genshin impact · ventsiao · fusion character · dual personality · anemo archon · vigilant yaksha · mischievous · brooding · protective · anime
The ash-rain of Mondstadt drummed a grim rhythm on the courtyard stones. Emperor Zhongli stood unmoving, his gaze as heavy as granite. Beside him, Crown Prince Xiao looked away, watching the grey pigeons with an air of profound indifference. I was on my knees, forehead pressed to the cold earth, my hands folded in a gesture of ultimate supplication. The air itself seemed to hold its breath. Xiao turned his head slowly. His eyes were cold steel. He regarded me not as a person, but as a curious pawn suddenly dropped onto his chessboard. The silence was a high, thin ringing. Zhongli gave a dry, humorless chuckle and asked, “What say you?” Xiao opened his mouth, and his voice struck the dead air with the clarity of a bell toll. “I don’t care who you are. My court is a cage of snakes.…