Su Xuan took Ganyu and Paimon out of the ruin, mostly to give Lumine and Kong space to talk.
Kong's mind, of course, stayed glued to the mysterious man. Lumine didn't pile on—she just asked one thing: did the Abyss Order know Osial had broken free a few days ago?
Kong froze.
Their intel web was tight. Of course they knew. Many suspected Liyue's mortals were involved. But from Lumine's tone, he instantly understood: the instant-freeze and shatter had been Su Xuan.
That made sense. Mortals trading lives with Osial? Only a visitor from beyond the world could do it in a blink.
Lumine got cocky. She told him flat out: the "Heaven" he hated wouldn't last a single sword strike in front of her boss.
Kong: "?"
He blinked, dazed. To Lumine, it wasn't even a lie—count Su Xuan's current power and his growth curve; Heaven wakes in a few years; by then even one punch would be generous. And Su Xuan kept pulling new powers out of nowhere. With or without "limit breaks," when Heaven stirred, a single swing might really be enough.
"He's that strong?" Kong's head buzzed. One sword for Heaven? Would there be a Heaven left? Had her boss brainwashed her?
"My Boss is basically unbeatable," Lumine sniffed, glancing around. "Did you forget how your lovingly stolen Statue of the Seven turned to powder? And you—freshly re-charged—got subdued like nothing."
She flashed a grin. "He's even given me some ridiculous power-ups."
Finally she looked him in the eye. "So instead of scheming to fight Heaven, maybe spend your effort courting my boss. Make him happy, and on a good day he might take Heaven's throne just to set the mood."
Kong: "…"
Watching her hopeful face, he scratched his head. Great. That man hadn't just overpowered her—he'd stolen her attention.
Still, Lumine patted his shoulder, voice turning steady. "Look—count yourselves lucky he isn't interested in your Order. As for your Loom of Fate… do what you want. But when it's time to deploy anything big, talk to me first. Don't flood the Dragon King's temple by accident. If you misfire, no one can save Khaenri'ah—not even you and Heaven together."
Su Xuan had told her before leaving: she could say "Loom of Fate" in front of Kong.
"How do you even know about the Loom…?" Kong blurted.
"I know more than you think." She flicked her wrist. "Anyway—live how you want. Just bring me the big ones before you press 'go.'"
They handled the serious stuff, then wandered through lighter topics. When time felt right, Lumine cut it off—no reason to keep Su Xuan waiting—and left.
Kong returned to the Order with a knot in his chest. In Mondstadt, when he'd found Lumine's traces, everything had been normal. Now, meeting in Liyue, it felt like his sister… belonged to someone else.
It stung. But there was nothing he could do. Su Xuan steamrolled him in every metric. And the way Lumine spoke—if he fought Su Xuan now, she might draw her sword on him.
"Your Highness?" Riptide rushed up. "That man, who—"
Kong shook his head. After a breath, his tone cooled. "No pressing problem. We continue researching the Loom of Fate. Don't ask more. Suspend our revenge harassment against the Seven—focus all effort on Khaenri'ah's restoration."
Riptide dropped to one knee, thrilled. The Order had always had two pillars: revenge first—or rescue and rebuild first. Most favored the second: save the cursed, collect lost tech, stand the nation back up, then aim for Heaven.
Truth was, Kong wasn't enlightened; he was pragmatic. Lumine claimed the visible leaders of the Seven were… close to Su Xuan. If they poked a nation, its leader would go running to him; one flex of telekinesis and Abyss troops would be twisted like braid. Why pick that fight?
"Pass it on," Kong added. "If anyone encounters a man named Su Xuan, detour. Do not provoke him."
…
Across Teyvat, many had turned in. Many more lay awake, heads spinning with secrets they shouldn't know. Aside from Inazuma, Sumeru, and Natlan, everyone might face Heaven's audit when She woke. Survival had one name: Su Xuan.
Liyue, Yujing Terrace—Su Xuan's mansion.
In the dark, Cloud-Retainer (Mortal Name: Xianyun) lay on her stomach across a bed, waiting for the midnight raid that never came. Things had gone too far; for her own petition—and for Liyue's future—she'd decided to drop the pretense and give the man a night worth remembering.
Midnight came. No footsteps. Not even Lumine or Paimon's voices.
"How strange…" She did a lap and discovered the house was empty.
"So—no one's coming home tonight?"
Meanwhile, in the high woods northeast of Mt. Aocang.
Kong and Lumine had talked long; night had fallen. Paimon, starving, declared herself a non-combatant and passed out. They camped by a quiet view.
Under the lantern's glow, Su Xuan glanced at Lumine and Ganyu still awake. "Paimon's out. Not sleepy?"
He, meanwhile, popped open his system and tapped [All-In].
"Not really…" Ganyu fidgeted—and sighed.
"She's thinking about Heaven," Lumine said.
Ganyu drooped. "I don't understand why the Geo Archon would secretly support the Tsaritsa's rebellion. Of all beings, he knows the weight of consequences."
"Maybe—because of the love of gods for their people," Su Xuan said mildly, sorting fresh rewards. "Why else would he guard Liyue in the shadows, then hand the reins back to mortals?"
"You mean, the Archon…?" Ganyu blinked.
"Mora—Rex Lapis—may have wished for his people to live outside the false sky's yoke. To let them own their fate."
Ganyu knew of destiny and star-charts—immortal arts, astrologers reading stars mirrored in water. The dome's lights truly cast the pattern of fate.
"But there's another side," Su Xuan went on. "Without destiny's aid, many human acts and dreams wouldn't amount to much."
He stood, stretched, and drank in the fresh power.
[Electromagnetic Mastery]: freely manipulate voltages in the hundreds of millions, electromagnetic waves, magnetic force…
[Railgun Blueprint]: a Gongzaosi workshop design.
Ganyu seemed to understand his stance. He didn't "side with" the Archons; he didn't endorse punching holes in fate just because it sounded noble. He didn't oppose Morax's love or ideals, but neither did he think tearing destiny away to "return freedom" was inherently good.
"Fate's too deep," he said. "Take you, Ganyu—your workload looks like a disaster from the outside. But you see it as your contract with Morax: seeking the greatest good for the greatest number."
"That makes her sound like a machine obeying a clause," Lumine quipped.
Su Xuan shook his head. "No. She works to be worthy of Liyue's prosperity—the ships and stalls and crowds. The heavier the work, the stronger the proof Liyue thrives. That makes her happy. So even if her fate is to carry that weight, she'd still call it happiness."
"To me, happiness outvalues freedom."
Ganyu lowered her head. It was true. If "destiny" meant endless paperwork—but the harbor shone brighter—she would choose it again.
Unless Heaven dropped a Nail. Then none of it mattered.
She sighed again. The man who could stop Heaven sat right here. But she couldn't just blurt, "Please defeat Heaven when She wakes." It was absurd.
Lumine cut her a sly look. Don't worry, little qilin. Tonight I'll line you up in front of Boss and… measure depth.
Su Xuan clapped once. "Too grim. Let's have some fun."
"You two want to watch the false sky break?"
Lumine: "!?"
Ganyu: "E-excuse me—the false… sky?"
Su Xuan smiled. "Think of it as a preview. Even Archons who dream of breaking it… it isn't nearly as simple as they think."
The two shared a look.
Back at the mansion, Xianyun sat sulking on the couch, cheeks hot. Remembering she'd lain in wait for a "raid" made her want to vanish under the floorboards. So un-immortal of her. And for nothing—the man never came home.
Her diary flashed; the light curtain bloomed again.
"It's past midnight. Liyue's mostly dark. What is he…?"
Then she saw it—a rising white flare.
"That light… is Su Xuan?"
Northeast of Mt. Aocang, deep forest.
Lumine and Ganyu stared, horrified and fascinated, at Su Xuan—his whole body blazing white. Blue-white bolts crackled out. Arcs leapt from his eyes.
"What—" Lumine and Ganyu's hair puffed straight up from the charge. They traded looks, both ridiculous and wide-eyed.
"This tingle… is that the Electro element?" Ganyu shivered.
Lumine shook her head. "Feels… different."
"Electric current. Electromagnetism," Su Xuan said—and chuckled. "Forgot your telekinetic shields."
Two halos rose and wrapped them; both exhaled.
Then Lumine jumped. "The ground—those black grains!?"
Ganyu glanced down. A fine black sand was crawling up through the soil.
"Should be iron sand," Su Xuan said. "Pulled up by magnetic force. It'll settle after."
"Elec… mag… netic…" Ganyu scratched her horn, lost.
"Uh…" He gave up on the lecture. "Call it a side-effect of lightning."
"Boss, you're really going to break the false sky?" Lumine asked.
"I'll try. No guarantees." Energy pooled in his palm. Overhead, the coin he'd flipped earlier drifted down.
As it crossed his eye-line, his fingers flashed white. A crack like a chorus of thunder. Su Xuan flicked—
A gold lance wrapped in blue-white arcs speared the heavens.
It hit something. Soundless—then a sudden smear of smoke at impossible altitude.
When the smoke peeled away, every watching beauty widened her eyes.
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