Chapter 12: The Ice God's Gamble
The courtyard was quiet.
Only the faint hum of the wind carried through the open doors, whispering against the hanging jade ornaments.
Kael sat cross-legged opposite Zhongli, the fading afternoon light reflecting in his golden eyes.
"I see…" Kael murmured thoughtfully. "So the chat group's structure isn't too different from Sumeru's canned knowledge system. I can understand and even acquire techniques instantly, but mastering them—that still takes real effort."
Zhongli nodded approvingly. "You learn quickly."
Then, after a brief pause, his tone grew solemn. "Tell me, Kael. Would you be interested in learning my martial arts?"
Kael's gaze sharpened. "Your martial arts?"
Zhongli's golden eyes gleamed faintly. "Yes. They were forged in war and tempered by eons of conflict. Most mortals could never grasp them, but you are different. You already possess Geo energy through the Gnosis you absorbed.
What I wield, you can wield."
For a heartbeat, Kael was silent. Then a grin tugged at his lips.
Morax's martial arts… taught by the Geo Archon himself.
Among all the Archons, Morax's power was legendary—not only for his command over the Geo element, but his raw physical might. Even the Raiden Shogun's unparalleled swordsmanship was said to falter before Morax's sheer endurance.
"If the God of War is offering to teach me," Kael said lightly, "I assume there's a price?"
Zhongli turned his gaze north, toward the unseen lands of ice and ambition. His voice dropped, quiet as stone shifting beneath the earth.
"If one day, the Cryo Archon commits a sin that shakes the world—promise me you'll let her live."
Kael blinked. "...That's it? You're asking me to spare her?"
A faint, wistful smile crossed Zhongli's face. "To spare her, yes—but only in the sense of allowing her a chance to exist. By the time such a day comes, she may no longer be herself."
The weight in his tone silenced Kael.
Zhongli continued, each word heavy with the echo of centuries.
"Five hundred years ago, after Khaenri'ah's destruction, the Archons began to see cracks in the laws that govern this world. We realized something was wrong—not with mortals, but with the very order of Teyvat itself.
"The Heavenly Principles seemed… afraid of progress. Of innovation. Of mankind's potential to challenge divinity."
He set his teacup down, the soft click echoing like thunder.
"The Cryo Archon—she was the first to reject that fear. She's the most human among us. She saw what the rest of us refused to admit: that humanity's destruction was inevitable unless someone defied the heavens."
Kael's expression darkened. "So she chose rebellion."
Zhongli nodded. "She sacrificed her own nation, transformed her people into soldiers of frost, and declared war on fate itself.
"The Fatui were born from that defiance. Her Harbingers became her weapons. She has walked a path that none of us dared to follow. And now… she sleeps, caught between her ideals and the corruption that consumes her."
For a long time, Kael said nothing.
He finally understood.
Why the Archons had surrendered their Gnoses.
Why even the proudest of gods had bent their knees to mortal ambition.
It wasn't fear.
It was guilt.
And perhaps… love.
"I see," Kael said quietly. "She sacrificed everything for humanity. But the Fatui's methods—"
He shook his head. "They're monsters. Dottore, Scaramouche… there's no justification for their atrocities.
"Still…" He exhaled slowly. "I accept your deal. I'll spare the Cryo Archon—and some of Snezhnaya's people. But the ones who've drowned the world in blood… they won't be forgiven."
Zhongli inclined his head. "That is fair."
Kael extended a hand. "Then we have a contract."
The Geo Archon smiled faintly and clasped it. "A contract it is."
Golden energy flared briefly between their palms—an ancient pact sealed in silence.
---
Kael leaned back, chuckling. "You realize, as the new Heavenly Principles, their rebellion is meaningless now, right? They're fighting against something that no longer exists."
Zhongli gave him a knowing look. "Do you truly believe they'll recognize you in your current form? To them, you're just another anomaly. The Fatui have gone too far to turn back.
"Even the Cryo Archon herself has lost control. She slumbers beneath the ice, her will scattered across the minds of her Harbingers."
Kael's expression turned thoughtful. "Then all that remains of her rebellion… is momentum."
"Indeed," Zhongli said softly. "And momentum, once set in motion, is difficult to stop."
He looked up at the sky, where faint snowflakes drifted from nowhere—a whisper from the north. "The Ice God's gamble has already begun."
---
For a while, they sat in silence.
Kael finally spoke, breaking the stillness. "Then, let's get to work. You'll teach me your arts, and I'll handle the rest."
Zhongli smiled faintly. "Very well."
But Kael caught the subtle tension in his tone. "You're worried about something else."
Zhongli exhaled. "Keqing and Ningguang. They are progressing rapidly—but Liyue's structure is delicate. The moment I interfere as Morax, the illusion of their independence will crumble.
"As Zhongli, I can only advise them… quietly. The reforms they plan will draw resistance from within the Qixing, from the Adepti, even from Snezhnaya's agents."
Kael chuckled. "Then it's fortunate I'm here to cause chaos."
Zhongli's lips twitched in amusement. "Your chaos may be exactly what Liyue needs."
---
They spoke for a while longer, discussing plans, cultivation systems, and martial techniques.
Zhongli uploaded centuries of battle experience, from energy circulation to divine resonance. It wasn't mere combat—it was the art of commanding reality itself.
When Kael received the data, it was like opening a floodgate. Ancient diagrams, geometric sigils, and fluid stances flooded his mind.
So this is the strength of the Geo Archon.
The weight of mountains. The stillness of stone. The patience of eternity.
If he could fully master it, even the Raiden Shogun's blade might falter against him.
"Impressive," Kael said softly. "With this, I might actually stand on equal ground with an Archon."
Zhongli smiled. "If you can master it, perhaps you'll even surpass us."
Kael grinned. "Then I'll consider this your investment in the future."
"Not investment," Zhongli corrected gently. "A precaution."
His gaze turned distant again, toward the unseen glaciers of the north.
"When the time comes, Kael—when she wakes—remember our contract."
The wind carried a chill, faint and sharp.
For the first time, Kael thought he could almost hear it—
the distant echo of a woman's voice, carried through the frost.
---
✨ End of Chapter 12