#v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au]

[shallliveoninsong]

|| @maskednihilism kinda cont. .from [X]

In the depths of a secret underground lab tucked away on one of the small, unnamed islands in the sea on the Luofu the Disciples of Scantus Medicus were making strides on their latest project.

The Ravager Phantylia's plan may have fallen through but it wasn't for naught and the Disciples could reap some benefits from the failure. With the Disciples now on the run and their numbers scarce after the failure they needed something to interfere with the Luofu's operations so they could regain their footing. An attack on the Alchemy Commission in the middle of the night was launched with one goal: to capture the man who was the biggest obstacle in their plans; General Jing Yuan. A few healers were harmed in the attack, not that it was of any consequence to the Disciples.

And now they had made much progress with the Cloud Knight General. The power of the Destruction that Phantylia had forced into him fought for control of its host despite the connection being severed. There just needed to be a little something more.

Over the weeks following the General's disappearance they experimented with force-feeding him Mara-inducing medicinal pellets. It made the General temporarily Mara-struck but the Destruction didn't react with the procedure. It wasn't what the Disciples needed.

Gradual liquid injections worked much better. And unlike the pellets the effect interacted with the Destruction in the General in a very unique way. It made the General moldable and easy to condition but not completely Mara-struck and mindless. Yes, they could work with this. _____

Jing Yuan was too weak to speak, nor even take in much of his surroundings. A dimly lit room. Cold. His arms ached and burned.

The General could barely move. He was suspended in the air by chains and shackles on his wrists and ankles. But even his head felt too heavy to hold up. His normally light hair was a dark gray with grime and dust. Dried splotches of blood decorated it, though whether it was his or someone else's was a mystery.

How long had he been here? It was all a blur. But not from falling asleep--no seldom was he granted solace from this mess by sleep. Hazy fits of rage and combat he couldn't quite remember interrupted the times when he was fully conscious of what was going on.

Each breath he took shot pain through his lungs where Cloud Piercer had gone through him. The Fragmentum corrosion had spread across most of his torso from the wound. He couldn't see it under his battered and bloodstained tunic even without his darker-toned armor, but he could feel it. Spreading across him like a plague. But no matter how much he thrashed he couldn't get free. So instead he hung there, taking shallow breaths to lessen the daggers of pain that shot through his lungs with every inhale.

"One more dose and things will be complete," the leader of this crew said.

Another member acknowledged the statement before affixing another liquid dose to the IV hooked into the General's arm. The Disciples had nothing to fear out here in the middle of nowhere. No one would be able to find the underground base and get past all the locked doors and surviving members operating out of it. No one, except for one thief.

#maskednihilism #(this got away from me a bit sorry i was hyped lmao. consider everything before) #(the read more just setup lmao dont match it jfc) #(also sorry not sorry ; ) #(you bully your boi i bully mine uwu) #blood cw #kidnapping cw #human experimentation cw #calculated not lazy; mostly [jing yuan] #spoilers cw #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au] #needles cw

[shallliveoninsong]

|| @maskednihilism ★ plotted ★

Pesky Artisans. Their machines had been causing too much trouble for the Disciples lately, so he was tasked with putting an end to it. Waiting until night as the handful of stragglers were leaving he lay in wait. It would be easy enough to pick them off without anyone noticing at this hour. Cloaked in dark yet nondescript Xianzhou garb his face couldn't be made out in the shadows and under the hood.

Of course, he didn't bring his own weapon. Too recognizeable. A standard Cloud Knight-issued glaive in hand he descended onto the unsuspecting unarmed blacksmiths from the rooftops. The first is stabbed through the back and killed instantly, the others shout and scatter. Ripping the glaive out of the corpse Jing Yuan pivots and impales one of the fleeing craftspeople before they could get more than a couple of feet. The blade gets stuck in that one, causing him to lose a valuable few seconds. Whoever's blade this was they weren't keeping it sharp. By the time he detaches the corpse from his blade to take down the remaining two an unexpected factor has been thrown into the mix.

The thief. He blocked the path between him and his targets. Had Koski been following him or was this sheer coincidence?

Speaking would give himself away, so instead he pointed the blade at the thief and gave a quick gesture with his gloved hand.

Leave. Get out of the way and I'll let you walk away. was clear.

#maskednihilism #(here u go time to assassins creed it up round here lmao ; ) #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au] #death cw #blood cw #stabbing cw

[shallliveoninsong]

|| @maskednihilism cont. from [X]!

Sampo doesn't respond. The general can't say that this outcome wasn't predictable. He keeps a fair distance away from the con man, yet is now standing parallel to him. They would have been shoulder to shoulder if it weren't for the distance. He doesn't want to spook him away not right now anyway. Jing Yuan loosely crosses his arms. There are no weapons in his hands and even if he summoned the Starfall Reverie they were in plain sight.

"Still shaken up?" The question is asked with nothing but concern in the general's voice. After all, what kind of friend wouldn't be concerned for someone they hadn't heard from in a while?

"Listen I... don't quite know what you remember. The doctors said this kind of matter is very tricky. I'm not an expert so I can do little other than heed their advice."

Jing Yuan leans his head forward slightly, trying to catch the thief's eye--or read his expression.

"So please... let me help you, Sampo."

#maskednihilism #calculated not lazy; mostly [jing yuan] #(heehee.mp3) #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au]

[shallliveoninsong]

◇ Some hc's for the sleeper au

Early on Jing Yuan attacks the Divination Commission and damages all the matrices there to a huge degree to prevent divinations, of course, to stop the diviners from easily figuring out what else the Disciples have planned or figure out what's afflicting him.

There's still a small part of him managing to resist, to try and keep citizens as uninvolved as possible so should he attack someone the real him tries to make it be a Cloud Knight/someone who's armed or someone presenting direct interference.

The serum that was forced upon him was a concoction of Abundence power and those medicinal pellets the Disciples use to purposefully trigger a mara-induced state for their own purposes. However, the Destruction that was still in him from the Phantylia fight is at constant war with the Abundance power. It keeps him lucid unlike someone who's fully mara-struck but each power keeps growing in him, striving for full control of their new vessel.

(Unless later stated otherwise since we've literally never met either of them) Nanook and Yaoshi feel like they are playing tug of war with their newest toy. Both would benefit from having Jing Yuan under their control to further their own Path's desires.

Those attuned with the Abundance and know of what was done to the general (aka, the Disciples) are able to have their own magic react with the Abundance in Jing Yuan now, which is what activates him to follow their mission and whims. Distance between whoever is influencing him and the general does not matter, one just needs to know the information the researchers who tormented him gathered during the experiments.

As for his scar of Stelleron corrosion, it is no longer suppressed, it continues to spread all across his torso. Despite this being very painful he's kept alive from the spread of corrosion by the Abundance. His healing factor has increased tenfold, even something as fatal as getting impaled by a blade will be healed in a matter of minutes so long as the blade gets removed so his flesh can reform. The healing process itself doesn't hurt, just the initial injury.

#(hi im brainrotting about this again but in my defense uH) #(JY's english VA also thinks it would be neat if he gets corrupted or becomes a boss later in the game sO xD) #calculated not lazy; mostly [jing yuan] #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au] #string of clues [headcanon]

[shallliveoninsong]

◇ Verse added! Because I hate happiness for my muses apparently lol.

v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au]

After the battle with Phantylia while the general was still healing from his injuries the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus broke into the Alchemy Commission and captured him. While believed the act was done in an attempt to hold him as a hostage for leverage, in reality it was done to make him into a sleeper agent of sorts for their causes.

The 'medicinal' pellets and injections forced on him combined with the power of the Destruction still in him caused Jing Yuan to slip into half Mara-struck half puppet of the Destruction state. Like a virus flaring up under the influence of these two powers he is willing and able to betray everyone he used to hold dear to further the plans of his torturers. However, he is far from mindless when in this state. He's as cunning as ever, making it all the more difficult for anyone to attribute any disruption of Xianzhou operations or acts of violence back to the general. When this 'virus' goes into hibernation Jing Yuan has no idea what he's been doing while under the influence of the Mara and Destruction and acts as his usual self.

#ooc: Mew mews #(i like pain and suffering i think has become obvious lol) #dark themes cw #mind control cw #torture cw #human experimentation cw #(idk how else to tag this but it is not a happy fun time) #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au] #spoilers cw

[shallliveoninsong]

ooc. HEADCANON ME bih ;p

| meme prompt! | @maskednihilism |

◇ You gonna hate me for this buT-- In the sleeper agent au when the schemes of the Disciples start ramping up again as they try and make their comeback and Jing Yuan starts attacking and killing people at some point Sampo manages to catch up with him and confirm that it has been him behind all the suspicious stuff happening recently.

But no one there is to witness this but Sampo. And amidst their conflict he taunts the thief, saying something along the lines of 'So you finally figured it out. But no one would ever believe a con man like you.' and then basically slanders Sampo's name to everyone else and marks him as a wanted criminal on the Luofu.

Yanqing and Yukong probably have their doubts about the sudden change, but of course how are they supposed to go against the word of a person they've trusted for so long? They'd be hard-pressed to hear him out. Perhaps Yanqing even gets sent after Sampo to apprehend him.

#maskednihilism #(asks) #(i know we've kinda discussed this but : ) #(here to make it official) #calculated not lazy; mostly [jing yuan] #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au]

[shallliveoninsong]

it’s great to see you, but i gotta tell you, i’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. - Eden to the sleepy lion

| prompts from the Incredibles | @doloniadiegesis

Jing Yuan laughed, his familiar and typical good-natured laugh as if he was sharing a good inside joke with the Trailblazer.

"Really now? Come now, I thought we were better friends than this. I know I often avoid the Seat of Divine Foresight but to try and rummage around my desk while I was out is a bit much, wouldn't you say?"

Of course, the invisible seals had prevented the Nameless from doing so, but her actions didn't go unnoticed.

"If there's something you wish to know, you need but ask and if I'm able, I will provide the information you seek. However, if it is sensitive Xianzhou matters I'm afraid I won't be able to cover for your snooping next time. Understand?"

#doloniadiegesis #(asks) #(I still wheeze at his messager profile's status being that he's NOT at his office lol) #calculated not lazy; mostly [jing yuan] #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au]

[shallliveoninsong]

"Be honest... Are you really my General? Or are you parading around as him?" (ooc. For the sleeper agent au BITCH)

send me "be honest..." with a question your muse has been dying to ask mine and they'll answer truthfully | @maskednihilism fite me bih <3 |

"Eh? What's this all of a sudden my good fellow?" The general rubs his tired eyes with one hand.

Unknowst to both of them, a magical force coursed through him in that moment. To protect itself and the mission, it would alter the general as necessary. Altering beliefs, knowledge, and will as needed.

"This isn't one of your best jokes," he says with a laugh. "Don't be silly, of course I'm the same person I've always been. Just a tad bit older and sleepier."

#maskednihilism #v; lightless dawn [sleeper agent au] #(asks) #(narrator voice: THE DESTRUCTION-ABUDNENCE LIED LIKE A LIAR) #(he aint tryin to lie but. gestures)