#that in Mondstadt there was pitch black rain

[reginrokkr]

One of the things that caught my attention from 「The Road Not Taken」 is the lack of Cataclysm influence over the rest of Teyvat as we see in Lumine and Dain's journey as a counterpart Aether and Paimon's. Maybe it's to not be too spoilery (although I wouldn't see why, because those nations are up to Sumeru and are well in the past now with everything that happened 500 years ago included, maybe it's because this information is locked behind WQs and not AQs except for Liyue's interlude quest, I don't know) or so that the differences aren't as big as they would be and instead of focusing on the "background", they decided to put the focus on the twins which seems to be the case. Anyhow, I'd like to see if there is any explanation of this or it's more something to keep stored there as a twins-centric animated short and nothing more.

[momiji-bookhouse]

Hey bb!!! Your Spring event is so cute ahh I love it already

May I request for Dendrorium with Albedo? Thank you 🧡

[Dendrobium]: “Please, don’t go where I can’t follow.”

Event Prompt List

Event Masterlist

pairing: Albedo x gn!reader

genre: angst

cw: blood, mild gore, character death, just overall big sad

a/n: El!!!!! ❤️❤️. No, you’re the cute one!!

Mondstadt is burning.

Soot and ash rain down like some divine retribution and what was once a blue expanse of sky is now putrid orange and sulfur and smoke suffocate the screams of the citizens.

And Mondstadt is burning.

You were naive to think that this day would never come. So trusting of his love for this city, for its people, for all his friends, for you, that you were certain things would never end up like this.

But the person before you isn’t the man you knew, is he?

You’re barely able to hold back an anguished scream as you look at him. What was once pools of aquamarine waters have been replaced with glowing red orbs set in pitch black scleras. Dragon horns and half-formed wing appendages protrude from his head and back, the scent of rotting flesh trailing him as he walks. Crimson and purple markings lined his arms and his once princely face, forever imprisoning him as a terrifying work of art. His ashen blonde hair, usually kept so tidy, is matted down with blood.

And there's so much blood.

You're afraid to find out how much of it is his own.

The horde of corrupted monsters and something akin to dark sludge barricaded your way to him, but you’ve always been relentless, swinging your weapon and cutting them down as much as you can. It feels like hours have passed, but you finally saw an open path.

Ignoring the alarmed cries of the Knights, you rush towards him, slaying the monsters along the way. And yet, when you come face to face with him, your lips clamp together, and you feel like you have sand in your throat.

You struggle to form the syllables of his name, afraid to even acknowledge the transformed person before you as your lover.

Still, you reach for him, albeit hesitantly.

“A-A–”

A low sound rumbles from his throat as your arm gets closer to his vicinity, and you immediately retract it. But then, another noise enters your ears, one so faint that you wouldn’t have caught it if you were not so focused on him.

Your eyes widen when you realize that it sounds like a pained, choked sob.

You take another step closer to him, with more intent and bravery this time. You hear it again, that barely discernable tormented cry, as if though he’s in so much pain trying to restrain himself.

You try to find the remnants of the man you love, any fragment of him that hadn’t been twisted by a corrosion beyond his control, all the while still gripping onto your weapon tightly. You fervently pray that you won’t have to resort to using it.

“Al-Albedo?” You force out his name, but he still refuses to look at you. You swallow a bout of saliva and angle your head to search for his eyes. And then you see it.

Although you longed to see those teal eyes that you’ve come to love so much, there’s no denying that you saw the misery and terror in his blood red orbs as trails of crystalline tears fall down his face. Another whimper escapes his mouth, and for a sliver of a second you think you saw the pleading emotion on his face, as if telling you to run away.

But you won’t give up on him.

“Albedo. Albedo.” you say with more conviction this time. You drop your weapon, reaching for him and wanting nothing more to hold him close to you. “Come back to me, my love.”

You try to reach for the beautiful recollections of those peaceful days – sun-soaked and lovestruck, the sound of your laughter mixing with his as he twirls you around and making the waterdrops cling to your skin like diamonds. You try to conjure the warmth of those serene nights, you clinging to him on your shared bed, with Klee by your side while he lulls both you to sleep with his soothing voice. 

You keep the picture of him entranced with his work in mind. Beautiful, always so beautiful as his pale eyebrows furrowed and a hand clasping his chin while he surveys the notes before him. But however absorbed he may be, you need only to make your presence known to him, and he would grace you with a kiss on whatever expanse of your skin he can find with his lips.

The two of you can have those moments together again, if only he would come back to you.

“My prince, my star. My gorgeous, genius alchemist. Please come back to us. Come back to me.” You plead while touching his cheeks, the tears raining down your face matching the ones on his own.

Then, ever so slowly, he lifts his arm. Hope flares in your body, believing that you’ve somehow gotten through to him and he’s getting into your senses.

With a swift movement, Albedo plunges his arm straight through your chest.

Your scream is muffled by the sheer agony searing your veins, closing down every working thought that you have and only leaving behind the truth that he is gripping your heart in his hand.

Blood gurgle in your mouth and your vision quickly becomes blurry. Your knees buckle and would have given out if not for your grip and his hold.

Still...still...even when you feel the pain of a thousand blows inflicting itself on you from the inside out, you still hold onto him tightly.

Even when you hear the melody of death crooning in your ears as finally...finally...the blade of the Traveler thrust through both you and Albedo – a salvation, a mercy – you embrace him like you always do.

You hope that Klee hasn’t seen him like this. She deserves to have the memories of her loving brother unsullied and preserved.

In your last moments of living, you recall a conversation you had with him.

“My love, if one day...I disappear, I want you to keep on living. I want you to be happy.”

“Albedo, I know you only want the best for me, but I’m more selfish than you realize. I cannot imagine my life without you in it. Wherever you are, I’ll always find you. No matter what.”

As you take your last breath, you see his eyes lose that bloody hue, and return to the color of the blue of Cider Lake on those early, dewy mornings.

There you are. You smile and fall into him.

[blzzrdstryr]

By proxy

Platonic yandere!Kaeya & child!gn!reader

Wordcount: 2195

A.N.: My first time writing platonic yanderes, hope you'll enjoy.

It's an impulsive decision for the most part - taking you, that is.

Kaeya trudges through the Wolfendom forest, a couple of his underlings, Addler and Otto, following behind as they trail a group of treasure hoarders. Criminal gang must have known that knights are on their tail, there's no other explanation for their sudden fleeing, leaving an already broken camp behind and taking only the most valuable possessions.

It's raining and he silently curses, even if this will give him advantage in battle, but archons, it's so cold. Huge droplets fall on the ground with a resounding sound, drenching everything and turning the forest landscape deep into nigh impassable terrain. Mud clings to their feet, slowing the group down, as the Sun starts to set. Sky turns all shades of purple and red, dimming light throwing the last rays over the Mondstadt as the darkness settles, yet Kaeya and his group still carry forward through the palisade of tall trees.

“Sir”, Otto carefully starts: “It seems that criminals are already several miles away from us”.

Kaeya nods for the knight to continue, already knowing that it will be an ask to stop - the weather is hellish and the rain is one of the heaviest Kaeya has ever had to experience.

“With how strong this rainfall is, the gang's traces will be gone in under an hour”

"All the more reasons to push on and catch them then", Alberich replies, paying zero attention to Adler's slight trembling or Otto's teeth chattering. The group continues on their path through descending darkness, their footsteps hasting despite the clinging and growing fatigue.

Suddenly, as the knights make their way around the cliff, a slight whimper is heard. It's human enough to stop the group - maybe some unlucky civilian got in the way of the gang, maybe criminals left their injured one. Kaeya just nods to the pair, as Otto and Adler unsheathe their weapons, wordlessly understanding the gesture.

Cavalry captain takes a step into the forest pit with a raised sword, all sight and ears, light blue vision on his belt shining and flickering both in caution and anticipation. He walks slowly and quietly, like a cat, careful not to step on the leaves and twigs lying around, and then he sees you.

You are a child, all thin and small in the way that the sick are. There are dark circles under your tired eyes, and the scrapes all over your body. You look already dead. He runs up to you, as he sees your figure swaying and knees buckling, saving you from the fall. Your skin burns Kaeya as he carries you back to the knights - it must be fever then. You blink at him several times, saying something, but your voice is too small and weak to make out anything among the droplets falling, and then you stop, eyes rolling back and head lolling to the side. You blacked out.

He thinks about handing your body to either of the knights and then continuing to run after the gang into the knight, but then decides against it - heavy rain must have blurred all the footsteps they left. Adler almost fails. You escape your delirium a couple of times, babbling words about forest and rain and wolves, and Kaeya, despite his focus on the trail ahead, can't help but listen to what you say. It's childish nonsense for the most part, an incomprehensible product of the feverish mind, yet sometimes you say meaningful things - I thought I would die, I got scared of wolf howls, The rain was so cold.

Some small part of him shrinks and aches at these words, a long buried hurt resurfacing once again. Kaeya frowns and huffs as he tries to get rid of the images of the days long gone in his mind - rainy night, hunger, pain, cold, he will die here. His lips quirk and a humorless laugh escapes him - the irony is painful.

He drops you off at the church, concerned Barbara taking you to the hospital and Kaeya, after a brief report to Jean, goes home, his mind still stuck on the memories of days long past. You will be fine, he tells himself, the church has good healers and the orphanage is nearby. Once you get better, you’ll get sent there, where devoted nuns will raise to be another disciple.

You had a look of a deadman - a strange catatonic serenity was radiating off of you, as you looked at the captain with a glazed yet piercing eyes, both seeing him and through him. It’s cold, so cold, yet no one is here. There are hot tears on his face, wet tracks burning his skin. His tummy is empty and aching, cold bites at his limbs, but Kaeya patiently waits for the adult to return. Father said that Kaeya was their last hope, so sure he would never leave him to die, right?

Cavalry captain barely sleeps through the night, memories and inner demons eating him from inside. When he does manage to doze off, a vague picture of darkening forests and howling winds wake him up, a fervent chanting buzzing in his head - Where is his father? Where is his father? Where is his father?.

Kaeya comes to you the next day, as his shift ends, legs heading to the towering church at the top on their own. Barbara leads him to your bed, your unconscious form lying limply. Idol explains your health issues to him - fever, malnutrition, inflammation, common cold and slight poisoning. The scratches you had yesterday were healed, Barbara says, but the rest of the problems can't be easily fixed with a bit of a hydro.

"Then, what medicines do they need?", Kaeya asks, understanding the unspoken words. The Church of Favonius, despite the large funding it receives from the city's treasury, still lacks a lot of resources and materials. People are free to come and get cured, without having a single mora to pay, which means that most of the remedies disappear at an alarming rate - be it some herbal balm for aching joints or a simple linen bandage.

The idol rustles in the hidden pockets of her dress, taking out a pencil and sheet of paper and begins to write, the list grows as Kaeya’s eyebrows get higher and higher. There are dried Liyuen herbs, exotic Sumeru fruits, specially treated Snezhnayan and Fontaine tinctures and medicines.

Kaeya is taken aback for a second by the sheer length of the final list - most of the items will have to be ordered and shipped and despite his salary of the captain allowing such expenses, it’s still strange to spend so much mora - a complete stranger. Captain contemplates just leaving you there - nuns will take care of you, but the hurt resurfaces again and he sees another person lying on the small hospital bed - little him, scared and confused.

He ends up buying all the listed things, and despite his efforts not to, continues to regularly check up on you when he has time. Sometimes, Barbara says, you wake up from your slumber, enough to utter some confused noises and questions, but then you drowse off again, both sickness and medicine pulling you back to sleep.

Kaeya, to his displeasure, never catches you conscious in time, until he comes one evening, expecting to spend the time looking at you sleeping again only to see you half sitting on the bed. Your posture gets straight the second you notice him too, an expression of confusion and fear appearing on your face.

"Hello", Kaeya starts, slowly walking up towards you, keeping his posture small and voice as friendly as possible:"I am that knight who carried you here, remember?", he explains, seeing the further abashment on you face.

You nod at him, prompting him to continue:"So, I just decided to visit you to ask you how you got in the forest and why were you alone"

"Sister Barbara said that you came here almost everyday," you reply, voice absolutely flat and face having no expression. Kaeya looks at you briefly - it’s rare for children to speak in such a cold manner, you must have something on your mind then.

"Yes, I did" , he says in the same friendly tone.

"Just to know why I was in the forest?" , your voice betrays you, a hint of hurt seeping into it. Ah, that’s why you asked.

"Hm, of course no! I also wanted to see you get better" , he smiles at the end, leaning a bit closer to you. You mull over his words, thinking of their sincerity, and then a later second you say, with much less caution and guard up:

"Well I am better now and…" you get silent for a good minute:"I don't remember why I was there. I think it's because of the fever". Your voice becomes strangely controlled again - you lie to Kaeya, you didn’t forget anything. A part of cavalry captain swells and purrs, recognizing himself in you,

"Do you want to live with me?". He asks instead of trying to get the truth out of you. Your eyes shine and a surprised noise comes out of your mouth at his suggestion - something between a squeak and high pitched yelp.

His apartment isn't the best place to bring the child in - there are far too many bottles and not enough food - Kaeya lives off the takeout from the Good hunter and the skewers he grills when missions call him to leave the city walls. Nonetheless, you don’t look too disgusted with his living conditions, so he considers it a win, as he heads for the tiny kitchen to make you a soup.

It turns out a bit burnt in the end - Kaeya added too much wood to the stove, but you still gulp it down, not leaving anything and thank him for the meal. He makes a mental note to buy you a bed - right now you’re sleeping on a small couch, and clothes to change.

You are a quiet child, too fast to apologize for the smallest mistakes and wary of him when he’s in a foul mood - it gives Kaeya an idea why you were in the woods. Your days together flow slowly and steady with Kaeya falling into routine - he wakes up, makes a breakfast for the both of you, you eat it, as you shyly tell him about your newest interest or finding - a drawing, a strange bug, a shiny rock of unusual colour, then he leaves for work, instructing you to go to the neighbours if you have issues, and leaving a premade dinner for you. Then he comes back, now listening to you talking about your day - you were drawing again, or you played with the other kids, or you were running and catching the butterflies, the now dead insects left for him to look at.

It’s a mundane life, something that Kaeya thought will never please him. There is a large pit inside of him - it was growing and festering with years - Khaenri’ah, father, Diluc, Crepus, that fight. It’s ugly and snarling and thoroughly scorched, a part of his soul that keeps him awake and anxious and angry and sad during bad nights. The pit quiets a bit when Kaeya takes care of you - toys, foods, games, the same way he wishes he was treated as a child.

Crepus Ragnvindr was a nice person, he took Kaeya in, clothed and fed and kept him safe for years, yet there was always an invisible line that separated Khaenri'ahn from Diluc - warmer voice, higher expectations, more praise. Kaeya doubts Crepus noticed this truly tiny gap in treatment, Diluc for sure didn’t. Alberich did his best to ignore it, yet he couldn’t, this difference nagged him at the back of his mind, alienating him in the newfound home.

That must be why he does his best to spoil you - it's new toys and furniture and evening walks around the Mondstadt with you on his shoulders. Soon, a new rumour starts to travel around Mondstadt - about a stray being picked up by another stray. Amber seemingly forgives him for the incident with Collei, Jean gives him a raise the same month, for child expenses, she succinctly says, Albedo off handedly mentions Klee and her desire for friendships, even Lisa gives him a couple of fairytale books, warning him what will happen if he will be late to return them beforehand. Diluc doesn't comment on the irony the next time they happen to meet, but he sees some Dawn Winery workers looking after you, when he is busy with Favonius stuff.

Kaeya, for the first time in years, feels truly happy. He has family again - you and him this time and he's willing to smother you with affections. He buys you things he wishes he had, and teaches you the skills he thinks will help you in life - how to fight, how to lie, how to kill someone with words alone.

It's a strange love he has for you - never seeing you as you - but it's genuine and all encompassing. Kaeya doesn't want little him to suffer again.

[salami2]

← Chapter 1 →

They Call It Teyvat…

⇥ fem!reader x genshin men ⇤

(n) a homesickness for a home you can’t return to, or that never was.

Synopsis: It felt like a dream when you first arrived to this odd land. No clue on how you got there- let alone leave. Soon enough, you met Paimon and started the journey of finding all the archons of Teyvat. Along the way, you catch the eyes of numerous men… to your demise.

Word Count: 1.6k

Warning(s): Nothing really! Mentions of Venti, Dvalin, dresses, etc.

A/N: ITS FINALLY HERE! I’m sorry, I closed the requests just so I could work on this crap. Anyways this is just pt. 1 to many chapters. Enjoy!! Really though, enjoy!

“Hey… I need you to wake up now. I know it might be hard…”

A thousand voices rang through your mind, getting lost in a sea of voices. The one that called out was different then the rest. Calmer, quieter… more desperate.

“Wake up. Wake up. Wake-“

Your mind jolted awake, sweat growing on your forehead and body. What a horrible feeling of waking up to a nightmare, you thought. The voices were still ringing around your mind.

The feel of spikes underneath your fingertips convinced you that this cushioning was not your bed. You came up from the grassy ground, dirt dug deep into your nails.

“I must’ve thought I was clutching my bed sheets..” You thought while scraping away the grim.

But you were right. This in fact was not your bed- nor your bedroom. No. In fact, this was a grassy area in a not too familiar scenery.

It was lushious. Like a calm summer's day. Dew drops on the bright green grass made it almost sparkle in the daylight. And the smell of rain could be smelled. Fresh in the air.

Oh, this was most definitely not your home…

Goodness what were you doing here? Your mind tried to trail back to what you could remember. And you could only think of bits and pieces.

You remembered pitch black; owls howling in the nearby trees. Remembering that you cried asleep.

“Thinking back isn’t going to help me, wherever the hell I am…”

You thought. Inside, you were panicking. This was not your home. It was strange, nothing looked familiar to you. And yet it felt familiar.

This place, this time. It feels too nostalgic for you to say it’s new. To say it’s unfamiliar.

“Oh, my god it looks like I’m stuck in a.. fantasy novel! This scenery is gorgeous.”

It suddenly occurred that you were on a cliff side. You carefully trudged over to the end of the cliff, looking over to see the view. What you could see amazed you..

There were walls. They stood so tall and grand. Peaking over those walls was something to be expected.

It was a city, from the looks of it. Hiding away behind those walls. With even bigger towers and buildings. With windmills! And massive buildings in the back. Maybe they were the important ones.

Wait, what were you doing just standing here like a fool??

There’s civilization out there! And all you could do was gawk like a fish? You embarrassed yourself. Still- that place looked nothing like you’ve ever seen before.

Your first thought was somewhere in Europe. The scenery seemed that way. And from first glance, Germany? Yes. The structures would explain it all!

“heeeeeyy!”

A faint sound ringed from the distance. Coming from the bottom of the cliff. From what you could make out, it was almost like a child.

Children? No, it can’t be. The voice was quite childish, but it couldn’t be. And where they calling out to you?

Suddenly the voice started to grow; louder and louder. Until you could see the face behind the voice.

Whatever it was was tired, screaming, and flying right into you.

Wait-

You fell back with the force from the flying child. The thing fell into your arms, swirls in its eyes and a red bump on its forehead.

It didn’t take long for the thing to wake up, though. Immediately flying up to your confused expression.

“S/O! There you are! Paimon’s been trying to find you everywhere, and this is where you’ve been hiding!?”

It’s face came inches away from your own, huffing in frustration. So far all you could get was that this thing was named Paimon. And it was angry, for some reason.

“I-I’m sorry, Paimon,” you managed to get out, “I just wanted to see the scenery. Y’know?”

She huffed. “And you better be! Now c’mon, I brought you a simple dress for you to wear. Be grateful Paimon is such an amazing companion.”

The flying girl looked proud of herself. Thinking it was stupid of her to be proud of a pointless feat. But then again, she was quite small and frail. You’ll let this slide.

She was right about one thing: you needed to change.

Peering down to your legs, you noticed the attire you were sporting right now. A… hospital gown, from the looks of it.

The fine dress she had picked out for you was decent. Basic and brown with a leather belt. Perfect for being unnoticed. Along with a satchel with simple embroidery. You felt a little worried as to where Paimon might have gotten this from…

“Thanks, Paimon. Uh- should I change here, or?” You asked. She puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

“NO! Are you a savage or something!? Here, Paimon will take you to somewhere remote and then we can go to that city over there. Uhhh, what was it called? Oh yeah, it’s called-“

“Mondstadt. It’s called Mondstadt…”

Rigid bark against your palm went smoothly along the trunk of the tree.

You and your lovely companion, Paimon, had found a spectacle that was still unfamiliar and new. An old statue resting underneath a grand, oak tree: just sitting there while the world went by.

Standing underneath it alone made you feel intimidated. Wondering how the hell a tree could get so big.

“Wow… damn, I wonder how old this girl is..” you said to yourself. “Hey, Paimon? Can you tell me where we are again?”

“Uhhh, Paimon doesn’t know the name. Oh! But Paimon remembers they call this continent Teyvat! That’s about it, though.”

You hummed to yourself.

“Teyvat… wait, a continent? Then that means there’s countries inside of this place. Or whatever this world follows.”

Before you and Paimon left, you had mentioned Mondstadt before she could. Funny- you had never known of that city before and yet the word seemed to fly out of your mouth.

Paimon floated up near your shoulder, looking panicked and scared.

“S/O! I saw something weird in the sky!” She exclaimed, taking a small hand and pointing up towards the clear, blue sky.

You stepped away from the tree to see what she was rambling about.

It was like an instant did the flying green object go by. Leaving you and your floating companion speechless.

“AHHHH- DID YOU SEE THAT!?” Paimon exclaimed while tugging on your sleeve.

You couldn’t help thinking to yourself. “Huh. You don’t see that everyday-“ still in awe at what just happened. “C’mon Paimon! We have to follow whatever that thing is!”

She gasped dramatically. “Follow!? Did you SEE how scary that thing was??”

You rolled your eyes as you stepped up the pace and started jogging. “Paimon, if it is what I think it is; that thing that was in the sky might just be a dragon!”

“AND HOW DOES THAT MAKE IT ANY BETTER!?”

While she groaned in detestment, Paimon quickly trailed behind you. You- being determined to find that dragon- kept running towards the direction it was going.

It took a while, but you stopped in the middle of a thick forest. Hearing grunts of an animal getting louder and louder as you peaked from a nearby tree.

What you saw shocked you; to say the least.

A boy, arms reaching forward near the snout of the dragon. Smoke coming out of its nostrils.

“… Don’t be afraid.” He said, trying to calm the beast.

“… It’s alright now. I’m back.”

You felt something happening crawling on your skin, arms. It was odd. Looking away and at your arms, you finally saw. Eyes widening.

Turquoise veins appeared- running down your arms. Glowing for what seemed like a split second. Soon it stopped. Your veins, disappearing.

The dragon roared. It echoed across the entire forestry. The young boy's arms went to cover himself as the dragon tried to attack.

“Who’s there!?” He called out. The dragon, now enraged, spread its coloured wings and flew off to who knows where. While the boy vanished with a bright light.

The same bright light that you encountered…

“Oh, my god… what the fuck was that?” You were too staggered to mind tongue. Looking back at your arms.

“A-are you ok? Your arms…” Paimon said under her breath.

Ok? Ok wasn’t the word. You were… lost, scared, thunderstruck, worried, anxious, terrified to your wits ends.

But all you said was-

“I remember.”

“So wait, Paimon is confused-“

The day still burned brightly as you walked down yet another gravel path.

“Confused about what? I remember. I remember being in a… hospital. Yeah- a hospital. Also, there were people surrounding me and I just… passed out.”

Your face while rembersing showed Paimon enough to know what you were gonna do.

“Paimon… I have to get back,” you said, “I- I remember, there’s something I need to do!”

The flying toddler was confused and hazy. Get back? Another world?? She didn’t know how to respond to what you were saying at all.

“Uhh- well, if you need to get back home, Paimon might know a way…”

“Really?? What do you got?” You persisted.

“Well, all over Teyvat they mention these deities called the seven archons…”

“Deities…” you mumbled under your breath, thinking out loud.

“A-and they created all the elements of the visions you see today. So, if anybody can get you home, maybe they can…?”

Suddenly, your hands flew to Paimon’s shoulders. A shining beam plastered across your face. Oh yeah, Paimon was scared.

“I’m in a new world full of magic and mystery, trying to find seven gods that might take me months, years, or even DECADES to find… LET’S DO THIS, PAIMON!”

You scurried away. Seemingly towards the massive towers you could see in the distance. Paimon gasped, catching up to you.

“A-are you crazy!? No way you could ever do that! Paimon could never dream of such a… ridiculous thing!!”

Alas, you could not hear her over the feeling of pure excitement and adventure in your eyes. This is just like in the books! Where there’s magic and powers and hidden romance- everything you loved to read!

“Too late! C’mon, let’s get to Mondstat quickly so we can find the first god!”

You ran off ahead. Leaving an annoyed Paimon to trail after you.

Oh yeah, this was most definitely gonna be a journey to remember…

@salami2

[reginrokkr]

Truth be said, Dáinsleif did not know what to expect upon encountering the sovereign of waters. It isn't foreign to him the knowledge that dragons detested humans and light— not because any were harmful to them except when they warred against one another, but because they reminded them of the Saint Usurper that took from them what was once theirs: this world. For that reason, he wouldn't be surprised if the dragon in the shape of human decided to ignore him or throw words of resent his way.

What he didn't anticipate is not only that he would acknowledge his presence, but whisper through hushed words sentiments of pity, perhaps even sorrow or sympathy for the beast that has become the primary topic of their conversation— almost as if there is shame in even feeling that way or even daring to voice it out.

Dark clouds augur rain and the fallen seraph nearly pushes away the motive he has come here to urge him to speak about this elsewhere, lest the contaminated rain —result of the yet to fade defilement's pollution in this world— becomes a more urgent matter to concern themselves about. One drop falls, followed by another, prompting starry gaze to rise and notice that the water is crystal clear. Sapphire glaciers drop to his rising hand thereafter to check a water drop resting atop the palm of his hand and realize that, indeed, it lacks the contamination he would expect. Like in Mondstadt with bloody rain and in Sumeru with pitch black.

◜...◞ Dáinsleif falls into quiescent contemplation as he rises his gaze to look at the dragon before him anew, eyes narrowing for a fraction in wonder. Is it possible that he...? ◜It is not the first time I witness it with these eyes of mine. So yes, I do.◞ His head nods in further confirmation of wisdom to be transmitted and shared as a means to present as a fact emotions he finds hard to connect with— but not to understand. Thus he turns his head to the distant east, where Mondstadt's location should be. ◜Mondstadt was victim of such creature not long ago. A dragon who found beauty in the land of wind and believed it found a friend and was playing with it, when in reality destruction and defilement was created with the flap of its wings.◞

Seraphic attention returns to meet the back of the sovereign in name, now no different than every other man like himself. ◜Neither Durin or Elynas are at fault, but of an unkind mother that entrapped their soul in a body created with dark arts that makes them be that way.◞ Nevertheless, neither of this matters. They could dwell in the unfairness of innocent souls turned into monsters for eternity, yet none of it would help a more urgent state of affairs that can unleash a butterfly effect on more than a country or living being, should this situation stay unchecked— including him. Thus ultimately Dáinsleif comes a step closer to the man, but not more than that: he knows how to exercise precaution both for himself and the other, he hasn't forgotten about his own condition as half a monster.

◜The crisis Fontaine is facing must be resolved, Hydro Dragon.◞

Continued from ✦ || @maquiscursed