Deep Dive to the Heart: The Chosen

Barbara and Xinyan of Genshin Impact become Keyblade warriors. This is the origin.

After Barbara leaves the infirmary to meet back up with Xinyan, Xinyan had already opened a portal back to Teyvat.

"Let's go, Barbs!" Xinyan stated with urgency.

The two of them dive right into the portal, with Liyue Harbor being the drop zone.

However, when they step through, they are not greeted by Malfested or anyhilichurls. No, no, no. They are introduced to something arguably worse.

Dark, shadowy creatures with glowing yellow eyes, running around this way and that terrorizing the locals of Liyue, as well as the rest of Teyvat in general. Much like malfested, they operate only on instinct and urge. The difference: They were making no sounds at all, making them arguably scarier.

".... What the heck ARE these things!? And where did they come from!?" Came Xinyan with genuine shock in her voice

"I-I don't know!" Barbara cried. "I've never seen anything like them before!"

One of them notices the two and comes rushing towards them. Barbara hides behind Xinyan, who blocks the incoming attack with her Claymore.

"Whatever they are, I ain't gonna let 'em destroy MY home! You help get everyone to safety while I hold them off here!"

"Xinyan! You can't just leave me like that!"

"Trust me! They don't look as tough as those Zealots. I can take 'em!"

"O-Okay.... Just please be careful."

Barbara rushes off to help round up the terrified people. And this gives Xinyan incentive to get into a battle stance.

"Think you can come to MY home and cause trouble!? Think again, ya varmints!" Xinyan barked.

Xinyan wastes no time jumping into the fight as the unknown creatures come after her. But Xinyan was fearless, striking away at each one as attacks her. However, something wasn't quite right, as every time she knocked them down, they'd get back up again. But she wasn't one to give up easily. Trusting in her own abilities, which were at least passable by military standards, she fights on, proving that she could hold her own against this new, unknown threat.

One by one, the strange shadowy creatures come after her, and one by one she knocks them down, currently in a stand-off against them. But she was steadily making her way through from the main gate to the Harbor into Liyue proper.

The issue still persisted, as even though she knocked them down to clear room, they would keep getting back up in an attempt to slow her down.

"Yun Jin! Where are you!?" Xinyan called out in desperation. But the real horror of the situation would reveal its ugly head. She hears the sound of a Millileth soldier screaming in terror, before being overwhelmed by a swarm of these creatures. In his final moments, instead of his body being sliced open and bloodied up, a glowing pink heart emerges from his torso and floats into the sky. This uncanny visual genuinely freaks her out.

".... Aw, hell no. That is MESSED up!"

She doesn't get long to take it in as more of these creatures come after her, and she has to react fast to avoid being their next victim.

Meanwhile, in Yujing terrace, Barbara was helping the Qixing get everyone to safety. She was helping to funnel people to a magical floating platform leading to the Jade Chamber where it was safe. At the same time, she was having difficulty holding off these very same creatures trying (and failing) to prey on the innocent and terrified residents. Though, things were made a little easier with the help of Keqing, Yelan, Ganyu and Lady Ningguang herself to keep the creatures at bay.

"Come on! Let's keep moving! Everyone please try to stay calm!" Despite how scared she was, Barbara was very bravely trying to help as many people as she can. That was, until she was caught off guard by one of those strange creatures, which had managed to slip through the defensive line and touch her.

"AAAAH!!!" She screamed in fear, only to quickly be saved by Xiao, the Yaksha.

'LAMENT!!!" As swift as the wind, Xiao comes to Barbara's rescue, using his spear to knock the creature away from her.

"Hoo.... Thank you!" Barbara sang

"Save the thanks for later! Just focus on the task at hand!" And Xiao gets right back into the fight.

Barbara nodded, only to see that she was completely surrounded now. She had been dragged away from the safety of the defensive line. Her immediate thought as they closed in: This is it. This is where it ends for her.

"....Sister...."

When all hope seemed lost for Barbara, a light emanates from her chest. And it grows in brightness extremely quickly. So bright it gets the shadowy creatures to back off. And in that moment, she hears a male voice in her head.

~There will always be those who brave the darkness. But they can only do so if they embrace the light.~

The light had completely engulfed her, remaining for several seconds. This light could be seen from as far as Fontaine, where there was also fighting going on.

And when the light faded, Barbara stood there, alive.... but something was different.... a strange sword had appeared in her right hand. But this was no ordinary. It almost looked like a key, with music notes at the hilt as well as a six inch chain link with a mouse accessory attached to it. The blade end sported a triplet note as if it were a key hook.

"Huh?.... What is this?.... Where did it come from?"

She doesn't get long to ponder it as one of the creatures approached her. And as it leapt into the air to deal a blow, Barbara acted on instinct, swinging this strange sword at the creature. When the two entities make contact, the creature disperses into a puff of black smoke.... and it doesn't return.

"!..." Barbara was speechless, but so was everyone else. None of them could believe what had just happened. Barbara looked down at the sword, which started to glow a beautiful blue, the same color as her Vision.

As if it was giving her new strength, the sword connected with Barbara in an unfamiliar way. As if it was communicating with her. Barbara looked at the sword, then to the creatures, then the sword again, back and forth several times, before landing on the sword again. And in this moment, a new version of Barbara had awakened. A look of fierce determination graced her young, beautiful face. She then looked at the shadowy creatures.

".... Alright.... If you want me to fight.... then I'll fight to protect everyone!" Barbara declared.

And Barbara takes on a new fighting stance. Summoning her catalyst beside her, she begins her first real solo battle.


Back in the lower level, Xinyan was still breaking through the wall of shadowy husks while also trying to find Yun Jin. She had finally managed to make it through to the shopping District, where Yun Jin was also in a stalemate with these creature. Except, these creatures still refused to stay down.

"Gaaah, these things just don't know when to quit, do they!?" Xinyan growled in frustration

"I'm on the backfoot here!" Yun Jin cried

"I'm comin' Yun Jin! Just hold tight!"

Unfortunately, Xinyan doesn't really get much of a chance, as the shadowy husks overwhelm Yun Jin, and manage to knock her pole arm out of her grip and sending her onto her back.

"Agh!.... Xinyan, help me!" Yun Jin yells out as she scrambles backward to try and get away.

"YUN JIN!!!" In an act of desperation, Xinyan swings her claymore wildly at these husks, doing her absolute best to break through and get to Yun Jin to protect her. She eventually manages to get to Yun Jin. Now, they were both cornered, and Xinyan was prepared to make her final stand.

"If this is what my folks wanted from me.... I guess they got their wish in the end. Mom, dad.... Whatever happens now...." Seeing that the situation seemed hopeless. "... I hope I made you guys proud."

And much like Barbara, that same light comes from Xinyan's chest. And Xinyan hears that same voice that Barbara heard. When the light faded, she too had a strange new sword of her own, this one differently designed. The handle was a crimson red and white, with flames along the blade end. The key-like ending was square shaped, much like the body of her guitar, though vastly smaller. And like Barbara's new sword, Xinyan's had a keychain with that mouse shaped accessory attached.

"Eh? What the....?"

She doesn't get any time to look at it, as three of these husks leapt at her. Her reactions kick in, and she slashes all three asunder into that misty blackness.

"WHOA!!!" She was shocked at first. But then, the realization kicks in. She now had something to work with. "... Ooooh, hohohohoho-HO! Now, THAT'S more like it, baby! Now we're cookin'!"

"What was that!?" Yun Jin ask

"I don't know, but I'm not complainin'!"

Xinyan was now more determined than ever.

"This concert ain't over yet, Yun Jin! Let's rock this mosh pit!"

Just as with Barbara, Xinyan begins her comeback, swinging her new sword at each and every single shadowy husk that tries to attack her. But with her new sword, she was easily defeating them one by one. Once Xinyan had cleared out enough of them, Yun Jin took the opening to get her polearm to help out. The tides of the situation were slowly shifting in their favor.



Back in Yujing Terrace, Barbara was getting into the groove of taking down these shadowy creatures. So far, things were going well, but the swarm kept coming in. Though she was getting tired, she continues to fight on. Her swings were a bit sloppy, which can be chalked up to her not being used to using a sword. But she wasn't doing too bad a job. She must have defeated over a hundred of these husks, but slowly but surely, the swarm was being cleared out. This gave Keqing, Ningguang, Ganyu, and Yelan time to get the remaining civilians to the safety of the Jade Chamber. Eventually, Barbara manages to clear out all of the shadowy husks. She started breathing heavily.

"Huff..... Huff.... Huff..." Barbara casts her Elemental skill, creating a watery ring of musical notes to heal herself. "How's the evacuation going?"

"We just got everyone out. Great job clearing out those creatures." Came Yelan with her calm, poised tone.

"Just what in the world WERE those things!?" Ganyu let out with great shock.

"I don't know..." Barbara replied. "...but I need to find Xinyan and see if she's okay. This area should be clear now."

"I don't think you need to worry about her. She seems to be doing just fine." Came Ningguang.

Barbara looked over the balcony to see Xinyan fighting the horde she was dealing with. Slowly but surely, Xinyan was clearing them out, and from Barbara's point of view, she could see Yun Jin helping out.

Barbara looked up and stared out towards Guyun Stone Forest. Above the center was a massive shadowy ball of dark energy.

"That must be where those creatures are coming from!" Barbara declared with great concern.

"Then we need to close it before things get any worse." Keqing stated this with urgency.

Barbara looked down at her new sword, getting an idea.

"I think I know how. But I'll need your help in getting there."

"Understood. Ganyu! Xiao!"

"On it!" Ganyu and Xiao say together.

Barbara heads down to the lower level to help Xinyan clear out the remaining creatures. This throws Xinyan off a little bit, but she doesn't say anything until the horde was completely cleared out.

"Barbara! You alright!"

"I'm fine. But you really need to see something."

Barbara points in the direction of Guyun Stone Forest to show Xinyan that giant shadowy ball hanging over the area.

"HOLY MORAX!!!" Xinyan exclaims.

"That's where these things are coming from. If we close it, then they'll stop coming through."

"And how the heck are we gonna do that!?"

"I have an idea. But you have to trust me, okay?"

Barbara shows Xinyan her new sword.

"Hey! I got one too!" Xinyan shows Barbara hers. "You think these things are the key to closing that giant portal in the sky?"

"I don't know. But it's our only shot."

"Well, what are we waiting for!? Let's get movin'!"

On cue, Xiao picks up both Barbara and Xinyan and carries them off to Guyun Stone Forest.

Once they land in the arena where the Geo Hypostasis WOULD be, instead.... it was just an empty area. But it doesn't stay empty for long, as the moment the two set foot here, from the ground emerge shadowy version of themselves.

"Oh, shazbut.... This doesn't look good at all." Xinyan states with worry.

"Hmmmmph..." Barbara was whimpering a little bit.

"Something tells me these things ain't gonna make it easy for us."

The shadowy version of Xinyan and Barbara stand near motionless, shrouded in a misty aura that made them incredibly imposing.

"But remember, Barbs. We got new weapons. Let's use 'em."

".... You're right.... We can do this!"

[BOSS FIGHT: SHADOW BARBARA AND SHADOW XINYAN]

The two husks begin moving around in a similar manner to the creatures before. The difference: They were more calculating then their lower brethren. This puts both Barbara and Xinyan on edge. Shadow Xinyan goes in against Xinyan. The two clash with each other, and it becomes very clear: their doppelgangers were just ever so slightly stronger. Only slightly though, making the fight challenging, but not completely unwinnable.

Barbara was struggling a little bit with her doppelganger, whereas Xinyan was faring just a bit better. The familiar sounds of swords clanging and clashing with each other could be heard. For the most part, the fight was fairly even, until Xinyan makes an unusual discovery.

As Xinyan's doppelganger was preparing for a bigger attack, Xinyan retaliates with a quick lunge, forcing a connection. It turns into a power struggle between the two, both even. Eventually, Xinyan wins out and pushes her doppelganger into a stunned state, whereby she follows up with a quick roll-in to uppercut slash. She then jumps into the air, coming down with a vertical strike downward, knocking her doppelganger back. She had just performed Climhazard for the first time.

"Whoa!.... How did I do that!?"

Meanwhile, Barbara goes through a similar experience. She too gets into a power struggle with her doppelganger, only to win out and follow up with four horizontal strikes, one left, one right, two left in a spin.

"What's going on!?" Barbara inquired. "It's.... It's like I just reacted!"

"Hang on.... Barbara, I think you're on to something."

The conversation gives the doppelgangers time to recoup and stage a counter-offensive.

"How about I just show ya!" Xinyan stated with confidence.

Xinyan's doppelganger comes in with a few swift strikes, all of which Xinyan manages to dodge on reaction.

"See? I think these new weapons of ours are giving us new powers. So why not experiment a little bit?"

That left her open. Shadow Xinyan manages to land a blow to Xinyan while she was distracted. And it hit HARD.

"GAH!!! Ungh....." Xinyan is sent flying to the edge of the arena.

"Xinyan!" Barbara throws out her burst to quickly heal Xinyan, then casts her Elemental Skill. Switching to her catalyst for now, she throws out various water based attacks that admittedly don't deal much damage. The upside: Each hit heals both Xinyan and Barbara for a little bit of health. This was enough for Xinyan to get back on her feet and get back into the fight.

"Alright...Note to self: Never turn your back on your opponent."

Xinyan switches to her Claymore to summon dual fire shields for both herself and Barbara. Now the fight was even. But these husks were ruthless. They started moving around again, this time a little bit faster to try and throw them off. And it works somewhat. The two are left confused, only for them to react at the last possible second at a dual coordinated strike on each of them. Each strike narrowly misses the originals. They both switch back to their new swords, resetting neutral to resume the various clashes.

Once again, Xinyan gets into another power struggle, and so does Barbara simultaneously. They both win out, except the outcome would be different. The two of them jump towards each other, backs together, and they both charge forward, striking at each of their doppelgangers, both of them yelling with immense effort.

The fight gets a bit more intense as the two Shadows merge into one being, an amalgamation of what Barbara and Xinyan might look like if they fused together. This mass then disappears and blankets the entire arena in a heavy black fog, making visibility nigh impossible.

"What the heck!?" Xinyan lets out.

They could barely see anything. And once more, more of those weaker shadowy figures would emerge. Seemingly separated, Barbara and Xinyan are forced to clear out a horde of twenty or so each. Once that was done, the heads of the two shadows emerge, and all they could see were those glowing yellow eyes. These eyes fire lasers at them both. Xinyan manages to block the one fired at her, but Barbara does not. She takes heavy damage, which becomes apparent when the black fog finally clears out. Barbara was on her knees, yet somehow still conscious.

"Barbs!" Xinyan rushes over to Barbara, helping her onto her feet, only to be blindsided by the Shadow Barbara, which was stalking the original now.

"!.... HAAAAA!!!" With an almost primal yell, Barbara swings her new sword at the Shadow Barbara, which gets sent flying back. Now her doppelganger was on the backfoot and wounded.

"Get 'im, Barbs!" Xinyan encourages excitedly.

With newfound resolve, Barbara, though VERY levelheaded, gets back up and starts rushing to her doppelganger, only to be stopped by Shadow Xinyan. New sword in hand, Barbara and Shadow Xinyan were now doing battle with each other. Eventually, they get into another power struggle. This new version of Barbara had never been seen before. Once a shy, quiet idol, she was now a bold, fearless warrior of her own caliber. Though she wasn't the typical warrior type, she was starting to come into the role. She wins out in the struggle, following up with her strongest water-based attack to date. She throws out her arms, summoning a sphere of water arge enough to surround Shadow Xinyan. She then brings her arms down Demon Kane style, causing that sphere to erupt in a huge splash of water.

Meanwhile, Xinyan sees that the fight was now in their favor after watching Shadow Xinyan was now on its knees.

"Come on, Barbs! Let's finish 'em off!"

"Right!"

Barbara and Xinyan get back together and put their new swords together. They each activate their visions, fire and water coming together to create a massive column of steam. And through the steam, they rush through, both in sync.

"HAAAAAAAAAH!!!" They both let out together.

The final blow is delivered to these shadows, which erupt in a blinding light from the double forward thrust.

The doppelgangers then disappear in a huge puff of black smoke. What remained were small speckles of light whimsically floating up into the sky.

"Huff.... huff...."

"Huff.... huff...."

"MAN, that was tough...." Xinyan lets out in an exhausted tone.

"Yeah.... but we make a good team.... Don't we?"

"Yeah, we do.... Now.... how do we close this thing?"

Barbara looks down at her new sword. Then, she gets an idea.

"Hm.... Why don't we try pointing our new swords at it? It's too high up for us to reach it."

"You think that'll work?"

"I'm not sure.... But it's the only thing I can think of."

After a moment's pause, Xinyan holds up her new sword.

"Well.... Here's hopin'."

In unison, they each raise their new swords to the giant floating mass of dark energy. And their swords do the work for them. Two circles form around the ends, and then two beams of light shoot up towards the mass. On contact, the giant mass begins shrinking down, until it finally closes entirely.

When it does, it creates a ripple effect around Teyvat. All of the remaining shadowy husks suddenly disappear. Mondstadt, Inazuma, Enkanomiya, Fontaine, even Dragonspine. In rapid succession, the husks disappear with quiet pops. Thus, Teyvat was saved.

"Well, waddaya know? That actually worked! Barbara, you're a genius!" Xinyan declared with glee.

"Well, it was kind of a lucky guess to be honest with you."

"Still, I think that wraps up this little adventure. What do you think?"

"Yeah.... Let's head back to Sanctuary."

"What exactly WERE those things though? They certainly ain't Malfested or the Abyss Order. That's for sure."

"I don't know. But did you notice? They all had a weird heart shaped symbol on their bodies."

Xinyan was opening a portal as Barbara explained.

"I noticed that too. What exactly could it mean?"

"Let's not worry about it for right now. At least we have an amazing story to tell the others."

"You're right, Barbs. Come on. Let's go."

And through the portal back to Sanctuary they go.