Chapter 9: Ksenia, the Electro Cicin Mage

Chapter 9: Ksenia, the Electro Cicin Mage

Crack—Crackle—

Sparks of lightning snapped through the air, leaping from the mage’s fingertips to the firewood beneath her pot.

Within moments, the water inside began to steam, the soft hiss of heat filling the night’s silence.

“Come, come, sit! I don’t have much out here, but snacks and tea—those I’ve always got!”

The Electro Cicin Mage, her name Ksenia, brushed off a seat cushion that wasn’t dusty to begin with and enthusiastically gestured for Bai Luo to sit.

Perhaps because it had been too long since she’d seen another comrade, her warmth was slightly... overwhelming.

To outsiders, the Fatui were villains—ruthless, cold, merciless.

But within their ranks, they shared something else entirely: a fierce loyalty, a bond forged in frost and fire.

So, when she found out Bai Luo had gotten lost in the forest, Ksenia hadn’t questioned him for a second.

Not even when his features made it pretty clear he wasn’t from Snezhnaya.

“Black tea, milk, fire-water—what’ll it be?” she asked, rifling through a pile of supplies hidden beneath her pillow.

A jar, two bottles—she laid them out like a menu. “Or how about all three mixed together?”

Bai Luo raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten the most important rule in the Fatui Forward Unit Training Manual? No fire-water—or any fire-water-adjacent beverages—during a mission.”

"Fire-water," of course, referred to a kind of strong Snezhnayan liquor.

Just as dandelion wine was the soul of Mondstadt, fire-water was the lifeblood of the north.

It was originally created during the Archon War as a kind of battlefield disinfectant.

Then some lunatic tried drinking it… and liked it.

The rest was history.

“Ay, who cares about manuals out here in the Inazuman wilderness?” Ksenia winked, pouring water into a teapot. “Out here, I’m the rulebook.”

In her mind, Bai Luo was probably just another local recruit who’d joined the ranks on Inazuma soil.

From beneath a layer of protective cloth, she produced an exquisite, well-maintained tea set.

She scooped hot water from the pot, gave everything a careful rinse, and began brewing black tea.

Seeing that Bai Luo looked a little on the younger side, she even added milk for him.

Before handing it over, though, she gave him one last chance to reconsider.

“Sure you don’t want any fire-water?” she teased.

“If we ever make it back to Snezhnaya,” Bai Luo said, accepting the cup, “I’ll treat you to the best bottle in the capital. For now... let’s skip it.”

He took a sip of the milk tea.

—And, to his surprise, it was good.

Really good.

Better than anything he’d had at those countless tea parties back in Snezhnaya.

Delicate, fragrant, balanced—it was the kind of tea you’d expect to find in a noble’s manor, not a field camp.

“Heh~ The tea’s stolen from the Nobushi,” Ksenia said proudly, puffing out her chest. “And the milk? Scooped it straight out of a hilichurl’s stew pot.”

Pfffft!

The milk tea he’d just been savoring came spraying out of Bai Luo’s mouth like a fine mist.

Moments ago, it was the most flavorful milk tea he’d ever tasted.

Now it tasted... tainted by crime and questionable hygiene.

“Ack, kids these days,” Ksenia sighed dramatically, not the least bit offended. “No appreciation for the real battlefield flavor!”

She didn’t blame him, really.

There were times, out on missions, when they didn’t even have drinks this decent.

In fact, when things got really bad, the only source of water came from Hydro slimes.

And drinking raw slime water?

Well, let’s just say it didn’t end well for the digestive tract.

Not without treatment, anyway.

Geesh~ New recruits had no idea how hard things used to be.

“How long’ve you been stationed out here?” Bai Luo asked, glancing up at the worn red canvas of the tent overhead.

“Hmm... I honestly forgot,” Ksenia, the Electro Cicin Mage, said casually. “Out here in the wilderness, the days all blur together. Between messing with hilichurls and robbing Nobushi, time just stops meaning anything. I’ve been here since before the Sakoku Decree was even issued.”

She downed another mouthful of fire-water—the strong Snezhnayan liquor—sending a rosy flush creeping into her cheeks.

Even for someone from Snezhnaya, chugging it straight like that was enough to bring on a buzz.

Normally, she’d never drink it this way.

This wasn’t home. This was Inazuma.

And fire-water—once it’s gone, it’s gone. You couldn’t just walk into a shop and buy the real Snezhnayan stuff.

But when friends came by? That was different.

What was the point of fire-water if you didn’t drink it together, with wild laughter and half-baked dreams?

“Listen, rookie,” Ksenia grinned, slapping Bai Luo on the back with enough enthusiasm to make his lungs twitch, “us Fatui—we don’t give a damn what others think. We’re doing big things, following the Tsaritsa herself! I might be a bit broke now, but once we wrap up this Inazuma job, I’ll be going home as a full-blown officer! And if anyone messes with you, just tell ‘em you know Ksenia! That’ll shut ‘em up!”

She was definitely drunk now—her breath hot with alcohol, her words loose and full of pride.

Thankfully, her strength didn’t match her bravado.

If she were any stronger, Bai Luo might’ve ended up with bruised ribs.

“Oh, right—” she paused mid-rant, suddenly remembering something important. “We never even introduced ourselves.”

“Name’s Ksenia. You?”

“Bai Luo.”

The name made Ksenia do a double take.

After living in Snezhnaya for so long, Bai Luo was familiar with its naming customs—and Ksenia? That name literally meant “hospitality.”

Yeah... she really was living up to her name.

“Bai Luo?” she echoed, swirling her cup. “That doesn’t sound Inazuman at all... more like someone from across the sea. Liyue, maybe?”

Bai Luo gave a small nod. “You’re right. I’m from Liyue, but I’ve settled in Snezhnaya. Got recruited into the Fatui after jumping into a frozen river to save a kid. Caught the eye of the Rooster, and... well, the rest is history.”

There was a soft wistfulness in his tone.

He never expected a simple act of kindness would land him in a world like Teyvat, let alone among the Fatui.

“Hah! That sounds just like a story I heard!” Ksenia chuckled. “They say that guy made it all the way to the top—one of the Harbingers now. I wonder... do you think we’ll ever make it that far too?”

She laughed without realizing the irony.

The young man she’d just fed suspiciously sourced milk tea and teased like a rookie... was the very same Harbinger she’d just mentioned.

Years later, as she stood at the edge of the grand halls in Snezhnaya, her breath caught.

There, beside the Tsaritsa, stood a familiar figure—poised, commanding, untouchable.

Only then did Ksenia realize...

Just who she had stumbled across back in those Inazuman woods.