#and maybe a certain anemo dragon

[lanternlightss]

sometimes i wish nameless bard somehow were still alive because i would do anything to see other characters’ reactions to him casually saying “my venti”

[osmanthus-wine-addiction]

05 Collaring

Zhongli x Reader / NSFW / SAGAU / Set after the events of Fontaine Archon Quest / Not Canon-Compliant / Reader is Creator Primordial God 2.0 / Mentions of romanticized death and suicidal ideation / Starts out light & kinky and ends up dark and angsty as with everything I write

"Your Grace?" The old god's voice trembled as he approached you.

Stagnant emotions stirred to life in the depths of his amber eyes. There you stood in front of him, like a resurrected phantom from his distant past, familiar yet so unrecognizable.

A warm smile spread over your lips. Out of all the faces in Teyvat, you looked forward to seeing his the most.

Zhongli had always been your favorite of the seven Archons. From the moment you laid eyes on him, he had a certain hold over you. That had always been the case for the past four years. It was no different now that you were no longer separated by a screen.

The moment you spawned, curled up in that oversized marble throne up in the sky over Teyvat, they all felt it. Memories flooded into your head, causing you to nearly vomit from the overload. Just your luck. Instead of some unknown adventurer, the role you had been thrust into was that of the game's final antagonist, the Creator of Teyvat, which had been asleep until you appeared.

"You've finally returned." He said gravely.

"You don't sound happy to see me, Morax." You took a seat in the lacquered chair in front of him, sipping on the tea he had brought you. "Or should I call you Zhongli now, since you've abandoned the post given to you?"

You couldn't let him onto the fact that you weren't the same person who had given him his divine title, not without ensuring your own safety first. You might be down bad for this man, but your braincells were still alive and well. Out of the seven archons the original Creator appointed, only two remained. Most have given away their gnosis and one even managed to destroy their divine seat and return sovereignty to a dragon. It was needless to say, Celestia's control over them had been slipping long before you stepped in.

"I have not, your Grace. My exit was necessary for the people of Liyue. If I did not leave, I fear the erosion I am subjected to under the Heavenly Principles will cause undue harm to them, which I cannot bear to see."

"If you wanted to leave, why are you still mingling with them disguised as a funeral consultant, hm?" You couldn't help but prod him a little. "You're quite attached to them, aren't you?"

"I am." He admitted after a pause. "Anything will grow on you given enough time."

"I guess we've grown distant then. You even threw away the gnosis I gave you."

"Forgive me, your Grace. There was no indication that you would ever return otherwise."

"I'd understand if we're speaking about the Anemo Archon, but you? I never took you for the impulsive sort. What would you have done if the Cryo Archon failed? I left you with all of my wishes and you gambled everything on an experiment to bring me back."

The ex-archon drew in a deep breath. "I don't expect to escape the consequences. Punish me as you see fit."

"Oh, I'll punish you." The corner of your lips curled slightly. "Not too harshly though. You're my favorite afterall."

You didn't miss the ripple of shock that lit up his eyes momentarily. The Creator he remembered would never have said such a thing. Maybe you should tone the favoritism down a bit. Morax wasn't dumb. If he found out the Creator had been hijacked, you might actually be in trouble.

Well, that part didn't exactly pan out as you imagined. You were spending way too much time with him even though you deliberately told yourself to avoid him when you could. Even with the original Creator's memories to skim over, you were ultimately not the same person. Of course you would slip up, repeatedly at that. He kept popping up in places you happened to be at unannounced, drifting into his spot beside you like you had willed it to happen in your head. It was like all the forces in Teyvat, the earth, the wind, the rain, everything was giving its utmost efforts to fulfill some sort of unspoken demand of yours.

"Are you following me?" You finally couldn't take it anymore and blurted out your suspicions. "You're like my cat. I go to the bathroom, she's there. I go to the kitchen, she's there. Bedroom, there. She's like sticky rice. I know she can't leave me alone because she's obsessed with me. Are you obsessed with me?"

Zhongli stood there awkwardly, trying to articulate an explanation for his incessant appearances. He didn't even get the chance to process that you were talking about a cat that didn't even exist in Teyvat, but rather in your homeworld.

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it, your Grace? I assure you though, I was simply on my way to purchase some tea."

Maybe he was telling the truth. Two things could be true at once. There must be a reason, you stubbornly thought. This wasn't normal!

You had to get down to the bottom of this, or you'll definitely drive yourself crazy. As a logical person tossed into a fantastical place like Teyvat, you were sorely out of your element. Trying to exercise common sense here was like trying to measure water with a ruler. It made no sense, but you persisted. You'd conduct experiments and find answers.

As the Creator of Teyvat, the first descender, your will was said to be powerful enough to rival the world. Your feats included sealing away its original sovereigns and rearranging its landscape. You also created life and implemented the heavenly principles that gave order and structure to the world you willed into existence. All who belonged to Teyvat succumbed to your will to some extent.

Your gaze landed on a stray cat pacing back and forth under a food stall. There was a morsel at the edge of the counter. You narrowed your eyes on it, focusing all your attention at it.

"Fall." You uttered under your breath.

A gust of wind knocked the inconspicuous piece of food off the edge, sending it spiraling to the ground. The cat picked it up and happily sprinted off. You were left speechless.

Once, it could be a coincidence. Twice, it might still be a coincidence. Third time, it had to be divine intervention.

After the lucky cat had its fill, you accepted the uncanny possibility that as the Creator god of Teyvat, you might have some say in what happens in it. Maybe, just maybe… you were the reason Zhongli couldn't leave you alone.

If you liked him a normal amount, he would have no trouble escaping your gravitational pull, but your love for him was a little bit extra. If you wanted him to kiss you badly enough, he would probably have to. Whether he trips and falls on you at exactly the right angle for your lips to accidentally meet or he suddenly gets an unreasonably strong urge to push you against a wall and smother you was more-or-less a matter of execution.

Zhongli was a patient soul. His kiss was gentle and unrushed like he was, savoring the taste and sensation of your lips as he caressed them. At that moment, your respective identities melted away. His arms held your body against his chest, his hands cradled the back of your head, and his fingers buried themselves in your hair. The streets of Liyue faded from your ears. All you could hear was your rapidly beating heart.

The kiss repeated itself inside your head for hours on end, stealing your sleep even after you had retreated into your bed. It hadn't happened out of nowhere since you willed it to happen, but the question still plagued you. Did you take advantage of him? Could that kiss even be considered a kiss? How much intention was invested on his end and if you weren't the Creator god of Teyvat, would a kiss have ever happened between you? Probably not, you dejectedly concluded.

"I'm not the original Creator, Zhongli." You finally confessed to him after months of indulgence and pretending. He hummed softly as you drew circles on his skin.

"Your Grace…" Zhongli gazes at you with overflowing adoration. "I've known there was something different about you from the moment I laid eyes on you."

"You did?" You asked, shifting your weight as you laid on him. "What gave it away?"

The two of you had definitely gotten a lot more intimate following that first kiss. You felt at ease in his arms and so you found yourself constantly glued to him. His presence was magnetic to you and yours to him.

"You do a rather poor job of concealing your true self, I must say." He chuckled.

"I was half-expecting you to kill me or something as soon as you knew I wasn't the original Creator." You closed your eyes, letting your face rest against the curve of his neck as his fingers combed through your hair. The last of your worries were expelled with his words of reassurance.

"Now why would I do something so uncalled for? You've done nothing to warrant such harsh retaliation."

"I don't know. What if you saw me as a threat to Liyue? I saw what the Tianquan Ningguang did to the Lord of the Vortex when he reared his head. She definitely learned that from somewhere."

Despite Rex Lapis being dead, you could still feel the intense residual devotion this place had for their past archon. You wondered if he felt the same reverence for the Creator before you arrived. From your inherited memories, the original Creator had a habit of dropping pointy things from the sky.

"I will not harm you, nor will I ever allow the others to." He whispered, his every word carrying weight.

Upon arrival in Teyvat, you had made your rounds visiting the other nations and meeting with the other archons. To their disappointment, you never stayed for long. Your favoritism was undeniable. You had practically taken up root in Liyue. The only place you skipped was Fontaine, since it was probably a good idea to avoid the resident Hydro Sovereign in case he opted to take out his justice on you. You wondered if he'd believe you if you said you weren't the original Creator who sealed away his kind.

"Of course you won't." You murmured against his ear. "Even though I'm not the same person, I'm still the Creater and you're still an archon. You're bound by my will. If I tell you to go left, you're not able to go right."

"I am not a puppet, your Grace." He disagreed. "Neither is your will a leash."

"Kiss me." You ordered him. "Let's see if you've got it in you to disobey me."

He raised a brow at your choice of a challenge. A couple seconds of silence passed between the two of you. You began to wonder if Zhongli really could resist your will. Your eyes fell on his lips. They were relaxed, not pressed tightly against each other. Your thoughts drifted off to the handful of times he kissed you. His lips were always gentle whenever they brushed against yours. What would it be like he were swept up in a bit of fervor? Would he draw your lips harshly between his own, or would he part them impatiently so that he could slip his tongue in?

Your throat suddenly became drier than the deserts of Sumeru. A faint blush began to spread over your cheeks. Zhongli swallowed, but didn't move in the slightest. You were already beginning to feel hot and restless. Who were you kidding? The one with the figurative collar around their neck was obviously you. You knew that since before you got sucked into this game.

"You're really not going to kiss me." You realized.

"I am not immune to you any more than anyone else residing in Teyvat. I simply have self-restraint." He calmly says, which gets your blood boiling.

"Fine, you've got self-restraint. I don't!"

You playfully bit the man on the lip before kissing him with vengeance. He moaned softly as he endured your incense ministrations.

"Well demonstrated." He chuckled when you finally pulled away.

"Tease me again and I'll put a collar on you." You warned.

"If you wish to do so, it's within your divine right." He replied with utmost seriousness.

You treated him so differently from the original Creator. If he didn't occasionally remind himself that there were irrefutable differences between you and him, he feared he'd forget his place. You were most likely joking, but perhaps a collar was what he needed.

"Should I?" You continued on, unaware of what was going on in the archon's mind. "Imagine the esteemed Mr Zhongli, being dragged along the streets of Liyue in a collar and leash…"

"Perhaps we could forego the leash?" He smiled at you, unfazed as if what you had just imagined was nothing out of the ordinary.

You looked into the old god's eyes. In his unwavering gaze you could read everything he didn't say, the depth of his devotion to you, all the outrageous things you could ever think of asking from him and the resounding answer to all of them.

"I'll allow it." You relented.

As the primoridal god of Teyvat, you had to keep your archon in line. Since you said you'd punish him, you had to see to it that he was properly disciplined.

That very evening, you dragged the poor archon to a number of shops, jewelry stalls, and even a petshop. You settled on a black choker with fine gold threading that formed an intricate pattern. It was simplistic and went along well with his current suit. A single cor lapis pendant dangled from the center.

Currently, that pendant was caught between your lips as you straddled him. Since he said it was your divine right to do as you pleased with him, you wanted to see how far he'd let you go with that statement. The silk choker really did look good on him, especially after you've removed every other piece of clothing on his body. Your fingers danced along the edge of it, hooking underneath it and abruptly twisting it so that it tightened around his neck.

"Your Grace—" He coughed from lack of air.

With Zhongli's eyes blindfolded and his arms tied, he couldn't predict your movements nor interrupt you. He was completely at your mercy. You let go of the choker, returning the ability to breathe to him. As if to apologize for the distress caused, you leaned in and planted a kiss at his neck, the tip of your tongue gliding along the skin under the piece of fabric. He swallowed and panted, face flushed.

"See, it suits you." You cooed, tracing his collar with a finger. "Don't you dare take it off. If you do, I promise I'll get that leash. Maybe even a whip."

Zhongli winced in pain as you bit into his neck, drawing the heated skin between your lips. It'd be fine even if you left an unsightly mark. The choker would simply cover it, along with the faint lines caused by your tightening it around his neck.

At times, he wished they had lasted a little longer. All of them had faded too quickly. The burden of your love was quite heavy, but it was one he considered himself lucky to have been chosen to bear. You had chosen him to experience those moments with, each of them preserved in his memories like gilded gems.

In all his thousands of years of existence, the old god never foresaw a day where the missing primordial Creator he had been waiting so long for would return as a completely different person. Furthermore, he could never have forseen this new Creator would be so enamored with him. While he was reasonably honored to receive this disproportionate favor, he had initially suggested you visit the other archons more instead of spending all your time in Liyue with him. That would be fair, he told you. In hindsight, after your departure, he was glad you never listened. Few things in life were fair. Your untimely departure was far from that. The things you were killed for, none of them were your doing, but nobody believed you except him. Zhongli had paid the ultimate price for taking your side, for trying to keep you for just a moment longer. It was barely enough time to utter a proper goodbye. You were gone, just as abruptly as you had arrived.

If you had not given him so much of your precious time, what would he recount and reminisce over now that you're gone? What memories would sustain him until he reaches the end of time?

All he could do was continue living, witnessing, waiting, just as he did the first Creator. Perhaps one day you'd return to him. Perhaps you wouldn't, and yet again, it'd only be a stranger. Perhaps he'd tell them about you, just as he told you about the one that came before you.

His heart would constrict painfully at the thought and he would momentarily lose the ability to breathe just like when you would tighten the choker around his neck. He often found himself absent-mindedly toying with the collar. It remained snugly around his neck like he promised you. It was such a simple request, demanded so casually of him. To you, it might’ve been a joke. Perhaps you had long forgotten about that silk choker you picked out for him. Maybe you had forgotten about him altogether, along with this place called Teyvat. But he couldn't. Even after you had long departed from Teyvat, he had never taken it off. A few times he had to reinforce it with adeptal arts in order to keep it from disintegrating into dust over time. He couldn't possibly allow such a precious gift from you part from him out of carelessness. It was all he had left to remind him of the brief time you spent with him.

He couldn't quite place why of all the memories you had planted in him, those of nearly suffocating by the choker in your hand had seared themselves deepest. Was it because those were the rare moments he felt the sweet release of death was nearly within his grasp? Thinking of you instilled a similar sensation, but it was never the same as when you inflicted him with it. As someone who had lived for so long, who had orchestrated his own death and staged his own funeral, it was a strange obsession to have.

For those who live too long, the faces of those who have come and gone continue to haunt their memories. Even so, he never regretted meeting you, loving you, and eventually losing you. Should the day ever come that he forgets you, or the collar you gifted him finally turns to dust, he only hoped that your memories of him would continue to glimmer like gold.

[electrosair]

Hi cutie, is matchup event still open? I would like to ask for one.

I'm an INFJ. I'm a perfect definition of introvert: like and need time alone to function properly. But I can fit into any environment if needed, but after that, I still need to be alone to recharge. People say I'm a soft person with a soft heart. I won't say I'm disagree. But people also say I can make a good lead and I am an ambitious and headstrong perfectionist at work, not that I will disagree.

For my hobbies, I often read book, journal and craft things (you know, like crochet...). I prefer things that are pretty or feminine, like flowers, moon, small animals... I'm often known to be the one with good sense of fashion and I never go out without dress up, or at least taking a good care of my appearance. To my belief, keeping a presentable appearance is a way of respecting myself and others.

My favorite nations are Liyue and Fontaine, since I'm a Asian (Liyue reminds me of my homeland more than Inazuma and I love Liyue's Archon quest), and I love French's fashion and cultural (for Fontaine, and a certain dragon, too). My favorite element is anemo, maybe because I want to free myself from my mental problems.

I hope mine won't be too long since I have stop myself from oversharing! Thank you lovely, hope I would get my response soon.~

there's just one little thing i want to say liyue's archon quest is insert circus music (for me and childe at least) i could rage for an hour about how much i hated people (zhongli) on that quest but i won't because i love you

Diluc!

Your personalities are certainly similar and you will probably start to get along well after breaking the ice on a few occasions. You would have a lot to talk about in terms of ambitions and future plans.

He would start bringing you books from his own shelves and give you crocheting supplies the moment he finds out about your tastes. I can say without hesitation that Diluc would melt if you give him something handmade.

You can't say he's very feminine, but I'm sure he likes to see outfits like that on you and would notice little details like the pattern of your clothes or the accessories. He would bring you flowers or take you to see the moon as soon as you ask him to.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the Fraction of Light zine! I wrote this shortly after the Chalk Prince event, so yay for now-ancient lore references! I was originally going to have this be about Xiao and Albedo discussing Karma and Death and instead it became about legacies XD Albedo would grapple with this a lot, but since he’s so private…he wouldn’t really share these fears with anyone.

…

…

…

…

Albedo was certain of one thing as he followed Aether through meandering country roads and rocky mountain paths: Liyue had changed little in the past few centuries. There was still this idyllic atmosphere in the small tea shops that dotted the landscape, this sensation that time had frozen here. For all of the changes he had heard of in the busy capital, the countryside was still a peaceful place that went at its own pace.

Which was why if it weren’t for Aether’s exhausted descriptions of strange earth dragons, Albedo would never have returned. He had already gone through the country with his master, already finished recording the strange shields the hilichurls here carried, the odd ways they had adapted to the Geo Archon’s influence.

Albedo paused at that thought. The Geo Archon’s influence.

Unlike Mondstadt, where the Anemo Archon barely touched the people and monsters living there, Liyue was filled with Rex Lapis’s fingerprints. Perhaps that was the reason for the earth dragons? A new adaptation, or an older—

“Let’s take a break!” Aether grabbed his hand firmly, jolting Albedo out of his thoughts. With bright eyes and a brighter smile, he gestured at the sky-high building in front of them. “It’s a really nice inn. The owner’s cool. The place is only semi-haunted.”

“Should you really be bringing that up?” Paimon shivered, looking around fearfully. “What if you wake up that little girl again?”

“It should be fine. I think.” Aether pursed his lips, staring thoughtfully at the building before shaking his head. “Yeah, we’ll be fine. We’re just eating, right?”

“The snacks here are great!” Paimon chirped, pumping her fists and shaking her hips as she danced excitedly. It was fascinating how quickly she jumped from emotion to emotion. “Paimon wants everything.”

Aether sighed affectionately, giving her a look. “You’re always so greedy.”

“How rude!” she scowled, glaring ineffectively. Maybe it was her size. “Paimon is not greedy.”

Aether laughed. In the afternoon light, his long hair glinted like ripe wheat, like gold, like fire. In all honesty, Albedo might have come here even if there weren’t any dragons. These days, he found it harder and harder to say no to Aether.

These days, the sight in front of him was often more than enough to capture his interest.

It was an odd feeling. He’d have to investigate it later.

“Anyways, let’s go in.” Aether didn’t let go of Albedo’s hand as he pulled him toward the inn.

Albedo hadn’t seen a building that tall before—it could rival a mountain on its own. Architecture had never been a discipline of his—too stuffy, too static—but he might have been interested if it had been more about the towering structure before him. The top seemed to brush Celestia and the gods’ domain.

As though sensing his interest, Aether led him farther in instead of stopping by the many tables on the large wooden patio around the inn. The elevator ride up gave him an obstructed view of their surroundings—a marshland full of hilichurls, distant dust from dragons rolling through the dried earth, and even farther, the tell-tale smoke of a ruin guard’s missile. There were ruins here, older than himself, perhaps older than his master.

Would the truth of the world be buried there? Hidden in a secret crevice, untouched by man, was it just waiting for him to dig it out?

If he searched, would he finally find the answer he was looking for?

Aether tugged him forward again. Ever since he’d met the traveller, Aether always moved forward, as though staying still would kill him. Maybe it would. Albedo had never tested that theory.

“Why are we at the top?” Paimon complained as they stepped onto the sunny terrace. There was no one up here but them. She crossed her arms and stomped her foot on the air. “Paimon’s hungry!”

“You’re always hungry,” Aether replied dryly, turning away from the railing. “Just a little longer, okay?” He turned back to Albedo. “So, what do you think?”

“We have a lot of ground to cover,” Albedo mused as he eyed the terrain spread out before him like one of Klee’s quilts. If Mondstadt was a line of rolling hills and fields, then Liyue was the country of deep valleys and even taller mountains. “The hilichurl settlements here have advanced in unexpected ways. You said we can enter the adepti’s lands?”

“Somehow I knew you’d think that.” Aether chuckled wryly. “We can go after lunch.”

There was a soft whoosh, the displacement of air, and Albedo’s hand was on his hilt just as a blade pressed against his neck. Aether jumped back. There was a strange grace to the way he slid into a stance, to the way he reached for his sword. His hair coiled around him like a whip.

“Woah! What’s going on!” Paimon shouted.

Albedo slowly looked over his shoulder, following the blade down to the polearm’s other end to find a short, green-haired boy scrutinizing him. Despite the blade at his neck, the boy didn’t feel entirely hostile. If anything, he felt more perplexed than anything. The stranger’s brow furrowed. “You…”

“Xiao!” Aether sighed with relief. Smiling once more, he reached for the polearm and gently pushed it away, not fearing an attack in the least. “It’s okay! He’s with me!”

“Why’d you have to scare Paimon like that?” Paimon hovered next to Xiao, pouting. She wagged a finger at him, indignant. “We’re in a hotel! It’s supposed to be safe!”

Xiao didn’t spare her a glance. “Anyplace can be a battleground.”

“I don’t think Verr would agree to that.” Aether scratched his cheek before shaking his head. “Yeah, she wouldn’t like it. Still, I’m glad you’re here!”

Xiao glanced at Aether. After a few seconds, he huffed and retracted his weapon, though he kept a wary eye on Albedo. “It’s not the same. Why are you here?”

“Sucrose wanted Albedo to take a vacation and I accepted the commission.” Aether patted Albedo on the shoulder, bouncing on his heels in excitement. “This is Albedo! Albedo, this is Xiao.”

That greeting explained nothing. Albedo studied Xiao. There was something off about him, in the same way that Aether was a little off compared to a regular human. Despite their youthful looks, both of their eyes couldn’t hide their age, couldn’t hide the years they’d witnessed.

He should know—he saw the same eyes in the mirror. “What are you?”

Xiao’s frown returned. “What are you?”

“Ugh, why are you both like this?” Paimon hung her head, her arms dangling at her sides. “Paimon thinks they shouldn’t have met.”

“Don’t be like that, it’s fine.” Unfazed by the tension, Aether quickly stood next to Xiao. “He’s Xiao, an adeptus!” He stepped next to Albedo. “And this is Albedo, a researcher.”

“More like a mad scientist,” Paimon added snidely, snickering at her own joke.

“Mad?” Xiao repeated suspiciously.

“Not like that!” Aether laughed, breaking the tension as usual with his warm presence. He wrapped an arm around Xiao and the other one around Albedo, pulling them close. Their shoulders bumped awkwardly. Albedo leaned away before their heads knocked together. “I never thought you guys would meet! This is great!”

Xiao coloured slightly and he looked away. “Sure.”

Interesting. Albedo had seen a similar reaction in himself around Aether. A single incident was an anomaly, two a coincidence, and three a pattern. Maybe he should investigate this matter, now that he had a potential sample size. Was Aether causing this reaction, or was it pure coincidence? Perhaps a third, unknown element that connected them all?

Paimon sighed. Her stomach rumbled and she tugged on Aether’s braid. “Let’s eat!”

Aether looked up. “But—”

His stomach grumbled too and Paimon rested her hands on her hips triumphantly. “See? You’re hungry too.”

“It was a long journey,” Aether agreed reluctantly, pulling away. He sighed before brightening. “We can eat lunch together, all four of us! I’ll get you two something. Almond Tofu and,” he turned to Albedo, “a Sunshine Sprat?”

Albedo nodded, a shiver running down his spine now that Aether’s warm presence had left.

“Great! Let’s go!” Paimon started to float to the stairs. “You think they’ll burn the place down while we’re gone?”

Aether laughed as he followed. “Probably not.”

“Probably?” Paimon shouted.

Albedo watched as his companions disappeared down a flight of steps. Interruptions gone, he returned his gaze to Xiao. “What did you mean earlier?”

Xiao raised his brow but didn’t reply. He spoke even less than Diluc. There was something about him that was similar to Venti, but not quite. Was it immortality? Power? Albedo had seen multiple kinds of immortality, none of them the same. Aether smelled of the stars, Venti the wind, and this man of darkness.

Albedo wanted his paints. It was easier to think when he made quick strokes with a brush, his mind unravelling a gorgon’s knot of problems onto a blank canvas. “It’s not the same,” he repeated, his twitching fingers gripping his pants instead. “Did you mean the fact that I’m not human?”

“No.” Xiao scanned him head to toe and shook his head. His grip tightened on his polearm. He frowned. “Your presence…it’s similar to a demon’s.”

“A demon’s?” Faintly, Albedo remembered hearing about them during his last trip here. A tale of evil gods and the five guardians that vanquished them. It had sounded like a fairy tale, but then again, most of the stories in this world were grounded in some truth.

Xiao didn’t clarify. “It’s not the same.” His frown grew deeper, suspicion leaking into his voice. “Aether smelled like that once—was that you?”

It was easy to guess what Xiao was referring to. Albedo didn’t think another could feel the darkness in the sword, the murky hate that resonated in his bones.  Aether had been unaffected, but would another immortal have been unable to resist the siren call?

Maybe Sucrose had been right. Maybe it was high time he searched somewhere other than those foreboding mountains.

“Similar, but not the same,” Albedo answered, echoing Xiao.

Judging by his scowl, that wasn’t the expression the adeptus wanted. He raised his weapon slightly, steel in his voice. “Did you do something to him?”

“If I had, would you be able to stop it?” Albedo asked instead. Durin had taken a dragon and a country down with him, had razed the earth and left behind a scar that hadn’t yet faded. For all of Aether’s strength, for all of his sister’s powers, it would take more to stop Albedo if he did the same.

It would take much more, and Albedo didn’t want to ask, didn’t want to force it out of Aether. Every experiment required a control, every test a backup. And if Aether was his first specimen, maybe Xiao or the other adepti could be his second.

In all probability, it would take an immortal to stop an immortal.

“Is that a yes?” Xiao growled. A light breeze blew, his clothes fluttering to invisible hands. His grip on his polearm tightened.

“Not quite. It was a sword I gave him.” Albedo watched, fascinated, as the wind rose higher before dying out entirely. “Would you be able to destroy it?”

Despite calming down, Xiao didn’t lower his weapon. “Maybe.”

That wasn’t a conclusive answer. He pressed harder. “Maybe?”

“That presence…Your presence, it is similar to a demon’s.” His eyes grew colder. “And even to the very last remnant, I will destroy a demon.”

“Remnant…” In all honesty, that word fit him and that sword better than a demon. A remnant. The lingering will of his mentor. Durin’s bones had jutted out of the earth, his blood dotted the mountain, his hate filled the soil. Was that what his master had wanted? Destruction? Rage?

He wished he could say no. He wished he could say yes. Instead, he was left with this uncertainty that gnawed at him deeper than any chill.

Albedo lowered his gaze to his hands. “It would be best if nothing was left at all.”

If, like the chalk after it rains, he just washed away entirely.

Xiao snorted. “There’s always something left.”

He jerked his head up, not expecting that response. “Something?”

“Karma. Good or bad, that always remains.” Xiao turned to the staircase. “A god’s hatred. Regret. The memories they didn’t want erased. Something always remains, lingering until time finally cleanses it.”

Something remaining, something stuck behind—Albedo gripped his shirt. It was a truth he couldn’t reject. The sword was all that was left of Durin’s desires. Albedo was all that remained of his master’s wishes. Old Mondstadt survived, despite the destruction it had faced.

Something, big or small, always remained. And if that was the case, what would stay behind after he disappeared? If Albedo was his master’s lingering will, then what was his lingering will?

His art? His research?

Aether’s golden head popped up as he climbed the stairs, his expression apologetic. His arms carefully balanced three plates, his steps steady to avoid a disastrous crash. “Sorry for the wait!”

Xiao shot Albedo one last suspicious look before turning back to Aether. His polearm disappeared as he carefully picked up the plate of Almond Tofu. “That took a while.” His expression was soft despite his reprimand.

Aether laughed sheepishly, scuffing his shoe on the ground. “Sorry, Paimon kept asking for more.”

“Hey! Paimon’s hungwy!” Paimon mumbled between a mouthful of kebab.

“Yes, yes.” Aether turned to Albedo and held out a plate. The fish on it looked perfectly cooked. He smiled brightly. “I saved yours from her.”

Transfixed, Albedo stared at Aether’s smile. It was funny how something that simple could dissipate his fears. How a single look could calm him. It was hard to fear an unknown future when he knew Aether was by his side.

“Albedo?” Aether cocked his head.

Albedo smiled back. Aether’s smile always had a way of drawing out his own. There was something hopeful in Aether’s expression that Albedo responded to, despite himself. He stepped forward to take the plate. “Thanks.”

There was reason to hope. Perhaps his master had intended for Albedo to do, to be good. Maybe he wouldn’t rampage like Durin. And maybe, Albedo would find that truth of the world, and that would set him free.

Yet, even if it didn’t, even if the worst came to pass, there were options. Aether was strong. Xiao was confident. One way or another, Albedo’s destruction would stop by their hands. He would disappear, with barely a trace.

And that trace—if he had to leave something behind, if something had to linger like a faint line of chalk after the storm, then let it be this. Not a cursed sword. Not his many paintings and theories and research notes. Not even the truth of the world.

No, let it just be this smile that only Aether could draw out.

This single, hopeful smile.

[why-am-i-here-someone-save-me]

✒️Luci’s Masterlist

“And the Universe said ‘I love you.’ And the Universe said ‘You have played the game well.’ And the Universe said ‘Everything you need is within you.’ And the Universe said ‘You are the daylight.’ And the Universe said ‘You are the night.’ And the Universe said ‘The darkness you fight is inside you.’ And the Universe said ‘The light that you seek is within you.’ And the Universe said ‘You are the Universe; tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code.’ And the Universe said ‘I love you; because you are love.’”

Works marked with * are requested works!

🌕One Shots (Non SAGAU)

Scaramouche: Eyes(Yandere)

Childe/Ajax: Just Once More(Angst)

Venti: Cider & Cecilias(Angst)

Xiao: Stay(Comfort)

Kazuha: The Moon(Fluff)

Albedo: Lost(Yandere) | Splinters(Angst)* | Splintered, But Not Broken(Alt Ending)*

Zhongli: Teatime Talks(Mortal!Zhongli & Adeptus!Reader)*

Diluc: Names(Crackfic)*

Yae Miko: Dreams Come True(Literal fluff/crack)*

☀️One Shots (SAGAU)

Scaramouche: Second Chances(Yandere)

Rubedo: Imperfections(Angst/Comfort) | How To ‘Plant’(Crack)

Xinqiu: Bad Mornings(Platonic!SAGAU!Comedy)*

Ganyu: Well Deserved Rest(Fluff)*

Kaeya: Warmth Amidst Frost*

Xiao: Next Time(Pure Copium) | Home(Happy Copium)

Venti: “Wait, Who?”(Comedy/Crack) | Well Done(Comfort)* | “Envy? As if!” (Comedy/Crack)*

Kazuha: Just Barely Missed(Copium)*

Heizou: Cutting It Close(Happy Copium)*

Albedo: Misunderstandings(Crack)*

Multiple Characters: The Three(Childe/Ganyu/Kazuha)

[PLATONIC ONLY]

Qiqi: Enough(Hurt/comfort)

La Signora: Flowers & Fated Reunions

🪐Series Masterlist

Caged (Yandere Morax x Reader)

Catching the eye of a dragon might wind up to be far more than you bargained for…

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |

Then Came The Dawn (Osial x Reader)(Imposter SAGAU)

Forsaken and sentenced to death, you are too exhausted to fight any longer. As the water surrounds you, will you meet your end? Or a new ally?

Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3

You Weren’t… (Pick A Path Fic)

Final moments were portrayed more dramatic than this. Yet here you were, facing your end. So much for a normal day.

Initial Branch | Ending 1 |

Ending 2 | Ending 3

Pocket Genshin (Drabble Collection)

After installing a widget of your beloved characters onto your phone, things have been a bit strange. Maybe there’s more to these little widgets than you first thought…

Pocket Albedo! | Pocket Diluc! | Pocket Zhongli! | Pocket Ganyu! | Pocket Xiao! | Pocket Childe | Pocket Venti | Pocket Kazuha! |

☄️Miscellaneous

Whilst I Still Remember - You are the Lord of Geo. The time has come to face your nation’s final foe.

SAGAU Mechanics Headcannons - Just some general thoughts and info on how I write certain mechanics in SAGAU fics

Self-Aware SAGAU* - AKA You know but they don’t know you know. Yep. Time to troll your beloved characters.

SAGAU Supports Voicelines* - They are not the best at brute force, but if it pleases you, they will fight till they can move no more.

💫Charater Interaction Masterlist

🌙Various Requests & Sh!tposts

Tattoo Artist Reader HCs

Anemo Tattoos(SAGAU)

Fatui Tattoos(SAGAU)

Tattoo Artist Reader(SAGAU)

Tattoo Artist Reader giving characters tattoos(SAGAU)

Tattoo Artist Reader cracks(SAGAU)

“Interesting” Accessory (SAGAU)

The Worst Timing(SAGAU)

Ei’s Vacation(Non-SAGAU)

1 of Luci’s Moots being a simp(SAGAU)

How do you know me?(Diluc & Xiao)(SAGAU)

Tipping the odds(SAGAU)

Vines of Teyvat(SAGAU)

General Venti Behavior(SAGAU)

Creator has a breakdown(SAGAU)

Walking in on you exercising

Unreleased Archons(SAGAU)

Hu Tao but she knows Zhongli’s secret

Teasing Venti about Cait’s Tail(SAGAU)

Creator’s Khaenri’ah Favoritism(SAGAU)

Telling your main you love them(Venti, Xiao, & Kaeya)(SAGAU)

Imposter knows Teyvat’s languages & abuses this fact to be a gremlin(SAGAU)

Crepus adopting Creator(Ft. Kaeya & Diluc)(SAGAU)

Player getting hurt often(SAGAU)

Sumeru Preference(SAGAU)

SAGAU 50/50 Loss(SAGAU)

Diluc yoinking Kaeya’s spotlight(SAGAU)

Creator is asked to green light the Grand Bazaar’s destruction but they’re a theatre kid(SAGAU)

‘Hmm? You seek the stars of a different world? I see… Well, mayhaps I can arrange such an opportunity…’

[anemoarchonhoe]

How would EOS reader enter Mondstadt?

Like the physical changes can't be hidden that easily and we must be the first of our kind. (I mean unless there were previous EOS humans)

So do we save someone and have them bring us in so everyone haves a favorable view of us? Or go straight to Jean to clear up any misunderstanding?

You are the first and the only one of your kind. You are a miracle that only happens in legends of old when the gods walked amongst humanity.

But perhaps, it's simply because a certain dragon wished for such miracle to occur through his pain-filled tears, and an unknown power responded by sending it... you.

To answer your question on how Eos!Reader would be able to get to Mond, I have a few ideas, but one thing is for certain; people wouldn't trust them at all at first. Not the knights, not the sisters, not the commonfolk. Maybe Bennett would love to adventure with you. Maybe Fischl would have fun interacting with you. Maybe Rosaria and Kaeya would threaten you because you're very sus. Maybe Albedo and Sucrose would like to experiment on you. Maybe Eula would be your bestie? Hehe. Soooo many ideas.

I actually want to write a series about this AU if anyone is interested in reading it? Though be warned that since this is basically the Reader getting reborn as a very sexy elemental being of pure anemo, there'd be some predetermined body features like height (very tall), hair (it reaches down to their knees, same color as EoS core), and an inaccurate vision impairment (blind in human terms due to the "stone mask" over their eyes, could only see through elemental sight).

Some readers could find these kind of fics to be very immersion breaking, so like,, if anyone is interested, I could write it. If not, then I'll just brainrot all by myself lol

[bumbleklee]

could you possibly do more scenarios with xiaoxreader? fluff or even maybe...nsfw ? ;) like first time, sitting on his lap, how does he think abt u? is he pervy or romantic?? etc. preferably female reader tyty luv ur content :D

i pulled xiao by total accident during his banner and i was going to build him but then i pulled hu tao right after anddd big scary dragon prevents me from building both of them >.> anyways thank u for the compliment hehe hope u enjoy

(nsfw hcs under cut, reader is technically female but it can be read as pretty gender neutral)

sfw

xiao loves you because you’re different than everyone else in liyue

instead of pitying him for his immortality, you treat him like a normal person

you give him the domestic life he’s always wanted (even if he doesn’t explicitly say that)

he likes to buy you gifts and sometimes stares at the assortment of jewelry from vendors for twenty minutes before panicking and grabbing the same necklace he bought you last time

it’s a cycle and you have three of the same necklace tucked under your mattress

you get cold easily and xiao doesn’t so he’s learned to pick up your body language and knows when to wrap his arm around your shoulder or get you a blanket

speaking of blankets, xiao hogs them at night (in an au where he can sleep)

he likes when you play with his hair

if you wear your hair in a certain hairstyle a lot, xiao will ask you how to do it so he can do it for you next time

when he’s around you, he feels safe enough to let go of his tough exterior a little

and if you’re alone, he’ll race climbing trees with you or play around with an anemo slime (he attracts them for some reason)

xiao doesn’t really like pda but you warm him up to hand-holding and quick kisses eventually

whenever you sit in his lap, it’s at home in your private sanctuary

he gets flustered the first few times you do but grows to like the intimacy and having you so close to him 

nsfw

if you’re a virgin, he would be so gentle with you

i don't think xiao would be a virgin too but he would be fairly inexperienced so your first time together is very special for both of you

the night you have sex for the first time, xiao literally swipes you off your feet

he can tell you’re nervous and teases you for as long as you need to fully calm down (kissing your breasts, massaging your hips, touching your pussy)

he’ll grab your hand as he’s entering you and hold it until you’ve both came later that night

is usually dominant with you but not in a degrading way, more of a “im in charge and you know it” way

he likes when you take control sometimes though and really gets off when you push him back onto your bed and ride him

xiao cockwarms for a while after sex, especially if it was a somewhat rough session and you both are exhausted

he just really likes feeling so close and bonded with you

very serious about aftercare, too, even if you say you’re fine

he’ll get you whatever you need (water, ice, a wash cloth, etc) 

no matter what you do together, he always, always, always asks if what’s doing is okay and if you want to continue or stop

[the-fandom-crossroads]

Decided to start making genshin fic rec posts. There's a lot of um interesting fiction to sort through on AO3. Figured a post listing the readable ones might be appreciated.

Ground rules for what I'll recommend. No noncon, incest, or adult and child ships. M rated is allowed for violence or discussion topic reasons only. aka no Smut or pwp.

And without further ado here's the fics I recommend from April 7th 2022!

Crashing - Rated Teen, Zhongli/Childe ch 1/?

Zhongli and Childe get pushed to their fighting limits.

I recommend reading Grounding before this one. It's short at only five chapters of Childe supporting Zhongli through some angst.

Amber and Ashes - Rated Teen, Xingqiu/Chongyun ch1/?

AU where Chongyun finds Xingqiu trapped in amber.

Fire on your Tongue - Rated Teen, Lumine/Childe Ch1/1

Drunk love confessions during Lantern Rite. Very cute. with just a hint of angst.

Three Things - Rated Teen, Kaeya solo fic ch1/1

Kaeya's angsty reaction to the Chasm story Quest. No real quest spoilers, but his reaction won't make sense if you haven't seen it.

Let's toast to the Ones that got away - Rated G, Jean/Rosaria, Jean/Lisa, Jean/La Signora, Jean/Ningguang, Jean/Diluc ch1/1

Jean thinking about past relations ships on her wedding day. A great summary of the way different Jean ships would work. Jean/Rosaria end game in case that's a no go for you for some reason.

Chongyun's Diary - Rated Teen, Chongyun/Xingqiu Ch11/11

Exactly what it says. Chongyun's diary going over cute moments between the two friends.

Letters Exchanged - Rated G, Albedo&Xingqiu ch 1/1

Xingqiu writes a letter to his penpal Albedo. Short and sweet.

Praenuntius - Rated Teen, Zhongli/Childe ch 3/?

Friends to enemies to lovers. Childe trying to kill Morax actually has consequences for once. well relationship consequences at least. There's also promises of Dragon!Zhongli.

Of Drink a Dreaming - Rated Teen but is basically G, Rosaria&Barbara ch 1/1

Barbara saves a Drink for Rosaria. . . that's it that's literally the fic.

Alchemy is hard but Feelings are Harder - Rated Teen, Albedo/Sucrose ch 3/?

Albedo and Sucrose go Hilcurl hunting and maybe realize they like each other along the way. workaholic doing selfcare by caring for another workaholic crush trope. Is that a trope? it should be these nerds need sleep.

Crimson Wings and Frozen Swords - Rated G, Amber/Eula ch 1/1

Alternate Amber and Eula first meeting that happens on Dragonspine.

Eternity - Rated Teen, Gorou/Kazuha ch 1/?

Gorou and Kazuha spar on the beach and cuddle. An adventure to Enkanomiya with Captain Beidou is on the horizon.

How to Train Your Father - Rated Teen, Crepus & Diluc & Kaeya ch 1/1

AU where Crepus turns into a dragon instead of dies. Really curious about where this goes and love the HTTYD reference.

My Indulgence will be your Ruin - Rated Teen, Eula/Amber Ch 1/?

Lisa and Kaeya tease Eula about a certain outrider. Said outrider drops in to save the day.

Atop Wangshu Inn's Peak - Rated G, Xiao/Venti ch 1/1

Venti joins Xiao after a few drinks with Zhongli.

Returning Home - rated Teen but almost M, zhongli/Childe ch 1/1

Childe and Zhongli don't make up as fast as expected. But that doesn't stop Childe from going to Zhongli when horribly injured in a fight. Almost M rated descriptions of wounds but otherwise Teen.

Growing Pains - Rated G, Kaeya&Diluc ch 4/?

Sick fic brought about by the Khaenri'ah curse Kaeya definitely has.

The Weight of his Sins - Rated Teen, Xiao/Venti ch 1/1

Xiao's Karma flares after a battle and is soothed by a certain Anemo Archon.

My Heart Calls You - Rated M but is actually Teen at most, Xiao/Aether ch 1/1

Aether calls Xiao's name even when it's not needed and Xiao finally asks him about it. Leads to eventual love confessions and kissing.

Into the Chasm - Rated Teen, Childe/Lumine ch 1/1

Childe joins Lumine for the last fight in the Chasm. With lots of Flirting involved. End of Chasm quest Spoilers

You Owe Me for This - Rated Teen, Diluc & Kaeya ch 3/?

Diluc starts to notice something is up with Kaeya. But the past gets in the way once again.

The Sinners are All that's Left - Rated Teen, Kaeya & Klee ch 1/1

Kaeya and Albedo can feel what's happening in the Chasm. Kaeya is grounded with Klee when it happens.

SparkKnight Captain - rated G, Kaeya & Klee ch 1/1

Kaeya tells Klee a bedtime story.

Alright I'll end it on pure fluff. It's late and this is a lot more fics than I expected. Hope you enjoy reading some of them! I sure did. Let me know if there's anything I should have tagged or if I should do one of these again tomorrow.

[genshin-pals]

Alternative Isekai Start!

You’re making a new account on Genshin Impact in order to play through the game again while waiting for new updates. However, once the loading is done and you click on the door to end, a bright light engulfs your vision.

When you wake up on the beach, Paimon is recapping the beginning and you just scream. Explaining quickly to Paimon what’s going on. The Traveler was already from another world, so Paimon isn’t too shocked. 

Dressed as the traveler, you don’t know how to do pretty much anything. Magic is hard. You completely skip the anemo statue for now, rushing to the Whispering Woods to see Venti. He’s an archon, maybe he can help?

“Is he talking...to a dra-” You just grab Paimon and cover her mouth. You can’t fist Dvalin getting freaked out and scarying Venti away.

You watch as Venti tries to calm Dvalin, and it goes better than in the game. But all of a sudden the dragon roars, and flies off. 

Venti looks dejected, sighing as he plans to teleport off. Before that, you call out.

“VENTI!!!” 

“A-Ah! Hello there, traveler... Good to know there are many who know my name as-”

“I need your help! I came from another world that had sort of a window to this world and I don’t know how I got here and-”

He looks very confused, taking a step back. “It seems you’re in quite the bind, but I don’t think I have the time to-”

“Barbados...!” That gets his attention. He questions you for a moment, before smiling that cheeky grin of his.

“Well, it seems the wheel of fate has started spinning.” He muses. If you know the past and future to a certain extent, then things will be much easier to solve. In theory, at least.

You don’t know how to fight. The most you can do is copy what you saw in anime once, but without knowing the basic principles behind those skills, you’ll be a deadman.

So now it’s time to train, starting with returning to the statue of the anemo archon so that you may receive it’s power. This time with the blessing of the archon himself.

[bard-twins]

sooo i found this on twt and im curious about your opinion on it; https://twitter.com/windflowerlia/status/1478965838380249090?t=SlBMF-U5SbbmevNHaUnWeA&s=19

do you think its himmel, venti faking his death, or just a grave of a random character we still don't know of? 🤔

Link

I thought it would be the nameless bard at first but it would be weird to just instantly point out it’s venti/nb because bards are very common in teyvat.

You can actually talk to orpheus himself if you wanna know!

But for a short answer for your question: this is a different character but has a similar resemblance to venti

Ngl i would like to think that if nb was alive after the archon war, there’s a chance he would be the Anemo archon 🤭👀

Here’s one conversation with orpheus i snapped that caught my interest (also long theorizing under the cut)

What i would like to think of these seven children— or just byakoyakoku in general— is that they are somewhat similar to honkai’s “Previous Era” because byakuyakoku’s civilization has existed after Phanes created the human world from its shell— and maybe the celestia as well— then proceeded to annihilate the rest of the dragon sovereigns

Though this island nation has sunk when they were terrorized by the dragonheir. Phanes doesn’t heard their pleas, however, along the way, they are progressing with the help of Tokoyo (istaroth) by giving enough wisdom to Abrax (abarakusu) to create the hyperion.

This is where the seven sunchildren enter. The people of enkanomiya were power hungry and wants to rule over the place so they planned to create a religion where they would worship Helios as a god, and Abrax as the prophet who created the hyperion, and then the establishment of the leaders called Phaetons (sunchildren)

It was part of the elders’ plan to pick children as the leaders since they’re easily manipulated and are simply used as a scapegoat in case something wrong happens. So they can pretty much get away with anything. The elders knew that if they grow up and discovered they were manipulated by them, it’ll be over. So they once again planned by creating this special ritual where they would be brought up to the helios and burned to ashes.

The elders DO NOT want these sunchildren to get help or support from adults for them to become proper leader, hence the reason why the people “detest” them as clymene mentioned due to their unfit to rule the nation.

Abrax saw all of this and wants to stop them but the elders took this chance to use the children as a puppet letting them think that abrax was there to claim their position. He was then imprisoned and died.

Doesn’t this remind you of a certain deity?

Elders= celestia

Seven Sunchildren= seven archons

It seems like celestia has followed the footsteps of the elders and wants to continue this principle and custom. They really wanted to be the highest among the deities or gods

Do not question the heavens

Heaven is not to be challenged

Wisdom is concealed in stellar fragments

The God of Justice lives for the spectacle of the courtroom, seeking to judge all other gods. But even she knows not to make an enemy of the divine

Celestia is really watchful of the archons’, controlling and manipulating them. And they also get to decide who’ll be the next archon in their respective nation

Let me also add this analogy of the sunchildren being described as “unfit to rule the nation” to the archons of teyvat

Decarabian- tyrant

Ei/beelzebul- also a tyrant

Tsaritsa- lost her love for her people and became heartless

God of justice/focalor- perhaps always seeking to find the “mistakes” of the archons just to judge them however she please?

Venti- perhaps becoming too careless with these freedom ideal he has to the point mond has been in a danger twice (?) when he was asleep

I’m worried about venti because he knows celestia is dangerous and he’s becoming wary of them. Perhaps he already knows their origin and decided to keep it to himself? He does, after all, seen the fall of khaenri’ah.

Mondstadt in general is in grave danger sigh. There was this “Great Fire of Fall Equinox” where Mondstadt has a giant library. They all have sorts of books and perhaps also has “Before Sun and Moon” but was burned because it’s odd Enjou mentioned this before the quest ended.

It’s highly likely that enjou’s the one behind this fire incident.

Mondstadt has two khaenri’ahn characters, an elf who’s knowledgeable about the world of teyvat and decides to traverse in different worlds, Durin attacking mondstatd, and that one big ass statue he has in the plaza with the words “gateway to celestia”…

Oh venti you and your nation are fucking doomed and i hate where this would be going when we’re close to the ending

Sources for these theories:

Full Timeline of Enkanomiya

Great Fire of Fall Equinox

[therosefrontier]

Whumptober Day 4

No. 4 - TRUST FALL

“Do you trust me?” | taken hostage | pushed

+++

Genshin Impact | Diluc, Kaeya, and Mondstadt’s resident dragon friend

(crossposted to AO3)

+++

“Well, what a surprise this is, you asking me for help? You must be really desperate, then.”

“Don’t get any ideas. I’m not asking for your help tonight; I’m only asking for this one favor.”

“So, you play hero and I watch from the sidelines? Hmph, you wound me, Diluc.”

Diluc leveled his eyes at Kaeya with complete lack of amusement. He really didn’t have time for this. He pulled his sort-of brother into the stock room at Angel’s Share this morning with the intention of getting him alone with as little fanfare as possible (he wouldn’t be going to the knights for this, that’s for certain) and in as little time as possible. “I’m serious,” he insisted. “I’m only asking you to do this because you’re the only one who can. I need you to convince Vind to leave her post, just for one night. There’s going to be danger, and I need to ensure her safety. Obviously, I can’t do it myself, as this could reveal me as…well, the rumored vigilante.”

“The Darknight Hero, you mean?” Kaeya supplied with a smirk.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Fine, fine.” Kaeya shrugged. “I understand; you wish to keep your secret identity a secret. No worries; I have no intention of letting Vind be prey to some Abyss mages tonight. I’ll make an excuse to get her out.”

“Right…wait!” Diluc’s eyes widened at the realization. “I didn’t tell you—!"

“That the Abyss Order was the ‘danger’ described?” Kaeya appeared far too satisfied with himself. “Don’t be so surprised. I have my sources just like you have yours. It is the reason why Sucrose is on her way right now to tell Vind about those strange weather anomalies in Dragonspine that need her attention right now, as they could be the sign of a great storm that the expertise passed down to her through generations might be useful for. Plus, she has the official knightly request signed by yours truly.”

Diluc sighed. “You…already had a plan.” Of course, he did. A very official-sounding one, actually. “Wait, is there actually…?” If this was a lie, there was no way that Sucrose would go with it.

“No, probably not, it’s just a little stretching of the truth. I asked Albedo to hype up the facts for this purpose. But don’t worry, he doesn’t know any details.”

And…he got Albedo in on his scheme as well. “You would think of everything.” He exhaled while rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Well, fine then, you do that; I’ll handle the rest.”

  It really wasn’t that much of a surprise to him that Kaeya would show up anyways. And, if he was being honest, it wasn’t unwelcome. Especially considering his timing.

Diluc struggled to regain his footing quickly, use the flat side of his claymore as a shield when another barrage of cryo icicles came his way. The cryo still caused a melt reaction on the flaming bush in front of him that made the fire burst in his face and deal yet another painful shot of damage. He inhaled a sharp breath and responded with launching himself at the cryo abyss mage with a flaming sword. He then unleashed his flaming phoenix on the hoard—half of Stormbreaker Point was already on fire, so it really wouldn’t matter if he added more flames to the mix.

A wound on Diluc’s arm was bleeding heavily, and he reached up to touch his face to confirm that there was blood there, too. Before him, a large group of abyss mages and Hilichurls made a blockade stretching across the clifftop and around the watchtower, and behind them, four Ruin Guards stood as support. The grass and trees around them had caught on fire, making a beacon in the pitch-black night sky. Behind Diluc, there was the edge of Stormbreaker Point and the long drop to the ocean. And beside him, there was Kaeya.

Diluc did not expect the fight to be as intense as it was. He knew that the Order was planning some raid because they got it in their heads that the tower at Stormbreaker Point must have something vitally important in it, and that Vind was some kind of powerful, mystical protector of it. Hilichurls hung around the tower a lot, so maybe they…communicated, somehow? Either way, Diluc planned to put a stop to it. However, he wasn’t planning on this much resistance…maybe they learned of his involvement?

Or maybe, that one Abyss mage in the middle, the cackling pyro one, was just a cut smarter than the rest. It made a point to sneer at the “Darknight Hero” upon Diluc’s arrival, and when Kaeya came in from nowhere to bowl through the line and take his place by Diluc’s side, it sneered at him, too.

“Well, if it isn’t the great cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius? Such a…wonderfully unique star in your eye, isn’t it?”

Diluc felt Kaeya tense by his side.

“Hehehe, what’s the matter? Worried about your precious Darknight Hero? Or your precious secrets?”

Kaeya didn’t respond to the taunt. He kept his stance steady, his sword angled towards the hoard. His one visible eye didn’t lose sight of the sword’s target. “They’re coming,” Kaeya spoke in a whisper that only Diluc could hear. “Our reinforcements.”

So Kaeya knew, coming here, that the battle was bad enough that they would need help.

“What’s that, oh great knightly captain?”

Most of the mages didn’t talk that much. Diluc wasn’t sure they even knew much, or if they remembered things. They ran on their one-track goal against humanity, and they plotted and schemed to meet that goal. It was enough of a reason to destroy every one of their ilk Diluc saw.

(He tried not to think much about what Kaeya told him that day, about the truth. He didn’t know what to do with that truth. He couldn’t protect Mondstadt if he doubted what he should do about it, so he didn’t. Whatever those mages used to be, they were only monsters now.)

Kaeya unleashed a blast of cryo in front of him, and Diluc followed by running into the fray of fighting renewed, taking out every creature he saw. In his distraction, he almost missed that he had been targeted by a Ruin Guard’s missile, and he stumbled to the ground in a desperate last-minute attempt to dodge. A Mitachurl tried to capitalize on that moment of weakness and bring down its giant flaming axe on him, but Kaeya in that moment dove in and struck the monster deep in the side. He then grabbed Diluc and they dodged backwards.

They were going back too far. Little by little, they were losing ground, to the point that their feet neared the edge of the precipice. Still, they fought. It hadn’t been so long for them that Diluc’s fighting by Kaeya’s side felt unnatural…although it was odd. Because, they were older now. Kaeya had a Cryo vision now. Everything was…different, but every now and again, they’d still end up doing something together anyways.

Diluc breathed heavily, his hands around his claymore sweating underneath the gloves. He pushed whatever pain he felt from his injuries somewhere deep, deep in the back of his mind. He needed—they needed to push through the line. He wasn’t confident in the state of his glider after getting himself roughed up and singed so much or in their ability to avoid further attacks during their descent.

“Kaeya, we need to—”

“Diluc, do you trust me?”

Diluc’s eyes darted over to him, taken aback by the gravity in Kaeya’s softly-spoken question. “What kind of question is that?”

“Well, do you?”

As if he could answer that in one sentence or less. He trusted him…in some ways, he guessed. He trusted him in battle. He trusted him…with Mondstadt, yes. Just…well…that was all very besides the point and this was really not the time. “Yes, sure,” he huffed.

“Excellent.” Kaeya smiled.

What was he—?

Then, Kaeya laughed, loudly and triumphantly, a wild look in his eye and he reached out for Diluc’s collar and grabbed it tight. His soft voice had turned into a shouting, mocking one. “Hahaha, end of the line, Darknight Hero! The Knights have no need of meddlers like you!”

What the fu—

He pushed him. Before Diluc knew what was happening, he felt his body succumbing to gravity, his feet losing their hold on the stone of Stormbreaker Point’s edge and following the rest of his body into the open air, suddenly void of every handhold or foothold within reach.

Kaeya fucking pushed him.

Diluc had to open his glider—fast. It wasn’t working. The hell was Kaeya thinking he couldn’t open it in time he was going to—

And then, he landed on something with a thud, much sooner than he should have. The surface uneven and scaly and distinctly familiar, it didn’t take him long to realize that it was a someone. Was that—?

Dvalin arced into the sky with a powerful beat of his wings, looping back around to the space underneath the cliff, coming in close at the moment Kaeya jumped off the edge as well. Diluc repositioned himself on Dvalin’s back to a place of more stability astride his spine and watched Kaeya make a much more graceful (much better prepared, that is) landing than he did.

Diluc’s first thought was that he was relieved to see Kaeya in one piece. His second was that it was time to demand an explanation. “What was that about?”

“Clever, wasn’t it?”

“You could have told me something!”

“But would it have believable to the mages if I did? You’re not that great of an actor, Diluc.”

“Your theatrics are utterly pointless,” Diluc huffed. “And now that we’re both gone, who’s going to stop them?”

“Well, look down,” Kaeya directed.

Dvalin had flown back up into the sky, well above the surface of the cliff but low enough that one could see exactly what was going on. Diluc looked down and saw, sure enough, some familiar forms attacking the small army on the cliff, now at the perfect position to pin them against the edge. He saw Jean herself, along with Amber, the Traveler, Eula, and a number of other knights as backup. Diluc had almost forgotten that Kaeya did tell him about the reinforcements. Looking again, he noticed even Venti hanging in the back, acting as if he were there for mild support and not the actual anemo archon. Dvalin’s presence was probably his doing. Wait, Kaeya didn’t know about Venti, did he…?

“Since we had discovered during our Golden Apple Archipelago adventure that our very curious bard friend is a good friend of our resident dragon, I thought I’d ask him for his assistance. Sure, there’s other ways we could have gone about this, but sometimes, striking fear into the hearts of your enemy is very much a job for ‘theatrics,’ as you called them.”

Well, it did make some sense, Diluc guessed. He was just relieved to see that the reinforcements in question were having little trouble that hoard which had given him such a difficult time solo. Still, the relief didn’t quite keep all the lingering irritation from his voice. “You really called in the knights.”

“Well, this may come as a surprise, but that is their job.”

“Hmph,” Diluc grunted. “You say that like it would have been easy to get the bureaucracy to trust an anonymous source about the attack happening in the first place. They’re consistently useless on matters like this.”

“So you still don’t trust them.”

“No.” He’s established this already.

“All of them?”

“I trust Jean,” Diluc clarified.

Although, he supposed she might not be the only one on the list. There were…some knights who knew what they were doing, mostly. And, he had respect for the Honorary Knight, not that they really counted as a “knight” in an institutional sense.

“Well, that’s a start.” Kaeya shook his head with a smile. “I’d be worried if you threw even her under the bus for doing nothing wrong at all.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Is it, now?”

“Kaeya, what are you even talking about?”

“Well, maybe I could bring to your recollection that because of your insistence on working alone, you walked into a rather significant ambush today, facing a threat to Mondstadt without bothering to communicate to the people of Mondstadt, and also sending poor Vind all the way to Dragonspine because you couldn’t be forthright on the potential danger to her life.”

“You know that last part was specifically your plan, right?”

“But you were the one who wanted me to make up an excuse.”

“You literally already had your plan in motion while I was talking to you this morning!”

“Are you two quite finished?” Dvalin’s booming voice rattled through their ribs, his point made quite loud and clear.

“Right, understood,” Kaeya agreed. “So, Diluc, ready to head back and get someone to look at that arm of yours?”

“I can still fight, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I do not think that would be necessary. They’ll be fine, and besides, I can always return to provide backup.”

“No,” Diluc refused. “If I’m seeing a healer, so are you.”

“So you’re fine with that, then?”

Dvalin was already ending his circling to start heading towards the city of Mondstadt, but Diluc could still look back and see the clashing forces on the cliff, now with two Ruin Guards down and many more mages extinguished or thrown off the edge. It was clear to see who the winning side was, now.

“It’s fine,” Diluc finally conceded with a steady exhale. “I trust them.”

[zenith-impact]

Riptide - Part Three

Read on AO3 here!

[1] - [2]

Much to Childe’s chagrin, two weeks went by with no sign of a sparring session. You kept finding legitimate ways out of it, including two unfortunately timed commissions that drew you both away from Liyue fighting berserk Hilichurls. And the fighting had been easy - barely an inconvenience in his opinion - but both times you’d been too far away to make it back to Liyue and too tired to actually fight him no matter how much he pestered you. In the end, he’d been forced to sleep outside, grumbling about how you weren’t ‘upholding your end of the bargain’ while you ignored him in your pretty little tent and sleeping bag.  

But today was finally the day. No longer could you get out of this fight. 

But first, he had Fatui business to attend to. A man named Shing had racked up a massive debt, and it was up to Childe to get that money back. 

“So, what,” You said as you wandered through the back streets of Liyue. “You track this guy down and shake him until he pays?”

“More or less,” Childe said with a shrug. This was the first major Fatui job he’d taken you on, and it was only because he expected it to go as smoothly as every other job. Which was to say it would probably end in a fight and he’d get to see how you handled yourself under pressure. 

Of course, he hadn’t let you in on that fact. That would just ruin the fun. 

“And you need me… why?”

“Because you’re my partner, girlie.”

Your expression soured but you didn’t argue with him. In fact, you hadn’t argued over this little deal of yours since you made it, despite his attempts to rile you up over it. You seemed to just simply accept that this was your life now, roaming around with him. And that wasn’t to say he didn’t give you plenty of space. Once you two were done with whatever jobs were thrown your way, you always went your separate ways for the rest of the day. But Childe was bored. Pestering you was all the entertainment he currently had. 

“His name is Shing,” Childe said as he spun around, walking backward because he could. You frowned but said nothing as he continued. “He’s a businessman by trade. Took a large loan from the Northland Bank for a new startup a few months ago and never returned it or the interest.”

“And you expect him to just…what... hand it over quietly?”

“Probably not.”

“So we’ll have to fight?”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t figure that out.”

You glared at him as he spun back around and put his hands on the back of his head. “Good teamwork, champ,” You said. 

“It’ll be fine,” He said. “You have me.” He grinned, but you just huffed and looked away. Childe had long since figured out that typical charm didn’t work on someone like you. At least, not yet. He made it his mission to figure out when it would work and act accordingly.  “This is just something you’ll have to get used to, girlie.” 

“I’d rather not,” You said. “This is only temporary.”

“Now when did I say that?”

“I’m saying it right now.” 

“And how temporary do you think this is?”

“As temporary as I want it to be,” You said. Childe liked how blunt and quick-witted you were. It was refreshing after being surrounded by all the yes-men and women of the Fatui. People didn’t question him. People didn’t argue with him. He was a Harbinger, and the respect he’d earned meant everyone was boring and uninspired. But you… you wanted to push his buttons. And while you weren’t doing the best job at it (he was an older brother, it took a lot to actually press his buttons hard enough to be a problem), you were trying. And that was better than the stone-cold conversations he dealt with around everyone else.

“Here we are,” He said with a whistle as you stopped in front of one of the largest homes in Liyue. It was just inside the city grounds, but close enough to the edge that it had plenty of outdoor space. It resembled other buildings in the area, with two stories, multiple entrances, and a balcony that put everyone else to shame. Childe couldn’t remember seeing this the last time he’d been here, but he hadn’t really gone to this side of the city. 

“Why would someone living here not just pay off their debt?” You said. “Unless they used it all to buy the house.” 

“I don’t ask,” Childe said. “I just collect.” And he was itching to get this over with. He just wanted a fight. Whether that was with this man or not didn’t matter. He just needed something to tide him over until he could challenge you again. So, he hopped up the stairs and knocked on the door. Normally, he liked sneaking in the buildings and surprising his “clients” by sitting in one of their favorite chairs or listening in on their conversations. But today he was impatient. And when a maid answered the door, he swallowed his frustration and gave his most charming grin. “I need to speak with Shing.”

She slammed the door in his face. 

Childe’s jaw went slack, momentarily stunned. You snorted. “Good start.” He glared at you, but you just stared back, unblinking. Then, you sighed and moved in front of him, knocking on the door. At first, there was no answer. But then you knocked again, louder this time, and Childe could see the frost crawling along the edges of the door. 

Finally, the maid opened the door again. “Stop that,” She said. “We have no…”

“We need to speak to your boss,” You said. When the maid tried to close the door again, a shin sized pillar of ice pierced through the floorboards. The maid squeaked, jumping back as her eyes went wide. “I’m not asking again.”

Childe whistled as the maid rushed away and the two of you stepped into the opulent sitting room. “And you say you’re not good enough for the Fatui.”

“I said I’m not joining the Fatui,” You said crossly. “But I know how to get people’s attention.”

Childe looked around, crossing his arms as he slipped into what he called “serious mode” for the first time since the two of you met. This man was clearly rich, and it was often the rich ones that were the most difficult to get money back from. They thought they earned it fair and square. Deserved it more than anyone else. Loans shouldn’t matter to one such as him, with the gold inlay pictures on the wall and the vases made of silver. But the rich ones always figured a way to get out of paying their dues, and he had a feeling this man would be another one. “Be careful,” He said as the ice disappeared as you closed the door. 

“You’re not expecting me to discuss this with him, are you?”

“After that?” Childe said with a grin. “Maybe.” 

You rolled your eyes before they drifted to the stairs. Down came an overweight man somewhere in his forties with a thick head of black hair and a suit that matched the rest of the house. Around a few of his fingers were rings made of priceless metal, including one that Childe was certain was made of the rare Cor Lapis with a blue gem that might have been Noctilucus Jade. He walked with a black cane that had a golden dragon for a handle. “Well, well,” The man said, his voice rough. “The Fatui have finally come knocking.” His brown eyes flickered to you for a brief moment before returning to Childe. “I suspect you’ve come for the money I owe.”

“You’d be right, Shing,” Childe said. “You owe so much they sent a Harbinger after you.”

“A Harbinger?” Shing snorted. “That means nothing to me.”

Childe raised an eyebrow. “It should.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Shing handed his cane off to the maid who disappeared into another room. “But I might have something that interests you.” He snapped his fingers and a new, much younger man appeared in a matching black suit. On his hip was an anemo vision, but something seemed wrong about it.  The color was too dark, and the symbol inside wasn’t that of the anemo archon. 

“A delusion,” Childe said. 

“What’s a delusion?” You asked. 

“A false vision, more or less.” That was putting it simply, but he didn’t have time to get into logistics with you. “Where did you get one?”

“Erase my debt and I’ll tell you.”

Childe laughed. “You think information on that is worth two million Mora? I’d rather take my chances and find out for myself.”

“Fine,” Shing said dismissively. Two more men entered, each with delusions of their own. Childe frowned, pushing you back toward the door. “Then I can’t let either of you leave here alive.”

A certain thrill shot through Childe, sending his heart careening off a cliff of excitement. Three delusion holders? He doubted any of them could handle a Foul Legacy Transformation, but they would be strong. This was the best of both worlds. He could take all three of them out and still have energy left for Shing. “Let me handle this,” He said with a grin as he summoned his daggers. 

“That’s him,” You whispered.

“Who?”

You pointed at the anemo user. “The guy who was following me.”

As the men approached, Childe’s mind raced through a plan. The hydro one would have to go first, just in case they were strong enough to mess with his own weapons. He wasn't afraid of either pyro or anemo, so he’d take on whoever seemed the bravest first. The other one would go down without a hitch. 

But as the hydro user summoned a sword of his own, it froze in his hand with the ice snaking up his arm and onto his back. He screamed, trying to drop the sword without success, but crumbled to his knees as ice burst through his suit. Childe spun on the pyro, dodging a burst of flames and cutting through what looked like a whip. He knocked into the man, sending him spiraling into the wall. But he was stronger than he looked - probably fueled by the delusion - and was back on his feet with more flames in a heartbeat. Childe parried each one, burning down paintings and knocking over what he assumed was priceless furniture. But when he glanced at Shing, the man was smiling, leaning against the wall as he watched the chaos.

A burst of wind nearly knocked Childe off his feet, and he quickly leaped back to avoid the second one. He swapped back to his bow and quickly unloaded three shots into the anemo user’s body. He went down like a sack of rocks as Childe resummoned his blades and shot at the pyro user. He could see panic in the man’s eyes as he threw more and more flames without success and Childe lunged, dagger going for the throat. 

A wall of ice stopped him in his tracks. 

He whirled around, anger mixing with his adrenaline. “What are you doing?”

“You’ve already killed one,” You said, towering over the third man who you’d literally knocked out cold while Childe wasn’t looking. 

“Not necessarily.”

“You think Shing is going to get him any help?”

“Probably not,” Childe said. “But that doesn’t matter.”

“So the Fatui are a bunch of murderers.”

“Only when it's necessary.”

“And this is necessary?”

“Yes!”

Suddenly, the man screamed behind the wall, collapsing to his knees. The ice dropped in an unceremonious puddle, soaking Childe as you raced by him and to the man’s side. “What’s wrong?” You said. But the man pushed you away as he put his hands on his head. Fire burst from him, consuming his body as it burned away his clothes. His screams only got louder, and Childe yanked you away as the smell of burning flesh filled his senses. Within another second, the man collapsed, dead. Three maids rushed back into the room throwing water on whatever was left. The room was trashed. The floor had been lit ablaze, if only for a moment. Every painting had been either burnt down or torn off the walls. The only man Childe was certain survived was the hydro user, but a maid quickly drug him out of the roam as he moaned in pain. He shuddered just before he disappeared, and Childe knew immediately that he should have put him out of his misery. 

“2 million Mora,” He said flatly, looking to Shing. “Is worth three lives to you?”

“I was curious,” Shing said with a shrug. “I’ll have the money delivered to you by tomorrow.”

“You’ll give it to me now.”

“You can wait, Harbinger,” Shing said as he took back his cane and climbed up the stairs. “You’re lucky I’m not charging the Fatui for repairs.” He disappeared after the top step, but Childe could hear laughter echoing throughout the house. 

“Childe.”

He looked down at you as you lifted the hand of the charred body. For a moment, he was surprised you had the guts to get that close to the deceased, but then you turned the hand in yours, revealing a swirl mark on the back. “What is this?”

“I’ve never seen it before,” Childe said as he moved to the anemo user. His hand was blank, though that same mark was present in his delusion. “Maybe it's because he died from it.”

You were silent for a moment as you stood back up. “I should have let you kill him,” You whispered. “It would have been…” You trailed off and shook your head as you turned back toward the door. “None of this is right.”

“That’s part of the job,” Childe said. “Sometimes we have no choice.”

You said nothing as you tore the door open and stepped out into the street. “You still owe me a sparring session, girlie.” 

“Tomorrow,” You said. “I can’t… not after that.”

“Then where are you going?”

“The funeral parlor.”

Childe blinked. “Why are you going there?” 

“Talking to a friend,” You said simply. 

“Let me come along,” Childe said as he slammed the door behind him. “I’ve got a friend there too.” He placed a finger on his chin thoughtfully. “Though I wonder if he’ll still be around.”

“You’re friends with Mr. Zhongli?”

“So he is still there?” Childe laughed. “Guess the old man couldn’t get enough of this place.”

You raised an eyebrow. “He’s not that old. Probably younger than Shing.”

Childe burst into laughter as he threw his arm over your shoulder. “You’re right, girlie. Guess I just forgot.”

You didn’t look convinced, even as he grabbed your hand and practically dragged you away. But as much as he was smiling and laughing, his mind drifted back to the bodies in Shing’s house. Delusions. Andrei hadn’t mentioned those which meant the Fatui hadn’t known about them. Or maybe someone had and that’s why the Tsaritsa had sent him here in the first place. A little warning would have sufficed, but the thrill of finding out for himself… that was enough for him not to mind. He’d have to do a little digging. Tail Shing for awhile. Figure out how exactly he was making them outside of Snezhnaya. This was a job he may have to handle by himself; a dangerous thrill that he shouldn’t get you involved in. 

“Childe?”

He blinked. “Yes?”

“Good,” You said with a far away look on your face. “Thanks for offering. I’ll get our friends.”

You left him stunned. “Wait,” He yelled. “What did I just agree to?”

But your mind was long gone, leaving him to chase after you.

[kyogre-blue]

Since it came up before, I looked up Elegy for the End lore. And it indeed confirms that the Crimson Witch is Rostam’s singing maiden. 

Long ago, there was a knight who was ever dour of countenance. Only a certain song could ever cause his brow to unfurl, and only a certain girl who sang that song in the square could cause him to forget the great burden of his duty for a time.

But at last, calamity came upon this land. The songs that had once flown joyfully in the wind were drowned by a venomous dragon. The Anemo Archon heard their agony, though he had refused to rule. But to protect his old friends' dream, and defend the wind-kissed fields of green, he woke from his long slumber anew, and with the sky dragon in battle he flew... The Knight and his knights also fought for their land.

When the venomous dragon fell to ruin on the ice-sealed peak, the blue sky dragon fell asleep in the ancient tower. But the Knight was in the valley, spent of his life's blood, and as he fell, he could only think thus: "She is abroad studying, so she should be well. But ah, how I wish to hear her sing again. At least Arundolyn and Roland are alright. When she returns, this calamity should have blown over."

The songs in praise of the archon and tunes that recorded the battle of the two dragons were many, but all slowly became lost. The song the girl loved to sing, too, changed upon her return. And after her voice and her tears had run dry, the girl swore to use her life's flame to cleanse the world's crookedness.

So Rostam’s maiden went to study abroad in Sumeru and afterwards, when returning to Mond, decided to burn up her life to fight. I do wonder about Rostam during “in the valley” because I’m not sure what that refers to. Is it a specific place? 

This does kind of sound off in regard to the previously assumed timeline. From Breeze Amidst the Forest: 

Approximately one hundred years ago, the land was in chaos. Darkness spread, contaminating everything it touched. Barbarians and foul creatures roamed the lands, forcing people to dwell within the city walls.

It was an especially difficult time for Mondstadt. The Liontooth Knight was without a suitable heir, and the Knights of Favonius had lost many of its brave men and women during the bitter wars. During the most difficult of times, Durin, the corrupted dragon of immeasurable power, began attacking Mondstadt.

The prayers of Mondstadt's people awoke the Anemo Archon, and his will summoned forth the Wind Dragon Dvalin. As the last defender of Mondstadt, Dvalin battled Durin with all his might.

Ignore the “one hundred years ago,” the book itself is from centuries ago. 

The wiki timeline assumes that this part about “without a suitable heir” is because Durin’s attack was after Rostam died and Arundolyn lost the will to fight. But if we go by what Elegy is saying, Durin vs Dvalin happened while Rostam was still alive. 

I guess this might refer to something else? Maybe about Arundolyn himself being without an heir (though I don’t see why that matters). Alternatively, Arundolyn is not confirmed to have the Liontooth title. Favonius Greatsword only calls him Lion of Light. But that is also really weird, since he was the Grandmaster and apparently super strong, so... I don’t suppose it matters too much, but... 

...But most importantly, who the hell is Roland? Is this Rostam’s white knight apprentice from Bloodstained Chivalry? 

[dourpeep]

Alright let's take a quick break from KazuXiaoreader...

Imagine getting isekai'd to teyvet and you make it your job to drop super ominous lines/questions

You @ venti: losing a part of your power is quite unfortunate no?

Venti:*stops strumming his lyre* ahh what?

You@ zhongli: *sips tea* leaving liyue must have been a difficult choice especially after watching over it for 3000(?) years

Zhongli: what are you talking about?

You: rex lapis of course... Or did you think I was talking about you?

You@ keaya: having to pick between two things that are very important and having the outcome decide your fate and everyone else's and perhaps even all of teyvet doesn't sound relaxing...

You: why are you looking at me like that keaya? I was talking about wine. You know how important good wine is right?

You@ Traveller: losing your twin must have hurt a lot... But they said you have all the time in the world to find each other.

Traveler:... They said?? You met my twin?!

You: sorry I misspoke I meant they would have said

-no primogems (if given the power that's all I would do if i get isekai'd)

PRIMOS YOU AGENT OF CHAOS I do commend your dedication to it though aiehi

I'm too emotional and I'd feel bad so thinking about this I wanna just gather them up and be like noooo I'm sorry

But at the same time??? This is incredible because you'd effectively be working as a plot continuer should it lull or should the Traveler have trouble with something in particular. Like oh, in the beginning traveler is having some problems trying to figure out what about Ven is off? They know he's a bard, that he knows an incredible amount of songs (but that's normal right??), also he somehow knows how to soothe a dragon that's one of Mond's Four Winds??

Who knows right? :DDD

But then you come along and make a comment about how Venti is easily the most powerful person in your small little group (we're assuming that Traveler has Venti and this is before the end of the first archon quest and before Traveler catches wind that Ven is the Anemo Archon). But he seems so lackadaisical and carefree-

But then it clicks and Traveler asks Venti if he is the Archon and whooo plot continues without a hitch!

It's even possible that your little interferences/hints could even help certain characters find their own closure...maybe drop a little bit about how badly Kaeya's been effected by his background and how there's the fates of Teyvat and Khaenri'ah on his back when he's in Angel's Share and Diluc is just within hearing distance...

Maybe Kaeya isn't so bad after all, and just maybe Diluc will warm up a bit to his estranged brother-

Or even those little hints are what drives Traveler to only barely miss their sibling or even catch the barest glimpse! It hurts, to know that their twin leaves willingly...but there's the comfort of knowing that they're alive and safe-

[moontheoretist]

"Nobody expected". Well, maybe you. I didn’t believe that the Archons even have the power to grant the Visions since the trailer for 2.1 dropped, because Dragon Age fandom and lore taught me that "whatever the NPC = people of the world believe may and usually is not the truth of the world itself". I didn’t need that confirmation from Raiden to be sure, because the trailer implied that much.

If I paid more attention to the lore I would know that the moment I got Zhongli’s line about Visions, but I didn’t, so I didn’t hear the line in which he basically says that he doesn’t even know what Visions are, so by extension if he doesn’t know how they work and what they are, he cannot grant them, unless we assumed he was giving out the shit he himself didn’t know shit about.

It kinda bugs me that most of Genshin fandom still refers to Visions as being given by some principles which the Archon sets. Like Anemo being given to people who “lost a friend”. I know most of it are jokes, but it grates on my nerves recently, especially after 2.1 trailer dropped and even more now, when we got the confirmation from Raiden that they don't give them. So I vehemently disagree with the conclusion from this video that Archon’s ideals somehow affect the Visions. It is more probable that Visions reflect the character of the person they are granted to than Archon’s wishy-washy ideals.

Since 2.1 I was thinking, and I dig up some stuff, and then I joined a discord server for theorists, and now I am less full of shit than when I was writing this. So, you can disregard most of what I said there.

For the record, this post was written 21-22.09.2021. If any new developments arise, the info here may change or get disproven.

Now, as far as I am concerned:

- Visions are objects given to certain people who fulfill certain requirements. We don’t know all of those requirements, but one of them is having an extremely powerful wish/ambition/passion for something.

- Vision reflects the passion/ambition and holds it even when the person dies.

- Vision can be reawakened if the person resonates with the ambition it holds. (This is how Ningguang got her Vision).

- Vision is called the Eye of God in Chinese, which is suspicious considering that Gods in Teyvat used to be something more than the Archons are now - meaning that there were a lot of Gods and there were Gods of Celestia as a separate set of Gods, and now we have 7 Archons, who have Celestia’s stamp of approval. There is A LOT of eye references being thrown around in Teyvat, so the whole eye thing going on with the names probably has some meaning.

- Delusions are made from the energy of dead gods (like Orobaxi) and possibly other powerful beings (dragon Durin).

- Delusions are human-made and are obtainable in an easier way due to the fact that they do not require as high level of ambition as Visions do and possibly don’t require the person to fulfill other, unnamed requirements.

- Delusions probably used to be rarer than they are in 2.1, because if they were that easy to manufacture, all Fatui would use them and not only a few. 2.1 makes Delusion into literal mass-produced product and gives it to the Resistance, which means Fatui could manufacture that many and give them away, possibly losing them forever if they were confiscated.

- Both Visions and Delusions have a price, but we didn't see Vision’s price yet. We know that Delusion Diluc’s father used killed him, and we know that Delusions given to the Resistance accelerated their aging. Possibly the effect which Delusion will have on the human using it is related to the type of the dead god/creature they used to make them, but it’s not confirmed that the evil energy left behind by the dead gods differs depending on the god. As of now, it was mostly the same thing, oozing like a miasma from the earth (?) with just different area effects (I still hate Mikage Furnace with passion).

Now, I know that in one of my previous posts I said Delusions may be named like that due to people channeling something they were deluded by, but now I am more of a thought that Delusions are named like that simply, because in Vision’s case your ambition is somewhat considered achievable when you get your Vision or even due to the fact that you got that Vision, while Delusion is like a dream you have and want to achieve, but everybody knows is impossible to be achieved. People who want to achieve something but don't have the means to, and have only their own conviction it will happen, are often referred to as deluded. Visions on the other hand are literally a proof that your ambition will be achieved either by your own doing or thanks to the fact that you got that Vision in the first place.

Anyway, I am iffy on the whole “Celestia gives the visions”, but I think Celestia and their Gods (not the 7 Archons) may have something to do with establishing the requirements I talked about above.

They don’t have to directly use them to spy on people as some theorists think, and may only be a general push behind them being established as a part of the fabric of the world of Teyvat.

[xsparklingravenx]

breathtaking [2]

Title: breathtaking [2]

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Characters: Albedo, Klee

Rating: G

Word Count: 2,278

Summary: When the city burns to a crisp and the fate of Khaenri'ah plays out across humanity once again, will the girl in red stand against the beast, or join it?

AO3

1 / 2

First, there was fire and brimstone. Then, there was ash and blood, chalk and soil, and finally, a speck of scarlet in the midst of it all.

The city burned. Buildings crumbled. Those that still lived screamed for help or in sheer terror. The calamity made monsters of men, tore apart the knights who fought to their deaths, brought to life unspeakable horrors—but the speck did not cry out. It moved through the dying city slowly, fighting against the forces that had been set upon it, explosions ringing out at its behest. Not once did it falter. Not once did it act out of fear.

At the centre of the destruction was a boy who was not quite a boy anymore, who held destruction in his hands as it overwrought his body, and the speck, when it came close, turned out to not be a speck at all. It was a girl, not more than a child, who dressed in red, who wore a backpack with a little doll attached, who held a catalyst in shaking hands as she faced the monster she might have once known.

The not-quite-boy recognized her, but there were no words in his mouth that he could give her. And oh, he wanted to speak, how he wanted to reach out and tell her it would be okay, how he wanted to scream at her to run, but there was not enough left of him to tell her so. She was so small, not meant for such a nightmare, and yet she was still there, alive when so many were not.

She came to a gentle stop before him, hazy vision only showing him her visage, hiding her expression from his view. Why was she here? Why hadn't she left?

“Albedo,” she said, her voice cracking on that sole word. “It's still you, right…?”

The power of a dragon long dead thrummed in Albedo’s veins, and it sang a melody of hate and fury. Khaenri’ah, replaying out in front of their eyes, alchemy taken too far, curses blighting a land undeserving. He reached out with one hand, his other covering his face as the power took its toll on his false body. He could withstand so much. Why could he withstand this much?

“Klee,” he hissed out, straining just for that, and where was their Anemo Archon now, when the world was burning and she didn’t deserve this horror? Barbatos hummed on their winds when it so suited him, when he wished to bestow his freedom and his desire, but where was he now, when his beloved city was wrung out and falling beneath ground?

The clattering of steel drew both their attention, and through his dimming vision, Albedo saw knights, the ones who yet lived. They had only their swords and their courage to wield, and yet they were here to kill him, or at least to try. Maybe he would welcome it, if only to make the dragon’s anger die.

This air was poison. He was certain of it, that Durin’s influence held, and he expected Klee to run at the vision of the knights with their weapons drawn, to dash for safety. He wished she would, he held on to the hope that she would yet find safety even where there was none—and yet she didn’t step back.

Instead, she turned on her heel, turning her catalyst towards them.

“You can’t hurt Albedo,” she said softly, and the knights pointed their weapons at her despite how she was still so tiny, not questioning her or faltering in their mision. “Klee won’t let you. He’s…”

She trailed off, her Vision at the ready, and the knights didn’t hesitate. Albedo threw his hand out as they charged, as Klee threw up her bombs—and awoke with a start.

He didn’t suck in a breath, nor bolt upright, because there was a concerned face leaning down into his, with wide eyes and pale blonde hair that stuck up on all ends. Despite how dark it was still outside, she’d lit a lamp with her Vision, and it now sat blazing on his bedside table.

He blinked, her expression making him feel tight and hideous inside. She was knelt on the side of his bed, he realised. “Klee?”

“Is Albedo okay?” Klee asked, leaning over him. She had Dodoco in her hands, the fluffy little doll flopping on its side. Without her hat and in her bedclothes, she looked even younger than usual. “You look a little pale…”

Did he? He remained deathly still in his bed, the remnants of the dream fading from his memory instantly, but the horrified sensation in his ribcage remaining. His hand found its way to his chest, where he might have felt his rattling heart if his body were normal, and he pressed down against it.

He was not so easily shaken, and yet whatever that had been had shaken him. Klee tilted her head when he didn’t respond, and said, “Um, I heard a big shout, so I came in. Is that okay? Is it?”

“It is,” he replied, willing himself to reorientate himself, to figure out what was going on. He was at home. It was still night. He’d apparently shouted in his sleep and roused Klee from her slumber, and now she was in her room because he’d worried her. “Sorry, Klee. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t,” she said, and then she paused. “Well. Maybe you shook Klee a little bit. But that’s because you don’t ever shout! Or wake up! Did you have a nightmare?”

“I might have,” he admitted, finally sitting up. His hair fell about his face, loose from its usual tie. “I don’t remember—but, then again, I don’t often have dreams.”

“Lisa told me that people dream every night, we just don’t remember them all. I bet I have a ton of dreams about Hilichurls exploding! I must do.”

“Is that so?” She shuffled as he propped himself up against the pillows, and he pushed his fingers to the dip in his throat, where the star-shaped mark was etched onto his skin. His voice felt a little rusty, a little dry. “Was I shouting long?”

“Nope. Just a little bit. Does your throat hurt?”

“Not exactly—”

“Klee knows just the remedy!” She hopped up before he could stop her, and off she went, bolting out of the room, leaving Dodoco in his care. It was a couple of minutes before she returned, juggling two mugs in hand. “Look at this! Mona was really sick the other day and her throat was hurting real bad so Barbara showed me how to make chamomile tea! She even gave me some to bring back, so now I can give some to you!”

She handed him a mug, and then clambered back up onto his bedside. He peered down into the liquid, feeling the warmth from it seep into his cold fingers. “Thank you, Klee. I didn’t know Mona was ill.”

“You were busy with Sucrose that day, but that’s okay! I know you’re having fun making stuff. I made stuff too. Well. I made it go boom, actually, but I did it out in the fields, so nobody was around!”

She sipped at her tea, and he followed suit, closing his eyes as it soothed his throat. “I’m glad to hear it was out of the city walls, at least. How many fish did you gather this time?”

“Enough for tons and tons of Woodland Dream, but I gave most of them to Fischl! She needed them for something weird she was making with Bennett, and it was better to give them to her because whenever Bennett makes something, he causes even more fires than I do!”

Ah, he knew Bennett, the adventurer with terrible luck. One day, he’d have to ask him if he could run a couple of tests, but that would require several risk assessments that he hadn’t had the time to consider yet. “You’ve made a lot of friends, haven’t you, Klee? Miss Alice would be thrilled.”

“Yeah! I can’t wait to tell mom everything!” She grinned, putting her mug on the bedside table to hug Dodoco close. “I’m gonna tell mom all about your work, and Lumine too! Oh! Do you think she’ll meet her on her travels? Maybe she’ll see her before I do!”

“Maybe. The world is a large place, but that traveller seems to have a knack for getting into every cranny this world has to offer.” His chest twinged as he thought of her and her draconic sword, the reminder of Durin unsettling something within. “This tea is nice. I’d love to break it down to its base structure…”

Klee giggled. “You always wanna do that!”

“And you always want to research new gunpowder, so we’re not all that different.”

“Nope! That’s what makes us such a good pair!” Klee’s cheer was short-lived, for some reason, her face falling. She hugged Dodoco a little tighter, and then said, “You were really still when I came in. I don’t ever get scared, I’m a big girl! But maybe I was a tiny bit worried. Itsy-bitsy. Sort of.”

He paused, his mug half-way to his mouth. “Klee, I’m okay.”

“I know!” She turned her head and looked directly at him, her eyes burning holes into his. “You’re not breathing again.”

Oh. As always, he’d forgotten. He inhaled, raised his hand to his mouth, and carefully blew hot air onto his palm. A gentle exhale, but the first intake of oxygen he’d had in hours. Most people didn’t notice, because he still subconsciously imitated the motions of breathing, but when he was sleeping, there was no need. Did he look dead, when he was unconscious? What an odd thought.

They never spoke about it. She never asked him why, even though that should have been the first question on her mind. Children were inquisitive by nature, and yet she let that one oddity go. Much the same, he never questioned her inability to fear explosives, or why she enjoyed destruction so.

Bathed in the cosy light of the lamp she’d lit, Albedo leant back against his pillows and tipped his head backwards, focusing on each breath he took. His chest rose and fell, and he wondered for himself why they had ended up together, two strange beings in a world that valued normality. Was it that the unconventional attracted? Could he even test for something like that?

“I don’t think I’m going back to sleep,” he said, because in truth, deep down, there was something within that was still shaken by the dream he could not recall. Not even the warmth of the mug he still held could defeat that kind of cold. “Do you want to play a game, Klee?”

“Not a game, but…um…let’s see…” She tapped a finger to her chin, and then jumped up once more. “Let’s read a book! Can you read it? If your voice isn’t too bad, I mean!”

“Go pick something,” he said with a gentle nod. She rushed off to her room, returning with a battered-looking copy of The Fox and the Dandelion Sea’s first volume. When she jumped back onto the bed, she made sure to adjust the covers so she could slip beneath them, carefully leaning against his side.

She was warm—warmer than he was, partially because she was a being built of soil, and partially because she had a Pyro Vision at her command. She ran a little bit hotter than others (especially those of Cryo affinity), and definitely hotter than Albedo, who blamed his slightly lower temperature on his not-quite-conventional genetic makeup. It wasn’t a bad thing by any means.

“You read the boring bits, I’ll do the voices!” Klee said, calling to attention how he never went past monotone when it came to story-time. “Klee likes the little fox. Dandelion, dandelion, ride the wind to a faraway land!”

“If there weren’t any ‘boring’ bits, then there’d be very little story, and there would be no point in me reading it,” Albedo said, and she settled down with a melodic giggle. Tucking Dodoco between them, she took his mug when he gave it to her and put it on the side. When he opened the book, she held onto the side that she was offered. One half each, shared.

Making sure he carried on breathing, he said, “Alright, Klee, off you go. You know the first line, you already said it once.”

“Yup! Dandelion, dandelion, ride the wind to a faraway land!”

Where she was pressed against him, he could feel her heartbeat, thumping along steadily as it was meant to. As he carried on the narration, as she jumped in to do each character’s voice, a little part of him wished for this fragment of time to remain forever, to freeze like a Cryo Regisvine’s vestiges, unmoving and kept safe, untouched by what may come.

But not even he could stop time, so all he could do was look to the future and hope that, if the worst came to pass, that those around him might have the power to stop him. Lumine, Sucrose, Klee herself. Those he’d managed to somehow form attachments to, those he enjoyed the company of, those he loved—they could destroy him, couldn’t they?

Klee’s energetic voice lulled his fears to sleep, and eventually, the two of them drifted off too, the book still held open, Dodoco caught between them—and there were no dreams to rattle his chest this time, no abrupt awakenings or sharp cries.

Not that he remembered, anyway.