Noir smiled sweetly at the Watatsumi Divine priestess and the resistances strategist. Her calculating gaze analyzing him and judging any kind of danger to her army. For now, she saw nothing out of order, aside from the eerily black vision he carried. It wasn't just him, but two others, and she just knew she was lucky to have them.

As the Divine Priestess, Kokomi studied the history of Inazuma, the history of Teyvat. One peculiar book she had read was all about the eighth element; Sceo. It had said that the element was the rarest among the elements, and visions were granted personally by the archon of Sceo, the god of chaos Astaroth. There were a small few of Inazumans that were given Sceo visions in the past, but now they were practically extinct.

She was suspicious of the three Reisenders. A trio with the very element that was lost for centuries. She could only hope that they were on her side and not against her. Kokomi had seen them I the battlefield, and she feared that her army would be wiped out by the three of them alone.

She shuddered as she was offered a toothy grin along with the psuedo smile that could fool anyone―but she wasn't fooled. The Reisender wanted something and she was willing to try just to keep him on their side of the war.

"My apologies for barging in here High Priestess, but I've noticed something odd with your soldiers. They carry of a rather... Sickly aura that would get them killed somehow."

Kokomi gasped at the information, but narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Noir may have been a sceo-blessed but that didn't mean he was all knowing.

"What makes you think that? My soldiers are perfectly healthy before going to battle! They may come back with injuries and new scars, but that is―"

"Have you accepted any help from an anonymous helper?"

Kokomi stiffened. Her eyes darted around the room in panic, before glaring darkly at the Reisender. He quietly gave her a coy smile, and his shrewd gaze turning to reciprocate her analysis. It made her freeze, anxiety pooling in her stomach as she assumed that he found her. . . Foolish.

"How do you know that? It's not wrong! We are at war and we need all the help we can get. What is so wrong with accepting help?" She snapped, yet again did Noir look at her as if she were a fool.

"How naïve."

The priestess flinched, pursing her lips. She would not call herself naïve. No, she was her army's strategist. How was she ever seen as naïve? Yet someone entered her headquarters, and looked at her with eyes filled with a mysterious look of experience.

Noir hummed softly, unable to stop himself from staring at the priestess. She may have been intelligent, but that didn't stop her from being naïve. Kokomi was younger in age, compared to the old Priestesses who became such in a much older age. She was young.

"My dear Nyx has caught some of your soldiers using vision like devices. Devices that act like visions itself and grant them the same power over elements, however..."

Noir gave her a malicious smile, that sent shivers down her spine. The utter delight in his eyes was missed, as he enjoyed the concept of―

"They will die."

―Death

Kokomi clenched her fists and glared at the Reisender. The fire in her eyes burning brightly as she questioned this man's... Audacity to say that her soldiers would die. Yet she felt like doubting herself.

"And what are these... Devices?"

"I'm glad you asked." Noir grinned, opening his palm to show her one psuedo vision that Nyx had stolen. "I had someone steal this from one of your soldiers. For the greater good, right?"

Kokomi reluctantly nodded, gesturing for him to continue. Not that Noir needed her permission, to which he rolled her eyes at her.

"This is a delusion. It acts similarly to a visions, granting you powers overthe elements. However, it was not created by the divine." He began to explain, "Delusions are man-made creations, to replace visions. However, there is a price to using delusions. Your life force."

Such words caused Kokomi to gasp out in shock. She began to turn pale, unable to speak as she denied her mistake. How could she have been the cause of this? Of course it was her, she was stupid enough to trust someone without performing a background check.

Noir found himself gleeful at her fear, her paling countenance was an amusing sight as he crushed the delusion in his palm. He coukd t consider them foul, but dangerous. Human creation was always an amazing thought, but delusions were dangerous.

"These were given to your soldiers by your anonymous contributor. How peculiar it is that... They have access to creations of the Fatui."

Kokomi's face was white as a sheet, unable to grasp at the situation. She came to realize that she misplaced her trust, and endangered her soldiers upon that mistake.

She was under the false pretense that someone was merely kind enough to help them in the war, but the Fatui?! They were not kind. The fatui were ruthless and merciless. It felt as if they were the cause of the vision hunt, but she could not pin the blame on the fatui.

"That can't be! The fatui are not foolish enough―"

"They really aren't. Considering they are giving you materials to fight, with great risk of death. It's simply sabotaging you and your forces, and it will surely help the Bakufu win this battle. Although it is not the entirety of the Inazuman government to make negotiations with the Fatui."

Her soldiers were dying. Not by the battlefield alone, but by the delusions they accepted. Many of her men were ambitious, and being able to control elements without a vision was like a blessing. But it truly was a curse in the guise of a blessing. If any longer, they would die even before the War could end. She would see them die, not by the honors me death of a soldier, but by her naivety.

"I suggest you remove all of this. Don't jus trust your soldiers to follow your words. Confiscate them all." Noir walked towards the priestess, restinf his hand over her should. He gave her a soft smile, leaning forward as she whispered to her ear;

"Be merciless."

Kokomi gulped in fear, still pale and slowly turning grey. She was scared beyond her wits as he left her to suffer her foolishness would be their ruin. She may have been intelligent, but that didn't stop her from being a gullible fool.

On the other hand, Noir was smilong in satisfaction as he easilt manipated the young lady's mind, forcing upon her fear and failure. She made a mistake, it may seem small, but it was going to cost so many lives. She would burden their deaths upon her shoulders, and he would be there to smile like the devil he was.

.

Nyx raised a brow as Durin began to disassemble the delusion. He had immediately jumped at the chance to see how it was manufactured, and was already tearing it to pieces. It looked like an empty tinted glass on the outside, but there were swirls of wild elements on the inside.

Durin screeched as flames shot out from the cracked delusion, and reacted by forming a dark barrier around him. Nyx on the other hand, was gawking at the raw power of a delusion. Cracked visions would only be that, cracked. But they never showed these kinds of violent effects.

The creation of man-kind was dangerous. It was the many reasons why Celestia destroyed Khaenri'ah. But at the same time, suppressing Human ambition would only make them grow hostile of the gods. Khaenri'ah, the most intellectual of the human race was eradicated for their knowledge.

The risk of standing at the top, was being dragged down by the people you've pushed to the bottom.

"Dear chaos that is terrifying." Durin mumbled, poking the delusion with a silver rod, before it sparked violently. He yelped and formed a shadowy claw over his arm, and threw it at the wall, immediately breaking the elemental vessel.

"What kind of people is the Tsaritsa recruiting? She used to be such a gentle princess, and now she's a merciless empress." Nyx murmured, kneeling towards the shattered delusion. "Not that I'm complaining. What wonderful development."

As Astaroth entered the realm similar to an adeptus abode, he frowned as he felt wild elements scorch through of the alchemy labs placed around the mansion like abode. He sighed, striding to said room until he found Durin violently hitting a hydro delusion with his claymore, while Nyx was carefully examining a cryo one.

"Demonic things! That damned Tsaritsa was out of her mind!" He screeched, drenched by the tsunami like wave that had poured down him.

Nyx was in better shape, considering she wasn't stupid enough go crack open the delusion.

"Hush! She is an immaculate genius and a literal queen! Do not slander her beautiful intelligence!" Nyx hissed, glaring at the dragon as he panted from slamming his blade on the delusion.

Durin gave her a fiery glare, "You're just saying that because you like her!" He yelled, spitting out some of his hair that had been pressed I his mouth.

Nyx gasped, appalled that he had said such a thing. She dropped the delusion and pointed an accusing finger at him, "How dare you! I like all strong and smart women! I like QUEENS!" She emphasized and crossed her arms.

"What about you? Scrawny and delicate men with fragile masculinity!"

"That's not what I like! I prefer cunning and smart guys that have the balls to even try and seduce me!"

"Of course you do! You like anyone with balls!"

Astaroth could only sigh at their bickering, which he found extremly strange. Why were the two even speaking about their types?

He rolled his eyes before heading towards the small crate of delusions Durin had stole from the fatui. He frowned at them, not particularly displeased, but upset that it was harmful to others without visions. Without a vision, delusion users were in grieve danger.

Perhaps this was the atrocious scent that made him recoil from Childe when he first met the man. Humming softly, he took one of cryo, and set it on the table.

'Should I break it? No. Durin's already made that mistake...' He thought, frowning as he had no clue how to maneuver himself around the delusion.

When he was young, Astaroth was hailed as an alchemy genius, so what was stopping said genius from figuring out human creation?

Carefully removing the mettalic border from the glass orb, he hummed thoughtfully as he placed the Delusion under the dim light. It glistened softly, the soft azure glow of cryo flashing before his eyes. He could feel the frigid element through his fingers, how it seemed to be trapped within the crystal glass.

But that was what worried him. The element was trapped, forcefully and it made him shudder to think of a delusion for Sceo. He knew that the fatui, The Tsaritsa would not be able to replicate his element, but it still made him shiver to think. Such a dangerous mistake that would be.

Sceo had been associated with death on multiple accounts, paired with a delusion would immediately kill anyone after it's first use. Visionless or not, they would die from the overload of chaos.

"Oh little princess, how dangerous you have become."