Chapter 1
All life is built on lies. Lies of the ancestors, lies of the people, lies of the government, lies of the archons, and lastly, the lies of Teyvat as a whole. I was born into a travelling family of merchants, our ancestral roots had no bounds, which is why our stories told of many unfortunate fates.
Our ancestral line has had many vision wielders full of many secrets. Our motto was to never lie under any circumstance, half truths permitted. Many of our ancestors wielded cryo visions, and I was no different.
The weapons we used varied. I learnt from a young age that even someone visionless could be dangerous through wielding weapons of any kind. Many weapons I had tried to wield did not feel right to me. Some too long, too short, too thin, too vulnerable, too slow, too heavy.
None of them stood out to me, not even when the family fell due to the raging greed of the Gods. Heavy bloodshed and massacre left no one unscathed. The Archon war people of the current generation call it, had been a battle formed by the pride and power hungry gods hoping to receive a gnosis.
Visions were the gateway to celestia, a gnosis was just the key to enter it. Not many knew, however, the ones who did would do anything for power. And by anything I mean absolutely everything.
I lost my family, my wife, and my two children to the massacre of the Yiling family. Our black and white hair being a kill on sight for the gods saw us too dangerous to be kept alive, our ability to wield multiple visions scared them.
We were allies with Khaenriah, we fell with Khaenriah, we fought side by side with Khaenriah, and when we as a whole community fell to the abyssal madness. The princess and I, the lone survivors of both civilisation hid.
The people of Yiling and the people of Khaenriah fell to madness, turning into creatures of the abyss. We were no exception. Princess Lumine and I simply adapted too fast for the karmic debt to claim us entirely. The rest of my relatives who had hid during the crisis disappeared off the grid to different continents of Teyvat. I couldn’t blame them. Desperate times called for drastic measures.
We grew desperate, our people were slowly dying from the karmic debt and we had no idea how to stop it. The princess had started to lose her mind, spouting prophesies about bringing her homeland here. To Teyvat. Has she not realized that doing so will cause a rift to destroy both worlds?
I couldn’t stay with her any longer. I fled in search of newfound hope to stop both her, and the heavenly principles- Celestia. That is when I met the cryo archon of Snezhnaya, the Tsaritsa. The only Yiling to have reached godhood and have survived the Archon war. A sworn sister.
She and I worked together to bring down the remaining gods approaching on her territory. Creating a force of strong warriors to sit at our dinner table. Talking about future plans and gaining strength strong enough to pull celestia down. We called it the Harbingers.
The Harbingers formed and under them was what we had decided to name Fatui. Our dirty organization that will bring down celestia no matter the cost. As our table grew in size, from 3 members to 5, from 5 to 8, we grew hastier.
It was a time of glory but also worry, I was happy and content. However, I was close to being exposed to the princess. I had to leave, effective; immediately.
I left them with a farewell gift and set off on my journey to find more people to join our cause. I traveled to Mondstadt last as I had heard it was a city of freedom but also hidden evil from the lasting discrimination of noble and peasant.
There I had met the crimson witch named Rosalyne-Kruzchka Lohefalter and introduced her to the harbingers. Having been left hurt and broken for so long, it was no wonder she wouldn’t hesitate to join the first people who reached their hand out to her.
Soon I had realized that the city was wonderful, the food there was delicious, the people were happy for they had gained freedom through the help of their archon, Barbatos. I had heard about him from my kind friend.
I stayed there for a few years and became friends with Alice. She was always so curious about why I never did age. Of course, she was such a lovely child I had to tell her and teach her of all the things I knew.
Soon enough she was a grown woman and had formed a group she had called the Hexenzerkel (I think, check again here.) She had asked me to join as their only male member, I had accepted. They were quite adorable woman.
Each had an uncanny resemblance to people I had once known. Talents for various subjects. Astronomy, Alchemy etcetera.
Oh when they had children and left! They were so adorable. It reminded me of my own. Josephiah and Morphinei. Twin boys who could’ve grown to be healthy and strong. The Hexenzerkel didn’t last long as most of them became busy with work.
I too had gotten busy.
The princess has started her plan to unify both worlds with her brother awakened from his slumber. Power lost and confused: she would use this for her plan, offering him pleas and explanations.
It was up to me to stop it.
I searched day and night for him. When I had finally found him, I sent my familiar; Paimon to guide him in his journey, to guide him away from the karmic debt his sister was pushing him onto. It was not time, he had to find the truth for himself and choose a side.
I left him in Paimons care. I hoped nothing terrible would befall him for I had to go back to Snezhnaya. We had gained new members and it was prime time I introduced myself to them as the 0th Harbinger.
I left them to their own devices and traveled back. Just as a long journey awaits him, a journey waits for me.
It was time to commence our long overdue plan.
Good luck, Aether. The clock is ticking.
Jaquene Arlow Yiling