"Where... where are you taking me!?"
Mei's voice broke, a trembling plea forced out of a parched throat. She dug her toes into the wooden floor, straining every muscle to resist the brute strength of the hulking Fatui soldier. But her meager strength was like a grasshopper kicking at a chariot, she was effortlessly dragged away.
Hearing her faint resistance, the Cicin Mage standing nearby tilted her head. Through her glowing mask, she let out a shrill, mocking laugh that oozed derision:
"The fate of little rats... is to end up on the operating table of the laboratory. So, stop asking so many questions."
Laboratory.
Those words hammered against Mei's eardrums, causing her to seize up as her body shook uncontrollably. An operating table. Cold scalpels. The horrific images she had only ever seen in movies began to flood her mind.
Seeing Mei go rigid, the Fatui grew irritated and gave her arm another violent jerk. Mei stumbled forward, her side slamming hard against a wooden table set against the wall. The glass vase atop it wobbled, the water within sloshing precariously.
"Trying to buy time? I'll..."
Before the soldier could finish his threat, a bone-chilling sound sliced through the air.
Creeeeak...
The heavy wooden door of the room slowly swung open. The sound of heavy rain and the roar of thunder grew louder. But what froze the Fatui in their tracks was a dense, suffocating aura of killing intent a coldness that pricked at their necks slowly seeping in from the pitch-black corridor.
Almost instantly, the group diverted their attention from their frail prey, leveling their weapons toward the dark void.
The moment they ignored her, the adrenaline in Mei's blood exploded. Fear was pushed aside, replaced by the rawest instinct for survival. Her eyes darted from the gap in front of the soldiers to the vase on the table. She knew she only had one chance.
"Diluc's here!"
Mei screamed with every ounce of her strength. The piercing sound tore through the silence of the room.
The Fatui flinched. The brute standing closest to Mei instinctively froze, snapping his head toward the door. But when no one appeared, he turned back to her, mouth opening to speak.
She didn't wait. Mei snatched the neck of the glass vase and, with all her might, swung it directly at his face. It happened in a heartbeat, but the soldier's rigorous training allowed him to reflexively throw up an armored arm to block the blow.
Smash!
The force of the impact shattered the glass. Dozens of razor-sharp shards, mingled with foul flower water, sprayed everywhere, lashing into the gaps of his protective mask.
The Fatui let out a harrowing cry. Filthy water and glass fragments embedded themselves into his face. He dropped his heavy hammer, clutching his bloodied features as he collapsed backward. His massive frame hit the floor with a heavy thud, blocking the path of his comrades.
"Damn you! You bitch, I'll break your legs!" he roared in agony.
But Mei didn't stay to hear his curses. The instant the vase shattered, she lunged toward the door, her eyes locked onto the dim light of the hallway beckoning her.
"Just a little more!" she whispered to herself.
Suddenly, a searing pain erupted from Mei's scalp. Her head was yanked back with brutal force. Another soldier had lunged forward, his iron-clad hand gripping a handful of her hair.
"Where do you think you're going, you little brat?"
Mei cried out in pain, feeling as though her scalp were being torn off. Tears fell involuntarily, yet she gritted her teeth, desperate fingers clawing at the wooden doorframe.
Sizzle!
From the shadows of the corridor, a streak of crimson light tore through the air. Fast as a lightning bolt and carrying a scorching heat, it grazed the wrist of the soldier holding Mei.
The stench of charred flesh rose instantly. The soldier let out a terrified shriek, the bone-deep burn forcing him to recoil by reflex.
The pressure on her head vanished. Mei didn't look back to see what had saved her. She scrambled outward, her silhouette disappearing into the night.
"Curse you!" the marksman of the squad growled, hastily raising his rifle and aiming at the fleeing shadow. His finger tightened on the trigger.
Slap!
The Cicin Mage swung her hand, knocking the barrel toward the ground. She hissed through gritted teeth:
"Are you an idiot?! The gunshot will alert the Knights on patrol nearby. Do you want us all to be discovered?"
Suddenly, a middle-aged figure stepped out from the shadows, coming from the opposite direction of Mei's escape. It was Viber. He scanned the mess, his face darkening as he shed his usual polite facade. He hissed with venomous spite:
"Is this how you operate? An elite squad, and you let a brat escape! Has the Fatui's reputation gone to the dogs?"
The Fatui marksman clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking. He wanted to tear the man apart, but he suppressed his rage, growling back:
"Why did you leave your post? You have no part in this phase."
Viber tilted his chin up, his tone dripping with contempt.
"I've finished my part. I only came to see how you were doing, and what do I find? You let her slip away."
He stared into the darkness where Mei's shadow had last been seen, then turned to leave.
"Go find that girl! Now! Or Lord Dottore will have all your heads."
The Fatui watched his retreating back, their eyes filled with unconcealed disdain and murderous intent. Had it not been for Viber's collaboration with their superiors, that arrogant fool would have already taken a bullet to the head.
---
Choked gasps echoed through the long, abyssal corridor. Mei didn't know how long she had been running; she only knew that every breath brought a searing burn to her lungs. Her bare, bloody feet had gone numb, and the back of her dress, soaked in sweat, clung tightly to her skin.
She stumbled to a halt, reaching out to steady herself against the door of a utility closet. The thick darkness closed in again, punctuated only by the sound of the storm lashing violently against the windowpanes.
The rhythmic thud of boots on the wooden floor echoed from a distance steady, relentless. The hounds were closing in. A few had already reached the turn ahead, their search leaving no shadow unturned.
With no room to retreat, Mei fumbled with the wooden latch and ducked into the cramped, musty space. No sooner had the door clicked shut than the dark silhouettes arrived.
Through the rusted keyhole, Mei fought to hold her breath. Each time a flash of lightning tore through the sky, its pallid light revealed the cold metal masks and the black muzzles of the Fatui's rifles. The faint elemental glow emanating from their weapons, flickering in sync with the thunder, turned the hallway into a true hunting ground.
Mei clamped her hand over her mouth, stifling her ragged breaths deep in her throat. But in the confines of the wooden closet, the frantic pounding of her heart against her ribs felt as loud as a drum.
Outside, the hulking vanguard she had attacked earlier suddenly froze. His dull eyes locked onto the utility closet. Through the brutal training of Snezhnaya, these men had developed senses far sharper than any ordinary person.
Crash!
An iron-clad hand ripped the door open with savage force. Before Mei could scream, he seized her collar, dragged her out, and slammed her down onto the hard wooden floor.
"Wasting my damn time, you brat!" he growled. Ignoring her whimpers, he grabbed her ankle and began dragging her away.
The friction of her skin against the wood splinters burned, drawing a sharp cry from her lips. Before she could struggle, the shadow of the marksman loomed over her. A calloused hand clamped around her throat, hoisting her into the air.
"Didn't my colleague tell you to be a good girl?" He gritted his teeth, his eyes gleaming with malice.
"Do you want to die?"
Her oxygen was cut off. Mei craned her neck, gasping for air that wouldn't come. Her hands clawed frantically at the man's massive arm, her legs kicking at the empty air. Her vision began to blur, and tiny sparks of light burst before her eyes.
Just as the line between life and death narrowed to a heartbeat, the air in the corridor suddenly turned stagnant.
A wave of razor-sharp, overwhelming killing intent crashed down upon them. The Fatui reacted instantly. The marksman startled, dropping Mei onto the floor like a ragdoll as he retreated, raising his rifle in alarm.
Mei hit the ground hard, clutching her throat and coughing violently as she tried to crawl away. The nearest soldier stepped forward to seize her again. But he would never reach her.
Thwack.
A dry, sharp sound sliced through the rain. The soldier froze, his arms dangling limp. A second later, a warm, viscous spray erupted from his neatly severed jugular, splashing across Mei's face and shoulder.
The metallic tang of blood hit her senses, making her stomach churn with a violent surge of nausea. Crimson blood poured from the collapsing corpse, staining the white dress Mei wore a deep, horrific red.
The figure in the shadows didn't make a single footstep. He moved like a wraith, seemingly one with the night. There were no wasted movements, only cold cruelty and absolute precision. A sharp blade glided through the narrowest of blind spots. One by one, the massive Fatui soldiers crumpled into pools of blood, their bones shattered before they could even launch a counterattack.
The marksman was in a total panic. He backed away, aiming his rifle wildly at the flickering shadows on the wall, his finger trembling on the trigger. But the shadow evaded the shot with ease, slipping into the man's flank. A gloved hand gripped the hilt of a dagger and swept across in one decisive motion. The marksman's throat burst open, he slumped down, his eyes rolled back in terror.
"Useless fools!"
The Cicin Mage shrieked. In a frenzy of terror, she swung her lantern, summoning a swarm of Electro Cicins. Purple lightning crackled incessantly, firing bolts of electricity that tore through the corridor in an attempt to force the enemy into the light.
Zap!
In the few seconds the Electro flashes tore through the darkness, Mei saw everything.
Beneath the sodden black cloak of the mysterious figure, fiery red hair and eyes as sharp as blades were revealed. His hand, soaked in blood, gripped a dagger tight.
"Diluc?!" Mei's mind went blank, her eyes widening beyond her control.
Without giving the Mage a chance for another strike, Diluc crouched low, weaving through the electrical discharge perfectly. The blade swung, delivering a fatal blow. The Cicin Mage collapsed, her body twitching on the wooden floor as her breath hitched and then faded into nothingness.
In just a few heartbeats, the elite Fatui squad had been completely annihilated. Silence returned, the air thick with the stench of death.
Mei's body was as rigid as a statue of ice. Her face smeared with fresh blood, she looked up with terror at the tall shadow standing amidst the sea of corpses. She wondered if that blood-stained blade would turn toward her next... to silence the witness?
But the shadow did not move closer. Diluc lowered his weapon and slowly turned around.
Under the dim light filtering through the window, those ash-like eyes met her terrified gaze. The coldness of a hunter was gone; for a fleeting moment, his eyes softened, fracturing with emotion.
He looked at the white dress now drenched in gore, at Mei's trembling shoulders and her deathly pale face. Deep within those eyes, a strange turmoil swirled. The hand gripping the dagger trembled slightly before tightening until his knuckles turned white.
The suffocating silence stretched on. Finally, the man averted his gaze without a word. He vaulted through the wide-open window, vanishing into the night and taking the scent of blood with him.
In a dark corner not far away, Viber cowered, pressing himself against the cold wall. His teeth chattered uncontrollably. He had intended to sneak along to watch his prey struggle, but what he had just witnessed had crushed his arrogance to dust.
A roar of thunder shook the sky, making Viber jump so hard he nearly bit his tongue. He scrambled to cover his mouth and retreated into the shadows with trembling steps, wanting nothing more than to flee from this cursed winery immediately.
---
Through the torrential rain pouring down on Dawn Winery, a figure stumbled out into the murky backyard. He was so panicked that he stepped blindly into a muddy puddle, his pant legs instantly becoming dead weights of soaked fabric.
"Damn it! Who the hell was that dark shadow? Why did he suddenly appear and ruin everything?!"
Viber hissed through his chattering teeth. He sprinted headlong toward a wooden post where a horse had been prepared in advance. His rain-slicked hands fumbled clumsily, unable to undo the knot of the reins. The coarse rope kept slipping through his trembling fingers.
"There's still time... Yes! Just a few days on horseback and I'll reach Dornman Port..."
He muttered to himself like a sleepwalker. Rainwater streamed down a face that was drained of all color.
"I just need to get out of here, I just need to..."
Click.
The knot finally gave way, but at that exact moment, a cold sensation pressed against his temple. It was the rigid, threatening touch of metal. As a son of the Land of Justice, he recognized it immediately the barrel of a custom-made firearm from Fontaine.
"It is still a long, rainy night; why the rush, Mr. Viber? Why not stay at the Winery for the evening? Master Diluc would be more than happy to give you a... warm welcome."
A woman's voice rang out clearly through the thunder. It wasn't the polite, measured tone he was used to, but one of chilling, overbearing authority.
"A... Adelinde! How... how could you..."
Viber froze, slowly craning his neck around. His eyes widened, pupils shrinking in pure terror.
The Head Housemaid of Dawn Winery stood there, calmly holding an umbrella. She offered a faint smile, but it was one that never reached her eyes. With her free hand, Adelinde silently withdrew a small glass vial from her pocket and let it fall into the mud at his feet.
Thud.
The vial rolled to Viber's boots, its cap popping open. A white powder spilled out, turning into a slimy paste in the rainwater.
"I'm not in the habit of consuming substandard milk, Mr. Viber."
Her words, sharp as a razor, severed his last thread of hope. He stumbled back a step, his back hitting the horse behind him. It turned out that every move he and the Fatui had made had been laid out on the Winery's chessboard from the very beginning. He wasn't the hunter; he was merely a fattened rat trapped in a cage, waiting for the slaughter.
Just then, the sound of rhythmic, heavy footsteps splashed through the puddles.
From the veil of darkness and rain, a tall figure emerged. He reached up and pushed back his sodden hood, revealing fiery red hair plastered against his forehead. Rainwater traced the sharp angles of his face and ran down his black shirt, which clung to his muscular frame, washing away the lingering scent of blood.
"If I recall correctly, the plan proceeded faster than anticipated?"
Adelinde asked, though her gun and her gaze remained pinned on Viber, as if to nail him to the spot.
Diluc paused for a moment, his clenched fist slowly relaxing as the rain rinsed the blood from his knuckles. He gave a slight nod, offering no explanation. But when he spoke, his deep, husky voice dropped an octave, carrying a rare trace of concern:
"You've worked hard, Adelinde. Go inside and check on her." Diluc hesitated for a beat before adding carefully, "Make sure there's warm water. And the ointment... use the one for bruising."
Adelinde understood instantly. She lowered the weapon and offered a perfect, disciplined bow.
"I understand, Master. You should also finish up quickly; lingering in the rain is not good for your health."
With that, the Head Housemaid turned on her heel and strode toward the dark manor, leaving behind the patter of rain and a brutal judgment about to begin.
Inside the manor, along the corridor reeking of blood and death, Mei slumped against the wall, dazed. Her entire body felt numb and hollow. Suddenly, a spark of light flickered at the end of the hallway. A figure approached at a leisurely pace, carrying a storm lantern that cast a warm, golden glow, pushing back the oppressive shadows.
"Adelinde!"
Like a drowning person clutching at a lifeline, Mei stumbled to her feet and lunged forward, throwing herself into the Housemaid's steady embrace. Mei's blood-stained dress smeared against Adelinde's pristine uniform, but she didn't care. She gripped Adelinde tightly, as if afraid she might vanish.
"The Fatui... they wanted to take me... and then..."
The words shattered in her parched throat. The vision of the mangled corpses and the cold gaze of that man flashed through her mind, making her body jerk with violent tremors.
Adelinde looked down at the sobbing girl in her arms. Her calm eyes flickered with a hidden trace of heartache. she reached around and gently patted Mei's trembling back. Her voice remained formal, yet filled with the protective warmth of an elder sister:
"Fear not, Mei. You are safe now. No one will dare lay a hand on you within this Winery ever again."
The warmth and the rhythmic patting of Adelinde's hand pulled Mei back from the brink of panic. It was then that she remembered something. She quickly looked up, her face pale and smeared with tears and specks of blood.
"The Fatui... did they hurt you? Are you injured anywhere, Adelinde?"
The Head Housemaid froze for a moment at the question, followed by a rare, genuine, and soft smile. She shook her head gently.
"I am fine. You need not trouble yourself for my sake."
With that, Adelinde raised the lantern a bit higher. Her other hand took hold of Mei's cold, shaking hand, coaxing her gently.
"I have prepared warm water in the bath. Let me lead you there. As for everything else here..."
Adelinde cast a fleeting glance at the heap of bloodied Fatui corpses strewn in the shadows. Her eyes remained as still and dry as a winter lake, showing not a hint of fear or disgust.
"... Just leave it to me to handle."