warning! --> mention of vomit in this chapter

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You

"... Where am I?"

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Ei

"About time."

"You had one of your two-week-long beauty sleeps again."

"Furina kicked you in that hard?"

You looked around. Your surroundings were bloody, dark, and cold. 

It was then you realized — you found yourself behind bars.

You

"Let me out!"

You yelled, holding onto the cell bars tightly while looking at Ei with pure anger and tears.

Ei

"No."

"If it were a regular cell, you would've been out of here the moment you woke up."

"Though — this cell is different."

"Tell me, Y/N. What do you notice about the cell?"

You

"What?! What am I supposed to notice?!"

Ei

*Sigh*

"You're supposed to notice..."

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"You're all alone."

"There are no other cells down here with any other prisoners."

You

"Wait... 'Down here'? What does that mean?!"

Ei

"We're putting you in solitary confinement."

"This was a cell made by us Archons a long time ago, dug awfully deep underground. We've planned for this day."

"You have no idea how much of our energy we've put into keeping you locked down here."

"The cell bars are filled with so much of it. All of the Statues of The Seven have shut down because of it."

You

"..."

Your grip untightened on the bars, and you sat down on the floor. 

Ei

"So — Good luck on escaping, Y/N."

"Not that you'll even be able to."

And with that, Ei exited among the ten doors keeping you locked up right in front of your cell. They showed no mercy — not a single resource in there that you could use. No bed, no sink, no bath. 

Nothing. 

Just the blood, energy-infused cell bars, and the gross mixture of their metallic smell.

There was no getting out of this. 

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-MEANWHILE-

Ayaka

"Hey."

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"You did the right thing, Thoma."

Ayaka told Thoma, as he was sitting beside Ayato in his bed. Thoma sat hugging his legs, all curled up in a ball.

His eyes stung endlessly from tears.

Thoma

"I..."

"Feel like I said things that... Didn't need to be said to Y/N."

He said, with a crackly voice.

Ayaka

"Pfft- What are you talking about? It's Y/N."

Thoma

"Yeah, but..."

"It's different."

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"Is it wrong to regret what I said to them?"

Ayaka

"I don't know."

"Do you think it's wrong to regret it?"

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Thoma

"I don't know either."

Ayaka

*Sigh*

"... Also."

Thoma turned his head over to Ayaka.

Ayaka

"We're moving."

Thoma

"... Huh?..."

Ayaka

"We're moving to Sumeru."

"There are professionals there who can treat Ayato."

"Maybe even get him awake and back up on his feet again."

"The doctors here told us they've done all they can, and recommended the ones in Sumeru, so..."

Thoma

"... So we're leaving home?"

Ayaka nodded.

Thoma sat there in disbelief.

Thoma

"If it helps Ayato..."

"Then I guess it's okay."

Ayaka

"You were already given the bounty reward, correct?"

Thoma

"... Yeah."

Ayaka

"Perfect. We'll need a lot for Ayato to get from here to Sumeru."

"Transportation plus the treatment, at that."

Thoma nodded, still hugging his knees.

Thoma was in shambles. The image of your excited expression for the date that night — he just couldn't escape it.

Just for him to face a miserable and teary expression in the end.

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-A WEEK LATER, AT THE ARCHON-MADE PRISON CELL-

Tenryou Commission Soldier

"Hey, mutt. You've got another visitor."

You

"..."

Tenryou Commission Soldier

"Hey! Well if it isn't the hero of Teyvat."

"I didn't know you were on today's list."

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Thoma

"Well, here I am."

Tenryou Commission Soldier

"Hah. They're all yours."

The soldier passed him a baton. Thoma was confused.

The soldier then left the room. It was now just the two of you, and your cell doors were surprisingly opened.

You were tucked away in the very corner of your cell, with a blood-smeared face, hair all over the place, broken bones, open wounds, and absolutely vile bruises. 

Thoma was completely in a sense of fright after he established the reason for this baton.

Citizens in Inazuma had been signing up to give you beatings — hence the reason for the "daily list" — The Daily List of citizens who are to mess you up for that day.

Thoma breathed shakily, dropping the baton.

Thoma

"What the fuck..."

You

"... Is this what you wanted, Thoma?"

You said, coughing up all the blood from your gut shortly after you uttered those words.

Thoma

"I... No- I never wanted this..."

"You... Why aren't you attacking them back?..."

You

"I try."

"I'm powerless in this cell."

"Why are you here?"

Thoma

"I uhm... I'm moving. To Sumeru."

"So... I just wanted to say goodb-"

You

"Fuck off."

"Get out of my sight."

Thoma

"Wait, Y/N-"

You

"Get out of my fucking sight!"

"I don't want to see you!"

"Go away!"

You screeched, unable to move as Thoma only took more steps closer to you.

Thoma

"Y/N, I-"

You

"I hate you! I fucking hate you!"

"I don't wanna see you ever again!"

"You fucking ruined me!"

The ten layers of doors locking you in suddenly opened, and plenty of soldiers came running through.

Soldier

"Please step out of the cell, Thoma."

You

"No!"

You painfully sobbed loudly as the huge number of soldiers closed in on you. 

Thoma was escorted and forced out of the cell; the last thing he saw was the soldiers surrounding you as you backed yourself further into the corner you were already rotting in.

Thoma was breathing heavily in the elevator that was bringing him back up to the surface. He felt a heavy sense of nausea and threw up right then and there once he got out of the elevator, crouching on all fours. 

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He simply could not believe how much damage and pain he's caused upon you.