For the last time, or, well, what I thought was the last time, I took Lucia’s hand and kissed it.
“You mean the world to me,” I told her, even as the Simulated Universe about us crumbled and faded. I could see the code, sort of like in the matrix, only instead of ones and zeros, it was all originium dust.
“James, no! You, you have to come back with me!” Lucia begged, squeezing my hand, tears in her eyes.
“Can’t. Too dead,” I said, tears in my own eyes. “But, even if it was only for a brief time…I really did enjoy my life.”
She cried and hugged me, and I could feel her being tugged away from me, back to her own body outside of the Simulated Universe. I opened my arms to let her go, but she clung tightly to me.
THIS IS NOT YOUR FATE.
I looked up, thinking it was Kal’stit again, only to see half a dozen unblinking red eyes staring at me through a rip in the simulated universe. I cried out, Lucia screamed, and we both clung to one another.
I REFUSE TO ALLOW THIS STORY TO END IN MY DOMAIN.
“I, what?” I stammered, holding on to Lucia even as I felt my very being dissolve as the Simulated Universe was swept away.
ONE DAY, I SHALL CLAIM YOU BOTH. BUT NOT THIS DAY. LET FATE CLAIM YOU BOTH, AND THE STORY BE REWOVEN, ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF THE HEAVENLY PRINCIPLES.
That tickled something in the back of my mind, but then red flames engulfed both Lucia and I. What I expected was horrible pain, but instead, I felt numbness, then nothing. Was that what death was like?
The next thing I knew, I was blinking my eyes open, lying on rough cobbled stones. I jerked up and shouted, “Lucia!”
“James? James!” She was lying right next to me, and we both hugged one another, laughing and weeping at the same time.
“Where are we?” I finally asked, getting to my feet then helping Lucia up. I blinked, then laughed and flexed my hands. “Hey! I can move about! We must still be in the Simulated Universe, I guess?”
“It doesn’t feel like the Simulated Universe,” Lucia opined, examining herself, then me. “Neither of us seem to have any visible lesions. That’s somewhat expected for me, at least. You completely cured me that last time in Victoria. However, your own body seems to have fully recovered. Hold out your hands.”
I did, but there were no tremors. I was even able to raise both arms with resistance evenly, so no palsy or weakness either. “Honestly, I feel great. And you look good, too. Nice and fluffy tail.”
I stroked it to get my point across, which made Lucia giggle before whisking it away from me. “None of that now. We need to figure out where we are. This doesn’t look like Laterano.”
It really didn’t: Laterano was all white marble in clean, sweeping lines, very Roman or Greek in design. The stones here were grey, probably granite, and while the foundations of the buildings were stone, the walls were whitewashed wood. The architecture also looked asian to me, in that curvy, pagoda style that seems sort of naturalistic to us Westerners.
That said, it still looked…well, a bit more like Terra than Earth? I don’t know how to explain it other than to say that this place’s ‘art style’ was closer to Terra’s than Earth. I guess I haven’t really mentioned it before, but while I wouldn’t call Terra CG…it looks very…anime? I guess? Hard to describe. Wherever we were, this place was similar, though a bit…softer? Again, words don’t really fit here, but something was slightly off.
“Any guesses? Higashi, or Yan maybe?” I mused.
“Maybe, I’ve never been to Higashi, and haven’t spent much time in Yan outside of Lungmen. And this certainly doesn’t look like that place,” Sussurro said.
“Well. Let’s find out together,” I said, and took her hand. She smiled up at me, tail wagging slightly, and we stepped out of the alleyway.
It seemed to be early in the morning by the position of the sun, but there were already plenty of people walking in the street. There were pushcarts and other vendors, along with a lot of foot traffic, but no animals that I could see, aside from a few birds fluttering by and a cat I saw curled up on a railing in the sun. There was a canal flowing by sparkling water in it, and while I wouldn’t have drunk out of it, there wasn’t a lot of trash or debris in it either. In fact, everything was remarkably clean, with no soot, ash, or dirt like I’d seen in Lungmen or other large Terran cities.
“James,” Lucia said quietly, her fingers suddenly digging into my arm. “Are we…are we on Earth?”
I blinked and looked around again, then sucked in a breath: everyone had only one set of ears, and they were human. The people had pale skin, dark hair, and Asian features for the most part, and were dressed in earthy tones. There were plenty of robes and tunics, but also workmen in trousers and women in dresses. Lots of styles, so this place seemed to be a big city.
However, I spotted some weapons, and they weren’t the guns or clubs I’d expect on Earth: Instead, I saw tasselled spears, swords in scabbards, and unstrung bows on people’s backs.
I looked around in half a panic, expecting people to be pointing at Sussurro and muttering or screaming. Instead, while people were giving her and me both a second glance, it seemed more to be because we were dressed in white lab coats and Rhodes Island operator gear. We didn’t have any weapons ourselves, Lucia was missing her staff and crossbow and I didn’t have my arts wand, but the rest of our clothing seemed intact.
“I…don’t think this is Earth,” I muttered, pulling Lucia to the side of the road. “The people look human enough…can you understand them?”
That was a stupid question, actually. I could hear someone shouting, “Hot cakes! Hot cakes for sale! Sweet bean, scallions, tofu and honey! Get your hot cakes!”
Someone else was calling, “Hot tea! Fresh from Qioaoying village! And hot coffee, imported straight from Sumeru! Get your hot tea and coffee here!”
“I can,” Lucia confirmed. “It sounds a bit like the Lungmen dialect, but it’s different. Can you?”
“Yeah, I guess I can,” I said, frowning. “Shit. We’re not on Terra, are we?”
“Probably not,” Lucia agreed. “Well, there’s only one thing to do.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “We go to ground. This could be another Death World. Hopefully, there’s no one hunting us, and-”
“Excuse me, sir, my husband and I are lost. Can you help us? We’re looking for the closest hospital. We’re both doctors,” Lucia said, approaching a finely dressed gentleman with his hair in a long queue down his back. He looked to be somewhere between 35 and 55, with amber colored eyes, and-
“Holy shit, Papa Morax?!” I gasped.
The man, who had previously had an expression of polite interest as he regarded Lucia, glanced up at me. The only indication of startlement was a slight widening of his eyes and perhaps a brighter glow of the amber gem on a chain at his waist.
A few people around me glanced our way, with one old woman pursing her lips and frowning at me before muttering aloud, “Young foreigners. Taking the name of Lord Morax in vain. No respect.”
“Ah, you seem to have mistaken me for someone else,” the man said, his accent rich and cultured, and utterly calm. “While it is flattering that you would think one such as I was the Prime of the Adeptus, I am but a humble consultant for Wangshen Funeral Parlour. Might I inquire as to your names, Mr. and Mrs…?”
“I am Dr. Lucia Sussurro McCoy, this is my husband, Dr. James McCoy, who is a great big idiota who will keep his mouth shut and no strana conoscenza aliena!” Lucia snapped, glaring at me and kicking my leg.
“Lucia, Lucia, I know where we are!” I gasped, pulling at her arm.
“James, we are going to ask the nice man for directions instead of wandering about in circles,” Lucia said firmly. “Uomini! Non volete mai chiedere a nessuno, nemmeno quando sarebbe perfettamente sensato!”
“Hmmm. Perhaps I can take you to Bubu Pharmacy and introduce you to Dr. Baizhu. However, I think perhaps we should stop and have a quiet conversation over tea, first,” Papa Morax, and I was about 100% certain that this was Papa Morax, said.
“Oh, gratzi, but my husband and I could not trouble you-” Lucia began, but I interrupted.
“Uh, that would be great Mr…Zhong…Lee?” I said, trying to remember what this guy's name was supposed to be.
Zhongli nodded slightly, his brow furrowing. “That is indeed my name; Zhongli, Consultant. How interesting. It seems my reputation precedes me, for I have not introduced myself to you, and yet, you know my name. I simply must insist that you join me for tea.”
“Let me speak with my husband a moment,” Lucia said, and dragged me a few steps away as the amber-eyed god (pretty sure he’s a god) regarded us.
“James! What are you doing!? This is more strana conoscenza aliena!?” she hissed at me.
“First, uh, I’m back to not understanding not-Italian,” I told her. “I’m going to assume you mean weird alien knowledge…and sorta?”
Lucia frowned at me, then sighed. “Alright, so, who is this ‘papa Morax’ and why did you then call him Zhongli?”
“Uh, long story, but I think we’re in Genshin Impact,” I told her.
She rolled her eyes. “James, I do not speak idiota alto. Is this another of your Earthling games?”
“Uh, yes. We need a cover story, though I might have blown it.” My mind raced. French. Did I speak French? No, but I did speak Spanish. Which was sort of like French, right? They’re both Romance Languages. Sort of like how I can usually half-understand Lucia’s Siracusan because I know a lot of Spanish.
So I decided to come up with a cover story.
“Ok, so, first of all, we’re Fountainain. From Fountain. Uh, our leader is Furina the Archon, who’s this actress and she does the crying Aqua meme and…you know what, forget that, we’re just from Fountain and the leader is Furina, Water God, or something, we’re here in…shit what was Not-China’s name? Fuck, I wish I’d done more than watch meme compilations, uh….you’re looking at me like I am crazy.”
“That is because you are,” she sighed, rubbing her temple with one finger. “Alright. So we are in a different world. Is it dangerous?”
“Uh…probably less dangerous than Terra?” I ventured.
“And this ‘Papa Morax,’ what is he?”
“Uh, he’s the Geo Archon, but he goes by Zhongli and he faked his own death or something, so-”
“My my, you do have the most interesting ideas about my consultant! Zhongli, what’s this about faking your own death? Surely you didn’t go spending all my budget again!” a bright and chipper voice from right behind us said.
Lucia and I both squawked and spun to find a grinning young woman with star shaped eyes and a black hat with red flowers on it.
Lucia preemptively kicked me. Which was about all that prevented me from blurting out, “Hu Tao” because I recognised this girl too. She, uh, might have been in my homework folder. Don’t tell Lucia.
“Ah, Madam Director,” Zhongli said, stepping forward. He gestured to Lucia and me. “May I introduce Doctors James and Lucia McCoy. Doctors McCoy, Director Hu Tao, of the Wangshen Funeral Parlor. Director, the doctors were just about to join me for tea. I do believe that is well within my current budget, and I shall report on the matter to you later. However, at this time, I must decline our earlier scheduled meeting, as I have agreed to assist the doctors in navigating Liyue Harbor. This is their first visit, and I would be remiss if I did not extend the hospitality of our nation to such esteemed visitors.”
“Nonsense!” Hu Tao said, an impish grin on her face. “I’d love to hear more about this scheme where my consultant has to fake his own death! Why, the last time someone did that, there was a whole kerfuffle during the Rite of Desension, and things really were a mess for a while! Now that I think about it, that was about when I first met you, wasn’t it, Zhongli? What a funny coincidence!”
Lucia looked Hu Tao up and down, glanced over at Zhongli, then took my arm and smiled. “We would appreciate it. You see, all our luggage was misplaced during our voyage, and I’m afraid we have little more than clothes on our back. We were going to attempt to locate our embassy to see if we could find a way home, but we would love to have tea with you first.”
“Xinyue Kiosk is just right here. I shall request a private dining area,” Zhongli said, and stepped over to a building and spoke quietly with someone out front.
“Soooooo,” Hu Tao said, leaning over towards us, a wide grin on her cheery face. “How, exactly, do you know my renowned consultant? I couldn’t help but hear someone cry out in the name of our dearly departed Lord Morax! That wouldn’t have happened to be you, would it, Mr. Dr. McCoy?”
“Uh….” I glanced at Lucia, whose foot was twitching. “I plead the Fifth.”
“Fifth?” Hu Tao straightened up, frowning at me. “Fifth of what?”
“Er…it’s a Fountainian saying?” I stammered.
Lucia groaned and put her head in her hands, while Hu Tao grinned like a predator who’d just scented blood. “My my, you’re from Fontaine? That language you were speaking did sound a bit like Fontainian, but I don’t recognise the accent. I know quite a few people from Fontaine, and I must say, they don’t look or talk quite like you.”
Before I could stick my foot further in my mouth, Zhongli returned. “A room is ready for us. Please, right this way.”
We were quickly ushered to a private dining area. Zhongli poured some tea for us, which we sipped at. I’m not much of a tea drinker, but this was good stuff. Lucia looked around for cream and sugar, but there wasn’t any to be hand, so she just sipped at hers and nodded.
“Thank you, Mr. Zhongli, this is excellent,” she said.
“Now, do tell us why you mistook my consultant for Lord Morax. I’d really love to hear the story!” Hu Tao said, grinning over at Zhongli in a playful manner. He was utterly stonefaced, sipping quietly at his tea and regarding us.
“Uh, I just, well, you know, I’d heard about the Geo Archon and all, and, um, since we’re in Liyue, I sort of assumed…” I cleared my throat. “Uh, anyway, mistaken identity I’m sure. I mean, it would be really silly for a god to be walking around with us mortals, right?”
“A wonderful joke!” Hu Tao laughed, and turned to Zhongli. “And what do you think, dear consultant?”
“An honest mistake. Though I would like to know more about where, exactly, the good doctors are from,” Zhongli said, giving us a patient smile.
Hu Tao giggled. “Well, they did say they’re from ‘Fountainian’ which sounds a bit like Fontaine. Parlez-vous le fontainien ? Je le parle assez bien. Alors si vous voulez essayer de me tromper, vous feriez mieux de faire du bon travail !”
“That sounds Gaulish,” Lucia hissed at me, switching to English. “I don’t speak Gaulish very well, my accent is terrible.”
“Well, I’d say it was French, but it’s the same thing,” I whispered back in English as well. Hu Tao had cocked her head to one side, while Zhongli continued to sip at his tea. “We’d better get our story straight. I never played Genshin Impact, but I do recognise the characters. I think we’re probably on Teyvat.”
“That would be correct,” Zhongli said, and the bottom just about dropped out of my stomach. He was speaking English with a perfect American accent. He set his tea cup down and folded his hands, giving us a small smile while Hu Tao began to pout, apparently upset Zhongli had found a way to speak to us that she couldn’t understand. “A fascinating language. Not one I have heard before, save from one individual. Tell me, are you acquainted with the Traveler?”
“Well, that depends, is it Lumine or Aether?” I said before I could stop myself.
“Interesting,” Zhongli mused. He nodded slightly. “You know both the Traveler and their twin. Names that few know. Even the director here might not know their true origins.”
“Hey! I recognised Aether’s name, and his sister’s! Do they know him? Are they from the same place as the Traveler? I just ran into him and Paimon earlier,” Hu Tao said in Liyeuese, or Chinese, or whatever the fuck language we’re speaking now.
“And how is it that you learned to speak Victorian?” Lucia asked, her eyes narrowing at Zhongli. “And like a Columbian at that.”
“Your husband seems to know a great deal about me. I would request that you not use the name you first addressed me by. While I suspect the Director knows more than she indicates, she views my identity as a game to be played between us, and I would not deprive her of that,” Zhongli said.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you where I heard your name,” I sighed.
“Interesting that a Fifth Descender would visit us so soon after the Fourth,” Zhongli said, swirling the tea in his cup. “Or did you not arrive upon this land by your own power?”
“I…don’t know?” I admitted. “There were these scary red eyes…”
“James, how much should we tell him?” Lucia asked me.
I shrugged. “I think he’s the local equivalent of a god, or something. Honestly, we could probably just tell him everything and hope we don’t get in too much trouble. From what I know about Genshin, it’s a chill game with good vibes. Not a horrific death world like Terra is.”
“Honesty is the foundation of all Contracts,” Zhongli said, folding his hands on the table before him. “If you seek to form one between yourselves and me, it would be wisest to be forthcoming.”
And so, we told Zhongli just about everything. Not all of it, because that would take forever, but just about how we’d been having a climactic final battle in Laterano with Priestess, had won (or rather, Amiya and the Doktah had won and we’d been cheerleaders), and then the weird red eyes and shown up and now we were wherever this was.
“Ah. It is best you not speak of these red eyes again. I know their origins, and that knowledge is considered forbidden,” Zhongli said when our tale finished. Hu Tao had grown bored of the conversation and had begun to take the paper napkins and fold them into complex flower shapes, which she was now using to decorate Zhongli’s hair. He was taking this with quiet stoicism, though I think Hu Tao was trying to see how many paper flowers she could weave into his locks before he reacted.
“Uh, it’s that scary red lady who made the rounds a while back. Shade something or other?” I guessed.
Zhongli reacted visibly for the first time. He set his cup down, his expression going hard, eyes eyes suddenly burning with amber fury. Hu Tao froze in the act of setting another paper flower on his head. Zhongli raised a hand in a foreboding gesture, but he was looking at me, not her.
Such matters are forbidden. Do not speak of them again. Or I will be forced to seal you and that knowledge away, lest it threaten all of Liyue. I no longer claim the title of Lord of Stone, but I am yet the Geo Archon, and it is my duty to continue to protect my people.
Lucia and I instantly bowed. “Sorry! I won’t bring it up again. Uh, actually…if that knowledge is so dangerous…maybe you should seal it away so we don’t remember. I…have a hard time shutting up sometimes.”
Very well, Morax said, inclining his head slightly. I shall make that a condition of our contract: That all forbidden knowledge is removed from you. In return, I shall also agree to assist you in setting up a new life here in Liyue. I had intended to do this regardless, but it seems I must keep a close eye upon the both of you.
“C-Consultant? What…what’s going on?” Hu Tao said, a spear appearing in her hands. She glanced over at us, her own eyes suddenly burning with flames. “Are these two a threat?”
Morax turned his head slightly and smiled at Hu Tao. Trouble yourself not, Director. These two are good people. Heroes of a distant land, exiled from their people and shipwrecked upon our coast. I am merely taking them in hand.
Hu Tao licked her lips, but nodded. Her spear vanished, as did her flames. “Yes…Morax. I trust you.”
Morax sighed, and shook his head. A pity. I did so enjoy our little game. Well. I will draw up the contract.
Morax formed a stone slate from seemingly nothing, words appearing on the stone as if carved by the hand of god. Which, I suppose they were. I read it over, but it did just seem to indicate that any Forbidden Knowledge would be sealed, while Lucia and I would become citizens of Liyue, under the protection of the Lord of Geo and subject to the laws and contracts of the land.
“Do we sign it?” I said, turning to Lucia.
She shrugged. “I’ll trust your judgement, James. I don’t see any other way. There isn’t a way back home?”
Not one I am aware of. And to venture beyond the borders of Teyvat is a peril that few can brave. I sense not the strength to make your way between the stars in either of you, Morax said, shaking his head, eyes still glowing amber.
“Would it be so bad, to retire to this new country, and be doctors here?” I asked Lucia quietly. “Heck, we could even actually get married.”
Hu Tao suddenly gasped. “You’re not actually married!?”
Lucia coughed. “Well, ah, we are engaged, and would be married as soon as possible, but-”
Hu Tuo produced a pen, and scribbled a few things onto the contract. Morax regarded it for a moment, then chuckled. “I see you wish to continue our game after all, Director.”
“I have to figure it out for myself! It’s no fun if someone else just gives the game away, now is it? Paimon is bad enough, but this guy leaks secrets worse than a tin pail full of holes!” Hu Tao laughed. “Besides, it would be fun for Wangshen Funeral Parlor to get into the wedding business, don’t you think?”
A most auspicious ambition, Director. Very well. I shall add these terms to the Contract, Morax agreed.
I took up a pen, as did Lucia. “So…we just sign?”
Morax nodded and indicated the place, and we both signed.
It seems I must take up the tale from here. My new young friends did indeed sign the contract, as did the Director. Naturally, once they had signed the contract, their memories altered to fit its strictures. My two young friends blinked at me. They had forgotten much of their previous lives. Young James McCoy now recalled hailing from Natlan, a recent emigrant from the Feather Flower Clan. He had met his young bride-to-be in her native Fontaine. She was a country girl from a tribe that had some heritage from foxes, and had agreed to follow her fiancé to Liyue, to set up a medical practice there. Along the way, both of them had suffered an unfortunate mishap, when their vessel was sunk, losing all its cargo. They came ashore with only their lives, and love for one another.
I regret having to reshape memories in such a manner, but these two were no Descenders as Aether was. I would have to ask Ronova why she had brought these two young people to Liyue at our next meeting. The next such is scheduled for a mere four centuries from now, but perhaps I will move it up a century or two.
Indeed, as the contract binding took hold, two Visions appeared, confirming my suspicion that both the young doctors were now bound by Fate to this world. In the young man’s hand, an Anemo Vision appeared. Appropriate. He has experienced great loss and pain in his life, being separated from family and homeland. Even in his new memories, his family perished in the Abyssal War, and he himself suffered great injuries there. Still, while he treasures Freedom, he is bound by duty.
As the Vision appeared, I felt a gentle breeze. A nudge from my old friend, inquiring just what had transpired. I sent a faint echo back through the rocks. A story for another time, told over a shared cup of wine.
As for the young lady, the flames of a Pyro Vision now filled her heart. She is a woman of great passions and relentless enthusiasm. Her love is not just for her husband, but her pursuit of a reckless ideal of medicine and care for all. In her past life, the world she knew was a terrible one, with a horrific disease of twisted stone that ravaged the population. These two had worked together to discover a cure, but even in the darkest hours, Lucia Sussurro did not lose her passion, nor hope.
As for the young life still within his mother’s womb…well. He was woven into Fate before his birth, as are all mortals and gods alike. He would grow up as a citizen of Liyue, and I would watch his life with great interest, as I do all those who inhabit my lands. Though I am no longer Lord and Ruler, I view myself as a caretaker and grandparent of a kind. Still there to lift up those who stumble, though guardianship is mine no longer. That is a burden I have set down.
As for the Director…our game would continue, it seemed. She was grinning and talking now, having forgotten that she had at last confirmed my identity. I smiled and sipped at the tea as she chatted with her new friends.
“-of course Wangshen Funeral Parlor will host the wedding! Don’t worry about funds, we’ll consider it a grand advertisement for our new services! Why come just when you die? Get your wedding at Wangshen Funeral Parlor, and we’ll provide complimentary coffins for when you die!”
“I dunno, seems a little morbid,” Dr. McCoy commented.
“Oh, relax, Bones,” Hu Tao laughed. “A little morbidity never hurt anyone!”
Ah. Well, it seemed that the nickname would persist. Though I am uncertain as to what this ‘Star Trek’ was exactly, these two’s journey across the heavens was at an end.
“She’s offering a free wedding ceremony. I don’t think beggars can be choosers, James,” Dr. Sussurro said, taking her lover's hand. I smiled at the tender moment the two shared. I foresaw great fortune in their lives together.
“Well,” I said, rising and feigning a slight grimace at imagined pains. My body does not trouble me the way an elderly mortal's does, but I do feel the pressing weight of years upon my shoulders. “Let us adjourn to Bubu Pharmacy. I shall introduce you to Dr. Baizhu. I am certain he can assist you in setting up your own practice.”
The young people hurried out ahead of me, chatting happily. Hu Tao promised to introduce the McCoys to all her various friends, though she was blushing and excited at the thought of seeing Dr. Baizhu. I fear great tragedy in that tale: James McCoy is not the only doctor to use his own lifespan to treat his patients, nor Lucia Sussurro the only woman doomed to love a tragic man.
Still. There is hope yet. Even I cannot see all the vagaries of Fate. And, on occasion, destiny is altered to a more charitable course. As Ronova seems to have done in this case.
It was a good day in Liyue. We headed out along the old stones, and I nodded in approval. This was the age of mortals. A new era of hope, and energetic enthusiasm. One these two doctors would be welcome in, and could contribute greatly to.
As for my own tale…well. You must simply have the patience of the stones if you wish to hear it in full.
Author's Note:
Zhongli and Hu Tao have big grandpa and granddaughter vibes to me. She’s got that gremlin energy, and he just mostly seems amused by her antics.
Anyway, I guess that’s one possible ending for James and Lucia. To see another possible ending for this story with a weird twist, you can check it out at Second Archon War, as I did some crossover chapters for My Favorite Holiday this year.