Genshin Impact: Frostburn

The biting wind clawed at Leo's exposed skin as Leo walked along the corridor. It's finally time. With a silver spear in hand, his eyes locked towards the light ahead of the corridor where the training grounds of their mansion were located. 

A blue glow emanated from his vision. He clutched it with his free hand and heaved before entering. The courtyard buzzed with activity. Guards clutched their weapons while the maids scurried about with tools, each representing their role in the mansion. In the far right, Pantalone stood along with his entourage of retainers. Leo gazed at him momentarily, his heart pounding with unease and excitement.

Don't be nervous, you're fighting to lose. Remember to lose horribly.

A hand reached out from behind. Leo flinched, his hand instinctively tightening around his Vision as he spun around. "Don't scare me like that!" He snapped.

"I did not mean to scare you." Columbina reasoned.

"Well, I was... startled." he stammered, catching himself mid-curse as he realized who was present.

Columbina tilts her head toward Pantalone. Her gaze momentarily falls on him, and she smiles mischievously before drifting back to Leo. "You were about to curse, weren't you?" 

"I... don't tell Dad, please... I beg you."

Without a word, she levitated towards the spectators, where Pantalone and his retainers discussed, and stood beside him in silence. He watched her go, his mind full of unease. She won't tell him, will she?

On the other side of the training grounds where horses ate their hay, Leon emerged with his sword in hand. His black hair with streaks of yellow swayed in the cold wind. He wore only a tank top fit for his age and ragged pants which he used in the past years of training under Capitano.

Leon waved in the distance with enthusiasm. "Oy!!!! Let's have fun!"

He waved back sparingly in response, his heart still pounding in anticipation. 

Pantalone stepped forward and waved his hand which made all the noise deafen and all attention was now focused on him. "By Her Majesty the Tsaritsa's order, we shall now commence Leo's punishment!" A retainer emerged from behind with a gun in hand. Under his clothes were bandages seeping through. He wore a mask, a sign of the Fatui yet it did not do any good to hide who he was from Leo.

Leo's heart skipped a beat as the retainer stepped forward, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the person under the mask. His legs instinctively moved towards the man, yet before he could take a step, Pantalone's voice rang across the place. 

"Get ready!"

The retainer pointed the gun upward as Leo stiffened before hastily clutching his spear with both hands. His breathing was heavy and his hands were cold. Unlike before when they fought Crucabena, Leo knew that he would lose yet it did not stop his nervousness from taking hold of him. His gaze never left the smiling Leon, playing with his sword.

Without a moment's notice, Polochko pulled the trigger, signaling the start of the spar. Leo dashed to the side, his vision leaving a trail of ice. He ran in circles around Leon and started shooting his deformed ice swords. 

With a smile on his face, Leon dodged the shards as his gaze tracked Leo's movements. Leo's attacks grew fiercer, and his shards grew faster and heavier. The ground was impaled with multiple spikes of ice, making moving around the area much harder for Leon.

His attacks never seized, yet a growing unease kept creeping from his mind. Something's wrong, why isn't he using his vision? Leo increased the rate of fire as he kept his distance from Leon. His spear was coated with a thin layer of frost, pointing it to where Leon was, ready to deflect any attack he would give.

Leon clicked his tongue as ice grazed past his arm. A frown appeared on his face. Chill covered the whole area, leaving only a small plot of land dry. 

"Give up!" Leo shouted.

Leon clutched his sword with both hands. His smile grew larger and his vision started to glow. "Looks like you weren't slacking around, my dear brother." He playfully remarked.

"Now, let me show you the fruits of my training!"

Flames blazed across his skin. His hair is now covered in molting red flames and his arms slide snake-like marks of fire. The ice melted around him and the temperature of the place was now the complete opposite of earlier.

"Shit," Leo said in disbelief.

"It's my turn now. Hope you don't mind, brother."

With a single leap, he catapulted himself towards Leo. His sword covered in flames meets Leo's frosting spear. Metallic sounds reverberated around the place as they spar with intensity. Leon kept chasing Leo, tanking all the shards he shot at him with ease. As he continued his relentless pursuit, the frost beneath his feet sizzled, leaving trails of scorched earth where the heat of his flames met Leo's icy ground.

His breath grew ragged as Leon's flames closed in on him. The ice beneath his feet melted faster than he could react, and the heat from Leon's attacks scorched the air around him. Leo's thoughts clouded, the panic rising in his chest as his movements slowed.

A sudden, heavy sense of inevitability settled over him. What am I even doing? His hands, once steady, now felt frozen with hopelessness. I can't keep up with this...

The shift came swiftly, a mental snap that drained the fight from him. His legs felt heavy, his resolve slipping away like the melting ice at his feet. Fuck it, he thought, the words sharper now. Let's lose.

His pace slowed deliberately. Leon took the opportunity to lunge at him. In a diagonal motion, Leon slashed his sword which grazed Leo's side and made him fall to his side and bleed. Leo winced in pain as he clutched the wound.

"That's enough! " Patanlone declared. Medics then flew to the scene and healed Leo's wound, a bright green glow lit up on the medic's hand, and the babble on his hips grew brighter. 

"You two did well." He commented.

"I... won... didn't I?" Leo gasped for air as he used his sword for support. 

"Yes, you did," Pantalone remarked as he caressed his head. "And you, Leo. You did better than what I expected, was your time at the orphanage, or perhaps the battle with Crucabena made you stronger?"

"It's all luck, Dad. Leon clearly held back." He exclaimed as the medics cleaned his wound and gave him a new shirt to change into before going towards Leon and doing the same.

"I doubt that..." Pantalone murmured. A maid with different clothes bowed on his side and presented a sheet of paper. As he read it, he released a sigh before turning around.

"I have things to fix, so I'll you two in their care." He enthusiastically said. "I won't be home tonight, so eat before me and don't give problems to the maids, especially you, Leon."

"Yes, Dad," Leo commented.

"Have fun Dad!" Leon said as he waved him goodbye.

Leo slumped to the ground, exhaustion taking hold of him. He looked at the area where the burning smell and the cold wind mixed in the air. We really did go at it, huh.

As he reveled at the remains of the battlefield, Columbina appeared in his vision, her hair fell in his face as she kneeled. "I am disappointed with you," she commented.

"Sorry for losing and being such a bad student." He sarcastically said.

"I'm not talking about your loss."

A frown appeared on his face. "Then what are you disappointed about?"

"Pull out your circle thing when you use your vision," she ordered.

Leo sucked energy from his vision and a minute after, he manifested a circle where his lousy imitation of swords emerge from. 

"What is this?" she pointed towards the lines on the circle.

"Ah, those huh," he joked. "they look cool, no?"

"And what are the purposes of these?" she questioned, her eyes scrutinizingly looked at Leo.

"To... look good," he answered, his eyes failing to meet hers.

'And?" she pressed.

Leo avoided her gaze. "And to... uhhh..." his brain racked for answers. Sweat poured down his neck as her gaze grew haunting. "It has no other use, sorry for being such a fool."

Without a word, she stood up and carried Leo on her back.

"Um, where are you taking me, ma'am?" he asked.

"I believe you did not understand my teachings of efficiency, so we are going to review it."

Leo slumped in mock surrender as they disappeared without a trace, leaving the dumbfounded Leon's mouth agape. 

***

A/N: I got schooled by my writer friend, turns out I made a lot of mistakes XD He calls it "Writer pitfalls"