Chapter 1
The children had once flocked towards the young male, their curious wide eyes filled with the stars of the sky above the land. The illuminations on the street had shone upon the outsider, his white hair flaring in a halo, the black undertones accentuating under the faux light. His bright heterochromatic eyes had lit up, the cross shaped pupils widening in comic amusement when he watched the children clamor for his attention.
"Please please please show us some more magic tricks!"
"No way, big brother promised to show us more of his talismans!"
"But I want to watch big brother fight!"
"But what about the illusion stuff? The flowers are always so pretty, and I really like it when big brother turns into a girl!"
Those enchanting lips had always curled into a soft smile before calming the children, assuring them he would adhere to their wishes, swirling his black coat dramatically as the faint scent of metal and blossoms wafted through the air. The boy would summon fantastical creatures, foreign flowers, card tricks, sword dances, and all the different entertainment begged for, with even some of the older children lingering around, enraptured by the strange performer.
Those of other nations were not entirely uncommon in Khaenriah, and neither were outlanders-the people from the other worlds-and yet the performer had proven to be an enigma. His pupils were the first sign, the odd talismans not unlike Liyue's second, his sword art and accent similar to Inazuma the third, and many more.
A traveler, the residents of the godless nation had first assumed, but the claim had quickly been quashed when the boy had asked where they were, what Khaenriah was, and what Teyvat was.
He must have lost his memories, was what they had thought next, but the boy quelled the resident's claims once more, speaking of the beautiful city of tall buildings, gray tones, and calm which he had loved and protected.
Of all the outlanders the homeland had received and looked after, he had been the oddest, from the way he dressed, presented himself, and even his very demeanor.
I don't particularly like children. A lie. ?
I can only taste extreme spice and bitter foods and drinks. Strange, but he was just passed off as a picky eater.
Is it really that odd for me to know the art of the sword? His form was flawless, as if he had been trained to slink through darkness, his bright red strings leaving a crimson trail of death.
The outsider's presence was acknowledged not long after his questioning, his cheerful demeanor a sun to the children, many residents even stopping by to chat, spending a couple afternoons of tea with a blond outlander, and even the guards and warriors engaging in friendly sparring.
Nothing ever lasts forever, does it?
Golden rings surrounded the boy as he furrowed his brows, crimson staining his ruined right eye, sweat dripping down his face as he attempted to alleviate whatever ailment the gods had brung down upon the city he was escaping, screams and cries ringing out from the underground, the creaking and whirring of the field tillers. The winds howled, the earth roared, the air popped, as the wrath of the gods descended.
"What's happening to me?"
"I, I can help you! Stay with me! Please!" The exhausted boy realigned his hands to activate his talismans.
The children's parents were beginning to show signs of the change, their forms changing rapidly as the group rapidly left the destruction.
"You've done so much for us, big brother! Please, make it alive, even if means leaving us!"
"Live, Tsurumaru!"
The children shoved the boy, whose bewildered eye gazed upon the loving children, his mouth opening as if to scream, but his back hit the water, and the curtain of darkness fell over his eyes as the raging currents carrying him away, as the curse finally activated upon the children, morphing them into monsters..
Hello my readers,
I began playing Genshin Impact, an RPG game with a gacha system belonging to Mihoyo over a year ago. This Lantern Rite's (the game's Lunar New Year) story, which I will not spoil, made me realize just how short life can be, and how our fragile existence could be wiped out in a few seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years...And so my resolution is to finish this book, and maintain a healthy update schedule without jeopardizing schoolwork.
I will allow readers to interact with the story, deciding if a love interest, or love interests would like to be added in polls, whether readers would prefer the traveler to be Lumine or Aether, and so on.
As a reminder, please do not repost, copy, or claim any of this work as yours, as the plot is original and belongs to myself. I WILL block and report you if you do.
There will be very minor profanity, quite some death (curse of immortality after all), apathy, violence, manipulation, toxicity, etc. (Please let me know if I missed anything, and please don't correct me on the apathy, violence, manipulation, toxicity because I specifically put it there for later plot).
Please acknowledge I am both writing for myself and for readers. Constructive criticism is welcomed, but please exclude any negativity in the comments. Many characters in the Genshin universe possess trauma of some kind, so I ask to have an open mind and understand how past actions can influence future actions as well. Please don't romanticize characters acting up on their trauma in a negative way, because some actions are toxic, manipulative, etc, and their state of being was clearly not stable. Players who know will know who I'm talking about (The Balladeer)
For those who are unfamiliar with the world of Genshin Impact, the short explanation would be there are seven nations with seven gods of different ideals and elements. Mondstadt, the nation of freedom ruled by the anemo (wind) archon Barbatos, Liyue, the nation of contracts ruled by the geo (earth) archon Morax, Inazuma, the nation of eternity ruled by the electro (lightning) archon Beelzebub, Sumeru, the nation of wisdom ruled by the dendro (nature) archon Buer, Fontaine, the nation of justice ruled by the hydro (water) archon Focalors, Natlan, the nation of war ruled by the pyro (fire) archon Haborym, and Snezhnaya the nation of love ruled by the cryo (ice) archon ???????? (We don't know her demon name yet, but she is known as the Tsaritsa). People from Teyvat are able to obtain visions, or the god's eyes, which allow them to harness the power of the element of their vision. Visions can only be obtained when an ambition becomes strong enough to be acknowledged by the gods.
Tsurumaru will have a vision, but I will not disclose what element until the moment he receives one.
*****This may not be the last time I write about Khaenriah, if readers decide they would like someone like the Abyss Prince/Princess, or others like Dainselif to be potential love interests. I would highly appreciate if readers could let me know of any inconsistencies in the lore, as I am one of the players that barely read the dialogue except for favorite characters or scenes, and therefore do not possess much knowledge on lore.
If you've read my rant, I thank you, and I hope to see you in the next update, which will most definitely be more story than the author's note.
-Aquamarine.
Inspiration Credits
Tsurumaru: name inspired by the protagonist in by anZ on Quotev
This will continue to be updated as the story progresses.
This work is cross posted on Quotev and Wattpad.