(meanwhile) the demon during the night

The Night Before Landing

While the rest of the party suffered through another night of Beidou’s loud, enthusiastic moaning, a silent drama unfolded far across the dark water.

Yelan stood on the deck of a small, completely lightless vessel, spyglass raised to her eye as she kept a careful watch on Beidou’s ship from a safe distance. She had been shadowing them since Liyue Harbor, confident in her stealth. No lights. No noise. Practically invisible in the pitch-black night.

Then she saw it.

A figure launched from the side of the main ship and hit the water’s surface… but didn’t sink.

Shenhe was sprinting across the ocean.

With every step, a thin layer of cryo energy flash-froze the water beneath her feet, creating momentary platforms that shattered behind her. She moved at a ludicrous speed, silver hair whipping behind her, red ropes fluttering in the wind.

Yelan’s blood ran cold.

“What the fuck…?”

Within seconds, Shenhe was on her deck.

The tall woman landed silently, polearm already in hand, and cornered Yelan against the railing with terrifying speed. In the complete darkness, the faint blue glow of residual cryo energy illuminated Shenhe’s face from below. Her expression was blank… but her eyes burned with pure, murderous bloodlust.

She looked like a bloodthirsty demon that had crawled out of the sea.

The red restraining ropes on her body were faintly smoldering at the edges. Her bindings were clearly failing under the weight of whatever emotion had driven her out here.

Yelan nearly pissed herself.

The tip of Shenhe’s polearm hovered inches from her throat.

“Wait—!” Yelan forced out, hands raised carefully. “I’m not a threat! Ningguang sent me! I’m only shadowing the Traveler for his protection — reporting back to her so she can support him from Liyue! Nothing more!”

Shenhe stared at her for a long, silent moment.

Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the bloodlust vanished.

Her expression returned to its usual flat neutrality. The smoldering of her ropes faded. She lowered her weapon without a word.

Yelan was no longer classified as a danger to Aether.

That was all that mattered.

Shenhe turned, stepped back onto the frozen water, and sprinted away across the dark ocean as quickly as she had arrived — returning to Beidou’s ship without a single further glance, warning, or threat.

She hadn’t acted out of strategy or intelligence.

She had simply followed her monstrous instincts… and once those instincts were satisfied that the stranger was not a threat to the man she had begun to care for, she left.

Yelan remained frozen on her dark little boat for several long minutes, heart hammering, cold sweat soaking her disguise.

“…I’m going to need a stronger drink after this job,” she muttered to herself.