difference. Who you are doesn’t matter.”

“THAT’S WHERE YOU’RE WRONG, BITCH! I’M THE GODDAMN SIMURGH!” Ziz roared, bursting free of her bonds. She let out another ear-piercing shriek, which her allies were protected from thanks to the wax they’d all put in their ears. Cyno and Tignari had wagered that the Grand Sage would see their attack coming, but that he wouldn’t know about Ziz. 

Even the fatui stumbled back, stunned, and all eight of the rebels fell upon them. Ziz blew most of them over, then grabbed the Grand Sage, lifting him up off his feet and snarling, “WHERE IS NAHIDA!? WHERE IS KUSINALI!?”

“You…you are too late! The Lord of Arcane Wisdom, the Artificial God…he is already complete! Even now, he is stripping the false Archon of her powers, and ushering in a new age! An age of Man!” 

“If you don’t tell me right now, I’ll rip your memories right out of your skull!” Ziz hissed, pulling the man close. 

“There is nothing you can do! I have already won! A glorious new age of-”

Ziz began to croon, and Azar fell silent, his eyes going wide. She kept her volume low, singing her song just for him. 

“What…what are you doing!? That song, stop! Stop it! I-I command you! I am… I am the Grand…Sage…”

A bit of drool leaked out of Azar’s mouth, and his eyes went glassy, his muscles relaxing. 

“Stand up!” Ziz barked, and Azar complied as she set him down. “Now, tell me where you’ve put Nahida, and give me any keys or access codes to get to her!” 

“She is in the Sanctuary,” Azar droned, reaching into his robes and fumbling out a key, which he extended to Ziz. “With the Balladeer. The Doctor is on his way. I have to have the finished product by then, or he’ll kill me. The gnosis…”

“Tell your guards to get out of my way, then piss yourself and go stand in a corner,” Ziz ordered. 

“Guards, stand down!” Azar shouted, then wet himself and moved to put his nose in the corner. 

The guards were too engaged to have heard him, but Ziz ignored them. “I’m going after Nahida! Keep them off me!” She snarled to the others, then activated her Vision and flew up the next three levels to where the Sanctuary was. There were guards, but a scream was all it took to have them knocked out cold. She used the key, then flung open the doors.

Immediately, her eyes locked on a green orb at the center of the room, surrounded by glowing runes of ominous purple. A dozen fatui spun to face her, but Ziz had eyes only for the small figure curled up in the fetal position at the center of the orb, her cheeks wet with tears. 

“Get her!” one of the fatui ordered. 

All Ziz saw was red. “MY OATH IS FULFILLED! I HAVE MET WITH THE DENDRO ARCHON AGAIN!” 

She didn’t hold back this time. Ziz blasted the fatui with bolts of air that sent them flying, back handing the survivors hard enough to shatter bones. She was ready to drive her fingers through the chest of one, until a voice whispered in her mind,

Please, don’t. Show…show them…mercy…

“ARRRGH!” Ziz screamed, then headbutted the fatui. Not so hard she fractured bone, but hard enough that he hung limply in her hands. She tossed him aside, then hurried forward. She parsed the runes at a glance but went for the most expedient solution of just smashing the console that was trapping Nahida with her fists. 

“Wake up!” Ziz snapped, grabbing Nahida and cradling her in her arms. “You owe me a fight, you hear me!? I won’t rest until I prove I’m better than you!”

Nahida’s eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly. “T-thank you. I…I’m afraid…I can’t be of much use…right now…after I stopped the Sages from killing everyone in Sumeru…I was…I was too weak…to stop…the others…”

Ziz snorted, then turned towards the exit, still carrying Nahida. “Fine. We can fight later. Let’s get you out of here.”

“No! Wait!” a small hand gripped Ziz’s collar, and she froze, looking down at Nahida, who had tears in her eyes. “Please! They…they’re building something, down below! An Artifical God! But…but if it goes out of control…they could kill everyone connected to the Akasha Network! To me! I have to…I have to stop it!” 

“Oh, fine,” Ziz growled, turning about. “Where is this stupid thing anyway?”

They descended into the bowels of the tree, Ziz blasting aside any fatui that were stupid enough to show themselves to her. Nahida seemed to get stronger as they went, taking out a glowing chess piece and clutching at it. Ziz eyed it suspiciously. 

“That your Gnosis? I thought your stupid pet dragon had it.”

“I am increasingly certain that I am not the Buer you claim to know,” Nahida said, a small smile on her lips as she snuggled against Ziz’s breast. “...But I think you know that as well, Ziz.”

She muttered something choice under her breath. She was pretty sure she was in some weird alternate dimension too, but she had half hoped it was all Nahida’s doing somehow. “Yeah well, I’m still going to kick your ass. Later.”

They came at last to a large open changer, deep under the earth. Within it hung what looked to Ziz’s eyes to be one of the rumored Maguu Kenki mecha that the Raiden Shogunate were developing as a counter to the Tsartia’s naked aggression in Europe. Within it, a boy with eerily familiar features sat in the cockpit, hooked up to the mecha.

“Wait, I thought the fatui worked for the Tsaritsa! That’s an Inazuman puppet mecha!” Ziz said, pointing. “Is the Raiden Shogun behind all of this?!”

“Fool! You think the Raiden Shogun is responsible for this!? I shall surpass her in every way!” the boy said, his eyes flashing open and a sneer forming on his face. 

“Are you the bastard that hurt Nahida? That hurt Buer?” Ziz demanded, clutching Nahida tightly to her. 

“Set me down. I am stronger now. It’s my duty to confront the Balladeer,” Nahida said, tugging at Ziz’s sleeve.

The boy cackled, raising his hands, and the mecha-puppet mimicked the motion. “Who would have thought, the world would be so eager for my ‘birth.’ I have been infused with the Divine Knowledge of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! I am now the true god of wisdom, Buer!”

“I do sense the power of the Greater Lord within him,” Nahida said, shuddering. “I…I know of only one way to stop him. I’ll have to sacrifice myself to-”

Ziz grabbed Nahida’s shoulder, a snarl on her lips. “Don’t even say it! Look at me! I’m going to share Data with you! We’re going to take this fucker down, once and for all!” 

“It is too late! I have already attained perfection! I have been reborn as the All-Knowing Lord of Arcane Wisdom! No longer am I the puppet, for the world shall dance to my strings!” the Balladeer laughed. The visor of the mecha slammed shut. “Now, let us reenact a scene from the Archon War! THE DEATH OF A GOD!” 

The data transfer was completed in an instant, and Ziz turned to face the mecha. “Sounds good to me.”

Then she flung herself forward, transforming as she did so, shedding the frail form of Ziz, and taking on her true aspect: The Simrugh. 

She wasn’t as big as the giant mecha, but she was able to kick him in the head, sending the nascent god reeling back. There weren’t many things she could use her telekinesis on in the chamber, so instead she pummeled with Anemo, using a psychic shriek to attack the mind of her opponent as well. 

For a moment, Ziz thought she’d won with just that, as the mecha-god was driven to its knees, staggered under her assault. Then the mecha surged to its feet with a burst of power exactly like that Ziz was all to familiar with: the power of a god. 

The Arcane Lord swung heavy fists crackling with power at Ziz, but she raised a barrier of Anemo, blocking the blow. She struck back with a barrage of telekinetic bolts, but she was countered by a shield of Geo, before a wave of fire struck her, ripping to shred her own barrier and causing her to cry out in pain as flames licked at her wings. 

Unwilling to back down, she unleashed several weapons she had secreted about her, a barrage of Tinkertech rockets and lasers striking her foe. Once more, the Arcane Lord was driven back, and Ziz grinned in triumph.

Then she ran out of missiles, and a swarm of cryo, hydro, and pyro bombs bombarded her, exploding in a cascade of Vaporize and Melt reactions that damaged her further. Then the Arcane Lord was up, grabbing Ziz by the wings before hurling her to the ground. His fists pummeled Ziz, who frantically tried to fight back, but she was overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity and might of the blows. She eventually managed to kick hard enough to force the Arcane Lord off of herself, but she was battered and bruised, even her formidable biology not capable of withstanding divine punishment for long. 

“Bow before me, worm!” the Arcane Lord cackled, and the center of his chest began to glow, his for arms curling around it as a massive ball of electro formed there. Ziz countered by firing off a machine gun blast of bolts of Anemo, but they just bounced harmlessly off of her opponent. The Electro blast struck her, and she was laid out, flat on her back, the ground cracked and broken beneath her. 

“No, stop!” Nahida wailed, throwing herself in front of Ziz before the Arcane Lord could deliver the final blow. 

Chuckling, he reached out, grasping her even as Ziz weakly tried to rise, but so low on energy she could barely stir. “And now, I take what is rightfully mine!” 

He reached into Buer’s chest with one finger, tearing at her very essence in order to rip away her Gnosis.

Then Nahida looked up, her expression serene. “Simulation complete. Resetting.” 

“What-”

Ziz grinned as the room was washed in green light. 

This time, the Samsara was on her side. 

For 168 cycles, the battle repeated. Ziz remembered each and every one of them. For the first twenty or so, the Lord of Arcane Wisdom triumphed over her with ease. Galling as it was, in her current state, he was simply far more powerful than she. 

But with each battle came new wisdom. The Arcane Lord didn’t recall the battles, but Ziz did, the data shared between her and Nahida each time. With each fight, she got a little better. After eighty battles, she could force a stalemate. After 120, she was achieving narrow victories. 

“Simulation complete,” Nahida said, for the 167th time. She turned to Ziz, back at the entrance, the Baladeer staggered, his eyes wide as the loops flashed before his gaze. 

“What…what have you done? A Dream?! You seek to trap me in a dream!? But even in dreams, you cannot hope to defeat me! Your Gnosis is mine!” The Baladeer snarled, his visor slamming shut again as he powered up his mecha.

“I gave you all the Wisdom of Sumeru,” Nahida said, extending a hand that grasped a crystalline vessel of Knowledge to Ziz. “Thank you, Ziz.”

“Let’s just get this over with. I’m ready to waste this jerk,” Ziz sneered, accepting the gift, before turning towards the False God. 

This time, she didn’t take on the form of the Simurgh. Partly because she was slower when she grew to 10 meters tall. But mostly, because it didn’t feel right. That wasn’t who she was anymore. She wasn’t the Simurgh. She was Ziz. Not the Hopekiller. The Hopebringer. 

She dodged the barrage of elemental attacks, sending bolts of Anemo at precise intervals and locations, directed straight at the Arcane Lord’s weak points. Soon, her opponent was reeling, and Ziz closed on him. She countered his attacks or dodged them flawlessly, her memories of exactly where and how he would attack making it child’s play. Her own blows were precisely timed and measured, directed at each obvious flaw her opponent had. She spun her spear about her, jabbing it into cracks and crevasses with ease, smiling wickedly as the mecha began to spark and sag, her attacks disrupting its systems. 

“No, NO, NO! I AM THE ALL-KNOWING GOD! I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!” the Balladeer raged, attempting to use his four fists to pummel Ziz into oblivion. 

She slipped away, taking no more than one or two glancing hits that barely registered, then screamed, her sonic attack causing her opponent’s entire frame to shudder. She’d gotten the frequency just right, and she’d hit him enough times that he was severely weakened. The entire frame buckled and much of it burst, elemental energy leaking out and causing a cascade of small explosions. 

“THIS IS WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU FUCK WITH MY NAHIDA!” Ziz screamed, driving forward on wings of wind and kicking the Arcane Lord square in the chest. The supposed god broke in half, the head detaching from the splintered body as the whole thing crashed to the floor and lay in a broken heap. 

Landing, Ziz sauntered over, ripping open the cockpit, where the Baladeer struggled to unplug himself. “Insolent filth! I…I will lay you low! I am the-URK!”

Ziz grabbed the fool by the throat, hoisting him up. “You’re a stuck-up brat with delusions of grandeur. Now. Will you beg for your pathetic life, or will you die with dignity?”

“There’s no need to kill him,” Nahida said, floating down next to Ziz. “He was always but a puppet, dancing on the strings others forged to him. No, the real villain is about to reveal himself.”

“But killing him would be so satisfying,” Ziz half whined. “Come on. He’s an asshole. Killing him would make the world a better place!” 

“Death never makes the world a better place, only a more empty one. I sense that this man still has a role to play, if only we will let him. Now, take him away and imprison him with the others. And free Azar. His actions were wicked, but even he doesn’t deserve to be made a slave,” Nahida said seriously. She reached out, and pulled another chess piece from the wreckage. 

Ziz’s eyes went wide. “A second Gnosis!? But…how!?”

“Time enough for that later,” Nahida said, tucking both away. She smiled up at Ziz. “Step closer.”

Ziz set the Balladeer down, where he lay still, utterly defeated. She knelt in front of Nahida frowning at her. “What?”

To her surprise, Nahida leaned forward, wrapping Ziz in a hug. “Thank you. You are a true hero. You have returned Hope to Sumeru. And to me.”

Hesitantly, Ziz hugged Nahida back. “Yeah, well, don’t take it personally or anything. We’ll still have a fight someday, OK? But not until we’re both fully rested and recovered! I won’t have anyone saying I cheated!”

Giggling, Nahida nodded. “I look forward to it. Thank you, Ziz.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of here. On your feet, Pinocchio! Let’s get moving,” Ziz growled. 

That wasn’t the end of things, of course. There was a great deal of rebuilding to do, and some Forbidden Knowledge to cleanse, but for that moment, for the first time in her life, Ziz was content. 

Maybe, coming to a new world had been just what she needed.