"The wind brings the seeds of stories; time makes them sprout."
Rowan tossed the line out of nowhere.
Behind him, a golden silhouette flickered into being and answered on reflex, "The wind brings a new tale; time makes it legend."
"Interesting," Rowan said, buttoning his shirt with unhurried ease. "For the Sovereign of Time to come down from on high… Curious about me, are you?"
"One of the Four Shades of the Primordial One—Sovereign of Time, Istaroth."
If anyone was flustered, it wasn't Rowan. It was Istaroth who averted her eyes, cheeks warming as she turned away.
"Do all 'descenders' have no shame? Do you sleep without clothes?"
Rowan blinked. "Who sleeps in clothes? Especially in Mondstadt—eternal spring, remember?" He shook his head. "You barge into my room at dawn without knocking and then scold me for being unprepared?"
That shut Istaroth up. She sat on a nearby chair, face still pink, and waited in silence. Truth be told, curiosity had brought her: a newcomer who dared face down Teyvat's strongest nation, wrung compensation from the Tsaritsa, and—given her bonds to Mondstadt—fell under her watch.
Ever since the last convocation of the Four Shades—where the Sovereign of Space, Asmoday, failed to appear—the others had grown… attentive. Everyone knew the Seven Archons cast shadows, but the Four Shades cast longer ones still—fragments of Phanes's own authority, split to rule the four fundamentals: life and death, time and space.
Mondstadt needs no explanation—its ties to the Sovereign of Time run deep. Many suspect Venti is Istaroth's shard or echo.
Liyue? The Geo Archon's connection to Space seems anything but ordinary. Consider the techniques Zhongli has shown beyond Geo's remit: the rescue in The Chasm, the immortal pocket realms passed to Madam Ping—space, space, and more space. To say Morax never dealt with Asmoday would be nonsense.
Inazuma's thread with Time is plain enough. The sacred sakura planted "from the future" to save the past? Who but Istaroth could bend paradox to heal a nation's wound?
Sumeru bears the mark of Life. In old texts the white bough stands for living things; their first god was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata—the bond speaks for itself.
Fontaine's roots go deeper still: the first Hydro Archon was born from the Primordial Sea, crafted by the Sovereign of Life's power. In a sense, Egeria was Nabelius's daughter—hence her power to create a people. By that logic, Furina could be called Nabelius's granddaughter. As for Nabelius now… either devoured—or at least overshadowed—by Gold, Rhinedottir. Perhaps Nabelius simply chooses not to meddle, so long as no fundamental law is broken.
Natlan? The first Pyro Archon, Hibarach, bargained with the Sovereign of Death, sealing a final trump card within the Pyro throne to strike down the Abyss. Thanks to that card, Mavika and the Traveler ultimately prevailed.
And Snezhnaya? It likely threads back to Space. Consider Zhongli's "contract to end all contracts" with the Tsaritsa. A covenant like that needs a witness—and who but one on the Seven's level? Pair that with Zhongli's stray spatial feats, and the witness can only be Asmoday.
So go the ties between the Seven and the Four.
Why descend now? Because "Heaven" slumbers; the world still turns by rules already set. The Four watch, and only when those rules are truly broken do they act. That's why, even as the Tsaritsa openly gathers Gnosis, the Shades have not moved—she threatens neither bedrock law nor their power; to challenge Celestia is a daydream far beyond her reach. So they watch, and wait.
But a descender striding openly into Mondstadt? As Mondstadt's patron in all but name, Istaroth had to look for herself—and, if she was honest, escape the tedium of Skyfrost Nail and clouded halls for a breath of wind.
She just hadn't expected to catch Rowan undressed.
She shook her head, trying to banish the image.
"Hey," Rowan said, amused. "What's got your face so red?"
(End of Chapter)
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