The cold of Snezhnaya isn't the worst part. It's the silence. The heavy weight of expectation that presses down with every step I take through the Citadel. They're waiting for me to mess up.
Every soldier I pass looks at me with the same question in their eyes: Who are you, really?
But no one dares speak it out loud. The mask says it all. The armor says it all. Capitano is the embodiment of the Fatui's iron fist.
The truth, though? I'm barely holding it together.
These powers… they're not mine. They're his. Whoever Capitano was before me. And I have no idea what they mean, how to control them—or how much damage I could cause if I lose grip on them.
I need to figure it out. Fast.
I leave the Citadel behind for a while—taking a route through the snowfields, down into the caves that run deep beneath the fortress. They're old, barely used, carved by hands long forgotten. A place where no one would hear me scream if I couldn't rein it in.
The deeper I go, the colder the air becomes. The walls are slick with ice, and every step echoes too loudly, as if the very caves are watching.
At the heart of this frozen maze is a chamber—circular, stone walls covered in layers of frost. The ground is smooth, made for battle, made for testing strength.
I take off the heavy cloak, and the armor feels tighter. Restricting. Like it's holding me back, but also urging me forward.
I take a deep breath, letting the silence settle in.
And then… I raise my hand.
Nothing.
For a moment, I think maybe I've been imagining it all. The whispers. The shadows. The darkness I felt stir within me in Sumeru.
Then it comes.
A hum—low at first. A pulse in the air, like the thrum of a distant drum. My hand begins to tremble, and I feel something shift beneath my ribs.
I close my fist, and the power surges.
It's like a storm breaking free. The shadows twist around me, not like the soft elements I've seen before. This is denser, darker, more tangible. The air turns cold—colder than it has any right to be—and I feel the pressure building, like the whole room could collapse from the force.
I grit my teeth. Focus.
I open my hand again, this time pushing outward with every ounce of willpower I have. The shadows lash out—faster than I expect. They wrap around the stone like tendrils, breaking the floor apart in jagged cracks, before pulling back into the air like they were never there.
I breathe heavily, feeling the weight of it.
This power… it's Capitano's. I can feel the weight of it in my chest, in my bones. Like it's been waiting for me to let it loose.
"Enough," I say, half to myself, half to whatever's in me.
I close my hand again, and the shadows recede, leaving nothing behind but splintered rock and shattered ice.
I don't know if I'm controlling it. Or if I'm just lucky.
A voice echoes through the chamber.
"You should be careful."
I whirl, hand instinctively lifting to summon the shadows again. But I stop. Arlecchino is standing at the edge of the room, her expression unreadable.
"How long have you been here?" I ask, my voice still thick from the power.
"Long enough." She steps forward, her heels clicking on the stone floor with every deliberate step. "You're playing with fire, Capitano. And not the kind that only burns."
I stare at her, the air between us thick with tension.
"Why do you care?" I ask, the shadows swirling in the air around me like an untamed beast.
Her eyes flicker to the stone floor, where the cracks are still smoking from my outburst. "Because this… is no small power. It doesn't obey. It doesn't listen to commands. It changes you."
I can't help but laugh, bitter and low. "I'm already changed."
Arlecchino stops in front of me, her gaze sharp. "Then you should understand—Capitano's power isn't just strength. It's control. And if you lose control, you'll find it doesn't just destroy your enemies. It destroys everything."
I don't know what to say to that. There's a part of me that wants to throw it all out the window, to let the storm rage inside me until there's nothing left.
But I know better. The power is tempting. It's whispering to me. Give in. Let go.
"Then what do I do?" I ask, my voice quieter now.
Arlecchino studies me for a long moment. "You find a way to live with it. Or it will consume you. Just like it consumed him."
She turns to leave, but before she steps out of the chamber, she pauses.
"Remember, Capitano," she says over her shoulder, "power is a gift. But it is also a curse. And you won't have the luxury of time to figure out which."
With that, she's gone.
I stand in the middle of the room, the echoes of her words hanging in the air.
The shadows coil and stretch around me like they're waiting for my next move. The power is still there, still alive inside me.
But I'm no longer sure who's in charge.