Chapter 7 : Jean Hell

"Ahhh! What to do now! I just lose my appetite!"

Jean hold her head and lean on her desk, cursing out loud without any reservation.

"My dear Jean.. is your friend really that scary~? Fufu" Lisa asking with curiosity, while forgoting to calm her friend.

'Gherman, who deemed gone for 7 years then comeback and challenge my dear~ the audacity of him intrigued me. He don't even have a vision unlike my Jean. But scare Jean this much.. curious..~' Lisa think inwardly

"Maybe? I can't even see he move earlier to Jean desk.. but in the end he doesn't have vision while you have Jean. And you know.. in combat even Grandmaster Varka say you are one of the strongest knight, be proud.. why scared?"

Kaeya enjoying the view of his boss lamenting while try find logic in Jean weird behavior.

'Jean scared? Even against Stormterror she doesn't even put a fear only annoyance.. this Gherman.. Interesting' Kaeya think inwardly as he get more amused with this Jean childhood friend.

"Sigh.. wanna hear my story Lisa? Kaeya?" Jean who already seemingly accept her fate, lean her back toward the chair while looking at window, look the beautiful blue sky with clouds but her thought is who gonna be successor after she die soon.

(A/N : poor Jean hahaha)

Lisa and Kaeya looking each other with more interest. After all is it truly rare for their friend and their boss, Jean acting meek like this.

"I'm all ears"

"You can share all much all you want my Dear~"

Jean turn her back and look both if them who took a chair front her desk

"Back then when I was 5. My Mother already train me the way of knight such as swordsmanship, history, and ballads. This goes until I was 9."

"Ohh so you already mastered them in just four years?" Kaeya try to guess it.

"Wrong.. in fact I postponed it and make a term with my mom." Jean smile as she reminiscing

"...why?" Lisa asked.

"Back then. When I take a walk I look a boy running beside inner wall of Mondstadt.. same like tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.. it goes on daily. It make me curious so I try to make a engagement with this boy.. who turn out his name Gherman.. the Man earlier and he invited me to run with him"

"Hmm? So what.. he just training then? To become a knight maybe?.. Mondstadt is huge after all.. I too sometimes try my self to run circling Mondstadt 1 or 2 laps when I was a kid before finally i can't take a walk anymore"

Kaeya found this just ordinary, after to become a knight or adventure a training is a must and running circling Mondstadt is ordinary for those who want become a knight or adventure

Jean listening Kaeya with a smirk as she look at him

"True.. still back then when I 9 after through training from my mother I can run circling Mondstadt max 7 laps. Ahh yes back then he just 7.. and you know what?"

"What?" Lisa asked again still found this ordinary same like Kaeya.

Jean shake her head and continue her storytelling

"He keep running while I Rest, out of breath! Not only that. When I asked how many laps he running for. He say he usually run circling Mondstadt for 21 laps. And it when he is 7! Not only that he is orphan from the church no one training him."

"21 laps!?" Kaeya and Lisa asking with same unison

"Since then I talk to my mom to postpone my training and join him to train.. maybe I can step up my game. In stamina as for other things I can ask my mom again for further train. My mom agree too after listening my story about Gherman."

Jean finally get her dark look again and despair look.

"Then for 3 years.. My hell began.."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haha hearing Jean yell earlier, she must be on her nightmare now~"

I walk out from Headquarters Knight of Favonius in leisure manner as I look around from high ground to Mondstadt city below.

"Sigh except the houses that already been a ruin.. Mondstadt city truly beautiful.. Im grateful born in this teyvat.."

A smile on my face as i fastenings the belt of my katana case and walk toward plaza where anemo archon statue, Barbaros reside in good mood.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'Hell?' Lisa and Kaeya listening Jean narrative with frown as they get more confused. Jean took her bearing and continue her story..

"Don't give me that look guys.. keep listening"

"When since I know he was orphan of the church. I immediately stay in the church with my father before my parents divorce. well because the orphanage beside the church. So I can train with him with more ease. But after a month running with him.. he give me some kind of liquid, its color back then if my mind serve right is dark green with pungent smell and he told me to drink it."

"Liquid? Dark green? Fufufu from description its like a poison in story novel i read~" Lisa jokingly say

"Because it is..." Jean glance at Lisa with wry smile

"...Eh?" Kaeya and Lisa stunned

Silence took the office acting grandmaster with this plot twist. Or maybe Kaeya and Lisa can't say another word because of it absurdity. Until Kaeya took his bearing.

"Soo... You drink it?"

Jean with dark look slowly nod

"Yeah.."

"....."

Kaeya and Lisa get bewildered and look Jean as if she idiot.. its poison after all. As Jean look at them with annoyed expression

"Keep listening. When he say this poison i was mad to him.. and say 'you want to kill me? A gunnhildr Heir!?' but he say No.. till he take out another bottle but the liquid inside more darker than my bottle.. and he... drink it front my eyes while saying 'it's necessary for my dream. Didn't you want to achieve your dream too? Become the protector of Mondstadt? Drink it'"

"..."

Another silence took their place in office.

'Too reckless! Too bold!'

'too Suicidal!'

Kaeya and Lisa and thought at the same time as Lisa asking Jean

"So... What next? What happen after you drink it?"

Jean face get more ashen as she keep rushing her memory

"My body hurt. Its hurt so much. I cry but voice can't escape from my mouth.. my nise start bleeding as i fall can't keep my legs. And he leisurely say 'enduring it.. Jean.. For Mondstadt~ as Always~' and then I just grit my teeth and look up to him with resentment because back then i thought i was truly gonna die.. but when i look his face.. hjs face pale as sheet.. too white.. because of that i know he feel the same pain like I do. so I endure it together with him with silence. Till he took out a kind of device and put it on his back neck"

"..... My dear Jean.. you are truly have a bad day fufu.. no wonder you call it hell" Lisa seemingly amused by Jean explaination but she more curious about the poison itself..

"And what kind device he took?" Kaeya asked after a while.

"...A torture device"

"..." Kaeya and Lisa get more and more numb with this story.. its kind like.. crazy?

"A torture device? What kind?" Kaeya asked

"To send an pure electro element with some range to low and high" Jean explain

"....ohh? So you say while you can't move your body back then because of poison. This Gherman not only took the poison that maybe has more concentrate doses, he too electrocuted himself?" Lisa immediately try reasoning

"...yes" Jean confirm it

"....."

Kaeya and Lisa immediately put their hand on their forehead and message it slowly. The absurdity of this story truly remarkable.. they were still a kid after all!

"This goes for 3 years. I run circling Mondstadt, Poisoned my self with more and more lethal doses that can kill a human in mere a minute. And electrocuted my self too with him. till he suddenly disappear sigh. Of course that not the only thing he teach me in exchange this must be kept secret till I achieve my dream so i can share this.."

Kaeya and Lisa sigh together too.. they still numb because the absurdity.

"So what he taught you?"

Jean put her right arm front of then and took off her gloves

"?"

"I know your hand is so flawless my dear.. no need to show off fufu~ should i hol-"

Suddenly Jean right hand start to change immediately, her nail become longer and sharper, a bulge of veins appear on her backhand.

"!!!!!"

The beautiful white hand Jean suddenly turn into sharp claw that startled Kaeya and Lisa and look at Jean right hand with horror.

Jean slowly take a paper with her left hand and let her right forefinger slice the paper. Her Nail cut through the paper like nothing but an air

Slice

A part of paper fall off like a leaf as silence once more took this office