4 Scrapped Chapters Vol.1

A/N: THESE ARE SCRAPPED CHAPTERS. THEY'RE NON-CANON, AND THEY'RE MOST CERTAINLY NOT FINISHED. I'M MILKING THEM CAUSE WHY NOT, AM I RIGHT? I ALREADY WENT THE TROUBLE OF WRITING THEM DOWN ANYWAY.

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Scrapped Chapter 1:

"Rejoice, young girl," the brown-eyed priest extolled with open arms. "Your wish will, at last, come true."

As if possessed by his words, the deaconess locked gazes with the man, his shadow embossing on her figure. As her heart beat faster, she found her hand reaching for that silhouette before she realized, a sinister feeling welling up between her chest. And so---slowly but surely---the girl dove deeper into the quagmire.

Little did she know, what awaited her at the end of that pit was not salvation nor the graces of the gods, but an empty lie weaved from the whims of the devil. It was a promise that would surely guarantee her fall into madness, yet the thought of it only made her smile deepen.

Perhaps rather than being oblivious, she has simply turned a blind eye to reason.

The girl may have understood what would happen once she took that hand, well aware of the darkness that she was about to tread, but all that mattered was that she had something to believe in.

For a nun who has devoted her life to a god who never heeded prayers, the act itself would gradually lose its meaning, if not done simply for the sake of it. But at the same time, that was everything she knew. Her life consisted of purely worship in the four corners of a sanctified room. To say that her life depended on faith was no misconception, so despite the numerous calls unanswered and innumerable wishes unsettled, the girl kept persisting, believing, that someday it would all come true.

But if the anemo archon would continue to remain silent, then the most obvious choice was to reach out for another hand.

As it happens, it wore a priestly garb outside of standard religion. Even then, it lacked sincerity for a man of faith.

With all those facts combined, it pointed that he was probably a heretic.

"Ah..." Barbara gushed with frenzied eyes, and shuddered, clasping both of her hands tightly. "God is dead."

In the end, even if it proved to be the wrong choice, she could find solace that her deliverance came from someone "real".

After all, a betrayal hurt more when it was pointless.

She used to think that gods existed,

"Hehehe..." Barbara giggled uncontrollably, looking down at the head resting on her lap. "Poor sister, dear sister, you shouldn't have gone against him. Resistance was futile to begin with, you know? But it's okay now, everything is going to be fine. May we find happiness together, forever and ever, as family... Hehehe."

Scrapped Chapter 1:

Countless sparks were flying as blurred figures streaked across the scene, darting from one place to another.

The only

Although the clash lasted for a while longer, one side was beginning to show the upper hand. In the blink of an eye, a slender woman appeared with a greatsword in tow, followed by two hooded figures falling down like dead flies.

As the tension left her body, her chest heaved a sigh of relief.

But the moment she let her guard down, Eula began to perceive another presence inching closer to her location.

Her grip

Eula was ready to pounce.

However, as she turned around, her gradient yellow eyes quickly softened when she took note of the familiar silhouette looming behind the tree.

Once in full view, one could get a clearer look of their feature.

It was a girl

She was a friend of hers---Amber.

"Is that you Eula...?" Amber called with a jovial smile as her head poked out. "It really is you! I didn't expect to meet you so far out here in the woods! I thought the Reconnaissance Company was supposed to make rounds on Stormbearer Point, did something happen?"

"Indeed, something did happen," Eula succinctly nodded. "Our leads initially pointed around the area of the cliff. Fortunately, a capable subordinate of mine pinpointed their schemes before it led to fruition. If not for that, it wouldn't have occurred to me that they were planning to make a move on a completely different direction... How coy."

"So did you manage to find something?" Amber asked, her ribbon swaying back and forth.

Eula stepped aside and pointed with her eyes, giving a peek to the aftermath of the fight earlier. "I apprehended two individuals on the suspicion of involvement with the Fatui, but I was unable to find anything about the "item" mentioned in their notes [1]."

"Loathe am I to admit, without a substantial amount of evidence, serving under a suspicious organization is not enough grounds to establish a crime," the female knight grimaced when she added, as if something else was weighing on her mind.

Amber ruminated what she have been told and quickly came to a conclusion. Her gaze squared to Eula, who matched it with a befuddled look, placing a hand on her chin as she sent a knowing smirk.

If there was anything she gleaned from her friend since they started hanging out, Eula was a hardworker, but never the reckless type. There was no reason for her to have come alone even if she was in a hurry since unnecessary moves could alert the enemy, on top of being potentially outnumbered.

And from the looks of it, she guessed right.

Judging by the scratch and bruises from the apprehended grunts, it seemed to be a sustained fight. On the other hand, Eula seemed fine with only a slight dirt to make a note out of it. Nevertheless, that speck of dirt was more than enough to cement her suspicion.

For a noble lady who have been thoroughly ingrained with etiquette, allowing her clothes to be besmirched was a serious matter. Additionally, Eula was one of the most skilled knights she knew, including the other captains in mind. In that regard, her position as a captain was well-deserved. Although had the fight involved a bigger number, even she would not be able to come out unscathed, yet she chose to proceed unattended by one of her subordinates [2].

No matter how she thought about it, Amber thought that it was unlike her.

Then, it must have been "that"---the need to gain recognition.

"Is it because of that guy?" Amber teased

"Huh!?" Eula blushed profusely, taken aback by the sudden bombshell. "I-I never said this was about Elo! This is simply for my sake, yes, indeed!"

"I didn't mention him by name though?"

"You...!" Eula stammered, at loss for words. "That does it! I will have my vengeance exacted upon you one day!"

After

"Hey, wait for me!"

Suddenly, Eula had a fleeting thought.

'I wonder how he's doing right now...'

===Page Break===

In the city of freedom, Mondstadt. Morning.

The man placed his right hand on his chest, extending the other for a handshake. "I am Heff. Heff Bezos."

"People refer me by a different, however, you can call me Johan," he added. "Pleased to meet you, Captain Kaeya."

The knight returned the handshake

"Hmm... My apologies if I find this strange. I'm simply curious is all. Your name is Heff, but you go by the name Johan? Typically, nicknames are a close derivative of a person's given name, not the other way around. It's a bit weird, don't you think?" Kaeye pressed illicitly, trying to get his suspicions out of Johan.

And to that, Johan remained silent as he walked on a particular direction.

The knight followed suit while keeping his distance, in turn, eyeing the man with increasing vigilance.

According to the intel he received, the man appeared with his wife in tow one day, but background reports indicate otherwise.

When Kaeya cross-examined the records from the Knights of Favonius, he found that there were records of his birth in the local hospital. However, in the same fashion, said documents were contradicted by eyewitness accounts dating back several years ago. None of the neighborhood midwifes retold a baby being conceived on the date that was written on his certificate.

As if that was not enough, records states he had been a citizen for 20 years, but no one remembered seeing his face when he asked around.

In short, no one knew who this man was.

It was as if this man had "inserted" himself within the city, as though he had been a part of it his whole life. If not for the fact that Kaeya had been there to see everything, he would have quickly dismissed the veracity of the intel.

Nevertheless, the documents were pristine, immaculate even, so much so that he did not know how to proceed with the situation.

It was a delicate matter so to speak.

Once he proceeded with the accusation, everything would fall under his lap, including the paperwork.

However...

'If only it was actually that simple...' he sighed inwardly.

It was not long ago when an executive of the knights were abdicated for treason, and while the order successfully managed to sidestep the issue, the confidence within the ranks of favonius itself has plummeted at an all time low.

The issue was even dire enough such that a well-respected member has turned to denounce the order.

What's more, that member happens to be related to him as well.

As Kaeya fell deep in thought, Elo suddenly asked, "Isn't this a beautiful place?"

"Huh?" Kaeya blinked. "Uh, yes."

Unsure of what to respond, he absentmindedly nodded.

Once again, Elo simply smiled and walked forward.

From time to time, he let out vague phrases related to the city. How drunkards share their laughter, how knights and commonfolk find comfort in the presence of one another, that sort of thing. All in all, it seemed like harmless idle chatter.

Unbeknownst to Kaeya, however, he was slowly being conditioned to fall for his narrative.

The knight just did not know it yet.

"Please look closely," Elo paused after reaching a certain point, overlooking the houses before the horizon. "The city is made vibrant by virtue of the god it worships. The people live freely, ignorant of darkness that lurks in their alley, yet all the same they go by their day to day lives flourishing. It's a really wonderful place."

Once more, he asked Kaeya the same question.

"---Isn't this a beautiful place?"

But before the knight could answer, he was already speaking.

"When the anemo archon took upon his seat, this must be how he envisioned his world. A perfect world, one without strife, one without malice, one without constraint, all for its perfect people... Ah, I look at it and can't help but think it's a beautiful place."

A vague inkling welling up in his chest, but he suppresses it just as fast it had sprung up. The darkness he harbored could not have been known to anyone else, so there was no reason for him to overreact. But strangely, it felt as if everything about him was being laid bare in front of him.

"It's so beautiful that it befits only the perfect people," Elo admitted, earning a side glance from the knight. "Unfortunately, I'm not one of those perfect people."

Kaeya flinched.

It was a clear admission of guilt if he had ever seen one.

Even still, he has not established a clear foundation to apprehend him. If anything, the way Elo strung his words could be easily misrepresented.

Now, there was an outstanding doubt circling in his mind.

"What are you getting at?" Kaeya asked, narrowing his eyes. "The city of Mondstadt is a city of freedom, of course everyone is free to make it their home---"

'Is Mondstadt my home?' thought Kaeya.

Then there was silence.

"They say that names beget their belonging, but mine does not pertain to anything," Elo said poignantly, casting a distant look to the baffled knight. "Say, what about you Mr. 'Kaeya'? I don't mean to pry, but I'm curious as well. What does the name 'Kaeya' mean? What does your name mean to this 'place'?"

'Ah.'

To where does his heart belong?

Kaeya did not have to ponder for too long before he came to an abrupt realization. Before he knew it, the tables had turned.

For reasons unknown, this man seemed to be privy to a secret only he had shared to his former brother.

However, that was irrelevant in the present. The situation was no longer how far he was able to know about the man 'Johan', but how far the man was willing to reveal, to him. It was no longer a question to his identity, but instead of his.

Johan have cunningly pushed the narrative where he had to make a stand here and now, else it would seem like he was a hypocrite.

"...That's an interesting question, but I'm not sure I follow," he awkwardly chuckled, feeling ever more unsettled the deeper he got to know the man before him. His instincts were screaming that he was dangerous for reasons he was unsure of.

"Is that so?" Johan donned his smile. "Somehow, I don't doubt you will find out."

A/N: THIS FOOTNOTE IS IRRELEVANT SINCE THIS CHAPTER IS NOT CANON, BUT I LEFT IT HERE ANYWAY.

Footnote(s):

[1] Said item was Lyre de Himmel.

[2] For anyone about to refute the reasoning Amber came up with, please note that these events came before Varka took 80% of the knights on an expedition, so the Knights of Favonius at this point wasn't lacking in manpower. It was actually normal for the knights to come in squads or in groups (in this fic, at least).