[EARLY ACCESS] SHRINK IMPACT | GENSHIN IMPACT - CHAPTER 28

[The previous chapter is a little more bite-sized than usual, so I'm uploading both Chapter 27 & 28 today!]

The morning came slowly, blue light leaking around the edges of Sucrose’s curtains, bathing the room in a soft, dreamlike glow. For a while, you lay half-awake, cocooned in the shallow hollow of her collarbone. Her pulse was steady beneath your ear, and her skin, still sticky with sweat and the faded traces of last night’s lust, radiated a warmth you could almost mistake for comfort.

You’d stopped struggling against her in the night.

Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe you had truly begun to break — but some small part of you had accepted that, for now, you belonged to her. You could feel her breath stirring the top of your head, the slow, possessive way her fingers curled around you, even in her sleep. Sometimes, her grip would tighten and she’d mumble softly, nuzzling you closer, as if fearing even dreams might take you away.

When Sucrose finally woke, it was with a shudder, her eyelids fluttering, arms drawing you up against her chest in an instinctive, needy embrace.

“…Don’t go…” she murmured, half-asleep. Her voice was low, hoarse with need and sadness. “Please don’t run…I get so lonely…”

You looked up at her — saw the faint sheen of tears in her lashes, the conflict warring behind those usually gentle eyes.

She wasn’t herself anymore, not really. Not the sweet alchemist who would blush at a compliment or hide behind her notes in the library. Her obsession with you had made her someone else — someone whose love was a cage.

The minutes passed in silence, your body gently rocked by her heartbeat. You realized with a small, chilling certainty that you were starting to understand her moods: the way she would calm when you stopped struggling, the shivers that ran through her when she squeezed you too tightly, the whispered apologies that always came too late.

It was almost peaceful —

until the sound of urgent footsteps, muffled by the heavy rug, cut through the quiet.

A knock at the door.

Then a voice, crisp and familiar:

“Sucrose? It’s Mona. Open up — please, it’s important.”

Mona!?
You could hardly believe it. Was it really her? Had she really shown up?

Sucrose jolted awake, arms clamping around you in a panic, pressing you flush against her heart. Her breathing quickened, and her whole body seemed to tense like a startled animal.

“Stay quiet,” she whispered, voice trembling. “Don’t let her see you, please—”

But Mona wasn’t waiting for an invitation.

With a soft crackle of magic, the door swung open, and Mona swept in — her cloak swirling, her hat slightly askew, her eyes sharp and furious. She barely spared Sucrose a glance before her gaze fixed on you, small and helpless in the alchemist’s grasp.

“Give them to me, Sucrose,” she said, her voice colder than you’d ever heard. “Now.”

Sucrose clutched you even tighter, shaking her head frantically. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her hair sticking to her damp skin.

“No! You can’t — you can’t take them!” Sucrose wailed. “I need them! You don’t understand, Mona — I’m nothing without them! Please—don’t—don’t—”

Her words dissolved into broken sobs, her arms trembling.

Mona stepped forward, her hands glowing with swirling blue runes. Her expression was both pitying and resolute.

“I’m sorry, Sucrose. But this has to stop. The Traveler isn’t yours to keep. They’re not a pet, or a lucky charm, or a substitute for your loneliness. They’re a person.”

She began to chant softly, magic thrumming in the air, the room filling with the scent of rain and ozone.

Sucrose whimpered, backing away, but it was no use — Mona’s magic was already working, drawing you gently from Sucrose’s arms like a tide pulling at a piece of driftwood.

“No, no, no—!” Sucrose reached for you one last time, but Mona’s spell swept her back.

The blue glow expanded, wrapping Sucrose in a shimmering bubble. She struggled for a moment, pounding her fists against the magical barrier, then slumped to her knees, overcome by sobs. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, her words a hoarse, desperate litany.

“Please, Mona…please…don’t take them…please…”

Mona’s spell completed with a snap — a soothing wash of magic and quiet, and Sucrose slumped over, finally overcome by exhaustion and heartbreak. Her hands fell limply to her lap, her eyes squeezed shut, and she wept silently, shoulders shaking.

You hovered in the air, cradled in Mona’s gentle magic.

The next thing you felt was the soft warmth of her hands, her palms enveloping you, lifting you to her chest.

Her expression was different now — all the ice gone, replaced by gentle worry and real regret.

She pressed you between the soft, pillowy warmth of her breasts, wrapping her arms protectively around you. Her heart raced beneath your ear, but it was a steady, anchoring sound.

“Traveler…I’m so sorry.”

Her voice was thick, almost breaking. “I should have been there sooner. I let my jealousy and my own feelings get in the way. I know what Sucrose did wasn’t fair to you — or to herself. I promise, I’ll never let you feel that helpless again. Never.”

She stroked your hair with one fingertip, her touch so gentle you almost cried with relief.

“You’re safe now. I’m taking you to Liyue. The adepti there might know how to help…and if it takes a lifetime, I’ll stay by your side until you’re whole again.”

She hugged you even tighter, warmth enveloping you from every side, her scent clean and a little spicy — like star anise and fresh water.

“I know I was possessive before,” Mona whispered, lowering her face until her lips brushed your hair, “but I want to be better. I want to be your friend, your ally, not your captor. I want you to choose to be with me. Can you forgive me?”

For a moment, you couldn’t speak.

You simply let yourself melt into her embrace, feeling small, safe, and wanted for the first time since you’d shrunk.

Mona took a deep, trembling breath and tucked you gently inside her cloak, close to her heart, the spell shimmering softly around you both.

As she carried you from the room, you looked back through the open door.

Sucrose was still curled on the floor, trapped in her own grief, her hand outstretched toward where you’d been.

Her mouth moved in silence, whispering your name.

You felt sorrow for her — but mostly, you felt hope. Maybe Mona was really your protector after all.

And maybe, with her help, in Liyue…you’d finally be able to turn back to normal.