Genshin Impact: A Fool

Within the House of the Hearth, Arlecchino listened to her trusted agent as he revealed the explosive news from Mondstadt.

A boy of eleven, loved by the little ladies of Mondstadt, took Jean Gunnhildr, the heiress of one of the Mondstadt's shields under his tutelage, and was hailed as the strongest of his generation, named Fool, sacrificed himself to seal the dark ritual of the Abyss, ultimately becoming Mondstadt's revered hero.

The agent trembled as Arlecchino's face turned utterly cold and frosty as her figure occasionally got covered in an ambience of pitch-black crimson that sent a shiver through his spine.

"...T-That's all. I-I shall take my leave, M-Mistress."

As the agent left in a flicker, Arlecchino sat upon her study silently. It wasn't until a moment later that the bloodline she came to know by becoming one of the Harbingers exploded in a cacophony of death and destruction.

Arlecchino trembled as her eyes glowed in utter rage that could burn the world, "Fool, you lied to me."

"You lied, you lied, you lied!!!!"

"How dare you?! How dare you sacrificed yourself not for me but for that unrelated force?!"

Arlecchino's rage was palpable, the very air around her crackling with the intensity of her fury. She slammed her fist on the desk, the wood splintering beneath the force of her blow. "Fool," she spat, her voice dripping with venom, "you had no right to make such a decision without my knowledge or consent."

She paced the room like a caged animal, her mind racing with a tempest of emotions. Betrayal, anger, and a twisted sense of grief, despair and sorrow warred within her.

She had taken Heins under her wing, had nurtured his talents and guided him to greatness. And in return, he had repaid her by throwing away his life for a cause that had nothing to do with her or her goals.

"Did you think you could just... just..." Arlecchino sputtered, at a loss for words. She had never felt so betrayed, so disrespected. She was the Director of the House of the Hearth, one of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers. She was not accustomed to being kept in the dark, to having her authority challenged in such a blatant manner.

She paused, her eyes flashing with a manic intensity as a thought struck her. "You knew, didn't you?" she whispered, her voice low and dangerous.

"You knew that I would never have allowed you to make such a sacrifice. You knew that I had plans for you, that your destiny was intertwined with mine."

Arlecchino's laughter echoed through the room, a chilling, unhinged sound that sent a shiver down the spine of any who heard it. "You thought you could outsmart me, did you? You thought you could make a decision that would change the course of history without my knowledge or approval?"

She shook her head, her crimson hair whipping around her face like a cloak of blood. "You were mine, Fool. You belonged to me. And you had no right to throw your life away for the sake of a city that would never truly understand or appreciate you."

Arlecchino's voice rose to a scream, the sound of her fury echoing through the halls of the House of the Hearth. "FOOL! You LIED to me! You betrayed me! You threw away the greatest gift I ever gave you!"

She sank to her knees, her body shaking with the force of her rage and grief. She had lost so many agents, so many precious talents, to the machinations of the Archons and their chosen. But to lose Heins, her shining star, her unmatched prodigy... it was a blow that cut deeper than any blade ever could.

"Damn you, Fool," Arlecchino whispered, her voice breaking with a grief she had never thought herself capable of feeling. "Damn you for making me feel this way. Damn you for forcing me to confront the depths of my own failings."

Tears unknowingly fell as she sat on her knees, but her face remained cold. She had long discarded such petty feelings, but her heart was so in pain that tears fell on their own.

How could she not? A boy stole her heart like a midnight thief, whispering sweat things that she actually believed. Yet, he... Died for something else.

Not for her but for something else!

"How could you, Fool?" she whispered, her voice cracking with a grief she had never thought herself capable of feeling. "How could you steal my heart so utterly, only to cast it aside like some trifling bauble?"

Her hands clenched into fists, the symbols etched into her skin flaring with a hellish crimson light. The silhouette of a blood-red moon loomed behind her, casting her in an eerie, otherworldly glow. It was as if the very heavens themselves reflected the turmoil that raged within her heart.

"I gave you everything, Fool," Arlecchino snarled, her eyes blazing with a fury that could level mountains and scorch the earth. "I shaped you, molded you into the weapon you were always meant to be. And in return, you repaid me by throwing your life away for the sake of a city that would never truly understand or appreciate you."

She laughed then, a sound that was equal parts anguish and despair. "You fool," she spat, her voice dripping with venom and bitter tears. "You utter, stupid fool. Did you truly believe that you could outsmart me, that you could make a decision on your own whim?"

"What about the safest of havens you promised me?! How about most beautiful of lives you said to me?! How about your oath?! Your promise to ask me for my real name when you're worthy?!! The promise to take me with you to Fontaine?!"

Arlecchino surged to her feet, her body flickering and twisting as the rage within her threatened to consume her entirely. The shadows around her deepened, the air growing colder and heavier with each passing moment. "I won't let you go, Fool," she screamed, her voice echoing through the halls of the House of the Hearth like a banshee's wail. "I won't allow you to slip away from me, not even in death!"

She slammed her fist against the wall, the stone crumbling beneath the force of her blow. "You are mine, Fool," she hissed, her eyes wild and fevered. "You always have been, and you always will be. I won't let you go, not now, not ever."

Arlecchino sank to her knees, her body wracked with sobs that tore through her like the screams of the damned. She had lost so many agents, so many precious talents, to the machinations of the Archons and their chosen. But to lose Heins, her shining star, her unmatched prodigy... it was a blow that cut deeper than any blade ever could.

"How could you leave me like this, Fool?" she whispered, her voice broken and raw with grief. "How could you abandon me, when I needed you most? I loved you, you foolish, wonderful boy. I loved you with every fiber of my being, and you threw it all away."

She knew that she would have to act, would have to do something to honor Heins's memory and to ensure that his sacrifice had not been in vain.

But for now, she could only kneel there, lost in the tempest of her own emotions, mourning the loss of the boy who had once been hers, and who would forever be the greatest love and the greatest regret of her long, cruel life.

"I won't let you go, Fool," Arlecchino swore, her voice trembling with a fervor that bordered on madness. "I won't let you slip away from me, not even in death. You are mine, now and forever, and I will have my vengeance on those who took you from me."

"I lost them, but not you. I'll never lost you. Never. Never. Never!"

With that, she rose to her feet, her eyes blazing with a newfound purpose. She would find a way to bring Heins back, to undo the wrongs that had been done to him.

And woe betide any who stood in her way. For Arlecchino's love was a force of nature, as wild and untameable as the storms that ravaged the lands of Teyvat. And she would not rest until she had her beloved Fool back in her arms, no matter the cost.

Meanwhile, in an unknown location in Snezhnaya.

Pierro stood at the edge of the balcony, his cloak billowing in the frigid wind that swept through the mountains of Snezhnaya.

The snow-capped peaks stretched out before him, their jagged edges glinting in the pale moonlight. He had always found a perverse beauty in the harsh, unforgiving landscape of Her Majesty the Tsaritsa. It reminded him of himself - unyielding, untamed, and utterly unforgiving.

His subordinate's report echoed in his mind, the words painting a picture of a boy who had captured the heart of one of the most formidable women in Teyvat. Arlecchino, the Director of the House of the Hearth, the Harbinger of the Crimson Moon, undone by a mere child.

It was a notion that would have been laughable, had it not been for the intense spike of element he sensed from the House of the Hearth.

That was an outburst not because of losing a powerful subordinate, but one that was filled with vengeance. And the only way to incite that reaction... Was losing a loved one.

Pierro's eye narrowed as he considered the implications of the boy's actions. Fool, or whatever his real name was, had not only captured the affections of

Arlecchino but had also sacrificed himself for the sake of Mondstadt and its people.

It was a selfless act, one that would no doubt be remembered and celebrated for generations to come. But it was also a foolish one, in Pierro's estimation.

He had encountered many prodigies in his long life, had seen the rise and fall of countless heroes and villains. But there was something about this boy that eluded him, that he could not quite put his finger on.

It was as if Heins was a puzzle piece that did not quite fit into the grand design of the world, a variable that refused to be accounted for.

Pierro's lips curled into a smile, a glint of amusement in his exposed eye. "Hoho," he murmured, his voice a low, enigmatic rumble.

"What a curious little thing you are, Fool. To capture the heart of a Harbinger, to make a sacrifice that will echo through the ages... and yet, I cannot quite grasp the true nature of your being."

He had sensed the malevolent pitch-black crimson that hanged behind Arlecchino like a shroud, the same dark energy that had once belonged to the Crimson Moon Dynasty.

It was a force that Pierro was all too familiar with, a power that he had once witnessed in his... Former affiliation. And yet, even with his vast knowledge and experience, he could not quite understand how a boy of eleven had come to be the focus of such intense emotion and devotion from her, a decently powerful existence and the Fourth of the Fatui Harbingers.

Pierro's smile widened, a hint of genuine curiosity sparkling in his gaze. "I must admit, I am intrigued," he said, his voice a low, thoughtful murmur. "Just who are you, Fool? What is the truth behind the mask of the 'Fool'? I would very much like to unravel the mystery of your existence."

With a wave of his cloak, Pierro disappeared from the balcony, leaving behind only the whisper of his voice and the swirling snow.

He had a feeling that the story of Heins was far from over, that the boy's actions in the future would have consequences that would ripple through the nations of Teyvat for years to come. And Pierro, ever the opportunist, intended to be there to watch it all unfold.

As he vanished into the night, Pierro's laughter echoed through the mountains, a sound that was equal parts amusement, curiosity, and a hint of something darker and more sinister. "Hoho," he chuckled, his voice a low, enigmatic rumble. "What a world, what a world indeed. I do so look forward to seeing what the future holds for our little Fool."

"I find it quite inappropriate for an intriguing being like you to die just like that. I just have an intuition... That perhaps you'll be back to truly proclaim your claim of the heart of that little girl."

Within the sprawling halls of the House of the Hearth, a palpable sense of disbelief and turmoil hung heavy in the air.

The orphans, who had once known Heins as little more than a clumsy, bumbling fool, now found themselves grappling with the staggering revelation of his true nature and the heroic sacrifice he had made.

Lyney and Freminet stood side by side, their eyes wide with a mix of awe and sadness. They who always found Heins's antics comical, now saw their fellow orphan in a new light. Lyney shook his head, a look of utter disbelief etched across his features.

"So all this time, Fool we thought we knew... was just a lie?" he murmured, his voice tinged with a newfound respect. "He was hiding something incredible beneath that clumsy exterior."

Freminet nodded solemnly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Fool... he was amazing," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "No wonder Father always kept such a close eye on him. He must have seen the potential for greatness that lay dormant within our friend."

Across the room, the sound of anguished sobs and wails filled the air as Lynette and the other girls gave vent to their grief.

Tears streamed down their faces, their cries a testament to the depth of their sorrow and the profound impact Heins's sacrifice had had upon them. "Our handsome Fool," Lynette wailed, her voice breaking with each word. "He was a hero, a true hero who gave his life to save Mondstadt and its people. Why did he have to leave us so soon?"

The instructors and caretakers of the orphanage moved about in a daze, their minds struggling to come to terms with the incredible turn of events.

They had all been blind to the true nature of the boy who had lived among them, too focused on his comedic misadventures to see the hero that lurked beneath the surface. It was a bitter pill to swallow, the realization that they had all underestimated Heins so thoroughly.

As the night wore on and the orphanage settled into a somber, reflective silence, one thing became clear - the truth of Heins's heroic nature would be remembered and celebrated for generations to come.

The boy who had once been known as the Fool would now be hailed as a legend, a shining example of the power of selflessness and the indomitable spirit of the people of Mondstadt.

And though the pain of his loss would linger like a wound that would never fully heal, the orphans of the House of the Hearth would carry the memory of Heins with them always, a reminder of the incredible potential that lay within each and every one of them.

For if a boy like Heins could rise from the ashes of his past to become a hero, then surely any of them could achieve greatness, given the chance.

With heavy hearts and hopeful spirits, the orphanage settled in for a night of mourning and remembrance, the truth of Heins's heroic sacrifice forever etched into the annals of their shared history.

Fool was gone, but his legend would live on, a guiding light for all who called the House of the Hearth their home.

An: I feel like I unknowingly made a yandere vibe. Oh man this is gonna be rough.