Chapter 62 — The Abyss and Schubert
"I'll add Eula to the group chat later," Kael said with a faint smile. "But not just yet. I want to see how much she grows first."
Venti chuckled, plucking a single string on his lyre that hummed softly in the night breeze. "She'll make the right choice. The wind tells me she has a strong will. And besides…" he smirked, "she reminds me of someone I once knew— stubborn, righteous, and endlessly burdened by the past."
Kael's gaze lingered on the bard for a moment. Then, with his usual calm tone, he said something that made the air suddenly heavy.
"By the way, Venti… you were planning to hand over your Gnosis to La Signora without resistance, weren't you?"
The bard froze mid-pluck, his eyes widening.
It took several heartbeats before Venti finally sighed and looked away. "...You really don't miss a thing, do you?"
Kael didn't respond. He didn't need to.
"Yes," Venti admitted quietly, his voice softer now. "That was the plan. After all, the Tsaritsa's intentions… aren't entirely evil. Painful, yes. But perhaps necessary."
He hesitated, brushing his fingers across the strings of his lyre again. "And I suppose part of me feels… guilty. Toward La Signora. When I abandoned Mondstadt after the Archon War, she was among those who suffered. She became the Crimson Witch because I wasn't there to protect this land."
Kael's eyes were unreadable. His voice, calm but sharp, cut through the night air.
"Then you can stop feeling guilty," he said. "You've already saved her life."
Venti's hand froze mid-air.
For a long moment, he said nothing — then slowly lowered his lyre, his gaze turning distant. "...You mean she's alive?"
Kael didn't reply directly, but his faint smirk was answer enough.
The realization hit Venti like a gentle but cold wind. So she still walks this world… trapped, perhaps, but alive.
The weight on his chest eased, if only a little.
---
Just then, both men stopped speaking.
Their instincts flared simultaneously — a sudden ripple of corrupted energy cut through the ley lines beneath the soil.
Without a word, Kael and Venti concealed their auras, vanishing into the treetops.
Moments later, a dark fissure split open in midair. From it emerged a tall, robed figure whose presence oozed with malevolent energy.
Its glowing, violet eyes swept across the clearing. The Abyss Lector.
"It's that same Lector," Venti whispered under his breath, his tone grim. "The one who tried to taint my Statue of The Seven with abyssal corruption."
Kael narrowed his eyes, his voice low. "So they've come crawling out again."
"They were once people of Khaenri'ah," Venti murmured, sorrow flickering in his gaze. "But the Abyss twisted them. Now, all they know is hatred — for the Seven Archons, their nations, and most of all…" he glanced upward toward the distant heavens, "…for Celestia."
Kael's expression didn't change, but inwardly, he understood all too well.
Ever since he inherited part of Celestia's authority, he had also inherited the burden — and the enemies — that came with it.
The Abyss despised Celestia with every fiber of its being. If he was now a fragment of that divine power, then the Abyss would see him as their ultimate enemy.
And that was fine with him.
If the Abyss sought to engulf Teyvat, then Kael would erase them from existence himself.
If the Tsaritsa ever chose to rebel against Celestia, then he would deal with her too.
He would not allow the world to fall again — not to gods, and not to monsters.
---
"They're baiting you," Kael murmured after a moment. "Corrupting the Archons' domains, defiling the statues — it's their way of drawing you out. Classic Abyss Order tactics."
Venti's smirk returned, though it carried a hint of bitterness. "Heh. Then maybe I'll give them what they want."
Kael chuckled under his breath. "That's the spirit."
---
About ten minutes later, a shadow crept into the clearing — cloaked in arrogance and self-importance.
The Abyss Lector turned toward the newcomer, its distorted voice echoing, "You're late."
The man straightened, his noble coat bearing the tarnished insignia of a once-great family. "The city's been on high alert lately," he hissed. "It wasn't easy slipping out of Mondstadt unnoticed."
Kael's gaze darkened. Schubert Lawrence.
Eula's uncle. The man who embodied everything rotten about that family.
"Have you completed your preparations?" the Lector asked coldly.
"Almost," Schubert said, his lips curling into a sly smile. "But it won't take long. In return, you'll keep your promise — once Mondstadt falls, the Lawrence Clan will rule again."
The Lector tilted its head. "Your greed amuses me, mortal. We care nothing for your politics. Our only goal is vengeance against Barbatos."
Schubert's smile faltered, but he quickly recovered. "Then consider this a mutual benefit. When you conquer Mondstadt, we'll govern it in your stead. And… I can even offer you a weapon."
"A weapon?" the Lector asked, amused.
"My niece," Schubert said proudly. "Eula Lawrence. She's one of the finest knights in Mondstadt — as strong as Jean, perhaps even stronger. I can convince her to join you. She'll make a fine general for your cause."
Kael's hand clenched slightly.
So that was his plan. To sell his own niece — one of the few Lawrences who still had honor — to monsters, just to regain his family's lost pride.
Disgust burned through him.
---
The Abyss Lector gave a harsh laugh. "You think we would allow a human to lead us? Foolish creature. Your bloodline means nothing here."
Schubert's expression twisted in anger, but he managed to hide it behind a smirk. "Fine. Just hold up your end of the deal. I'll have the teleportation gate ready in a day."
From their hiding spot above, Kael turned slightly toward Venti. "Why can't they just teleport directly into the city?"
Venti tapped the side of his lyre, the faint sound resonating with the wind. "Mondstadt's ley lines are different. When I built this city, I wove protection into its foundations. The ley currents reject foreign corruption — it's why monsters never spawn within the walls."
He smiled faintly. "The Abyss needs a local anchor. That's why they need idiots like Schubert."
Kael nodded, intrigued. "Fascinating. A nation literally safeguarded by divine architecture."
Venti chuckled. "You make it sound fancier than it is."
Kael's gaze shifted skyward, thoughtful. The world of Teyvat was far deeper than even the Archons revealed. The Four Shades, the Three Moon Sisters, the Heavenly Principles—each layer of history was another veil over a truth long buried.
And at the top of it all, only one remained awake: the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
What happened to the rest? he wondered. What happened to Celestia's creators?
For now, the answers eluded him — but he would uncover them eventually.
---
Back below, the Abyss Lector turned to Schubert one last time.
"Three days from now," it said. "When Stormterror attacks Mondstadt, you will open the gate. The chaos will mask our entry."
Its eyes burned with a purple light that made even the air tremble. "Fail us, and your suffering will eclipse that of Khaenri'ah itself."
Schubert stumbled backward, trembling. "Y-Yes! I understand!"
The Lector gave a cold, distorted chuckle before vanishing into the dark rift.
Once the void sealed behind it, Schubert straightened up, muttering under his breath, "Hmph! Pathetic monsters. Once Eula joins the Abyss, she'll outrank you all. Then, I'll be the one giving orders."
He sneered, adjusting his coat before heading toward Mondstadt.
---
From their vantage point above, Kael stared after him, an incredulous look on his face.
"…Did that man just crawl through a hole in the city wall?"
Venti followed his gaze, then laughed so hard he nearly fell from the branch. "Ahahaha! Oh, that's so Mondstadt!"
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Unbelievable. The Knights of Favonius are too busy writing reports to notice an actual hole in their defenses."
Venti grinned. "That's freedom for you — the freedom to be completely incompetent!"
Kael couldn't help but chuckle, though his eyes remained serious. "Freedom… and foolishness often walk hand in hand."
Then, his tone darkened. "But this time, Mondstadt's freedom will have a price."
He looked out toward the glowing city lights.
"The Abyss moves, Venti. And soon… so will I."
End of Chapter 62 — The Abyss and Schubert
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