You don't always have to see someone's expression to be able to read them.
This Doctor, I could gleam a thing or two. He was the type to be cold and calculating, someone who doesn't rise to insults or lose his composure.
But even so, I could tell I needed to needle him just right that he was now angry.
It wasn't that hard for me.
This type of talisman needed a certain type of power to actualize. Divine Power just happened to fit in rather easily. I could easily guess that it was designed with Adepti Power in mind, but Divine Power worked just as well, if not better.
The doctor looked at me, then back at Ningguang, as if he was waiting for her to make a statement before he clicked his tongue.
"If you prefer to work with some uneducated simpleton with some paltry tricks. Then we have nothing further to discuss." He stood up and simply turned and walked out of the room.
Ningguang didn't stop him.
In fact, that was the best move he could have made.
The writing was on the wall; Ningguang wasn't wanting to cooperate anyways. She wanted us here to poke at him a few specific ways to verify some things.
As he left, I vaguely felt like he was glaring at me from the corner of his eye under his mask.
"Well, that was interesting," I mused.
"Hmm." Ningguang blew out a mouthful of smoke from her pipe. "Thank you for coming. It helped me quite a bit."
I smiled. "I said we're friends, right? If you say you need help, I'll come on over."
"There's a difference between saying that and proving it." She shook her head with a small laugh. "I'm at a loss because that's not just something that happens. People don't just…appear and declare you a friend with sincerity like that."
I took out my friendship fan, unfolding it in an exaggerated way, making her just laugh.
"It appears that there is now friction between you and those Fatui." Artoria pointed out. "I hope we have not caused you any distress."
Ningguang recomposed herself, waving it off. "There's always been friction. Even in the business world, they're rather domineering. We've been having border disputes and issues with them for a long time."
"You wanted us here to act as 'witnesses' so he could openly deny what happened in Mondstadt, right? Well, I mean, other than the fact that he openly denied it." I spoke my thoughts out loud.
She smiled. "I needed to see his response to verify a few things. When I spoke with the Adepti, they mentioned that you warned them about the Fatui. Thank you again for coming. It saved me a lot of trouble. If I didn't have the excuse of what happened in Mondstadt, they may have been able to split some of the factions around here with conflicting testimonies. That shouldn't work anymore, thankfully."
"Did you receive the letter from Acting Grandmaster Jean already?" Artoria asked.
"Yes, that came in after you left the previous day." Her eyes brightened. "I suspected that you both may have been involved in some way, considering you came on the same caravan. Do you have a relationship with the Acting Grandmaster?"
"I suppose we can be considered acquaintances. She seemed like a very amicable and noble woman." Artoria gave her thoughts.
Ningguang nodded. "Mondstadt is usually operating in a very upright manner. As far as trustworthiness goes, they have a lot of credit. Significantly more than the Fatui."
"Is this significant?" I picked up the Talisman. "You seemed surprised by it as well. I take it this wasn't part of your plan."
She let out a sigh, shaking her head. "Of course I couldn't predict that you'd be able to ignite a Sigil of Permission like that. That was a lovely nail in the coffin for him, though, to rip away the leverage they were trying to use. Were you being truthful? You can make more?"
"It's not too hard. Though my talismans are a bit different than this, the underlying concept is the same. Even if I couldn't make this exact copy—which I'm fairly sure I can—I can make something similar that operates the same way. But why do you need these?"
"I guess I don't think to explain what it does?"
Artoria looked at me, and I caught the hint. She wanted an explanation. "Wards of Evil basically."
Ningguang nodded. "A few days before you arrived in Mondstadt, a few incidents occurred. Hilichurls enveloped in some sort of miasmic aura, monsters wrapped in a malevolent energy. And even certain places being corrupted in the same way. We were having trouble handling it because even regular Vision Users weren't able to dispel the core of the problem. It wasn't until someone conveniently appeared with a Sigil of Permission and dispelled an area of it that we realized it needed the power of the Adepti to manage."
"And the Fatui conveniently started selling them, huh?"
Ningguang smiled, but not in a kind way. "Oh so convenient, don't you think? As our borders are getting attacked by these things, they were holding those over our heads. Sigils of Permission are rare, extremely rare. So it was clear that they managed to reproduce them through some method. The fact that it's aligning through everything, well…"
She didn't need to finish the thought.
"That Red Crane told me that when a god dies, they leave behind a certain corruption."
Ningguang's expression changed. "I'm aware of that secret. However, compared to the remains of a dead god like Rex Lapis, what we've been dealing with is…small, in comparison."
"Have you been able to trace it back to the source? Maybe it's just bits and pieces of the whole that have managed to splinter off or drift away."
She let out a small sigh. "I've had similar thoughts, as have the Adepti, when we discussed things. My previous investigations proved unfruitful, but now the Adepti have gone out to investigate, so I'll leave that part to them."
She still hasn't asked me yet.
That Crane exposed me in front of them, even saying I had the power of a god, but she still hasn't asked me.
It made me happy because it proved that she was actually being considerate, and therefore, she put value on our friendship.
I took out a stack of talismans. "I don't know if these will work or not, but you can try them. If they do, great, I have plenty more. If not, I'll draw up some of those Sigils of Permission or a different, stronger Talisman that I know how to make."
Ningguang looked at the stack. "You're just giving them to me?"
"Of course, aren't we friends? "I smiled.
Her lips twitched, then she looked at Artoria. "Are you sure he's not trying to flirt with me? Because it would be very effective right now."
Artoria's expression brightened. "I assure you, he is not nearly as good at it as he thinks he is. So when he is trying, he fails rather noticeably."
"I feel like I should pay. You know, I just came into quite a bit of gold recently. How about I give you some of that?" She gave a deadpan.
"Oh, look at the time." I got up from my seat.
Ningguang shook her head. "Please don't jump off the balcony this time. I have people around, and there will be a commotion if they see you."
"Ruin all my fun," I huffed. "But I had a thought, if you want."
"Hmm?"
"The Fatui are very clearly doing something. Whether they were involved with the Rex Lapis thing or not, the Sigils of Permission prove the fact that they have been planning something for a while, right? Let me ask you something: how expensive were they selling those Sigils of Permission for?"
"Not very expensive, all things considered."
"Then their purpose was most likely to circulate them." I gave my opinion, and she paused to think that over. "So, why not give them a helping hand? We don't know what they're planning, so let's just accelerate it to see what happens. If they're going to do something, it's going to happen eventually. But if we push it forward to the point where even they're unprepared, at the very least, their advantage would be minimalized."
"What are you suggesting?" She asked.
"Well, it would be a pretty interesting sight if hundreds, if not thousands, of Sigils of Permission were thrown off the side of your Jade Chamber, don't you think?"
She really does smile with her eyes.
[Line Break]
"You said you didn't want to get involved." Artoria poked my cheek as we left Ningguang's office.
"I know."
"You just can't help yourself, can you?"
"Can you blame me?" I gave her a look as she just shook her head with a smile.
"No, the man I know wouldn't just ignore someone he calls a friend when they're under distress. Ningguang is very clearly carrying a heavy burden right now." She grabbed my arm as we walked to the teleportation node to head back down.
Stepping onto the jade platform, we were instantly teleported back down to the surface. However, there was someone there waiting for us.
The Doctor.
He was leaning against the railing, looking our way.
He pushed up and stood right in our way, very clearly indicating that he was waiting here for us specifically, if that weren't obvious before.
"Hello~" I waved at him casually.
He was still so serious.
"La Signora sent a report. She mentioned an interference but called it a nuisance." He spoke rather calmly.
"Do my ears deceive me? I thought you were denying any responsibility for what happened in Mondstadt?"
He scoffed. "Do you intend to keep acting as a fool?"
"Yes." I said with any shame.
"Who are you?" He finally asked the question he'd been wanting to ask.
"If you read her report, shouldn't you know my name? Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg, at your service." I flourished and bowed in an exaggerated manner.
"Before the report from that woman, there was absolutely no knowledge of your existence." He uncrossed his arms. "Before your appearance in Mondstadt, you had never been heard of before."
"Maybe your people aren't as good as you think they are?" I offered it as a plausible explanation.
He snorted. "Of course they are not. However, my people are most certainly capable enough." He took a step forward. "So, I ask again, who are you?"
"Your long-lost father. Be a good sport and get Daddy a drink, won't you, junior?"
"Amusing." He said in a dry tone. "However, there are easier ways to extract useful information." His head slowly turned to look at Artoria. "Would you like to experience them firsthand? The methods of the Fatui?"
Ah.
He was using Artoria to threaten me.
'You clearly have someone you care about. What if we torture her for information? '.
"Please to not misunderstand." Artoria spoke up. "I am quiet out of choice because I have nothing to add to this conversation. Not because I am intimidated by you. Please consider that before making threats."
I don't think he expected that kind of response from Artoria.
I think my comment about his causality had him more confused or startled than I may have realized.
Because he was coming off stronger than inside the Jade Chamber. Or rather, maybe he didn't even care about the negotiation with Ningguang in the first place?
"Is that so?" His tone basically all but said he was reevaluating Artoria now.
However.
There was one mistake.
Even if it was a threat that we could ignore, it was still a threat against someone I love. There are very few things that can really make me angry, and he just poked right at one.
"Rather than who I am, let's see who you are." I put my hand on his chest, and he looked down, but before he could react, I had already made a move. My soul churned, and I used it to touch on his.
The sky peeled away, and the world around us vanished.
He stood in front of me, confused, looking around. Darkness was around us. But it was almost like we were standing on a still lake.
Hmm, I didn't expect this either.
"What did you do? Where are we?" His tone shifted quite drastically. "No, we never moved. You did something to initiate a bond? A sympathetic mental bond? This is a mental world constructed by you?"
"Oh wow, you are smart. But not quite right; it's a mental world formed by both of us when I used my soul to poke yours." I answered rather easily. "It's just how we're mentally perceiving the connection right now."
Credit where it was due, though; he saw through it easily.
"This only happened because your causality is so twisted up. I was wondering what you did, but I can see it now. Really, what did you do to yourself?"
He stood there, but then there was another him.
And another.
There was a younger boy, same hair color.
An older gentleman, aged, but also the same hair color and style.
There were over a dozen of 'him' all standing, looking at me.
"It's been a while since I've seen someone as crazy as you. Did you splinter off parts of yourself across your 'existence'?"
He looked back at me and laughed. "I didn't think someone else would figure it out. I don't know if I could be happy or angry." His laugh seemed genuine. "Fascinating, fascinating! I never thought someone would use a method like this to discover my secret."
"It only worked because your soul is a mess. What did you do to yourself?"
"What did I do? I did what needed to be done. In the name of progress, what you see is one of my greatest achievements."
I scrunched my nose. "Yeah, is that what you're calling it? Homunculus bodies? Fake bodies? Then you grabbed a 'you' from a different point in your life, stuffed it inside to hide it from its proper causality, and made it 'exist.' No, that isn't quite right. A clone that isn't a clone. You did that how many times? But at the end of the day, you all share the same soul, which is the reason this happened. Your soul is being stretched across so many points."
"You deduced it perfectly. Fascinating. I had thought you a fool with a few tricks, no. You are like me, aren't you? You are someone who pursues the absolute truth of the world?"
"Like you?"
"You understand my achievement. So, you must understand my reasoning. Someone like me who will stop at nothing to obtain an [answer]."
…. I realized why I didn't like him at first sight now.
It's not his desire for knowledge, presumably.
I think that's a good goal to have.
No, I realized it's because of what he's done to achieve it.
"And what have you stepped on along the way to get to where you are?" I questioned, probably already knowing the answer.
I couldn't see his face, but I had the feeling he was grinning.
He waved his arms out, and the mental landscape around us changed.
There were corpses upon corpses under his feet, stretched out endlessly. Many were inhuman, some specifically human, and I looked up at the sky to see it had been cracked with a malevolent aura spilling outwards.
It was a genuine representation of himself.
"Everything," he replied.
"What's your goal?" I asked, unmoving at the scene in front of me. I think he was gleeful, like he had someone to talk to after a long time?
"My goal? My goal right now is one I have been pursuing for many years. I will break free from the control of the gods and grasp the true method of transcendence. With my own two hands, I will push forward the boundaries of progress no matter the cost. And I will trample the gods of Teyvat beneath my feet."
"And then what?" I asked.
"Then what, what?"
"You achieve apotheosis, become a god. All the other gods are now gone. Then what?"
"...Then I will continue my research further." His expression behind his mask changed; I think he frowned now.
The reason I didn't like him is because I know his type. The amoral Magi from back home, the type that would experiment on their own children if it meant progress in their research.
"So…this goal is what you gave up your humanity for, is it? How…disappointing."
He stilled.
"Disappointing?" He repeated, and his whole demeanor changed until he let out a breath. "I was mistaken; you are not like me. It was my fault for becoming excited at the prospect of a fellow pursuer of truth. No, someone who's concerned with something as pedestrian as humanity is not worthy of my time."
I just shook my head.
"...are you looking down on me for such a ridiculous reason?" He asked, seemingly incredulous. "Humanity is a chain that will only hold you back. Only when you can finally break it will you be able to step past ridiculous notions like 'morality' or 'humanity' and obtain an [answer]."
"No, you were right. We are similar; it just so happens we're similar in opposite ways. Am I looking down on you? Yes, I am. Casting off your humanity, tossing morality to the side. How easy it is when you don't have to care about anything else."
I took a few steps forward.
"You, who only love yourself." I pointed to his 'others' behind him. "And me, who loves others more than myself. You took the easy way out, and this is the only stage you've made it to."
"Do I look down on you? Absolutely. Because in my eyes, you're nothing more than trash. Because the bodies you trampled beneath your feet, the corpses and blood left with every step of 'progress' you took, they only led you to this moment."
"You who sacrificed nothing yourself, you seem to think you're entitled to everything." I looked down on him to the extreme. "That's your world; do you want to see mine?"
I held my hands out, and half this mental realm responded to me.
It wasn't a reality, Marble; it wasn't an inner world; it was just us two, connected by a thin string. This wasn't real; merely our thoughts manifested with our souls as the thread.
My world unfolded before his eyes.
A throne appeared beneath me as I sat down.
Asgard rose up from the darkness, its resplendent godly aura radiating outwards.
The World Tree burst out of the ground.
Yomi appeared at the side.
The Clock Tower manifested to the other.
Salem's castle.
Kyoto.
The Colored Rooms.
And lastly, a simple house.
Every point of significance in my life, every place that had meaning, appeared on my 'side' of this mental realm, casting its shadow over him as he could only look upwards at me.
"This is the difference between us." As soon as I said those words, it all disappeared, and I stepped back in front of him, startling him briefly. "The stage you stand on, and the stage I stand on. And do you know what else? When you look back, you only see yourself. When I look back…"
I snapped my fingers.
My girls appeared.
Kunou hugged my side.
Sir Wiggles jumped onto my head.
Odin grinned, putting a hand on my shoulder.
My friends.
My family.
Familiar faces, hundreds of people all standing there.
"I never gave up my humanity."
He looked at me, everything that appeared behind me, and he only responded with one word. "Descender."
I didn't know what that meant or what significance it had. But he threatened Artoria; therefore, that requires a punishment.
"Musu Tengai." I said softly as all the images behind me vanished.
A single mirror behind me rose from the ground, and out of it, a familiar person walked out.
"As punishment, sever one of his 'selves.'"
The doctor took a step back, perhaps confused and in a short state of panic.
"Your soul is weak. The state it is in, it makes it easy to target." Musu Tengai spoke. "Let this be a lesson and punishment to you." He held his hand up, and my Zanpakutō appeared. "Reflect." And he swung it down, cutting off one of his 'elves.'
The mental world around us collapsed immediately.
The outside, only a second or so passed.
But the doctor stumbled backwards.
Blood seeped down under his mask as he breathed heavily.
"Disappointing." I said again, looking down on him before I turned to walk away, Artoria happily at my side.
That was the difference between us. I didn't fault him for being weaker than me, nor did I look down at him for being more ignorant than me, but I would not respect someone who is so weak that they can't handle carrying their own humanity with them as they walk along the paths of life.
[Line Break]
A/N
Wilhelm meets the Doctor, realizes what the Doctor is about, and dismisses him, which is probably the biggest insult you could give to the Doctor. For those unfamiliar, The Doctor is pretty much a Magus in mindset, willing to do absolutely anything for his goals.
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m. / astoryforone
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