#oh and by the way don'tcha think we could've described Mallory better?

[udretlnea]

Broken Wings Can Still Be Rebuilt (A fan work inspired by“LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME BUILD” GI x Dream SMP)

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT CANON TO GENSHIN IMPACT X DREAM SMP by @victoria1676. This is a fan work inspired by her work. PLEASE GO FOLLOW AND CHECK OUT HER WORK AS IT IS QUITE GOOD IMO.

Author’s Note: I’m going to be 100% transparent and state that for her brief appearance, I attached myself to Mei Mallory; it was after her dethroning and disappearance that caught my muse’s interest. So I thought, “What happens to her after she disappears in Snezhnaya?” and several days of writing-and drawing-later this was the end result. Also, since Mei Mallory canonically doesn’t have an official design IIRC I simply used my interpretation, but feel free to use your own in your own works/art pieces. (Comments & critiques are welcomed.)

Synopsis: Mei’s story as the imposter creator may have ended, but that doesn’t mean other beings’ attention haven’t been caught by this strange timeline, and with the multiverse still open for interdimensional travel it was only a matter of time before someone reared their head in this direction.

Content Warning: Graphic Descriptions of Violence/Torture. (Hey fyi I like that trope where the person uses jokes and smiles as a coping mechanism ;P)

As she felt the glowing lance pierce her stomach, the young lady merely closed her eyes and waited for darkness to take her. When she opened them again, she found herself right back in her cell, shackled to the wall; her body untouched and did not possess any wounds.

With a resigned sigh, the young woman merely brushed her long hair to the side and slumped on the nearby wall; shivering, she huddled into a ball in an attempt to keep warm.

Well, that was quicker than I expected, Mei Mallory thought as she picked up a rusty nail and began carving another line alongside the others. Including just now with the Tsartisa, that makes…twelve? Damn these bitches really are crazy about showing loyalty to their god.

Tossing the nail aside, Mei casually strode towards the cell bars and leaned her head on them lazily; the shackles on her wrists and ankles clanked noisily. She looked at the Fatuus that was standing straight, but even she could sense his drowsiness from where she stood.

“Heya Vikky! How’s it been?” The Fatuus moved his head as if he were about to reply, but stopped himself. “Aw come on, indulge a lady soon-to-face certain death with some conversation will you?”

Viktor scoffed. “Go jump off a cliff, impostor.”

“Haha! Funny you should say that! I think I did jump off a cliff once in order to escape some people who were chasing me…but that was so long ago. Wow. It’s been so long since I stepped foot into Szeznhaya. I thought I’d find at least someone who was still loyal to me.” Mei shook her head. “I’m sure you can figure out how that ended. Look at me, the once great creator of Teyvat now reduced to a lowly prisoner.”

“Don’t you dare call yourself that, not after what you did. Or have you forgotten how much pain and trouble you’ve caused for the Creator?”

“Yeah…yeah I did sort of do that, didn't I?” Mallory hit her head on the bar and let her arms hang in the air limply. She stared at the ground as blurry images of that person being run through with her sword, only to be enveloped by a golden light and reappear with wings and no injuries; the sight of their eyes-Archons those eyes filled with pure hate-appeared in her head, and when she concentrated she could remember all those times she was slain, only to be brought back to life once more. “Haha…what a wonderfully messed-up timeline this is. Oh well…what are you gonna do? Go back in time and fix things?”

With that, Mei retreated to the bench attached to the wall and sat down; she curled herself up in a ball with a miserable smile.

Haha…what’s wrong with me? Showing vulnerability…have I truly fallen so far…? Mei buried her head in her arms. Get a grip Mallory. Everything you’ve ever dreamed of is gone. Your power, your throne, your subjects-everything is gone…and the worst part is it’s all your fault.

It's all my fault.

…Haha…since when did I…feel so sorry for myself? All of a sudden, I feel so tired. 

Let me rest…I have a feeling whatever they have planned for me I’m gonna need the strength for it.

Ill Dottore strode through the icy halls of Zapolyarny Palace; the way to the dungeon was more or less memorized by him, and by extension all of the other harbingers. It just so happened that it was his turn to “play” with the impostor Mallory. He turned right before reaching a door; after opening it, he descended several flights of stairs until he reached a metal door with a lone Fatuus standing guard; his small smile stayed on even as he nodded and opened the door for the Doctor.

Marching into the room, the last thing he expected was that everything was practically made of solid ice, including the bars holding the impostor. The Fatuus that was standing next to it was looking almost tired, but the sight of the Doctor stirred him to stand upright. 

“Bring out the impostor.” Dottore said. Viktor inserted his hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring of keys; he fumbled with them, trying to recall which one was the correct one until he pulled a small key, inserted it into the lock, and turned. There was a satisfying kachunk and Viktor opened the cell door. Mallory lay on the bench, curled into a ball. Dottore observed her form uncaringly as Viktor stepped inside, grabbed her by the shoulders, and hoisted her on her feet; Mei jolted awake and stood unsteadily on her feet.

“Wha-? Hey! I was napping…!” Her eyes landed on Ill Dottore and they widened; she sighed and put her hands behind her back, smirking. “Oh hey Dotty, I guess it’s your turn to be taking care of me, ehe~”

The Fatuus behind Dottore let out a snort; the Doctor said nothing and began walking out of the dungeon. Viktor shoved Mei out of the cell who promptly started walking behind the Harbinger; as for the second Fatuus in the room, he followed closely behind Viktor. 

 The four walked out of the dungeon without much event.

“Hmm…say, Viktor, would it be remiss of one to forget to do their patrols?” The Fatuus asked out loud. 

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You know…it would be a shame if someone were to just, let the backdoor open, and let an intruder in…” He trailed off.

While this was happening, Mei was having a one-sided conversation with Dottore,

“So Doc! What’ll it be this time? Ya gonna slowly cut me up while I’m still alive? Or maybe have me drink a poison that’ll make my insides burn while you sit and watch? Oh, don’t tell me: You’re gonna tell one of those clones of yours to do their worst!” Mei clasped her hands together in mock delight. “Hahaha! I adore those other versions of you, ya know? They’re just so much more…fun to be around than this…older…version of you-!”

Dottore sighed internally as the argument between the two grunts got more heated. 

“Ahaha! I’m only stating the hypothetical! I mean, only a fool would try to infiltrate the most sacred place in all of Snezhnaya-”

“I said will you shut up already-?!” Viktor yelled at the other Fatuus, finally stopping and turning himself around to stop him. “You’re talking crazy, you know that? Nobody in their right mind would want to infiltrate this place unless they wanted something from here!”

The Fatuus tilted his head. “You mean someone like her?”

“Pft, nah, who’d ever want some scum like her?” He grinned at Viktor.

“...I would.”

“What-oof!” Viktor flew across the room after getting punched with enough force, hurtling into Mei who tripped forward and clung onto Dottore’s jacket; taken by surprise, the Doctor fell backwards as the two’s combined weight caused him to fall on top of them.

“Ugh-!?” “What is the meaning of this!?” “Ughhh you two are heavy…”

“Hahahaha!” The trio froze in their efforts to untangle themselves and stared at the only one who was standing; he was grinning widely, his teeth bare for them to see.

He stuck out his right hand to his side and slowly moved it in front of his torso; when the hand passed, his Fatui uniform changed into a dark gray metallic suit. When it passed his head, a dark helmet magically appeared on its head; it had two protruding horns that pointed in opposite directions. There were six red triangles in front; three triangles were larger than the others and had small orange pupils. When the transformation was complete, standing before them was a tall man in a futuristic-looking suit.

“Why hello there,” he greeted the awe-struck trio. His voice seemed to reverberate, as if there were at least several other voices mixed in. “Say, do you guys wanna see a magic trick?”

He held his hand out and a second later, grabbed a violet blue staff that manifested out of thin air. On the end of it was an orange block with what looked like a square gray console with lights on it. Grinning like a child that got to try out their new toy, he flourished it, twirling it around and then pointing it at them. A moment later, a beam of light shot out from the cube at the end and enveloped Viktor and Dottore; he pointed the end of the staff up, and in turn the two Fatui rose in the air. With a slight flick of the wrist he nudged the staff forward, and they shot backwards with enough force that they crashed through the wall at the end of the hall.

Mei stared at the hole her captors left, unaware of the sound of footsteps coming closer. She blinked and turned around to find the stranger’s orange eyes gazing down at her while still wearing the manic grin. 

“Don’t worry, they’re not important to the story,” he said. He pointed the staff at both of her shackles and a beam fired, making them disappear. “You, on the other hand, are what’s important, Mei Mallory.”

Mei rubbed her wrists, chafed from being shackled for so long. Slowly, she stood up straight and looked him in the eye; it was taking every ounce of her willpower to keep her legs from shaking. 

“How do you know my name?” She asked in a soft voice. She internally cursed herself for sounding weak, but right now she was dealing with something unknown. Judging from the strange outfit this man is wearing, perhaps…he too comes from somewhere else? That block looks eerily similar to the one that…that they used. 

“Short answer? We’ve been watching you for quite some time now. We have deemed you worthy of…redemption. Atonement.” He pointed his staff at the wall to his right and fired. It exploded in a shower of pebbles, and Mei covered her head; she parted her fingers and saw that a hole was blown, revealing the snowy landscape and the night sky. The cold fresh air washed over her body, but to her it was refreshing after being kept in the dank cell. Suddenly she felt a tingle throughout her body and the cold subsided as warmth overtook her. “There we go. Now follow me. It won’t be long now until the rest come to investigate.”

Atonement? Me? Mei thought disbelievingly. “What are you talking about?” 

“Hmm…now’s not the perfect time or place to explain, or have you forgotten where we are?” He started walking away from her and into the snow. “If you truly want answers and a way out, then follow…”

Mei watched him march away, her hands clasped in front of her chest; she looked at the hole in the wall with uncertainty. Then she looked outside where her rescuer(?)  was still walking away unperturbed by the snow.

I don’t have much of a choice do I? She sighed. Well let’s hope wherever he’s going is less of a hellhole than this place.

Deciding her best bet was with the stranger, she stepped outside and ran towards him, her footsteps leaving marks in the snow.

By the time she caught up with him, he was standing in front of a large tree absentmindedly tapping the end of the staff against his other hand. He turned around once Mei got close enough.

“I don’t mean to sound rude, but shouldn’t we be running for the hills? We’re still awfully close to the palace,” Mei said with a pleasant smile on her face, though her tone had undercurrents of worry in it.

“Oh don’t you worry dear, I’ve taken care of that loose end. It should be setting off right…about…now…!” He snapped his fingers and a massive explosion rocked the ground; Mei turned around to find a cloud of smoke erupting from the now-on-fire Zapolyarny Palace. Mei covered her face as a wave of heat washed over her. “Haha! Nice…that came out better than I expected.”

“Was that…really necessary? The explosion?” He pointed his staff at the ground and several glowing yellow blocks appeared; they formed a rectangle and with another fire from the staff the center was filled with a translucent light blue glow.

“Haven’t you ever heard of distractions? Now come.” He stepped towards the portal, but paused and turned around mere inches from entering.

“What?”

“Ah...we never told you my-our name, did we?” Mei shook her head and the young man held out a hand. “Derin. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Was now really the time for introductions? Mei thought annoyed,  though she took the hand and shook it. Derin clapped loudly and grinned.

“Alright! Introductions are out of the way-let’s go home!” Derin turned and stepped through the portal, disappearing in a flash of light. 

Mei looked back one last time at Zapolyarny Palace, which was currently on fire; then she stepped through the portal and disappeared.